Ben

I didn't see it. But I've read similar thoughts to your own. I think they had this story in mind for Michelle before they found out she was pregnant. But, Kym Marsh took early maternity leave, so they handed it all over to Maria. If KM hadn't, they probably would've discussed it with her, and went from there; I don't see how that's a problem though, considering many actors have to act out scenes that may be too close to home in some way - just look at B&B giving Hunter Tylo the grieving mother story after her own son had died! Maria was the only logical solution, whether she's right for the part or not. I also think this shows how Michelle isn't needed, as they have Maria to play out Michelle-esque stories/scenes. So, why keep her Michelle on? Now that makes no sense to me. I thought it was weird that they reunited them in the same ep. I don't see any chemistry in Peter/Carla, and I don't buy any of that relationship, especially the love angle. I don't know why they didn't use Dr. Oliver as Sally's love interest, as she didn't necessarily have to be his patient.

Carl, here's my requested thoughts. I'm still not watching every episode, but there are definite positive changes that have taken place over the last few months. I love that they're committed to playing every beat to a story, and not just letting (most) things slide, or fizzle out, and moving quickly on to the next big plot. But, this is also part of the reason why I'm still not liking the show - they're still playing out the same storylines from last year, the very same ones that were part of the problem. Day-to-day eps now feel and look much better, not messy or disjointed; Storylines flow naturally along - the one thing that EE sadly suck at. There is still a certain dullness about a lot of characters, and a lack of varying archetypes, too. I'm hoping that now the horrendous Nick/Leanne/Peter/Carla quad is over, that all those characters can move into new stories that develop their positive qualities (I'd love to see the back of Nick for good, but unfortunately, that's not going to happen). David & Kylie are actually a good pairing, and I like that they're going to be filming in London for some special Easter episodes that will include returnees Jamie, Violet and Todd (3 characters I liked). I also liked James (Ken's grandson), and will happy to see him return that will hopefully conclude his very rushed story from last year. But, there are a load of characters that have no direction, like Sophie & Sian - as a couple, they're never developed, Mary (who is really pointless), Julie, Tyrone, Kirk, Izzy & Gary, Chris & Maria (who has taken over Michelle's story w/ Frank), Tracy still doesn't serve much of a point, and Becky has been ruined. Owen's a bit more tolerable since he's shown how manipulative and scheming he can be. I like Xin from what I've seen; it's nice seeing Tina interact with a female friend. The farcical John plot still continues plodding along, now with Fiz at the deception helm. *Yawn* Why can't they just put this story out of its misery?

ITA Carl, on most of that. As different as Kevin/Owen/Lucas were, I do believe that there was a common link between them. Yusef is a doctor, a successful, educated man, who carries himself very differently to K/O/L. By comparison, they were all quite open, while Yusef is not. Of course, he does have a dark side, and that could be what draws Denise to him, but on the surface, I just don't believe Denise would fall for him. I think the only reason these two are happening, is b/c she is Zainab's BFF, and it has that classic soapy story beat - Zainab's best friend romantically linked to her possibly dangerous ex-husband, who maybe out to ruin Zee's marriage. It's interesting that you say she isn't a character, as I've never thought of her like that. I think they missed a trick by not exploring the aftermath of Lucas's terror, and the departure of all her children, as that could've opened up a lot of areas and soul searching for Denise. But instead, they had her deal with it all off screen, randomly bringing it all up last week, just so they could have the viewers see Denise quickly move on, shoving her into Yusef's path. Pathetic. Bringing back Libby & Chelsea is not a good idea. There is always Kim, who continues to be under developed, and there is her bio dad that could provide some story, especially with what happened between him and Patrick. ITA about Masood. He has been ruined. I like Tam & Afia, and I like that Tam still confides in Syed. But, the family is fractured, and I still believe that recasting Shabnam would be a good idea, as her presence within the family was underplayed and very understated. I'll post my Corrie thought in that thread.

I must be in the minority here, as I don't find the story that engaging, simply b/c Yusef and Denise have no chemistry, and he's just not her type. It feels like it's all about the plot. Then there's the way Zainab's backstory has been handled in such a haphazardly fashion - one minute she was certain Yusef set her on fire, now she isn't so sure. Why doesn't she know? How come she never mentioned Yusef's brothers being there before this? Was she blindfolded? Because, she should know who poured oil over her and lit the match. It would've been OK if they had written like she was uncertain about the part Yusef played, but it's been scripted like Zainab was certain that he set her on fire. How can she not be sure? I don't want Yusef to be a psycho, either, but I do think he's out to break up the Masoods, and I hope they build on that deviousness, by not sending him over the edgy.

