Home and Away’s UK fans can expect to learn more about Harper and Dana Matheson’s backstory in May as the sisters reflect on their traumatic childhood.
The siblings take some time to discuss the past as the mysterious case of an abandoned baby in the Bay causes tensions between them.
These intriguing scenes aired in Australia last Thursday (March 7) and there’ll be a few weeks before they hit screens in the UK, so if you can’t wait that long, read on for our guide to the sisters’ revelations.
The abandoned baby
One of Home and Away’s biggest recent stories on Australian screens has revolved around Tane Parata finding a baby abandoned on the beach.
This moment airs on Channel 5 on Thursday, April 18, as Tane takes control by rescuing the little girl and raising the alarm.
Tane then decides to join the baby at the hospital, where he unofficially names her Maia in the absence of any other information about her.
The gym boss is adamant that he’s all Maia has and he’ll continue to keep an eye on her until someone comes forward. This sparks inevitable concern that he’s growing too attached.
When Tane’s involvement with the baby’s case is later criticised in the local press, the Northern Districts Hospital gets stricter with protocol and asks him to stay away.
Meanwhile, Rose Delaney leads the police’s investigation into the abandoned baby, making public appeals for information.
Rose explains that baby Maia is statistically most likely to have been left on the beach by a struggling mother.
This sparks mixed reactions in the Bay, with some people criticising Maia’s mum for endangering her. Others push for a more understanding approach until they know the full details of what Maia’s loved ones were going through.
What happened in Harper and Dana’s childhood?
Among those with varying perspectives on the abandoned infant dilemma are Harper and Dana. This is partially because Harper has a background in social work and was actively involved in finding Maia’s mother.
Harper hopes that Maia’s mother will soon have the courage to come forward, given the amount of press coverage and local community concern.
Dana makes the argument that “some people are not cut out to be parents,” implying that this may not be the greatest result.
Dana goes one step further and says that they would have both been better off if they had been “left on a beach” when they were younger, to which Harper objects.
The frank exchange of views paves the way for revelations about the Matheson sisters’ backstory, as it’s revealed that their parents were both drug addicts.
Dana describes their mother and father as “too irresponsible” to take care of their children properly and feels frustrated that Harper is more reluctant to criticise them.
She also harshly accuses Harper of taking the same approach to her social work – constantly defending and enabling people who don’t deserve it.
Dana later tells her friend Xander Delaney about the reasons behind the row, explaining: “Let’s just say that our parents weren’t really equipped to have children.
Despite the earlier tensions, Dana also acknowledges that Harper protected her from the worst of their parents’ behaviour when they were growing up.
The sisters find common ground again as they admit that the best part of their childhood was being with each other.So far, it’s unclear whether these scenes were introduced to merely flesh out Harper and Dana’s characters, or whether the show is paving the way to introduce more members of their family at a later date.When do these scenes air in the UK?
Home and Away’s Australian broadcasts are currently running around eight weeks ahead of the UK airdates on Channel 5.
