Having recovered from the shock of seeing Darren Stark on her doorstep, Libby set about catching up with her old flame. He explained that he’d only been back in town for a couple of weeks, setting up the electrician’s business that he’d taken over. It seemed that he’d been keeping up with events in Erinsborough via Brett, who received letters from Libby, and so he knew all about Drew and Ben. When Lou found out that Darren was back in town, he arranged a barbeque in Ramsay Street, where most of the neighbours called in. Libby was very impressed when Darren was keen to get to know Ben and spend time with him, and a few days later, they met up again at the park. She agreed to go on a night out with him, and then Darren spent some time catching up with Lou, as number 22 suffered from a few electrical problems. Darren shared with Lou his regrets over his mum, and explained how he’d forgotten what her voice sounded like, so they agreed to get together and watch some old videos of her. Darren also shared something else with Lou; that winning back Libby was his true reason for returning to town. That evening, after events in her family has spiralled out of control, they met up at the pub, where she poured her heart out over her problems with her father. Darren was quick to remind her of the arguments her used to have with his mum, but told her that he was no longer able to apologise since his mum died, giving Libby plenty to think about. Having Libby and Darren back together is fantastic, and the old chemistry is still present, with references to past characters like Brett and Cheryl an added bonus.

For Izzy, the gossip became too much, as Boyd told Sky about the baby, and Miss Mangel couldn’t resist dropping plenty of hints towards her boss. A furious Izzy finally snapped about announced to a packed Coffee Shop, including Harold and Lyn, that she and Karl were expecting a child. When Karl learnt about this, he realised that he would have to tell Susan immediately before someone else got to her first. And with Lyn already leaving messages to speak to Susan, it seemed that the street’s very own gossip queen was ready to rub salt into Karl’s wounds. Matters were made worse when Libby’s newspaper article, a thinly-veiled attack on Izzy, was published and most of the neighbourhood told her she was in the wrong. Karl arrived in Ramsay Street just in time to prevent Lyn speaking to Susan, and sent Libby off so he could have some time alone to speak to his estranged wife. Susan was sent reeling when Karl announced that he was about to become a father for the fourth time, and Karl mistook her silence for understanding and thanked her, before leaving. Out in the street, a fight was about to break out between Libby and Izzy over the newspaper article, when Susan burst out of the front door and told Karl of her hatred for him, infront of Lyn, Valda, Lou and Darren. As Susan walked away from Karl, Libby also made sure that he knew her feelings, as she told him that she never wanted to speak to him again after this. This very public fight set off a new chain of events, as Tom got to hear about it and went to visit Susan, announcing that he was in love with her. This declaration, quite ironically, was only provoked when Tom spoke to Izzy at the church about her situation, little realising who she was. That very conversation also led to a decision by Izzy, as she packed her bags and walked out of Karl’s life for good. Susan’s discovery of Izzy’s pregnancy, and the scenes that followed, will surely go down as one of the best scenes of the this storyline, and possibly in recent years. The star of the scene was certainly Jackie Woodburne, but everyone involved really managed to out-do themselves with some very fine acting and reacting.

Back in Erinsborough this week was one Valda Sheergold. Lou was worried to hear noises from inside number 22 and set off to get Ramsay Street’s very own cop, Stuart, to deal with the situation. Having broken in the door, they were surprised to find Valda inside, smashing up Lou’s ornaments. However, a bigger surprise was to follow when Valda revealed herself to be behind the Iponema Investment Group, and the new owner of number 22. Several arguments later, and Lou was busy seeking legal advice from Toadie, who told him that, as he’d been given permission to stay, he would need one month’s notice of eviction, and that Valda would be the one to leave. This led to more arguments, as they each accused the other of wanting more than friendship and it looked like neither of them would be budging. Lou and Valda are proving to be a classic Neighbours double act, and having them in their new role of housemates is a stroke of genius by the writers.

Another double act were finally getting their act together this week, as Toadie forced himself to pack up all of his memories of Dee, in an attempt to move on with Sindi. She was busy moving on herself, as she found herself a new career – as astrologer for the Erinsborough News. With her job interview looming, Scott and Toadie encouraged her to give herself a new look in order to win over the editor. Having borrowed some clothes from Valda, Sindi got herself in role as Mystic Madame. By way of celebration for a great interview, Toadie invited Sindi to move in with him, but she wasn’t quite so keen, claiming that she’d read it in her stars. Toadie realised that she was lying, and she was forced to admit that she wanted to take things slowly this time, rather than rush into co-habitation and spoil things. Another couple clearing up misunderstandings were Liljana and David. David’s continued odd behaviour led Lil to follow him one day, dragging Lyn along as her driver. After being pulled over by the police, they lost their trail, and Lil was about to give up when she spotted David being given a shoulder rub by a tall blonde. Lyn encouraged her to calm down and think things over, but Liljana finally snapped and threw all of David’s clothes off of the balcony – at the worst possible moment. With the judge for the ‘Street of the Year’ competition visiting, it seemed that Ramsay Street had made a very bad impression. However, David was shocked to be told that Ramsay Street didn’t even qualify, as it was a cul-de-sac. David also managed to clear things up with Lil, by explaining that the woman she saw was infact his personal trainer.

Also this week, Sky was busy applying for a council arts grant, in order to prove that it was all a scam, and the council simply handed them out to anyone. Serena decided that Scott’s collages were also worthy of entry and filled out an application for him. By the end of the week, both Sky and Scott were on the shortlist, going head-to-head. Jack found himself out with Mac again, and they then met up with Lyn in the Coffee Shop. Later, Lyn was forced to tell her son what she really thought; that she was ashamed of the way he led his life. Finally, the boys at number 30 were busy trying to raise the cash to buy number 30. And it seemed that they were on to a winner, with both Stuart and Toadie’s parents agreeing to stump up the cash for them to place a deposit…