Episode 3.10 (original airdate: 13th December 2007)
Matt is in a colossal sulk. Despite his partner, Colin's best efforts, an important local theatre critic will not be able to make it to the debut performance of Park Side Story. On top of this disappointment, he's also panicking that the cast won't be ready in time, particularly Mika who is still struggling with her lines. Mika is also dreading the prospect of sharing a stage with Brett, not to mention having to get into character and feign feelings for him. Realising that Matt is on the verge of a meltdown, Steph takes Mika to one side for a pep talk. She lies to Mika about the theatre critic and urges her to put on a show-stopping performance - she wouldn't want Brett to stand in the way of the possibility of her being 'spotted', now would she?
Chlo is becoming more and more uncomfortable with the fact that Donte and Celine look so happy together. During registration, Celine takes advantage of the opportunity to suss out the extent of Chlo's feelings for Donte by asking her if she's on the lookout for a new fella. Caught on the hop, Chlo is forced to laugh off Celine's suggestion - like she's really going to find someone at Waterloo Road. Chlo takes her conversation with Celine to heart and later, approaches the loved-up couple at break time. Donte seems a bit shifty when Chlo asks for a private word... could he be hoping for a reunion? But any hopes are soundly dashed when Chlo returns her wedding ring. Donte is reluctant - shouldn't they wait until after the divorce? - but decides to return the favour and hands his own ring over to Chlo for safe-keeping.
Rachel is seriously stressed as she and Eddie prepare to present ideas on their new initiative for Waterloo Road, the Rochdale Business and Enterprise College. However, the presentation is wrecked when Eddie's ex-wife, Alison, turns up out of the blue and dumps their son, Michael on him. In Eddie's absence, Rachel struggles to present on her own to an unimpressed gathering from the Department for Education and Science (DFES). The only way she can see to salvage the situation is by bringing forward the first performance of Park Side Story. What better incentive for the DEFS to agree to fund her project than to see how talented the kids at Waterloo Road are? Matt, Steph, and the cast are gob-smacked - they haven't even had a dress rehearsal yet! Rachel is determined that the production will be a success and sets her sights on a full house. Steph, Janeece, and Maxine are dispatched and frantically scour the street to round up the 'audience' with the bribe of free booze.
Grantly still owes Tom £500, money he needs to take Chlo and Mika away for a much-needed holiday. Tom insists that they go to the bank together and then looks on impatiently as Grantly 'forgets' his PIN. Three attempts later, the card has been gobbled up by the machine. Realising that Tom is not going to let it go, Grantly suggests that they go back to his house - he may be able to scrape together something. Unknown to Grantly, Tom follows him into his house and is horrified to find the place totally empty of furniture. He goes upstairs to investigate and there's another shock in store when he discovers that not only is Grantly's wife, Fleur, bedridden, she also clearly has no idea of the financial mess her husband has gotten himself into. Back at school, Grantly decides to drown his sorrows with some of Rachel's free booze.
Still smarting from being replaced in the lead role by Mika, Aleesha plots her revenge. With everyone else occupied with preparations for the performance, she sneaks backstage and sabotages the sound effects. The effects of Aleesha's actions aren't apparent until Scene Three. The sound operator's cue comes up, but instead of a doorbell, there's the sound of a mooing cow! Steph and Matt are completely thrown. Karla prompts 'ding dong' in a loud clear voice as the sound operator presses another button and this time, a chicken clucks. The audience, and Aleesha, are in stitches. Luckily, disaster turns into comedy when Tom decides to mug it up for the audience, acting as if the barnyard sounds are all part of the show. The audience may appreciate the humour, but Matt doesn't.
During the interval, Matt freaks out completely and tears Tom off a strip for ad-libbing. Is he the only one who's taking it all seriously? Realising that Matt is totally overreacting and in danger of messing up the whole show, Tom and Steph lock him in the props cupboard. But it's all too late for Karla. Thoroughly unsettled by Matt's outburst, she flees. Davina encounters Aleesha and Danielle in the corridor - did they see Karla run by? Even Danielle is appalled when Aleesha sends Davina running in the wrong direction. Aleesha doesn't care - if it wasn't for Karla, she'd be the one up on stage. Determined to wreak her revenge, she heads for the classroom and starts to rifle through Karla's stuff. She's brought up short when she finds Karla's diary and discovers that it's full of entries about her and Danielle. Karla clearly hero-worships them both. Profoundly moved, Aleesha and Danielle vow to be nicer to Karla in the future. They start by helping Davina to track her down to her usual hiding place behind the bins.
Fleur shocks Grantly by rising from her sickbed and turning up at the school. With nowhere to run, he confesses the extent of his gambling habit, and his debts. He's stunned by how positive Fleur is about it all - they'll muddle through it together, just like always. Grantly and Fleur's devotion quickly rubs off on Tom and Davina. The chemistry between them has been intensifying and they finally admit to their feelings by disappearing for a sneaky snog. Meanwhile, Brett has been encouraged by the kiss he and Mika shared on stage... maybe Mika's softening? Away from the after-show backslapping, he tells her that he'd give anything for them to be together again - he loves her. Although Mika tries to make out that she was only acting, she cracks and finally admits that she loves him too. But it's all too late... she'll never be able to see past what he and Chlo did to her.
