Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[Adamski]

Oh that's brilliant, thank you. There was so much to dissect, they really added loads of small details for the fans. Also - lucky Amy!

[BetterForgotten]

I feel like I’m always going to go back and reference this finale. I’m not confident another long-running soap would be allowed to go out with similar dignity or care at this point. 

[DRW50]

I agree. The closest for me would probably be GL's finale, due to all the returns and as it was clearly done with love  even if the product was all over the place, but there aren't many. I can't see any of the remaining soaps having this type of sendoff. It feels very much like another end to an era.

[DRW50]

This is a good read, especially the part about how well Harold still managed to fit into a Neighbours that was so different than his own.

http://perfectblend.net/comment/theperfectend.htm

If I had any real complaint about the final episodes, beyond Terese/Paul (which the actors did sell), it's that I wish they'd let a few more characters actually leave - Leo, for instance, I am not sure would want to stay in a place where he saw his girlfriend/mother of his children die not that long ago and was then involved with a con artist he watched get dragged away in handcuffs. I do get the power of the imagery in almost everyone staying, of course.

Other than  trying to figure out just why they were there (I guess Shane brought them as a goodbye surprise when he thought Paul was leaving Erinsborough) even the Charlene and Scott parts work well enough on a rewatch. It adds a certain multi-tiered quality as they are literally in their own little sphere, Susan is in her own, and they both look at all around them as the credits roll.

Edited August 6, 2022 by DRW50

[AdelaideCate007]

I thought they were there because Shane had rung them up and told them he bought the old house and they decided to come down and see it lol.  They never really explained why though so I guess we’re just supposed to assume. It definitely tied into Shane though since he had that line telling Jane and Mike that he had told some old friends of theirs to wait at the house for them. 
 

I do agree that it worked nicely to have them all in their little worlds and groups and then we see them all together as it ends. 
 

I’m sure it hasn’t made the news outside of here in Australia, but Nicola Charles and Craig McLachlan have been whining in the press about “cancel culture” keeping them out of the finale. Nicola Charles’ whining is especially funny since she claims it’s because she’s anti-vax and her political views. Considering there was at least one person in that finale who isn’t vaccinated and another with similar political views to hers, I imagine it’s just that they didn’t want her there lol. 

Edited August 7, 2022 by AdelaideCate007

[DRW50]

That makes sense about the house.  I had  forgotten he didn't say it to Paul. 

I remember there was speculation they would move back  to the Street. I'm kind of glad they didn't go that  route. 

Nicola's comments did go international, because she chose  to have a big rant about the show after the finale  and it was on  Daily Mail. I had forgotten she also complained about the show last year during the racism row so she  clearly has an axe to grind. I do wonder how bitter she is that they didn't bother to ask her. I can't say I'm sorry. Izzy served as a more compelling figure for Karl and Susan angst. 

You probably already saw this but the actor who played Danny Ramsay was upset as well. 

https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/27/original-neighbours-star-slams-show-in-blistering-rant-17075497/

[AdelaideCate007]

Yeah, and Paul, Jane, Mike, and Harold seemed shocked to see them and they didn't interact with Melanie or Lucy, so I suppose it was definitely Shane who invited them for whatever reason.

I'm glad they didn't move back either. I think Mike moving back was enough, especially since we don't really know if Izzy and Shane stayed.

I try to avoid the Daily Mail so I missed it was going viral. She's extremely bitter. It's sad to see. I'm glad they went with Izzy too. She's the better character, she works better with the whole street, and irl, she's a much more pleasant person. I've been completely over Sarah the last two times she popped up so I'm glad they didn't go there again. I don't know how they could have even worked her back in in a way that felt natural. Izzy having a daughter with Karl and other ties on the street makes her popping up as a thorn in everyone's side much more organic story wise.

I saw that also. Given him and Craig McLachlan's personal problems, it's obvious why they weren't included. I guess that's not stopping them from ranting in the press though. I do wonder who all asked and the show turned down and who the show tried to get back and couldn't.

Something that I saw pointed out somewhere else- when Izzy is looking through the Ramsay street history book, you could see other letters from past Ramsay Street residents that weren't in the finale. I know someone said that they were  pausing and looking at each page and that one of the letters was from Beverly (Paul's former stepmother) mentioning that she still missed her nephew Todd. Todd's death was one of the big Neighbours events I remember as a kid so I thought that was a nice touch. Loved all the photos they had in there also.

