Packed To The Rafters

Julie recovers in hospital after the birth of baby Ruby, ruminating on how life is like a blank page at birth, while her adult children experience how blotted that page can become. Learning that Sammy has left him and determined to salvage his marriage, Nathan tries to track her down, only to discover she seems to have left for London.

Julie's confidence as a mum takes a beating when baby Ruby resists Julie's attempts to breastfeed. Exhausted by lack of sleep, Julie eventually admits defeat - and in doing so, discovers surrender can lead to breakthrough. Newly single Nathan hits the town with Carbo, and Ben can't help feeling on the outer.

Dave's dilemma over whether to reveal that his birth-father is alive leads to a road trip to meet his mysterious other family. With all seemingly at peace in the Rafter house, Dave wrestles whether to tell mother Chel that the love of her life, his father Tom Jennings is alive.

Love is in the air, with Ben plagued with unexpected doubts about his ability in the sack, while a miscommunication between Dave and Julie in the bedroom department sends her into a frenzy of frustration. Ben's basking in the joys of married life when he hears those words every husband dreads - 'not tonight dear, I've got a headache'.

Ted struggles with feeling old and worthless after a girl gang attack and the death of a neighbour. Returning from a movie, Ted and Chel become involved in a teenage girl gang's vendetta. In the melee, Chel falls heavily and Ted rushes her to hospital. Kidney damage has occurred and Chel's dialysis is upped to three times a week.

Rachel's dream of moving in with Jake is thrown into jeopardy by the unexpected return of Alex. Rachel's forced to deal with the fallout when Alex reacts badly to the many changes that have taken place in the Barton household in his absence. Feeling increasingly on the outer, Alex's issues erupt at drinks at the Rafter house, leaving Grace and Jake humiliated and the Rafters reeling.

Julie is forced to expand her inevitable focus on the needs of her new baby to include the more complex needs of the other members of her family. Julie has been uncharacteristically disconnected from the daily ups and downs of her family, focussing entirely on baby Ruby.

Nathan is forced to question his motives for wanting to donate a kidney, triggering a crisis of confidence. Will he be able to put his demons to rest and in doing so, save Chel's life? Although he passes all the physical tests, Nathan is thrown into doubt when the transplant co-ordinator seeks answers on his true motivations for donating a kidney to Chel.

Someone's watching the Rafter House - and the surprise culprit leads to Dave and Nathan meeting Dave's dad Tom in prison for the first time. There's a strange noise in the night and Dave, feeling protective of his brood, gets up to investigate. It appears his misgivings are justified when he finds the living room doors left open.

Ben is forced to step outside his comfort zone when a moral stand clashes with workplace politics. Ben's troubles begin when Melissa reveals she isn't keen on starting a family for years - partially because they can't afford kids. Determined to prove himself as a potential father, Ben asks boss Derek for a pay rise but is turned down.

Rachel rides the ups and downs of happiness, struggling to find it in the frenetic pace of life. But will her choices have future repercussions for her relationship with her family and Jake? At the start of the episode, Rachel's on a high given her graphic designs have just scored CBM a major new client.

Nathan faces a life-changing moment of truth - the operation to donate a kidney to beloved grandmother Chel. With only three days to go until the transplant procedure, Chel's need to put her affairs in order inspires Nathan to write letters to his family, in case he does not survive the operation.

Julie explores the principle of "live and let live" as she and others struggle to implement the philosophy in various areas of their lives. A possum has taken up residence in the Rafter roof, keeping the family up at night with its nocturnal activities.

Dave struggles with unfamiliar emotions that threaten to engulf the easy-going father and husband he has always been. Dave Rafter prides himself on being easy going and uncomplicated. He knows himself and life is going well - or so he thought.

Ben begins to feel like the victim in a horror film who always goes where the audience knows he shouldn't as he begins to question Melissa's commitment to being a parent. Don't go there! When Melissa feels queasy during dinner, Ben immediately assumes she is pregnant and is beside himself with excitement.

Rachel's relationship with Jake is pushed to breaking point when her work and personal lives collide. For Rachel, work is a world of pain. Colleague Liam is undercutting her at every turn, and Rachel doesn't know how to counter it. After some advice from Medusa, Rachel manages a temporary victory over him - but Liam turns the tables by schmoozing the client around to his idea.

Ted returns from with renewed spark from a rejuvenating break, only to find all is not well with his family. Due to work and money pressures, Julie and Dave are snapping at each other and Julie seeks respite in light conversation with Hamish, one of her friends from mothers' group.

A wild night in Kings Cross teaches Nathan not to judge a book by its cover. Nathan's journey begins with a surprising revelation - he's enjoying reading "Pride and Prejudice." The novel's themes resonate with him when he makes the mistake of judging Coby's new living arrangements.

Rachel takes a crash course in remembering to breathe as she juggles a toxic workplace and an estranged boyfriend. Something's got to give... Desperate to see each other, Jake arrives in the middle of the night with a gift for Rachel. But once again their issues flare and they fight bitterly. Jake storms off, leaving the gift in the front yard.

Certain perfect bubbles in the Rafter world all burst in the most unexpected and confronting ways. Newly unemployed Rachel is seeing the world in a new light - as her oyster. But first what she'd love more than anything is a holiday with Jake.

The Rafter family say an emotional farewell to Melissa. Dave is determined to shelve his own battle with depression, but as tensions build, he finds himself exploding inappropriately in anger. Julie convinces Dave to go to counselling while Chel, who has not been around to witness the changes in him, returns home to comfort her son.

With Christmas and Ruby's first birthday fast approaching, the Rafter family struggle to get back on track. Dave is struggling with his own demons. Julie gently convinces him to give therapy another try. Finally able to find the words his therapist's been pushing for, it seems that Dave might finally be starting to address some of his issues.