Who dies in Home and Away’s big explosion?

A huge explosion rocks Home and Away next week, with promos telling us that one of our favourites “won’t come home”. But who, if anyone, dies?

The questionable skincare business Stunning Organics, for which Marilyn (Emily Symons) has started working as a brand ambassador, is about to demonstrate that they will stop at nothing to stop Maz from disparaging them.

With a little assistance from Kirby (Angelina Thomson), Marilyn posted a social media video exposing their shady practices after they wouldn’t allow her out of her contract. Her friends came to her defense when they threatened to sue her.

They were able to gather information on the business with a little assistance from Gerald, the treasurer of the Surf Club, and it was sufficient to persuade Stunning Organics to release Marilyn from her contract.

The boxes of skincare items had already been sent, but when a courier showed up to collect them, Maz realized they would simply be given to another unwitting brand ambassador who would go through the same difficulties as she had.

She then made the decision to continue her fight and has given two news interviews in an effort to expose the company’s dubious business practices as much as possible.

Irene (Lynne McGranger) swore to fight no matter what, and not even a brick through her window could deter her.

However, when a mysterious figure took photos of her at the beach before emailing them to Maz, she realised that she might actually be in danger, and even Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) warned her against taking further action against the company.

Then, in the latest Australian episode, Kirby took delivery of another of the company’s boxes during a shift at the diner.

When Kirby called Maz to inform her that Stunning Organics had “either made a mistake or they’ve decided to mess with you,” she didn’t think anything of the fact that the package resembled all of the other brown boxes Maz had received.

And it appears to be the latter. The camera zoomed in on the box as Kirby placed it in the diner kitchen to see what was inside: an unexploded bomb!

Several of our favorite Summer Bay inhabitants will carry the box over the course of the upcoming episodes before it finally ends up in a white van.

Mali (Kyle Shilling), who somehow discovers the exact contents of the box as the van and its driver leave the bay, sets out in search of them while pleading with them to stop.

Mali is running towards the van when its contents blow up, sending flames into the air and sending Mali flying backwards. The van’s driver’s whereabouts and identity are still a mystery.

With the promo promising that “one of them won’t come home,” we look at the possibilities.

Does someone die?

That’s the first big question.

Although a number of publications have reported on an upcoming death in Home and Away, the various promos and the press release for the dramatic week of episodes simply state that “the devastating blast will rock the Bay, and one person won’t come home.”

“Won’t come home.”

Won’t come home because they’ll be checking into Northern Districts Hospital for a few weeks?

Won’t come home because they’ve already decided on an extended break to Merimbula to visit Alf and Martha?

Won’t come home because they realise Summer Bay is the most dangerous small town in Australia and they’ll be safer anywhere else?

However you want to interpret “won’t come home,” we suspect that it doesn’t mean “won’t come home ever.”

Who has the box?

Well, by the looks of it, everybody in Summer Bay gets their hands on the box over the next week, and it gets passed around the beachside town.

In a promo, Irene (played by Luke Van Os) is seen struggling to hold the phone while Xander (also Luke Van Os) removes it from her.

Maz also gets her hands on it at the Diner, but seemingly decides against taking it home with her.

Later, John (Shane Withington) puts it in the Surf Club office, but not before passing Mali and Rose (Kirsty Marillier).

Remi (Adam Rowland)… well, he gives it a gentle tap as he walks through the Surf Club with Bree (Juliet Godwin).

A tap which activates the countdown timer?

As it continues its eventful journey across Summer Bay, Leah (Ada Nicodemou) brings it to the Morgan house for safekeeping.

Soon after, Cash sits perilously close to it.

Roo (Georgie Parker) isn’t seen touching the box, but we’re sure that she’ll also play a part.

But who “won’t come home”?

If someone is to die, who are the main suspects?

Roo

Georgie Parker announced earlier this year that she was taking a short break from Home and Away – but could that have been a misdirection? Could Roo be about to say goodbye for good?

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle back in March, Georgie stated that she was set to appear in the David Williamson play Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica at the Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli.

According to reports, Georgie took a seven-week hiatus from filming while the show itself ran from April 11 to April 29.

