Home and Away “Welcome to Summer Bay”: Rewatching the early years.

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 359-364 (continued)


One really satisfying thing to have come out of recent episodes was that, for once, there were consequences to all the characters going off and engaging in their soapy dramas when they should have been at work.

While Bobby and Steven have sneaked off to rescue Viv and Tamar, Carly is off with Adam location hunting (at night) for a suitable place to shoot Image’s music video, only for the car to get bogged down. Adding insult to injury, Carly has taken the car without asking Tom or Pippa’s permission.

Steven comes home alone - sent by Bobby while she carries out the rescue of Tamar, because he’s on a good behaviour bond. Tom and Pippa are a little suspicious, but more so when Ailsa - alone at the diner with neither Bobby nor Carly showing up - rings Pippa asking for help and mentions that Bobby was last seen going off with Steven:

You’re lucky I have to help Ailsa, Steven. ‘Cause right now I’m ready to rip you apart. I want a full report, Tom. And no sob stories.

I’ve been made a mug of once today. That’s quite enough.

At the diner she talks it out further with Ailsa:

If I’d stayed at home I probably would have ended up doing Steven a bit of grievous bodily harm.

Well, you might have to stop me when I catch up with Carly.

Go ahead. I won’t stop you. I really thought we’d seen the end of her sneaky little tricks.

Mind you, Bobby’s just as bad. She was supposed to be here tonight, too.

Ever since Dodge arrived there hasn’t been a moment’s peace. If it’s not Carly it’s Steven. And as for Sally… you’d think after he rescued her she’d show him a bit of gratitude, but her attitude’s even worse… I feel responsible. I mean, I’m the one who made the decision to take him on in the first place.

Neither Adam and Carly getting marooned nor Bobby and Steven rescuing Viv was especially engaging (albeit the latter was at least enjoyably watchable), but the consequences of both happening on the same night are engaging, because it threatens the family values at the heart of the series. Most soap characters get to have their daily dramas and keep businesses running. But not so here.

Tom presents Carly with a bill for $150 for the car being towed. And it’s the worst possible time for her. She’s walked out on Bobby only to find that the glamorous job she thought was in the pipeline with Nina has come to nothing. And when she takes her trouble to Pippa, the latter is in arse-kicking mode:

I just found out there is no job. You might as well know, I walked out on Bobby too… I thought I had this music venture all sewn up.

Well you thought wrong, obviously. And if you think you’re going to spent the next umpteen weeks moping about the house you’ve got that wrong too.

I’ll find something else, OK.

Well you won’t find it sitting there… First thing in the morning I want to see you with your eyes glued to the employment section of the newspaper and then go down and register with the CES.

I do like kick-arse Pippa.

Meanwhile, Celia hasn’t quite left yet. She has to visit her sister first:

Before I go I wanted to come round and clear the air. I didn’t want to leave with any ill feeling between us. All our lives we’ve never seen eye to eye on most subjects. So I want you to know that, despite everything that’s happened between us, I still love you as my sister.

Well, that’s a very, um, Christian thought, Celia. And I must confess that I have feelings for you too. Although whether they’re of a similar nature… So your will’s up to date, then?

I beg your pardon.

Well that’s why I thought you came round here: to prepare your will and testament. Well, you can’t be too sure these days, you know.

Oh Morag, really. Statistically flying is one of the safest forms of transport. You have more chance of being run over by a bus or being struck by lightning.

Perhaps. But there are a lot of factors that go to make up statistics… Terrorist bombs. Metal fatigue. Pilot error.

Suitably shaken up, Celia naturally takes Morag up on her offer:

To Ailsa, I leave my fondest love.

Oh, how very generous of you.

And my first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice.

You haven’t forgotten your precious record collection have you?

Betty Falwell can have them.

How fitting.

To my dearest brother Alfred, I leave all my worldly goods and possessions. And to my niece Ruth I bequeath my engagement ring.

[rolls her eyes then dictates aloud as she writes] Ruth. One small, gold and stone ring.