So much potential wasted. So long Glenda, you will missed (but not by everyone it seems). Not much else to say. They saddled her with that terrible Ian/Phil story that never really developed her character at all. Ricky leaving is not that much of a surprise. I wonder if they really will bring him and Bianca back in 2012... The kids need to leave with Ricky. But, what will this mean for Carol? She'll have to be more involved with the Branning side of her family in order to survive, as without that, they won't write for her.

I'd forgotten about Darcy and Susan's other family. I loved Darcy, but I'm not sure what they could do with him that would be different to what he's done in the past. He has a lot of similarities with Lucas, too. Both have gotten into trouble with gambling, and both are quite adventurous personalities, who get bored easily, and like a bit of drama - both also had some commitment issues as well. I remember the days of Liz and Elly, and the drama with Elly's paternity, thinking that Karl was her father. If Liz returned separated from Lars, and feeling depressed, I could see her making a drunken pass at Karl, which could cause conflict between K&S. Maybe he doesn't tell Susan, and maybe Liz tries to take advantage of that. That whole situation could be made worse by having Karl and Liz personality clash. Liz could also ingratiate herself into Susan's friendship's, but Susan wouldn't want to rock the boat, so wouldn't say anything. There's scope for some comedy in there. Trouble is, the cast is so small, that there isn't enough dynamics for Liz to interact with. This has reminded me about Karl's family, and I'd love for Tom to return, as that whole story with Tom's dementia ended quite abruptly, and I loved the tragic comedy he brought to the show. Has Karl ever met his bio dad? Has he ever appeared in the show? Maybe there's some story scope there? When you think about it, Paul and Lyn have had there own stories, while K&S have simply be involved in other people's stories. The last storyline Karl had was with Nicola (I wish they would bring her back), followed by his grief at losing Zeke. Susan had her role in the surrogacy and the rushed stalker story, which had so much potential, but was just completely messed with. Nothing else since then. Throughout 2010 Paul and Lyn had a lot to do: there was the Rebecca/Paul/Lyn feud/triangle, Paul's financial woes, Paul/Declan feud, Diana Marshall, Who Pushed Paul?, Paul blackmailing Rebecca to stay married, Paul/Rebecca/Michael triangle, Paul blackmailing Lyn; Lyn was dealing with her unrequited love for Paul, the Lyn/Rebecca feud, Lyn's internet dating/Terry, Lyn struggling w/ Steph's secret, Lyn lodging an appeal for Steph, the fire, Paul's blackmail. ITA about Paul blackmailing Lyn - that has been played out. I do think that until Lyn finds another man, she will always gravitate towards Paul's orbit. I think the show needs a bigger family, as the majority of the houses are practically empty. The Williams are a strange duo, b/c they've cut off all potential of expansion, much like the Ramsays. They play on the Williams enigma of having no-one but themselves; the wife is dead, and there's no other family. Kate & Sophie Ramsay just have each other (and their weak connection to Paul), since both parents are dead. I don't want to see Michael and Libby together, as that's predictable and uncreative. The show needs more long-term characters, and I think Mark would've been a better fit for Libby, although maybe a little to bland for her. I'm curious about what they would've done with Libby, had KV not had to take time out. Edward and Carl: You guys will love the calendar shoot, featuring Karl, as AF definitely hit the gym before filming those scenes - he's seriously toned, now.

