As the episode begins, George (Erik Thomson) wakes alongside Fiona (Michelle Langstone). Arlo (Benson Jack Anthony) prepares for his return to school. He gets George to sign a letter, before they leave home. Once they arrive at school, George makes sure to speak with the new principal, Tracey (Emma Leonard). Then, George speaks with Katie (Anna Jullienne). She admits that Billy (Reon Bell) doesn’t like school. George heads to the office and speaks with Gloria (Jackie van Beek) and Tom (Tom Leigh). He struggles to come up with new news stories. Then, he runs into Woody (Rick Donald) outside. Woody admits that Tracey has changed since she has been forced to return to work. Katie arrives and reveals that Billy is in Gateway with the numpties or the stupid kids.

George tries to pretend that the Gateway is not so bad. His changes his mind when he learns that Arlo has joined the Gateway as well. He heads to the school and learns that he signed the paperwork that morning. Arlo admits that he wants to become a chef. Tracey and George are not happy with his decision. Arlo heads to class. He learns that the numpties do not have a teacher. It seems that he is beginning to question his decision to change classes. George speaks with Shay (Melina Vidler) and Ike (Alex Tarrant) about Arlo’s decision. They’re surprised. George is not happy in the least. George makes comments that make it appear that is not happy with Shay’s life decisions. Then, George speaks with Fiona. They agree to meet up later for a drink.

Arlo tells Billy that they need to tell Tracey that they do not have a teacher. At first, the other students aren’t sure that is the best thing to do. Eventually, Ollie (Henry Beasley) and Lindsay (Manon Blackman) agree with him. Ike tries to cheer up Shay. He comes up with a plan to get her some paying work. He heads to the shop and speaks with Brenda (Renee Lyons). She agrees to let Shay paint the store’s wall. However, Shay will need to come up with a way to pay for the project. Ike quickly thinks about Big Mac (Peter Elliott). George speaks with Fiona and Hannah (Cian Elyse White) about Arlo. Hannah insists that Gateway isn’t such a bad thing. Fiona seems upset that George thinks hospitality is such a bad line of work. George returns to Tracey. He promises to have everything sorted out by tomorrow.

Shay and Ike visit Big Mac. They convince him to pay for the project. However, they’ll need to add an advertisement to the artwork. George prepares a family dinner. Shay tries to tell him about her project, but he doesn’t seem interested. During dinner, Arlo and George argue back and forth. Arlo believes George doesn’t want him to become a chef, due to his brother’s failures. Gloria calls and tells George about the local Chinese restaurant shutting down. Woody speaks with Hannah on the beach. She gives him advice for smoothing things over with Tracey. When Tracey returns home, she learns that Woody has prepared dinner. He also gives her a foot rub. He is upset to find out that she wants to work through dinner. Katie speaks with Fiona at the boat club. She admits that George’s opinion changed about the Gateway when it was his kid.

In the morning, George continues making the situation even worse. He gets a call from Tracey and is forced to admit his failure. She promises to fix it. Sean (Jesse Griffin) gets involved in the graffiti project. He insists it will need a permit, if it is going to contain an advertisement. Tracey pulls Arlo out of class and escorts him to the office. He learns that he is no longer eligible for Gateway. At home, George makes things even worse with Fiona. Then, he heads to the school. Arlo insists he will pull out, if he is not allowed to attend Gateway. Then, George meets with Hannah and Woody at the beach. They discuss their problems and Hannah gives them advice. Ike and Shay try to smooth things over with Sean, but he refuses until the advertisement is removed. Woody speaks with Tracey at the school. She tells him all about her regrets. Fiona speaks with Arlo.

She tries to encourage him to compromise with George. After a conversation with Jan (Bridie Carter), George visits Shay. They go for a road. He tells her that he approves of her painting career. She encourages him to do the same for Arlo. When Tracey returns home, Woody gives her a puzzle of a beach. He tells her that it is the nudie beach. Shay comes up with a plan to get George and Arlo to chat. She smashes a plate of food on the ground. This brings them together. They begin to negotiate. Arlo agrees to attend some classes, as long as he gets to stay in Gateway. George agrees with the arrangement. Shay enters and is happy to see the two finally smiling together. Then, Woody finds out that the Chinese place is closing. George pretends he didn’t know.

Woody returns home and finds Tracey nude. She tells him to come and finish the sky. However, he must get undressed first. George visits Fiona and thanks her for the help. They share a kiss and agree to have dinner at George’s place. In the morning, Tracey agrees to take over the Gateway until they can find a replacement. Ike and Shay managed to find a way to get around Sean’s permit. At the end of the episode, George calls his brother.

 

800 Words Review

Sorry in advance for any errors above. Had to work late and had to rush the recap. This episode of 800 Words was surprisingly good. The last few episodes have made me really appreciate the show once again. I am not sure where George’s brother came from though. Who knew he even had a brother? The Arlo and Gateway storyline was very humorous. It was also interesting to see Tracey struggle with her dream job.

The episode was very enjoyable. I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of 800 Words now!