Season 5, Episode 49: "The uses of pork" (original air date: September 26, 2003)

Alistair feels like a man at the top of his game: He has a casual relationship with Liz, offering no-strings sex; and he's taken delivery of his piglets, breeding stock for his future GM experiments.

He's confident that everyone will believe his ruse about hobby farming, so is disconcerted to find Liz at an anti-GE meeting; pork factory owner Eric taking an interest; and local pig enthusiast John hanging around like a bad smell. Feeling pressured, Alistair admits his true pig plans to Liz, but is thrown when she claims not to remember what he is talking about the next day. Then John arrives, seeming to know all about his intentions.

When Alistair sees John and Liz together, his paranoia about an anti-GE conspiracy goes into overdrive. He has further fuel to his fears when one of his pigs goes missing - only to find that John has taken the pig to the vet and that he got all his information about Alistair from previously published papers on the internet. He also finds out that John and Liz know each other from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Liz is an alcoholic, but one who is not on the wagon. Alistair feels tempted to abandon her, since this is a casual relationship (and that tiny candle still burns for Nicky). But his better nature gets the better of him.

William and Louise are counting down to their long-awaited overseas trip - until Louise's elder son Brett arrives from university in Wellington with news. He is planning to get married in two weeks, to his flatmate Hannah.

William gets the feeling something not quite right with Brett, but receives a frosty reception when he tries to share his thoughts with Louise. When Ross disapproves of the hasty wedding, Louise proposes a family dinner, including William and Angela, where they can perhaps change Brett's mind.

The dinner rapidly devolves into disaster. Angela makes a shock announcement, and Brett accuses them all of hypocrisy. Louise finally starts to get the feeling that something is not right about Brett's story. She confirms this with a phone-call to Hannah - and finds that Brett has assessed by psychiatric services in Wellington and diagnosed with a mental illness. Louise is thrown into shock and grief, made worse by Brett's angry rejection of his parents' offer of help. William encourages Louise to find a solution, and he makes the ultimate sacrifice, putting off the trip. Paradise postponed.