Neighbours’ Melanie and Holly’s histories intertwine in Flashback Week
It’s one bombshell after another this week on Neighbours as the return of Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) sends shockwaves through the lives of those she held nearest and dearest until one year ago.
Following Nell’s (Ayisha Salem-Towner) hunt to track her former stepmother down, Melanie resurfaced last Thursday and with nowhere else to run, decided it was time to reveal the truth about exactly what led to her leaving Toadie (Ryan Moloney)… and there’s more to the story than anyone could have thought!
On Monday’s episode, Melanie took centre stage at No. 22 and revealed to Toadie, Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and Susan (Jackie Woodburne) that if they wanted to know the truth, they had to turn the clock back two years, to the day before her wedding to Toadie.
With a special opening to match the occasion, Melanie began from the start and explained that she was over the moon to be marrying Toadie, but the night before the wedding, she was greeted at the front door of No. 30 by a mysterious stranger.
For those who don’t recall, Melanie moved to the UK following the breakdown of her marriage to Joe Mangel (Mark Little). Going by the name Melanie Mangel, she ended up working for a family who had a tearaway teenaged daughter.
The daughter in question had fallen into the wrong crowd and was caught with drugs. Wanting to do the right thing by the teenager, Melanie took the fall for the drugs, and with her face all over the CCTV footage, there was no denying that she would have been charged had the police found out.
Fortunately, her passport still had her maiden name – Pearson – on it, and she was able to flee the country and continue a low profile life. However, years later, Melanie was tracked down to Erinsborough by the wayward teen, who was now a full-fledged adult and in need of money.
The adult in question?
Krista Sinclair (Majella Davis)!
Yes, the sister that Reece (Mischa Barton) had been tasked to come to Australia to track down was the mystery person who approached Melanie for cash, and one of the reasons she left Toadie… However, there’s one issue – no one sitting in No. 22 listening to the revelations knows who Krista is!
Susan, Toadie and Terese can’t believe what they’re hearing as Melanie continues to divulge that she stole money from the Drinks Divas van to pay Krista off, while six hours away, Reece and Byron (Xavier Molyneaux) have tracked down a hotel that Krista stayed at whilst she was in Australia.
With no leads, the pair spy a corkboard covered in photos. Conveniently hidden behind numerous images is a photo of Krista, and when they pull it off, they are shocked by what they see.
“Oh my God,” Reece declares as the pair stare at a photo of Krista… with Holly (Lucinda Armstrong-Hall) and Eden (Costa d’Angelo)!
With more people being dragged into the saga, it’s time for Holly to reveal her part of the story.
On today’s episode (Tuesday 14th November), Holly divulges to the already shocked occupants of No. 22 that she and Eden arrived on Ramsay Street on the day of Melanie and Toadie’s wedding.
Susan is in disbelief as she thought Holly’s return had only been recent, but with news of her brother Malcolm (Benji McNair) hooking up with her mother Izzy (Natalie Bassingthwaighte), Holly found it difficult to stay away.
However, when she saw Izzy kissing Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien), she was distraught and headed to Harold’s with Eden, where they met Krista for the first time.
The trio hit it off, and with Krista’s incoming injection of cash at the forefront of their minds, they decided to make a trip away, beginning a backpacking adventure around Australia.
Before they could leave, Holly was discovered by Mal, who she begged to keep quiet about her being in Erinsborough. Honouring his little sister’s secret, Mal gave her some money, which only added to the trio’s coffers and they made off on a little getaway. One of the stops being the Robinvale Hotel, where Reece and Byron are on their way back from, armed with the new information.
As things escalate, Toadie, Susan and Terese take a break, leaving Holly and Melanie alone.
Suddenly having an urgent need to speak to someone, Melanie heads straight for the No. 22 landline and makes a call… She’s already started revealing the truth about what happened two years ago. It’s time for them to get here…
Who’s them?
Well, somewhere in country Victoria, a toddler plays by herself, as the toddler’s three parents sit around a table, contemplating what the next steps for them are…
Just how do these three fit into the saga that is unfolding? Tomorrow’s episode will reveal all…
New episodes of Neighbours air Monday–Thursday on Network 10 and 10 Peach in Australia, and on Amazon Freevee in the UK.
No comments