The arrival of Sergeant David Langham was meant to signal a fresh start, but instead it drags old wounds violently back to the surface—especially for his estranged daughter, Lacey.

As long-buried grief, resentment, and guilt collide, viewers are left asking one heartbreaking question: can David repair the shattered bond with the daughter who wants nothing to do with him?

When David first joined Yabbie Creek Police Station, he had no idea that fate was about to ambush him. While reviewing a recently closed River Boy case, one name stopped him cold—Lacey Miller. What he didn’t realise was that his daughter had deliberately changed her surname, adopting her late mother’s maiden name to sever all ties with the life she left behind. Asking Cash to bring Lacey in for further questioning, David never imagined their next meeting would be across an interview table.

Lacey, unaware of who was waiting for her, is blindsided when she comes face-to-face with the father she walked away from six months earlier. The shock is instant—and mutual. It soon becomes clear that Lacey left home after the tragic death of her mother, who was killed in a car accident while riding as a passenger in a vehicle driven by her sister, Jo. For Lacey, the trauma never healed. She blames Jo entirely for their mother’s death and believes David abused his authority to ensure Jo never faced consequences. To David and Jo, however, the crash was a devastating accident—one Jo can barely remember due to the trauma.

Since David and Jo arrived in Summer Bay, Lacey has kept them firmly at arm’s length, refusing reconciliation or even conversation. Tensions boil over when Jo attempts to talk to her sister at the Surf Club, only for the confrontation to spill into the park, ending with Lacey lashing out and physically striking Jo. It’s a moment that cements just how raw the wounds still are.

Next week, the Langham family drama intensifies when David prepares to tell Lacey news he knows will devastate her. His first attempt fails spectacularly—Lacey coldly informs him that she plans to pretend he doesn’t exist. Desperate, David confides in Theo, warning him that Lacey is about to receive life-altering news and asking him to be there to support her. Unbeknownst to them, Lacey witnesses this interaction from a distance, interpreting Theo’s apparent friendliness with David as a betrayal.

The fallout comes swiftly. When Lacey confronts Theo at Salt, emotions flare as he struggles to explain himself. But before things can de-escalate, David arrives—carrying Lacey’s suitcase. The sight alone tells her everything. David admits he’s sold the family home. He explains that he’s brought her belongings—items he thought she’d want to keep. For Lacey, it feels like yet another piece of her mother has been ripped away.

That evening, a shell-shocked Lacey sits with Theo at the diner apartment, reluctantly opening the suitcase filled with fragments of her childhood. A family photograph triggers tears as she admits how deeply she still misses her mum. What begins as anguish slowly turns cathartic. As they sift through keepsakes, Theo learns surprising details about Lacey’s past—her childhood teddy, her time on the netball team, her role as student council president, and her deep love of ballet, once shared with Jo

Theo gently suggests that David must have held onto these items because they meant something to him too. The words linger. The following morning, Lacey sends her father a message asking to meet.

Their reunion by the beach is tentative but hopeful. David apologises for selling the house without telling her, explaining that staying there became unbearable—it was too full of memories and grief. Moving to Summer Bay was his attempt at survival. For the first time, Lacey softens. They share memories of her mother, even managing a smile. But the fragile peace shatters in an instant when Lacey mentions finding her ballet shoes, and David fondly recalls taking “her” to buy them—confusing Lacey with Jo.

The mistake cuts deep. For Lacey, it confirms her worst fear: that even in her grief, she is still overshadowed by the sister she resents. She storms off, leaving David devastated and viewers questioning whether this relationship can ever be repaired.

Elsewhere, Jo faces turmoil of her own. Encouraged by David to make friends her own age, she cautiously pursues a connection with Tane. Their early interactions are rocky, worsened by Jo’s independence and Tane’s complicated past, including his shared child with ex-fiancée Harper. Just as their first date shows promise, Harper’s sudden interruption brings everything crashing down.

As misunderstandings spiral, alliances shift. Harper eventually makes peace with the situation, encouraging Tane to move forward—while Jo, overwhelmed by family chaos and emotional baggage, ultimately turns Tane down when he asks her out again.

With emotions running high on all fronts, Home and Away delivers a week of raw, unfiltered drama. As David watches his family fracture further, the question remains painfully unresolved: can he mend the rift with Lacey, or has too much been lost to ever find their way back?