Really, Morag. Les spent two months’ salary on that nine carat gold diamond and ruby ring.

Did he indeed? [mutters] Pity his taste didn’t match his budget.

Cornelia and Fiona are always magic together. And this scene is no exception. I already miss Celia, since Morag spent #364 alternating between complaining that Marilyn had missed work for a photoshoot and - at the bottom of the barrel - mediating in an industrial strike held by Sally and a couple of her school friends whom Dodge was using as cheap labour to do Morag’s gardening.

And that’s where this dullest episode comes in. #364 opens with a recap of Image showing off their terrible dance routine…

…And unbelievably gets worse as it continues. There’s the child labour strike in which Morag and Dodge are completely wasted stuck in the middle of sub-Neighbours B-story pap; Then there's a lengthy montage of an Image photoshoot; Carly talking to Andrew; Carly talking to Adam; Andrew questioning Adam over his relationship with Carly (oh, my poor blood pressure); Carly talking to Adam again and Adam possibly asking her out. None of which I can bring myself to care about. It’s the pits.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 365-374



The Fletchers are right back at the heart of the series and it has proved a very good thing. As I look back over the screen caps I’ve taken from the past ten episodes, I’m boggling at how much has happened even just within the family unit. But I’m also in awe that character hasn’t been lost. In fact there have been times when the story has been put aside to give the characters room to breathe and to simply be.

From the vantage point of Episode 374, I look back and can see three defined parts to the conclusion of the Cuckoo In The Nest storyline. And each of those parts has a number of acts within that have involved a satisfying amount of conflict and resolution.

Part I shines a light on the enmity between Dodge and Sally which goes back to Dodge’s very first scene back in #287. Things have been bubbling away for the entire duration of Dodge’s time at Summer Bay House and are brought to a head in the first couple of these ten episodes:

Who d’you wanna ring, Sal?

Miss Molloy. To find a new place to live. I wanna find a new family. I don’t like living here anymore. I wanna move out.

Pippa, increasingly feeling that her decision to bring Dodge into the house was the wrong one, is unable to be objective and comes down firmly on Sally’s side:

Those things you said downstairs about how we’ve been ignoring you: they’re true. But it isn’t because we don’t love you… The trouble is, sometimes you’re so busy worrying about big problems that you don’t notice the little ones. And then the little ones add up and add up until they’re a really big one. You know one of the first things they tell you when you foster children? They warn you not to get too close to them. They say that you mustn’t ever start thinking of them as your own, because they can always be taken away from you. But it isn’t that simple. I do think of you as my own. I think if I’d ever had a little girl she would’ve been just like you. You are my little girl, Sally. I couldn’t bear to lose you. I know why you’re unhappy, but it’s all going to change. I promise. Anyone’s going to leave this family, it’ll be him, not you.

Sally later sneaks downstairs and overhears Tom and Pippa talking:

I can’t imagine this family without Sally, Pippa. I really can’t.

It’s not going to be without her. She’s staying. Dodge is going. I’ve decided.

Now, we know Dodge is a thug and a stirrer. And the family don’t know the half of it. But there’s no black and white here, and the way this plays out increases my sympathy towards him. There’s no mistaking the favouritism going on. Ironically, a couple of episodes before, it had been said that Sally was a little spoilt from getting things her own way. And while Tom and especially Pippa seem to have forgotten that (or more to the point, they’re feeling guilty for their viewpoint and are now overcompensating) the way these scenes are played implicitly suggest that they were right. Sally may be young, but I appreciate that she is written and played with flaws just like the older characters. There is, I would say, a degree of manipulation going on from her here. Sally is aware of Tom and Pippa’s guilt and she’s using it to keep the ball firmly in her court. Kate Richie seems to get that and, impressively, plays it with subtlety. Sally now knows Tom and Pippa are on side with her rather than Dodge. So when Tom wavers Sally plays her trump card:

I’ve packed my things. I just wanna know if I can have my family photo. You let Lynn have hers when she left.

Right… We’ve gotta sort this out and now. I’m gonna call a family meeting.

