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<blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 185255" data-attributes="member: 23"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 26px">#708</span></strong></p><p></p><p>No time has been wasted in getting pieces into place for Season Five’s spring clean. Leigh committed suicide in the year’s second episode. Sarah has taken flight (the anticipated epic battle of Stepford Pat vs. Dark Pat turning out to be something the Season Five creative team have no desire to explore. There wasn't even a Pat-on-Pat bitch slap). Doris and Rod have both exited after showing their true colours. Mary’s been shipped off to school. Alison and James have become close though their shared experience. And Bill Ashley is back with tantalising news of Amanda.</p><p></p><p>There have been some returns: Tim and Donna, now married (offscreen, mercifully) and with Tim experiencing the seven day itch after meeting Plain Jane from <em>Neighbours</em>. It’s as thrilling as it sounds. Along similar lines (and arguably only marginally more watchable) Charlie’s sibilant mousy daughter has set her sights on doing an Amanda Carrington with her mother’s boyfriend. Oh, and Andy has fallen for Kelly after she felt his bumps.</p><p></p><p>But on to the bigger storylines:</p><p></p><p>Fiona’s cancer story, rather like Karen Mackenzie choosing to ignore the bullet fragment, seems out of character for someone who professes to tackle things head on. I suppose that’s the point: all characters need their Achilles’ heel. But that doesn’t stop it feeling almost disingenuous. As though the character is deliberately wallowing and working every drop of overwrought drama from it before, as is inevitable, simply dealing with it. That's soap, I suppose. But it can be a testing experience sometimes.</p><p></p><p>But then Fiona is drawn into the Amanda prostitution story as the series’ specialist on the subject (“There’s still plenty of life in the old girl yet”, she said melancholically to an old acquaintance - a successful madam who speaks like Eliza Doolittle, pre-<em>Rain In Spain</em>). As is usual when Fiona reconnects with her past and loses all trace of that silly attempt at a dramatic "posh" voice, she instantly became fiery, edgy, fascinating to watch all over again. More importantly, she's <em>likeable</em>, which is something I don't often find her these days.</p><p></p><p>One one level, the Amanda storyline seems a little pointless. Alyce Platt is gone, never to return. It’s a little like the search for Pam on 21st Century <em>Dallas</em>. But then, also in common with Pam, the actress is gone but the other characters are in a form of limbo. The Amanda storyline needs wrapping up, lest the viewer would always wonder. And if writers want to tie up a loose end just a few months down the line, I’m not one to argue.</p><p></p><p>Delving into the world of prostitution this time has been Caroline who trowelled on the slap and theatrically dropped her “h”s to fit the bill. Her second client (she balked at the first) was none other than David, which - even though he too was undercover - added some enjoyably seedy imagery to the series. David is actually starting to look rough as old houses, and were we meeting him for the first time in this episode as a prospective client of Caroline's I'd fear for her safety.</p><p></p><p>Ten episodes into the new season, the search ended in a mortuary, the body mostly unseen by the viewer, but the grief writ large on the faces of Caroline and Fiona, and so giving a form of closure to the viewer. Lying on a slab, destroyed by drug addiction and prostitution is a grim ending for a character we’ve spent so much time with. When a character is written off in ignominy and beyond redemption it’s frequently a message to the actor. A not too subtle slur on their character in turn. It makes me wonder if Alyce Platt had, for whatever reason, really got on the bad side of the writers.</p><p></p><p>One outcome of the story has been that we've got to see Caroline's vengeful side. She ensured Bill Ashley was tracked down by the people from whom he was hiding, and he was last seen being bundled into a car from where he would presumably sleep with the fishes (and Paul Sheppard).</p><p></p><p>James has recovered, irritated the hell out of the Hamiltons by proposing to Alison and making her the largest shareholder in the company, then returned to Quilpie. Obstensibly a temporary departure, but there were enough parting shots to raise alarm bells with knowing viewers (to Alison: “I’ll catch you soon”. To Barbara: “See ya”. To Gordon: “Keep ya guard up. I’ll see ya when I see ya”). I’ll miss him. He’s quite possibly my favourite piece of casting from Season Four. And that includes Alison.