[DRW50]

I did assume they would be leaving. A part of  me felt a little bad  for Shane   as he returned  to find his roots and  instead he just got nothing (well, Izzy of course), but considering the fate of  crypto millionaires he was probably better off saving his money. Guy Pearce has gotten the rightful praise for his work but I think Peter O'Brien also did a good job, even with those nostalgia moments which  were probably a blur to him. 

I didn't notice that about Beverly. I know Neighbours did some unpopular retcons several times (which they even namechecked, surprisingly, when Shane  returned - the whole thing with Jill Ramsay and then with David and Leo), but they seemed to try their best to get details right and add some nice touches for the final week. I liked that they also had a few people mentioned (like Lisa Elliott) Harold had no memory of (neither did I), which is true to life. And I liked that not everyone knew everyone or if they did it could be fleeting, like Elly saying she just remembered Harold from when she was a teenager. It all felt much more respectful to fans and to the show than what you get most of the time.

[Dion]

Oh Lisa Elliot, yeah she was a teacher at Erinsborough High and flatted with half-sisters Sarah and Catherine (and later Ben after Catherine left). She was only on for about six months in 1997. Lisa and Harold were actually on briefly together (in the latter part of Madge and Harold's initial post resurrection stint - they briefly left and then returned in the latter half of '97 after Lisa had gone). She wasn't very memorable so it's plausible Harold doesn't remember her either lol.

Her exit storyline involved her quitting teaching after Billy wrote "Lisa is a numb-nut" in one of his assignments in order to prove that she wasn't bothering to read them when marking them!

[AdelaideCate007]

He did a really terrific job, especially considering how removed he’s been from the show. I don’t think he’s done anything with Neighbours since he left and he fit right back in. I know people like Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue have done a lot of the reunions over the years but I don’t think he’s done any of those. 
 

I totally agree. It’s remarkable what they pulled off with such a relatively short amount of time. I also think they deserve heaps of credit for getting back a lot of people not just for the finale but for appearances over the past two or three years. Having people like Clive, Jane, Melanie, etc (along with of course Karl, Susan, Paul, and Toadie) be around the past year for the final stretch was a real win for the show as it headed into the finale. It gave them a lot of ways to realisticly bring back in people without it seemingly just like a parade of cameos. I think that really helped the finale have a lot of heart and mean something. 

[DRW50]

Thanks for the history lesson. Once I have the time I'm going to try to get more into '80s and '90s Neighbours beyond the smattering I've seen over the years as I think it would be more to my style than soaps of modern years, and also to see some of the periods for myself that were deemed as poor (like the 1990 exodus, the lull around the point of the Sarah/Karl storyline, etc.)

Yes, I don't think they got enough credit for all those returns in recent years, probably because they  were  not  Jason and Kylie. Many of the characters still worked in the modern setting and the  actors were more than capable, so  it never felt like a nostalgia trip. It's amazing to me that the show managed to  pull back from the period when they weren't as willing to embrace the past. Usually when a soap crosses that line they never return.

[I Am A Swede]

Neighbours finale tops 4 million viewers in consolidated ratings

[Ben]

Thanks for remembering me and the many convos we shared. I pop back here from time to time to see what’s happening with Days/B&B, but there’s not a lot for me to talk about or join in with. I can’t believe how long its been since the days when we used to discuss so many soaps. It was a real pleasure talking to you and sharing knowledge. 

[DRW50]

Thanks. You too! I do still watch Home & Away but I guess this thread will now become dormant. If I ever start going back and watching Neighbours from the start, as I keep meaning to, then it will be more active. Maybe someday the show can be revived and we'll have a lot to hope for or speculate on...

I guess at least a former Family Affair actress joining Corrie means the other show we talked about is relevant again.

[Ben]

Speaking of Family Affairs, I found out the other day that the series finale ended the way it did because they were apparently setting up for the more popular characters to get a spin-off. My guess is Eileen Callan (who randomly won the lottery) and the Costello’s. If only that had come to pass.

I struggle with H&A as it’s just not the same show as it once was, so whenever I tune in, it’s either boring or extremely plotty. Not many characters with personality.