Loveday Writing

This episode is all about discoveries, good and bad.

The episode kicks off with Taya’s footy game, and Leroy and Ned arguing over Ned’s coaching style, as Taya has scored the team’s only point and they have lost by over 50 points. Later, Cowboy surprises Lauren at the supermarket to cash in his favour, telling her to register a horse in her name.

Later, Jarad shows up to Trevor and Daffy’s house, however he does so as Ned is trying to fix the grill, and therefore he thinks Jarad is a repair man. Nonetheless, Jarad takes a look at the gas cylinders and find that they weren’t turned on properly, which solves Ned’s problem. Lauren arrives home to find Jarad and Ned talking, and whilst she tries to stall, the repair man Ned originally called arrives, which forces Lauren and Jarad to come clean.

Ned then chastises Lauren, Daffy and Trevor for knowing about Jarad and going to Tiwi Islands to find him and keeping it a secret. Daffy and Trevor make an excuse about going to ‘band practice’ to leave the room, and Ned tells Lauren that she tracked down Jarad for her, not Taya, as she never even asked Taya if she wants a relationship with him. Ned then leaves.

Meanwhile, Daffy and Trevor actually go to band practice with Dana, and Trevor actually plays the maracas (which Lauren jokingly and dismissingly remarked on during Ned’s argument with them). During practice, Daffy sings with Dana, which makes Trevor incredibly happy.

Meanwhile, Lauren takes Taya with her when she goes to meet Cowboy at the Humpty Doo Hotel. A man with a red nose, aptly named Rudolph, gives her the paperwork. When she goes outside to view the horse, she finds Cowboy waiting for her and it’s revealed that the ‘horse’ is actually a car, with its name ‘Hawse’ visible on its number plate. Before he leaves, Cowboy tells Taya that her father is also good with a football. After Cowboy leaves, Taya tells Lauren that she wants to meet Jarad.

Lauren takes Taya to the park to meet Jarad, he gives her a rainbow football and she gives him a Paul’s Ice Coffee, and they kick the football around for a while. Whilst Lauren watches on, she receives a phone call from Victoria, whilst Lauren initially thinks Victoria is calling about Taya, Victoria quickly clears up that she wants Lauren to represent her in her divorce, pointing out she would be her first Darwin client and could make her a lot of money by dragging out the divorce for months.

Meanwhile, as Daffy and Dana are rehearsing, Daffy is singing off-tune and Dana encourages her to work on it, but also to use their time together as a form of self-care. Later, when Lauren comes home, she finds the campervan and Ned’s clothes gone. It’s revealed that Ned has driven away and gets high with local teenagers.

The episode ends with Ned going to Leroy’s house for comfort.

Overall, I felt that this was another good but not great episode. Ned finding out about Jarad and by extension, Lauren’s deception, was inevitable. While it’s natural and understandable for Ned to be upset, I found his subsequent behaviour was out of character and made him unlikeable. However, I did appreciate that Jarad changed his mind and made an effort for Taya, without alienating Ned or deliberately making him feel bad about himself. I also appreciated the reappearance of Cowboy and the twist that the ‘horse’ was a car rather than an actual horse. I also appreciated the progression of the ongoing subplot of Daffy’s singing, especially with Dana encouraging her to think of it as a self-care. I also appreciated the comic relief that the reappearance of Victoria provided. However, I feel it is a good but not great episode, due to its slow pacing and Ned’s off-putting behaviour. 

Stray Observations:

Episode title origin – The cheese that melts out of the jaffles that Ned makes, that he tells the local teens about, as he gets high with them.

-Cowboy is eating an ice-cream when he approaches Lauren in the supermarket.

-Ned’s food truck has been named after Ronelle.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “The kid’s still conscious, isn’t she? Not rough enough.” (Leroy to Ned about Taya’s playing)
• “If it’s Cowboy, it’s dodgy.” (Dana to Lauren)
• “I was personally impressed with how rudely you treated me and I would like you to treat him with the same, wicked disdain.” “Victoria, this isn’t a great time, I’ll call you back.” “Exactly, perfect. Yes, just like that, we need to make his life a legal hell.” (Victoria-Lauren-Victoria)
• “You sound like a dust buster from Dollars and Sense, I want Dyson!” (Dana to Daffy on her off-tune singing)