Home and Away favourite Patrick O’Connor has revealed to whattowatch.com that Dean Thompson’s latest visit from his often chaotic mum Karen Thompson (Georgia Adamson) is going to be very different this time!
In the past, Dean has struggled with his mum’s erratic behaviour. But since she’s had treatment for schizoaffective disorder, things have been solid between them.
When Karen unexpectedly arrives in the Bay, a worried Dean’s thrown by her claim that she’s running away from a man who wants to marry her. But what is really going on?
“Dean’s pretty shocked! He can’t imagine Karen being someone who wants to be tied down or in a long-term commitment,” shared Patrick.
“But once he gets past that he can see she’s frightened. That shows she really cares about this man.”
Karen may have been hiding her romance from Dean, but he’s keeping his own secrets. He hasn’t told her that she has a grandson! When Karen sees a photo of Jai, he’s forced to confess.
“That’s a pretty big secret to keep! Jai’s mum Amber didn’t want him to meet Karen because of her past and that was the deal Dean made so he could see his son,” commented Patrick.
“Karen thinks it’s ridiculous that Amber has banned her from seeing him but when Dean explains the reasoning behind it, she respects Amber’s decision.
“He worries how it’s going to affect his mum and if it will affect her mental health.”
Happily, things work out for the best when Dean realises he has to rethink his approach and arranges for girlfriend Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman) to bring Karen to the beach to see Jai.
“When they meet, it’s really nice. It IS Summer Bay but at times there can be happy endings!” Patrick joked.
Dean then vows to sort out Karen’s love life by reuniting her with her mysterious boyfriend, Brett (Aaron Glenane).
“Dean hacks into Karen’s phone and finds his number and explains Karen’s in Summer Bay,” shared Patrick.
“When he rocks up, Ziggy and Dean can’t believe what they’re seeing! The funny thing about the situation is that Brett and Dean are around the same age!”
Furious that Brett has tracked her down, Karen tries to throw him off by planting a kiss on a stunned John! But Brett knows Karen’s just putting on a show and isn’t willing to give up on her.
Fans may suspect Brett may be up to no good, but Patrick revealed that Brett is the real deal.
“I think it will take some of the viewers by surprise but he’s a genuine, 100 percent down-to-earth lovely guy.
“That’s what makes Karen so scared. He really does mean the words he says and finding a guy like that for Karen is not a common thing.
With the romance back on track, Patrick revealed Dean is keen for it to stay that way.
"He's super stoked because he’s never seen his mum that happy. That’s what encourages him to be so supportive of their relationship and make sure that Karen doesn’t throw it away."
Patrick revealed that although Karen’s stay in the Bay is relatively brief, it’s been nice to move on from Dean's horror crash last year and subsequent recovery. He also teased another big storyline about to hit the Bay.
“I’m very happy Dean can get back in the water and he can walk around. It’s always nice to see the happy side of him,” he insisted.
“There’s a lot of comedy coming up. We’ve not seen much of that side of Dean, because he can be quite serious.
“There’s also going to be some interesting things happening at Salt, but you’ll just have to watch and find out!
“It involves a lot of characters. I can’t say too much but it gets pretty spicy!”
We couldn’t let Patrick go without asking him about the ridiculously cute instagram pics of his dog Winnie, a toy cavoodle (cavalier king charles spaniel and poodle mix).
He and girlfriend Sophie Dillman (who plays his on screen love interest, Ziggy) took on the pup just over a year ago.
“He’s the cutest! He’s got a bit of an attitude on him though!” Patrick laughed.
“He loves cuddling, loves hanging out, but he gets a bit sassy if you don’t give him a good scratch and a bit of love.
“It was something we’d always wanted to do but we’d never taken the plunge.
“Buying a dog is like that. You’re not really sure if you actually want one. But then we got one and it’s the best thing we did!
“It was right in covid and we were in lockdown and couldn’t have had a better little friend.”
Could Winnie join the cast of Summer Bay as a new mascot?
“I think he’d love it! The only problem is if we filmed on the beach he’d run off! I don’t think he’s an actor just yet.”
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1:15 pm on Channel 5 and 6:00 pm on 5Star followed by a 'first look' episode on 5Star at 6:30 pm.
