Home and Away: Discussion Thread

[Dion]

Gina to me seems like a watered down version of Meg Fountain (Todd's role on McLeod's daughters).

Elijah hasn't returned to NZ yet but I will say that the only thing Elijah really has going for him is that he is played by a bit of a 'name' actor (more so in NZ than Australia). If not for that then I wouldn't be interested at all.

I don't like the way that once again Marilyn has baby rabies (something which dominated her last two years or so on the show back in the 90s). I hope she is eventually allowed to move on from that.

[august1229]

I wonder if the show will manage to get Brax out of being a criminal by the skin of their teeth. The couple seems popular. But from what I've seen, he's guilty.

[Skylover]

Home and Away is boring me quite a bit at the moment. After my comments about Casey earlier in this thread, you will understand why I am so happy to receive the following in the post yesterday. :D

He's really encouraging about writing for the show. If only I had a shred of belief that it would actually happen. I'm in love with Lincoln Younes

[Ben]

Kimberly Cooper Returns!

So happy Gypsy is coming back. Maybe now I'll start watching the show again after months of nothing.

ETA: Happy for you Ed. Lincoln sounds like an awesome guy.

Edited June 5, 2011 by Ben

[Skylover]

That was the most shocking piece of news I've heard about Home and Away for ages. Will it be a permanent return though? I really hope so! And thanks Ben

[Ben]

It does say she's moved back to Oz, so hopefully she'll be permanent. It's a shame that they brought Will back and trashed his character by making him Penn's killer. What a waste.

[Skylover]

Yeah, you have to wonder what goes through producers minds' sometimes when they make awful decisions like that.

[Ben]

DS Producer Interview with Cameron Welsh - Part 1

DS Producer Interview with Cameron Welsh - Part 2

He really needs to learn to be less cagey and more open to actually answering the questions; he side-steps a lot of questions, and doesn't really tease much on character scoops.

It sounds like Gypsy is only coming back for a guest run.

[Skylover]

This week I have received fan cards from both Steve Peacocke and David Jones-Roberts who play 'Darryl Braxton' and 'Xavier Austin'. I'm absolutely thrilled with these responses. Steve seems like a very humble guy, and is very encouraging about writing for TV. I was surprised to hear from David at all, as I wrote to him in September 2009

Hope you like my picture

[Ben]

Wow, major long letter from Steve! Don't think I've ever seen such a lengthy reply to a fan before. I guess DJR has a back log, or is just lazy.

What did he say about the TV writing, if you don't mind me asking? Also, I get the impression that all the Braxton Bros are really nice guys in RL. Dan Ewing always comes across as nice, and so does Steve; they don;t have big egos, or aren't divos.

ETA: Have you been watching the show recently? I've only caught the odd episode, but was just wondering what you think of it now. Was the storm any good?

Edited September 17, 2011 by Ben

[Skylover]

Of course I don't mind you asking. He basically said that he had been in many theatre productions written by British playwrights and always enjoyed them, adding that I have surely been inspired by many along the way. Then he just wished me luck. He is very lovely and you're right, the actors playing the 'River Boys' come across as very down-to-earth guys. I was surprised when I read the letter how intelligent Steve came across. That may sound harsh but I guess I expected him to be like Darryl to a certain extent!

As for that being a long reply; I have had many letters from the Home and Away cast in the last two years. I'm trying to get the entire cast but some are very hard to get. I tend to frame my cards which come with letters, and am saving all the ones with notes on the actual cards to put in a big frame. Here are some links to my letters if you're interested:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/Home%20and%20Away%20Fan%20Cards/LukeMitchellletter.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/Home%20and%20Away%20Fan%20Cards/LisaGormleyletter.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/Home%20and%20Away%20Fan%20Cards/RayMeagherletter.jpg

And my frames:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/Home%20and%20Away%20Fan%20Cards/DSCF0750.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/Home%20and%20Away%20Fan%20Cards/DSCF1012.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/DSCF0911.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b266/Edskylover/DSCF0917-1.jpg

