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Private Notes
It's been three months since Ben and Nathan left on their road trip around Australia. Bearded and tanned, Ben returns without Nathan and smooths over his family's concern with a plausible excuse. He believes that if he wants to fit back in with his family, he has to be the fun loving guy he was before Melissa died.
At home much has happened. Coby has moved in with Jake and started his apprenticeship with Dave. Ruby has started walking and the house has been baby-proofed. Carbo and Retta's engagement party is fast approaching but it's the anticipated arrival of Rita – and what she'll say about the new relationship – which is causing nervous diarrhoea for Carbo and dry-retching for Retta.
As the family and the Karandonis clan celebrate his return, Ben is upbeat. Even the sight of the cheque for Mel's life insurance doesn't seem to faze him – but a visit back to his old room in the Karandonis house proves how much emotion he's really hiding. Unwilling to worry his family, Ben manages to seamlessly manipulate Rachel into offering her room, happy to stay more permanently with Jake and Coby. But will Ben be able to fool his mother Julie?
It's a time for new beginnings as Dave learns the truth about underlying tensions between Ben and the recently returned Nathan and urges his sons to start afresh.
As Council Clean-Up Days looms Dave gets the clean-out bug, chucking stuff out from the big and small sheds. He's distracted, however, by Nathan's return from the big road trip. Dave soon picks up on an underlying tension between Nathan and Ben, although neither brother is willing to admit to it. Nathan and Ben have a private talk, alluding to serious issues that took place on the road trip. Ben assures him he's a changed man since he came home and Nathan wants to believe him. But when Dave presses Ben for more information, a defensive Ben nearly steps into the path of an oncoming car. What happened on the road trip and why has it affected both brothers so badly?
Jake and Coby head off for a rugby weekend and Rachel is left to enjoy the house alone. She can't help herself and launches into a major rearrangement of furniture to suit her taste. But when she finds the key to Coby's garage, her curiosity gets the better of her and taking a peek inside, is shocked by what she finds there. What is Coby hiding and will he be able to forgive Rachel for violating his privacy?
Carbo meanwhile, is playing the supportive son as Rita, still shaken by her marriage breakup, puts Carbo and Retta to work tossing out all of Theo's possessions. She rallies for a short time, hoping Theo might come back to her, and asks Carbo and Retta to bring Theo's belongings back in again. But when, in a fit of sudden rage, she demands everything be tossed out once more, a physically and emotionally exhausted Carbo decides enough is enough - he's got to put his foot down and call an end to Rita's to-ing and fro-ing. But how?
Rachel wrestles with the potentially relationship-wrecking pitfalls of getting everything you want - particularly when truth is number one on the wish-list.
Guilt-ridden about invading Coby's private garage space, Rachel compounds her sin by inadvertently offering his artwork as part of an advertising campaign. Under the pump from pushy boss Paul (MARTIN LYNES), Rachel is forced to admit to Coby the truth - she's seen his art. Feeling betrayed, Coby immediately sets about destroying it as Rachel understands how deeply she's hurt him. Hiding his hurt behind forced party-mode, Coby organises an impromptu birthday bash for himself, inviting the Rafter regulars and his bogan mates from Coolong and generally regressing all around. But Rachel suspects Coby's act is actually a mask for his pain. Will she ever be able to regain his trust again?
Rachel's also having honesty issues with Jake, who's being vague about his reasons for quitting rugby. Things come to a head at Coby's party, when the police come to take Jake away for questioning. Upon his return, Jake reveals he's been charged with attempted sexual assault, strongly asserting his innocence. Rachel is reeling. Why would Jake have kept the dramatic events of his rugby weekend a secret so long? And how can their relationship survive such a grievous breach of trust?
Meanwhile, Carbo and Retta continue to suffer as Rita (DINA PANOZZO) descends further into loneliness, driving her neighbours mad with dirge-like Greek folk music. Nathan can't bear it, spending the majority of his time complaining to Dave and Julie about his living conditions. At wit's end, Retta turns to Julie for advice, unwittingly sending Rita on a brief foray into the world of internet dating - much to Carbo's horror. Eventually a heart to heart with Julie helps Rita move beyond her impasse and relative peace returns to the Karandonis house.
A vacancy at the local child care centre sends Ruby's baby-sitters Ben and Ted into a spin, and they become locked in a comic competition to prove their baby-sitting worth. Julie's torn, and Dave reminds his wife she's always wanted more time on their hands - but is this another case of being 'careful what you wish for...'?
