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Magic Moments > 1993 > Lauren's Arrival Episode 1852

Written by Rod Zielinski, Directed by Steve Mann, Produced by Sally Anne Kerr and Dave Worthington

Channel Ten: 16/02/93, BBC One: 20/12/93, UK Gold: 07/12/99

Benito agrees to take Cathy on a trip to Italy... Philip stops Annalise, as she tries to leave the coffee shop without paying... Michael watches as a drugged Julie slips under the water in the spa...

Michael watches Julie drowning, but then Debbie and Rick come in through the back gate and he starts to call out for help. They all manage to drag Julie out of the spa, and Debbie wants to know how this happened, as Michael was meant to be keeping an eye on her. He says that he can't watch her every second, and wraps a towel around her, before helping her into the house. Rick says that it's lucky they showed up when they did, but Debbie can't understand how Michael didn't see what was happening.

..

At the Lassiter's office, Annalise isn't sorry for lying to Philip and trying to skip paying her bill, and then starts to flirt with him, suggesting that they could work something out. He removes her hand from his leg, and says that her mother will be coming over the following morning, and they'll come to some kind of financial arrangement. Annalise goes to leave, and Philip tells her that they've also locked away her luggage until the bill is paid - Annalise looks disgusted.

At number 24, Beth is reading the financial section of the newspaper, telling Brad that interest on home loans has fallen, but house prices have risen. Brad is reading a surfing magazine and would rather talk about that, and Beth isn't very impressed. He asks her again to join him for a surf in the morning, even though she's already said no. He isn't happy when she turns him down again, and she decides to go and see Phoebe - but Brad says that he thought couples were supposed to share interests. She tells him that they don't have to share all their interests - and they're going to be spending the rest of their lives together, which is all that matters. Brad smiles, but once Beth has gone, he doesn't look happy.

..

Beth arrives at number 30, where Phoebe and Stephen have almost finished the redecorating. Beth excitedly shows Phoebe her engagement ring, and Stephen is less surprised by it, with Phoebe realising that he knew and didn't say anything. Phoebe goes to get some food - baby octopus in a cuttlefish ink sauce, which Beth isn't sure she'll like - and Stephen tells Beth that they're almost finished with the decorating, and have been getting most things on the cheap, but it's still cleared out their bank accounts. He says that he's going to have to give himself plenty of overtime at work, and Beth says that she's looking forward to building a home with Brad.

The next morning, at number 32, Michael is clearing the breakfast table, telling a dazed Julie not to forget to take her tablets. As she leaves for school, Debbie checks that Julie will be alright at home on her own - and makes her promise that she won't try to drive the car, and will stay away from the spa. An upbeat Rick then arrives, to walk to school with Michael and Debbie, as does Helen, who sits down for a chat with Julie, after hearing about what happened. Julie says that it was all her own fault, and Helen thinks that Julie is putting too much strain on Michael and Debbie, now that Philip has walked out. Helen suggests that they should make another appointment with Dr Dawson, as Julie needs to start fighting this depression, and points out that if things get worse, they won't be able to look after Julie at home anymore.

..

A girl is riding her horse along the beach, and as Brad walks out of the surf, she starts to circle him and smiles.

..

..

At the record store, Sight 'n' Sound, a customer comes in to collect a special order, a record of Judy Garland duets, from Stephen. He says that it's almost impossible to find these days, and asks for it to be put on his account. After he leaves, the store owner, Tony, comes over, pleased that business is going well and tells Stephen that they've been selected as a chart store. Tony tells him that there are some very nice perks that come along with it, and a rep is coming in from LTD Records later for a chat with Stephen - he wants to get on the good side of the guy who keeps track of the sales figures.

Brad sits on the beach with the mystery horse-riding girl, and he says that it must be a real buzz to ride like that. She says that it is - but he must get something similar with surfing. He asks her if she owns the horse, and she explains that she's a strapper and just looks after him - Brad thinks it's a pretty weird job for a girl, but she says that she prefers it to being stuck in an office. She says that her dad got her into horses - but he was just a punter. She tells Brad that she surfs a little, but she's from Queensland and there are better waves up there. She tells him that she came down south because of the horse - where he goes, she goes, and explains that she loves going to new places, meeting new people and trying new things. Brad's disappointed as she says that she needs to go, and he helps her onto the horse and watches as she rides away, then realises that he's still holding her scarf.

..

..

At the Lassiter's office, Fiona is complaining to Annalise about her appearance, but she says that they've taken her luggage, so she had nothing else to wear. Philip then comes in and explains things to Fiona, showing her the bill for Annalise's stay at the hotel - Fiona says that she can't afford to pay it, and Philip mentions that he might have to press charges. Annalise is shocked that her mum isn't going to help her, but Fiona says that Annalise is out of control, dropping out of school and having relationships with old men. Philip comes up with a solution - Annalise can work at the hotel to pay off her bills, and stay in staff quarters. Fiona won't agree to it though, and says that she wants her daughter to return and finish high school, so Philip says that she could work part-time, after school and on weekends. Fiona agrees to this, and Annalise looks thoroughly unhappy.

