When he returned in early 2011, the serial created a new family unit around Elijah. He married Grace Johnson (Clare Chihambakwe) so she could gain access into Australia to seek medical help for her ill son. Both Laga'aia and Nicodemou said that the development had removed any hope of a reconciliation between their on-screen counterparts. The serial created a new direction for Elijah when a series of bad events leave him with nothing. Laga'aia said it was about portraying how a man's "life is turned upside down". Elijah has received mixed reviews in character analysis. The Age wrote that Laga'aia was a welcome addition to Home and Away's cast, while readership of Inside Soap magazine voted him as their least favourite Reverend in soap opera. While TV Week summed up the life of Elijah as "one bad thing after the other".