OK, Tom. We’ll do it your way.

At the meeting, the schisms within the family continue to become apparent:

I just don’t think it’s fair. You’re gonna chuck Dodge out of the family just because she doesn’t like him… He’s tried really hard to be friends with her.

Yeah, well that’s when you’re around. I’ve heard him picking on her when he thought no-one else was watching.

You’ve wound up with a criminal record because you’re his friend.

Sally flips out and walks out when everyone starts to get angry. When she returns she blanks Tom, which immediately panics him:

As far as Sal’s concerned I’m as bad as Dodge.

She thinks you like him more than her.

Well that’s just damned ridiculous.

Well, I guess you’ll have to prove it to her, then… I have a suggestion, if you’re interested.

And Tom acts on Carly’s suggestion. Instantly.

One good thing that happened today is that Pippa and I realised how awful it’d be if we lost you. Maybe it shouldn’t take something like this… to make us realise that. See, we get so used to having you around we forget that you’re not really ours. And we wish you were. So how would you like to make it real, Sal? How would you like… to become our daughter officially?

So Sally gets everything she’s dreamt of. And one could almost believe that she made it happen all by herself.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 365-374 (...continued)

I wanna make this family work, Tom. Honest. I wanna keep it together, not split it up.

Part II of the final act of the Cuckoo In The Nest saga is the happy families chapter. In the wake of Sally being more secure there is a settled, almost amicable feeling in the household. Pippa has broached the subject of Dodge and Sally has magnanimously said that while she’ll never like him “he can stay” (the tail is certainly wagging the dog there, methinks).

Dodge thanks Tom for putting in a good word for him, to which Tom replies that he’s hoping Dodge won’t let him down. Then Pippa comes up and, still getting tingles from her female intuition, she is slightly less gracious:

Listen, uh, thanks Pip.

Yes, well I still have reservations, Dodge.

Dodge even goes so far as to pay a visit to Sally under a flag of truce:

Look, I’m willing to be mates if you are… Let’s shake on it.

With the two getting along now, Dodge takes it to the next level by asking Sally if she can help with his idea for Tom and Pippa’s impending wedding anniversary. In the meantime, he questions older characters about their memories of the Sixties and approaches a less than enthusiastic Ailsa and Bobby about using the diner:

Look Dodge. This diner is important to us. And there is no way that we’re gonna let you waltz in and trash the place with… a boozed-up bunch of juvenile delinquents.

I’m throwing a party for Tom and Pippa’s anniversary. A Sixties party. It was s’posed to be a surprise. Satisfied?

Knowing it’s for a good cause, Ailsa does an about face and does all she can. This even comes with a nod to one of the series’ first community gatherings:

I dug these out of storage. We collected them for the Variety Night. There’s a fair bit of Sixties gear here if I remember.

Another reference to the past comes in Episode 369 when Ailsa picks up the phone at the diner and tells Bobby it’s Narelle. Narelle is going skiing and asks Bobby to join her. Bobby turns it down, but Carly later rings Narelle to take her up on it. This causes no end of problems for her. Tom and Pippa are peeved that she’s kicking up her heels while still jobless (Carly’s response is that that’s exactly why she’s doing it as once she starts work she won’t be able to have a holiday for some time. Which is actually sound reasoning). And Bobby is unhappy that Carly is going to miss the surprise for Tom and Pippa’s anniversary. This gives us flashes of the old enmity between these two characters as well as showing that Carly is still a work in progress and, for all her growth, still prone to selfishness at times:

It’s just a silly little family party anyway. [pauses] That’s not what I meant.

Yes it is. If you go don’t bother hurrying back, because you won’t have a job.

