Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[Skylover]

It is sad, isn't it.

Did you read the rumours that Nicola Charles has been tweeting she's returning as Sarah? The account looks authentic too, I hope it's true.

[Ben]

I just read that rumour. On DS, someone said that Perfect Blend were reporting that there are no plans to bring Sarah back, but someone is returning - however, I can't seem to locate where PB says that, even though it does sound like I read that whenever the rumour last circulated. Maybe things have changed and Sarah is now returning?

I so hope it's true, as I loved Sarah, and now is a good time to revisit Karl/Sarah, considering the K's have broken up. But, I really don't want her to return with the cliché love child. That's not necessary.

[DRW50]

When was Sarah around? Why did Karl and Susan break up this time? The emotional cheating?

[Ben]

I think Sarah was last seen in 1999. I remember she married a doctor called Peter, and her and Karl shared a moment before the service. Here's the pic...

K&S broke up in part b/c of the emotional cheating, but also b/c Susan wanted to find herself, and discover who she is as a person away from being Karl's wife. She had no children to look after, and she latched onto Jim so she could take care of him and feel needed, putting that need before her marriage. I can't explain it any further, as I don't really understand it, as it was never fully explained on the show why she couldn't do this and still be married to Karl. Apparently, Susan wants to live alone and be independent, and is now open to dating her yoga instructor who looks weirdly like a cross between Gary Glitter and The Professor on Futurama! How any of this is helping her "find herself" is beyond me.

[ClassicSoapsFan]

I remember watching the show online and following the storylines when Izzy Hoyland was on the show. What did you guys think of her character? I thought she was a fun character.

[Ben]

Izzy was awesome. She really changed the show for the better during 2004, with her getting pregnant to creepy Gus, and passing the baby off as Karl's, only to suffer a miscarriage; then Darcy blackmailed her, and got into a scuffle with her where he fell down the stairwell and into a coma, with her setting him up for robbing her apartment. Of course he regained consciousness months later, ready to blackmail her some more. I loved how they incorporated the Susan/Karl/Izzy triangle throughout this, with Susan ultimately discovering the truth, and Izzy telling her final lie by clamming Gus raped her. That scene where Karl confronted her, and she fell backwards in the middle of Lassisters was classic.

I do miss Izzy, and what she brought to the show. I loved how they tied up her story with Karl/Susan in London. I can't see the show ever having the budget to do an overseas location shot again.

[ClassicSoapsFan]

Would it make sense to bring her back with Summer on the show? I think Summer needs a connection and Erinsborough needs to be shook up a bit.

[Skylover]

It would be great if Izzy came back but I think it's out of the question. The actress who played her is now very famous in Australia and earns far more than here the pittance Neighbours could pay her I imagine.

[Ben]

Pretty funny article from the Guardian about Neighbours in general.

http://www.guardian....silly-addictive

Edited July 14, 2012 by Ben

[Skylover]

Ben (or anyone lol) - what do you think about Connor returning? It hasn't been confirmed but Ryan Moloney said the returnee was Irish so I think it's fairly certain. I think it's great - Toadie has become way too serious in the last couple of years and I fundamental flaw in his character is his current lack of friends; the chemistry between Connor and Toadie was great so I'm looking forward to seeing some fun in Toadie's life again.

[Ben]

Well, I wasn't that big a fan of Connor to begin with, so not overly joyed that he's (possibly) returning. However, Toadie has become way too serious, and he needs more lighter material for a few months (not days), and if Connor can bring that, then so be it. It's not that I disliked Connor throughout, b/c I loved him with Carmella, and I did love the dynamic of Connor/Toadie/Stu, but I grew tired of him quite quickly, and his pairing with Serena was the worst. I was so glad when he left. LOL.

While you're here, what is it about the teens you don't like? Does the show slow down after the Troy drama? From what I'm seeing now, I love the dynamic of the teens right now - they feel a lot better, and I'm actually liking Summer and Andrew now that they're apart. Tash is awesome, and she works so well with Karl, much better than Summer does. I also love Tash and Ed, and I like the idea of the Odds On app, as it's something new and original for the show and genre - no-one else has done a story about an app - it's very socially relevant, without being forced like Susan Bower's stuff was.

[Skylover]

I love Ed and Tash. But I really just don't care for the rest. And I've grown to HATE Chris with a passion. I think the straw that broke the camel's back was when he (don't know if this has happened yet UK pace) printed the story in the newspaper about Lucas' situation and when confronted he said something along the lines of 'don't take it out on me, your the one whose life is messed up'. Ugh. I find him incredibly judgemental and patronising though judgemental seems to be a trait a lot of Neighbours characters suffer from, some more than others. The Karl/Tash relationship annoys me because Tash shouldn't be living there, and Karl shouldn't be interacting soley with Tash and Summer as some sort of agony uncle. I don't mind Summer and Andrew as much as Chris but on the whole the teens need more light material although I'm not sure they would be able to carry off the comedy as well as others. It's part of the reason why I'm ejoying H&A more at the moment - the teens are way more likeable. It's difficult to compare but the teens in H&A somehow just seem more age-appropriate in terms of dialogue. Tash is such a cliche and seems like a teen from 2005. Their dialogue is dumbed down and I guess it makes me hard to relate to them. And the sooner they get rid of Chris the better. The only good reason to keep him is because he's a gay character but if they kept on Aidan I'd be quite happy for them to get rid of Chris. The 'romance' was appalling anyway. They barely got any screentime and we didn't see the relationship build, however Aidan is returning so I look forward to seeing what they do with him next. I agree with you about the app storyline though, it doesn't seem forced and is totally the sort of thing Andrew would do.

