Packed to the Rafters Episode Rating Graph

The Rafters begin the emotional task of packing up their beloved family home. But is moving into a small, unappealing rental townhouse their only option? Dave suggests they put their stuff in storage and take Ruby and go travelling instead. Nathan and Ben think it's a great idea, but Julie won't hear of it, unwilling to leave Ted. An impromptu party is organised, with everyone gathered to farewell the house. Even Rachel and Jake make a special appearance. During the party, Ted gives Julie a priceless emotional gift, allowing her to move on. Family and friends gather to farewell the Rafters, presenting them with a moving video tribute organized by Carbo. It is obvious they will be sadly missed — but everyone is rightfully excited about the possibilities the future holds.

Ben is being driven quietly crazy by the baby-obsessed Carbo and Retta. Feeling edged out of the world they are creating, Emma suggests that the two of them get out of town for a few days, a large step forward in their relationship for Ben. But once you've found escape, the trouble comes returning from it. After being romantically shunned by Frankie, Coby does his best to avoid her at work. However, when the awkwardness becomes too much to bear, Frankie makes a proposal. Meanwhile, Julie begins life as the 'new kid' at the local newspaper and her new lease on life inspires Dave to move forward with his own business plans, leading to frustrations between the couple. Will venturing into a new future drive a wedge between Dave and Julie?

Ben begins to bow under pressure as his wedding day fast approaches, thanks to a chance meeting with Kat and the arrival of Melissa’s overbearing parents. At the bucks night, Ben is having a fantastic time until the stripper Carbo has organised arrives. It turns out to be Kat, the woman he slept with and who came between him and Melissa. She questions why Melissa would want to marry someone who’s just the manager of a Boat Club – something that, deep down, Ben has often wondered himself. Ben is shaken by her words. His feeling of pressure increases with the surprise early arrival of Melissa parents, Linda and Pat. It becomes increasingly clear that Pat thinks Ben isn’t good enough for his daughter – he has no ambition, no drive, no plans for the future. Ben panics and, on the morning of their wedding day, disappears. The Rafters throw themselves into finding Ben and hiding the news from Melissa. Will they be able to track him down before the bride finds out?

Nathan doesn't have much luck getting attention for his Parts Exchange website, so he makes up some flyers to distribute around the town, with Ben's help - help Ben is all too willing to give when he realises Nathan's business name "Parts Exchange" reads as "Part Sex Change" when run together as a domain name. Nathan is bemused when he receives dodgy emails and phone calls and when he finally realises his mistake, is comically furious with Ben for letting him embarrass himself. Jake risks everything by returning to the scene of the alleged attempted rape to confront Jodi (SARAH SNOOK), hoping he can convince her he is innocent of the charge. Has Jake made the right decision, or will the confrontation land him in more hot water?

Nathan has decided he has no possible job options left. But in a way he feels liberated – he’s free to consider impossible options. The world opens up to him again – he’ll become an event manager, or a personal trainer! Sammy is trying to be supportive but it’s wearing her out. Determined to do something useful, Nathan secretly tracks down an address for Dave’s father, Tom Jenkins, and drives into the country to suss him out. He meets his cousin, Coby, who seems to be a rough-head compo cheat. He also learns that his grandfather Tom is a notorious local crook, doing time in jail for car rebirthing. Nathan is rocked by the murky gene pool they all share. Is it any wonder his life seems to be falling to pieces? Julie is still effectively confined to bed, and Rachel is feeling the pressure organising a baby shower that will be fun for Julie and her friends. To complicate matters Chrissy texts to warn she won’t be coming, but sends her love. Rachel can’t understand how Julie’s best friend can miss the party. Julie is clearly hurt, but makes excuses for Chrissy, knowing the real reason she’s kept away. Warney is in a funk over Trish and is worse company than usual. Ben and Melissa want him out. Carbo appeals to Sammy – is there any chance she can help get Warney and Trish back together? Sammy can’t think of anything worse, except perhaps the relationship her mother is in now, with her aging rich boss, Andrew Malouf.

