Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[Skylover]

http://www.fernsehjuwelen.de/neuankuendigungen.html

[Skylover]

I don't know if anyone has seen but some great news about Neighbours has just been announced:

It has been posted on NFans that the first 60 episodes are being released on DVD in Germany

This is great news, hopefully it means further releases will happen! We are yet to find out if the DVDs will come with English audio as well as German but I think it's likely, I mean it is 2011.

http://www.fernsehju...endigungen.html

1 - 20: Box 1

21-40: Box 2

41-60: Box 3

ETA: They do come with English audio, and further episodes are to be released in the future

Edited September 11, 2011 by Edward Skylover

[DRW50]

Great!

[DRW50]

Are any of you old time fans going to be rooting for Jason Donovan or Holly Valance on Strictly? Holly seems a little cold to me. Jason Donovan, of course, was another person back then. They did show a clip of the wedding, when they introduced Jason. They showed a photo of Holly in Flick's school uniform. She said, "I worked that uniform."

[Dion]

(FYI NZ is a week behind Aus pace so things may have changed)

Michael's starting to get on my nerves they way he treated Summer...I like the intrigue surrounding Tash's mother but it's starting to get a wee bit annoying now. While Tash doesn't necessarily have to know yet, it has come to the point where the audience needs to be let in on the secret.

[Ben]

It's been over a month since I posted in here, and it's not b/c I'd forgotten, Ed, but b/c I was really sick - I had an allergic reaction to antihistamines, and was in hospital, and then I had to catch up on study and stuff.

The show has moved forward since then (obviously), and I'm loving it. Sometimes I think they could do with a really big story, as there has been a couple of weeks that have been kinds sleepy, and I guess I really wish they would just push the storylines to their brink (avoid the safe options, as this show really loves to play it safe and not offend). What are you thoughts on the direction of the K's story? How about the Mal/Jade thing? Or the Sophie/Noah/Kate triangle and what will happen with that? Are you enjoying the development story?

I think it's a combination of the actors and the writing. I think Tash has been received better than Michael, who has had poor writing. He started off slow, introducing the character, not giving him his own story off the bat, but that introduction phase felt like it never ended. And that has been a big problem for his character. I read people saying that he doesn't feel real, or doesn't feel like a proper character, and that's b/c of the bad writing. He was left to play second fiddle for so long, he nearly went stale. Rebecca really helped to developed him a bit, but it never lasted b/c he doesn't interact with no-one bar Tash. And Michael's never ending beach scenes are so tiresome that they do not do the character any favours. Tash is stronger, but that's more of a recent thing, IMO, as they have finally developed her. I love her relationship with Chris/Andrew/Summer post-near drowning, and her dynamic with Michael is better, but they still lack chemistry. Although, Valentina Novakovic has upped her acting, and is much more natural now - less ropey, IMO. I think the show would miss Tash's archetype; she fills a certain void that was missing when Izzy and Nicola left. Right now, I think the show would miss Tash. Michael not so much, but I wouldn't want them to ship him off and replace him w/ Emilia, as one of the issues is that the Williams don't work all that well with just the two of them, they need more players to flesh them out. I think Michael needs a love interest, and needs to interact with everyone else a lot more. Odd scenes with Lucas and Paul aren't enough; they need to build sold friendships between him and everyone else, so when he's in need, or is hanging out with the guys, he doesn't seem like a spare part. Plus, without Libby, he's down a character. I also don't think Sandy Winton is a bad actor; he does the best he can with the material he's given. ITA on your points about Michael spending too much time worrying about Tash. That has hurt his character a lot, but he was introduced in 2010 during a time when adults played second to the teens in their life. I believe the younger actors do see Neighbours as a stepping stone, and not as a show they could see themselves staying on long term. But that’s the nature of society, and the pull that is Hollywood. The show isn’t what it used to be, so it’s unlikely to advance their careers like it did for their predecessors.

How do you think they handled the friends with benefits story? Has any other soap done this story before? I don’t mean one-night-stands or anything like that, but an actual arrangement for casual sex. Has her secret been revealed yet at Oz pace? I think that Kyle & Jade stayed in character throughout the Michelle story, but it just so happened to highlight their negative points. What I didn’t like about it was how everyone else just excepted it as normal behaviour, instead of saying something. I didn’t mind Michelle, although she could be very annoying at times.