The aftermath of Jake's ill-fated rugby weekend is fully felt as Julie realises how much perception and misperception can affect the lives of her family and friends.
Rachel is determined to support Jake in light of his charges of attempted sexual assault - if only he'd let her. Jake has gone to ground, reeling from the momentary doubt he felt he saw in Rachel's eyes. And when Rachel forces him to talk to her, assuring him of her love and belief, it's clear that Rachel, unlike resigned Jake, is unlikely to wait patiently for a court to reach its verdict. When it comes to light that it is in fact Camel who is truly to blame - not only for the charges but also for not sticking up for Jake - a furious Rachel goes to confront him. But is she only making the situation worse for Jake?
Rachel's woes are compounded when her boss, Paul Morgan (guest star MARTIN LYNES) tells her he expects her to deliver a contract signed by Coby as the main artist for their new alcopop campaign. However, Coby can't be shaken from his perception that Rachel showing his work without permission is an unforgivable betrayal of trust. Paul makes it clear that the client won't take no for an answer. With a major campaign and now her job on the line, can Rachel convince Coby to change his mind?
Ted meanwhile reveals to Julie that he's developed a crush on a beautiful Chinese woman, Mai (guest star ANNETTE SHUN WAH) who teaches Tai Chi in the park every morning. Feeling simultaneously like an old fool and a teenage boy, his attraction to her has been fuelled by her daily smile and wave to him. But when he reveals he's been learning Cantonese in an attempt to forge a connection with Mai, we see how powerful his crush is. Will Mai respond to Ted's advances, or has he set himself up for a fall?
When Julie bites the "child care" bullet and goes to check the place out before enrolling Ruby, she is surprised to find Hamish at the centre. His son Jack has been enrolled five days a week since Hamish's marriage broke up. Despite the awkwardness of their last meeting, Julie's heart goes out to him as he reveals he has lost his custody case thanks to a judge whose perception of the world is that children belong with their mothers. Overwhelmed by the unfairness of life towards good men - Ted, Jake, Hamish - Julie can't help but feel that sometimes, despite your best intentions, you can't change people's perceptions
Nathan examines what it means to be free as he receives potentially upsetting news - his divorce from Sammy is final.
The Rafter family have all witnessed Nathan's heartbreak over the end of the marriage and there is reasonable concern that Nathan could suffer an emotional setback over this. However Nathan takes this potential hurdle and turns it into a springboard for a new and better tomorrow. He successfully packs up the remnants of his time with Sammy, cuts himself free from some family ties, and launches himself into a new business, a new attitude, a new future.
Jake and Rachel have been skirting around each other for days, both of them unsure how to bridge the divide that's grown between them. Finally they reach out to each other and reaffirm their love, but secretly both of them are afraid love might not be enough.
Coby is also grappling with the issue of freedom as the day of his sentencing hearing arrives. Having promised to vouch for Coby in court, Dave is initially casually confident that the kid will get a slap on the wrists and that will be the end of it. Julie unwittingly rocks Dave's confidence and he becomes genuinely worried that Coby could be locked up. Can Dave overcome his fear and make a real difference in Coby's life?
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Nathan doesn't have much luck getting attention for his Parts Exchange website, so he makes up some flyers to distribute around the town, with Ben's help - help Ben is all too willing to give when he realises Nathan's business name "Parts Exchange" reads as "Part Sex Change" when run together as a domain name.
Nathan is bemused when he receives dodgy emails and phone calls and when he finally realises his mistake, is comically furious with Ben for letting him embarrass himself.
Jake risks everything by returning to the scene of the alleged attempted rape to confront Jodi (SARAH SNOOK), hoping he can convince her he is innocent of the charge. Has Jake made the right decision, or will the confrontation land him in more hot water?
Rachel's doubts are intensified as she visits Jake to invite him to her farewell dinner. One thing leads to another and the invitation inevitably turns into a moment of good-bye passion. With Rachel now confused, Nathan convinces her she's made the right decision and she'll regret it forever if she doesn't go. Dave's father, Tom, announces his parole has come through and he's looking forward to spending more time with the family. Rachel tearfully farewells her family and sets off overseas, but Jake takes off in pursuit, determined to catch her, resulting in an emotional roadside exchange between the two lovers.