Dave's dilemma over whether to reveal that his birth-father is alive leads to a roadtrip 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. With Julie's advice to tread carefully ringing in his ears, Dave decides to make up his own mind on the mysterious Jennings. With Nathan's constant partying weighing on Dave's mind, he decides to kill two birds with one stone and drags his son on a roadtrip to Coolong. Melissa is finding Sammy's secret increasingly difficult to keep from Ben. Ben jumps to the conclusion that he has done something wrong and a reluctant Melissa tells him the truth - Sammy is in Sydney. Ben immediately decides to tell Nathan, but Melissa insists he keep her secret, leading to the first serious fight of their marriage. Rachel becomes the green-eyed monster when Jake's client, an attractive housewife, seems to be coming on to him. Rachel embarrasses herself by behaving like the kind of jealous girlfriend she swore she would never be, to Jake's frustration. Can Julie's wise words about being a tradie's wife smooth over their relationship woes? Meanwhile, Dave's trip to Coolong seems fruitless - until he runs into nephew Coby Jennings at the local service station. Despite Nathan's negativity, Dave takes a liking to Coby - and resolves to tell Chel the truth. But suspicious Coby has a surprise of his own, as we see him scribbling down the rego of Nathan's vehicle. Will Coby discover their true identity and connection? Nathan returns reinvigorated from the road trip, determined to mend his self-destructive partying ways and put Sammy's ghost to rest. Will Ben defy Melissa's wishes and tell his brother the truth?

Sammy and Nathan's marriage is in crisis when she can no longer bear keeping the secret reason for their move into the Rafter home. This leaves Nathan with no option but to count on the family he's always taken for granted. Relating the story of how he met beloved wife Sammy, Nathan is forced to face his feelings of worthlessness as a son, husband and provider. In revisiting the evolution of his relationship with Sammy, Nathan takes us to his wedding day — both the happiest and saddest day of his life, as a beloved family member collapses. Wealthy princess Sammy faces obstacles at every turn as she struggles to fit into crowded, suburban life with the Rafter family.

The Rafters throw a surprise party for Chel, who's shocked and delighted as the family yells 'surprise.' She is swept up in the family history and moved by the love shown to her. But clouds are gathering. Rachel and Ted notice worrying marks on Chel's arm. Are they damage veins? Or trackmarks? Rachel takes the news to Dave and Julie, who debate the causes. Surely Chel can’t be a junkie? But they admit they don't know herwell. Dave confronts Chel, who reacts badly to the interrogations. Eventually she reveals the shocking truth. Julie reacts the most strongly to the news. She doesn’t want Chel in her house any more. This puts her at odds with everyone, especially Dave and Rachel. Nathan is stricken with guilt over his fling with Layla and manages to lose his wedding ring during the birthday barbecue. He searches for it desperately and lies to Sammy about it. Next door, Ben and Melissa are stricken with food poisoning. Their marathon bout of vomiting brings them even closer together. But will it end in Melissa finally accepting Ben's marriage proposal? Carbo works hard to fan the flames of his relationship with Artie. But he strikes out. Arties decides her mother has orchestrated the whole thing with Carbo, and, in an act of defiance, agrees to go out with Gavin a shy country singer from the Boat Club.

A shame-faced Nathan wakes up from an erotic dream initially about Sammy who then turns into Layla. Sammy’s father Tony is facing the first hearing of his trial tomorrow, and she has to go along as moral support for her mother Trish. She’s given a boost when Nathan insists he’ll take the day off work and accompany her– a seemingly generous act, although he’s really doing it as much to avoid Layla after their cocaine-fuelled kiss as to help his wife. After the first hearing, Nathan is called back to work, where Layla notices his fixation on her – so she subtly strokes the flames. This leads to Nathan having another erotic dream – and when he guiltily ‘takes care’ of his urge in the bathroom, Sammy catches him out. Having previously refused sex with her, Sammy is understandably concerned. Nathan waves off her worries, determined to keep himself under control – until Layla makes a brazen suggestion. She knows he’s interested, his work is being affected – so why not sleep together? Nathan is shocked. What will he do now his fantasy has the chance to become reality? Over at the Karandonis house, Artie is preparing for her first day of work at the boat club with Ben. Carbo, who’s aware of his romantic feelings for her, is happy with her choice of job – after all, how much trouble can she get into under the watchful eye of Ben? But he hasn’t met her co-worker Lexi, a cheeky young trouble maker, yet. The pair strike up a friendship and it isn’t long before Lexi leads Artie astray much to Carbo’s dismay. Chrissy finds herself having a surprising and unwelcome fantasy of her own... about Dave. And an unexpected romance blossoms between Warney and Trish.

