.
Main Pages

Home
News
Spoilers
Features
Comment
Reference
Interactive
Neighbourhood
Actors & Crew
Characters
Year by Year
Magic Moments
Episodes
Interviews
Articles
Multimedia
Galleries
Music
Links
Search

Message Board

.
Magic Moments > 1988 > Daphne's Death Episode 690

Written by Wayne Doyle, Directed by Gary Conway

Gail sees the car that caused Daphne’s road accident in the Lassiter's parking lot...

Jane has finished work at the office and is locking up, when Charlene jumps up behind her and yells "Boo!", scaring her half to death. The chat about work and Tony Romeo. Charlene says she encouraged Tony to ask Jane to go dancing, to which Jane is not pleased, as she isn’t that keen on him. The carry on chatting when Gail suddenly runs past them. She tells them what she’s seen, and tells them to keep an eye on it whilst she calls the police. Jane says to Charlene that the guy driving the car could be around Lassiter's someplace, so Charlene heads off to the car park.

. . .

As the girls approach the car park, Jane asks if it’s a good idea, to which she replies "I’m a Ramsay, we don’t think of things like that!". They see the car with the dent in the side, and try to think of way to stop the driver getting away. Jane suggests letting down the tires, but Charlene says that will take too long. Just then, the driver and his pal turn up. Charlene tells Jane to act casual and to follow her lead. Charlene tells the guys some story about how business at the garage is slack, so she’s going around giving free quotes. She tells them, as they’re spunky guys, she’ll give them 100 bucks off. The guys start hitting on the girls, asking what they do for pleasure.

. . .

Gail dashes out of the Waterhole with Paul and Jim, who tell her to ring the police and get them to get there as fast as they can.

. . .

Back at the parking lot, the driver asks his mate if he should take the girls out. His friend says the beer’s getting warm, and the guy says it’ll have to be another time. Charlene says she’s not used to getting knock backs, and then asks to look at the guy’s Ferrari key ring. Charlene yells at Jane to run and the two girls sprint off with the keys. The guys begin to chase after them, when Jim and Paul come running into the parking lot. Jane gives Jim the keys. The blokes demand the keys back, and Jim retorts "if you want them, come and get them". The guy then punches him, and he falls to the floor, dropping the keys. Jane grabs them before the driver can get them, and Paul meanwhile takes on the other guy. Charlene jumps on the other guy’s back and wrestles him to the floor. Jim is busy brawling with the driver, and Charlene yells at her to "lay the boot in". Jane stands there in fear and shock, saying she can’t kick him, even after what he’s done.

. . .

Back at the Lassiter's complex, Gail darts out of the Waterhole and rushes over to Tony and grabs his arm, telling him to follow her.

. . .

In the parking lot, Charlene yells at Jane to kick the guy, and she stands there still saying she can’t. The driver manages to fight off Jim and runs after Jane, who sprints up the pathway screaming. Gail and Tony arrive just in the nick of time, and Tony knees him in the stomach. He falls to the ground and Jane kicks him as Charlene cheers. With both guys well and truly defeated, Gail tells the team well done, and Charlene tells Jim how he promised the guys a discount. He laughs. The police then arrive.

At 26, Paul is bragging about the fight whilst Beverly is nursing Jim’s lip better after the punch. Todd and Katie are impressed by what happened, and Jim starts going on about the morals of fighting, and Todd and Katie say this type of fighting is the "fun stuff". Gail says that the fight was unavoidable because they were the good guys, whilst the driver and his mate were the bad guys, but emphasises that it all started because someone did get hurt. Badly.

. . .

Helen is reading an unconscious Daphne the paper in the hospital, when Des and Eileen enter with Jamie. Eileen says to Des that it’s a bad idea to keep bringing the baby in, but Des says it’s a good idea. Des says everyone shouldn’t be so scared of the word "coma", and says that Daphne’s simply having 40 winks. Frank comes in and hands Helen some coffee. Eileen says he’s a lovely man and asks Helen where she’s been hiding him. Frank says Daphne has a lot of courage, and Des says that he and Helen can come round for dinner once Daphne’s better. Frank thanks him, but says he’ll be moving north tomorrow.

. . .

At 26, Katie asks Jim if his lip’s okay, and Jim says it is. Beverly asks Todd and Katie to lay the table, and then begins to apologise for shouting at them before over spending the day with Scott without telling them. They accept her apology, and Beverly wonders how they can. They say they know it’s simply because she cares.

. . .

At the hospital, Paul and Gail relay to Des what happened earlier. Des says he’s relieved they’re behind bars, and Paul says how they aren’t, and that they are out on bail. Des starts yelling how it’s not fair nothing’s been done after they ran down Daphne, and Eileen comes out and tells him to be quiet, as there are sick people there. Des apologises, and Paul and Gail leave, taking Eileen and Jamie with them. Des takes in Jamie to say goodbye to Daphne before he goes. Paul says he admires the way Des is handling it, and Des says that if Daphne doesn’t wake soon, he’ll go mad.

. . .

Frank and Helen are at her flat, and he thanks her for the meal. Helen says she can’t go to the Bungle Bungles with him, saying she loves the city too much, and that it’s the most difficult decision she’s ever made. She says Frank is special, and a soul mate. Frank says he can’t stay in the city, like Helen won’t be able to adapt to living in the Bungle Bungles. Helen and Frank embrace, and Frank says he wished he wasn’t set in his ways.

At the hospital, a nurse wakes Des up. She gives him his breakfast, and leaves. Des opens the blinds and says how today is the day Daphne will wake up, because he can feel it in his bones.

. . .

At the flat, Frank gets his suitcase and prepares to leave. Helen says she wants to drive him to the airport, but he says he doesn’t want a teary goodbye there. They chat about their artwork, and he says he intends on painting a picture of her. The taxi arrives and Frank gives Helen his hat to remember him by. She closes the door behind him and hugs the hat.

. . .

At the hospital, Des is by Daphne’s bedside, saying that she can’t lie there forever, because they have so many things to do together. He holds her hand and tells her that he loves her. Just then, her hands begins to twitch. Des looks at it in shock for a moment, and then Daphne mutters the infamous words, "I love you too, Clarkey." Des jumps up and runs out to get a nurse. Beverly runs over, and Des excitedly tells her how Daphne has come out of the coma. However, when they return to the room, they realise that Daphne has died. Beverly tries to revive her, but tells Des that it won’t do any good. Des stands there in bewilderment, saying that she only just spoke to him a moment ago. He stares at Daphne’s lifeless body, and it suddenly dawns on him that she has died. He runs up to her, clutches her body in his arms, and cries.

. . .

. . .

. . .

Comment: When I first saw Daphne cash in her chips, I was literally holding back the tears. Daphne was the first real death in Neighbours, and it still, 18 years on, remains one of the greatest. The immortal words, "I love you too, Clarkey" have gone down in Neighbours history, helping Daphne’s memory live on. Des’ performance was his, for want of a better term, defining moment.

To read the next episode in this sequence, click here...

Summary by Billy. Captures by Karl

Back