Mackenzie’s ultimatum to Logan backfires next week on Home and Away in the UK, as Tane devises a plan to prevent Nik from leaving Summer Bay…
Since asking Logan’s (Harley Bonner) ex-girlfriend Neve (Sophie Bloom) to stay with them at the flat just a few weeks after Logan moved in, Mackenzie (Emily Weir) has learned that three is a crowd.
Logan was taken aback when Neve showed up unexpectedly two weeks ago; he’d assumed she’d died when she went missing while they were both serving as army medics overseas.
Knowing that if it was discovered that Neve was back in Australia, she would be court-martialed, Logan took it upon himself to help her.
Mac was naturally concerned that history would repeat itself once his ex-girlfriend Mia (Anna Samson) arrived in town last year, having already gone through a difficult break-up with Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams).
When Logan revealed that he was going to put Neve up in a local motel, Mac immediately offered that she remain with them, reasoning that it would be better to keep her adversaries close than to leave Logan alone in a hotel room with his ex.
Both Mac and Logan are concerned about Neve’s behavior next week. Neve is triggered by the roar of the plane’s engine because she is immediately over the seaplane wharf.
When Bella (Courtney Miller) subsequently starts snapping photos around Flat Beach, Neve notices her and gets extremely nervous, fearing that if anyone catches her in a photo, she will be arrested.
In the subsequent battle, Neve manages to elbow Logan in the face while attempting to seize Bella’s camera.
As Logan confronts her about her behavior, Neve denies that she becomes enraged too easily, sick of Logan trying to diagnose her with PTSD.
It’s only made worse when Neve throws Logan to the ground for protection because of a backfiring outboard engine that Alf (Ray Meagher) is working on nearby.
Bella subsequently tells Mac that she should sleep with one eye open, but it’s Logan’s sliding out of bed to keep an eye on Neve that really irritates Mac that night.
The next day, after consulting with his brother Dean (Patrick O’Connor), Mac tells Logan that enough is enough and that Neve must leave. Logan is taken aback by the ultimatum; does she really want to throw Neve out when she’s at her weakest? Mac informs him that he must make a decision.
When Mac arrives at the apartment later, she is surprised to find both Neve’s and Logan’s belongings missing…. Logan has driven Neve to the motel and will sleep in her room on the couch.
Well, that didn’t go to plan!
Meanwhile, Nikau Parata (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) and Chloe (Sam Barrett) are trying to survive in Summer Bay, while Mia decides to push through with her wedding plans.
Ari has been on remand for the past two weeks after stepping in for Chloe after her father Matthew died (James Sweeny).
Mia had taken a 9-year-old Chloe and left Ari behind after Ari was imprisoned in 2011 for his role in an armed robbery. Mia wants to make sure Ari knows she’ll stand by him after Ari proposed to her just days before his incarceration. As a result, she has made the decision to marry him in prison.
Mia’s request for her daughter to be a bridesmaid this week irritates Chloe, who is annoyed that Mia is acting as if nothing has occurred. Nik withdraws, irritated by the forced wedding, and tells uncle Tane (Ethan Browne) that he’s seriously considering leaving Summer Bay.
He already feels like he’s lost Ari, and he hasn’t been able to see Bella as the family waited for Ari’s punishment.
Tane decides to whisk Nik away for a few days in the hopes of waking him up. Tane discloses that he has brought a taiaha—a Mori weapon used in close combat—that formerly belonged to Nik’s late father Mikaere with him to a remote bay to make up camp.
Tane informs Nik that he must earn it, so it’s not as simple as handing it out. Tane feels that by teaching Nik the ways of the taiaha, he will be able to bring out his inner warrior.
Tane goes on to say that the taiaha is the incarnation of their ancestors and that mastering it will allow Nik to carry them with him at all times, providing spiritual guidance.
Tane continues to demonstrate the maneuvers, and Nik appears to be catching them up quickly.
However, as time passes, Tane pushes Nik more, and Nik becomes increasingly frustrated with himself.
Tane emphasizes the need of patience in the taiaha, but Nik goes away defeated, informing Tane that he isn’t a fighter.
When Nik arrives later to see Tane practicing his own skills, he is unexpectedly inspired—will Nik give it another shot?
“I obviously knew what it was because I’m Māori, but I never really did taiaha itself,” Ethan Browne told Stuff NZ. “We did a little bit of mau rakau (weapon-based Māori martial arts) at high school, so when the storyline came up, I had to reach out to a few friends and they helped me out.”
“There’s always been a great response to anything cultural we do,” Ethan added. “(Viewers) love it because it’s something new to them – and it’s not the same old running-on-the-beach stuff.”
“As for fellow Māori, I hope we do them justice. There are probably little nuances that I might have missed, or really highly trained fellas watching it, they might be like, ‘Oh, what’s that?’ Maybe not, hopefully.”
Despite the fact that the show has previously portrayed the Paratas’ Mori culture, Kawakawa recognizes that Home and Away audiences may still be unfamiliar with it. “I’m grateful to be a part of it because for many people, it’s their first encounter with what it’s like to be Mori,” he told Stuff NZ.
“But it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I want to make it really clear that there are so many more things that are just as rich and there’s so much to offer that we haven’t shown on the show.”
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