What Dion says is right: Ken's success is measured by his several years of being a supporting character, and a few when he was on the back burner. Ken's last story was with Stephanie Beacham's character, and it showed that he still had life left in him. Interestingly, Ken isn't really a problem, but I find Deirdre to be at a lose end story wise. She could do with being written out. But, back to Karl & Susan, and I think there's plenty of life left in them, but I don't see them as an official adopting couple, b/c that doesn't really suit their characters; they take in people who are simply at a lose end, and that's fine, but that's not all they're about. Plus, the waif and strays don't all have to be troubled teens, they could be angsty adults. There's still story to be told with Karl's career. He could apply for a promotion, but face competition from Doug, which would allow for development of their rivalry that randomly disappeared - I like Doug, so more screen time for him is a good thing. Would Karl get the promotion? What happens if he does or doesn't? They could also use it as a platform to be a little political, and have Karl conflicted over management style decisions and patient care (there's always some RSR who ends up in hospital, so plenty of scope to merge the two stories). I don't think it's plausible for Karl to cheat again, but I think there's room for Susan to fall for another guy. Like an emotional affair or intellectual affair, where she doesn't realize how the friendship/her feelings are developing, but when she does it's a big shock. She'd never cheat on Karl, but she could be slightly tempted. How would the Kennedys deal with this? What would it mean for their marriage? The other guy could be a journalist, or someone who's a story for her and is troubled, or someone whose connected to another RSR. The thing is though, Neighbours wouldn't do stories like this now, b/c this isn't the kind of the show it is any more, and they no longer view K&S as characters that drive their own stories. They see them as supporting players who are there to prop the teens, or someone else, but never to have their own story. At best, they may get to be a part of a big story, like the surrogacy that usually involves other characters and isn't really about them. If they weren't so popular, or holding the show together, I really think under Susan Bower, these two would be gone, simply b/c she doesn't seem to view them as viable leading characters, unlike Paul and Lyn, who constantly get their own major storylines. I do think this is actually a problem, as it means K&S will stop being developed, and they'll slowly become like Lou. It simply isn't enough to have them support the latest troubled teen, b/c it's a waste, and that translates on screen, and makes it seem like they're spare parts and kinda boring. But, Bower treats them as filler characters, and that's the way it will continue. If we're very lucky, one or the other may get thrown a story that will be rushed and last 2 weeks - e.g. Susan's cyber stalker. Lyn will be fine, as story is always generated for her, even if her character has lost all dignity these last few years. When you look at where Lyn was before she left, and where she is now, it's quite sad to see how far she's fallen. Lyn also has Summer, Charlie, Oscar, and her connection to Paul. Libby has a raft of material that has yet to be tapped, but they really need to develop her character, and not let her go stale. Toadie is still fresh, b/c they've give him stories that have developed his and explored areas that haven't been touched before. As long as Tom Oliver stays on that ridiculous recurring contract, Lou will never get anything substantial to do. ETA: I preferred the show when they had a bigger cast, as it meant more storylines. But, I read that the writers prefer a smaller cast, which is why that's what we've got now. IMO, it's too small. And the writings no better with a small cast than with a larger cast, even though you'd think they'd have more time to plot the stories more carefully seeing as they only have about 4 storylines going on, compared to when they had double that one point.

I voted 20s, but really I'd be happy with any age so long as it isn't teenage. Unless it was upping Chris from recurring to permanent. Logically, everyone who doesn't want more teens should really vote for the 20s, as that is in second place and in with more of a chance of toppling the teens. The problem with the official site is that it is housed by a load of 12 year olds and those with a brain of a 12 year old, so all opinion is screwed towards their view, and most of the time it's not the majority of opinion. But, Susan Bower takes that site seriously, maybe b/c it's the official site, or maybe b/c their opinion supported her insane decisions over the last 2 years. Probably the latter, considering this is the same site that she uses to publicly declare that Australia loves the teens and the Aussie fans want more, when that couldn't be further from the truth. In all honesty that site probably only counts for 5% of the Neighbours audience, and anyone with half a brain would see that ratings went up during adult centred weeks/eps, compared to those with the teens. Teens do have their place, but they have a good group with Summer/Andrew/Tash/Chris, and Callum & Sophie who are entering that phase; they don't need any more.

No big surprise there, then. This means that everyone associated with the Wyldes will now be gone... except for Declan. Even though day-to-day episodes are OK, there really isn't much going on, with a lot of stories that don't seem to have much impact, while several characters are pointless, or are not doing much of anything. The Henshall thing is seriously clichéd; the Alicia/Justin custody battle has gone nowhere; the Barton drug story petered out on a whimper; Lisa's rape started off well, but has developed into nothing; this Cain/Charity/Jai story has been dragged out with little movement, fizzing-out along the way - I can't believe this is the story they wanted to tell a year ago, but shelved due to Charlie Webb's maternity leave; why was Debbie needed so badly that they couldn't use any of her initial scenes off screen? She's not done anything! And that fire was the worst blaze out of all the soaps I watch - even Neighbours did a better job! I don't no if all this mediocrity is down to GB's death, but something needs changing fast.

