.
Weekly Reviews > Episodes 4244-4248 by Rhys

UK Broadcast: Monday, July 14th - Friday, July 18th 2003
Written by: Written by: Ben Marshall x2; Piet Collins; Jeff Truman; John Hanlon. Directed by: Jeffrey Walker; Ali Ali

Darcy's financial turmoil reached its dramatic climax in a week that also saw confession and suspicion...

The cliffhanger of the previous Friday concluded in Monday's opening scene as Lou confronted Ruby about the missing bar takings. Lou boldly demanded she empty her handbag - which incidentally revealed nothing - but Lou was still unconvinced. Meanwhile, most viewers had latched onto the fact that the real thief was none other than "good old Doctor Darcy" - helped in part by the following scene where Darcy handed over nearly $2000 to James, to whom he's indebted. It's quite a wonderful dramatic coincidence that the gambling addict, Ruby, returned at a time when she should be suspected the most, and despite Harold's assurances to Lou that she wouldn't have stolen the takings, the publican makes several jibes at or about Ruby throughout the week - even enlisting the help of Connor to act as private investigator into Ms Dwyer's dealings. Ruby decided to prove her "new leaf" to Harold by finally attending a Gamblers' Anonymous meeting, and telling her story to the other members.

Speaking of which, the kindly Irishman continued his quest to prove himself as an amateur Lou Carpenter by buying a large quantity of plain white t-shirts. This plot, though tedious, has provided a believable introduction to the highly publicized fling between Connor and Lori. The latter helped Connor sell his stock to the kids at Erinsborough High by jazzing them up with rather unappealing felt-pen drawings…… Nevertheless, it became obvious through the amount of time the couple spent in their company this week that there was more than just a friendship blossoming. Related to this plot was the return of Stuart Parker from his visit home to Oakey. To suggest that no one missed his absence would be an understatement - and that's a shame. Blair McDonough has more than proved his worth in the acting department - especially given his reality-TV roots. However, it would appear that for much of the past 18 months, the story team have traded in on this Big Brother afterlife to sustain the character's popularity and justify his being there. It's unfortunate that so much more could be done with Stuart, instead of having him flitting in and out of other people's storylines or ordering an OJ at Harold's. His return fully marked the birth of "The House of Trouser" - a mission by No.30's male-only residents to eliminate the fairer sex from within its walls! However, they soon realized that without a woman's presence, they weren't always guaranteed an evening meal or washing machine spin! This realization resulted in one of the week's funniest quotes from Stuart, when Toadie suggested that one of the boys find a girlfriend soon: "Can we ring out for one?"

Valda's stay in Erinsborough continued to ruffle feathers as Lyn in particular felt guilty for having her "aunt" living in the under-house garage. Lou stepped in and drew up a financial savings plan for Valda - in a bid to help her put some savings aside each week from her wages. However, Lou had to be firm and truthful with her when she bough him an expensive watch as a thank you gift, telling her to treat herself for once, instead of thinking so much of other people. This caused the big-hearted Scouser to break down and confess a secret she'd harboured for decades - that she is in fact Lyn's biological mother. While this came as no shock to viewers (both those who knew of the story beforehand and those who deciphered the not-so-subtle hints of the writers) Lou was literally speechless. Following this revelation, Lou felt it his duty to back up Valda when he overheard Joe and Jack criticizing their "great aunt". Valda, however, warned Lou that he risked letting her secret slip if he continued to act on impulse. At long last this story has surfaced. It's a pity the revelation lost a degree of impact thanks to earlier indications of Valda's true relation to the Scullys, but it nevertheless provided some great material for the usually comedic Joan Sydney and Tom Oliver.

The conclusion to Valda's journey this week tied in with a near-tragedy for Lyn and Joe, all thanks to Darcy's underhand antics. Having escaped suspicion all week for the theft at Lou's Place, he got even more desperate by the threats of businessman James - especially because of the amount of time he was spending with Darcy's beloved Dione, receiving "massages". Darc' applied for a loan from a "backstreet loan company" and managed to raise some capital  through borrowing. In quite a magic scene, Darcy was too busy on the phone, trying to earn a little more pay-up time from James, to listen to what Karl was trying to tell him. But, oh how his eyes lit up when he realized that the jewellery left by Great Aunt Enid was worth close to $100,000! Suddenly, Darcy was very interested in what Karl had to say! Later in the day, Darcy arrived at No.28 complete with rucksack and broke in through the laundry window. In one of the most dramatic scenes of recent times, he ransacked the Kennedy residence, emptying cupboards and smashing furniture. He found the hidden jewels in the salad crisper and stuffed them into his bag, along with, quite wickedly, Susan's wedding rings. Lyn, having taken the afternoon off due to her pregnancy, heard breaking glass next door and decided to take a look, worried in case Lori was home alone and had fallen. Darcy's rampage came to a sudden halt when he heard a knock at the front door, and Lyn's voice talking to the police on her mobile phone. Realising he had very little time, he made his way to the back door just as Lyn came investigating the rear of the house. Darcy flung open the door as Lyn arrived there. The unfortunate hairdresser was sent flying to the ground below. Realising just who it was he'd inadvertently injured, Darcy hurriedly tried to ascertain her condition. Lyn regained consciousness for a second or two, enough to see a blurred image of the thief, but she blacked out again, as Darcy callously ran away with his loot.

Lyn was taken to hospital, and despite suffering internal bleeding; both her and the baby were stabilized - much to everyone's relief! Valda, worried to everyone else as an aunt, but inside as a mother, was desperate to see Lyn, but both the doctors and Joe were adamant that only immediate family should be allowed in. In a moment of desperation, Valda wandered into her daughter's hospital room. Joe caught site of her and dragged her out - coldly telling her that for once she had to think of someone other than herself.  Joe's outburst in the hospital corridor made even those viewers who feel nothing but contempt for Valda, feel ever so sorry for her. We can understand her position, to a degree, knowing as we do her true relationship to the Scully family, but we can also sympathise with everyone else's desperation in light of Valda's interferences. Friday's episode ended with a tearful Valda walking out of Ramsay Street, with suitcase and dogs in tow, vowing never to return.

The story of the robbery at the Kennedys' brought about some welcome neighbourly reactions from the other residents - most notably from Harold and Ruby. Despite her admission to the police and Harold that she was in Ramsay Street doing her laundry at the time of the burglary, she has far been relieved of suspicion - except, perhaps, by Lou who can't quite believe she's the changed woman she claims to be. It was also fantastic to see another appearance by Sgt. Joanne Douglas, played by Matilda White, the recurring police officer who's been attending Ramsay Street burglaries and Lassiter's robberies since 1998!  Another storyline we got a brief hint at was the developing fascination that Taj has for Libby - despite their teacher/pupil relationship. One gets the impression, however, that Ms Kennedy can see through Taj's attraction, and it remains to be seen how she deals with it when it becomes even more apparent. And on a final note, the visual comedy gag of the week came in the form of Lori catching sight of Doctor Karl in the kitchen one night - sans pyjamas...