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Magic Moments
> 2016
> Gary's Return: Part One
Episode 7387
Written
by Megan Palinkas, Directed
by Tony Osicka, Produced
by Natalie Lynch
Channel Eleven: 14/06/16, Channel 5: 14/06/16
Paul is sentenced to 18 years in prison... John wonders whether he had something to do with the boiler being tampered with as his memories re-emerge...
Piper invites Tyler over to her house for some alone time... Ned tells Lauren that he can't help how he feels about her, but she insists that he try...
Tyler finds out that Lauren is the older woman Ned is interested in and agrees not to say anything... Piper finds out that Ned and Lauren shared a kiss...
At no. 22, Piper confronts Ned and Lauren after the revelation that they kissed Ð however Ned insists that he was the one who instigated it. Piper wrongly
assumes that Ned intentionally kissed Lauren to drive a wedge between her and Brad, and that was why he started the rumour about an affair Brad and Terese
were having, to get closer to Lauren. Ned disagrees with Piper's assessment, telling her that his feelings for Lauren just got out of hand and that there
was no malice or ulterior motive in his intentions. Wondering whether Brad knows about what is going on, Piper rushes out of the house to find her dad as
Lauren confirms to her that Brad doesn't know about the kiss.
 ..
Lauren, Ned and Piper head over to no. 32 to talk to Brad Ð Lauren manages to get a jump on Piper and confirms to Brad that she and Ned kissed. She wanted
to tell him earlier but didn't want to worry him after all his other problems recently, as well as Ned's insistence that his dad shouldn't find out. Ned
pleads with his dad that this was all his fault and it won't happen again, but Piper isn't satisfied, telling Ned that he can't promise that as he has
feelings for Lauren. Stunned by the revelations, Brad asks his son if he is in love with Lauren, and Ned is unable to deny the truth as he tries to grasp
at an apology. Brad storms out followed closely by Piper, as Ned hangs his head in shame at the fallout from his and Lauren's actions.
Over at Off-Air, Paige asks John to convince her that he was responsible for tampering with the boiler and subsequent explosion. He tells her that he is
handy with tools, has a penchant for violence and has friends who are afraid of the police Ð he also informs Paige that no friends and relatives have come
looking for him, probably because he was sent on a mission to destroy Lassiters hotel and no-one would want to claim to know him. Paige refuses to believe
John is responsible, telling him that he has a solid alibi from Wendy which places him away from the crime scene. She also tells him that his vivid memories
of a boiler room could have been from one of the hundreds of inspections he did when he used to work for Braun and Bell. Suddenly a brainwave comes to
Paige; she mentions the blueprints of the boiler room to John and he looks puzzled Ð Paige tells him to leave it with her.
 ..
At Harold's, Tyler jokes to Mark about how his next driving lesson with Piper will involve teaching her how to perform donuts around the Lassiters car
park! Mark doesn't look impressed as Tyler receives a text message from Ned telling him about a major crisis and whether he is free to talk. He leaves
to go and see Ned as Paige comes into Harold's Ð she talks to Mark about Paul being convicted for his part in the explosion and the hundreds of comments
on Piper's vlog that claim he is innocent. Paige mentions that one of the comments suggested a conspiracy theory about the boiler being faulty rather than
tampered with, and the blueprints being planted on Paul to cover up for poor maintenance on the boiler. She asks Mark for the name of the boiler company
and he confirms it is Braun and Bell, leaving Paige startled. Mark tries to assure her that there are hundreds of Braun and Bell boilers across Australia
and none of them have exploded due to being faulty, as Paige professes her concern about Paul being in jail for something he may not have done.
Over at Warrinor Prison, Paul wakes up in his cell, contemplating the beginning of another day in jail.
 ..
As he goes into the yard a fellow prisoner - Squeak McCain - comes over, revealing to Paul that he knows all about him and how he used to own Lassiters
hotel as it was in the papers. He offers Paul his services as protection for his stay in prison, but Paul declines his proposal. McCain replies that he
may be singing a different tune after lunch, leaving Paul concerned.
Lauren has gone to see Steph at no. 30 to talk to her about her kiss with Ned and Brad's reaction to it. Steph tries to assure Lauren that Brad will
eventually come around, but Lauren is upset with herself for not telling him sooner and adding an unnecessary layer of secrecy to their relationship.
