Marilyn gets freed from the hospital this week on Home and Away in Australia, but her pals realize she isn’t quite herself…
Marilyn (Emily Symons) appeared to be unaffected by the attack that sent many Summer Bay residents to the hospital. She was released from Northern Districts after a cursory examination, and the next day she was back at The Diner doing her regular shift.
When a deadly gas was pumped into the air vents at Martha’s charity fundraiser event, both Tane (Ethan Browne) and Martha (Belinda Giblin) were knocked out, Martha considered herself one of the lucky ones.
However, calamity followed a few days later. She began to feel dizzy as she drove home after a late shift, and she eventually dropped to the ground. Her handbag was just out of reach, so she couldn’t call for help, and the fact that it was late at night in the quiet seaside town meant no one could hear her faint cries for help.
When Mackenzie (Emily Weir) heard Marilyn screaming out the next morning, she knew she had to save the day. Maz had been on the floor for the entire night and yet didn’t have the strength to get up.
Logan (Harley Bonner), Northern Districts’ new Head of ED, put her on a ventilator last week, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. He ruled out a viral or bacterial infection, and he knew it had to do with the deadly gas that filled Salt, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“She’s a mystery,” he told new girlfriend Mackenzie.
Her family and friends were worried for a few days as she stayed stable in the medically induced coma but showed no signs of recovery. Alf (Ray Meagher) and John took turns staying by her bedside, hoping that their presence might bring her some relief.
Finally, the new doctor decided to try something similar to what he’d done with Tane a few days before: he chose to wake her up from her medically induced coma in the hopes of getting some answers.
Maz, on the other hand, awoke able to breathe on her own and appeared to be completely aware of her surroundings. She was aware of her surroundings, and everything appeared to be in order, save from the fact that she had not yet regained sensation in her legs.
She even appeared to be in a good mood — that is, until she saw John (Shane Withington)!
Even though the couple is divorced, they managed to be polite with each other during the breakup, which is a must when you reside in the same small town.
Marilyn, on the other hand, appeared disgusted by his mere presence in her hospital room. She threw him out, reminding him that Susie had gotten them divorced, and told him that “whatever happens to me from now on is none of your business.”
Logan was taken aback. He may not have lived in the area for long, but he’s seen enough to know that John and Marilyn are normally on excellent terms and that Maz would never say something like that to anyone.
The new abrupt Marilyn appears to be here to stay this week, and she has a few more surprises up her sleeve.
Logan confronts Maz and tells her he’s concerned about her behavior after double-checking with Irene (Lynne McGranger) and John that she is definitely acting out of character.
Her terse response only confirms his suspicion – “Excuse me? You don’t even know me!”
“But your friends do,” he explains. “And they’re worried.”
Nonetheless, it appears that she will do everything she can to push her friends away. Irene and Leah (Ada Nicodemou) are taken aback when their usually lovely friend and coworker placed her order at the Diner, despite Logan’s reservations.
“Are you guys going to stand about like statues all day, or is someone going to make me a cup of coffee?” she asks, her Diner coworkers perplexed.
Leah throws Justin an amused smile, but she knows her behavior is cause for concern
Her caustic coffee order, however, pales in comparison to her food order. When Irene arrives at her seat, she is taken aback when her adamant vegetarian best friend orders the burger, stating unequivocally that she does not want a vegan version.
“In all the years I’ve known you, love, you have never ever ordered a burger,” Irene comments, a little confused.
“Well, I have never thrown a punch either, but there’s a first time for everything, right?” Maz replies, the threat leaving Irene lost for words.
“Could you please bring me a beef burger, made with a cow!”
Later on, when Marilyn notices a change in the Diner’s roster, she realizes she’s been replaced on one of her shifts by Chloe (Sam Barrett). Irene realizes they’ve got a serious problem on their hands as she flies into a rage.
Marilyn’s demeanor has clearly changed as a result of her organophosphate exposure, and not for the better.
Can Logan find a cure, or will Summer Bay have to get used to this new Maz?