The long and short of it is that Carly stays and plans are hatched to get Tom and Pippa to the diner while everyone pretends to be less than interested in the anniversary until they can surprise them:

Now, family party scenes in soap can drag a little, but this is actually a really beautiful one. It’s fun to see the cast in costume. And engaging to see the entire current Fletcher brood together. The celebratory tone and Tom and Pippa’s speech accompanied by the Fletchers’ theme - one of my favourite TV pieces - puts one firmly in mind of Tom’s 40th birthday in the Pilot episode:

Well, Pippa and I, we’ve been together for… quite a while now. And every one of those years has been terrific. But I don’t think we’ve ever been happier than we are right now. And I want you all to know that that’s because of you guys. All of you, you’ve got a very special place in our hearts.

We love you all. We’re the luckiest two people in the whole world. I think I’m gonna cry.

I love how much time Episode 370 devoted to Tom and Pippa’s anniversary celebrations. The preparations. The clothes. The speeches. And the presents. They’re given something Beatles related. Pippa is thrilled and says she’s wanted one for a long time. But I’m not sure what it actually is. It looks a little like a small notebook or passport cover. Stranger still it’s on top of a box inside a much larger package.

As treats for fans go, though, the children’s second present is the best. Hidden under a poster in the decorated diner is a framed photo from Tom and Pippa’s wedding, with some nice photoshopping going on.

I love how Roger Oakley and Vanessa Downing manage to look delighted and embarrassed at the same time.

Many might be tempted to gild the lily by having a big drama happen during the party. A huge reveal or bust up or something. I’m very grateful that the less is more approach has prevailed, because it’s just wonderful.

The only thing that would have made the episode more perfect would be to see Frank or even Lynn drop by. But you can’t have everything.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 365-374 (...continued)



With so much goodwill, and smiles all round in the family, it’s almost easy to forget about the darkness just below the surface. But it’s not long in returning. Two short episodes later, Dodge has been on a drunken night out with a friend from the city. The worse for wear, he crosses paths with Adam who invites him to stay on his boat in a scene riddled with homoerotic subtext (well, maybe not riddled. But it’s there if you care to look).

And it’s there that Dodge’s lack of inhibitions get the better of him, beginning Part III of this final chapter:

Pippa. She’s gonna kill me.

Look, I’ll ring her. I’ll let her know you’re OK. Look, I’ve gotta go to the shop to make this call, so don’t you go walkabout on me, OK?

No more shop. All gone.

The shop across the street. The diner.

Not there now. No more shop. Old bag. She was asking for it anyway. One little match and whoosh. No more shop. Green, and gold and red. All them flames. An’ Dodge did it. All by ‘imself.

Such is Dodge’s state that he can’t even remember what he’s said until he’s reminded the next morning:

I must o’ been a mess last night. What was I sayin’?

All sorts of weird stuff… Like when I tried to go to the shop to ring the caravan park you said I couldn’t because you’d burnt the shop down.

It’s a nice touch that Dodge has given the information to one of the few characters for whom the significance will be lost. Adam wasn’t around when the fire happened, nor for some time afterwards. And if someone’s told him about it, then it hasn’t resonated enough for him to put the pieces together. So other than Dodge, the only people aware of his faux pas are the viewers. And this creates a special sort of bond. One of secrets shared.

Naturally, this development makes Adam a threat to Dodge, while Adam is unaware that he’s now on the hit list of someone he helped the night before. Reminding Dodge to act quickly, Adam almost says what happened while making conversation in front of Steven.

So Dodge decides to destroy Adam’s reputation and new job in one fell swoop. Adam’s now working as caretaker at the school, and his situation is already precarious, and has been since his interview:

From what I have just seen in the corridor, having you here would cause all sorts of problems with the students… Frankly, …the last thing I need is to have a… young, good-looking male employed on the premises.

Let me get this straight. You’re refusing to employ me because you think I’m too good-looking?

This riles Adam enough to approach Morag, who is setting up a new law firm in Summer Bay. She’s only too happy to take on his case, with the agreement that he pays once he’s working. And he’s working very soon:

You can start in the morning. Eight thirty. Sharp. But I warn you, Mr Cameron: I’ll be watching you. And if I see you take one step out of line with the students - and it’s the female students that I’m particularly referring to - we’ll be going to court all right. Only this time, you’ll be the one facing the charges.

