Shortland Street

[DRW50]

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Now just Esther (although she has her moments) and Viliami's horrific sister!

I don't really know what is going on with TK these days. He dominated story in 2022, with cancer, an affair, and learning that his father was some billionaire (his father died just as TK was going to try to meet him - he then left TK much of his business and holdings, including the hospital as it was on the land of TK's people). Other than the cancer, almost all of his was dropped, with little to no mention, in 2023 (I was shocked they even remembered his annoying half-sister brought in for a while last year), and instead they just kept having stories about TK going back to his old land, returning, leaving again, and then finally he was going to leave again for a new job via David Kearney. Before he could, he was gunned down, and had one of those soap "go into the light" sequences. He is now paralyzed, and I guess has left again for treatment.

[Bright Eyes]

Thanks for that detailed response. Poor sexy bastard has been through it. He certainly deserves better than that being one of the most long running characters/actors from the show. However, it doesn't sound like a final end so maybe Benjamin Mitchell just wanted a break.

[DRW50]

I think so. They are or were setting up a story where his wife CeCe is tempted to cheat with a young intern.

[DRW50]

@Bright Eyes I forgot to mention that Mo Hannah, Sarah Potts and TK's wife Roimata appeared in the "go into the light" scenes, if you want to see them again. The episode date was June 23.

[Bright Eyes]

My birthday ... kismet! Thanks, I might get around to it. Sarah's death will forever be one of the most shocking deaths I was ever lucky enough to watch unfold. I had issues with her Mary Sue type caricature sometimes, but the show clearly loved her so when she actually passes I was left with my jaw on the floor for a long ime. And Josh's Hero Syndrome storyline is probably one of my favourite soap opera stories I've been able to see from beginning to end.

Mo was cool, but how did everything end with Curtis in the end. I loved him, and Jayden Daniels was/is a beautiful man.

[Slutty Shauna Fan]

I gave up on this show last year when Cece found out about Tk's affair and nothing happened. It was like ah well no biggie. WTF? Where's the tension or drama. Such a let down. I did return for the season finale to see the hospital burn down and for everyone to get displaced only for everyone to break their contracts with their new hospitals and return to Shortland Street five episodes later and the hospital was exactly the same except for a new desk and design scheme

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.

Then it was the never ending love triangle between Marty/Monique/Esther that just would not end. Same with Madonna and Villi.

Not to mention I think Samira got four exits and TK/Dawn seemed to quit, come back, quit come back every other month. FFS just leave and stay gone. I still don't believe Dawn is gone, unless they shoved a stick of dynamite up her cooter. Horrid character, only bested by the loathsome Desi.

The writing was so sub par. Madonna is just an unlikable bitch. She moans about Christian values to no end then leaves a man to die in a fire as revenge for ripping her off, lies about not sleeping with Villi yet she wanders around the hospital with her knickers around her ankle, outs Jojo's abortion in front of everyone and emotionally manipulates to get the DoN gig. Then I read the character is basically a propaganda piece by the NZ government to get more ethnic minorities into nursing, which even became a storyline.

Then there was the Chris is a sex pest abusing his position and was a racist from way back. Yet TK also slept with his juniors, helped a murderer and continually screams at females but all that behaviour is overlooked. The feud between Chris and TK also just fizzled into nothingness.

Every straight white male guest character seemed to either be racist, homophobic or sexist, usually all three. Where's the nuance? 

It was like all the fun, interesting and quirkyness was sucked out and only the absurd and ripped from the headline content was left in. It became so preachy with its endless lecturing and clunky stereotypes. The constant Maori language also didn't help, especially when subtitles weren't included. It was the most annoying thing when characters would start a conversation in English, then speak Maori, then English, then Maori. 

I did read that South Pacific Pictures commissioned a report to extoll the value of SS to the NZ economy and arts which usually only gets down when a show is in trouble. Another article mentioned that SS has experienced steady ratings decline in NZ and the Australian channel cancelled the show after only two seasons which was on the fifth rated network.

TBH I wouldn't be surprised if SS in dire straits as it's been truly awful and nothing that I've read reads very promising regarding the latest storylines.

 

[DRW50]

Thanks for sharing some of your memories. I keep meaning to watch some of the old stuff if any has avoided being taken down.

Curtis made brief appearances on the show off and on in 2021, secretly visiting Esther, the final time when he learned she was pregnant with their child. He was doing undercover work in a gang.

He met his fate in a "summer series", Retribution, where Jack and Esther got caught up in the whole thing. He was involved with Steph, the gang leader's daughter. There were various betrayals, the biggest being that Curtis was unaware Hamish, another cop, was on the take. Curtis only got to briefly be with Esther and their newborn daughter before Hamish arranged for him to be gunned down.

The Steph and Hamish stories played out on the main show for a few months - Hamish got romantically involved with Jack, but then Steph (after being beaten up due to deciding to leave the gang life) arrived, and Hamish's dirty deeds (including killing his partner, who had been on the show years earlier as another character - Nurse Awhina Broughton) came to roost. Jack had to choose between killing him in revenge and letting the police have him - he chose the latter.

