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The Tribe [1999—2003]


Sylph

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I loved this soap... I think it was made in New Zealand and primarily written by Raymond Thompson, who came up with the idea, and Harry Duffin, ex-Coronation Street writer.

I didn't watch for the whole run, just the beginning, and I have no idea what happened to it in the end, how it ended nor why was it cancelled. If it was cancelled, that is.

I so loved Amber and Bray. :wub:

Another writer was David Fox, who wrote for Casualty, The Bill and EastEnders.

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OMG I used to adore this show years ago. I never got over its demise (and never will).

So many mysteries left to explore and they didn't even have the decency to complete it in a movie or something.

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How far did you watch? Amber was first presumed dead after the first season, but returned in season 3 as the leader of the Eco Tribe.

At the end of season 3, the town was infiltrated by the Technos, that removed Bray, Tai-San, KC and Alice from the town. Bray was never seen again. Amber gave birth to Bray's baby during season 4.

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All I can say... once you get sucked into the world of this series, it's hard to let go. I loved all seasons and was sad to see it go after so many episodes unresolved. It's one of those things I can never tolerate and it's something that will always make me angry.

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Wow... :mellow: I think I've only watched the first season. I borrowed a DVD from a friend and intended to see the whole run, but then I just couldn't find the time. It was really a long time ago.

But I am said they didn't resolve things — do you know why they cancelled it?

I really did love it. I was instantly hooked in a whirlwind of this soap and cared deeply for its characters. It was all so melancholic and sad... And well-written.

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Space View: The Tribe Fanbook: Harry Duffin Interview

Published : March 2005 : This is a translation of an interview that appeared in the book.

Translation by Mary (aka Danielle)


You once said in an interview that a team of eight to ten authors would devise the scripts of The Tribe. Were they always the same ones during the five seasons?

In the first few years, approximately 20 authors were tried out for the series. Those were then cut down to six very reliable people by who we could be assured that they would be doing a good job. All of them save one were aboard from the beginning.

What kind of skills does an author for The Tribe have to have?

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. There were a few scriptwriters at the start who I thought would be very good but somehow they didn’t gain access to the characters and the concept. I think it’s crucial to consider the characters important for oneself and to understand them. One has to be able to put oneself in this extraordinary situation in which the characters live. I think the concept is really unique, the show is partly drama and partly adventure. And some authors simply can’t master this.

Do you have any favourite movies, directors, authors, TV shows or actors?

I admire all shows that give talented scriptwriters an opportunity to shine. The accomplishments of authors don’t always get appreciated, but every good producer, director or actor knows that a good script is pivotal for a great movie or series. One of the old Hollywood behemoths/leviathans/mammoths once said that a good movie needs three things: the script, the script and the script.

Recently I’ve seen the classic ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ again and again it showed me plainly that today we just don’t have such great screenplays, marvelous actors and brilliant directors anymore. The contemporary films attach too much importance to unbelievable action scenes and special effects. One day, when the gadgetry will be exhausted for good, the audience will get bored and demand for good stories again. So that it’s gonna be like in former times, when your parents told you a thrilling story before going to bed. As for contemporary productions, I think the two “Toy Story” movies, “Finding Nemo” and “Shrek” are good models for storytelling.

Did you read a book recently you would recommend?

I advise “Godfather” which I finished lately. It shows well how the structure of a novel can keep the readership at it.

There’s no ‘good vs. evil’ formula/pattern in The Tribe. Even a character like Ebony who does really bad things has her good sides. On the other hand, characters one could call the “heroes” do reprehensible things now and then. That’s quite unusual in TV entertainment. Was this intentionally planned or did it just evolve that way?

Every author of the series knows, that all people have good and bad sides to them and they avail this to create complex, three-dimensional characters who are always interesting to the audience. In the majority of cases, black-and-white characters are an evidence of pretty simple screenplays.

In the second season, there were some episodes that dealt with the lives of Zoot, Ebony, Trudy and Lex before the virus. Those episodes are very popular among fans. Why didn’t you do something similar with other main characters, for example with Jay or Slade?