I’ve noticed that they’ve been introducing new characters very slowly, almost to the point where they look like they’re day players. I guess, I prefer this to shoving them down out throats where we are meant to care, but never do. Granted, this is too slow, but it’s something that I don’t mind compared to the alternative. I quite like Rhys; he works with Jade and Kyle, but I wish Ben Barber would inject some charisma into his performances. I wonder if they’re thinking about him as a love interest for Libby if/when she returns?

LOL - the red light district! Interesting would be one way of describing it. I suppose you can move into translation as a direct use of the language. Not really sure what else you could do with it… Ooh, write a German script. LOL.

Knowing characters is important, but so is knowing the structure of a script. Investing in a couple of screenwriting books would be good, like Story and Save the Cat! And watch lots of films.

Steph did lack direction for what seemed quite awhile. I loved the Jay story. I thought they did the bushfire and the aftermath really well, but it was Steph’s aftermath at the hands of Pyromaniac Jay that let it down. They had the opportunity to really develop Steph, but after a pep talk from Libby, Steph was back to normal in a matter of episodes.

I found the outcome of the K/S/J story quite in character for Susan (although I missed her leaving episode as I was in hospital, and haven‘t bothered to catch up), although I would have liked a slower build up to the Jim/Susan friendship. It probably would have been better if they hadn’t of been total strangers to begin with. I think Jackie’s holiday time hasn’t helped, as this is one story that relies on Susan’s reaction, and having her off screen stewing or going through the motions is not as affective as her being on screen showing her this. We need to understand more of Susan’s POV. I hope they explain what’s going on with her much better upon her return. I guess it gave them a chance to have scenes between Summer/Karl which I liked, but Andrew’s flyaway attitude towards it all is very telling of how they’ve structured the teens vs. adults on the show.

I’m missing Libby so much more now, especially as you can see what her role would have been in the K/S/J story and the Michael/Tash story. And with the news about Kate/Noah, I would love to have had Libby recount her own experiences with Taj and why that happened.

Pete McTighe would be an awesome EP, but it appears SB is here to stay. She has a think skin when it comes to criticism. That survey could have been better, and again it was all. About. The. Teens.

[DRW50]

I'm so sorry Ben

[Ben]

Thanks Carl, but I'm all good now. Apparently, it's extremely rare to be allergic to antihistamines, b/c they are the "cure" that is usually administered for allergic reactions. What vexes me the most is the know-it-all attitudes from some medical staff who believe they know best and refuse to listen to the patient. 'Oh, he can't possibly be allergic to the cure - lets give him a double dose just to make sure...' *Nearly flatlines in the process.* To make it all worse, I was then allergic to the steroids they prescribed to help combat the first reaction!

[DRW50]

I'm surprised at this. Susan Bower is leaving.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/10/neighbours-executive-producer-resigns.html/comment-page-1#comment-290876

[Skylover]

Ben, no worries that you took a long time to reply, I totally understand. I'm just glad you're ok! I will reply to your post soon.

In the meantime, I just have to say I can't believe that Susan's leaving. Agog would be an understatement. I never thought I'd see the day. However, I am cautiously optimistic. Mainly because I enjoy the show these days even though there are major improvements to be made, but you just never know what the new guys are going to be like. Previous experience (although Jasek who has been appointed mainly has experience in directing so it seems strange that he would be appointed boss) suggests they will do well. But if Bryan Kirkwood has taught me anything, it's not to judge people on past experience.

I think I'll have to wait for an interview with Jasek and/or Hardy before I make my judgement. As I said on NFans, however, Alan Hardy who is th new producer, is th father of Marieke Hardy, and she has been one of the strongest writers for the show over the years, particularly in regard to humour and comedy. So I hope Marieke helps Alan shape the direction of the show.

[Skylover]

Right, gonna reply to your post now, Ben.

