In recent weeks, the case of Andrew (Joshua Hewson) has intensified. When a woman claiming to be Andrew’s long-lost mother Esther showed up at the Yabbie Creek Police Station, Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) believed he had made a breakthrough. Esther hadn’t seen Andrew since his father abducted him when he was just 4 years old.
Margot (Mandy McElhinney), the head of Vita Nova, the enigmatic doomsday cult of which Andrew’s father had been a member, was in fact the woman who had come at Summer Bay.
In the end, Andrew made the decision to depart Summer Bay with “Esther,” leaving Justin (James Stewart) and Leah (Ada Nicodemou) happy to have reunited Andrew with his mother while also sorry to see him go.
Or so they believed.
Back at their headquarters, Andrew discovered Margot punishing him while repeating the Vita Nova credo, “We are only as strong as our weakest link.”
“You gave those people information, you let them into our lives,” Margot said.
“You know why we can’t talk about our way of life with outsiders, don’t you? We must be resilient since we won’t survive if we don’t get ready.
Cash was removed from Andrew’s case after the task force learned Margot’s real name because he had neglected to properly check his ID.
Cash made the decision to take matters into his own hands because the task force did not view Andrew’s case as a priority because he was 17 years old and still eager to cooperate.
Rose (Kirsty Marillier), who knew it would be a bad idea for Cash to go rogue, declined to give him the information when she informed him that the task force had identified Vita Nova’s headquarters. But after a brief visit to the police station, Cash had located the location in the case files.
In an effort to save Andrew, Justin and Cash paid their first visit to the Vita Nova facility. They simply requested to see Andrew as they drove up to the doomsday cult’s headquarters in the open while Cash was dressed casually.
Knowing that Andrew had already been brainwashed at that time, Margot was more than willing to comply. He claimed he was content to stay with the cult and would not leave with Justin and Cash.
The task group offered Rose a significant update at the conclusion of the previous week, which she immediately relayed to Cash. The actual Esther, Andrew’s mother, had been found dead, and her remains had been found in a suitcase in a storage facility. She has been deceased for at least ten years, according to DNA testing.
Cash noted that although the cause of death hasn’t been established, “you don’t die of natural causes and end up in a suitcase.”
Cash and Justin this week grow more determined to get Andrew back as they grasp what the group is capable of.
Cash informs Justin of the surprising new development in Monday’s episode and then replies, “Alright, get in.” “Let’s go get Andrew!” said the group.
Simple is the strategy. Cash will enter the facility through the main gate and try to keep as many cult members busy as he can. Justin will find Andrew in the meantime and enter via a gap in the fence to free him without being seen.
Cash says, “I’m going to the gate, make a distraction.” I’ll give you all the time I can. I’ll see you two back here.
Justin moves to the fence with a set of wire cutters as Cash approaches the gate, this time in his police cruiser and full uniform.
While Cash faces an intimidating position as two cult members open the main gate, one of them is brandishing a menacing bow and arrow, Justin drills a hole and enters covertly.
Justin soon discovers Andrew gathering supplies in an outbuilding while the majority of the cult is diverted. He begs Andrew to come with him, but Andrew continues to insist on sticking put.
Andrew yells for Justin to leave as many members of the cult pass by the structure, drawing the attention of the powerful men outside.
In a flash, they leap in and seize Justin before bringing him to Margot, who is chatting with Cash.
Their time is expired, and they are dismissed without a win.
Many people might be turned off by the experience, but Justin isn’t prepared to give up without a figut. He discovers another note from Andrew in his belongings, and even though it warns him to stay away, it just serves to fuel his determination, according to TV Week.
In addition to being brainwashed, Andrew is also suffering from Stockholm Syndrome because he is naive, according to James, who spoke to TV Week. Justin interprets the note as evidence that Andrew is still capable of independent thought and that Vita Nova and Margot aren’t in charge of it.
Leah tries to stop Justin from proceeding after he gives her the note and tells her that he needs to attempt another rescue by saying, “We know these people are capable of murder.”
Naturally, he pays no attention, and when Leah awakens the following morning, Justin is nowhere to be found. He returns immediately to the compound, where he is easily apprehended.
Margot isn’t as eager to let him go this time. He is locked up after she confiscates his phone.
Later, Andrew visits him; he is visibly attached to the man who cared for him for a couple of weeks despite not wanting to leave.
Justin begs Andrew for assistance, saying, “You know that these people are never going to let me go.”
Eventually, Andrew consents to start a commotion so that he can go. In an effort to find a way out, Justin runs across the property and makes a break for it.
But as he approaches, an arrow pierces his thigh and wounds him.
Who knows what their objectives are, but James tells TV Week that they aren’t good.
He could be dead for all we know, Leah reminds Cash as she waits in anticipation at home.
Will Justin meet his maker at Vita Nova’s hands following this week’s dramatic episodes, as Home and Away has promised that one character won’t return home?
