Rose finally finds the answers she’s been looking for when she sees Samuel Edwards, the man thought to be her biological father, on the UK’s Home and Away the following week.
After meeting her lover Mali’s (Kyle Shilling) family last month, Rose (Kirsty Marillier) became curious about her mixed-race heritage and set out to find the father she never knew.
Rose’s mother Yvette had always declined to discuss her father, but after some research, she discovered that Samuel (Bert LaBonte) was a possible contender because he was the only other black male in her mother’s play group at the university.
Rose noticed right away, though, that Samuel was actually the instructor in charge of the group. Rose only needed to know that Yvette had given up on her studies when she found out she was pregnant since she refused to answer Rose’s enquiries regarding Samuel.
Rose visited Samuel’s home late at night using the police database to obtain his details on the sly, but she was unable to knock on his door.
Rose is still preoccupied the following week, wondering what to do about her father. Rose says that the best thing about composing a song in her notebook is that she can cross out the words and start again if they don’t feel right. Kirby (Angelina Thomson) is writing a song.
Taking a cue from Kirby’s (note)book, Rose chooses to send Samuel a letter. It means that Samuel may just ignore it if he doesn’t want to be around her, preventing any awkward doorstep meetings, as she explains to Mali afterwards.
Rose drives back to Samuel’s house with great reluctance and puts the note in his letterbox, realising that there is no turning back now!
Rose receives a call on her phone later that same day. She looks at the number and says, “It’s Samuel,” to Mali (don’t ask how she knows that already).
Rose, too shy to respond, lets Samuel leave a message. When she finally summons the bravery to listen, she discovers that he’s got a lot of questions as well and would like to meet with her that afternoon.
Rose sees her father for the first time when she returns to Samuel’s and he welcomes her outside. He acknowledges that he was surprised by her letter because he was unaware of her existence.
Samuel informs Rose that he truly loved her mother and would have supported her if he had known about the pregnancy, despite the fact that he had been married at the time. However, Yvette left the university one day, and he didn’t see her again.
Rose interprets Samuel’s admission of their failures incorrectly, claiming that she has spent her entire life not knowing who she is and that everything has suddenly become too much for her.
Samuel gives Rose a family bible that has a list of the five generations of the Edwards family in the hopes that it may be helpful.
Samuel asks Rose to add her name and birthdate to the bible after pointing out the names of her paternal grandparents, who are still living and would undoubtedly want to meet her someday.
Rose is informed by Samuel that she is now formally a member of the family and is always welcome.
Rose tells Mali that she feels conflicted about the meeting when she gets back to the bay. She is upset that she didn’t experience the instant connection with Samuel that she had always imagined, even if having her name written in the bible was a pleasure.
Will Rose choose to go back and see her dad?
For Kirsty Marillier, who met Five Bedrooms star Bert LaBonte four years ago, the actor’s casting is a dream come true.
Kirsty told the NZ outlet Stuff, “I saw him on stage in a production in Melbourne a few years ago and he was so terrific in it.” “After that, I approached him and asked him to play my dad in something.”
It happened in 2019. I thought to myself, “Oh my god, I have to play his daughter and act with him in something,” and I now have.
Kirsty shares Rose’s South African ancestry and recognises her desire to know more about her past.
She goes on, “My grandma was adopted, so she doesn’t really know who her biological parents are. I did give her a lot of thought when we were filming because we are really close. Being mixed-race and the uncertainty it entails are topics worth discussing.
“In a way, I’ve been fortunate, but Rose seems to be really cut off from her African roots, and I believe that this sets her on a path. It provided her with something she didn’t know she needed, and I believe that can always be very upsetting for someone.
