Home and Away Review: Nikau accidentally steals Gracie in a moment of panic

What a night.

After weeks of speculation over when crazy Jasmine was planning to steal baby Gracie, Nikau comes out of nowhere and takes the title.

Although, admittedly, he wasn’t actually planning it, it just kind of happened in a panicked moment.

But first, back to the start of the episode.

The investigation of the Parata’s is in full swing. The cops are still at their house with their briefcases and all their policing gear faffing about.

Colby questions Ari’s whereabouts on the night of the robbery and Mac comes forward as his witness saying they were in bed together which clearly doesn’t please Colby for two reasons.

Firstly, he suspects it’s a lie, and secondly, Mac and him used to date and there’s a hint of jealously lingering.

Also, I recall the evening very clearly because it was the night of Evan’s gig and time pretty much stood still for an entire week in Home and Away land.

Mac goes down to the station to answer some questions.

“The evidence points towards a family that’s known by the police,” Colby says.

We don’t know about any of this so called ‘evidence’ but Colby seems adamant.

At this moment Tane bursts into the station making a lot of commotion and yells out, “You’ve got it in for my brother because he got the girl.”

The circumstances aren’t exactly smooth but he’s saying what we’re all thinking and Mac has no hesitation making a statement, however made up it might be.

Meanwhile, John is having a bit of a neighbourly sticky beak and notices the police at the Parata’s house, which is literally across the road.

“Looks like the Parata’s have fallen foul of the law again,” he says

Tori comes over to check up on John’s recovery and notices the tension between Maz and John.

Then she swings by the diner so now everyone knows the situation taking place at the Parata’s house.

Mac pays Ari after making her statement about the fake alibi.

Ari gives her his word that he didn’t rob the diner and they share a loving embrace because we all know making a false police statement is the best way to strengthen a new relationship.

Colby goes to the diner to talk to Leah and Justin about the investigation.

He says “were close” and shows Leah a photo of the generic black hoodie which appears to be his only piece of evidence even though he has been working tirelessly to solve the crime.

Then Justin blows Ari’s cover by saying Mac was at Salt all night and Ari didn’t turn up until later.

“I reckon Mac’s got her wires crossed there,” he says.

Throughout the episode we see that Nikau isn’t “doing so well”.

But he reaches peak paranoid when Bella pays him a friendly visit and says that Colby has witnesses placing Mac at Salt all night — which derails his alibi.

He is organising a line-up and him and his uncles are going to be in it.

By the following morning we discover that Nikau hasn’t slept in his bed and has possibly ran away, which is very out of character.

He’s at the old faithful ‘get out of town’ bus stop when he sees John and Maz coming along and hides behind the tree.

John falls out of his wheelchair and Tori — who is conveniently driving along at that exact moment — stops to help them.

Nikau is eyeing off the seemingly-empty car and hops in without hesitation, driving off into the distance away from his problems.

Little does he know that baby Gracie is in the back and Tori screams as they drive away.