Noticing a moment of hesitation from Lauren after she mentions that at least the kiss was one-sided, Steph asks her if she has any feelings for Ned.
Lauren tells her that she doesn't but is worried that her friendliness towards Ned may have contributed to him misinterpreting her actions Ð Steph consoles
her that being friendly with someone doesn't automatically mean that you want to take things further with them. She also tells her that Ned is quite good
at using emotional blackmail as a way of getting people to do as he says. As they continue chatting Steph receives a letter Ð she looks upset and tells
Lauren that she hoped this would go away.
 ..
At the fitness area outside Lassiter's, Brad is deep in thought as John comes over Ð he tells Brad that it must be a relief now that the trial is over;
Brad agrees that the trial being over should be a good thing, but other issues are now preying on his mind. He asks John if he is glad that Paul is now
in jail as he was the reason he lost his memory, but John looks uncomfortable as he quickly changes the subject, asking Brad about his memories of Josh.
Brad tells him that he had a good camaraderie with Josh, but his words are an indication of his strained relationship with Ned as he tells Jack that he
used to think that the bond between father and son could never be broken, but now he isn't so sure.
Tyler catches up with Ned at the Waterhole and is shocked to hear that he kissed Lauren Ð he tells Ned that Brad is his father and he shouldn't have
kissed his partner. Knowing that it was just wishful thinking that Lauren would ever want to take things further with him, Ned agrees that this course
of action was the wrong one. He also confesses to Tyler that he came to Erinsborough hating his dad and now after his actions his dad will be the one hating
him. Tyler insists that Ned needs to tell Brad that his infatuation with Lauren is over, even if it isn't, and that he is ready to move on. He also tells
him that Piper and the rest of the family don't need to know about what's happened, but a guilty Ned tells Tyler that it is too late for that.
 ..
At no. 22, an angry Piper is filming a vlog, telling her fans about Ned's inappropriate relationship with Lauren and how he made a pass at her. Before
she can continue there is a knock at the door, it's Tyler. He tries to defend himself for his part in proceedings, saying that he had no idea Ned's older
woman was Lauren until his chat with him at the Waterhole earlier. He asks Piper to put the phone away and stop filming. A slightly placated Piper is still
unhappy with Ned's actions, believing that his only reason for returning to Erinsborough was as revenge against her dad rather than wanting to spend time
with the family. Tyler tries to defend Ned's behaviour by insisting that his feelings for Lauren are genuine and he's really hurt by the fallout, as Piper
becomes concerned that Ned will leave town and stop being the big brother she needs after Josh's death. She is also unhappy with Lauren's behaviour, telling
Tyler that a kiss doesn't come out of nowhere and Lauren cannot be considered completely innocent for her part in it. Becoming more worked up and upset by
the situation, Tyler successfully calms Piper down by showing her a video of a dog avoiding bathtime!
Paige is waiting for Mark outside the police station, looking pensive from her conversation with him earlier. Mark comes over and Paige questions him about
the boiler again, asking him if he knows when Braun and Bell last performed a service on it. Exasperated that Paige is becoming obsessed with a conspiracy
theory regarding the explosion, Mark asks her where all this is coming from. Paige tells him that she has doubts about Paul being guilty, mainly due to
John's arrival at the complex just before the explosion. She is concerned that John may have played a significant part in the explosion due to his mysterious
appearance at the hotel and any lack of identifiable documents to verify who he was. Mark doesn't understand what possible motive John would have for
blowing up the hotel, telling Paige that John has a strong alibi and no previous convictions. He is understanding of Paige's plight as she wants to know
more about the man she is getting closer to, but he assures her that the judicial process has convicted Paul of the crime and that should be enough to
satisfy her.
 ..
Back at the prison, Paul receives a visitor, Steph, who comes bearing bad news. She tells Paul that she has received a letter from Julie Quill's lawyers;
Julie is hell bent on suing Paul for damages due to the monetary cost the explosion has dealt Lassiters. Steph asks Paul to sign a letter giving her full
control over the motel before Julies lawyers try to use it as collateral for any damages claim, but Paul is having second thoughts about signing away his
only asset. He gravely informs Steph that he may need protection if he is going to survive prison; he has already become a target due to his reputation
and therefore selling his share of the motel would not be a wise move. Paul asks Steph if she can lend him some money, but she is apoplectic at the
suggestion, reminding Paul that she has already lost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to him skipping bail. She tells Paul that he needs to act
smarter, imploring him to sign over the motel to her so they can at least try and save the business. Despite her pleas Paul refuses to do as she asks.
