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Magic Moments
> 2020
> Naomi's Return
Episode 8358
Written
by Sarah Mayberry, Directed
by Tony Gardiner ACS, Produced
by Natalie Lynch
10 Peach: 07/05/20, Channel 5: 28/05/20
Bea airs her worries to Karl about him staying out all night, and he admits he stayed at the hotel... Karl invites Dee to stay at no. 28 to help with his
issues with Susan... Karl runs into his old flame Olivia Bell and voices his problems to her... Sheila becomes further convinced that a pigeon is the
reincarnation of her late son... Worried about Sheila, Kyle calls someone for help... Dee gives Elly an aster plant... Elly warns Dee and Toadie about
Andrea trying to take advantage of them... Andrea turns on Elly after finding out what she said...
In the garden at Goodwood Prison Elly is planting the aster flower in one of the raised flower beds as Andrea sidles over to her. She asks a nervous Elly
if that is the plant that Dee gave her, and, realising the significance of the plant to Elly, sarcastically comments on what a thoughtful gift it is.
 ..
Meanwhile, at no. 26, Kyle heads into the backyard to find Sheila making some renovations to Gary's birdhouse using a hammer. He becomes concerned that
she is not at work, but Sheila mentions that she swapped swifts because making a home for Gary (the pigeon) was more important. Kyle tries to take the
hammer off her and do the work himself, worried that Sheila could hurt herself, but Sheila is adamant she will do the renovations on her own and in her
frustration accidentally slams the hammer down onto her thumb. Feeling that this malady was due to Kyle's interference, Sheila angrily tells her grandson
to back off by insisting she doesn't require his help.
Out on the street, Dee thanks Toadie for helping her move her belongings into the Kennedy house but then becomes distracted thinking about Andrea and the
likelihood of her being able to get Hugo back. She apologises to Toadie for falling for Andrea's lies but Toadie assures her that everything will be fine,
feeling confident that nothing will happen. He tells Dee that the best thing she can do will be to forget about everything and focus on a fresh start,
before giving her some bath bombs as a welcome home present. Remembering his own time in the Kennedy house, Toadie jokingly warns Dee that the bathroom
is probably the best place to escape Karl's singing.
 ..
Back at no. 26, Kyle attempts a peace offering by offering Sheila a cup of tea, but Sheila is unhappy to learn that Kyle went ahead and finished building
the bird box for her. Kyle tries to explain that with Sheila's injured thumb it was better for him to finish the work, but Sheila points out that if it
wasn't for his interfering she wouldn't have hurt herself. Despite Kyle trying to make his gran see reason, Sheila continues her diatribe by telling him
that building a birdhouse was a kind of catharsis for her, allowing her to build the home that Gary would have wanted. Feeling upset that the plans she
drew up were spoilt by Kyle's meddling, Sheila goes on to tell Kyle that he has taken away the one thing that was important to her. As she continues to
argue with Kyle a familiar face arrives at no. 26 - Naomi Canning, whose arrival goes completely unnoticed by a distracted Sheila. Naomi speaks and Sheila
turns around in shock, although she is soon delighted at the arrival of her daughter.
Susan embraces Dee in a warm hug as she tells her how great it is for her to be moving into no. 28. As Karl hands Dee her own house key, Susan asks her if
she has any special dinner requests for the week, but Dee says she will have to check her work roster at the hospital. Unaware that Karl had managed to
secure Dee some shifts at the hospital, Susan seems pleased that he had made this effort and her gratefulness at his thoughtful gesture doesn't go unnoticed
by Bea and Toadie, who are also at the house. Sensing that Karl and Susan's relationship has already improved thanks to Dee's arrival, Bea comments to Dee
that she knew she'd be great for them.
 ..