Back at the record store, the record company rep, Luke, is telling Tony and Stephen that from now on, they can send back any of the chart CDs that they don't sell, so it won't eat into their profits, and they'll also get promotions and in-store appearances from artists. Luke explains that, in return, they just want a say in the sales figures - if an artist isn't moving up the chart as quickly as management had hoped, they can bump up the figures a bit. Stephen isn't impressed with the dishonesty, but Tony goes along with it. Luke then takes Stephen to one side, and says that he might have something out in the car for him.

..

At the Hungry Bite, Beth is chatting to Cathy about the early days of her marriage to Benito. As they're talking, Annalise comes in and sits down - Cathy looks unimpressed, and Beth goes over to her, saying that she thought Annalise had left town. Cathy then comes over, but Annalise tells her not to worry, as her mum is paying. Fiona walks in, and Beth and Cathy quickly leave Annalise alone. At another table, Philip and Helen are chatting about the situation with Julie - Helen is worried that she's getting worse, and had completely given up hope of ever getting better. Philip admits that he's coming close to giving up on her too, and is beginning to think that she might need professional psychiatric care.

At number 30, Stephen arrives home for lunch, and presents Phoebe with a food processor. She says that there are more sensible things they could be spending their money on, but he says that he didn't pay, it was a gift. He explains that a sales rep gave it to him, in return for changing a few sales figures - Phoebe realises that Stephen isn't happy about it, and points out that this isn't an incentive, it's a bribe.

..

At the Hungry Bite, Ricks comes in and tells Cathy that he scored in the top five in his exam, so he'll be able to take part in the swimming carnival. Cathy is delighted to see that he can do well when he puts in the work. He asks what his surprise is - assuming it's driving lessons, but Cathy says that she and Benito are going to Italy for a holiday, and now that Rick's marks are improving, he'll be able to come too. He isn't too pleased, and says that he doesn't want to go to Italy.

Back at the record store, Luke returns with some new LTD Records CDs for the shop. Stephen goes to put them with the other new releases, but Luke says that he wants a display on the front counter. Stephen stops him, and says that he doesn't want the food processor if it means having to change the sales figures. Luke isn't too happy, but accepts it, and says that Stephen can keep the food processor, and that everyone has to do what they feel is right.

..

At the Hungry Bite, Michael comes in and starts flirting with Annalise, telling her that she'd better be nice to him, or he'll tell Philip that she's pretending to be Mrs Hartley Jones just to get a free room. An unimpressed Annalise tells him that Philip already knows - and the only good thing about that is that now she doesn't have to put up with Michael's crude blackmail. Michael leaves, and Rick joins Annalise, impressed with how she dealt with Michael - she tells Rick that she has to work at the hotel now, to pay off the bill, and she has to go back to high school. Rick complains about having to go to Italy - Annalise doesn't see the problem, but Rick says that it's a choice between three weeks with the relatives, or three weeks at home with Debbie.

At number 32, Debbie arrives home to find Julie dozing on the couch, and apologises for waking her up. Julie says that she wasn't sleeping, and that she feels awful - she's felt groggy all day and is starting to feel like an old woman. They go into the kitchen to make tea, and Julie tells Debbie that Philip wants her to go into psychiatric care. She doesn't understand what's happening to her - her brain feels all soggy. Debbie asks if she's been taking her tablets, and wonders if she needs some new medication - but is alarmed when Julie then starts to throw her tablets down the sink. She says that she felt bad before she started taking the tablets, but now she feels even worse.

..

At number 24, Brad asks Beth if she wants to go out, but she's too tired. He suggests going horse-riding that weekend, but Beth isn't keen - Brad says that he thought she'd like horses, since she grew up on a farm, but she tells him that they used to ride trail bikes. Brad then suggests hiring a couple of bikes and going camping in the bush, but Beth says that it would be hot and dusty, and she gets enough of that on the building site. Brad, quoting his earlier conversation on the beach, asks Beth why she doesn't want to try new things and meet new people, but she tells him that she's happy right here with him.

..

At the record store, Tony confronts Stephen about not cooperating with Luke Roberts. Stephen says that there's a stand for the LTD Records by the till, but he's not going to rig the sales figures, as it's a scam. Tony says that it's just the way the system works, but Stephen points out that the charts are supposed to reflect what the public is buying, not which sales rep has the best freebies. Tony tells Stephen that he has to do it, but Stephen again refuses, so Tony tells him to find himself another job.

Featured Regular Characters: Brad Willis, Beth Brennan, Lauren Carpenter, Annalise Hartman, Philip Martin, Julie Martin, Debbie Martin, Michael Martin, Rick Alessi, Cathy Alessi, Stephen Gottlieb, Phoebe Gottlieb, Helen Daniels

Guest Cast: Suzanne Dudley as Fiona Hartman, David Bergin as Tony Cochrane, Trent Mooney as Luke Roberts, Donald Hirst as Tom (Customer)

Trivia Notes
• First appearance of Sarah Vandenbergh as Lauren Carpenter, though the character's name is not given in the episode. The character would remain as part of the cast for a year, before returning in 2013, with Kate Kendall taking over the role
• Lauren's first words are "Yeah, the best. You've got your own buzz though."

Summary by Steve

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