This week on Home and Away in Australia, Sonny risks injuring himself further as he tries to speed up his recovery, while Justin discovers who really hit Abigail.

 

Sonny’s (Ryan Bown) determination to accelerate his recovery could prove to be his downfall this week, as he ignores advice to take things steady.

It’s only been a couple of weeks since Sonny regained enough feeling in his legs to finally be able to stand again, after being wheelchair-bound for the past four months from injuries sustained in the train crash.

Feeling guilty as everyone moved his belongings back into the apartment for him, Sonny went full throttle into helping organise a delayed first birthday party for Archie.

When everyone eventually gathered at the farmhouse for the celebrations, Sonny pushed himself to walk around with his crutches, and put together a wooden trike for Archie.

As he manoeuvred himself back in the car at the end of the afternoon, it was clear to see that Sonny was struggling, and as he and Dana returned home he was forced to admit that he didn’t think he’d be able to manage the stairs. 

John came to the rescue after a quick phone call, helping Dana to get Sonny get back upstairs.

Embarrassed and exhausted, Sonny explained to Dana his frustrations.

“It’s like I finally make a little bit of progress, and then it’s as always—one step forward, five steps back.”

Dana tried to reassure him that recovery isn’t always a straight line, but it didn’t do anything to boost Sonny’s sprits. Having lost his appetite, Sonny decided to have an early night.

As he lay awake later that evening, Sonny text John, asking if they could talk in the morning as he wanted to make some changes.

This week, Sonny’s plan becomes clear as he joins the gym.

Knowing Sonny would eventually need a nearby gym to assist in his rehabilitation, Mali (Kyle Shilling) and John (Shane Withington) had already come up with the plan to re-open Summer Bay Fit, despite Tane (Ethan Browne) still being in hospital at the time.

Although Tane was initially against the idea, the pair went ahead with it anyway, knowing it would also help the surf club as a whole.

“Right now, on his path toward rehabilitation, Sonny’s feeling relieved, hopeful and proud,” Ryan Bown tells TV Week. “He’s been deeply inspired by his fellow friends in the rehab clinic seeing how fiercely independent, resilient and determined they are.”

Whilst there may be concern about whether he’s quite at that stage in his rehab, Sonny is determined that it’s the right thing to do.

The first session appears to back him up at first, with Sonny seeming to cope with the demands of his new routine.

But it isn’t long before the strain begins to show. As Sonny continues to push himself, Lacey (Sophea Pennington) realises that he is overdoing it and urges him to take a break.

Maybe you should keep your advice to yourself,” Sonny bites back as he drips with sweat, clearly in no mood to be mollycoddled.

Frustrated, Sonny lashes out, ordering Remi to shut up and get off his case.

Remi voices his concerns to Mali, telling him how worried he is about Sonny.

He’s frustrated,” Ryan continues. “Sonny wants to believe that it will take time, but deep down he feels that intense dedication is the way forward.”

In the end, it’s John who has to step in, firmly taking hold of Sonny and telling him to stop.

That’s enough, okay?” John states. “You’ve gotta go.”

“You can’t just kick me out,” Sonny replies defiantly.

I can actually, now get out of here, okay?” John insists. “You’re done!”

As Sonny reluctantly leaves, John follows him outside, feeling bad and explaining that he didn’t want him to hurt himself.

Look at me, I’m already hurt,” Sonny responds. “I’m trying to get better!”

The following day, Sonny expresses his remorse and promises that he’ll slow things down.

But when he later returns to the gym, it’s clear that he’s still going to do things on his own terms, despite the advice everyone is giving him.

Will Sonny be caught out before he does himself serious harm?

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Elsewhere in Summer Bay, Alf (Ray Meagher) is struggling to move on after finding himself at the centre of a hit-and-run investigation.

The trouble began after Alf accidentally let both his licence and rego lapse, leading to him being pulled over by Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Richie (Rocco Forrester-Sach).

He had since got everything back in order, and after being given the medical all-clear to drive again, had been trying to move forward.

Roo (Georgie Parker), however, remained uneasy about him getting back behind the wheel, fearing that her dad was no longer as indestructible as she had always believed.

Alf then came under suspicion after Abigail (Hailey Pinto) was clipped by a red ute near Banksia Creek—the same area where Alf had been fishing early that morning.

Although Alf insisted he had nothing to do with it, Roo’s concern over his recent lapses led her to ask whether he could have been responsible.

Richie overheard the exchange, and passed the information on to David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) and Cash back at the police station.

When Alf was taken in for questioning—and his ute was sent for forensic testing—the whole situation left him feeling humiliated and angry that even those closest to him seemed willing to doubt him.

Although forensics later found no evidence that Alf’s vehicle was involved, the real culprit was still unidentified, meaning Alf was not fully exonerated.

Roo’s uncertainty only added to the damage, with Alf left shaken enough to wonder whether she might be right.

Feeling treated as guilty until proven innocent, Alf handed his keys to Justin and decided to stop driving altogether.

He later went to the police station, telling David that his name had been dragged through the mud, and it would remain there until he found the real culprit.

“You either find the grub who did this,” Alf flamed. “Or you might as well arrest me now!”

This week, David acknowledges that the lack of a resolution has left Alf stuck in limbo.

He suggests that if Alf feels let down by the way the situation has been handled, he can lodge a formal complaint and trigger an internal investigation.

Meanwhile, TV Week reports that Justin is called out to a roadside assist and immediately notices how similar the vehicle is to Alf’s. As he checks it over, he spots damage to the side mirror, raising the possibility that this could be the ute which clipped Abby.

Justin quietly tips off the police, and David soon arrives to inspect the vehicle for himself.

With the evidence now pointing in a new direction, the car’s owner, Carmen (Cassandra MacGrath), is taken back to the station for questioning.

Once there, Carmen admits that she was involved, but insists she never realised in the dark that she had hit a person.

The truth finally clears Alf’s name, and word quickly spreads around the Bay that he had nothing to do with Abby’s accident after all.

But for Alf, the damage has already been done. Rather than feeling vindicated, he is left hurt by how quickly the people around him doubted him—Roo in particular.

“Alf definitely struggles with that,” Ray Meagher tells TV Week. “It feels like everyone is against him.”

When Roo later challenges him over his mood, Alf finally lets his anger show, making it clear just how deeply the suspicion has affected him. 

With Alf now officially in the clear, will he be able to most past the fact that his loved ones were prepare to believe the worst?

Monday 18th May (Episode 8716)

Sonny pushes beyond his limits.

Leah fights for Alf’s reputation.

David struggles with small-town policing.