Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[Skylover]

Forget the link, I've found something way more interesting: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=CIfj5_B_j80

I don't remember Damien being that hot How can I not remember this?!!?!! Attention: 00:36 and 00:53

Anyway, the girl is Sky, and that clip is from 2005. Is she the girl you meant?

Edited August 19, 2011 by Edward Skylover

[DRW50]

I was going to ask - I probably asked this ages ago too but oh well - what you thought of Lance? Did the actor want to leave or did they write him out? I liked the character, a nerd type who was also handsome and capable of more than just comic relief. I thought he was one of the cuter guys I've seen on the show over the years.

[DRW50]

It may be. I can't remember. Maybe she looked chubbier in her other outfit.

[Skylover]

Yeah, I liked Lance. I think he was perhaps a bit before my time. I was quite young when he was on, but I do remember being a hug fan of him and Amy together. They were wonderful together and totally contrasted. Ben has said before that he likes Lance. I don't know if he may give a better view of the character.

I don't think he would have been axed as he was quite popular, but then I guess you never know, they have made stranger decisions!

[DRW50]

I saw the episode where his girlfriend Alana was lying about her name - she claimed her name was boring, and she wanted to name herself Uhura, but thought that would have been too obvious. This was also when he and Toadie were trying, and failing miserably, to hide from Lou how dirty the apartment they were renting from him had become. He seemed to work very well with Toadie.

[Ben]

I liked Lance. I've said before that I loved the whole Toadie/Lance/Joel set-up, and they did try to recreate that dynamic with Toadie/Connor/Stuart and it did work in a lot of ways. Lance worked well with T&J and he had great chemistry with Amy - they were a very well defined and a popular pairing. In fact, it's a Neighbours theme to pair up an average looking guy/geeky/nerdy guy with a hot girl, giving the message that anyone can bag a hot girl, as beauty is in the eye of the beholder (they've done this many times before and the pairings have always been popular). I was disappointed when they had Amy cheat off screen on Lance, but I think this was all b/c Amy was leaving the show. I'm not sure about Andrew Bibby, but I would say he quit, as quite a lot of his cast mates had left (Billy, Anne, Amy, Ruth, Phil, Hannah), but it could have been a mutual decision as his stories were starting to dry up. I did love the scene they did for the 20th anniversary when Lance met Connor, and the two were put out at how similar they both were. Lance was jealous that Toadie had replaced him with a copy-cat, and Connor was threatened by Lance and Toadie's past. LOL.

I remember that episode, Carl, where Alana wanted to change her name to Uhura. A lot of people didn't like Lance's Seven Labours of Love story, but I look back on it quite fondly, even though I do remember at the time how some aspects of it were a little boring.

[DRW50]

Thanks. To me Connor and Lance weren't that much alike, but who knows.

I have probably asked this before too but did Connor's exit bother you?

Anyway, I found and watched a March 2002 episode...I didn't realize Susan still had that dark, long, bone-straight hair at this time. I also didn't know Darcy worked as a doctor with Karl's practice. They were fighting because of the receptionist (?), Serena. Was she the one later killed in the plane crash?

Meanwhile, Toadie was living with a blonde woman, and her daughter (or maybe not her daughter, I don't know), and Mark, a young guy with dark hair. I think I remember Mark from an earlier episode with his brother? He was staying with Toadie temporarily and Toadie and the woman wanted him to move back home.

Steph was dating a hot guy who was in business, and Lyn went from being thrilled at the idea of Steph moving away from trashy guys to being disturbed when she actually met him. At the end he and Steph kissed, but I guess based on Lyn's reaction, it would end badly.

The opening credits at that time are a little confusing. Susan is with one group of women, including Libby and Steph, and Lyn is with a bunch of women I don't really know, like Olly or Lolly, Maggie, etc. I wonder why they didn't go by family.

Edited August 19, 2011 by CarlD2

[Ben]

I never liked Connor's exit. They decided to go the mystery route, and leave you thinking psycho Rob had killed him, and at first it was OK, but then a week later it was revealed that he was living in China, and had simply dropped his wallet in Ramsay Street!? WTF? It never made any sense, as Connor's last scene was of him discovering that Cameron was really his evil twin brother Robert, and Rob grabbed a hold of him in a menacing way, saying he can't let him leave. And no follow up or nothing. Connor would never just leave his friends in danger like that. it was so bizarre.

