Neighbours

The teens attend school careers advice sessions and Ringo reveals his new ambition to become a paramedic. But he’s disheartened when Libby points out that he may not have the marks to do it. The other teens encourage him not to give up, but Ringo later overhears Donna voicing her own doubts. Tempers flare as Ringo accuses Donna of thinking he’s dumb – just like everyone else.

Meanwhile Zeke can’t make a decision about his future. Despite sound advice from Libby and Karl, Zeke’s anxiety secretly continues to grow. Is the pressure finally becoming too much? 

Declan stubbornly pushes forward with the court case against Steph, even after Rebecca announces that she will not support him. Concerned about the dark place their friend seems to be going to, the teens try to snap him out of it. Zeke warns Declan he’s alienating everyone, but Donna insists on friendly support and organises an afternoon of fun. But just as it seems they may have made a break-through, Ringo’s ambulance tale reminds Declan of Bridget’s loss and he insists his friends choose sides between him and Steph. The teens reject his ultimatum and Declan throws them out of the house. 

Steph’s rattled when Tim Collins threatens to expose every little secret she has in the up-coming court case. Toadie shrugs it off as idle threats, but Steph admits that she was distracted by her flirtation with Lucas. Can Toadie find a way to keep this information from coming out in court? 

When Karl realises that Ringo is serious about becoming a paramedic, he organises for him to go on a ride-along in an ambulance. When Ringo proves that he can handle the pressure, he is rewarded with further volunteer work. Everyone is proud of Ringo’s achievements, especially Ringo. 

Against Steph’s better judgement, Toadie calls a meeting between everyone who knows about the Steph and Lucas’ frisson and asks them to keep it under wraps. He hopes the matter never comes to court, but if it does, he’d like everyone to lie about the situation. Steph is shaken by the ramifications of everyone perjuring themselves and ultimately refuses. Frustrated, Toadie goes back to the drawing board, taking Steph to the garage to retrace her steps on the day. 

When Dan hears that the Parker car may have been deliberately tampered with, he gets the idea to check the CCTV camera that’s trained on the front of Grease Monkeys. He’s hoping the footage will prove once and for all that Steph is innocent, but what he actually finds is that his brother may be involved.  

After witnessing first hand the damage that Declan’s lawsuit against Steph is causing, Paul decides to revoke his funding of the case. Despite this, Declan remains determined to proceed. Rejected by the bank for a loan, he sinks to his lowest point, seriously considering selling Bridget’s engagement ring, an heirloom passed down from Rebecca’s mother. When he can’t go through with it his hopes seem dashed – until Tim Collins changes his mind.  

Dan notices that Harry Ramsay is still having trouble fitting into the street. In an attempt to reach out to him, Dan offers Harry the Ramsay Street Book and invites him to make a collage.  Although he’s reluctant at first, Harry bonds with the community in his own private way – through his photography.  

Having made his discovery, Dan breaks the news to Lucas. Unable to face the shocking truth that his gambling problem may have led to Bridget’s death, Lucas denies that the footage of Johnno lurking near the Parker car proves anything. But tellingly, he agrees to go on an overseas holiday with Elle as soon as possible. Elle’s swept up in Lucas’ apparently romantic gesture but Dan gets wind his brother is about to run and forcefully confronts him. Dan urges him not to be a coward and insists he must stay and face this. Guilt ridden, Lucas finally confesses all to Elle. 

On the outer of Libby and Ben’s motherly bond, Callum happily accepts an invitation from Kate and Sophie for a sleepover. Drawn to Kate’s mothering, Callum makes an excuse to visit her again and after glimpsing her sewing skills, convinces her to make him a wrestling outfit. Kate’s happy to oblige but Sophie’s nose is put out of joint by Kate’s bond with her friend and Harry suggests that Callum has a crush on Kate.  

Lucas finally tells Toadie and Steph the truth about the Parker’s car. Although Steph is initially relieved to be cleared, she’s hurt when she realises that Lucas had intended to run and leave them all to clean up his mess. Meanwhile Elle is furious to discover that Steph knew about Lucas’ gambling problem before she did and throws him out of the house. Dan begs her to offer his brother love and support rather than judgement and Elle relents but as she goes to make amends, she clocks a conciliatory hug between Steph and Lucas. Her jealousy piqued again, Elle lashes out. Will she ensure Lucas is run out of town for good? 

Callum’s increasingly clingy behaviour seems to prove the theory that he has a crush on Kate. The Ramsays call in Toadie to help out but Callum is horrified to discover that’s what they think is going on. In conversation with Toadie he reveals that he thinks of Kate more like a Mum than a girlfriend. He admits he misses a woman’s influence. Given pause, Toadie finds himself agreeing. Is it time he put himself back on the market? 

Donna helps collect money for Jeans for Genes day which gets her thinking about her own genetic history. With some gentle prompting from Karl, Donna reveals that since Bridget’s death she’s been thinking about tracking down her biological father. Unable to really share her thoughts with anyone she knows, Donna decides to share her feelings on the matter in a video blog.