A new Home and Away promo has given a first look at Brax and Ricky’s return to Summer Bay after a decade of hiding away in Western Australia.
Just a few weeks ago, Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and Ricky’s (Bonnie Sveen) lives were turned upside down when Brax received a call out of the blue from Dean Thompson (Patrick O’Connor), asking him if he could help make someone disappear.
That someone was Tane (Ethan Browne), who was facing drug charges in Summer Bay after having been set up by Harper’s (Jessica Redmayne) mum Kerrie (Sara Wiseman).
With Brax knowing what it was like to be facing time behind bars for something he didn’t do, the former River Boy leader agreed to help, and met up with Tane in the Perth CBD.
After some initial reluctance, Brax gave in when Tane reminded him that he’d made the heartbreaking decision to leave his kid behind in Summer Bay; that’s how desperate he was to escape.
The last fortnight has seen Tane slowly bond with Brax and Ricky as he moved onto Brax’s sprawling cattle station deep in the red dirt of Western Australia, where the pair had been hiding away for a decade with son Casey (Austin Cutcliffe).
Brax eventually opened up to Tane and explained why he and Ricky were in hiding, explaining that he’d gone on the run after escaping prison, having been falsely accused of killing someone.
While the real perpetrator eventually came forward and Brax’s name was cleared, Brax had never faced court for fleeing prison, so had continued to hide away for the past decade.
For those who need a reminder, back in 2016, Brax was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for the death of Dean Sanderson (Kevin Kiernan-Molloy), the then-boyfriend of Ash’s (George Mason) sister Billie (Tessa de Josselin).
Brax had travelled to the outback with Ash (George Mason) in an attempt to track down Ash’s missing sister.
Ultimately, Brax was charged with killing Billie’s ex, though the real killer was local barman Sam Kennedy (Wade Briggs).
It soon emerged that Brax had orchestrated a plan to break out of prison, and Ricky agreed to go on the run with him. Yet tragedy struck when Brax’s escort vehicle was run off the road, and Ricky learnt that he was missing, likely dead.
However, unbeknownst to Ricky, Ash was aware that Brax had survived and helped him go on the run.
Ricky struggled in the wake of Brax’s “death”, but eventually moved on with Nate Cooper (Kyle Pryor). The pair got engaged, but the moment was ruined the following year, when Ash revealed that Brax was still alive.
Desperate for answers, Ricky agreed to help find Brax, and he returned, asking her to go on the run with him once more.
With Casey ill, Ricky refused, but allowed him to see their child one final time. Nate and Ricky eventually wed and lived briefly in marital bliss until Brax returned once again.
In 2016, it was revealed that Brax had been exonerated of Dean’s murder after Sam confessed to killing him, and was now a free man.
After his and Ricky’s marriage broke down, Nate summoned Brax back to the bay, knowing that he had always been Ricky’s true love.
At that point, it appeared that Brax was now completely free, with no reference to him still needing to face court for having escaped prison, or any need for him to continue living in hiding.
In fact, Brax and Ricky decided that they’d like to move closer to Heath, Bianca and Kyle, so bid farewell to Ash, Nate and Phoebe (Isabella Giovinazzo) and embarked on a new journey.
A scene between Phoebe and Ricky even saw Phoebe ask Ricky whether she was happy to join Brax on the run, only for Ricky to explain that Brax was now free and there was no need for them to do so.
However, it seems that their plans changed sometime after their exit, and Brax instead continued his life on the run, now accompanied by Ricky and baby Casey.
Now, a decade later, after Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) managed to track Tane down to Brax and Ricky’s ranch, their life on the run is in danger.
Or, has Cash provided them with the perfect opportunity to return to a more normal existence and finally return to the bay?
In tomorrow’s episode, “Brax dreams of a better life,” and a new promo which aired after this evening’s episode shows the pair returning to Summer Bay, where Brax intends to clear his name once and for all.
“You’ve been waiting for it,” is the on-screen message opening the new promo, as we see Brax and Ricky sitting together on one of the picturesque beaches near to their hiding place in Exmouth, WA.
“I wish we could stop looking over our shoulder,” Ricky tells Brax, as the pair discuss the possibility of ending their lives on the run.
“Casey’s growing up so fast,” Brax replies, as we see Ricky hugging her son on their sprawling ranch.
“Don’t you feel like he deserves a normal life?” Brax continues.
Back at the house, Ricky asks: “You think that there could be a chance that we could finally…”
“Clear my name,” Brax confirms. “Have our lives back.”
“The bay is calling,” the promo’s text continues. But are they risking everything by contemplating a return to Summer Bay one decade later?
“I’m so tired of hiding,” we hear Brax say, over shots of the family constantly looking over their shoulder. “Aren’t you?”
But Ricky can see the risks involved – “We could lose everything. It’s risky!”
“Don’t you wanna get back to the bay?” asks Brax.
Then, we see that the pair have made up their minds, as a silver SUV drives along the road into the bay.
In the back seat is Casey. “Are we here?” he asks.
“Yeah mate, this is Summer Bay!” replies Brax, as Ricky smiles, before we see their car pass the iconic ‘Welcome to Summer Bay’ sign.
After the trio park up, the promo shows Ricky and Casey running out of the water and onto the sand, as Brax takes in the view.
“Is this where they’ll stay?” asks the promo, as Brax looks over the beach that he and his brothers called home from 2011 until Brax’s 2016 exit.
In another scene, we see Ricky coming and standing next to her partner, the pair of them surveilling the beach.
“Australia cannot miss Brax and Ricky’s return to Summer Bay!”