Hugs are also on display at no. 26 as an overjoyed Sheila squeezes Naomi into a bear hug, thrilled to see her again. Naomi admits that after she left
Xanthe in Queensland and went back to LA, it didn't feel like home anymore and she was pining for a return to Erinsborough. She reveals that she has quit
her job and there is a possibility that she will be staying in town for a while. Although pleased to see her daughter, Sheila is concerned about Naomi
resigning from her job, aware that this was her dream career. Despite her concerns Naomi tells her mum that dreams change, and she couldn't see anything
more important than being at home, particularly after the devastating loss of Gary. She comments on the argument that Sheila and Kyle were having as she
arrived, but Sheila insists that they are fine and indicates that Kyle just needs to pull his head in. As she goes off to check the spare room, a relieved
Kyle thanks Naomi for coming so quickly after he called her. Naomi insists that once she gets her head around the situation with Sheila, they can come up
with a game plan.
After her confrontation with Andrea earlier, Elly walks back to her cell in the prison, distraught to see her plant in tatters on the ground. She tries to
sweep the dirt together and is met by a smug-looking Andrea who reproaches her for being so untidy. An upset Elly screams at Andrea for destroying her plant
but Andrea contends that Elly took something from her, and she is just returning the favour. Andrea explains that being away from their respective families
is hard for them both, but she cannot forgive Elly's actions in telling Dee to stay away from her, meaning that she no longer has the chance to see Hugo. To
make matters worse for Elly, Andrea tells her that she is going to make her life hell whilst she's in prison. She walks out of the cell to give Elly a chance
to reflect on this situation, but no sooner has she had a moment to breathe then Patrice arrives to take Andrea's place. Elly looks increasingly concerned
with her grave situation.
 ..
At the Waterhole, Naomi is trying to keep the mood light as Sheila continues to talk about building the bird box for Gary. They are interrupted by Paul and
Terese, with Paul surprised to see a familiar face. He gives Naomi a hug as a downbeat Terese admits that she is surprised to see her so soon after the
funeral; Naomi reveals that she will be in town for a while and will hopefully be able to catch up with them later. After the surprise of seeing Naomi,
Paul and Terese head to the bar, with Paul admitting that Naomi's return is the best thing that could have happened for the Cannings as she will be able
to support a struggling Sheila. Terese doesn't look particularly thrilled with seeing Naomi but holds her tongue and agrees that it is good she is back in
town to support her family.
Susan, Karl and Bea have arrived at Goodwood Prison to visit Elly, however they become increasingly worried as she is running ten minutes late. Eventually
Elly comes in, but their concerns have merit as she is clutching the side of her stomach in pain. They ask her if someone in the prison inflicted these
injuries, but Elly tells her family that she slipped in the shower, knowing that revealing the real reason could land her in further trouble with Andrea.
Despite Karl trying to offer doctorly advice and Bea insisting they can talk to Toadie, Elly insists she is fine and reaffirms that nothing has happened to
her inside the prison. Even though her family seem dubious at these denials, Elly attempts to change the subject and asks them if they've seen Aster today,
but this is met with a negative response. Conversation moves on to Dee, as Bea confirms that she has moved into no. 28 and Karl reveals that she and Toadie
are dating. Elly tries to put on a brave face and maintain a happy demeanour at this news, but her family look worried as she continues to grimace through
the pain.
 ..
Back at the Waterhole, Sheila continues to talk about her plans for Gary's bird box, including knitting him some clothes. This prompts Naomi, after a stony
stare from Kyle, to ask Sheila about how the grief group is progressing. Sheila is quite upbeat about the meetings, feeling particularly happy that Susan
isn't attending anymore to ask for forgiveness. This prompts Sheila to go into a tirade about Susan needing to suffer for what she did, but Naomi contends
that it is unfair to blame Susan for Finn's decision to go off the rails, arguing the point that everyone in the community was willing to give Finn a second
chance, not just Susan. Although Sheila is adamant that she never accepted Finn's act of redemption, Naomi suggests that putting all the blame onto Susan
is not the right thing to do as she is grieving as well, not only from having her trust broken in such a brutal manner but seeing Elly in jail and losing
custody of Aster. This riles Sheila up further and she angrily tells Naomi that Susan is to blame for the entire situation, feeling certain that she bullied
her entire family to take Finn in despite him being the same man who hurt Bea and Elly, fuelling his eventual rampage on the island and leading to Gary
paying the ultimate price. Feeling bad for having upset her mum, Naomi apologises and decides to order them some food from the bar. As she does so she is
surprised to see Toadie walk through the door holding hands with Dee.
