Ben

This wasn't exactly what happened, Carl. No-one smashed any plate in anger. The immigration guy was anti-royals, and felt he couldn't support the royal wedding, especially on the day that he was interviewing Graeme & Xin about their visa marriage, b/c the royals themselves are made up of a mixture of ethnicities. It was meant to be ironic and show the hypocrisy of the establishment and the countries laws on visa marriages. Graeme smashed a plate of Wills & Kate, after going all patriotic, when he realized that the immigration guy was anti-monarchy, and this gesture got him onside. It wasn't in anger, but more Graeme blagging his way through the interview. It seemed to work, as he ended up helping Xin with some of her answers. Mary was against the wedding b/c she's of the view that royalty should only marry someone of equal stature. This is a fairly common opinion in RL. I didn't have any problem with any of this, as it created a nice balance to all the other soaps (EE/ED/Neighbours) and represented a broader view that doesn't get heard, but I do feel that maybe, the anti-establishment was an agenda from the writers, as there was no bunting or flags, or any wedding fever from any of the characters that you'd assume would celebrate/comment on it. Instead, they shoved up 2 posters in the Rovers that looked tacky and unimpressive.

I love Jade - she's totally awesome, and has become my new fave character since Rebecca left. Credit where it's due, Susan Bower knows how to create interesting characters, making sure they feel quite well rounded. Jade is so pro feminism, self assured, strong-willed, sassy and sexy, but also very competitive, and a bit tactless, and is definitely a sore looser... yep, I love her. I love her relationship with Sonya and Toadie, and even her friendship with Kate feels believable. I've always been a fan of Kyle since the days of his friendship with Zeke. I know they've changed him a bit over the last couple of years, and played up his clueless-ness a lot more, but he's very loveable, and feels like a Neighbours character. Chris is also a good character, and it's nice that the show finally has a regular gay character (I would have loved Lana to have been a permanent fixture in 2004), but he's probably the most that needs developing. He's had his coming out story, but now he needs to move forward, and they need to explore who Chris is outside of Summer's BFF. I would love for them to introduce his parents and explore that dynamic; they would make for a good new family, but I hear they're not planning on introducing any new families, which seems ridiculous considering how downsized the cast is. Up until the point where they introduced Mark's OCD tendencies, I didn't really care for the guy, as he didn't have much of a personality. I've never really believed in his and Kate's relationship, so I won't miss that. But, he has been growing on me, and I'm sad that he chose to quit, but at the same time, I never really got attached to him, so I won't miss him like I will Lyn and Libby. What are your thoughts, Ed? Doesn't that contradict you saying that Eleven's youth focus may deter them from introducing more adults? Personally, I don't believe they (Bower/the network) think the focus of the show should have prominent adult characters of 50+ years, and Bower's resistance to nuclear families doesn't help. I like that story for Mal & Catherine, and I would love it if they delved into Michael's past and his and Tash's family, or even play up the mystery of them being all alone. There's still so many story possibilities for the Kennedys, and I'd like to see Amy introduced, too, but not have a grudge against Paul for being a deadbeat dad.

That's what I thought about Declan, but wasn't sure if he showed a nastier side before I started watching. I liked the old Declan best. This one is not right. They made a point of bringing on his family, but I've yet to see the point, especially in the father, who is horrid. He's been pointless so far, and barely airs, and they haven't even bothered to delve into why Declan and his Dad don't like each other. What is the point? Ella hasn't aired much at all, but when she does it's always with a glass in her hand. She's still a bore. I don't mind the new farm boy, as he's a love interest for Victoria, so that's OK.

You're being sarcastic, right? I don't want Tanya and Max to reunite, not after everything that's happened between them. He cheated on her with his son's wife for an entire year; she buried him alive, and shacked up with his brother; he lied to her about their finances and secretly sold her business, and conned the neighbours out of their money; he declared his love to Stacey (the woman he cheated with) and was prepared to flee the country with her only a few months ago. What in the world would possess her to go back to that! Hopefully that kiss was just a blip, b/c she has to have more sense, more dignity and pride not to put herself in that situation again. Just look at Jane.

