As the episode begins, Shay (Melina Vidler) questions why Ike decided to break up with her. George (Erik Thomson) and Arlo (Benson Jack Anthony) have trouble coping with her. George wakes her up and encourages her to get out of the house. Tracey (Emma Leonard) says goodbye to Woody (Rick Donald) as she rushes off to work. At school, Arlo tells Billy (Reon Bell) and Lindsay (Manon Blackman) about Shay’s troubles. Lindsay insists that Shay hasn’t hit rock bottom yet. Soon, Katie (Anna Jullienne) arrives with Billy’s soup. He isn’t happy to see her. She learns that the kids don’t have a teacher. She speaks with Tracey and soon gets the job.

Meanwhile, George and Woody work together to try to track down Woody’s wife Mary Kelly. He calls one Mary and learns that she had died. It isn’t his Mary. Shay calls Arlo and begs for food. He tells her to go to the store. Billy isn’t happy to learn about his mom becoming the teacher. Smiler (David Fane) soon joins George and Woody. He suggests using genealogy to track down Mary. Smiler and Woody agree it is best to keep Mary a secret from Tracey. Shay runs into Zac (Rob Kipa-Williams) at the store. When she doesn’t have enough money, Zac agrees to pay the rest. Shay goes nuts and hides in the freezer. Her outburst is captured on video and it quickly goes viral. Siouxsie (Olivia Tennet) follows her. Brenda (Renee Lyons) gets in touch with George and tells him about their problem.

Siouxsie comforts Shay, until George arrives. He tells his daughter about her mother and one of her outbursts at Christmas. He eventually manages to convince Shay to return home. Arlo and the others learn about Shay’s meltdown. Lindsay believes that she might have hit bottom. Constable Tom (John Leigh) joins Smiler and Woody. He agrees to use his position to help them track down Mary. Arlo returns home and tells Shay and George about the video. Shay has been turned into a meme. Arlo tells Shay that she should just get over it. George takes Arlo to work at the boat club. He runs into Fiona (Michelle Langstone). She offers to help Shay. Then, George runs into Woody and Smiler. They’re waiting for Tom to bring in his information. Tom shows them two possible Marys. Woody spots the Mary (Rachael Carpani) that he knows.

Tracey arrives. They manage to keep the secret from her. George and Woody check on Shay, but she isn’t home. George learns that she went for a bike ride. Shay speaks with Ike (Alex Tarrant). He tells her that he heard voices when he was in the water. They convinced him that his relationship with Shay might not have been a good idea. Big Mac (Peter Elliott) and the family visit the boat club. Arlo is tasked with taking their orders. When he does, Bill Jnr (Paul Glover) wants to know what Arlo’s intentions are for Lindsay. He insists that they’re just having fun and getting to know one another. George tries to convince Woody to tell Tracey the truth. He admits he cant, but he is afraid of what she might do. Zac encourages Ike to change his scenery and move.

Siouxsie visits Shay with ice cream. Shay makes the decision that she is going to move forward from Ike. The following day, Woody arrives at headquarters. Monty (Jonny Brugh) and many others are there. He musters up the courage and calls Mary. She tells him that she’ll only sign the papers, if he brings them himself.

 

800 Words Review

This episode of 800 Words was a double-edged sword. The parts with Woody and Arlo were good. However, I am sick to death of Shay and Ike. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make Ollie responsible for speaking to Ike through his drone and convincing him to give up Shay. The rest of the episode was pretty entertaining. Kill off the Shay drama and this show would improve significantly. This episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of 800 Words right now.