That Serena was not the same Serena Bishop that died in the plane crash. She was some chick who Darcy fancied, but I think she was dodgy in some way... oh, she was stealing prescriptions I think. Darcy was a doctor, and he used to run a General Practice with Karl; they used to clash quite often, due to Darcy's reckless behaviour. They worked well together. At one point, Darcy was scheming to sell the surgery out from under Karl to some large corporation, which Karl was furious with when he discovered Darcy's plot. Later on, the surgery exploded, trapping Karl, and Darcy had to rescue him. Karl had to trust him, and Darcy had to prove himself. I miss Darcy.

Susan had that long hair right up until she got retrograde amnesia. When she was in teenage mode, she got it cut, but it was a gradual change, as she only cut it to shoulder length. It wasn't until later on that she way even shorter (and this was post-amnesia).

That Toadie story draws a blank, as I don't remember a Mark (there's been a few!). The blonde woman must be Dee - great character, and her and Toadie made a wonderful couple. Shame Madeline West wanted to leave, but she did one hell of an exit.

The man Steph is dating is Marc Lambert, I think. And those opening credits were the short lived pink theme, that most viewers hated, so they quickly changed them to a more suitable style. The arrangement in those were weird, and the whole concept was just wrong.

[DRW50]

What was Dee's exit?

What did you think of Marc?

The Mark with Toadie was a dark-haired, young guy, cute, a bit boy next door.

I think the short hair suits Susan much more.

[Dion]

Dee and Toadie got married, then on the way to the airport to go on their honeymoon, she and Toadie had a car accident and went off a cliff. Dee was never found.

The Mark you're thinking of Carl might be Matt Hancock...and the blonde woman with the daughter might instead be Maggie Hancock (Matt's step-mum). I'm not too clear of the details but I think Maggie may have moved in with Toadie (and Dee) for a short while (maggie worked with Toadie or something) when she and her husband separated (The Hancocks lived in No 32). Matt I think moved in briefly as well as he fell out with his dad when he got involved with drag racing and ran over Harold or something. Eventually Maggie and Toadie kissed but in the end Maggie went back to her husband and the Hancocks were forced to sell their house to pay for Matt's legal bills.

[DRW50]

Thanks. Did Matt have a brother?

I guess Maggie had a daughter? There was a little girl in the episode.

[Dion]

Matt had a brother Leo and they had a sister Emily who was about six or something. Emily was definitely Maggie and Evan's daughter, while I'm not sure whether Leo was Evan and Maggie's son or whether he was Evan's son from his first marriage. Matt was definitely a result of the first marriage though. There was another daughter too, but she had died sometime before the family had moved to Ramsay Street.

[Ben]

No need to appologise, Ed. I get it - if you're busy, you're busy, and posting these "War & Peace" entries are time consumming.

I love the direction of Jade and Kyle, and Tash, but not so much Michael. I've not been a fan of his no parenting idea, as that's a real irrisponsible thing to do, and he comes across childish. It's like he's completely blind to Tash's low self esteem and low confidence in herself; but to be fair, she does know how to put on a facade, so not entirely his fault, but after her reasons for hooking up w/ Ivan and the sexting, and then the grafity, he should be able to see how troubled she is, and refusing to parent her, refusing to be her father, is the wrong path to take. This story just highlights how much of a drip he is. I've talked about Tash before and how the show handles her, but I think they've just slightly veered off the map with the execution of her pychological problems, as her antics/actions don't always explore her inner demons as well as what they could. Those guys labelling her a "prawn" - keep the body, ditch the head - was really harsh for Neighbours. Although this cyber bullying story hasn't really been done right, as it would have been more logical if she was being called out for being easy, or a slut or something, not for being ugly, as she's certainly not that! Michael is bland, and his main problem is that he doesn't really work as his own character. What made him good before was Rebecca, and then when he has scenes with Lucas, even Libby, Paul, and to a degree, Tash, but give him his own story, and there's nothing there. He comes alive around other characters, but not on his own, and his relationship with Tash lacks chemestry. Sometimes you see it, and then other times you can tell Sandy and Valentina don't hang out much to form a close bond that can influence their screen partnership. It's something that has happened over the last few years, where the younger set don't seem to have much of a bond with their on screen parents (bar Declan/Rebecca, Zeke/Rachel/the Ks), and you can see that on screen. Usually actors build a good friendship with those they work closest to, and Valentina never talks about Sandy, and Jordan Smith never talks about Stefan, yet both Kym and Ryan have always talked highly of Jackie and Alan, as does Ryan and Eve about Morgan Baker, and even the Scully girls talked about how close they were to Janet, and their whole family unit. Do you see what I mean, Ed?