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. In rapid succession, life teaches him that no human ever has total control of things - and Dave's easy going ability to roll with the punches starts to fail him. He assumes Chel will stay with them to convalesce after her operation, but instead she's heading north to Ballina, to stay with an old friend. Nathan assumes the guest room Dave has prepared for Chel is for him and rejects the imagined offer. Rachel gets emotional about not being able to spend the night with Jake - and Dave takes it personally, thinking that yet another of his children doesn't want to sleep under his roof. Rebuff three. And then his beloved Ruby starts suffering separation anxiety and only wants her mother. It's enough to make Dave feel redundant in his own home. Rachel is trying to settle into her new job at EMB agency but her first day proves disconcertingly frustrating when the scheduled conference with boss Paul Morgan fails to eventuate and she is left all day to her own devices. New colleague Liam seems friendly on the surface but when he supplies her the wrong time for an important meeting the next day, is he friend or foe? And can Rachel really fulfill the demands of her new position? Carbo's wife-hunting on internet dating sites brings immediate success in the form of Loretta. It's love at first sight, despite warnings from Ben and Melissa that things are moving way too fast. Having secured a job in Dave's business, Coby is behaving suspiciously. Does he have a secret agenda and will this come as another blow to Dave if and when he finds out?

The stray mutt which Ben and Melissa found a week ago still has no name, despite all their efforts. If Carbo has his way, the dog may not be around long enough to need a name. After barking all day and night and chewing his mum’s shoes, Carbo delivers an ultimatum to his housemates – find the dog’s owner or it’s off to the pound. Meanwhile, the dog seems to have developed an obsession with Dave. Dave’s instinct is to back away from the dog’s affection – but it’s the all night howling which triggers a deeply subconscious reaction in Dave. He begins to have a recurring dream – one he had many times as a child – of a dog barking and scratching at a closed door. But is it just a dream or a distant and traumatic memory from his own childhood? A week into Trish’s stay in the Rafter house, Julie pleads with her boss Don to give Trish a job. He agrees but the plan backfires when Trish spends more time flirting with Don than she does working. Worse still, Trish unthinkingly reveals Julie’s pregnancy – information Julie was deliberately withholding. Jake is determined to show Rachel they could be in a relationship which is more than physical. Rachel isn’t convinced but agrees to go along to Ladies Day at his rugby club. Plunging headfirst into Jake’s world, will Rachel like what she sees?

Dads and their daughters have a very special relationship. In fact, most Dad's like to think that their precious daughters are "Daddy's Little Girl". So when Dave learns that Rachel is dating an old cricket mate of his from years ago, he is naturally concerned for Rachel's welfare. This new man in Rachel's life is about the same age as Dave and has two teenage sons who are very close to Rachel's own age. Melissa and Chrissy are still very suspicious of Kat. And the both of them are trying to work out Kat's motivation for the trouble she is causing between all of the housemates. And once again Ted ventures into the world of dating with some not so predictable results.

