Now that he’s received a reprieve from Frances, Colin decides to take come much-needed time away from Larkhall. Although Frances is touched when she receives a thank you letter from him, Julie J is rather upset about his sudden absence and is so busy worrying about his that she completely forgets about Julie S’s impending check-up at the hospital. Julie S is hurt and angry—how can Julie J forget everything they’ve been through together just because of a bloke?

Selena returns from Canada bursting with good news for Kris—she’s brought Milly home with her. Kris is over the moon when she hears that her sister is home and that Selena has already been in contact with a solicitor regarding the possibilities of using Milly’s confession as the basis of an appeal. Kris is also clearly delighted to see Selena, but her happiness is clearly tainted by guilt. Blissfully ignorant of the fact that her girlfriend has been playing away with Natalie in her absence, Selena leaves Kris’ cell in a euphoric mood—at last everything seems to be going well for them.

Hollamby arrives back from her race-relations course a changed woman. She is now anti any form of discrimination and stuns Darlene with a heartfelt apology. She goes on to confide that the course affected her on a personal level, highlighting the fact that she herself has been a victim of sexism and ageism; as a result, she now empathises with Darlene’s plight and truly regrets any offence she may have caused. Having seen Hollamby in such a new light, Darlene is now convinced that they are sisters-in-arms, united in a battle against their shared oppressors. In order to show her support, she writes an angry letter to Hollamby’s superiors. Although she is touched by the gesture, Hollamby correctly assumes that Darlene’s letter would do more harm than good and files it in the nearest bin.

With a lack of evidence to support her suspicion that Natalie is the G-Wing poisoner, Frances reluctantly drops the case. Still, at least there is one light at the end of the tunnel, namely, Selena’s return from Canada. Frances has been very impressed by her work so far and has decided to put her name forward for the Prison Service’s Intensive Development Scheme. Selena is surprised and pleased; it seems what started out as an impulsive scheme to get her closer to Kris has become a high-flying career.

Julie S receives the all-clear and returns to Larkhall to give Julie J the good news. However, her happiness is short-lived—Julie S is unable to allow her best friend to kid herself and longer and tells her the truth about Colin’s relationship with Frances.

Neil is worried about his impending tribunal for sexual misconduct and wonders if his job and reputation will survive. Meanwhile, Fenner has his own concerns—could Di’s erratic and obsessive behaviour during her ill-fated marriage to Neil have jeopardised his case? But canny Di has a plan and the following morning, Fenner approaches good-looking maintenance man, Stuart Jones. Di has discovered that Stuart is embezzling Union funds to pay his mounting debts and Fenner uses this knowledge to blackmail him into tempting Neil into a compromising position in the men’s toilets. Stuart cries sexual assault and reports the incident to the Union. No matter how loudly Neil proclaims his innocence, even staunch allies like Frances begin to wonder if Fenner’s allegations are based on truth.

Natalie is suspicious when Kris refuses the offer of another night of passion. Although guilty Kris is doing her best to behave normally around Selena, Natalie is no fool. After spying the two women arguing about Selena’s decision to take Frances up on her offer, Natalie begins to realise the true depth of their relationship. Later, as Selena excitedly arranges Milly’s first visit to Kris in Larkhall, Natalie drops the bombshell about what she and Kris have been up to in her absence. Meanwhile, Neil’s back is up against the wall. With nowhere else to turn, he picks up the phone and dials Karen Betts’ number.