As for the current show, yeah, I am still watching. I never give up on Neighbours or Home and Away. I am struggling to keep up with EastEnders though because t is so diabolical at the moment. The Storm wasn't great. There were no long-term repurcussions. Heath's ex died which has left him to raise his daughter which is clearly a plot device to bring out the nicer side to him, but it is pretty clear the girl won't be permanent so I'm not sure what they're trying to achieve. The storyline was pretty much a ratings-grabber, and considering it was publicised to death as the 'biggest disaster to ever hit Summer Bay' it was a bit of a let-down. I think they rely to heavily on these sorts of plots and after a while they just fall flat. What annoyed me the most was Colleen's involvement in it all. The character is a constant irritation as far as I'm concerned and I dn't see why they haven't axed her and brought back Celia to fill the void. Colleen is always and always has been treated like a joke and I just don't think the character brings anything to the show. Celia was the heart of the community between 88 and 90 and I think she was more well-rounded. During The Storm, they used Colleen to bring some humour to the episodes but it sort of undermined the whole thing. Those episodes aren't meant to be comedic and I don't think she should have featured in the episodes.

As for other storylines, it seems to just be going through the motions. The Braxtons have clearly been popular and while I think they have a place, they have come to dominate most of the screen time and not in a good way. I don't think they're being used to their full potential. They definitely are decent characters and actors, but they're milking the drama so much that they seem to be going round in circles. It's one drama after the next with little thought to character development. I think once the characters get out of the gang storylines they will serve more of a purpose. The thing is they're being portrayed as the protagonists and the show is glamourising that lifestyle. I am far more interested in other characters though I do see the potential in a forbidden romance between Brax and Charlie. I think they would have worked but they've featured far too heavily and therefore the characters have run out of steam. As far as I'm concerned it didn't help that nerly all their scenes to begin with were the pair of them getting out of bed hardly dressed, and eating each other's faces off the whole time. We never got to see the character's develop a connection. There is chemistry, but it all falls flat because we don't know they they love each other so much.

Xavier continues to be a victim of the writers not having a clue what to do with him but against all odds his relationship with Kelly has been one of the highlights of the 2011 season. I wasn't a fan of Xavier to begin with but I have grown to love his character as I think he is one of the most believable and I think he, Sonia and Shane who play the Palmer/Austin family have good chemistry. I hope they bring back Kelly because they were so suited and I would like to see her as a regular.

Irene's story seems to have been a bit of a car crash at the moment, with Gypsy returning to 'support' her but barely giving a dam and just going out drinking with Bianca, yelling at Lily or causing tension with April. I don't see the point in her return other than the producer is bringing back all his mates for a guest run. Simply pointless considering that they senwt Will to prison a few months earlier. If they'd just held on a few more months the story could have been great. However it is lovely to see Gypsy back, as she always was one of the best characters.

A highlight recently has been the arrival of Sid's daughter Sasha, who was the result of an affair. She is one of the best new characters for a long time with some decent writing and a great actress. Her actions could have easily made her disliekable but the actress has persevered and made her a great character. I hope she's hear to stay, except her half-brother, despite only being ten years old (yes I'm cruel), is a terrible actor.

What are your thoughts, Ben? Sorry for the long post!

I'm pretty sure you can go through my Photbucket album and look at all my fan cards but I'm not really sure how it works, I'm rubbish with computers!

[Ben]

They are awesome, Ed. Really nice. They all do seem like really nice people and appreciative of your time to write to them. LG seems so nice, and she has beautiful hand writing.

@ You doing the cliché thing in thinking the actor would be like his character! Tsk, tsk! Which actors are elusive to get?

B/c I don;t really watch the any more, I can't really comment. But, when I do watch an episode, it does hold my interest, but never enough to make me want to watch the next one. My love of the show has drained, and I feel like the H&A I grew up with is no longer around. It's like from 2009 the shows DNA changed for the worse.

I was so surprised to read that Heath was not supposed to be permanent and he was going to leave early on. I'm glad they changed their mind, as that would have been a mistake and pretty pointless. He's still on recurring though, which is not good. From what I've seen I do like Charlie & Brax, but I've not seen enough to form a logical opinion, like you. The storm sounds disappointing, and a minor character dying was predictable. But, it did translate into ratings, so I'm sure that's all they care about. It has been bugging me ever since I read that Gypsy was returning to support Irene through her cancer ordeal, b/c Irene has two children of her own who aren't dead, and it would be nice if they actually remembered that Finlay and Damien do exist, and something like this would be perfect in bringing them back. I saw Kelly for the first time the other day, when she and Xavier went horse riding; they seem cute together, and Kelly is likeable. Shame she'd not staying. However, everytime I read something about the show, Xavier is always in mortal danger - car accident, being bashed over the head, surfing accident... you name it, he's involved! I do like Colleen, but I feel her place in the show has been lost. It feels like they struggle to think of stories for the vets - Alf, Morag, Leah, Colleen, Irene... granted, Irene has her first proper story in years, and they make sure they do things for Alf, but the others suffer a lot, and Leah always feels like she's going around in circles.