What do you get when you mix too much alcohol with sex? A one night stand! It would almost be crazy, or somehow forgettable if it wasn't our favourite Rafter involved. That's right - It's Ben! Maybe there's some residual stress left over after the robbery and he still has not dealt with it honestly? Maybe he was truly so intoxicated that he didn't know what he was doing? Who knows? But no excuse can take away the act. So once again Ben faces a gut wrenching dilemma, but this time its one of his own making. This week sees Dave keen to spice up his marriage, so he organises a rather romantic rendezvous with Julie. Whereas at the other end of the spectrum Sammy and Nathan's marriage hits a "rocky patch" when Nathan discovers Sammy has been lying to him. Just another week in the Rafter household really.

Carbo’s mother Rita arrives from Lesbos to stay for six weeks with Artemis, the 18 year old daughter of her best friend. Despite Ben and Melissa’s insinuations that this may be a romantic set-up, Carbo sees Artie like a little sister. However she’s hardly the innocent young girl Rita seems to think she is. At a trip to the beach, she hooks up with Dane, a guy she has met on Facebook. With Rita breathing down his neck, Carbo alienates the rebellious Artemis with his attempts to curb her wild behaviour. But despite acting like a big brother, a quick, innocent kiss between them leaves Carbo floored by a rush of romantic feelings. Was this Rita’s plan all along? Meanwhile, Sammy has to interview two young professionals for her first feature writing assignment. To her surprise, Nathan, eager to play the supportive husband, suggests she contact her former flame Owen. Is Nathan hiding his guilt over a cocaine-fuelled kiss with Layla? And when Sammy interviews Layla too, will the truth slip out?

"Once upon a time in Dave's Magic Castle." All should be well in the world of King Dave, but with Queen Julie heading into menopause, the Rafter household is a bit tumultuous. Julie fears that her ability to dispense sound wisdom to family and friends, is severly impeeded by her hormonal fluctuations. Sammy returns from New York with many more bags than she left with, and Julie fears that Sammy's spending may cause problems between her and Nathan. Sammy then advises Julie that the money she has spent on gifts for the family, came from her mother as an early birthday present. Once again Julie worries! Meanwhile, Ben makes up his mind to declare his love for Melissa on national television, and comic results ensue. Life is always full when it is "Packed to the Rafters".

Painful memories surface for Dave as he and Julie confront the potentially heartbreaking results of tests on their unborn child. Pregnant late in life, the chances of Julie and Dave’s child having Down Syndrome are already high – but the results of preliminary ultrasound indicates those chances are even higher. Although they must wait for blood tests to confirm, Julie and Dave find themselves contemplating a likely future as parents of a child with a disability. Julie, though rattled, reminds Dave they have already made their decision about the baby – as far as she’s concerned, they’re having the child, no matter what. Julie wants to start researching Down Syndrome so they can plan for the future. But Dave’s response stuns her. He doesn’t want to research anything until the results are confirmed - and worse of all, he’s not sure they should have the child if it turns out to have the disability. As his marriage comes under strain, Dave is forced to examine his reasons for not wanting the child. He digs into previously buried memories – and finally realises that his reaction to the baby is based on fear...fear that his child will suffer the same rejection and isolation Dave suffered as a child. Nathan begins his first day at Steve Wilson’s music firm. Excited by the glamour of the music industry, Nathan is on a constant high – and Sammy can’t help feeling slightly jealous. Her feelings aren’t helped when Nathan’s new job proves to involve late nights and offering lonely hears advice to his needy new colleague, Steve’s girlfriend Layla. Carbo falls into a surprising physical relationship with a lonely customer, married 40ish cougar Toni – but may have bitten off more than he can chew when Toni starts stalking him.

This week Rachel is blown away by Rob's idea of "Happy Families". His idea is a bit over the top, but not in a bad way really. With a bit of help from Dad, Ben challenges fate to give him one last chance to redeem himself with Mel. In the end honesty seems to be the best policy, and asking for a second chance may just work. Plus Carbo's parents drop in for a visit to see how things are going with the house and the neighbourhood. This makes for some interesting times, especially when they catch Carbo and Chrissy kissing as they pull into the driveway. Meanwhile, Julie reaches some startling conclusions about the state of her health and believes it is fast becoming an issue. I think grabbing the chainsaw and threatening Carbo's parents with it gives that bit away! This week's episode sees big changes that bring tears, broken hearts and a shock announcement