Having returned to no. 28, Bea confesses to Karl and Susan that she doesn't believe Elly's story about slipping in the shower, although Karl surprises
them both by suggesting that accidents do happen. Although Bea and Susan feel certain that if someone is hurting Elly, she won't want to worry them by
revealing who the assailant is, Karl indicates that they can't make her talk if she doesn't want to. This blase response from Karl begins to reopen the
rift between himself and Susan that had earlier started healing itself, which unsettles Bea. To alleviate the tension Bea orders Karl to go to the
supermarket with her so that they can buy something nice for dinner.
 ..
Meanwhile, having spotted Toadie with Dee at the Waterhole earlier, Naomi makes herself known to her old friend by sharing a warm hug with him, before
giving him a sly smile. She enquiries as to who the 'hot blonde' is and Toadie confirms it's his first wife Dee. She admits that it is amazing she has
reappeared after so long, before thanking Toadie for the speech he made at Gary's funeral, indicating that it was both beautiful and meant a lot. Naomi
reveals that she has left her job and is instead concentrating on looking after Sheila, with Toadie admitting that it is a shame there is such a rift
between Sheila and Susan as instead of fighting they could be supporting each other through a difficult time. Although happy that she has found an ally,
Naomi asks Toadie if Sheila is justified in blaming Susan for Gary's death. Toadie indicates that if Susan is to blame for the events on the island, then
everyone is, including himself. He reveals that he was the one who chaperoned Finn to the island and yet Sheila hasn't admonished him for this, instead
taking out her fury on Susan. These words give Naomi food for thought and she thinks about what to do next.
After a short reflection, Naomi heads over to no. 28 to pay Susan a visit, who is surprised to see her. As they take a seat at the table Susan reveals that
she spoke to Ben last night, who told her how much it meant to Xanthe to have Naomi stay with her for a little while. Naomi admits that this was the least
she could do considering the loss of Xanthe's father and her brother, although she was struggling to find an easy way to console her. She moves on to the
difficult situation with Sheila and the tension between her and Susan, with Susan agreeing that Sheila is upset about the role she played in Finn's rampage
on the island. Although touched that Naomi is unhappy with the way Sheila has been treating her, a weary Susan contends that Sheila has every right to feel
the way she feels and that she will take whatever is thrown at her. This concerns Naomi; she tells Susan that she doesn't deserve to be a punching bag, and
that Finn is the real villain in the situation, not her. Susan is in no mood for platitudes and argues that she was the one who gave Finn the power to hurt
people and therefore she is responsible for Gary's death and Elly's prison sentence. This defeatist attitude of Susan's stuns Naomi, who is taken aback by
the depth of ill feeling that she is holding.
 ..
Feeling emotional after seeing her family in prison, Elly is walking through the yard holding on to a small piece of the plant that Andrea destroyed. She
is crying and clutching her injured side as she heads over to the garden bed, nestling what is left of the flower into the dirt before collapsing on to the
ground, overwhelmed with exhaustion.
At no. 28, Toadie has come round for dinner as Dee compliments Karl on the marinated chicken he has cooked. Conversation soon turns to Naomi's surprise
return as Toadie mentions that he bumped into her earlier in the day. Susan reveals that Naomi dropped over this afternoon to see her and this disappoints
Karl, who doesn't understand why she didn't mention it to him. Not feeling that Naomi's visit was of any merit, Susan surmises that the reason for her
oming over was so that she could understand more about the rift between her and Sheila. Karl tries to be helpful by indicating that Naomi would surely
have picked up on Sheila's unreasonable comments regarding Finn, but Susan seems annoyed and asks if they can talk about something else as she doesn't
want to go into detail about the rights and wrongs of her estranged friend's behaviour, particularly as she is working through this at therapy. Aware
that things are become tense, Dee tries to lighten the mood by asking Bea about her music, leaving Karl and Susan to look awkwardly across.
