As Home and Away prepares to roar back onto UK screens in 2026, the long-running soap wastes no time plunging viewers into an emotionally charged storyline

that promises heartbreak, confrontation, and life-altering revelations. At the center of the storm is Harper, whose attempt to make peace with the past detonates

a truth so devastating it threatens to tear her family apart all over again.

In the episodes leading up to the UK season finale, tensions between sisters Harper and Dana reached boiling point. Their fractured relationship has always been rooted in a shared trauma: a childhood shaped by neglect, addiction, and fear. Their parents, Warrick and Carrie, were deeply troubled figures whose addictions left lasting scars on both daughters. The moment Harper and Dana were old enough, they walked away from the family home—and never looked back.

For Dana, that chapter of her life was firmly closed. But for Harper, motherhood has changed everything.

Now a mother herself, Harper has begun to see the world through a different lens. A seemingly innocent remark from Dana—that she and Harper were all the family baby Archie would ever need—lodged uncomfortably in Harper’s mind. Soon after, a heartfelt conversation with Alf, who reflected on missing out on his own grandchildren, pushed Harper into confronting an uncomfortable question: was Archie missing out on a wider family connection?

With Tane’s parents already gone, Harper became increasingly convinced that her son deserved more roots, more history—even if that meant reopening old wounds. The idea of tracking down Warrick and Carrie felt, to her, like a necessary step toward breaking the cycle of isolation she feared repeating.

Dana, however, was horrified.

She made her position crystal clear: she wanted nothing to do with their parents and refused to let those “monsters,” as she saw them, anywhere near Archie. To Dana, Harper’s plan wasn’t hopeful—it was reckless. Their parents represented fear, chaos, and pain, and Dana could not understand why Harper would even consider dragging them back into their lives.

Caught between her sister’s fury and her own growing conviction, Harper confided in Tane—though she was careful to downplay the extent of the disagreement. It didn’t take long for the truth to surface. Cash, aware of the sisters’ history, filled Tane in on just how damaging Warrick and Carrie had been.

Tane’s reaction was immediate and firm. He made it clear he would never want people like that around Archie. The confrontation ended with Harper storming out, while Dana reassured Tane that Harper wouldn’t act without her support.

But behind the scenes, Harper was already crossing lines.

In secret, she approached Cash and begged him to search the police database for information on her parents. Cash was reluctant, fully aware that what she was asking was illegal and ethically fraught—but Harper’s desperation eventually wore him down.

When Home and Away returns in 2026, Harper and Dana appear, on the surface, to have repaired their relationship. Dana believes Harper has finally abandoned the idea of tracking down their parents, and for a brief moment, peace seems possible.

That illusion shatters when Harper receives a message from Cash asking to speak privately.

Away from Dana, Cash delivers the news that changes everything.

Warrick, Harper and Dana’s father, died four years ago from a drug overdose.

The revelation hits Harper like a physical blow. The man who haunted her childhood, the man she thought she might one day confront, is gone forever. Any chance of answers, accountability, or even closure vanished years ago without her knowing.

But the shock doesn’t end there.

Cash reveals that their mother, Carrie, is still alive. He provides Harper with her last known whereabouts, adding that Carrie hasn’t had any recent run-ins with the police. The implication is impossible to ignore: Carrie may have cleaned up her act.

Harper is left reeling. Could Warrick’s death have been the wake-up call that finally forced Carrie to change? Could the woman who once caused so much harm now be someone different?

The questions torment her—but the answers carry a cost.

When Harper tells Dana about their father’s death, the reaction is icy. Dana is unmoved, insisting that his death changes nothing. To her, the past is exactly where it belongs.

As the conversation unfolds, Dana quickly realizes that Harper didn’t stumble across this information by chance. She puts the pieces together and storms off to confront Cash, furious that he inserted himself into something she wanted buried. Cash apologizes for the pain he’s caused but gently suggests that Dana’s real issue is with Harper—and her refusal to let the past stay buried.

That confrontation is explosive.

Dana lays bare the truth of her trauma, telling Harper that fear is the only thing she associates with their parents. Harper argues that people are capable of change, that redemption is possible. Dana isn’t buying it. Monsters, she insists, don’t magically become human.

While she accepts Harper’s right to make her own choices, Dana draws a firm boundary: whatever happens next, she wants no part of it.

Later, Dana confides in Sunny, revealing a painful secret—she has battled addiction herself. Sunny gently challenges her, reminding her that Harper has spent years helping people escape destructive paths and would never put Archie in harm’s way. Dana acknowledges Harper’s role in her own recovery, but it doesn’t soften her stance on their parents.

The emotional fallout deepens when Harper stumbles across an online memorial for Warrick. The reality of his death finally settles in, bringing with it grief she didn’t expect.

Eventually, Dana seeks Harper out once more. While she still doesn’t understand Harper’s need to reconnect with Carrie, she accepts that they are approaching the past from different places. Her one condition is unwavering: she wants to be kept completely out of whatever Harper chooses to do next.

Elsewhere in Summer Bay, grief takes a different form as Remy and Sunny struggle to move forward without Theo.

Their new record label, Back on Track Records, is finally becoming a reality—but the absence of Theo, who was meant to be their first signed artist, hangs heavily over every milestone. Justin, once poised to manage the label, admits he can’t commit yet, choosing instead to attend grief counseling as he processes his loss.

Leah, however, finds counseling too confronting. Instead, she clings to something Justin said about focusing on what brought Theo joy—music.

As she packs up Theo’s belongings, Leah reflects on the guitar that meant everything to him. A gift from Justin after Theo’s abusive father destroyed his original instrument, the guitar symbolized safety, creativity, and a future Theo was only just beginning to imagine.

Inspired, Leah and Justin bring the guitar to the new studio, asking Remy and Sunny to display it as a tribute. The idea resonates instantly. Sunny proposes a plaque bearing the words Justin once spoke to Theo: “In this house, music is never a waste of time.”

Mounted alongside the guitar, the tribute becomes a quiet but powerful promise—that Theo’s legacy will live on.

As Harper faces the possibility of reopening a door she once slammed shut, and the community continues to heal from devastating loss, Home and Away in 2026 delivers a reminder of its enduring strength: confronting the past is never simple, but ignoring it may come at an even greater cost.