Loveday Writing

Just as Harry is about to get Ben, Simmo and their mates on the minibus he rented for them to get to their buck’s night in the bush, Ed arrives to see Heather. This forces Harry to break the news of Ed and Heather’s new relationship to Ben. This immediately sends Ben spiralling, which forces Harry to get on the bus and get everyone to the buck’s night site, as all of Ben’s mates are already drunk. During the buck’s night Stuart FaceTimes Harry wanting to know what’s going on with Liz, as he knows she’s hiding something, but Harry tells him he has no idea what’s going on with her either.

Harry eventually Ben that he needs to step up for Simmo and he leaves to go to Ainsley’s hen’s night. While he’s there, he tells Liz about Stuart’s FaceTime call, and Liz admits to hooking up with Geri. Harry tells her she needs to resolve the situation and quickly.

Later, when Harry goes out for fresh air and also finds Ainsley outside, they confide in each other about their hatred of hen’s nights, with Ainsley admitting she’d rather be at home eating ice-cream, just as the stripper shows up. When everyone is distracted by the stripper, Harry grabs Ainsley’s hand and they sneak out, going back home to eat ice-cream and chat. Harry reveals to Ainsley that he thought about having a baby with her at one point, as she shares a lot of traits with him.

The next morning, Harry is on the phone to Geri. He is apologising to Geri after her last interaction with Liz (which I’ll get to) and she tells him that she’s observed there is a lot of ‘take’, ‘take’, ‘take’, but Harry defends the housemates by saying that there is a lot of give, if he asks for it.

Liz and Geri – Liz goes to see Geri and tells her that she is still processing their hook-up and that she needs to tell Stuart where she’s at in a general sense, before she tells him anything else. Geri is relieved that Liz didn’t completely reject her.

Later Liz FaceTimes Stuart and he informs her that he has booked a flight and taken a week off, and he’ll be arriving the night before Ainsley and Simmo’s wedding. Liz reminds him though that she’ll be back in the UK the week after the wedding. Stuart then asks Liz what’s going on as he can tell something is wrong. She tells him that there is a conversation they need to have, but they’ll have it when she’s back in the UK as it’s something she needs to tell him in person. This leads to Harry getting a FaceTime call from Stuart and Liz telling Harry about the hook-up (as mentioned earlier).

After the hen’s night, Liz goes to see Geri and tells her that she led her to believe that once she was over the Stuart hurdle, she’d be able to pursue a relationship with her, but Liz tells her that she doesn’t believe that’s the case, essentially ending the possibility of a relationship with Geri.

Ben and Heather – Despite Harry revealing to Ben about Heather’s new relationship with Ed, which at this point has been going on for a couple of weeks, and Ben’s reaction to it, they didn’t spend much time onscreen together.

At the buck’s night, Ben talks about wanting to see Heather, and Fridgey encourages Ben to play the “long game” like Simmo did with Ainsley. Simmo doesn’t agree with Fridgey’s assessment of their relationship, with Fridgey describing Simmo as “hanging in there, no pressure for years, and turning himself into the solid guy that Ainsley might fall in love with.” Although he doesn’t say anything, judging by the look on Simmo’s face, Fridgey’s assessment has planted the seed of doubt in his head.

When Ben and Heather return from the buck’s and hen’s night respectively the next morning, Ben is cooking breakfast and offers Heather bacon. Simmo tells Ben to back off Heather a bit.

Ainsley and Simmo – Ainsley and Simmo are trying to celebrate their hen’s and buck’s night respectively, with varying degrees of success. While Simmo manages to have fun at his buck’s (although it does seem to end in a philosophical but depressing manner), Ainsley doesn’t enjoy hers at all, ending her night by sneaking home with Harry.

The episode ends with Heather telling Ainsley and Simmo about the hen’s night, with Ainsley watching Harry as he walks out the door, with their conversation about having a baby firmly in her mind.

Overall I felt that this was a solid but not the strongest episode, I think this is primarily due to all the housemates pretty much being separated for most of the episode. Of course the housemates have their own lives and have to leave the house at some point, but in this episode, due to the separate parties, and Liz dealing with the Geri drama, the separation of the group was more obvious. I enjoyed the boys improvising haikus around the bonfire towards the end of the buck’s night, as well as Harry and Ainsley eating ice-cream in their PJs, especially as the Harry-Ainsley combination has been an incredibly rare sight so far.

The next episode is the finale, which will focus on Ainsley and Simmo’s wedding, I’m looking forward to seeing how the season ends.

Stray Observations:

-Melanie, Lachlan’s wife, is at the hen’s night. This is her first appearance of the season, she was last seen in season two after she gave birth to Starlette. Mel’s appearance at the hen’s night can be viewed as her being regarded as Ainsley’s friend.

-Ben and Simmo’s previously mentioned friend, Bourkie, makes an appearance at the buck’s night, albeit naked and from the back.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “If I’ve got to go out in public with a dress code, I’m getting a stripper.” (Heather to Harry on Ainsley’s hen’s night)
• “Ains has drawn up a list of dos and don’ts for the buck’s night. No shaving, no tattoos, no permanent marker, no superglue, no visible bruising. She also wants some kind of guarantee that he won’t get too shitfaced. You and I both know he will.” “Well, of course he will.” (Heather-Ben on Ainsley’s lists of dos and don’ts for Simmo on the buck’s night)
• “Just contain the carnage. Hit him with Hydralyte, mix it with beer if you have to, but get it into him. Make sure he eats, not just meat. Don’t let him make a speech, if he does, DO NOT record it.” “Anything else?” “No open flames.” “Heath, we’re having a bonfire, the boys need a focal point to stop them wandering off, it’s a safety thing!” (Heather-Ben on Heather’s additional dos and don’ts for the buck’s night)
• “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d been on time.” “You said, ‘for fuck’s sake, don’t be late.’” “Yeah, well, being early is just as bad.” (Heather-Ed-Heather on Ed’s awkward first meeting with Ben)
• “This is a good knot, a proper knot, do you own a boat?” (Ed to Heather as he’s trying to undo the knot on her bathrobe)
• “If anything goes awry, Chooka’s cousin is the Vice-President of the CWA.” “Please tell me you mean the CFA.” “What did I say?…Chooka what does your cousin do?” (Fridgey-Harry-Fridgey on having a large bonfire in a bushfire-affected region)
• “I’m in a car and I’m heading over a cliff.” “Which you’re driving and I am saying get out and get the passengers out too!” (Liz-Harry on Liz’s complicated situation between Geri and Stuart)
• “Darkening sand dunes. Suddenly weak best friend hides. Whilst watching the snail.” “Absolute ripper wasn’t it? Very evocative first line. Almost thought you were gonna slip up on seven syllables on the second.” “Thanks mate.” “Nah mate, that was your classic five seven five, beautiful stuff mate.” (Feathers-Fridgey on Haiku)
• “You know who took me by surprise? Pammy. Very dark horse. I saw that woman put cash in the stripper’s G-string with her teeth.” (Heather to Simmo and Ainsley on the hen’s night)
• “Unlucky in love and too tall for most pants.” (Harry describing himself to Ainsley)