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Magic Moments
> 2010
> Chris Comes Out
Episode 5987
Written
by Rene Zandveld, Directed
by Jovita O'Shaughnessy, Produced
by Neal Kingston
Channel Ten: 10/08/10, Five: 28/09/10
Lou showing interest in buying the car yard... Karl realising Dahl is gone... Chris feeling awkward about walking in on a semi-naked Andrew... Natasha trying to wind up Chris and Andrew... Michael encouraging the
students to tell secrets... Chris recording his secret on Summer's iPod... Libby intervening in a fight over the iPod... Chris admitting to Michael that he's gay
At number 32, Michael is browsing the net, taking some notes, when Natasha comes home full of excitment and gossip - Natasha tells her dad that the secret-telling project is the best ever.
Michael asks Tash to put her phone away, and she says that she will, once she's told everyone about the gossip she heard on the way home. Michael reminds his daughter that the point of the task is to help them unburden, not gossip about each other.
He tells her to respect the other kids because she doesn't know what they might be going through. Michael goes off to heat up her dinner and she heads to the computer to gossip on Facebook, instead of via text. Tash opens up the browsing history to find
Facebook and finds a number of pages designed to support gay and lesbian teens. Natasha's gossip-o-meter goes off the scale.
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Summer is in Harold’s with Chris and Andrew, as Tash bounces in with her ‘awesome-tastic super gossip – someone in year 11 is gay!’ Chris looks panicked, Andrew is mildly
interested and Summer doesn't know what business it is of theirs anyway. Tash thinks it would be really cool to have a gay friend. Andrew says that Tash is assuming that this guy would want to be her friend, and Summer chips in, saying that they don't even
know it's a guy. Tash can't believe that none of them think it's a big deal. She heads off to find out who it is, as Summer and Andrew feel sorry for whoever it is with Tash on the case. Chris stays silent.
Lucas is under the bonnet of a car at the garage, and Michael admits that he doubts he did the right thing starting up the secrets project. Suddenly, fanfare music starts up – Lou is ready for the grand opening of his car yard! Michael leaves,
Lucas and Lou chat over the fence and Lou complains that a certain galah hasn't shut up all morning. He shouts at the bird that shows its appreciation by decorating Lou's jacket with bird poo.
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Later, Toadie and Lou are wheeling out the barbecue when Karl and Susan drop by. There's a moment of awkwardness and Toadie dashes off inside to fetch the guest book.
Susan is covering the opening for the newspaper and Karl appears to be there to take photos and eat free sausages. Lou points out the galah nearby, and Karl wistfully remarks that it looks just like Dahl. Susan says that it would make the perfect mascot, and
Lou starts to hatch a plan.
Back at school, Michael gives Chris the iPod back and assures him the file is still there and he didn't listen to it - Chris deletes the recording and says it was just a stupid joke. Michael thinks Chris should talk to Summer, or someone like his parents,
support groups or the school counsellor. He offers a list of contacts but Chris tells Michael he does not need them. Back in the classroom, Chris returns the iPod to Summer. She wants to know about his recording but he says it was lame and would much rather
show her how he feels. They kiss and Tash comments that they can cross Chris off the list of potential gay students. Summer can't believe that Tash is so interested, but Tash tells Summer she doesn’t care, she just wants to know who it is.
Summer reminds Tash how freaked out she was that anyone might find out that she was a member of Mathletes. She tells the class that it's a non-issue and they all need to get a life. Tash wonders if it's Summer, and Summer doesn't deny it, surprising Chris.
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Out in the school yard, Chris wants to know why Summer said that when it's not true. Summer comments that everyone is just so terrified about being slightly different in any way - she'd rather
be honest and if that means being an outcast that's fine. Summer tells Chris that she used to be so embarrassed about who she was, she didn't want people to know the real her. Chris tells Summer he can't imagine that, as she’s so strong now. Summer explains that
she thought that keeping people away made her strong, but it just made her weak, so then she stood up for herself. Chris thinks that all the emotional stuff is easier for girls, but Summer disagrees. It's hard but it's worth it. There's no point in worrying
what idiots like Macca think - Summer tells Chris that she doesn’t care if everyone thinks she’s a martian.
A little later, Andrew joins Chris over by the basketball hoops and reassures him that nobody really thinks Summer is gay, they're just messing around, it's no big deal. Andrew tells Chris he knows exactly what's wrong with him. He’s worried that if they say that about
Summer what does it say about him? Chris informs Andrew that he’s not worried about that. Andrew asks Chris if he is sure, because something is clearly wrong with him. Andrew tells Chris that he needs to get over this; it has nothing to do with him. Chris tells Andrew
that it has everything to do with him. Andrew asks why - because he's Summer's boyfriend? Andrew says again that Summer isn't gay, and Chris angrily replies that he knows she isn't the one who's gay. Just then, realisation dawns on Andrew, he says to
Chris ‘It's you...’ Neither Andrew nor Chris knows what to say so Chris hurries away.