Source: Herald Sun

It was forgotten about - literally dropped from the writer's minds. I think the last we saw of Abi, was when Nathan threatened her with his assumption that she was shagging Ryan. After that, she was never seen again. And Ryan forgot she existed.

I'll miss Faye, but lets face it, they've wasted her for the last year.

The one element that I liked about their story is the Eve angle. So much of that went unexplored and a lot of development could come out from that without resorting to sleeping around with every available girl in the village. Plus, it's too much to have both John and Moira sleeping around with everyone, as the same story beats will be presented, and it'll come across a bit repetitive. I'm not sure how believable it would be with John, as so far he's never come across as a big drowning-of-sorrows kinda guy, and is actually quite controlled, whereas Moira, I could see it happening, but do I want to see yet another woman taken down this path? Not really. Wait... I think you said that John could have a sex addiction, which could make it more believable. Like, he could have sought counselling for it years ago, and this could be a relapse - his usual controlled manner can be explained as a result of his therapy. OK, now I like this. I've never gotten that vibe from Faye, but I could see it happening. Where's Zoe Tate when you need her? I wish they'd bring her back, as she was my fave character for so many years. I miss Zoe. Have you noticed how you seem to have a lot of sexuality/sexual stories happening all at once? Nikhil revealing he's bi/experimented w/ guys, John and Moira sleeping around, Faye exploring her sapphic side, Layla pimping out ex-stripper David for money... I think Faye needs a new character to enter the show, a man who'd be her prince - figuratively and literally. I really want her to be lady of the manor, and I could also see Ella feeling threatened by that, as she's currently the lady of Home Farm. Speaking of, I did like your idea to give Ella a mental health past, but I wasn't a fan of her killing herself in a botched suicide. I think there's a lot that can be explored and developed with her, and killing her off would curtail all of that possibility. It's true, Lizzie has zero purpose. But, if the writing wasn't there, it could come across as bad taste and tacky victimizing the blind girl. It would be interesting if done right. I keeping forgetting about Victoria! And so it seems does Carl - and the show. I think there's scope for Victoria in the Eric/Val talk show story, as that would definitely need more purpose, and involving Victoria and Amy would do that. I think Victoria could get a taste for acting or something, and they could explore the dark side to achieving that. The off-shot could be that Amy is out for celebrity and fame, while Victoria is wanting something more real and substantial, like an actual career. It's easier for Amy to achieve 15 minutes of fame, while Victoria struggles to get noticed, and thus falls into sinister hands. This is why I went with the David & Layla story, b/c they are quite weird characters, while being quite ordinary at the same time. I did have a WTF!? moment when you made David an ex-stripper, but I can see that they are characters that would suit the more OTT crazy stories that Emmerdale used to do. Not sure how easily David would agree to being an escort, considering the drama that blackmailing chick with that DVD, created. And Layla would have to be pretty desperate... I'd also probably keep Alicia around as well, as I quite like her, and she's hot, too. I'd get rid of Mia and Scarlett, as the latter has out stayed her welcome, and the former is too dull and ill defined - a wet match has more spark than her.

Carl, that's all quite interesting - I do like most of it, but there are parts that aren't quite right. Like, Robert Sugden being bi and having a past relationship with Nikhil. I like the idea of Nikhil being bi and having experienced something similar to Debbie, but not with Robert. I'm in favour of any story that ships Jackson/Hazel/Aaron out of town that doesn't involve some tragic suicide. Love the idea of Eric buying a TV network and Val having her own talk show (as long as it's nothing like the horror that was Jack & Jen's In The House on Days). Don't like the Lisa murders Derek story, as not only would it be another murder cover-up, but I don't want to see Lisa taken down that route. And I don't believe Zak would ever leave his family under any circumstances. And I'm not so sure about Lizzie being raped, either - something about violating a blind woman doesn't sit right. Would you have John & Moira reunited in the end? And you don't seem to have any real story for Faye!

More ratings for the week of Jan 17. Mon: 315,000 Tues: 319,000 Wed: 321,000 Thurs: 284,000 Fri: 224,000 Jan 24. Mon: 330,000 It also seems that Eleven's audience share dips considerably at the weekend when Neighbours doesn't air... Also, Ten's new News hour shows from 6pm premièred to just 606,000 and 537,000 respectively. Re: Sonya's story... It does look interesting, and I'm intrigued to see how it all plays out, but it is a shame that certain facts look like they will be forgotten, like Callum's aunt in Ballarat who he went to stay with after his Nan was hospitalized before Toadie adopted him. What's frustrating is that this all happened in the last 3 years, the same length of time Susan Bower has been with the show, making it her original story development after she axed the East Timor story, so she should be able to remember her own recent history!