I've been loving the development of Jade's character, as she was freaking out about telling Kyle how she feels about him. She's letting that fear rule her, and I think that's relatable for a lot of people. Those feelings are new, but I do think a lot of how she sees men is lnked to a bad experience in the past. She's also jealous of Kate, but not in an obvious way, as she hides it behide her dislike for talking about feelings, and doing "girl talk". I've not liked the one-night-stand "drama", as it has been blown out of all proportions by Kate, and this is why she annoys me, and a lot of people. The f*ck buddy story should be coming up soon for UK pace, and I'm so intrigued to see how this is handled on screen. "Housemates with benefits" is a play on the term "friends with benefits" that they've used in the past with Lucas & Libby. What do you think of Michelle Tran? I quite like her as a guest character breezing in and causing oblivious trouble. I see Rhys will be taking her place in #24; I wonder how he will fit in with that dynamic?

You certainly travel around! Is an Erasmus year only for language students? Was that part of your degree, or something you applied for separetly? What you made study German? Do have career plans in mind that will work with that degree? Sorry for the 20 questions! That was a typo, as I meant short course. I used to watch Doctors, but I got bored with it. I actually think the show is a bit like a blank canvas in a way, as it feels like it could be so much more. It a good show for new writers. You should check out the BBC Writer's page for more details. I mention software, b/c it makes writing scripts a lot easier, but if you're only doing it as a hobby, then I guess I can see why you may not want to invest in software. Shame we can't just move out to Melbourne, like yesterday.

I loved Chloe & Darcy, especially how oblivious he was to the age gap, and what people were assuming. Do you remember the home invasion? And when Darcy was attacked by Chloe's daughter Jordan? I don;t remember why the slpit up, but I think it had to do with Jordan, as I'm sure it was Chloe who left Darcy heartbroken.

They didn't really connect the dots where Steph's devorce was concerned. There was a lot of aftermath left untouched with Steph, and how she dealt with her marriage breakdown, and bascially her whole world. That had a knock on effect with her choices she made, especially with whole Greg/Veronica thing; where it left her with Elle and Paul, who were responsible for Max's breakdown, even her friendship with Libby. They could have played up a lot more envy from her in regard to Libby & Dan, and the mess that Libby made of things, and how far back her hatred of Paul went. You give a very thoughtful discription of where Steph was emotionally, and a reason for her motives. I think Steph made it clear that she wasn't in love with Toadie, but loved him as a best friend. Playing up her loneliness would have been good. I was so disappionted with the follow up to her experience with pyro Jay, who had left her psychologically scarred, yet it was all swept under the carpet after a week. I believe b/c they never connected the dots and fully explored her reasons, that a lot of the time it felt like Steph simply moved from one plot to the next, without any real plan, when the incridents were all there, they just weren't being mixed properly.

2005-2007 was more about OTT storylines with bad executions or lame ass climaxes. There was of course out of character behaviour, but it wasn't like that was the driving force; you could see that the stories did in some way go with the characters - there were excepts of course, like Sky getting her skank on and having a who's the daddy story with 3 men. Boyd cheating was another one. It stands out as being so terrible b/c it didn't go with his character at all; it was like watching his evil twin parade around town. ETC would have stayed around a lot longer if her on screen family had stayed. The same with Pippa Black in a way, as all of her friends had left the show, and a new guard had entered, and that change in environment can be difficult to bare.

Sky and Boyd were a good couple, but I think it was quite realitic that they didn't end up together but stayed as best friends. Sky and Dylan should have been end game, but they were trashed, and that was sad. I'm sure they've hinted that they've reunited off screen and that her off screen baby is Dylan's?

Boyd would work, but what would be his story? I think he would work well for Kate, as she seems his type (the general look). He would be good for Summer to beef up her family connections, too. Max, I don;t think is needed. We have Michael sort of filling his role, and there isn't much for him to do at all. I can't really think what you could with Max, as his story is played out.