 ..
Over at no. 26, Kyle isn't thrilled to learn that Naomi went to see Susan, but Naomi defends herself by telling Kyle that she wanted to get a better
understanding of the situation. She admits that she has never seen Susan looking so fragile and that it's not fair for Sheila to be placing all the
blame on to her. Despite this Kyle is still leaning towards Sheila's standpoint, stating that Susan went above and beyond to look out for Finn despite
the underlying concerns about his mental state. Naomi suggests that not being around has given her a better perspective on things and indicates that
Susan is on the verge of collapse if Sheila doesn't ease up on her vendetta. She adds that Sheila herself is not coping well with this fixation on blaming
Susan, suggesting that a fresh approach would be good for her too. As they continue to chat Naomi notices Sheila emerge from the hallway and asks Kyle to
follow her lead. She approaches Sheila and tells her mum that she has come back home as she loves her but is worried about her obsession with blaming Susan
for Gary's death. Sheila is unhappy with the intervention from Naomi and Kyle and becomes further enraged to learn that it was Kyle who asked Naomi to
return to Erinsborough. With the situation deteriorating rapidly, Naomi attempts to get Sheila to sit down but she is quickly rebuffed, with Sheila
vehemently telling Naomi and Kyle that she doesn't need their help, further adding that she will not be making up with Susan any time soon.
The next morning, at no. 28, sees Bea walk into the living room to greet Karl and Dee. She is curious as to where Susan is, but Karl tells her that
Terese needed her for something. After a tense evening Dee apologises for not being able to keep the mood light, but Karl reminds her that she is not
responsible for the situation with himself and Susan, indicating that he should be the one to apologise for creating so much tension around the house.
Dee is torn and admits that she is keen to help Karl mend the situation with Susan but is worried that her presence is making things worse. Despite her
concerns Karl assures Dee that she is family and that she has already made a difference, mentioning that Susan smiled for the first time in months
yesterday. With Sheila being such a sore subject Bea suggests that they should refrain from mentioning her whilst Susan's around; Karl doesn't seem
keen on the idea but agrees to go along with it as Bea and Dee both think it is the best approach.
 ..
Meanwhile, at no. 22, Naomi is having a coffee with Paul and Terese, apologising for burdening them with her problems at such an early hour of the
morning. As Paul assures Naomi that they are happy to help, there is a knock at the door as Susan arrives. Susan is surprised to see Naomi at no. 22,
but Naomi covers herself by saying she is simply catching up on Lassiters business. Sensing that something else is going on, Susan is further surprised
when there is another knock at the door and Sheila is ushered into the house. It is apparent that Naomi has cooked up a plan as Terese and Paul quickly
rush out the back; Naomi explains the situation to Susan and Sheila, telling them that both the front and back doors will be locked, and this will allow
the two of them to talk to each other. Both Susan and Sheila seem unsure that this is a good idea, with Sheila particularly vehement that she will not be
locked in the same room as her former friend. Despite her protestations, the doors to both sides of the house are locked as Naomi leaves, forcing Susan
and Sheila to talk.
Featured Regular Characters: Karl Kennedy, Susan Kennedy, Bea Nilsson, Paul Robinson, Terese Willis, Sheila Canning, Kyle Canning, Elly Conway, Toadie Rebecchi,
Guest Cast: Madeleine West as Andrea Somers/Dee Bliss, Morgana O'Reilly as Naomi Canning, Chanella Macri as Patrice Bannister
Trivia Notes
• Morgana O'Reilly returns for a five-week guest stint as Naomi, having last
appeared in 2015. She would go on to make a cameo appearance in 2022, in what was believed at the time to be the final ever episode
• Past characters Xanthe Canning, Gary Canning, Ben Kirk and Finn Kelly are mentioned
Summary
by Michael
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