I am enjoying parts of the show at the moment but for me, the latter half of the year has really suffered in comparison to the frst half of the year. There's no doubt in my mind that Sonya being forefront of the show is probably what made those early months so rivetting, but since then there have been on and off moments. I think, as you say, what is lacking is a decent story to get people talking, a big story. The K story was good to begin with, very good actually, but then was quickly ruined and left Susan looking like a total b*tch. I was extremely unhappy with the Ks splitting up off-screen; we didn't get any decent scenes with them actually talking about what had happened. The audience deserved to see the characters resolve things and reflect on what had happened with Jim but we were cheated. What we were left with was Susan Bower's poor planning; Karl moping about the house for episodes, trying to call Susan etc etc, then going to vsit her and they come back, having decided to split. Now at this point in the characters' journey I don't think it is realistic that they would split up, nor do I think it is a good idea by the writers. The scenes which actually aired yesterday with Karl and Susan explaining to Malcolm why they had decided to split, were very poorly-written. I would go as far as to say that they were offensive to viewers, as well as an insult to what talented actors Alan and Jackie are. After everything they've been through, Karl's dying patient, Sarah, Izzy, Alex, the kids etc they decide to split over this. I don't think it would happen. A break would be feasible but not this. I'm not entirely sure why this route was decided for the characters. Part of me thinks it was because the makers know how popular Karl and Susan's story with Izzy was, and they're trying to emulate that success, but part of me thinks they just don't have a clue. I think it's a combination of both. But yes, we have been cheated by this story. We need to have some decent dialogue between Karl and Susan just to know what they're both thinking. As for Malcolm's comment "After 30 years of marriage"

I am a fan of Jade and Malcolm. I think they've got good chemistry although I do find Benji's acting quite stiff and unnatural a lot of the time. I think he's doing a good job in Libby's absence and I wouldn't mind seeing him stick around long-term. I think he's got really great chemistry with Alan and they make a fantastic father/son, but I really want Libby to come back. I am missing her badly, I think Kym is an amazing actress and I don't think the show can afford to lose her. I wish Kym all the best but I'm going to be devastated if she doesn't return. On the other hand, is it a good thing as perhaps it will avoid the writers ruining her? Jade is a highlight of the show for me. To me Sonya and Jade are easily the best characters and actors by far. Both of them are natural with whichever characters they're paired up with and they are srong characters in their own right with clearly defined personalities. I find it a shame that Toadie has changed a lot as a character. I no longer enjoy watching his scenes and he was a favourite for a long time. I accept that it is natural for the character to evolve as he ages, but he's lost that spark. I have nothing against him maturing but I think he seems lost at the moment and the development story is dragging him down a lot. Sonya is his only salvation. Callum is also a damaged character, he serves little purpose other than to prop up Sonya and Toadie, plus I find his characterization quite poor these days. He was a wonderful quirky character but that has been sacrificed for his constant quips about technology and computers, phones, how much of a new-age contemporary kid he is shoved in our faces all day long. There was a scene where Susan, Sonya and Kate started a book club, and Callum said something along the lines of 'why don't you just get a computer, you can get e-books', Susan's reply was that she liked the feel of turning the pages etc and that she was old-fashioned. Are there no other ways of illustrating the differences between generations other than shoving technology in our faces all the time? Actually, it makes me quite irate and while typing this post I can feel my frustration towards the writers surfacing. Obviously it's Bower's continued obsession with the show being contemporary that continues to stifle it. I can't bear the text appearing on the screen, it makes the show look tacky and I think it is alienating for the older viewers. I'm hoping that once Hardy and Jasek take over, these will be gone.

Going back to Jade, I find her completely fascinating. The writers have really done well there. She is very relatable, her fear of relationships is great, and I love how she sleeps around as you don't get many girls like that on Neighbours. She clearly can't deal with her emotions and puts on this hard exterior but is very vulnerable underneath. I think Gemma is amazing when Jade lashes out, and the relationship/frenemy thing she's got going with Rhys is wonderful. I hope Jade isn't ruined when she inevitably is paired off with Kyle. And I have to admit, I haven't particularly missed Kyle while he's been gone. I love Dane, and hope the producers decide to keep him on. He's a great comedic character played by an awesome actor though I didn't take to him in his first few eppies (I'm a harsh critic ) Plus he's good looking at N is seriously lacking in eye candy department of late.