I think the S/J/K story works b/c of the writing. There isn't much more you can do with them as a couple, per se, but has certainly given them soething to do. I like that you can see both sides, even though Susan is in the wrong, you understand why; Jim Dolan is also a good character, and actor, and this story with him is so sad. (What is with all the cancer stories in soaps right now?) It has also opened up a rivalry between Karl and Rhys, adding another dynamic to the story, which I quite like. Mal is clearly taking over Libby's role, but he has nothing to really do. They've brought him back without giving him a story of his own, thinking he doesn't need it. At the moment he's a spare part. Susan Bower really has to think outside of the box with returnees, but everyone is so busy praising her for bringing Mal, back that no-one is critisicing her for the poor writing. He had half a scene with Toadie, and he did have one with Lou, but really they need to give him scenes with Toadie where he simply reminises about the past. I would like to see Mal being introduced to Sonya and Callum, and retelling old embarrassing stories about Toadie to them. I think he's back more b/c Libby is abcent. I also think that Susan Bower likes the idea of returnees, but doesn't like to devote too much time to them when they do return; it's easy to throw in names from the past, than it is to develop them again.

I liked the direction they were taking Libby. I thought it was all very identifiable, with her feeling like she should be somewhere where she is not, like all of her ideas and grand plans have come to nothing, and she's achieved nothing, but lost a lot. I think that's very real for people nowadays, and I can relate to those feelings, especially when you hit a certain age, or are approaching a certain age, and you feel you should be achieving more than what you have done. Presure from society, from yourself. I hope they expand on that when she returns, but at the same time, I know most viewers will be vexed if Libby hasn't moved on off screen. And yeah, I do miss her; I miss her presence, as I feel she brought something that is missing right now.

I think that would be a good idea to leave Sky for a few years, as she doesn't really fit into the show right now. Not sure I'd buy them returning b/c they want to raise their children in nice neighbourhood, considering family was very important to both of them. I'd probably make it more job related. Although, I could see Sky wanting to be nearer to her familt home, and Dylan dragging his feat.

Dee's exit was of her and Toadie friving off a cliff just after they were married. You saw the car go over and hit the water, with a stunt doll in Dee's place, complete with blonde wig blowing in the wind. It's a very infamous scene that should be on YT. I'll later for it. It was a very tragic end to the popular couple of Toadie & Dee.

I didn't mind Marc, but he wasn't right for Steph or Flick, even though he suited the latter more. He was best as a guest, serving up trouble, and moving on. I never really bought Marc being in love with either Steph or Flick.

As Dion said, that was Matt Hancock. He was one of the better characters out of that mess of a family. He and Maggie probably worked the best.

[Ben]

http://www.channel5.com/shows/neighbours/news/have-your-say-on-neighbours-survey

There's a new survey up at C5's page, asking for thoughts and opinions on the show, which apparently will be used to shape the future of the show. From what I can tell, it's not limited to anywhere specific, as the country options are Australia, UK and elsewhere. So, I assume open to International viewers (non-UK).

[Skylover]

Interesting theory regarding Michael and Tash. So you basically think the actors are why they haven’t been received as well as they could? And you also think that Natasha is a stronger character away from Michael? Reading what you’ve written, I do find myself agreeing. But I don’t think the Williams family unit is anywhere near as bad as some of the families that have been introduced over the years. I wouldn’t like to see the characters be axed, though if they were to axe one I would rather it was Michael. How would you feel if they axed both characters? Do you think the show would miss them? I think Natasha could work away from Michael. If her aunt is successful they may get rid of Michael and a new dynamic could appear. Having said that bringing in Emilia could bring Michael’s character to life... What do you think they should do with Michael to make him function well as his own character? Do you think it’s a mixture of bad writing and poor acting that has led to the character ending up like this? Sorry for all the questions! I think the writers have spent too much time on Michael worrying about Tash. Almost all of his scenes either involve Tash, or just Michael sitting in either Charlie’s or Harold’s Store being advised by whichever regular they’ve chosen for that day. I think they need to play up the bond between Lucas and Michael, as well as the friendship (and I hope it remains that) between him and Libby when she returns. Michael is very insular and perhaps that is part of the problem. You also make an excellent point about the relationships between the parents/teens. Many actors of the past have praised their on screen parents and that is missing. I personally believe this is one of the consequences of the show focusing so heavily on the younger cast members. I think the younger cast see their roles as just a job until they move onto something bigger and better. I think they see it as a stepping stone and I don’t think they see it as a serious show. They probably don’t realise what a beast the show was in the past and the inter-generational element has been lost. There’s definitely a divide between older and younger cast members. What I’ve also found interesting recently is that the younger members seem to mention in interviews that they hang out with the other teens/twenty-somethings in the cast but James Mason never seems to be mentioned. Is he maybe not as involved as the others?

