Episode 8904

Episode 8904
Neighbours episode
The episode's cliffhanger reveals that Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) is marrying Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou). The storyline was constructed when executive producer Jason Herbison realised that the two had "never actually looked twice at each other" over many years on the show together, and that their unexpected relationship would intrigue viewers.[1]
Directed by	Kate Kendall
Written by	Jason Herbison
Featured music	"Sunroof" by Nicky Youre and Dazy
Cinematography by	Henry Pierce
Editing by	Kylie Robertson
Original air date	18 September 2023 (2023-09-18)
Running time	25 minutes
Guest appearances
Guy Pearce as Mike Young Mischa Barton as Reece Sinclair Ian Smith as Harold Bishop Melissa Bell as Lucy Robinson Lesley Baker as Angie Rebecchi Ariel Kaplan as Imogen Willis Tim Phillipps as Daniel Robinson Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi Lucinda Cowden as Melanie Pearson (uncredited)
Episode chronology
← Previous "Neighbours: The Finale" Next → Episode 8905
Storylines

Episode 8904, also branded as the premiere episode of Neighbours: A New Chapter, is the first episode of the Australian television soap opera Neighbours to be released following its return from cancellation. It premiered on 18 September 2023 and was released through Network 10 in Australia, and Amazon Freevee in the UK and USA. The episode was written by the serial's executive producer, Jason Herbison, and directed by Kate Kendall. Although Neighbours had been off-screen for a little over a year, the production team decided to set its return two years after the events of "Neighbours: The Finale", with the events of the interim period for multiple characters positioned as mysteries to be revealed in subsequent episodes.

The plot of the episode revolves around an upcoming wedding, which is revealed in the episode's closing moments to be between the long-running characters Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney), who had not previously shared any significant on-screen interaction. This storyline subverts the endings given to both characters in the previous episode, where Toadie married Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) and Terese reunited with her husband Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis). Meanwhile, a new family moves into the show's central setting of Ramsay Street, and Byron Stone (Xavier Molyneux) pursues a sexual liaison with mysterious hotel guest Reece Sinclair (Mischa Barton).

Media coverage of the episode focused on the series' unexpected revival, the narrative challenges of its resumption after its well-received ending the previous year, and the promised "twist" to the wedding. Neither participant of the wedding was revealed prior to the episode's release. Reviews of the episode were mostly positive, with praise given to the series' consistency of tone despite its change to a multinational network, and the development of various characters' circumstances over the two year narrative gap. Some reviews were, however, more critical of the narrative developments since the finale and the episode's significant use of exposition. After the episode was shown, the show further publicised the plans for Terese and Toadie as a couple and the potential for further storylines allowed by their partnership.