On next week’s Home and Away in the UK, Jasmine is torn when Irene offers Kieran a place to stay. Can the pair really live under the same roof?
Kieran (Rick Donald) has had it rough since he first arrived in Summer Bay last year. Martha (Belinda Giblin) kept his existence from Alf (Ray Meagher) when they reunited after more than 30 years, and it was struggle enough for Alf to accept that his new wife had a child he never knew about.
However, that was nothing compared with what was to come. Kieran has spent years battling alcohol addiction, and struggles to control his emotions, especially when told ‘no’.
When Alf discovered that Kieran had been violent towards Martha in the past, he no longer wanted a bar of him.
Kieran skipped town after a dramatic showdown with Alf in the Surf Club. He returned a few weeks later, hiding in Martha’s caravan before kidnapping her, driving her to an ATM and demanding that she withdrew money he could spend on booze.
Now he’s back again, over 100 days sober and desperate to make amends with his family once and for all. While Roo (Georgie Parker) can see that he’s made huge strides towards sobriety and a new life, Alf can only see the old Kieran and refuses to accept that he’s changed. Moreso, he refuses to let him anywhere near Martha.
However, last week, he decided to give Kieran a chance to prove himself, and agreed to let him come to the house and plead his case.
In the end, Kieran was overcome with nerves. He bought a bottle of Scotch from Salt and headed to a bench to turn to his old friend as a way to deal with his anxiety over the meeting with Mr Stewart.
Despite the huge temptation, Kieran never opened the Scotch. Ryder (Lukas Radovich) found him on a bench before it was too late, and Roo eventually calmed him down enough for the pair to make their way to Summer Bay House.
Sadly, when it comes to explaining why they’re late, it seems honesty isn’t the best policy.
Alf initially seems suitably impressed at Kieran’s claim to be over 100 days sober, but when he admits that he was tempted earlier in the day, and that Ryder found him clutching a bottle, it goes worse than he or Roo could have ever imagined.
To have put Ryder in that situation is too much for Alf, and he orders Kieran out of his house immediately.
Roo steps in and supports her half brother, telling her dad that if he’s going to kick Kieran out, he’ll have to kick her out too!
No problem. Soon after, Roo is helping Kieran settle into his motel room before heading off to one of her own. Alf called her bluff and kicked out his own daughter! They have more of a battle on their hands than they thought.
The next morning, as Roo returns to check on Kieran, he has packed up and is ready to leave town. He thanks Roo for all of her help, but he just doesn’t see a way past Alf’s reservations – he’s got to just accept that he’s lost, and move in.