S05E05: Liberty has cold feet about the wedding

Tanya Turner is flying back to England – with Amber sectioned with a bleed on the brain, it is at last safe for this footballers’ wife to return. On the plane she meets the hot new Earls Park signing, Brazilian golden boy Paulo Bardosa. Although he initially dismisses her as nothing more than a persistent fan, he mellow when she reveals that she is in fact a Sparks’ shareholder. The chemistry onboard the plane may be electric, but so is the storm outside. Before long, Tanya is knocking back the sleeping pills as the plane hits turbulence, convinced that she’s going to die. Paulo is quick to provide comfort, but a hand to hold soon turns into something else entirely and Tanya is no longer aware that the plane is dipping and rising like a roller-coaster as his lips meet hers.

Callum is confused. At first, Shannon couldn’t keep her hands off him and now he’s having to fight for her attention. Although he appreciates the fact that she’s welcomed his mother into her home, but he never expected her to wait on Trisha hand and foot. Having put two and two together and come out with five, he’s convinced that Shannon is using Trisha’s presence as an excuse not to spend time with him and confronts her about it – if she’s getting sick of him already, she only has to say the word and he’ll move out. The truth is that Shannon has been keeping Trisha’s cancer a secret from Callum, but when she crumbles and reveals all, he is left devastated about his poor mother.

Lucy is feeling guilty about the state that Amber is in – if she hadn’t clubbed her around the face with the shotgun, she wouldn’t be lying in hospital with a bleed on the brain. Bruno can’t understand why Lucy is regularly visiting Amber at the hospital – it wasn’t that long ago that the mad bitch was trying to kill him! There’s also the fact that thanks to her, Roger might never see again. Bruno is also determined to win Lucy back. But she’s not interested – she’s sick of him and his controlling ways and anyway, why would she want to hook up with a loser like him when she’s on the verge of fulfilling her ambition of breaking into the fashion world?

As she walks through the airport terminal with Paulo at her side and the press snapping at her heels, Tanya is sure that she’s back on top where she belongs. But a nasty shock is waiting in the form of Eva de Wolffe, the top international magazine editor. Initially, Tanya makes the mistake of thinking that the much older Eva is Paulo’s mother, but she’s disgusted when the truth is revealed – Eva is actually Paulo’s lover! Eva may be a force to be reckoned with, but Tanya is now a woman on a mission – now she’s tasted Paulo she wants more and she’s not going to let some decrepit old granny stand in her way.

Liberty is still having cold feet about her forthcoming wedding to Tre, but Urszula tries to reassure her – after the wedding, the press will leave them alone and anyway, she’s always been attracted to married women. Rather than spending her hen night out on the town with the girls, Liberty spends it cavorting in the pool with Urszula. And so, the wedding, orchestrated by Eva, goes ahead. It is Egyptian themed and the assembled guests look on in amazement as Tre, dressed like a Pharoah, lies on his throne and waits for his princess, Liberty to be carried down the aisle. Eva meanwhile is disgusted to see that Tanya has blagged herself an invite in the hope she can get close to Paulo.

After the ceremony, Eva interviews Tre and Liberty. But Liberty is extremely unsettled having witnessed Urszula flirting with one of the waitresses. Worst is to come when she walks into her bedroom and witnesses the two having a very private moment. Liberty is devastated – how could Urszula treat her like this? Urszula is dismissive, she never promised fidelity. Outside the door, Tre has heard everything! Downstairs, Tanya looks on in disgust as Paulo massages a tired Eva’s feet. But at least it gives her an idea of how to teach her rival a lesson and, concealed behind an Egyptian pillar, she takes a metal nail file to the heel of one of Eva’s shoes. When Eva wobbles off her heel, collides with a waiter and then falls to the floor, she is quick to realise that Tanya is the one responsible. This is war!

There is obviously a lot more to Urszula than meets the eye. Inside her bedroom, she retrieves a stack of passports from a drawer and flicks through them before she finds one that says that she’s a citizen of Chile! After that, she empties a casket of Liberty’s jewellery into her suitcase – it’s time for a quick getaway! Outside, Tre finds Urszula loading the boot of her car with stolen booty and confronts her. Although he manages to retrieve some of his and Liberty’s belongings, he is deeply wounded by Urszula ’s taunts – no matter how big a man he is, he will never be ‘woman’ enough for his wife. Meanwhile, Callum can no longer keep silent. After witnessing Trisha drowning her sorrows in champagne, he stands up and makes an announcement – his brave mother is suffering with terminal cancer.

Back at her mansion, Eva takes out her humiliation on Paulo. He’s scared and intimidated and begs ‘mama’ for her forgiveness.