The characters, whose lives we showed before the virus happened, were part of The Tribe from the beginning. They’re so important for the show that we wanted to tell of their past lives to give the viewers the chance of understanding them better and to comprehend why they’ve become who they are. Zoot is a good example. What kind of person he was pre-virus and how he turned into someone quite different simply gave us a lot of material for storylines.

Since the beginning of season four, the series has got a lot more sci-fi elements due to the Technos and their sophisticated technology. Was this happening on the basis of story development or did you purposefully try to enhance the science fiction?

I think the Technos were introduced because, after all the chaos and anarchy after the virus, such a group would have naturally developed. In the rough, The Tribe dealt with mere survival. But as soon as people are able to satisfy their basic needs, they normally begin to try controlling their environment. Technology allows it to control and alter your environment. Of course this gets nasty when it falls into the wrong hands. A famous politician once said: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Ram and Mega are testimony to that. When we established technology in the The Tribe, we were able to explore modern themes of our society and to show the dangers when it gets out of hand.

Are you also involved in the announced sequel The New Tomorrow?

The spin-off is written by the same author team as The Tribe. I can assure you that it’s gonna be just as thrilling and profound as the original series, but it’s set in a completely different surrounding. It’s gonna be more in the countryside than in the city. But the original characters of The Tribe will have a massive influence on the new characters in the sequel.


http://tribeheaven.co.uk/articles/2005/spaceview/fanbookharry.htm

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It was especially great seeing them grow up and face other problems, as well as a change when the Technos came in the city.

They intended to film Season 6 in 2003, but one of the producers felt that they all got too old and that it was no longer about kids taking care of themselves. This is stupid, IMO, the whole point was seeing then and how they cope with becoming adults in that environment.

They began to unravel some mysteries that I absolutely loved. I remember being excited when some of the cast that disappeared returned. There were several things that still had to be resolved.

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I loved this show too (especially since it was made in New Zealand, although it is really a UK show lol :)), though I have to admit I lost track during the second season since it was put here (in New Zealand that is) in a sunday morning timeslot after being in Primetime for the first season.

Even though it was produced for the Uk though it was always fun to watch out for those little New Zealand references and appearances by local celebrities (like the news broadcaster in the opening credits was a real New Zealand news broadcaster, Michelle Ang did a few years on a New Zealand variety show and of course I did try to make an effort to tune in when they brought in Meryl Cassie's sisters to play Ebony's sisters Java and Siva).

Beth Allen, who played Amber is now doing a stint on Shortland Street as Dr Brooke Freeman. She plays a bitchy character, totally different from Amber. She's currently involved with Adam Rickitt's character (who played Gail Platt's oldest son Nick Tilsley on Coronation Street). Its fun to see her grown up after all of these years

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I loved the show too. I watched all the seasons.

Loved Amber. Hated Salene. :D

I agree with Dmarex. So many mysteries were left just hanging in the air and the show never continued :(

Thank God Bray was never seen again....he was such a bad actor...

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I remember this; loved it! It was produced especially for Channel Five, which used to air it in a kids kinda slot, which is why I never really thought of it as a soap. The theme tune was awesome!

Tai-San, Bray and Ebony were my fave characters. I also warmed to the other guy, with the long black air. I missed the final season, due to scheduling issues. Was it ever explained why those characters were removed? And why didn't Bray return? How did it all end?

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Some of them returned during the final episodes. Alice, The Guardian and someone else was shown in a cage on an unknown island, probably working for the Technos, who were destroyed by that time. Bray was first explained to be deleted, but then later it was implied that he might still be alive.

Bray didn't return because the actor didn't want to, I guess.

One of the guys from the Technos (called Mega), after their leader Ram was thrown out, threatened to destroy the entire city. I'm a bit fuzzy with all the things that happened, but in the very last scene, most of our characters jumped on a ship and left the town.

The next season would have dealt with them living on some island where they'd seek shelter. I wonder if one of those islands was the prison camp where the other tribe people were sent to after they disappeared.

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I just refreshed my memory... finished season one and moved on to season two... and ITA on Dwayne Cameron. He is tolerable when talking normally, but if he ever has a scene where he has to cry, yell or be scared he's worse than a random guy picked up on the street.

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