I think they play up Kelly's badness too much. For a casual viewer, you'd be mistaken for thinking she was conning Jimmy completely, as they don't give her many scenes that showcase her genuineness. I know what you mean about Viv, but I've been surprised that they remember Bob and Marlon, and her past with Rodney, that it kinda works. But, I'm not feeling this amnesia story at all. It's so cliché and stereotyped, and actually, quite boring. I've seen many amnesia stories, and I haven't been bored by one - until now. I know Nick Miles did his own research, but it feels like the writers haven't done much at all, and even Nick's research hasn't helped his acting choices, as it feels like he's just playing the same ol' Jimmy, just dumber. At least John has a story - spare a thought for poor old Nikhil who gets nothing, but random running scenes. Has Declan always had this nasty streak? I don't get where it's come from, or why he's suddenly wanting to sell off everything just to turn a profit. And it seems Ella is going to be seducing Adam...

I'm going to miss Lyn. After a dodgy entrance story, they had finally started writing her in character and they'd taken her back to what made her great. She's also a 50+ character, and one less is always one step closer to teensville. With Lyn going, it also means Susan will be without a best friend and the Kennedys will be further isolated - they don't build up connections between characters like they used to, so friendships aren't what they were, unless you're a teen. Personally, I found Rebecca's exit rushed. It was like they needed another episode at least to play out all the story they crammed into her last show. They brought back Carmella and Oliver to help Rebecca and Declan escape from Paul's torment, but really, Carmella was pointless. This was a golden opportunity to have a few nostalgia scenes with Carmella and Toadie/Susan/Lyn/Summer, but instead she got nothing. They gave the only scene to Oliver and Toadie, even though Carmella was the one who knew Toadie the longest, and even lived with him for a few years. All Carmella got was one scene with Paul and the rest with fake-Declan. At times, you forgot she was even there. They did manage to cement Michael and Rebecca's relationship, making it feel like the last 3 months hadn't been for nothing, but then they gave Rebecca one scene with Susan, where she said goodbye, dropped the bomb that she pushed Paul and that Susan had to file the affidavit, basically dropping Kate in it and making it all Susan's responsibility. Rebecca was never a selfish character, but they wrote her as being someone who was so self absorbed that Kate was an after thought, when really she would've made the time to talk to Kate and explain the situation. After that, Oliver bundled her into a taxi and whisked her away, leaving Susan to clean up the mess. Disappointing isn't the word.

Ah, the Maria story. I don't know what it's supposed to be. Is it meant to be a social issue and questioning what constitutes attempted rape? Or is it something else entirely? All the characters involved are stupid. Anyone in Carla's potion would be able to see that Frank is harassing Maria, and that he does seem to have an unhealthy obsession with her. This is a smart and savvy business woman who is being manipulated and fooled by this man, to the point where she's believing his story over Maria's - a woman who she's known for how many years - and is coming across as cold and callous. I always thought Carla was a modern business woman who didn't need to flash her cleavage and slap on the charm in order to get ahead? Maria's coming across a bit naive, and she does seem to have lost all her bite, and for some reason is trusting the woman who cheated with her fiancée (that's the right one, right?). I've read a lot of comments that say Maria should just quit and she's so stupid for staying in a job like that, but why should Maria be chased out of her job? Why should she let Frank win? OK, Maria doesn't really work at the factory, but that's not the point. IA with you about Frank eventually raping Maria or Carla or someone, as he seems to have "I'm a villain" tattooed across his forehead.

I did see those moments that you describe, but as you say, it feels like they had zero plans for the character after the Chas/Carl/Eve triangle. The show seems to have a load of good girl/bad girl roles already, that Eve is just getting lost in the crowd. I guess Alicia is supposed to fill that good girl/bad girl role, and then there's Amy, Charity, Nicola (although, she has been watered down a lot, to the point where I miss her bitchiness). I like Eve's scenes with Kelly though. But considering they weren't even going to extend Kelly's contract after her bashing Jimmy, I have to wonder what they would've done with Eve during this time?

Libby's currently still away visiting Ben on UK screens and has no story (it pretty much got neatly wrapped up after Steph went to jail). She's just returned to Oz screens last week, with a new spiritual outlook on life. Where she'll be story wise in 3 months is anyone's guess (that's the amount of time she'll have on screen before she leaves again). I thought the temp recast of Michaela Banas in 2008 worked well, but she's busy on another show, Winners & Losers. And that article says that they're writing Libby out with an final exit story, so they're not recasting. Harold is returning for a brief guest stint, but I think they should bring someone else back for a longer stay, like, Lucy Robinson, or Gail or Christina, or even Mal Kennedy and his wife Catherine. I've given up hoping for any of Lou's family to make a return, as they're not invested in Lou or his history.