Like? I guess they threw those characters into the mix, b/c they're men, and it's the whole Action Man complex that they were going for - young guys saving damsels from a nasty fire. You'll notice that they were all women that needed saving (Chas, Katie, Gennie, Betty, Viv). Brenda was a little OTT, but in her later scenes, I thought she was spot on. Actually, her little storyline with Terry before the fire, was the first time I actually liked her character. Now, I bet she'll sail off on that cruise she's been harping on about, in order to get away from it all. Deena also said she contacted AS, too, and all of them said they weren't asked. Ironically, AS is returning at a later date, so why they couldn't have brought her back for her mother's funeral, is crazy. They didn't want to, that's why. Cleansing the show of Viv is a lot harder to do when you bring back her kids to mourn. From what I remember, Kathy was serenaded by some singer. It was quaint and nice. I think it was Sylph, that once said that he liked that all characters can be killed off no matter what their standing (or something to that effect), but I think this is proof of what can happen when shows kill off vets in a hollow story. If there was more apprehension when dealing with vets, then at least we wouldn't have to get disrespectful exits like this. Whose going to remember this fire? Or that Viv & Terry died in it? The plane crash happened in 1993 and it's still remembered to this day, even the bus crash that killed Butch, or the Storm, are more memorable than this fire. Ever since that shoddy house explosion in 2006, the disasters have been poor and hollow. There was a time when death had shockwaves. Now, death is a quick fix for short term drama. Neighbours killed off Ringo at the hands of Steph, who had been on the show for 11 years, just so they could heap more misery and sadness onto her character, giving her one of the grimiest endings I've seen on the show. Steph had already been taken down, why the need to go further? Why not let Ringo & Donna leave together? But this is the direction all soaps are/have taken; it's like they're all high, always going for the quick hit, then they come down, and it's time for the next hit. This is a slow death.

Not just no funeral, but no burial in the village cemetery next to her husband, Vic's, grave, of which she's lived for nearly 2 decades! They hate her. They're eradicating her from ED history, so they must do. I knew this was going to be a bad exit for Viv, b/c this story is about Andy/Katie/PsychoCop, and nothing else. The fire merely presented an easy way to get rid of Viv without actually having to write for her. And this story with A/K/PC isn't that great anyway, considering it's rushed, with little to no time to care about Henshall, or growing to care about him and Katie as a couple. The show seems to have a select set of characters that they're interested in writing for, while others are constantly backburned, like Nikhill (who probably won't get another story for months), Jai (whose stuck in this super slow story with Charity & Cain), Faye, Victoria, Declan, Debbie, Ryan, Gennie, Brenda, Diane, Laural, Ashley... Granted, the majority of the cast do seem to be involved in something, even if that something is small and secondary to everything else that's going on. And a lot of that is very direction-less. Where are they taking Eric/Val/Amy? The Bartons? Zak/Lisa/Derek? Paddy/Rhona/Marlon? Declan's Family?

It's the baby switch. Or rather, it's the fact that a dead baby was switched with a living baby, leaving one family to horrifically grieve unnecessarily. If it had been a run of the mill switch with two living babies, then no controversy and no fuss, but b/c one died, that seems to have been taken as a step too far, and one that has hit a lot of mothers hard (whether they've experienced SIDS or not). Amongst all the outrage, you have a lot of people who don't watch the show, but have read all the tabloid press, listened to the radio, etc. and formed an opinion based on that, and have decided the switch was bad, and that no mother would ever do that. These people don't know Ronnie's character, and just feel the story is horrible. Someone said to me today, that they don't watch EE, but read about the story and feel the baby switch was going too far. These opinions are pointless, IMO, and shouldn't be taken into any consideration by TPTB, b/c they don't watch the show and have no investment in any of it, so why give them the time of day? Yes, the story is harrowing and confronting, but so has a lot of other stories in EE, like their domestic violence story, or stories about rape, murder, and more violence, yet no-one seems to mind those!? Some people seem to find it too confronting, and wrongly feel like a negative stereotype will be born from Ronnie's actions, when it is clear that Ronnie's actions are not of a normal mother having lost her baby to SIDS. I'm also certain that if Ronnie had stolen some random baby from an off screen couple, there wouldn't be any outrage at all. Maybe they shouldn't have written it straight, and instead left it so we didn't know the baby switch had taken place. Simply have Ronnie go to check on her baby, then at the end, have Alfie & Kat discover their baby is dead. Basically, keep it as it was but don't show Ronnie discovering her baby dead, and switching him with A&K's. Her strange behaviour could be attributed to PND, which would allow for the switch to be a shocking curve ball.