Yes, I love Jade. I also think she is very relatable having been through an experience of unrequited love myself recently It’s very true that she is jealous of Kate and I can see why. All the guys seem to fall for Kate for some reason. I definitely think Jade has had a bad experience in the past. I’m really intrigued about what her secret will be. I really hope it’s not something lame. I love Michelle Tran. I think she’s a pretty funny character and a bit off her rocker. However I think Kyle and Jade come out of the story looking pretty bad in the end. Michelle may be annoying but they practically force her to leave and they come across as incredibly mean. Rhys isn’t clicking for me. I think the entrances of characters has been a bit all over the place this year. I mean, Rhys has been in the show for what must be a few months now (I’m talking Aus pace) and he’s barely done anything. His scenes were so sporadic at the hospital until he started speaking to the locals and I think he just comes across as smarmy and annoying. Quite wooden too. Characters don’t seem to make an impact when they arrive anywhere. Normally I write in brackets that a certain episode is the arrival of a certain character but I haven’t done that this year because the entrances have been so gradual. I don’t know if this is down to Susan Bower’s obsession with the audience supposedly not liking new characters but I think if they’re going to have a new character at all, they might as well make an impact from the off. The new doctor and the gay nurse both appeared but that was last week and they haven’t been seen since...?!

My Erasmus year was part of my degree, yes. It is for language students. You have to go to the target country and get to either study at a university, work as language assistant in a school or apply for a job. I guess I studied German because I was good at languages at school. It’s the only thing I really excelled at so by default I went down that route. To be honest I’m kind of regretting it now as I don’t know where I’m heading career-wise but I wouldn’t trade my experience in Frankfurt for anything. For one thing I lived in the red light district for the entire year which was interesting to say the least (just so you don’t think I’m nuts I was only ever meant to live there temporarily but I found it so hard to find a new flat I ended up staying there)

I would definitely like to invest in software. I just haven’t as yet because I haven’t had the time as well as thinking that it probably wouldn’t lead anywhere. But if I want it to lead somewhere that would surely make my work look a lot more professional. Now that I’m heading into my final year I am going to put aside some time to focus on my writing work. I might not be the best writer, but I do think I know the characters intimately and to me that is what matters the most.

I love Steph as a character but I do think at times she suffered from being in the show so long. Ultimately that is what could have driven the writers, but it seemed like they didn’t know where they were taking the character when the direction should have been obvious. I hated the storyline with Jay. But I hated that period of Neighbours because every few months they had a ‘disaster’ in one form or another and I was sick of seeing drama for drama’s sake. Everybody knew that nothing would come from it and therefore it lacked any purpose. However, I do remember Carla putting in some outstanding performances when Jay locked her in the barn house. For Neighbours it was very out there, but I still didn’t enjoy it that much.

I don’t think they’ve confirmed who the father of Sky’s second baby is. I would like it to be Dylan’s. Maybe we’ll find out one day if she ever returns!

I’m not sure you’re going to like the end of the K/S/J story, Ben. Unfortuntely it has trashed Susan’s character somewhat. In the end she comes across as very selfish and quite venomous towards Karl. While Jackie is on a break, Karl seems to be aimlessly going from scene to scene feeling sorry for himself or calling Susan with no success. There was a touching moment last week when Summer gave Karl a hug. I wish Summer was more likeable as Jordy is a great actress and she has potential to be great.

That survey on the official site represents everything that is wrong with Neighbours at the moment. Although I have enjoyed the 2011 season, I don’t feel that enough is being done to save Neighbours and make it the best product it can be. The gap in the 60+ age range as well as the lack of a nuclear family is driving me to despair and I feel very bitter towards Susan for her image of the show. I don’t know how she’s managed to stay for so long, and I don’t know how FME or Ten have allowed her to stay so long. And I don’t know how she’s managed to face so much criticism and still go on with the show. I would like Pete McTighe to become EP as he seems to have a much tighter grasp on the show’s history and roots. To think that importance is being placed on the characters’ clothes and decor in that survey disgusts me.

Edited September 8, 2011 by Edward Skylover