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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 191378" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 25-32Any soap worth its salt has one of those episodes fairly early in the game. The one where several loose threads become a little tighter and intertwine. The one where shocked responses to a situation make the character building pay off. Where a revelation about backstory changes what they thought they knew… or what we thought we knew. If such a scenario plays out at a public gathering, so much the better.In Home And Away terms, Episode 26 fits the bill. We begin with a recap of Roo getting shocking news from Auntie Morag, whom Celia has asked to investigate Ailsa’s background. But what she’s found is kept from us a little longer. At first we see only the characters’ reactions. First Roo during the one-sided phone call. Then Frank after Roo has told him offscreen.We know it’s not good news, because Roo can’t wait to share it. Frank begs her not to say anything at Alf and Roo’s engagement party (an event that evening he is there to persuade her to attend):All the same, Roo is overcome with a sudden eagerness to attend the event she’d been planning to boycott.Arriving at the party, Frank reminds Roo she’d promised to say nothing, and he receives a frozen, Patricia-esque smile in return. And no sooner has she asked Ailsa to put a couple of sausage rolls on her plate than she decides to casually ask…Cue shocked partygoers watching as Ailsa makes her public confession.Ailsa’s background is great because it fits perfectly into the framework of the series. Most of the Fletchers’ foster children have similarly abusive backgrounds, so the revelation about Ailsa not only expands her character, it also increases empathy and connection between her and the younger cast in a way that’s unspoken but absolutely vital to the role she plays in the series. Her telling line to Pippa about Bobby in the Pilot (“I’ve got a thing about underdogs”) is now more meaningful than ever.The fact that the abuse and violence - Ailsa’s and the kids’ - is part of the series pre-history makes each of them a one-person spin-off. Each has a backstory that is rich, dark and volatile. It’s easy to understand why the first novelisations of the series weren’t translations of events onscreen, but instead took a character and explored their background in more depth.It’s also a way for the series to have its cake and eat it. Horrifying events form the backstories. Events that would have been unthinkable to show in a teatime series. These are regaled to us in dialogue. Rather than a flashback to her potted history, the focus is entirely upon Ailsa as she speaks to Alf. The end result is uncomfortably intimate and raw:There’s a beautiful moment of direction in the scene where the camera shows Alf holding tightly onto Ailsa’s hand. Just an episode or so before, Alf had said to Ailsa:And he’s as good as his word.Needless to say, Judy Nunn is an absolute gem in scenes that focus on the fallout. Ailsa vacillated between broken and ballsy. Whether sitting on the windswept beach looking lost; signing autographs for the school-kids frequenting her coffee shop; shaking with hurt and frustration after Roo shamed her in the shop; or pointedly over-ketchuping Martin and Lance’s pies when they wanted the juicy details.But credit, too, to Ray Meagher who picks out the subtleties so much better than I’d remembered. There’s a lot of bluster and bellowing too, of course. But it’s Alf, so all’s well with that.It’s clear that this has happened for Ailsa before:Importantly, responses of the townspeople move things along. After the intial shock, the aim of the town has overwhelmingly has been to let Ailsa know they have her support. All of which successfully shows us that Summer Bay and its residents are special:Bobby goes one further with her support for Ailsa by punching Roo clean across the hallway. Most enjoyable....continued</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?