Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[Liberty City]

OMFG! So jealous!! Two amazing albums!! She seemed to be well received when she opened for Backstreet Boys earlier this year in the States, too!

[Skylover]

That's good to hear, it's criminal how underrated she is! I can't wait for her next album, I really like her single Back to Your Heart. 

[Liberty City]

SAME! Part of me wishes she would carve out a month or two to return to Neighbours, a-la Guy Pearce or even Natalie Bassingthwaighte for a Nina-centric story that brings her back to the street, even temporarily. I think it'd be cute.

[althea-davis]

I just watched Monday's episode. IMO, it was probably the best one of the new chapter so far. We got romance (Mike/Jane), romance with pathos (Mack/Haz), major revelations (JJ's secret), business drama (Reece vs. Paul was good. Yes, Mischa is low energy, but she does okay in scenes with Stefan Dennis and Tim Kano was there too, and he can elevate anything with his charm), and other plot developments. I really enjoyed it. Hopefully they can keep this momentum going.   

[Vee]

Mischa Barton is officially somnambulant to watch and seems haggard. Her strange array of Swiss Miss-esque outfits aren't helping. Some elements of the hotel story and others seem vaguely all-ages teen soap, which does again remind me of some of the early Prospect Park soap subplots over here (well, not the all ages part). There's nothing wrong with that but it becomes a bit uniform and you hope for stuff with a bit more substance. I need to catch up on the last two or so eps though.

[Adamski]

It's great to hear that Neighbours is being watched in the US now! A while back I was wondering if Mischa Barton and some key cast members would be going over to North America to promote the show when it relaunched, but I guess the US writers' strike put paid to that thanks to talk shows going off air.

I wonder, have any US based members seen advertising for Neighbours over there? Here in the UK there were posters on bus stops all across the country, and also some billboards, I believe. 

On another note, I think the four eps per week model is a smart choice. We all have so many distractions available to us now that it makes it easier for new/lapsed viewers to pick up the habit of watching the show, IMO.

[Liberty City]

So, we are twelve episodes into the revival (a.k.a. three weeks) and I'm really enjoying the direction they've taken the series. And the four-day model is awesome. Loving the new family, and while I am enjoying the idea of Nell being an instigator to Terese, I hate that she is focused on Terese. And the twist at the end? I love it.

I recall a snippet in Soap Opera Digest, and that's about it.

[Skylover]

Neighbours has now been Number 1 on Freevee UK for the last few days. It's also gone up to Number 9 in the US.

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Edited October 6, 2023 by Skylover

[tiofmso]

I loved the little tribute to Lou in today’s episode. The love/hate relationship between him and “Jellybelly” was always a highlight to watch.

I can’t remember if they gave him a mention in the finale so this was nice to see.

Also I hope they’re not getting rid of the school. One of the best parts of the show was each time period having its own class of students. The Toadie/Billy/Anne/Lance/Hannah era of the late 90s, the Stingray/Dylan/Sky/Serena era from the early 2000s, Rachel/Declan/Donna/Zeke and occasionally Kyle when they needed a bully from the late 2000’s.

It wasn’t so great going through the 2010’s but I always thought it was an important part of the show.

[DRW50]

I think there was just a photo, or glimpses in flashbacks near the end.

[DRW50]

Wait until you see her outfit on today's episode!

I'm enjoying the show overall, I think it's gotten better after a somewhat questionable choice of stories to focus on for that first week (namely, the Toadie/Terese marriage and how it was handled), but I would agree with the Prospect Park comment, especially when it comes to the hotel.

As one of the people who has no real knowledge of Mischa Barton beyond her tabloid travails (never watched much of OC), I haven't minded her in the role, but as the part starts to become more complicated you can see the flatness in the performance. 

I will say the new Byron is working more for me than he was initially, even if I still wish they'd managed to hang onto the first actor. 

[Skylover]

I seem to be in the minority but Reece and Byron's relationship is actually my favourite storyline in the revival so far. I think they have good chemistry and find them interesting to watch.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Skylover

[DRW50]

Now that the story has opened up with Paul finding out about them and Byron's past being exposed, I'm more involved than I was. It's about middle for my list of stories (if I ever feel like it I was going to rank the stories so far).

[Skylover]

What are you enjoying most?

[Liberty City]

I agree with all of this.

I'm really enjoying the revival, though. They're doing it right, and I know as we get into November and December, it'll pick up more.