So with Adam on probation, he’s an easy mark for Dodge who lifts the school VCR and plans to plant it in Adam’s store room. Except he’s caught by Donald, mid-episode.

Naturally, he comes up with a quick explanation about doing it to get money for Steven, but Donald won’t have any of it:

Where we goin’?

To see your foster parents. If they agree I might reconsider.

Tom has gone away on business for a while in another of those temporary write-outs for the actors to do other things (Bobby’s also not around, Nicolle Dickson and Roger Oakley presumably both off promoting the series somewhere. Perhaps with Fiona Spence. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was the UK). So when Donald comes to the house, it’s for Pippa alone to deal with:

I’m really sorry. Honest… If you call in the cops…

Shut up, Dodge. I just wanna hear the real reason why you did it.

Because I thought I could help Steve…

Don’t lie. I’m sick and tired of hearing you lie.

And while that’s going on, Steven and Adam are at the diner, with Adam confused about why Dodge would try to set him up:

Why’d he do it?

I don’t know… He wouldn’t do something like that unless there was a reason. What exactly happened last night?

And as they go over it, red flags come up for Steven:

So then I thought I’d give you guys a call. But he wouldn’t give me your number. He kept on saying that… I couldn’t use the phone in the shop because he’d burnt the shop down.

Does he know he said that?

Sure. I told him this morning.

Steven flies out of the diner towards Summer Bay House, where Pippa is also at a decisive turning point:

You deal with it, Don. You can use our phone if you want to call Bob now.

Dodge flees and comes face to face with Steven, and they have that moment where Dodge thinks he’s saved until he realises Steven knows. Dodge runs and Steven gives pursuit, cornering Dodge in woodland:

All right. Look. I burnt down the shop.

You killed Phil.

I thought it was empty. Fair dinkum. You gotta believe me. I didn’t know ‘e was there… What’re you gonna do? Belt me up?

More than that.

continued...
​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 365-374 (...continued)


Following on from the three tonally distinct parts to the Cuckoo In The Nest story, there’s an epilogue of sorts throughout the entire final episode.

Steven, naturally, has Done The Right Thing by walking away without physically attacking Dodge.

He then gives the situation the post-mortem, wishing for the chance again so he can Do The Wrong Thing.

Steven pays a visit to Andrew at his new therapy suite: Stacey’s flat. The poo brown dingy environment is enough to make anyone cry for help. Andrew should consider himself very lucky to have even that. He was evicted from his room behind the diner by Matt’s uncle, Rex Wilson after it came to light that clients were walking through the kitchen to get to the space (Rex is some sort of councillor). He then fumed with righteous anger on learning that it was, in fact, Morag who had reported him and put in a higher offer in order to set up her new law firm (“all I want to do is mind my own business and help kids”, he wailed without a hint of irony).

Andrew being Andrew, he felt the most appropriate thing to do was to set up shop in the flat he’s sharing with Stacey. And why bother asking his flatmate? Stacey discovered the setup after seeing one of the posters he’s fly posted all over town. Clearly uncomfortable, she asked him to stop.

And Andrew saw this as the starting point in a negotiation, demanding two weeks and getting one . “Thanks Stace”, he chirped insincerely as he flounced off to sniff out more kids (adding insult to injury he’s also had Stacey bringing coffees for his clients).

And he’s taken to lurking in school corridors, listening to private conversations between kids and then using what he’s heard to try to entice kids to become his clients (Viv wisely gave him a very firm “no” and walked off).

Anyway, Andrew listens to Steven’s problems while fidgeting away and touching his own face (Andrew would never survive Covid-19 with those mannerisms). The entire setup is there to give Steven some kind of redemption. A space for him to acknowledge that he hasn’t been behaving like himself. To purge himself and find himself. Which he does:

After Phil died, things seemed different… I guess it didn’t seem as if trying to live a good life, so to speak, was really worth it. I kept on thinking about Mum and Dad. What they were like. And Phil. I mean, they were all good people, right? Look what happened to them. Where did it get them? What was the point of it all? And then Dodged arrived. He just lived. Good and bad. Right and wrong. None of it meant much to him. Nah - he just did things for the hell of it. It was fun, too. A lot of fun… It’ll be interesting to see if he can talk his way out of this one, won’t it?