Dave relishes finally having a relationship with his dad, Tom, despite Julie's reservations about her recently paroled father-in-law. Julie raises concerns that Tom may not have reformed his crooked ways. Next door there is tension in the air between the boys, stemming from Carbo's hurt feelings at having not been asked to be a part of Nathan's fledgling car spares business. Meanwhile, Jake and Coby are surprised by the sudden reappearance of Alex, returned from New Zealand. Alex is cagey about what happened overseas, leaving Jake wondering what really happened over in New Zealand.
The comic rivalry between Ted and Tom continues. Ted's convinced Tom isn't looking for work at all, instead sneaking off to spend time with an unknown lady friend.
Julie finds herself out of her comfort zone when she attends a burlesque dance class with new friend Donna. Dave comes across some lingerie that Julie has bought for her performance, but when she doesn't wear it, he is left feeling jealous and insecure about her relationship with Hamish. Meanwhile, Ted is avoiding house guest Tom at every opportunity, and makes it clear to Nathan he doesn't trust Tom at all. Then, Nathan sees Tom entering a pub when he's supposed to be working, and finds himself in a tricky predicament when Tom denies having been there.
Grace tells her sons Jake and Alex that she's engaged, and both boys are happy for her until they find out that she has never actually divorced their father. Things become complicated when Grace meets with her ex-husband, as Alex is adamant he never wants to see his father again but Jake's curiosity is restless. Tom is recovering in hospital when he gets a visit from his granddaughter, Bree, but Coby is less than thrilled with the arrival of his feisty sister. Tom encourages them to make amends, but Coby struggles to mend bridges with his sister.
Julie's new friendship with Donna is tested when she discovers that Donna suffers from OCD
Dave leaps at the chance when his successful friend Warney, offers him a shot at the contract for a big office rewiring job. Ben is encouraged by Tom to consider opening up his own bar and Tom offers to help him organise the finances, but Coby immediately becomes suspicious of Tom's motives. Retta begins to feel the pressure of wedding preparations, but things get worse when Carbo brings his livewire cousin Voula, in to help. Meanwhile, Jake trys to hide his attraction to Bree in front of Alex.
Ben opens up to Emma about Melissa's death, and the cathartic experience enables him to finally get some closure.
Ben initiates a night on the town with the boys, and everyone is impressed by the up-market nightclub who's owner is courting Ben as a potential investor in his next business venture, causing alarm bells to immediately sound for Nathan. Meanwhile, Carbo and Retta reassess their own sex but a return to the club prompts them to take their own risks, which, funnily enough, become a little too public
Everybody is up in arms about Tom's disappearance with the insurance money. Coby is particularly gutted, secretly blaming himself for not being honest with the Rafters about Tom's part in the worksite robberies.
Coby is particularly gutted, secretly blaming himself for not being honest with the Rafters about Tom's part in the worksite robberies.
Dave's increasingly exhausted as the demands of his new job take their toll, and for the first time in his life he forgets his anniversary. Julie convinces Dave that his exhaustion is a sign...
Ted resolves to take a leap of faith and seize life with both hands. But as his best-laid plans are put to waste, is his leap destined to become a stumble? Ben agrees to go to the movies with Emma, but asks Nathan and Coby to join them to relieve the pressure of the evening feeling like a date; however, Coby's terrible cinema etiquette and embarrassing antics causes Ben to eject the boys. Now all alone, will Ben and Emma finally succumb to their brewing feelings? Meanwhile, Dave is struggling to take his own leap of faith and accept his brother Matt.
Dave and Julie discover how one inexplicable chain of events can almost end in disaster. Dave is alone with Ruby when he gets a call requiring his presence back on site. With no babysitter, Dave takes Ruby with him and enlists Coby to look after her. For a brief moment Coby takes his eyes off Ruby and she wanders into the building site. Panic sets in when Dave discovers she's locked herself in a room with a dangerous drop. Will they get to her before it's too late? Meanwhile, Ben is doing his best to take things slowly with Emma, but Carbo makes his disapproval known after having witnessed Ben and Emma's kiss.
When Carbo begins sleepwalking due to wedding stress, Ben must truly become the Best Man and save the day - but in the process realises he's been sleepwalking himself by ignoring his true feelings for Emma.
Ben and Emma are both nervously looking forward to their first date. When Carbo and Retta return from the honeymoon from hell, Ben and Emma head out to a restaurant and enjoy a perfect evening.