Thanks Amello. She was Filipino! Now I remember, sort of. I liked her. You'd think I'd remember a name like, Dee De La Cruz. LOL. Some of that Eric/Elizabeth/Michael story rings a bell. Do you want Eric to be a murderer or not? Would it change his character if he was? I think Andy & Katie are played out. I think they suit being friends that still have a connection, but one that isn't romantic. Andy needs to move on, and find happiness with someone else.

I just want to add that I do agree with this, and that the show is much more enjoyable to watch these days than it has been - it has definitely improved. I don't want to confuse people when I say that, after my last post, but for me, even with the improved drama, the show is still lacking in other Neighbours qualities, which separates it from other shows, like H&A. In their bid to improve and be modern, they've gone down the path of simply focusing on misery to create drama, instead of also using humour and happiness to create those warm magic moments that Neighbours did so well. Otherwise, characters become like Steph, where their lives revolve around one miserable climax after another. There's also a coldness that arrived with Parkers, and has stayed ever since. I wonder if the show will go PG for random episodes? That way the overall show will still be G rated, with the added bonus of writing PG material for singular episodes.

I loved the slap down that Chas gave Eve, and that Eve fought back. But, Chas being nasty to Ashley and Andy left a bad taste for me. That was unnecessary, and Charity doesn't help. I love that the Eric story from 1993 has been brought back up, after long been forgotten. But, I'm confused. I thought Elizabeth was the Thai bride that Eric married (actually, I can't remember if they did), who mysteriously disappeared. But, she isn't, and I vaguely remember Elizabeth, and I'm now confused as to what actually happened to the Thai bride, and why Eric wanted Elizabeth dead. I do remember that he was going to kill her, but the plane crash did that for him - or did he kill her and place her body amongst the wreckage to make it look like the plane crash did it? Does anyone else think Katie's new beau, the cop, will turn out to be some sort of psycho stalker, and Andy will have to eventually save her? I bet they'll use this to prop an Andy/Katie reunion of some sorts, with Katie having to apologize for not believing him.

They do seem to have gone backwards with Vanessa. Like, the Harry story was popular, so they've shelved it and everyone involved, when really, it was just Harry. They've made the point of putting her with Max, and I think it's a cop out not to follow that through when she's needed. Otherwise, just split them up, and move her out of his orbit, that way, whenever Max does something, we won't be wondering where her reaction is, and instead we'll get Lauren's take on things. I got that straight away. What bugged me was how Stacey got there in such a hurried fashion. After Janine tries to frame Stacey by stabbing herself, she sees blood on her hand, remembers Bradley falling from the roof, and decides to throw herself off that same roof!? Why? She wasn't suicidal 5 minutes before Janine showed up, so why the sudden need to kill herself at that point? Seems it was just thrown in to ramp up the sensational drama, with no thought to story or where the character was psychologically at. This is true; it all felt very in character. I did like how CB played Janine as if she was still sane, as her actions could've easily been played as if she had slipped into psycho territory. I like that she's kept her sanity.

