On this week’s episode of Home and Away in Australia, Theo confronts his father about the truth about Dimitri…
Since his arrival on his aunt Leah’s (Ada Nicodemou) doorstep in September, Theo Poulos (Matt Evans) has been concealing a dark secret beneath his laid-back demeanour.
After claiming he had been kicked out after a fight with his father, Leah’s elder brother Dimitri (Salvatore Coco), Justin (James Stewart) finally agreed to Leah’s request that Theo stay with them.
Although Theo and Dimitri’s feud had been blamed on Theo deceiving clients at his father’s auto business, it wasn’t until recently that Theo disclosed to John Palmer (Shane Withington) that Dimitri had been abusive to him for years.
“From a young age, Theo was a victim of both physical and emotional exploitation,” Matt told TV Week. “When he was 14, he began to be physically abused.” When his father did not get his way, he became enraged.”
Theo refused to notify the cops because he didn’t want to shatter Leah’s heart by telling her the truth about her brother. He pleaded with John to stay quiet about what he’d said, and he grudgingly agreed.
Unaware of Dimitri’s actual nature, Justin and Leah have taken it upon themselves to try to mend the bond between him and Theo. Theo was enraged to find that Leah had gone to see her brother Dimitri in the city en route back from Cyprus, fearful of what would happen, but Leah’s attempts to contact him were futile, as he swore he didn’t want anything to do with Theo.
That is, until Dimitri showed up in Summer Bay last week. As he, Leah, and Justin made their way to the garage, he insisted on shocking Theo, and Dimitri pretended to be having a horrible day when he informed Leah he didn’t want anything to do with him.
But when he and Theo were alone together, he changed his mind and demanded that Theo respect him and return to the city with him to resume work. When Theo declined, Dimitri revealed that Theo no longer had Cassandra to hide behind; she had abandoned him!
While Theo stormed off, Justin’s suspicions intensified when Dimitri explained how he’d had to deal harshly with Theo before. Meanwhile, Leah called Cassandra, who informed her that she had been intending to leave Dimitri for some time but wanted to make sure Theo was settled first, which peaked their interest.
In a three-part episode airing Monday evening, the truth about Dimitri is finally revealed.
Things start to fall apart when Dimitri presents himself to John in the diner, as the trailer depicts. As John grudgingly accepts Dimitri’s handshake, he tells him that Theo has told him a lot about him, which immediately makes Dimitri uncomfortable.
While Leah and Justin continue to compare notes after speaking with Dimitri and Theo, they become increasingly anxious that something serious is going on and realise they need to speak with Theo as soon as possible before Dimitri speaks with him.
Meanwhile, seeing Chloe brightens Theo’s mood (Sam Barrett). Theo had run into Chloe while taking a break from his difficulties the day before, who was also feeling sorry for herself after Bella had asked her to leave the farmhouse (Courtney Miller). They’d returned to Chloe’s apartment and slept together.
Theo has always had a thing for Chloe and wants to take their connection to the next level by asking her out on a date. He tells her that he loved their time together in an extended version of the promo, and Chloe agrees.
Theo, on the other hand, is hurt when Chloe abruptly reverses her position and states that the whole affair was a mistake and that they should simply forget about it.
When a befuddled Theo enters the surf club, John checks in to see whether he’s okay. Theo advises him to get Dimitri out of here as quickly as possible.
Dimitri walks up to Theo minutes later, wanting to know what he’s been saying about him to others.
As Dimitri becomes increasingly pushy, Theo denies saying anything.
Theo’s irritation boils over as Dimitri grabs him, and he strikes back by hitting his father in the face in front of everyone!
Leah runs to Dimitri as Justin and John hold back Theo, having observed the violence as they stepped in.
“What’s the matter with you?” As Theo battles to conceal his years of animosity towards Dimitri, Leah yells to him.
According to Matt, “This [Chloe’s rejection] is a huge part of Theo striking his father.” “When he is used by Chloe, all of his irritation and resentment pours out, because he had feelings for her.” It’s enough to push him over the edge.”
But how will Leah respond when the whole truth about her brother is revealed…?
