Jack’s problems seemed to be spiralling out of control this week. When he was found in little more than his underwear, in the street, by Max and Lou one morning, with no memory of the night before, he realised that things had gone too far. Steph got to hear about her brother’s antics, and was quickly on his case. She was fully aware that there was something seriously wrong with her brother, and she remembered the way he had supported her when she had breast cancer. Although the word drugs was expertly skirted around at times, it was obvious that Jack was addicted, and Steph was determined to get him help as he broke down in her arms. Unfortunately, Jack reacted badly when she suggested counselling and tried to get Karl involved. Steph decided that a different approach was needed, so she roped in Max, and the pair of them made sure that Jack was occupied with some, albeit unnecessary, DIY at the pub. Steph was convinced that she was making progress with her brother, but was in for a nasty surprise when she was taking out the garbage and spotted him getting in the car. After asking him what he was doing, he simply sped off into the night, leaving Steph worried sick. Despite the fact that the word drugs seems to be too dangerous to even mention, this part of the storyline is proving to be good. Performances from Carla Bonner and Jay Bunyan have been convincing, and it’s nice to see the siblings interact with each other, particularly with reference to her cancer last year.

Darcy began to worm his way back into Erinsborough life this week. As his hearing for day release got closer, he desperately tried to find somebody who would sponsor him. With Susan having already refused, Lou agreed to help. However, Lou’s own time in jail counted against him, and it seemed that Darcy would have to stay in prison. At the last minute, Susan came through for her nephew and agreed to sponsor him. Although Darcy was delighted, he was about the only one, as Karl was horrified to see the former doctor back in the Coffee Shop. As Darcy began his work as a hospital orderly, he crossed swords again with Karl, who warned him that he would be watching his every move. When a patient began to choke, and with nobody else around, Darcy helped to save him. However, Darcy’s status meant that he was not allowed anywhere near the patients, and one word from Karl would have meant that Darcy would lose his day release status. Karl chose not to say anything, leaving him with the upper hand in the situation.

Susan and Tom’s relationship continued to drift along, not really going anywhere, this week. Both parties were aware that something was amiss between them, but neither of them wanted anything to change. Tom admitted to Susan on several occasions that he found it difficult to cope “in the real world”, outside of the church. Although Susan was sympathetic towards him, she admitted that it was something that she couldn’t relate to in any way. Meanwhile, Susan’s decision to support Darcy’s bid for day release also caused problems, as Tom tried to advise her. When Susan decided to help her nephew, Libby was upset, and took her anger out on Tom, accusing him of being naïve. Although Susan was furious with her daughter for speaking to Tom like that, it made her think. She went to look for him, and immediately realised that he’d be at the church. When Susan found Tom, he was deep in prayer, desperately trying to find a way to resolve his issues with his faith. The following day, both parties found it difficult to talk to each other, but Susan eventually told Tom that she didn’t think that they would ever truly be able to relate to each other, and perhaps they should split up. Although Tom tried to talk her out of it, he realised that she was right, and he decided to pack up and go to see his family in Bendigo, rather than prolong the agony. Personally, the end of this relationship couldn’t have come soon enough for me. Although the story was fascinating when it began, once Tom left the priesthood, it seemed to lose some of its sparkle. However, it would be interesting to see a return from Tom in a guest capacity, if only to throw Susan’s life into turmoil from time to time.

Izzy continued to face problems in her bid to keep Karl from learning the truth about the baby. When Tom realised that Karl was still in the dark, he offered Izzy an ultimatum; if she didn’t tell Karl and Susan, then he would. Ultimately though, his problems with his faith meant that he couldn’t go through with it, and by the end of the week, he was leaving town, taking Izzy’s secret with him. However, just as one problem left for Izzy, another arrived, in the form of Darcy. Determined to make amends to Karl and Susan for the way he had treated them, Darcy was immediately suspicious of Karl’s other woman. When the two ran into each other at the hospital, he made it clear to her that he knew what her true nature was like, as the two of them were very similar.

Elsewhere, Summer finally got her date with Caleb. She was treated like royalty as he picked her up in a stretch limo and took her to his father’s leisure club. However, one person who wasn’t happy about Summer’s new relationship was her father, Max, who vowed that he would stop Caleb from seeing his daughter. Another family relationship causing problems was that between Harold and David. When David didn’t mention his annual rememberence day for his mother, Mavis, Harold was hurt. David admitted that he felt like Mavis had never really meant anything to Harold once Madge had come along. When Harold assured him that this wasn’t the case, the entire family enjoyed a picnic and birdwatching in tribute to Mavis, a day that brought them all closer together.