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Rose is dead

Not long after a blazing row between Rose and Terri, Rose is shown face down in her pool. What happened?

No one could suggest that manipulative Rose Stevens has ever been Terri Sullivan's favourite person—but surely Terri would never have wished THIS upon her late husband's first wife.

In what will be remember as one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of All Saints, Rose is seen lying face down in her pool. Could she have been murdered? And if so, is Terri responsible? Nothing in Terri's recent past, including a year already marked by great tragedy with the death of her beloved Mitch Stevens, will prepare her for what is about to happen.

In the closing moments of the episode, and following another explosive showdown with Rose, Terri arrives at her house, determined to talk things out with Rose once and for all. She doesn't know it, but this is one conversation she will never have….

A few hours earlier, Terri had finally reached boiling point with the woman who has made her life a misery time and time again during the past few years. In an act totally out of character for the Ward 17 nursing unit manager, she hits Rose after Rose strikes out at her.

"It ends up being a very violent exchange," Georgie tells TV Week. "Rose has pushed Terri to the limit."

The day is marked by tension from the outset, with the line between the personal and professional lives of the hospital team becoming more and more blurred. Already stressed and overworked, Terri finds herself under extra pressure when Paula Morgan confesses that she was sexually harassed by hospital CEO Colin Blackburn at the recent All Saints Annual Charity Ball.

Terri, who is already aware that Colin has been having a secret affair with Rose, confronts him about Paula's revelation. Colin refuses to acknowledge what he did—but later, fearful of the consequences, the panicked All Saints boss calls off his illicit romance with Rose.

Rose is furious. She barges into Terri's office and blames her for this latest downturn in her life. Why has Terri gone out of her way to ruin things for her again, she demands.

Terri, who at that moment is looking at a framed photo of Mitch, is stunned.

"The fact that she is holding the picture when Rose comes in is it as far as Rose is concerned," Georgie says. "That's what does it. So many things had not been said, and finally they are said. It's not at all the way that Terri wants things to go, but they've both had enough."

And so the relationship between the former wives of the late Mitch Stevens plunges to a new low.

"There's no politeness left," Georgie says. "There's no way of trying to get things back onto some sort of track. It's a relationship that has reached its peak."

"Rose is the kind of character who blames everyone else for the things that happen to her," Joy adds. "This animosity has been building up with Terri. It's like a pressure cooker.

"Rose still feels the loss of Mitch, and she does lash out at inappropriate times. Perhaps keeping the fight alive with Terri is a way of keeping something alive with Mitch. But I think the big shock for Rose is when Terri hits her back. She just wasn't expecting that at all."

When the argument turns physical, it is new hospital medico Vincent Hughes who must pull the warring women apart.

"Vincent doesn't think much of Terri anyway, and this just confirms his suspicion that she is unbalanced and is an emotional wreck," Georgie says.

"Terri is angry that he's questioning her. She's feeling very vulnerable, having let go to that degree, and she's annoyed Vincent is the one who witnessed it."

Georgie and Joy have enjoyed many dramatic scenes in All Saints over the years as their characters have locked horns, and this latest dispute was particularly challenging to film.

"Any scene that requires some kind of physical exchange is always very confronting, both emotionally and technically," Georgie says. "I think it was important for the character to at least verbally tell Rose how she really feels. She can't be a doormat."

Rose appears to be gloating following their confrontation, but Terri could not be feeling worse.

"She feels like she's been in a car crash," Georgie says, "She's adrenalised and traumatised."

Once she has gathered her thoughts, Terri decides to go around to Rose's place.

"She wants to apologise—not so much for what was said, but for what she did," Georgie says. "That's Terri, and that's what she would do. She has to make peace with the situation any way she can, even though it probably wouldn't be very well-received."

When no one answers the door at Rose's house, an unsatisfied Terri leaves. At this point, viewers discover the reason Rose didn't answer the door. She is lying dead in her swimming pool!

And the question remains—what happened to her?

TV Week
June 7-13, 2003