Shadows of the Past: Is Summer Bay’s Newest Resident Hiding a Dark Obsession?

In the sun-drenched coastal town of Summer Bay, trauma has a way of washing up on the shore just as frequently as the tide. This week on Home and Away, the burgeoning connection between newcomer Holden Dwyer and the resilient Lacy takes a turn that has fans and residents alike questioning whether a “trauma bond” is evolving into something far more sinister.

The story of Holden and Lacy began in the chaotic final moments of the 2025 season, aboard a doomed party train headed for the “Off the Rails” music festival. While the journey started with flirty banter and missed mimosas, it ended in a horrific crash that claimed the life of Holden’s best friend, Isaac. In the weeks following the disaster, Holden and Lacy have found solace in their shared survival. For Lacy, Holden represents a mirror of her own grief; his loss of Isaac echoes the devastating death of her former partner, Theo, who sacrificed his life to save her from a vengeful local counselor last year.

However, the line between empathy and obsession is beginning to blur. As the two meander through the parklands and share drinks at Salt, Holden’s intensity has started to set off alarm bells. After an initial dinner invitation was met with a panicked rejection from Lacy—who admitted she simply wasn’t ready to move on from Theo—the pair ostensibly agreed to remain “just friends.”

Sophia, the actress portraying Lacy, recently spoke to TV Week about the complex dynamic, noting that Lacy feels a deep sense of empathy for Holden. “There’s a bit of a trauma bond after he lost his friend in the train crash and she lost Theo,” she explained. But while Lacy sees a grieving man in need of a friend, her close confidante Molly sees something else entirely: red flags.

The unease deepens this week when Lacy finds Holden waiting for her at the Surf Club. While she tries to brush it off as the natural coincidence of a small town, his presence feels increasingly calculated. The most telling sign of Holden’s fixated state occurs when he signs up for surf lessons, only to display visible disappointment upon discovering that Molly, not Lacy, will be his instructor.

As the week progresses, the narrative shifts from a story of mutual healing to one of potential danger. Molly, increasingly suspicious of Holden’s “accidental” appearances and his refusal to respect Lacy’s boundaries, begins to voice her concerns. While Lacy remains blinded by her desire to help a fellow survivor, the upcoming episodes promise a confrontation. Teasers for next Monday suggest that Molly will finally “see through” Holden, raising the chilling question: Just how much should Lacy fear this pushy newcomer?

In Summer Bay, the most dangerous storms are often the ones you don’t see coming until they’re right at your door. Whether Holden is merely a man lost in grief or a predator hiding behind a tragic story remains to be seen, but for Lacy, the cost of her trust could be higher than she ever imagined.