At the beginning of the 8th episode, Justin (Firass Dirani) prepares breakfast for the kids. Angie (Allegra Volange) picks up the phone and dials a radio station, which just happens to be giving away a trip to California. With a little help from Justin and Rafiq (Rahart Adams), Angie answers the questions correctly and wins the trip to California. Throughout the call, Rafiq is belittled by his boss. Rafiq and his boss, Jones (Frank Magree), wind up getting into a big fight. Rafiq ends up at the hospital covering in gold paint. Abi (Natalie Saleeba) and Gemma (Julia Morris) begin taking care of him immediately. Rafiq tells the nurses that his boss is responsible. He also learns that Angie won the contest.

He also pleads with the women not to tell Justin, because he doesn’t want to stop the family’s trip. Mark (Rhys Muldoon) meets up with Rachel (Jane Allsop) early, while Nick (Hugh Sheridan) agrees to walk the kids to school. On the way to school, Justin tells the others about his upcoming trip. The guys also notice a massage parlor near the school. Later, Justin hunts everywhere the his passports. While the passports for the kids are still valid, his has expired. Justin and Lewis (Gary Sweet) head to the passport office and speak with Hakima (Georgia Byrne). Lewis manages to convince the woman to help. However, she admits there are no guarantees. Back at the hospital, Gemma eavesdrops on Rafiq’s phone conversation. Then, she forces Rafiq to stay for the eye tests.

Seconds later, Abi and Gemma agree to meet with Rafiq’s boss to see whether or not he is lying. They visit the shop seconds later. The guy denies being involved and insists he doesn’t owe Rafiq any money, since he was fired for negligence. After they’re thrown out of the shop, Gemma gets in Rafiq’s vehicle. She notices the workers doing something suspicious, before taking the car to a safe location. Next, the guys get together for a run. Nick tells the others about his father doing the Kokoda when he was younger. He expresses interest in taking it himself. He suggests they all do it for charity, but the others do not seem interested in the least. Next, Rachel tells Mark about her business ideas. Meanwhile, Lewis takes luggage to Justin’s place.

Justin refuses to allow the kids to pack, until they’ve finished their homework. The kids quickly notice that Justin’s passport is missing. Nevertheless, he explains it away easy enough. Once the kids are outside, Justin tells Lewis he will simply postpone the trip, until his passport comes through. Later, Lewis visits the massage clinic and gets a rub down by a big guy. He quickly regrets the decision. The next day, he calls and complains about the service. Gemma grabs his phone and ends the call. She tries to urge him to make things right with Rafiq and Justin. Justin helps the kids pack. Rafiq learns about his test results from Gemma. Everything is fine. However, he is forced to head to Gemma’s house to get his vehicle. Rafiq also admits he won’t go to the police, due to his nationality.

Nick learns that Rachel intends to have a C-section. He doesn’t like the idea, but Rachel refuses to negotiate. Next, Lewis heads to the Council Chamber with the intention of complaining about the massage parlor. He is basically ignored by Councilor Suzy (Sally-Anne Upton). When Lewis returns home, he finds Rafiq eating the kitchen. Justin visits and this forces Rafiq to hide, until he leaves. Nick tells Atticus (Jagger Serafin) about Kokoda. The group gets together. Angie is given some new dresses, while the parents try to remain mum about Rafiq. Later, Justin gets a call from Hakima. She delivers the good news that he will get his passport. When Gemma returns home, she finds Rafiq arguing with his boss. She takes the phone and escorts Rafiq outside to calm down. Gemma catches Jones making racial comments about Rafiq. Gemma threatens she is going to report Jones to the police.

Later, Rafiq tells Gemma and Lewis that his car’s battery is dead. Lewis agrees to help him jump the car in the morning. Meanwhile, Rachel and Nick argue about the Kokoda trip. In the morning, Lewis tries to help Rafiq get his car up and running. They’re approached by a man, who winds up giving them a ticket. Jones arrives at the hospital, while Justin and the kids heads to Lewis’ place for more luggage. when Justin pulls up, he watches as Rafiq is led away by police. Gemma learns about the situation. At the station, Rafiq tries to encourage Justin to head to California. He refuses. At the hospital, Gemma speaks with Jones. She threatens to turn him in for disposing of the paint illegally. With that, Jones agrees to drop the charges. Rafiq is allowed to leave. Justin and the kids rush towards the airport. Lewis convinces Rafiq to stay at his place for a bit longer.

The next day, Lewis and Rafiq head to the Council again. Lewis makes it clear he intends to run for a seat on the Council. That night, Gemma ridicules Lewis for his massage fiasco. Lewis tells her about his decision to run for office. Later, Lewis and Mark meet up with Nick. They tell him they’ve agreed to go to Kokoda with him.

 

House Husbands Review

There is no doubt that House Husbands is cheesy. However, this episode played heavily on politically correct rhetoric. During nearly every scene, Rafiq was getting bashed by a white Australian. Yet, at the end of the episode, Gemma drops inflammatory comments about homosexuals. The episode wasn’t sure whether it wanted to be progressive or conservative. It felt uneven and the racial nonsense was over the top.

This was definitely the worst episode of House Husbands in a few years. A 5.5 out of 10 is about right. Catch up with previous recaps of House Husbands now.