A big problem for me now is, that while many characters/actors are extremely strong, there are others who really fall flat. I've got a new-found love for Summer, I think Jordy is great in the dramatic scenes, she's a wonderful young actress. And Sonya/Jade, I really want to see Jade cry, something we have yet to experience! I think Andrew, Michael and Natasha are in dire straits at the moment. I was loving Tash a few months ago but recently I've begun to notice how patchy the actress can be, and Michael's been annoying me a hell of a lot. The stock shots of Miachel surfing/looking out to sea, fill me with rage. Emilia is a good character/actress but for me she's highlighted how poor Michael/Tash are. Natasha is a good character, but Valentina falls flat in the dramatic scenes. She just found out at Aus pace that her mother drowned (she got the death certificate via email ) and I wasn't impressed by those emotional scenes. I didn't feel touched by the revelation, it was an anti-climax and just left me feeling underwhelmed. Meanwhile, although Kate has a tendency to annoy the audience, which I'm beginning to understand as she is written with self-importance, I think Ashleigh is a wonderful actress. I do wonder whether Ashleigh dslikes the way Kate is written. I could have done without the Noah/Sophie playing guitar stuff, and Orpheus is a terrible actor, but Kate's breakdown is inetresting to watch. As for Andrew, I don't know what they can do to improve him. I find it incredibly annoying that the actor's accent comes through so much, I know Andrew supposedly spent part of his childhood in Scotland but it just highlights what a poor actor Jordan is, basically playing himself. I know they won't get rid of him because he's a Robinson. They need to build up his relationship with Paul. In comparison to Elle and Paul, Andrew really lacks that connection. I don't think it would be a bad idea to bring in Amy at this point to build up a bit of family in the household. I also pitched the idea that Hilary could return to bolster that household.

I really hope the show improves under the new producers as I do think it's suffering. More characters are needed because at the moment the cast is so small that so many characters are having scenes alone just looking at their phones etc. Another thing I have noticed is that interaction between the cast has become a lot more forced this year. They have no idea what to do with Paul or Lou; Paul just seems to annoy people in Charlie's or Harold's for no particular reason, while Lou just seems to be nosey and interfering so that he can get a few lines in. Karl and Susan have also become victims of this and I hate it. Perhaps they think it makes the show feel like a community but to me it just seems like a shambles. I am just getting bored of the show these days. I'm annoyed at the attempts to make it contemporary. I don't mind the slow-pacing but they have to make the downtime interesting. The development story is awful. They've only gone with it because it's the only way they can involve the cast as a whole, but it's not going to draw any viewers in or keep the current viewers entertained. And that's forgetting the fact that it was all done...5 years ago!

Edited November 1, 2011 by Edward Skylover

[Skylover]

Rene Zandveld's Twitter has confirmed that Michael's on his way out. Tash is staying, and Emilia won't be kept past her 6 month stint at this stage.

[Ben]

Seriously? I'm stunned. I thought Michael would be safe simply b/c of Tash, who will now become a random character needing to move into another household she's never properly interacted with. And I'm also surprised about Emilia, who I thought they might keep on, too, especially if Michael were to leave, as he is. Just bizarre. I am happy they're keeping Tash.

I just hope they don't get rid of Lucas, Jade, Kyle, Lou, Sonya, Chris... and seriously consider keeping Aidan and Libby.

[Skylover]

Do you think perhaps that Sandy Winton chose to leave? I think it's a bizarre decision if so, and I also think it's silly not to keep Emilia on. They could create a little family out of Lucas/Tash and Emilia. It would be goo if Michael was killed off and Tash had to adjust to living with her aunt.

I am going to be furious if Tash ends up at the Kennedys. Mainly because it's getting beyond a joke how many randoms they take in, but also because she has barely ever interacted with them at all in the past. It makes the show lack substance and ruins the overall story arc when they mess with the foundations like that.

[Ben]

I don't know whether SW chose to leave - I'll wait to see what the press statement says. Emilia should have stayed, but it all depends on where the story goes. The best option is to kill Michael off, as I can't see him abandoning his daughter for anything. I thought the Kennedys would be the first choice, and that is predictable, but I guess it would allow Tash to get to know them and interact with others. There really are no other options really. Sadly, you are right: Lucas/Tash/Emilia could have been a family unit in #32.