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mel O'Drama, post: 185255, member: 23"] [B][SIZE=7]#708[/SIZE][/B] No time has been wasted in getting pieces into place for Season Five’s spring clean. Leigh committed suicide in the year’s second episode. Sarah has taken flight (the anticipated epic battle of Stepford Pat vs. Dark Pat turning out to be something the Season Five creative team have no desire to explore. There wasn't even a Pat-on-Pat bitch slap). Doris and Rod have both exited after showing their true colours. Mary’s been shipped off to school. Alison and James have become close though their shared experience. And Bill Ashley is back with tantalising news of Amanda. There have been some returns: Tim and Donna, now married (offscreen, mercifully) and with Tim experiencing the seven day itch after meeting Plain Jane from [I]Neighbours[/I]. It’s as thrilling as it sounds. Along similar lines (and arguably only marginally more watchable) Charlie’s sibilant mousy daughter has set her sights on doing an Amanda Carrington with her mother’s boyfriend. Oh, and Andy has fallen for Kelly after she felt his bumps. But on to the bigger storylines: Fiona’s cancer story, rather like Karen Mackenzie choosing to ignore the bullet fragment, seems out of character for someone who professes to tackle things head on. I suppose that’s the point: all characters need their Achilles’ heel. But that doesn’t stop it feeling almost disingenuous. As though the character is deliberately wallowing and working every drop of overwrought drama from it before, as is inevitable, simply dealing with it. That's soap, I suppose. But it can be a testing experience sometimes. But then Fiona is drawn into the Amanda prostitution story as the series’ specialist on the subject (“There’s still plenty of life in the old girl yet”, she said melancholically to an old acquaintance - a successful madam who speaks like Eliza Doolittle, pre-[I]Rain In Spain[/I]). As is usual when Fiona reconnects with her past and loses all trace of that silly attempt at a dramatic "posh" voice, she instantly became fiery, edgy, fascinating to watch all over again. More importantly, she's [I]likeable[/I], which is something I don't often find her these days. One one level, the Amanda storyline seems a little pointless. Alyce Platt is gone, never to return. It’s a little like the search for Pam on 21st Century [I]Dallas[/I]. But then, also in common with Pam, the actress is gone but the other characters are in a form of limbo. The Amanda storyline needs wrapping up, lest the viewer would always wonder. And if writers want to tie up a loose end just a few months down the line, I’m not one to argue. Delving into the world of prostitution this time has been Caroline who trowelled on the slap and theatrically dropped her “h”s to fit the bill. Her second client (she balked at the first) was none other than David, which - even though he too was undercover - added some enjoyably seedy imagery to the series. David is actually starting to look rough as old houses, and were we meeting him for the first time in this episode as a prospective client of Caroline's I'd fear for her safety. Ten episodes into the new season, the search ended in a mortuary, the body mostly unseen by the viewer, but the grief writ large on the faces of Caroline and Fiona, and so giving a form of closure to the viewer. Lying on a slab, destroyed by drug addiction and prostitution is a grim ending for a character we’ve spent so much time with. When a character is written off in ignominy and beyond redemption it’s frequently a message to the actor. A not too subtle slur on their character in turn. It makes me wonder if Alyce Platt had, for whatever reason, really got on the bad side of the writers. One outcome of the story has been that we've got to see Caroline's vengeful side. She ensured Bill Ashley was tracked down by the people from whom he was hiding, and he was last seen being bundled into a car from where he would presumably sleep with the fishes (and Paul Sheppard). James has recovered, irritated the hell out of the Hamiltons by proposing to Alison and making her the largest shareholder in the company, then returned to Quilpie. Obstensibly a temporary departure, but there were enough parting shots to raise alarm bells with knowing viewers (to Alison: “I’ll catch you soon”. To Barbara: “See ya”. To Gordon: “Keep ya guard up. I’ll see ya when I see ya”). I’ll miss him. He’s quite possibly my favourite piece of casting from Season Four. And that includes Alison. [/QUOTE]
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