Rachel plays counsellor to get Eddie and Alison talking again, and by the end of the day, they're playing happy families with Michael. However, her sense of contentment fades quickly when she spots a familiar face in the audience. Rachel shudders... could her past be coming back to haunt her? The answer is a resounding yes when the familiar face meets with a mystery man in a pub. After confirming her sighting of Rachel, she produces a newspaper cutting that contains a shocking revelation about Rachel's former career...
Chlo is becoming more and more uncomfortable with the fact that Donte and Celine look so happy together. During registration, Celine takes advantage of the opportunity to suss out the extent of Chlo's feelings for Donte by asking her if she's on the lookout for a new fella. Caught on the hop, Chlo is forced to laugh off Celine's suggestion - like she's really going to find someone at Waterloo Road. Chlo takes her conversation with Celine to heart and later, approaches the loved-up couple at break time. Donte seems a bit shifty when Chlo asks for a private word... could he be hoping for a reunion? But any hopes are soundly dashed when Chlo returns her wedding ring. Donte is reluctant - shouldn't they wait until after the divorce? - but decides to return the favour and hands his own ring over to Chlo for safe-keeping.
Rachel is seriously stressed as she and Eddie prepare to present ideas on their new initiative for Waterloo Road, the Rochdale Business and Enterprise College. However, the presentation is wrecked when Eddie's ex-wife, Alison, turns up out of the blue and dumps their son, Michael on him. In Eddie's absence, Rachel struggles to present on her own to an unimpressed gathering from the Department for Education and Science (DFES). The only way she can see to salvage the situation is by bringing forward the first performance of Park Side Story. What better incentive for the DEFS to agree to fund her project than to see how talented the kids at Waterloo Road are? Matt, Steph, and the cast are gob-smacked - they haven't even had a dress rehearsal yet! Rachel is determined that the production will be a success and sets her sights on a full house. Steph, Janeece, and Maxine are dispatched and frantically scour the street to round up the 'audience' with the bribe of free booze.
Grantly still owes Tom £500, money he needs to take Chlo and Mika away for a much-needed holiday. Tom insists that they go to the bank together and then looks on impatiently as Grantly 'forgets' his PIN. Three attempts later, the card has been gobbled up by the machine. Realising that Tom is not going to let it go, Grantly suggests that they go back to his house - he may be able to scrape together something. Unknown to Grantly, Tom follows him into his house and is horrified to find the place totally empty of furniture. He goes upstairs to investigate and there's another shock in store when he discovers that not only is Grantly's wife, Fleur, bedridden, she also clearly has no idea of the financial mess her husband has gotten himself into. Back at school, Grantly decides to drown his sorrows with some of Rachel's free booze.
Still smarting from being replaced in the lead role by Mika, Aleesha plots her revenge. With everyone else occupied with preparations for the performance, she sneaks backstage and sabotages the sound effects. The effects of Aleesha's actions aren't apparent until Scene Three. The sound operator's cue comes up, but instead of a doorbell, there's the sound of a mooing cow! Steph and Matt are completely thrown. Karla prompts 'ding dong' in a loud clear voice as the sound operator presses another button and this time, a chicken clucks. The audience, and Aleesha, are in stitches. Luckily, disaster turns into comedy when Tom decides to mug it up for the audience, acting as if the barnyard sounds are all part of the show. The audience may appreciate the humour, but Matt doesn't.
During the interval, Matt freaks out completely and tears Tom off a strip for ad-libbing. Is he the only one who's taking it all seriously? Realising that Matt is totally overreacting and in danger of messing up the whole show, Tom and Steph lock him in the props cupboard. But it's all too late for Karla. Thoroughly unsettled by Matt's outburst, she flees. Davina encounters Aleesha and Danielle in the corridor - did they see Karla run by? Even Danielle is appalled when Aleesha sends Davina running in the wrong direction. Aleesha doesn't care - if it wasn't for Karla, she'd be the one up on stage. Determined to wreak her revenge, she heads for the classroom and starts to rifle through Karla's stuff. She's brought up short when she finds Karla's diary and discovers that it's full of entries about her and Danielle. Karla clearly hero-worships them both. Profoundly moved, Aleesha and Danielle vow to be nicer to Karla in the future. They start by helping Davina to track her down to her usual hiding place behind the bins.
Fleur shocks Grantly by rising from her sickbed and turning up at the school. With nowhere to run, he confesses the extent of his gambling habit, and his debts. He's stunned by how positive Fleur is about it all - they'll muddle through it together, just like always. Grantly and Fleur's devotion quickly rubs off on Tom and Davina. The chemistry between them has been intensifying and they finally admit to their feelings by disappearing for a sneaky snog. Meanwhile, Brett has been encouraged by the kiss he and Mika shared on stage... maybe Mika's softening? Away from the after-show backslapping, he tells her that he'd give anything for them to be together again - he loves her. Although Mika tries to make out that she was only acting, she cracks and finally admits that she loves him too. But it's all too late... she'll never be able to see past what he and Chlo did to her.
Rachel plays counsellor to get Eddie and Alison talking again, and by the end of the day, they're playing happy families with Michael. However, her sense of contentment fades quickly when she spots a familiar face in the audience. Rachel shudders... could her past be coming back to haunt her? The answer is a resounding yes when the familiar face meets with a mystery man in a pub. After confirming her sighting of Rachel, she produces a newspaper cutting that contains a shocking revelation about Rachel's former career...