Last week (July 16-22), Outrageous Fortune was TV3′s number one show for the week, beating all other competition from New Zealand and overseas. Congrats!

Van has found that Aurora’s part-time job to fund the wedding is working for her ex-boyfriend, Tyson (who’s now paraplegic). Van is not taking this well. A worried Cheryl puts Munter on the case. Munter deflects Van’s paranoia, and bolsters with the thought that being paraplegic means that Tyson probably can’t get it up. Thus encouraged, Van goes to prove his hard man status to his rival. Tyson goads him with the fact that Aurora is doing this because she cares, not because of money. Van ends up tipping Tyson out of his wheelchair, and Aurora is appalled that Van could hit a paraplegic. Van now accuses her of lying to him, and an ugly scene ensues.

I’m not hiring her for her conversational abilities. Though she has some linguistic talents.Grandpa

Munter urges Van to get a grip. Hitting cripples is not cool, and plus Tyson may take revenge. Van defends that he only did it because he loves Aurora so much. Munter counsels he should tell her that, and get over his jealousy, because it will only end in a bad place. Van is determined to follow this advice, then sees large motorbikes parked outside West house. The vengeful bikies turn out to be chicks, and Van gives them short shrift, only to discover that the larger of the two is his prospective mother-in-law, Pam. Who, it seems is friends with Tyson, who she admires for being strong and entrepreneurial. It’s also clear to Van that she doesn’t want him to marry Aurora and thinks he’s a loser. As if all this wasn’t bad enough, Van also finds that Tyson is not a fulltime soft cock. He has the opposite problem.

As the bad thoughts threaten to make Van flip out, Cheryl intervenes to urge calm. Then gets into a fight with Pam herself. Van leaves the house, only to get fired by Mr Hong – as Cheryl takes a firm hand with Aurora. She has to choose between Tyson and Van, because Van can’t take this kind of confusion. So Aurora promises Van she will leave Tyson. But he still doesn’t trust her – and goes to Tyson’s house, where he misconstrues her fond farewells. Distraught, he does what a West never does and makes a call… That night, Aurora can tell all is not well with her beloved. He confronts her for her lies and also reveals that the cops know about Tyson – because Van dobbed him in. Upset, Aurora goes to warn Tyson.

Meanwhile, Loretta finds that Grandpa has someone new in his life: Hayley the happy hooker, who is barely older than Loretta. Loretta isn’t pleased to find that Kasey furnished the introduction. Kasey defends Grandpa’s right to root, but points out that he’s probably lonely, especially as Loretta is so busy. Loretta’s determination to be a good companion drives her to great sacrifice: watching cricket. But this devotion doesn’t stop Grandpa from another round with Hayley – and a friend of hers. Hayden diagnoses that Loretta is jealous. A notion she dismisses, though she’s suffering from tell-tale nausea. Hayden begs Grandpa’s assistance to soothe the savage Loretta. He suggests that she live-and-let-live, but the clincher is her realisation that he doesn’t love these girls. Loretta is pleased, and Hayden confirmed in his opinion that she is odd – but he loves her anyway. Loretta admits she might feel the same about him.

But now Van is confronted in the pub by an angry Tyson. It seems that Aurora took his stash of dope on a bike, and has had an accident. She’s now in intensive care, but Van feels he can’t see her.

In any case, it would be too late – because Aurora is dead.

The theme song is “Gutter Black” by Kiwi band Hello Sailor. It was first released in 1977 on an album called Gutter Black.

Robyn says:

You are flattering, but too young. Try me in 20 years… X