Jack’s finally been discharged from hospital, and nobody could be more delighted than Sam, who manages to stop fussing over him long enough only to make sure that he’s okay to move ahead on the wedding preparations. Failing to notice the uncertain tone in his voice, she’s delighted when he agrees, not least because she’s already arranged for Reverend Hall to visit them that afternoon. But when he does, it’s clear that Jack wasn’t expecting quite such a fierce interrogation. ‘What does marriage mean to you?’ the reverend asks, as he tries to make sure that – each of them having a failed marriage to speak of – this time they’re serious. ‘It means loving each other…and being there…supporting each other…spending the rest of our lives together,’ Sam responds wistfully, as Jack struggles for words. At least you can always count on Rory for a distraction…Target practiceAfter running for the hills at the mere thought of being torn away from the Bay, Ryan stubbornly tells Dan that he’d rather make his way to school in time for assembly than sit down for a chat about the possible move to America. Just to prove his point, he not only chooses to later visit Summer Bay High with the sole intent of telling his father how, given the fact that he’s already lived abroad with Amanda, the trip will never be an adventure to him but also seizes the opportunity to stir up trouble when he discovers that Rory has managed to get his hands on Jack’s gun. Rory, revelling in his newfound popularity as the soon-to-be stepson of a hero, takes his friend’s advice and aims the gun at a glass bottle – only to come dangerously close to shooting Lewis.

Those three magic words

While most of the Bay’s residents are only too eager to visit or call Jack, Martha is once again back to maintaining a healthy distance – even if this does come at a price to poor Michael, whose attempts at getting her feeling at peace with her past are far from welcome.

Still, his mention of what she coyly refers to as ‘The “L” Word’ soon cheers her up – or it does until Jack, after a troubled night’s sleep, later shows up on her doorstep wanting to utter those same magic words. ‘Martha, I love you,’ he says, apologising for missing his chance to tell her all those months ago.

She may react by pushing him straight back to Sam, but is Martha certain that she doesn’t still feel the same?

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