There’s been a death in Summer Bay – In dramatic scenes on Home and Away, Ari Parata, the patriarch of the Parata family, has died of rare cancer. Last week saw Ari be transported to the hospital from Remand where he’d been spending time after falsely confessing to the murder of Chloe’s biological father, Matthew.
Chloe killed Matthew in self-defence while attempting to get him away from her mother, Mia. Ari took the blame for it to protect them, knowing they wouldn’t be able to handle time behind bars. Mia comes up with the idea to get married at the hospital the day after they discover that Ari is battling terminal cancer.
This wouldn’t be the first time Summer Bay has faced a terminal cancer diagnosis, with the death happening the next day. A few years ago, VJ Patterson, Leah’s son, lost his ‘wife’ Billie after she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She died in his arms as they sat on the beach with baby Luc. Later it was discovered that Billie and VJ were not legally married as she had not signed the marriage certificate before her death.
Ari And Mia Marry Just Hours Before He Dies
Ari and Mia get married with their family present while Tane and Nikau’s girlfriends, Felicity and Bella remained at the house. Almost the moment after the first marital kiss happens, Ari collapses with Logan getting him to the bed.
The Parata patriarch requests to be taken to the beach, but Logan is unable to grant him his request. Instead, Ari sings a Maori song until he passes. His family says their goodbyes, and it is evident that the episodes to come it’s going to hit them hard.
We’ve already seen Mia on the beach in her wedding dress collapsing in a pool of tears while Chloe watches from the shore. Meanwhile, Tane and Nik do a traditional Maori mourning dance.
How We Knew Ari Wouldn’t Make 2022
We’ve had an inkling that Ari would not survive the year. However, it was a bit obscure to which Parata it would be. There was speculation floating around it was Nikau who kicked the bucket. We knew a funeral would happen as Sam Frost (before her departure) posted a photo to Instagram of her sitting on the ground during a break dressed in black. Nicholas Cartwright, who portrays Cash, was also wearing black.
Also, it had been reported that Rob Kipa-Williams, who plays Ari, had not been seen on set in months. In recent social media posts, he was back in New Zealand. Episodes of the show are filmed five-six months ahead of their scheduled airing date.
Going back to Nikau, this was quickly debunked when photos emerged of Kawakawa Fox-Reo was seen on location recently.
How The Rest Of Summer Bay Will React
The promo that aired after tonight’s episode shows some of what is to come in the aftermath. Mac continues to face relationship issues with Logan and admits she is still in love with Ari. The doc is currently in the dark about Mac’s dating history.
From what the promo shows, it could lead to them breaking up. Not to mention, it makes sense considering that Harley Bonner has since left the show. However, it’s unlikely that Mac and Logan’s break up will lead to him leaving. Harley’s departure was announced in January, and Ari’s death was filmed several months ago.
It is unclear how the rest of the Bay will react once they find out what has happened. Perhaps it will lead to Chloe confessing that she killed Matthew, not Ari.