I actually liked the armed robbery stuff with Jim. I thought they were written/played just right. You couldn't take it seriously (intentionally or not), and it had the right amount of comedy under pinning it. I liked how it all turned serious towards the end with Jim preparing to shoot himself, but Liz had to remind him of how much she loves him, and how much he has to live for. I believed in it. I really felt for Liz when Jim heaped all that pressure on her and asked to wait for him, as without her support, he would die. I did think her exit was abrupt. I loved the audio flashbacks (they're no substitution for the real things), but I didn't believe for a second that Liz would just take off without saying goodbye to Deirdre or Amy. I think at one point, Liz did care about the pub and being landlandy, but over the years has slowly let that go. This was a slight backwards step over that, as we were meant to believe that her passion for the Rovers had returned. When really, it was her desire to have a happy life with Jim, and ensure that Steve got the chance to start again with Amy, that made the Rovers central to those plans; but they chose to play up the wrong angle, when really Liz wouldn't have thought twice about leaving the Rovers behind. The how is pretty much how you see it on a daily basis. Tracey and Kylie are as nasty as ever, and the show revels in it; Becky's as miserable as ever, and the show revels in it; Sally and Kevin are as bitter as ever, and the show revels in it... You get the drift. Speaking of Kevin, I didn't believe for a second that he would've refused to help Jim after their history. Kevin came off as such an ass in that scene. It's all rather pointless to critique the show, b/c TPTB don't believe in listening to viewer feedback, as they're the professionals and they know best.

She won't be missed. Eve as a character has never properly worked anyway.

You bet it will. I think, if they were bringing in new characters to fill some of the void left by all the departing ones, it wouldn't be so bad. But, when you have Zeke, Rebecca, Declan all recently leaving, and will soon be joined by Lyn, Mark and now Libby, and the only new permanent characters are Jade, Kyle and Chris, the show starts to feel like a ghost town. These 3-4 bedroom houses should not be occupied by just 2 characters, and neither should the majority be turned into share houses - this is not what the show is about.

Don't know if this has been mentioned further in the thread, but does anyone know who composed the music for Sunset Beach? They always had such great underscores. And, is any of it available anywhere?

The Masoods, and Mas in particular, used to be a favourite of mine, but now I'm so indifferent to his hypocrisy. I hate what they have done to his character over the last year. On the plus side, I love Tamwar, and feel he's really developed into a decent character. I'm also liking Afia, too, and warming up to Yusef as well. In fact, I think I may like him more than Mas & Zee. I wonder what this Syed story would've been like if Mas & Zee hadn't committed sins themselves, but instead were actually good Muslims who hadn't cheated/gambled/lied? They wouldn't be hypocrites for a start, but would it have be easier to empathize with their religious stance on Syed? I recommend you watch Phil & Shirley's non-wedding ep, not for them, but for the Ian/Jane scenes, which I loved. It was the moment Jane got a clue and finally dumped Ian; they were really well written, I thought, and showed Jane retaining at least 20% of her dignity. If you've already see it, then skip ahead to the Janine/Whitney/Lauren/Rob stuff - like others have said - from a few weeks ago, as there really wasn't much noteworthy stuff in between.

Heads up to everyone that voted in that poll on the main site: You can vote as many times as you like! It explains why the teens are the runaway hit. The 20s are still in second place, so if everyone keeps on voting multiple times, hopefully it'll topple, or at least damage the teen vote. Neighbours.com

Carl, that clip you posted isn't from 1997, but I think 2000. Those idents were new to Channel 5 at the time, and Roy is with Claire, and Karen wasn't around pre-2000, so yeah, 2000. Watching this has made me all nostalgic; I wish I had taped more eps than I did (anything would've been better than just the series finale).

Brief interview w/ Director Alan Coleman on the FA set. <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9rE_mN0kY_s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Carl, you know how much I loved this show, from the past discussions in the EE thread. I'm surprised at how little there is of FA available. C5 should rerun it on their sister channel 5*. FYI: the show started in January 1997. Here's a few opening credits that I hope hasn't been posted elsewhere before. FA: 1999 open <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rpZCYVxPMsU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> FA: 2002 open <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bDbYEGU7ZX8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> FA: 2005 open - Last ever episode w/ announcer and recap <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qAgqwhT7wiU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It wasn't Australian, Carl. The English voice over guy kinda gives it away... It's a bit complicated to explain exactly what Home Choice was. It was part of the Talk Talk brand that did video-on-demand via the internet, and in 2003 it expanded (as Home Choice) to include the majority of Freeview channels. Echo Point was an Aussie soap made in 1995 for Network Ten to rival H&A. It bombed. It apparently was bought over here by one of the ITV affiliates, Central, and apparently only aired in that region after A Country Practice ended.