He punishes himself by grabbing hold of the hot coffee pot Andrew has put in front of him:

If I wanna sit here with a sore hand I’ll damn well sit here. It’s me it’s hurting, not you. ‘Cause I knew what I was doing. Didn’t you Steve?

The tone for the entire episode is play-like. The two handed confrontation of darkness between Steven and Andrew even incorporates “flashbacks” to Steven’s perspective of conversations between him and Carly last year and this year. These are deliberately simplistic and work well.

In between these scenes we cut to Dodge at the police station, where he is being questioned by a detective with a great line in patter:

Well son, I don’t think you’re gonna like me. Because you are in more trouble than a heifer on its way to the abattoir… Son, not even Houdini could get out of the mess that you’re in.

As the episode goes along, their conversation intensifies and Dodge becomes more trapped:

When the shop went up I was a hundred miles away… I got asked about this months ago… Me an’ a mate sat up all night…

Oh, that’s right. Your mate. Larry… Do you know where Larry Endene is these days? He’s in Grafton Gaol. Maximum security.* For pulling a bank job on that same night… The night the shop burnt down… We’d also like to have a chat with you about shoplifting, stealing cards, attempting to mislead police. Simon Yates. You and Steven made it look like he burnt down the shop, remember?

That was all Steve… Face it guys. All you’ve got on me is the stolen video.

You think so, huh?

The detective makes Dodge give an account of his background, which he does. Only to find the police are ahead of him:

Three years ago, I actually busted Brian Knight. The real Brian Knight. So… I know for an absolute fact that you’re not him. Oh, that’s his background. But you’re not him… Your real name is Brian Roger Forbes. Your Dad’s an accountant. Your Mum holds Tupperware parties… You’re not some street kid who had to be tough or die. You have none of those excuses. You’re just a thug… Now that we’ve got to the truth, I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do, Brian. I’m gonna charge you with murder.

Murder? But you can’t. I didn’t know he was in there. Honest to God. I didn’t wanna kill anybody. I just wanted to get the old bag. No. I mean, I…

Congratulations, son. You just convicted yourself. Take him down and charge him.

And that’s the last we see of the “real” Dodge in this era of the series. His real father, unseen, has identified him over the video cameras set up in the room, and Dodge is escorted off the scene by the detective’s silent, constantly chewing partner. At the end of his final outburst above, Dodge makes some terrific little yelping sounds, like a naughty puppy dog. And that’s how I’ll remember him.









* According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, Grafton Gaol hasn't housed maximum security prisoners since around 1945, some four and a half decades before these episodes. Perhaps the exaggeration was deliberate, in the same way that saying he would be charged with murder was an outright lie to coerce Dodge into confessing.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 365-374 (...continued)


Dodge’s initial exit isn’t the end of the episode. The next sequence - even more play like - sees Steven studying alone at night for his essay: The Fatal Flaw In Hamlet’s Character.

As he considers the piece, he is visited by three “ghosts”. First Donald emerges from the darkness to tell him about Hamlet seeing the ghost of his father telling him the identity of his killer and asking him to avenge his death. Lest that be too subtle and not meta enough, Andrew is the next apparition, pointing out that Steven himself set out to avenge his uncle's death.

Finally, Dodge himself joins the other two visions, telling Steven to join him and live for the moment, an offer Steven turns down.

The gist of it is that the vision of Donald says that Hamlet’s flaw was vacillation. Leaving it too late to act. While the ever wise Andrew vision points out that taking action isn’t always the best move, asking Steven to think where he’d be now if he’d acted.

I can guess at how the technique of making characters appear and disappear works, and it’s not the last time we’ll see it during the episode. However it’s done, it’s incredibly effective. I can imagine this scene taking place on a theatre stage with lighting providing the effects.

