God and become a priest. Samazan told Arnold that he was happy to get the scripts for the storyline, as it meant that there would be more to come from Mark and Annalise's relationship. He said, "When I realised there was going to be a bit more longevity for both our characters I was thrilled. I was worried that Mark and Annalise would get written into a corner but there's lots of juicy stuff to come." Religious views As the character's "religious fervour" grows more intense, his more secular neighbours are shown to be annoyed by it. Mark's behaviour causes trouble for his sister, Serendipity Gottlieb (Raelee Hill), and he manages to alienate his friends when he tries to dictate how they should lead their lives. Samazan described Mark as "pretty fanatical" and thought he should be talking to his friends, instead of ramming his beliefs down their throats. Mark vows to be celibate, but this is tested by his attraction to Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell). Following "a series of narrow escapes", Mark starts to have delusions of immortality. When he comes away from a collision with a car without injury, he is convinced it is a sign from God. However, when Lucy leaves town, this causes Mark to have an emotional breakdown and he throws himself further into his religious preaching, which sees him become an outcast. Samazan said "He has a very close brush with death and thinks he's invincible. But he's been through some tough times – there was his mum's death, jilting Annalise and seeing her get together with Sam, and then to top it all Lucy left him just as he finally fell for her." The character's faith is tested when he starts to feel shut out and he sees Annalise moving on with someone else. The storyline comes to a conclusion when Mark falls from a ladder and ends up in a coma. As Mark lies in his hospital bed, Serendipity becomes "increasingly distraught" as it seems that no one else cares about her brother. As he wakes up from his coma, Mark comes to his senses and works hard to win his friends back. Departure and return The character's religious storyline led to Samazan's departure from the serial, as he felt the producers wanted to take Mark in a different direction than he wanted. He said, "I wasn't happy with Mark's character anymore,