My belated two cents worth on the recent eps. I'm with Sylph and James on the Xmas Day ep, as I didn't enjoy that, but I never actually thought I would, as I haven't been invested in any of the J/R/S triangle, due to its plotiness and lack of depth (it didn't help that I read the leaked ending in a tabloid a couple of months ago). The episode felt too OTT for me, and there was a lot going on, which meant a lot of things weren't properly developed enough. Janine stabbing herself would've been enough, without Stacey climbing onto the roof, suddenly feeling suicidal for 5 minutes. B/c it was so rushed, Max didn't seem to have any concern for her mental health, even though the girl was inches from throwing herself off a building! Then there was Janine, staggering across the Square for about 30 minutes, bleeding, but never actually collapsing, even though she would've lost quite a bit of blood, considering she removed the towel for full bloody effect. Janine should've lost consciousness long before the paramedics arrived, or at least felt faint. However, I did like the ending with Max watching the plane, and Stacey looking out the window and onto the London skyline; I liked how Stax came full circle, and I liked how Ryan got dashed by Stacey. The final dialogue between Stacey/Jean was one of the best moments in the whole episode. But, I'm unsure if Stacey should have got away with murder, or if she should've gone to prison. Boxing Day: I was really disappointed that all we got was those pesky Max/Lauren scenes, after the monumental decision Max made on Xmas day. He packed a bag with the intention of leaving the country, and his entire family (3 kids and a g/f) to be with Stacey, and all we get is a couple of scenes with Lauren!? Where were Vanessa, or Abi? We've seen months of Lauren's POV, and I believe it would've been more interesting to get Abi's take on things, and how she felt seeing Max chase after Stacey again, and potentially ruining yet another relationship with Vanessa (who Abi likes). Vanessa should've been there ready to talk about what he did, b/c that puts major questions on their relationship, and where they both stand - he was leaving her for another woman! The follow through on this show sucks so much. On a brighter note, I did like Pat slapping Ryan, and the scenes with Patrick/Denise/Kim/Dot, Bianca/Phil, Ryan/Janine/Pat/Ricky. I think Ryan & Janine have a lot of potential to be like one of those destructive couples, where they do really bad things to each other (like trying to murder one another), but deep down, love each other, and will do anything for the other. We just need to see more scenes that demonstrate the latter, and for Ryan to realize that he and Janine are a match made in Hell. Sort of like a Mr. & Mrs. Smith-esque couple. It would only work if the writing was there, and I don't think it is, especially for Ryan's character. Monday: I loved this ep so much more than the last two. The scenes with Kat/Ronnie/Jean were so well acted by GW, and that last scene was quite harrowing. I'm even suspending by disbelief over Kat & Ronnie's insta-friendship. I loved the scenes at Dot's place, and Kim is so awesome. Sad that P/K/D have left Dot's to stay with the Beales, as the potential of that set-up wasn't explored long enough. I wish we had seen more of Denise; she's so neglected. The weird Carol/Connor thing is back on, and still without any further exploration of Carol's motivation - she mothers him, she sleeps with him...

Steph's story represents the good and the bad. Its destroyed her character, and ruined several others in the process, but it has given us some awesome scenes after the revelation. These have shown that the show can write good dramatic material, but, it's all tainted by the fact that the story should never have happened in the first place. I guess, a lot of people (and me included) would've suspended our disbelief, if the execution had been right, and if the plot hadn't of ruined Steph and Toadie, and to a degree, Libby as well (she would never have left a heavily pregnant Steph collapsed on the floor). I have no problem with Karl, and I don't see why anyone should. Steph killed Ringo - a young man that Karl treated like a son - while over the alcohol limit. There are extenuating circumstances, like Steph having PND, but it's understandable that Karl would want some kind of justice. When I look back at where Steph is now, it saddens me, b/c the character has fallen so far from where she once was. It's all misery after misery for her, and that's sad and disappointing. There have been some good scenes between Steph & Libby, and all the referencing of the past, and acknowledging how one-sided their friendship has become (Steph doing more for Libby), the scene where Steph gave Dan their baby, was written so simply and beautifully, and Sonya, being the only character in this mess, to stay true to her self - she's a diamond, and one I'm glad they've made permanent. Sadly, the good does not outweigh the bad. And even the good is bad in itself, b/c you have to forget that they would never being acting like that in the first place, and simply enjoy the well written dramatic material for what it is. And here's the thing: 2009 was dreck, and really killed the shows rep in Oz. So, any good in 2010 was always going to be an improvement. Steph's story and the character of Sam Fitzgerald both symbolise the limits of Bower's writing and storytelling capabilities. She's all about good and evil, and struggles with grey; plot over character - that's her style. Sam was an awesomely multifaceted character under the previous regime, but Bower made her evil; Steph's story could've been written with character, but instead it was all about plot - dark plots. Neighbours is not about darkness, but about human kindness, love and good humour. Dark stories have there place when told with the right balance, and with the right characters, but when the show is flooded with misery and nastiness, it's difficult to appreciate the good dark stories, like Paul blackmailing Rebecca to stay married. That story has so many layers, and as dark as it is, one that probably gets written off as more of the same. But I love its potential, and appreciate it for what it is; Jane Hall & Stefan Dennis sell the material, too, which is a bonus.