Trish returns from Europe, seemingly in high spirits, and invites the entire Rafter family to lunch at an exclusive restaurant. When her daughter Sammy wonders who exactly is paying the bills, Trish waves off Sammy’s concerns - she’s meeting with estranged husband Tony tomorrow to sort out finances. To her shock, Sammy realises that Trish hopes she will get back with Tony. Sammy goes along to their meeting for moral support. To Trish’s surprise, Tony fails to show, sending instead his lawyer, Simon Radic. Trish’s hopes of reconciliation are destroyed, as are her credit cards, when Simon cuts them in half as per Tony’s instructions. Sammy brings a devastated Trish to the Rafter house – the only sanctuary she knows – where Trish has a mental collapse. Ben is struggling with his recent break-up with Melissa. Despite having insisted they can’t be just friends, Ben is missing her desperately. To his surprise, Melissa turns up unexpectedly at the Karandonis house with her bags – but is she back for good? Meanwhile, Rachel is fighting her attraction to Jake after their night of passion. A night watching rugby brings out the competitive streak in both of them – and Rachel can’t help but give in again to Jake’s charms. But is there romance on the cards?

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. Ashamed he couldn't protect Chel, and feeling marginalised by the world, Ted begins to retreat into himself. Melissa discovers someone has been using her toothbrush. Already feeling marginalised in the house full of men and lacking in privacy, this is the last straw. She tracks down the culprit - Carbo who reveals he thinks of toothbrushes as common property. Nathan's sympathy and gift of a new toothbrush only makes Melissa feel worse about keeping Sammy's secret. But when Nathan receives separation papers, will Melissa and Ben risk hurting him further by telling him the truth? Dave raises the spectre of kidney donation. With Julie's tentative blessing, he lays it on the line with Chel. To his surprise, she accepts his offer to test for compatibility - she wants to see baby Ruby grow up. Meanwhile, Ted and Julie become concerned at the quiet absence of neighbour Mrs Luscombe. A simple visit turns to horror as they discover Mrs Luscombe has died. To Ted, this is another example of the world marginalising the elderly - and he resolves to make a difference through a seniors self defence class and a phone tree, reclaiming his sense of self. Carbo's internet fame jumps to a new level when he begins receiving sexy gifts from a secret admirer.

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. But the worst part? Her conflict with Liam is starting to affect her relationship with Jake, who advises her to be direct and take charge. Dave's money and work woes are stressing him out, so Julie offers to help the business by doing accounts, freeing Nathan up to do some light labouring. Busy Julie has a lot on her mind - especially when Ruby decides to stop breastfeeding - and she can't help making mistakes. Calls are missed, bookings lost - and Dave finally explodes, leading him to realise he and Julie need to work as a team to keep the business - and the family - working. Carbo has failed to talk his mother out of selling the house. As real estate agent Penny Malory and potential buyers rock around, Carbo puts on a desperate show, hoping to scare everyone away, but even Coby's bogan antics fail to discourage one couple, determined to buy. Will the happy Karandonis household be split apart - or will a last appeal to family history and sentiment win the day? When bathroom fittings go missing from their work-site, Coby pleads with Nathan to believe he is innocent. Nathan learns that Coby has trouble with reading and writing. He offers to help him out, and it seems their relationship is at last improving.

On her last day at work Julie quizzes psychic tea lady Bonnie about the troubling prediction she’d made months earlier. Bonnie still senses a divorce but now she’s sensing something more. It has to do with Julie’s husband Dave. Julie is concerned that Chrissy seems to be avoiding her. Then Chrissy drops a bombshell. She says she’s leaving not just her job with Dave, but the state, for some new guy she’s met from Queensland. Julie is stunned and has a nagging doubt that Chrissy is not giving her the full story. But when Julie reflects on Chrissy’s actions, she realises the confronting truth of the matter: there is only one man Chrissy would not confide in her about – and that is Dave. Has Chrissy fallen in love with her best friend’s husband? Rachel spies Sammy having lunch with her ex Owen, and becomes concerned. She enlists Jake to help persuade Sammy to attend his club’s fundraiser day, figuring she can ask Nathan as well. Will her plan to get the warring pair back together work?