[Ben]

Wow, I very rarely read any negative criticisms of Chris! That scene that you mention plays next week, I think at UK pace. I think Chris is a good character, and I love his relationships with Lucas, Tash and George, and really he's been a decent character for over a year, so I can over look it if he veers into judgemental mode, as really, we wouldn't have any body left if we got rid of every character who displayed negative traits for several weeks. I.e: Susan, Summer, Andrew, Paul, Toadie, Rhys... they've all seriously pissed me off at one point or another over the last few years, and they've all come through it. Chris will be no different.

The Chris & Aidan romance was a bust due to the writing. I think they've spent way too much time developing Chris to just throw him away now, and if they did and kept Aidan, they'd basically be back to the drawing board, as Aidan's only real connection to RS is Chris. You may not like how Chris is acting now, but that doesn't take away from the fact he is an asset to the show, and a good character at heart. Look at Vanessa: she's a good character, but boy do they write her with a very hypocritical edge who seems to forget she's pregnant from a ONS, yet takes offence whenever Lucas dares questions her sex life.

I think an issue with the teens is that they are no longer teens, but young adults, and that transition hasn't been adopted with the writing. Sophie/Callum/Rani are teens now, but they're not written as such. I don't think the dialogue is that bad for them, per se. You say they need lighter material, but I think they've had quite a bit of light material over the last few months. Compared to H&A, the teens on that show are immersed in adult issues: marriage, divorce, pregnancy, "miscarriage", job hunting, debt, domestic violence, murder charges, psychotic sister, etc. and all in the space of a few months.

As for Karl/Tash: IA that Karl shouldn't be living with too young girls, but he is, and I except the situation and appreciate some of the golden scenes that come from that. Karl and Tash work well, as does Paul/Susan, no matter how forced their relationship is.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming crash; that looks like it will have serious repercussions for a lot of people. I hope the stunt doesn't look cheap or filmed off screen.

[Skylover]

The thing is with Chris, it's not just that he pissed me off for a few weeks but I just rarely like him. I think the fact there has been little criticism of the character is probably because he's a gay character and in the eyes of many fans we're lucky to have a gay character at all. I know he's a well-crafted character but I don't really like the portrayal for me - he just comes across as whiney and unlikeable - and considering I am gay I think it's strange that I can't identify with him. I think the crap writing for hsi love story pissed me off and if it had been written better I might have felt something for the character. What makes you think he's an asset to the show? I don't think he's indespensible (is that the right word? lol) The only decent thing about his character is being gay. Aidan came across as far less annoying and that's why I'd be happy for him to stay on as a regular. Vanessa may display some annoying traits as a character but IMO she is waaaay more likeable than Chris is every way. I think it's James' acting. I think the problem with the teens is that the writing simply isn't strong enough for them. Like you say they do get quite a bit of light material but IMO it doesn't come off well. Either the lighter material isn't funny enough or the actors just don't carry it off as well. For the last few months in Home and Away the younger characters have had a lot of lighter/comedic material and they carry it off with ease and/or the comedic material is much stronger. Sasha is a gem IMO. Even if she's in the background of a scene she can make it funny. You're right, they do have a lot more adult material for the teens but I mean in the day to day dialogue they seem more like 'teens' whereas I still think the Neighbours teens/young adults come across as cliched. I doubt viewers of that age can easily identify with those characters.

I'm not bothered about the crash personally. Well - I'll be annoyed if Ed dies because I want him and Tash to be together but I think it's just gonna be a cheap stunt. These shows do way too many car crashes; it's like, get another stunt!

Meanwhile, by the way, the Kapoors are finally coming into their own at Aus pace!!

[Ben]

But can you identify with every other gay character to have ever been created in TV land? Do you identify with EE's Christian, Syed, and Ben? Corrie's Sean, Marcus, Sophie? (OK, she's a chick, but still...). Or Ste, Doug, Brendan and whomever else in HO? My point is, I don't see how you possibly can, as everyone is different. I don't think every straight guy identifies with every straight male character, so why should you with every gay character? That POV doesn't make sense to me.

I don't think people like Chris just b/c he's a gay character. When people talk about him, they generally refer to how likeable he is, and how "everyone should have a Chris in there life" is the types of comments I've read. People do like Chris for who he is, and a lot of people do relate to him. That whiny-ness can be annoying at times, but it's a character trait, just like how Tash, Summer, Andrew, Susan, Sonya, Toadie, Sophie, etc can all be annoying at times... but I get the feeling you don't like Chris, and nothing will change that, and that's fair enough. Saint Kate is more universally hated, and she grates on me 90% of the time; she has way more annoying qualities, like being a big fat selfish, hypocrite for starters.

Oh, I don't know, fires seemed to be the in thing for a while. Now, *that* got tedious. Every show was staging a fire at one point. At least this car crash has a socially relevant message behind it.

I love the Kapoors. I just pray that the rumour of Paul & Priya having an affair NEVER comes to fusion.