If this is the case, Georgie should already be back on set and should be back on our screens sometime in July or August.

She hasn’t yet been spotted in Palm Beach, the location in north Sydney where many of Home and Away’s exterior sequences are shot, though, as far as we know.

Could reports in the media about her “short break” have been a smokescreen for a real exit if she is in the vehicle when it explodes?

Since the third episode, Roo has been a part of Home and Away. She was originally portrayed by Justine Clarke between 1988 and 1999, and Georgie Parker took over when the character made a comeback in 2010. We’d be shocked if Roo ended the program in this manner, but stranger things have happened.

However, it’s more likely that the catastrophe opens the door for her to spend a few weeks escaping Summer Bay and traveling with Alf (Ray Meagher) to see his mother Martha (Belinda Giblin) in Merimbula.

Who could blame her, though? Given everything she has gone through with Maz over the past year—not to mention the dramatic hostage situation in which Heather (Maz’s secret daughter) drugged her—it’s conceivable that she will seek to put some distance between them.

Kate
Although she isn’t mentioned in the trailer, Kate, the wife of Jamie, Xander’s recently murdered coworker, has only recently moved to Summer Bay and is listed as a guest character, making her a likely candidate for a spectacular demise.

Guest characters often wind up dead in big soap disasters, as it allows producers to tease an impending death without having to write out a key character.

However, a synopsis for next Wednesday’s episode tells us that “Kate continues to lean on Xander,” suggesting that both she and Xander escape unharmed.

Mali

Mali takes a pretty heavy blow as he’s knocked back by the force of the explosion, hitting the ground hard. He’s only been in Summer Bay for a few months, but could he be about to say goodbye?

Thankfully actor Kyle Shilling was spotted on set in April, so Mali likely pulls through.

A spoiler for next Wednesday’s episode reveals that “Bree springs into action to save a life” – could it be Mali whose life she saves?

Who else is still filming?

With most of Home and Away’s external scenes filmed at Palm Beach in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, fans and attendees of the Home and Away tour often get to see scenes filmed months before they appear on screens.

They often get glimpses of new characters way in advance of official announcements, and when actors aren’t seen at Palm Beach for months, it’s often the first clue that they’ve left the show.

Fans occasionally even get to watch performers record leaving scenes for their characters, as was the case most recently with Dean’s (Patrick O’Connor) and Ziggy’s (Sophie Dillman) departure.

Most of our favourites have been spotted filming over the last few months, meaning we know the following characters definitely don’t die in the explosion:

Leah (Ada Nicodemou)
Justin (James Stewart)
Alf (Ray Meagher)
Marilyn (Emily Symons)
Mackenzie (Emily Weir)
John (Shane Withington)
Irene (Lynne McGranger)
Kirby (Angelina Thomson)
Cash (Nicholas Cartwright)
Rose (Kirsty Marillier)
Theo (Matt Evans)
Remi (Adam Rowland)

“Summer Bay is rocked by disaster,” the episode’s synopsis for this coming Wednesday reads. Bree acts quickly to save a life. Kate is still relying on Xander.

We can fairly presume that Bree and Xander are okay too, if there aren’t any other surprises in store.

We also know that Tane (Ethan Browne) and Felicity (Jacqui Purvis) will live to see another day, and Felicity is about to embark on a dark journey of her own after having her drink spiked at the Battle of the Bands tournament.

Delivery driver #1

If, and it’s a big if, there’s a death around the corner, it’s possible that it’s not one of the main characters.

Could Maz eventually decide to refuse the delivery from Stunning Organics, and send it back to them via courier? If so, it could be an unsuspecting and very unlucky delivery driver whose van bears the brunt of the explosion.

After all, we’re fairly sure none of our Summer Bay favourites owns a white van, and it seems unlikely that they’d hire one just to transport a single – and not particularly heavy – box.

Or, considering the fact that the door of the van is wide open in the above shot, does its driver get away safely before the bomb goes off?

Whoever it is, or isn’t, we’ve got an exciting week of Home and Away in store, with the disaster episodes expected to air on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th June.