Brad has had time to cool off and heads back to no. 32, where Lauren is sitting waiting for him. She tells him that Ned's kiss took her completely by
surprise Ð she was trying to console him after his issues with Brad and he took it the wrong way. Brad asks her if she knew that Ned liked her in a
romantic sense, and Lauren tells him that she had an inkling, but she should have shut it down before it escalated. He begins to understand why Lauren
didn't want Ned to live in their house or to work at Harold's but still doesn't see why she couldn't have told him the truth earlier. Lauren tells Brad
that she was trying to protect the bond between father and son and tries to reason that this was nothing more than a silly crush. Brad is still unhappy
with Lauren's attempts at an explanation.
 ..
At Off Air, Paige talks to John about her conversation with Mark earlier. She confirms to him that the boiler at Lassiters was manufactured by Braun and
Bell but maintains that John has a strong alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the explosion. John still isn't convinced of his innocence, but at that
moment his alibi, Wendy Iris walks into the bar. Paige goes up to Wendy and asks if they can talk to her for a few minutes about the explosion at Lassiters.
Paul is keeping his head down at prison as a couple of fellow inmates come up to him. Having been ostracised and denied meals by his cellmates, one of the
prisoners mockingly offers him some food which is nothing more than stones. The prisoner tells Paul that he can sort out his meals if he agrees to take up
his offer of protection for a price Ð Paul tells him he has a cash problem which will be resolved soon but this doesn't satisfy the prisoner. He warns Paul
that without protection he is a sitting duck. Before the prisoners can start hassling Paul further, a familiar face comes over to warn them off - Gary
Canning.
 ..
Back at Off Air, Paige is grilling Wendy about John's whereabouts on the day of the explosion. Wendy confirms that John wasn't with anyone else that
day, telling Paige that he spent his time in the hotel foyer browsing brochures, before going outside to sit on a bench. As she leaves, Paige assures
John that Wendy's recollection confirms that he was nowhere near the boiler at the time of the explosion. However, Wendy looks troubled as she heads
out the door.
Ned is at no. 32, talking to Lauren Ð he tries to apologise for his behaviour and allowing Piper to find out about their kiss, asking Lauren if they can
sort things out. Lauren tells him that there is nothing further to discuss, other than when he will be moving out of their house. She informs Ned that
letting him stay was a bad idea and that she should have told him to leave as soon as she knew he had feelings for her. Saddened by Lauren's reaction, Ned
goes to pack his stuff.
 ..
At no. 22, Tyler and Piper are still watching animal videos. Tyler goes to the fridge to see what there is to eat and pulls out a dish that Lauren has
made. Piper tells him to throw it in the bin as she doesn't want anything to do with that 'home-wrecker', but Tyler manages to grab hold of her before
she can do it herself. After play fighting for a few minutes Piper becomes flirtatious, telling Tyler that she doesn't want him to leave. Suddenly there
is a noise at the door as Terese returns home from her break. Piper quickly shuffles Tyler into the laundry room, not wanting her mum to find them together.
As Terese embraces a guilty looking Piper, Tyler, locked in the laundry room, wonders what to do next.
Featured Regular Characters: Brad Willis, Piper Willis, Terese Willis,
Lauren Turner, John Doe, Paige Smith, Tyler Brennan, Mark Brennan, Paul Robinson, Steph Scully
Guest Cast: Damien Richardson as Gary Canning,
Ben Hall as Ned Willis,
Natalia Ko as Wendy Iris,
Jesse Harris as Squeak McCain
Trivia Notes
• Following guest stints in 2014 and 2015, Damien Richardson now returns
as Gary Canning as part of the regular cast, remaining until the character is killed off in 2020
• Past character Josh Willis is mentioned
• Leading up to her appearance in May 2016, it was mentioned
that the hotel staff member who had spoken to John Doe was named Iris. However, when John met with her, and in the scenes leading up to it,
she was named Wendy. This was rectified when Wendy appeared in this episode, with her being introduced as Wendy Iris, and credited by
that name for this episode and episode 7392
Summary
by Michael
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