Levi Canning’s (Richie Morris) relationship has been strained since Evelyn Farlow’s (Paula Arundell) arrival in Erinsborough.
It has been tough to keep the truth about his polyamorous relationship with Amy (Jacinta Stapleton) and Ned (Ben Hall) hidden, but he’s succeeded so far.
Evelyn, on the other hand, isn’t afraid to speak her mind about Amy and Ned’s relationship, even though she isn’t aware of her son’s involvement.
“There’s an age difference – it won’t work out,” Evelyn tells her son and Sheila (Colette Mann) in the Waterhole this week, as they all look at the flirty couple.
The fact that the two are together has brought up the subject of Levi’s love life. Evelyn observes that it has been a long time since Bea’s (Bonnie Anderson) departure and that perhaps it is time for Levi to re-enter the fray.
Sheila tries to agree with Evelyn while knowing the truth, but in doing so, she reveals that she believes Levi should sleep around. Evelyn believes he’s being pressured to play the field by the use of phrases like “spoiled for choice.” She wants her son to be in a stable situation.
But it’s clear that the whole conversation – and the hidden truth – is making Levi uncomfortable.
Levi admits to his cousin Kyle (Chris Milligan) that seeing Ned and Amy together all of the time makes him feel like he’s being pushed out of the relationship. They devise a strategy together. Kyle will divert Evelyn’s attention away from Levi, allowing him to spend some much-needed alone time with Amy.
The following day, the two started the process. Kyle takes Evelyn out while Levi claims he has to work the rest of the day, but they’re soon caught red-handed.
Evelyn is perplexed when she sees Levi and Amy together in the Waterhole. He stated he was at work, but when she arrived at the station, they said he wasn’t there, and she now finds him at the bar, not even in uniform.
Levi, thinking quickly, reveals that he is working undercover and that Amy is a part of his research. When Evelyn appears to believe the narrative and bids them luck on their trip, the two exhale a sigh of relief.
While Evelyn ignorantly bids them adieu, Kyle can barely hold it together.
Kyle is later obliged to excuse himself from work in order to complete the roster. Evelyn makes a nasty remark about his work ethic when he mentions that one of the pleasures of being the boss is that he can give himself all the good shifts, which catches Sheila off guard.
In true Sheila style, she immediately goes on the defense.
She replies, “First you accuse me of inciting Levi to be promiscuous, and now you’re labeling the entire family a pack of bludgers.”
Sheila wonders why Evelyn left Levi with the Cannings when he was a child if they are so awful. Evelyn responds by claiming that her parents forced her to do it while she was in university and that she had no option.
However, a verbal battle has begun. Sheila is on the verge of throwing Levi under the bus when Evelyn says she thinks he turned out okay, despite who he grew up with.
In the heat of the moment, Sheila says, “Well, you might find out he’s not quite as pure as you thought,” before catching herself.
Evelyn is intrigued by the statement. Sheila is clearly intrigued and wants to learn more, but she refuses to divulge any other information.
After some time has passed, Levi bids Amy farewell at the end of their date. However, the young police officer is accosted by his mother after she has left. When she suggests that they go to the botanic gardens together, he is taken aback when she says that he would want to go with someone else.
Then Evelyn drops the bomb – she knows the truth about Amy!
Levi is enraged, and he knows who told her. He locates his grandma in the Lassiters complex and unleashes his fury in front of onlookers. She swears it wasn’t her, but he doesn’t believe her with a single fiber of his being.
Is Sheila telling the truth? And if she is, just who revealed the truth to Evelyn?
But, more crucially, how will Levi’s relationship with Amy be affected by his mother’s rejection of his atypical relationship?
Meanwhile, with the film festival coming, PR manager Rose (Lucy Durack) believes she has figured out a method to honor the ‘briefs’ portion of this year’s ‘Shorts and Briefs’ theme.
When she approaches Karl, she tells him about a testicular cancer project that started in New Zealand, where they have pop-up testing booths.
Karl understands what Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Toadie (Ryan Moloney) are talking about, telling them that the doctor sits behind a screen and conducts the examination via a hole. This alleviates the patient’s perceived shame during a routine examination.
Believing it’s a great idea, Karl approaches the hospital and gets the tick of approval.
Rose is overjoyed, but does this initiative imply that one of our Ramsay Street favorites may face a significant battle?
