This week on Home and Away in Australia, Tane learns his fate as his friends testify against him, and a shock twist threatens to derail any chance of freedom.
After a false start last week, the time has come for Tane (Ethan Browne) to learn his fate as he appears in court over his kidnap of baby Poppy.
Tane had taken the child, who he’d found on the beach and nicknamed ‘Maia’, from Northern Districts Hospital after learning that some emergency foster carers had been found in the area.
Tane had believed that he should be the one to take care of her, and had enlisted Roo (Georgie Parker) to help make it happen when he discovered he was ineligible to become a foster carer.
The plan was for Roo to apply to be a foster parent whilst Tane applied for permanent residency, but Tane hadn’t banked on the authorities finding an alternative placement in the meantime.
Tane had already been barred from the hospital after the police issued him with an AVO, but when Tane asked Nurse Dana (Ally Harris) if she would allow him onto the ward to say goodbye, he took advantage of her brief absence by fleeing the hospital with the baby.
With Tane hiding out at cousin Kiri’s house, it was down to Mali (Kyle Shilling) and social worker Harper (Jessica Redmayne) to talk him into giving himself up.
Tane was swiftly bundled into a cell at Yabbie Creek police station charged with kidnapping, and it was down to Rose to decide whether Mali and Harper should also face charges for not coming forward as soon as they learned of Tane’s whereabouts.
In the end, she decided against it, and Tane was bailed with the help of his legal aid lawyer. In the weeks afterwards, Tane continued to be his own worst enemy as he sulked about the situation. Originally refusing to talk to his lawyer, figuring there was no point in fighting against the charges, Harper and Tane’s ex-wife Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) ambushed him and tried to make him see sense.
In the meantime, the lawyer in question, Marshall (Nic English), had been brought to the bay by Harper in the hope that Tane would meet with him, but when he found himself stood up, he ended up chatting to Flick in Salt, both unaware of who the other was.
The two slept together, which made for a pretty awkward meeting the next day when Tane finally agreed to meet with Marshall in Salt.
Felicity was mortified when she realised, and it didn’t take long for Tane to overhear Flick talking with Marshall and discover that his lawyer had hooked up with his ex-wife.
But in the meantime, Harper and Dana found themselves subpoenaed to testify against Tane, something Dana has since been struggling with, terrified that she will say the wrong thing and land Tane in prison.
Tane was all set to appear in court last week when he got caught up in the aftermath of Stevie’s (Catherine Van-Davies) shooting.
As he took a walk through the parklands in his suit, Flick had phoned to warn him of a gunman on the loose, only for Tane to immediately catch sight of Sidney (Joshua McElroy).
He gave chase, but Sidney hit him over the head with his rifle bag and sent him flying. Tane was taken to hospital by Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) and Flick, but was fortunately found to not have any lasting damage.
The court date was subsequently put back 48 hours, and this week Tane finally faces the judge (Tracy Mann).
“I think he’s accepted his fate,” Ethan tells TV Week. “He realises his mistake and understands that it could mean serious jail time, so he’s mentally preparing himself for the worst.
“He understands how the system works and believes everything doesn’t sit in his favour.”
As a promo for tonight’s episode shows, Dana faces a grilling from the prosecution when she takes the stand.
Last seen in the case against Irene (Lynne McGranger), prosecutor Matthew responds to Dana’s statement by suggesting that Tane had taken advantage of her kindness, and manipulated her into letting him visit the baby.