Steph returned again later on as she had decided to become a nurse. She and Esther mended fences as they realized they had both loved Curtis (just different versions of him). It took longer for Jack to get over his disgust for her and her family (as her father had killed Curtis with the gun Hamish had given him), but he finally did. The woman who played Steph was a great actress - I wish she'd stayed around. 

Before Jack left the show (again) earlier this year, his last story was being prejudiced towards a man covered in tattoos, due to his past gang experiences through Curtis. The man revealed that his life had been ruined, and most of his family killed, thanks to the gang life, and he had been trying to make a better life for himself and his wife and kids. Jack finally saw the error of his ways. 

Here's the last moment for Curtis:

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[DRW50]

Last year was a huge mess. The Chris story had some promise but was quickly undermined by revealing that the POC who were against him staying on were actually on an anti-white campaign (this got dropped VERY fast). The most interesting part of this story was when Raj, one of the board members, began an affair with Jack even as his wife was having a mental breakdown. Raj was one of the few men Jack ever had chemistry with. This could have run for many months. Instead, it was over almost immediately. Tracking the story choices with Rahu, who went from Esther, to Jack having feelings for him, to TK's sister, to TK's daughter, to Nicole...and now, absolutely nothing for ages. A year and a half later I'm also not sure what to say about choices like bringing in Maeve's ex-girlfriend just to throw herself at Dawn. 

The Brightshine material at the start of this year left the show in such a depressing, unwatchable place. Things have improved since then - the stories don't seem made up as they go along or abandoned halfway through now, and Harry is one of the best recasts/additions the show has had in years - but from what you've said, I do wonder if it's too late. I hope not.

[AMCOLTLLover]

I Miss Dawn…

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I LOVE what they have done with Harry this season! Like seriously!! Great recast and a great story!

Monique has been my favorite since she joined the show!

Madonna and Vili’s story breaks my heart!

Esther has become so annoying. It’s weird that her ex boyfriends have all ran away from her or choose a life without her. One was a thug/undercover etc. Another one is taking pills coz he can’t take her lol I loved Esther and she is played by a fantastic actress but damn. Those writers are not giving her anything deserving lol

[AMCOLTLLover]

I’m so happy! Today my rare two Shortland Street books arrived! They got released in 1996 and are so hard to get by. I collect like every book/stuff there is from soaps and it’s so hard to get those shorty books!

I finally got the “Kristy & Lionel”-Book and “Nick’s Story”..

Now I need the Carmen one and the Marj one. 
 

But I’m so excited to got these two 

Edited December 16, 2023 by AMCOLTLLover

[DRW50]

That's fantastic news! I did not even know Shorty had any books. If you want to share your thoughts on them I'd be fascinated to read them.

[AMCOLTLLover]

Yes I will definitely share my thoughts on them. Thanks for your interest and I’ll try my best to write as understanding as possible. English is not my first language and I think I’m doing pretty fine to get by where I’m from but I realize some errors here and there. But I will give my best

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I’ll try my best to get my thoughts sorted when I finished them. I will give my thoughts on Nick’s story first coz Nick has been my favorite and I loved him so much and was lucky enough to see his entire final year with Waverly. I love Chris/Drew’s friendship but I always thought that Nick was someone Chris would really need later on again. Their friendship was so tight.

I just saw some of the 90’s stuff on YouTube and when Heartbeat/Sky NZ started airing the show from the beginning but not much coz I’m not from there and it was tough to get a hold on some episodes. But Nick was my favorite and Kirsty too. 
I saw the first 48 episodes of Shorty from 1992 and fell in love with Kirsty immediately. 
I have been hunting down those Shorty Books for like 6-7 years and now I finally managed to get it. I didn’t knew there was a Nick book until I saw it listed there and I had to grab them for 4.99 each book. The shipping was like 30 bucks but it was worth it. Lol

There is someone on YouTube who still has some 1995/96 episodes and just won’t help out  And someone started to upload 1992 but so damn slowly with like 1-2 episodes in 3 months that the channel got taken down after episode 11  

[Dion]

Those bring back memories, I read all of them in my High School library a year or so after they were released.

 

Now in other news, I have no idea if it is geoblocked outside of Aotearoa New Zealand or not...I really hope not...but all 159 episodes of 1992 were released onto the official Shortland Street Youtube page last night, from Episode 1 (Monday, May 25, 1992) until Episode 159 (Thursday December 31, 1992)

Here is the playlist below:

(I am a bit surprised they are using Rene Naufahu in the thumbnail for episode 1 though)

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[DRW50]

Thank you so much! They are working for me here in the US. I never would have known of this without your post. I wonder if this is tied to Amazon recently buying Shortland Street to air on their Freevee service in the UK?

What are you thinking of the current show? I'm still in mid October. Overall I feel like the show has improved from much of 2022 and early 2023, although there aren't any stories truly grabbing me. The one story I have no time for is Harry/Stella/Rahu as it's just so repetitive and dull and feels like a waste of Harry and Stella (although I know it's about to get worse with Harry on that front). I think the way they brought in the new interns and then did so little with them this year was a big missed opportunity.

[AMCOLTLLover]

OMG! Thank u so much. I am finally able to see episode 50 onwards.. God I love young Chris Warner and I do love my Kirsty.

U made me the happiest men alive right now with this. I started downloading them episodes straight away lol