Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[Ben]

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.

[Skylover]

Interesting to read your thoughts, Ben. I definitely agree that they need to bring back a past character to fill the void or at least to fill the gap while Libby's gone. And seeing as she's taken indefinite leave I don't expect to see her back until 2012 episodes now to be honest. Awful that Kym Valentine is suffering from a depressive illness, she's one of the biggest stars on an international show, and is absolutely stunning too.

I think bringing back Christina Robinson is the best idea. They've kind of explored all avenues with Paul and Gail (though I would lvoe her to return regardless, especially if they bring her back as permanent and she falls in love with Paul again). But I think there are more opportunities with Chris considering she is Andrew's mother. Plus we really need some 40+ characters back in the show as that age bracket is starting to feel depleted again with both Lyn and Rebecca gone. If they can't persuade the actress to return, then Gail is next best thing. They need to bring someone back for Paul though, as he's becoming quite isolated although there is now the opportunity to further explore his relationship with Andrew.

The Kennedy's will need something to do while Libby's gone. Bringing back Mal would be great. He was last seen in 2004 and it would be realistic to see him again after so much time has passed.

Ben - what do you think of the new characters like Jade, Chris and Kyle? And were you upset that Mark decided to leave so soon after signing his contract?

[JamesF]

The cast is getting way, way too small and with Lyn out the door too the demos of the cast just don't stack up. I would never choose to see the Kennedys leave but they'll only work if the 40+ crowd is looked at. My concern is that given the focus of Eleven, there's no encouragement to do it.

As far as returnees, I could really do without Christina. While I agree that it could be good to see Andrew's mother she was a terribly dull character and not well acted. I also believe that she and the other twin ended up getting dodgy plastic surgery and moving to the US. Conversely Gail is a fascinating character, even more so in her 00s returns. The difficulty is linking her to anything other than Paul. There's no reason why she would come back. In a lot of ways I think Rebecca's relationship with Paul overlapped as to where it would have gone if they'd managed to get Gail back for a full time stint.

I wonder whether bringing Max back with a new wife might work as another blended family. I'd also enjoy a Darcy return to go up against Paul and either of Susan's sisters to dig up the euthanasia plot again. Amy Robinson, Lou's kids, Angie Rebecchi, Tad Reeves, siblings of Michael's...even Mal and Catherine would be good. Catherine could easily be recast and I'd like to see her spin out of control being stuck back in suburban Melbourne. Possibly turning against Karl and Susan and having an affair. There were several hints when Mal came back in 2002 that she'd rather die than go back to Erinsborough.

Whilst I agree with Susan Bower that it's hard to do returns for the sake of it, the cast needs revitalising and the first things that should be looked at are 1) what type of characters are missing - this is what Ric P did when he came in as EP and turned the show round. 2) what relatives are available. Family connections were a key factor of the show's success in 2004/5. Izzy in particular impacted on the Hoylands, Kennedys, Scullys, Bishops and Robinsons.

[Ben]

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.

[DRW50]

The oldest Kennedy son is returning. I guess he will be playing out Libby's story. I didn't even know about him I thought it was just Libby and Billy.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s14/neighbours/news/a318540/neighbours-return-for-malcolm-kennedy.html

[Ben]

How spooky is that?! I suggested a story idea for the Kennedys in which Susan emotionally falls for another guy, and now it's actually happening for real! Weird.

I'm glad they're bringing Mal back, but sad he won't be with his wife Catherine. Hopefully the 4 month guest stint will be extended if he proves popular. I guess he won't get to share any scenes with Libby, as presumably she would have already left?

[DRW50]

What was Malcolm like? How did he get along with his family?

[Skylover]

I posted this on NFans but thought I would post it in here too to see what you think:

Would Neighbours be in a better state if the people that mattered cared about the show?

What I mean by this is that for years Channel Ten hasn’t had faith in Neighbours, never promoting the show and making it painfully obvious that they only air it to satisfy the UK audience. But if the Channel Ten bosses believed in it, and trailed it non-stop like Channel 7 does with Home and Away, would it have moved to Channel 11 and be on the verge of getting the chop? It’s obvious that Australia is not ready to let the show go, seeing as it has become the no.1 digital show in the country, so why didn’t Channel Ten see that they had a great show? I know its ratings weren’t amazing, but not many shows on Ten have fantastic ratings and as we’ve seen, its replacement has actually been beaten by Neighbours itself many times.

Then there’s Fremantle. When the show moved to Channel 5, of course there was more promotion, more time slots etc. But essentially viewers were lost and the show’s reputation was damaged. C5 might not be the awful channel it was, but people will still frown upon watching Neighbours simply down to the channel it is on. But Fremantle were greedy and demanded a price four times what was being paid for Neighbours (the BBC were paying 25k per episode, Five offered to pay 100k per episode) and Fremantle went with Five’s offer even though the BBC were willing to up the price to 75k per episode.

Fremantle’s greed hasn’t stopped there. Despite the fact Five were pumping money into the show, this wasn’t ever seen on screen. The cast may have increased in size, but the sets continued to be pathetic, lagging behind Home and Away, whose channel clearly cares about its wellbeing. Harold’s Store continues to look like a dungeon, with some Starbucks reject paint covering the walls and draining all natural light that dares to enter the room. I don’t know if this is a problem with the producers or production company, but whatever the case, it is a symptom of the fundamental lack of care the people in charge have shown.

Ironically the fans never give up. Despite the awful way the show is shot and produced, the fans continue to tune in (in the UK at least and digital in Oz) and are committed to the show but Fremantle doesn’t see what a worthwhile investment it could have long-term. Cutting crew members and reducing the cast to an almost unmanageable size when Five continue to pay so much for the show. I know Richard Desmond wanted to re-negotiate the contract but it’s clear to me that Fremantle are not fulfilling their role in the production of the show. They could invest money into their show but instead it’s obvious that they pocket the money for themselves with little regard to the show’s welfare and they obviously have no interest in keeping the show running long-term despite its mass appeal. I see no reason why it couldn’t run for as long as Coronation Street because the format works and it is a wonderful show. But I dread the day that the show comes to an end thanks to greed and lack of judgement on a grand scale from all the people who matter, but don’t seem to care.

Why don’t the bosses care anymore?

The situation with Harold's Store should really have a thread of its own, but here are pictures to compare:

2004 and Natural Light:

2011 - The Uninviting Look:

[DRW50]

Pepper at a party.

http://gofugyourself.com/maxim-hot-100-party-mostly-fug-omnibus-05-2011/2011-maxim-hot-100-party-with-new-era-miller-lite-2xist-and-silver-jeans-co-arrivals-12

[Skylover]

Thanks for the link. Oh that brought back some wonderful memories. Pepper truly is a classic character.

What do you think of my thoughts, Carl?

[DRW50]

I don't know that much about the show's history so I didn't want to speak - but your thoughts are very well put together and the cap of Harold's Store then and now is striking.

[Ben]

Two new castings... One dishy Doctor and one new teen.

[DRW50]

I guess the doctor will get involved with Susan?

[Ben]

That's my guess. It'll be interesting to see how they play it. I'm surprised he's a younger guy, but I guess it fits with Susan's transition and where her life is at, now that all the kids are adults and gone.

[Skylover]

Do you guys also think that the Noah character could be a love interest for Chris? The actor looks hot and a bit camp looking so I thought it was possible...?