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Later on, Chris doesn't have time to talk to Andrew; he has to get on with a chemistry assignment. Andrew overhears Natasha telling another student that she and Summer are really
close so she'll be the first to know when she “comes out”. Andrew pulls her to one side and tells her to stop gossiping because someone is going to get hurt. Tash tells Andrew that she doesn’t have a problem with Summer, as lesbians are totally cool right
now. Andrew tells Tash that they both know it's not Summer, and whoever it is just needs to come out whenever they want to come out. Tash then realises that Andrew knows who it is. Thankfully, there is a distraction as Summer finds her locker decorated
with rainbows and the word “lesbean”.
At the car yard, it is the grand opening. Karl watches the person in the galah suit do a bit of a dance and tells Susan that it's very hard for him as he never really got closure over Dahl. Susan helpfully suggests he go and cuddle the
galah person. Meanwhile, Toadie and Lucas make small talk over the barbecue. Meanwhile, Karl surveys the trees through the zoom on his camera.
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At Charlie's Karl dispiritedly rattles Dahl's favourite bell - Susan cannot believe he carries it around with him. She suggests he think of a more productive way of dealing
with his grief, and try being positive. Karl decides he should help Lou bond with his own galah.
Back at the school, Michael lectures year 11 about how discrimination is worse than graffiti and students who discriminate against other students will be suspended - or worse. With the lecture over, Andrew collars Summer to find out why she's copping all the agro from
the other students. Summer says she doesn't care and at least it means whoever it really is, doesn't have to deal with it. Andrew assumes Summer knows who it is and asks how long she has known for, but Summer doesn’t have the faintest idea what Andrew is going on about.
In the end, Andrew tells her that it’s Chris. Summer, shocked by what Andrew has said, tells him that he’s pathetic, he never liked Harry and her being together and now he’s trying to come between her and Chris. Summer tells Andrew that he’s worse than Tash.
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At the car yard, Lou still isn't back from taking someone for a test drive of a car, and Lucas is being pestered by all the interested customers. Toadie has finished his stint
sizzling sausages so hands the apron over to Lucas and makes a run for it. Karl takes the phone from Lucas and offers his galah bonding services to Lou. Lou doesn't seem interested though, and hangs up. The galah in the trees starts squawking again so Karl
whips out his binoculars. He admires the bird for a while before realising that it is in fact Dahl. He rattles her bell and she does her little side to side bobbing dance.
At Charlie's, Karl is convinced that the bird is Dahl but Susan points out they all have the same markings and Lou thinks they all squawk the same to him. Susan tells Karl that what he wanted to see may not be what he actually saw. Karl starts to make a list of Dahl's
favourite foods to try and entice her down. Lou thinks he's lost the plot and Susan reminds him of the penalties for trapping wild animals. Karl tells Susan that she's not a wild animal, and is curious to know how she's survived this long without him.
Karl then decides to go and rescue Dahl - Lou tells Karl it'll be over his dead body! Lou says that the galah is his mascot and his property. They tussle over Karl's tub of bird seed while Susan massages her temples trying to block out the madness.
At Erinsborough High, Michael invites anyone who wrote their secret down to come up and shred it. A student shreds his secret; Michael asks them if they want to discuss how unburdening their secret has made them feel. Macca suggests that Summer would like to, and
she says that she'd be happy to. Macca shouts ‘Sing us a K.D Lang song!’, and Summer addresses the whole class, saying ‘I don't care what any of you know about me. Whatever you think, it doesn't affect me. The important thing is what I think of myself’. Chris
suddenly stands up; Andrew whispers to him that he doesn't have to do this. Chris tells the group that they all made a big mistake bagging Summer when they should have been bagging him. He's the one with a secret. Chris proceeds to tell the whole class
that he’s gay. Andrew speaks up and says ‘Anyone got a problem?’. Summer stares in disbelief.
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When everyone has left the classroom, Michael checks up on Chris who seems shocked by his own admission. He tells him that it's one of the gutsiest things he's ever seen a
student do, but Chris doesn't feel gutsy. He doesn't want to see Summer right now. Michael tells him to come and speak to him whenever he likes, and leaves. Andrew comes in to see how he's going, and Chris thanks him for standing up for him. Andrew asks how
long he's known, and Chris explains that it just hit him, over the last few months. Chris explains that it was after Harry left, when he and Andrew started to become friends, and he started to see things differently. Andrew suddenly realises that Chris fancies him,
and becomes annoyed, telling Chris that he isn't gay and nothing's going to happen. Chris tries to explain that he knows that, but he doesn't know what to do - Andrew tells Chris to stay away from him, and Chris quickly leaves the classroom.
Featured Regular Characters: Lou Carpenter, Karl Kennedy, Susan Kennedy, Andrew Robinson, Summer Hoyland, Michael Williams, Natasha Williams, Toadfish Rebecchi, Lucas Fitzgerald
Guest Cast: James Mason as Chris Pappas, Julius Sacco as Jamie Owen,
John Kim as Dale 'Macca' McGregor, Casey Merrigan as Kim Ladle, Joshua Williams as Galah Man
Trivia Notes
• Although only a guest character when this episode aired, Chris Pappas would become part of the regular cast in 2011, and would be the first regular gay character in
Neighbours history
• Tom Oliver (Lou Carpenter) is listed with the guest cast for this episode
• Past character Harry Ramsay is mentioned
Summary
by Kyle
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