The Battle of the Bands on the UK version of Home and Away the following week takes a deadly turn when something is accidentally put in Felicity’s drink.
As Theo (Matt Evans), Kirby (Angelina Thomson), Remi (Adam Rowland), and Eden (Stephanie Panozzo) compete in the Battle of the Bands event, it’s intended to be the start of an exciting new adventure for Lyrik.
But when their friend Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) gets viciously attacked after having her drink poisoned, it ends up being one of the worst days of her life.
Remi made the risky decision to cancel Lyrik’s planned away shows so they could focus on entering Battle of the Bands in the hopes of winning $20,000. Remi wanted the band to create an album and also wanted the chance to spend more time at home with girlfriend Bree (Juliet Godwin).
Remi’s choice wasn’t well received by the rest of the band, but they eventually agreed. Remi then made the choice to enlist an old friend, world-class violinist Mercedes Da Silva (Amali Golden), to give Lyrik’s performance a distinctive edge after researching some of the other bands competing in the competition.
Leading vocalist Theo visits ‘band manager’ Justin (James Stewart) in the hospital after their final practise the following week and reveals he’s failing the competition. Given the sacrifices Lyrik have made to get there, there is a lot larger crowd than he is used to, and the stakes are much higher.
Theo is reassured by Justin that the band will be fantastic and that he shouldn’t worry about things that are beyond of his control.
The band arrives at the venue in the city the following day, with Flick and Bree joining them as support, but Theo finds little use for it. Theo immediately pukes in a neighbouring plant pot after becoming overwhelmed by the stream of people coming in.
Theo continues to appear to have incredibly green gills (oh wait, that’s just the lighting), and Flick and Eden make an effort to comfort him as the band waits backstage.
While this is going on, Flick is thrilled to hear from her husband Tane (Ethan Browne), who has just arrived at the airport after his vacation to New Zealand. She informs the band that she might have to leave early as a result.
When Lyrik finally gets to perform on stage, they are a huge hit. Bree and Flick give it their all as they cheer for their friends, knowing that if the crowd creates enough noise, the band would have a better chance of making it to the final.
But as they’re talking, someone sneaks a vial of liquid into one of their glasses. which is quickly sipped by an unwary Flick.
Flick informs Bree that she is going to fetch some water as she quickly begins to feel dizzy.
Flick fights to maintain her balance as her vision blurs as she makes her way to a back stairway of the event.
Flick stumbles as she descends the stairs, reaching the bottom before she collapses and becomes unconscious.
As Lyrik complete their performance, Bree rushes backstage to congratulate them. They are in high spirits.
Bree’s admission that she simply stopped for some water prompts the band to wonder where Flick is, but Eden later reminds them that Flick had previously warned them she may disappear to see Tane.
None of them could ever imagine what had actually happened to Flick, who lies unconscious nearby in a room that is vacant as they all take a group photo.
Tane calls Eden to see how she is doing after he is unable to reach Flick. Eden reminds him of Flick because, despite the fact that she is likely dancing, she still tries to grab hold of Flick.
When Flick finally awakens in a room that she has no memory of entering, she is perplexed.
According to Australian magazine TV Week, “Flick has no idea what’s happened at first because she’s very disoriented, deaf, and her limbs don’t function properly.” She begins to wonder what happened when she tries to sit up and notices that her dress is torn and her bra is visible.
When Lyrik discover that they have won the audience vote, they are overjoyed. However, things quickly take a dramatic turn when Flick enters the room again and passes out in Eden’s arms.
Bree examines Flick after transporting her to Lyrik’s van for safety while questioning Eden whether there’s any chance Flick might have stolen something. Bree and Eden are horrified as the truth of what has happened to Flick finally dawns on them as she fixes her dress, which has fallen down. Flick is traumatised.
The remainder of Lyrik agrees that there is no way they can continue the competition as Bree and Eden rush Flick back to Northern Districts Hospital.
Eden helps Flick at the hospital as she attempts to explain to Bree what she remembers—which is sadly not much because she just woke up in a room with no memory of how she got there.
It is agonising, Jacqui continued. “She doesn’t want to believe it, but she has to, unfortunately.”
Flick insists that she doesn’t want the police involved, especially her brother Cash (Nicholas Cartwright), after admitting that she thinks she was abused.
Flick agrees when Bree offers that she undergo a forensic examination to gather any evidence in case she changes her mind in the future—but only if Bree, who is skilled in the technique, conducts it.
Eden finds it difficult to maintain her composure while supporting her closest friend, but once the drawn-out procedure is complete, she is finally able to embrace Felicity, who sobs in her arms.
Tane has just returned home and is blissfully oblivious of what has happened—that is, until Remi knocks on the door. Remi is compelled to deliver the terrible news when Tane queries why he won’t be at the Battle of the Bands.
When she first learned about the planned plot, Jacqui said to NZ website Stuff, “I was so nervous and scared because it was a lot of pressure.”
“I knew it would be a lot of work if I took this on because I wanted it to be authentic. I wanted to honour the men and women who had experienced it.
Jacqui was able to consult two friends for advice as she conducted study on the topic despite thankfully having escaped such a horrifying event herself.
“Unfortunately, I spoke to a friend of mine who had taken GHB, so I did. In addition, a female acquaintance of mine who had also experienced rape boldly agreed to speak with me. That was also beneficial.
Even though Flick has seen her fair share of hardship since debuting on UK television in September 2021, Jacqui acknowledges that this plotline affected her much more than she had imagined, and it wasn’t just a case of switching off after the day’s filming was through.
“I believed I would be okay. Although I’ve worked on tough subjects before, such as my short film on suicide and mental illness, it still had an impact on me.
“I suppose I just became trapped because I had to go to an extremely gloomy place at work every single day for a very long period. I did experience a brief period of depression, but happily, I had competent counselling to help me get through it.
The assault on Felicity will continue to have a significant impact on the character over the coming months, and there will likely be more startling twists and turns.
