Season 4, Episode 37: "Fork in the road" (original air date: March 28, 2003)

Alistair's day starts badly: He finds his father planning to move onto a new family; that Helen and Eric are about to get married; and that his scientific research has been stolen by his former partner, Gunther. He finds everyone's sympathy galling, and feels like an angry wimp.

Alistair gets a chance to be a hero when he and Wayne drive to visit Iris McMurtrie. The pair see a blood-soaked toddler running down a farm driveway. Wayne and Alistair investigate and find that a teenager has been shot in a farmhouse. With no cellphone reception to call for help, Wayne takes Alistair's car. Alistair sees bloody footprints leaving the scene - and is left with the prospect of a deranged killer somewhere on the property. The very sick teenager and the toddler are unable to supply any answers.

Focussed on cellphone reception, Wayne doesn't notice a fork in the road. He crashes into a power pole and loses his phone. Wayne thinks he finds a good Samaritan, but is instead abused as a long-haired layabout. He breaks into a farmhouse - only to be attacked by Iris McMurtrie. Her phone is out of action too, so she helps Wayne try to start her ancient car, but takes a fall.

Meanwhile, Ken is peeved to find that Eric and Helen have managed to get a wedding venue so quickly. When he starts applying more pressure, Dana can't stand it - and admits that she can't marry Ken. Ken goes into overload and refuses to accept this. Dana is goaded into telling him home truths - that he can't let well alone and treats everyone like a suspect. Ken would rather blame anyone else than look closer to home for the problem.

Eric and Helen are keen to share their wedding plans with everyone, and Nicky, feeling for Alistair, finds this hard to bear.

When he hears someone coming into the house, Alistair fears the return of the deranged killer - but it turns out to be the mother of the household returning from her night job. The third child, another teenager is missing. Alistair realises he has cellphone contact when Gunther calls from Germany. Alistair finally reaches emergency services and finds the other teenager, also wounded and panicked. Wayne, mistaken for a suspect, is stopped by police. Emergency services converge on the house, still fearing a gunman on the loose. But Alistair has realised that there is no deranged killer in this scenario. The shooting is an accident and the person responsible is the toddler.

Ken reassesses his negative cop view in this light and decides to make the ultimate sacrifice. He will stop being a cop if this is what it will take to keep his relationship. Dana doesn't accept his offer. Ken is heartbroken. After his experiences, Alistair finds that his problems don't matter a whole hill of beans in this crazy world - but he starts to do something about them. He is dignified with Helen, makes peace with his father, and declares war on Gunther.

Determined to get to the truth- and feeling a measure of guilt because he has been out having a good time while mayhem reigned - Kieran tracks down Goose. He finds that Andrew is not protecting himself, or his friends - he is covering up the fact that he is the one who has been raped. When Troy and Goose are brought in after a punch-up, Nicky is aware that this is revenge for what has happened to Andrew. She also fears that events of the day have made Kieran regret their evening together.

Alistair tracks down Ken outside Dana's house and discovers he has been following her. Alistair tries to counsel him out of stalking - and admits he has been in love with someone for a long time, but has decided that he can't let it ruin his life anymore. Ken mistakenly assumes he's talking about Helen, when he actually means Nicky...