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. Keen to put the tension with Liam behind her, Rachel works tirelessly to work one of Liam's ideas up and make it presentable. But when the pitch falls flat, instead of backing Rachel up as planned, Liam shows his true colours once again and kicks teamwork to the kerb. Rachel's life seems to be out of control. Finally opening the present Jake bought her, Rachel realises that Jake truly respects her ambitions, and that she's misjudged him. It spurs her on to bring up the lack of team support with her boss, Paul. Paul dismisses Rachel's concerns, suggesting she focus on the positive and move on. Suddenly Rachel realises she has a choice. Will love triumph? Or is it too late to salvage her relationship? Dave too is taking a crash course in remembering to stop and breathe. A welcome distraction arrives when Julie wins a phone-in radio competition - tickets to see Eric Clapton in concert, plus all expenses paid overnight accommodation at a very ritzy hotel. But Dave can't seem to fully enjoy it, finally admitting to Julie he's been suffering from a nagging but inexplicable malaise. Julie's worried for her husband. Could Dave be suffering from depression? Meanwhile, Melissa and Ben are still trying, unsuccessfully, to conceive. Retta inadvertently fuels Ben's anxiety by questioning his fertility. He manages to persuade Melissa to pull a favour at work to get his sperm tested and the situation is fraught with comic embarrassment for both of them. Will Ben's "swimmers" come up gold? Also tonight, Nathan finds a way to help Coby face the challenge of learning to write. In the process, Coby reveals some of his deeply guarded past.

An unemployed Dave struggles to regain his manhood and position in the family, landing himself in hospital. When life keeps bowling Dave a series of problematic googlies, the question becomes: how will he play them? An overprotective Dave breaks a promise to his daughter and is brutally attacked. Rachel struggles with the aftermath of leaving her abusive boyfriend Daniel — and her own secret turmoil. Narrated by Dave, this episode focuses on Dave dealing with the reality of sudden employment and a house that has been unexpectedly inundated with family members — each bringing with them a dark secret. He processes it all through a cricketing metaphor — that of the googly — that devious curve-ball that life can throw at you, catching you off-guard.

Rachel's growing alcohol dependence sends her family over the edge. Her careless actions could spell the end for one of them. Julie desperately brings the family together for a therapeutic barbecue but simmering tensions erupt. Ben finds himself the unlikely counsellor to both his sister and grandfather Ted as they confront traumatic turning points in their lives. When Ted's humiliating secret is discovered by Rachel, she unwittingly sets him on a path to self-destruction. Narrated by the Rafters' middle child, Ben, tonight's episode focuses on the dramatic and comic repercussions of his move towards independence and responsibility; and the on-going tension for Julie and Dave as they deal with the dark secrets of their family.

It's been three months since Ben and Nathan left on their road trip around Australia. Bearded and tanned, Ben returns without Nathan and smooths over his family's concern with a plausible excuse. He believes that if he wants to fit back in with his family, he has to be the fun loving guy he was before Melissa died. At home much has happened. Coby has moved in with Jake and started his apprenticeship with Dave. Ruby has started walking and the house has been baby-proofed. Carbo and Retta's engagement party is fast approaching but it's the anticipated arrival of Rita – and what she'll say about the new relationship – which is causing nervous diarrhoea for Carbo and dry-retching for Retta. As the family and the Karandonis clan celebrate his return, Ben is upbeat. Even the sight of the cheque for Mel's life insurance doesn't seem to faze him – but a visit back to his old room in the Karandonis house proves how much emotion he's really hiding. Unwilling to worry his family, Ben manages to seamlessly manipulate Rachel into offering her room, happy to stay more permanently with Jake and Coby. But will Ben be able to fool his mother Julie?