32 episodes in, Home and Away have already dealt with some big issues; from mental health issues with Nico, to domestic abuse issues with Ailsa's father, to Tom and Pippa's pregnancy issues. But H & A keep plunging straight into 'DE ISSUES', by adding the first of many story lines of sexual abuse. The ever-petulant Carly gets into a car with a strange man to get to the city and returns home disheveled and sullen. She is angry and takes her anger out on Lynn and Bobby (who is trying to do her Macbeth essay). Lynn and Bobby, however, see this as nothing new and Bobby tells Lynn that Carly "has a brain like a retarded goat sometimes". I KNOW that retarded was more of an acceptable term back then and they ARE teenagers but Home and Away YOU'VE GOT TO STOP USING THE WORD 'RETARD' 600 TIMES AN EPISODE!!
Carly, who has always been popular with the lads and enjoyed the attention, starts to freak out when all of a sudden a load of guys start coming on to her. She finally tells Bobby and Lynn about the rape. She tells them about how he told her he was taking a shortcut and turned onto a dirt track. She eventually escapes after the assault and makes a run for it. Lynn and Bobby try to convince her to go to the police and to tell Pippa and Tom. Carly won't because she's afraid people will think she deserved it. It is a sad state of affairs when 27 years later, this is still the case. Women today are still being told that they got what they deserved because they were being provocative or dressed a certain way.
The pious, dickhead sister of Alf, Celia Stewart is trying to convince young Lynn to return to church. Lynn, who is 14 years old but seems to be the only sound person in the Bay rn has an outburst and asks why God would let her dog be killed, her friend Nico sent to an asylum and Carly "attacked by that man". Celia being the ULTIMATE GEEBAG then tells her friend so then obviously now the whole fucking Bay knows.
The horrible man who works with Tom tells him and sure enough, Horrible Man blames Carly. Tom and Horrible Man then scrap but Horrible Man wins the fight. Horrible Man's daughter, Sandra has bruises on her. Lynn, her best friend (who should be a fucking detective in Summer Bay at this stage!!), finds out that Sandra's dad, Horrible Man (who's name is Barlow) has been hitting her but Sandra is quick to defend him saying "He hates hitting me"
Don Fisher has been acing as principal for basically every episode (except maybe the first 2) while the actual principal was away after being in a car accident (which they have never mentioned ever) . The actual principal is coming back and Don is raging and does loads of angry cry acting. At the same time Carly is having flashbacks of running through the woods to get away from the rapist. The scenes are so so disturbing. They play this weird freaky horror music over the scenes where Carly is alone. Anyways when Don Fisher finds out what happened to her he is acting like a giant douche and basically blames her, saying she's stupid for getting in the car with the guy.
Tom then gets Barlow's (Horrible Man's) job. Barlow, it turns out beats his daughter and his wife and is arrested, thanks to the Australian Nancy drew: Lynn Davenport. The police then also question Barlow about Nico, burning down the town hall and poisoning the cow and dog. Looks like the whole thing WAS Barlow (You see why he is Horrible Man now!?!?)
HOME AND AWAY JUST LASHING THROUGH THE ISSUES AMIRITE!?
In more boring H&A sub-plots, absolute dolts Lance and Martin are making their own home brew, I can't even remember why tbh. Floss is still being the nanny to her grandson who doesn't know he's her grandson. She's won him over and she decides to bring him to Summer Bay, to her husband, Neville's horror. Neville and Floss also talk about having no money (Floss' palm reading business seemed to be abandoned after episode one). Neville tells the sixty-something year old Floss "We could enter you into one of those wet t-shirt competitions."
The rape of Carly Morris is handled really well. I remember in later years, some of the sexual assault story lines were a bit dodgy and were settled with 'Sorry for raping you". The scenes are really well done and it feels very realistic. The actress, Sharyn Hodgson, plays it really beautifully and it is absolutely heartbreaking and devastating to watch. Now that they've done every major soap story line and wrapped them all up, I am guessing that they will soon add new characters. We saw the first appearance of Coleen Smart who is an absolute H & A veteran and I think Marilyn Chambers isn't far behind!