Probably to appreciate and get to know the River Boys, I should watch more often. I did only catch one ep this week, and that was Friday's with the girls night/boys night, and Romeo kissing Ruby, and I was intrigued by Casey and his friendship with Ruby, and maybe if I can see him as something more than a predictability (I so hope he doesn't get "fostered" by Miles) then I might start to like him. I'm not sure about him and Ruby, who I struggle to care about. Rebecca Breeds brings her to life, and is great young actor, but the character has changed a lot in recent years, and not for the better. Even in the 90s Marilyn was still the bubbly airhead that was always muddling words and phases; she was bouncy and fun and full of positiveness. I guess the writing/directing team now, just don't get the character. Sid is serious, but I also think he's quite loyal. When he was first introduced, he was supposed to be a player, which I didn't buy. I think he's a man that's deeply set in his ways, kinda conservative, stubborn, and it's this oppositeness that he has with Marilyn that I think kinda works. All of Sid's personal relationships are of him not being on the same wave length, not having that immediate connectivity; he struggles to relate to Dexter, doesn't understand Marilyn's beliefs, clashes with Indi (although, I think he gets her the most), but then he just clicks with the guys - he can just hang out with John, Liam, Alf, and there's no conflict. I think Sid's whole set-up is quite relatable, actually. A man who loves his family, but doesn't relate to them, finds himself challenged by his kids and girlfriend. I think Sid cares about Dex, but he just doesn't get him, and that lack of shared understanding keeps them at arms length and Sid from being more hands on. He has a better relationship with Indi, b/c she's more conventionally normal, and is easier for him to relate to. IA about Dex/Indi's relationship. I love the whole set-up really, and I think this family are quite normal and representational of a lot of modern families. It's that hard edge that I think defines Morag, and is a character trait that can't be watered down. I don't get why the show doesn't make her permanent, especially when CF would like to be regular instead of recurring. It doesn't make sense. Maybe they feel they'd run out of stories if they did? Bringing in characters to fill a quota of anything is always a bad move. They could've simply created a new family that just happened to be whatever ethnicity they wanted, instead of bringing back a character that's past his use by date. H&A do not have a healthy track record on writing religious characters, that's for sure; there was no reason to taint what defined Elijah. Are Grace and Thabo going to be sticking around? I sure hope not. What do you think of Nicole and Bianca? And do you like John & Gina?

********** I was waiting for this, considering she's been there for 3 1/2 years, and that Aussie-soap-revolving-door had to kick in soon.

I've been watching more regularly than before, still not everyday, but at least twice a week, which is better than nothing - literally! The River Boys have injected the show with a bit of life, but I find them a bit cliché and predictable, especially Casey. Ironically, it's that added depth that you talk about that I find predictable and un-creative. I actually find the other two more interesting, or the one that got into the violence by protecting his brothers, and now kinda enjoys it. But, the show has had these types of characters who breeze into town and cause trouble before, and that feels repetitive, which stops me from getting invested in them. Then there's the formula that usually happens with these types of characters, who usually turn out good in the end. Boring. I'm glad they split-up Charlie and Angelo, as they had grown stale. I was really into the Liam & Bianca story, but they don't really do much since her non-wedding to Vittorio. I've never been a big fan of Nicole, so I'm not really feeling this pregnancy story, and you're right about Marilyn - she's lost her bubbliness, or the writing isn't playing up to that. But she's still awesome. I like her interaction with Dexter and Indi, but sometimes I feel like her and Sid lack chemistry, and other times they click. It's weird. I love that Morag is back, but I wish they wouldn't play up Alf as if he's responsible for the entire town, as they make it seem like Summer Bay has no other residents but the main characters. It never used to be written like this. Romeo/Indi and Dexter/April are awesome characters, and the two couples that I'm mostly interested in; I love these guys. Ruby is annoying, but Romeo makes her bearable. I love Leah, but I'm not sure about Elijah and this marriage of convenience thing that he's got going on. His time on the show ( and in Leah's life) is over. Roo is great, and I'm interested to see what they do with her. The Hawaii shoot is intriguing, especially with the set of characters involved.

All those pre-emptions are going to set you back. Do you know if the new Story Producer's work kicked in from the season return, or if it's going to be further in?

Has anyone been watching H&A recently? If so, do you think it's improved?