[Skylover]

Thanks, Ben. I am really proud of my Home and Away replies and the actors do seem very nice. The Home and Away cast are much more reliable with their fan mail in contrast to the Neighbours cast, who don't seem to reply anywhere near as much. I have personalised fan cards from Ray Meagher (Alf), Lyn Collingwood (Colleen), Emily Symons (Marilyn), Lynne McGranger (Irene), Amy Mathews (Rachel), Esther Anderson (Charlie), Rebecca Breeds (Ruby), David Jones-Roberts (Xavier), Axle Whitehead (Liam), Luke Mitchell (Romeo), Robert Mammone (Sid), Samara Weaving (Indigo), Charles Cottier (Dexter), Lisa Gormley (Bianca), Rhiannon Fish (April), Steven Peacocke (Brax), Dan Ewing (Heath), Lincoln Younes (Casey).

From what I know, Rebecca and David are difficult to get but I've got them, I've seen a few replies from Sonia (Gina) but I know she's also hard to get. I have never seen a reply from Josh Quong-Tart (Miles), I don't think he replies to fan mail at all. Ada is also difficult to get these days, I guess that's a result of her being such a long-term cast member. I've also written to Shane Withington but never seen a reply from him before so I doubt I'll get one.

Dan Ewing has mentioned in interviews that he will be upgraded to regular status in due course so it seems they have changed their minds. I'm glad too, I can't see the Braxtons working without Heath, he's an essential part of the family.

I know what you mean about the show. I always enjoy the show when I watch it, but for some reason I don't expect to. H&A has an odd relationship with its viewers. I do think it lacks something. It doesn't have something which pulls you in. I think it lacks the emotional attachment that other soaps have. What I find strange is that, particularly in Oz, Home and Away is seen as superior to Neighbours when I would always choose Neighbours over H&A. I instictively choose to watch Neighbours first on my laptop, and I think that shows that Neighbours is doing something which H&A isn't. I think the rot set in much earlier than 2009. When I tuned back into H&A in 2006, after not having watched it since the late 90s, I didn't think it seemed like the same show. Many people complain that Neighbours is nothing like it was in its first couple of years, but I would argue that H&A has changed beyond all recognition. It has a few familiar faces around now but that is all. I think apart from 2008 and 2011, it hasn't had a great season since the early noughties. Even then I don't think the Sutherlands were all that rivetting (bar Kirsty in her 2008-2009 stint) so I would go as far as saying the late 90s was when it was last truly good. I know many people regard 2005-2008 as a great era for the show but I don't agree. People say there were great characters like Hayley, the Hunters, Kim etc but looking back, there is absolutely nothing that draws me to these characters and I wouldn't want them back. Strangely, there are far fewer characters in H&A that I'd like to see return than in Neighbours. I think the noughties was a terrible era for the show overall, I think most of the characters lacked the warmth that they should. Oddly enough, I'm way more interested in the current cast than any cast from 2000-2007. I think the cast we have now are all very likeable in comparison. I think they're heading in the right direction but they need to bring more warmth to the show again.

In regard to Colleen, I haveloved her character at points, but the writing sucks for her these days. She's just treated as a joke or a nuissance by the residents. I think you're right about their long-term characters. Lea does seem like she goes round in circles, but I'm hoping now that she's with Miles we might see some development for the character.

Sorry for the long post once again!

[Skylover]

If you want to have a look at my fan cards/letters/frames, I think I've managed to arrange the album and use a public URL. The site with my pictures can be found here:

www.photobucket.com/EdwardHomeandAwayAutographs

[soapfan770]

H&A was really the only foreign soap I watched from the moment I discovered how to watch it online in the early 00s and I really enjoyed but I quit watching after Rebecca Carwright and her character Hayley left the show. Its funny back then I remember a lot of people talking about H&A but nowadays I don't hear a thing about it anymore so I was wondering how it is still doing in Australia these days.