Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) was just rushed to the hospital with acute chest pains, and while Logan (Harley Bonner) first diagnosed appendicitis and scheduled surgery, the surgeon soon returns with dreadful news: Ari has terminal cancer.
Logan advises that Ari has some gruesome operation on a regular basis to combat the disease, but the oldest Parata brother declines – why fight fate? His family is stunned – he’s simply given up? Ari, on the other hand, claims to be practical. He has a choice between a life in prison or a life in a hospital, and he prefers neither.
Mia (Anna Samson) sits silent until everyone else has left the room, while Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) devolves into despair. Then she lashes out at Ari, refusing to accept his decision to die and demanding to know why he won’t fight for them. Ari allows her to express herself, and after she has calmed down, he informs her that his only regret is not marrying her sooner.
Ari notices a weirdly optimistic Tane (Ethan Browne) and Nikau approaching him in the hospital the next day. They’re dressed to the nines, and they’ve persuaded Ari to do the same. The vicar then comes, and Mia makes a spectacular entrance in her wedding gown on the elevator…
When Ari collapses, tragedy strikes, and Logan is forced to admit that it may be time to prepare for the worst. Ari sings himself a Maori song in bed, surrounded by his family, before breathing his final breath…