The next day, Steven presents his essay, concluding that Hamlet’s flaw was that he ended up being a murderer himself after giving in to pressure. And while the analogy is less than subtle, what better way to show Steven is back to his old self and has consciously worked through his troubles than to approach both through an area that has suffered in recent months: study.

Indeed, it’s here in the classroom that Steven has his final vision of Dodge as the earlier technique is employed again, and a class full of students disappear, leaving the two alone in the room.

Can’t get me out of your mind, can ya?

Dodge fades away and Steven is now alone with the “real” Donald who says it’s good to see him on form again and shakes his hand. After Donald leaves, Steven looks back at the empty classroom and finds freedom.

Greg Haddrick’s writing makes #374 a very rich episode. It’s no secret that I’m going to struggle with any Andrew-heavy episode, as this was. But the voice that’s found makes this a satisfying route out of the Dodge era. It’s unexpected and experimental without feeling showy. The stage backgrounds of several actors shine through* and it strikes a great balance of being reflective and forward looking. Adam Willits, while lacking theatrical intensity, is well used and does a nice job with Steven’s role here. And more than anything, this episode is about Steven.


Elsewhere, Pippa rips up the family photo with Dodge and looks wonderfully sad.

Helping the episode out greatly, bland new young characters such as Viv and Adam are absent. And so are Lance, Martin and Marilyn whose new pop career is grating like a gratey thing. Although, I know @Willie Oleson will be delighted to see that Scott Smith, First A.D. of Image’s first music video in a recent episode is none other than Kevin Palmer.

It’s a thankless one episode appearance, full of terrible SFX. But great to see him nonetheless.

Oh, and the clapperboard for the video had the actual Australian air date which is a nice touch.

Speaking of familiar soap faces, Steven’s also had a run-in with smart mouthed Bradley played by Simon Edward Stokes. When this aired in the UK in 1990, Simon would also have been appearing in Anglo-Aussie soap Families as the son of Number 96’s Briony Behets. This is apparently his second of three H&A appearances. His first one went completely under my radar:

In other tedium, boring Viv has decided to rebel and Dodge helped her to plan a soaking for new Alison, Vicki Baxter. Which backfired when Donald also got wet:

More references to the past in this last batch of episodes, with Bobby warning Adam off Carly:

Look. Carly has had enough bad experiences already. She doesn’t need to get involved with some guy who’s going to sail away… Never mind.

Which in turn gave Carly cause to contemplate both her past and her distant future:

Look… I know you’ve had a few bad experiences.

What do you mean you know?

I just heard a few things.

Yeah I bet you have. They just couldn’t wait to tell you, could they? You know what… that is what I really hate about this town. I mean, twenty years from now they’re still gonna be on about it, ya know? “Oh, Carly Morris. You know - the one that was attacked.” …Just once I’d like to meet someone who didn’t know about it.

* On theatrical lines, I’ve just discovered that Kelly Dingwall was understudy for Mark Ferguson - AKA Paul Sheppard - in a 1984 production of Torch Song Trilogy, which also starred Myra DeGroot and S&D scribe Tony Sheldon.

 

[Werewillie Oleson]

I don't know if I would like - or preferably, love - HOME AND AWAY, but I had planned to watch at least a few episodes.
To taste the atmosphere, as it were.
Easy-peasy, as I could simply cancel Amazon Prime DE and subscribe to UK's Am. Prime (incidentally, why is this so much more expensive?)
But anway, I discovered that not all UK prime movies and series are available in my region.
??? It's not that I expect them to send the actors to my home and play the stories! (although that would be very my Home vs. their Away).

So...no Cornelia and Judy Extra Time for me. *sigh*

 

[Spells & Karma]

I don't know if I would like - or preferably, love - HOME AND AWAY, but I had planned to watch at least a few episodes.
To taste the atmosphere, as it were.
Easy-peasy, as I could simply cancel Amazon Prime DE and subscribe to UK's Am. Prime (incidentally, why is this so much more expensive?)
But anway, I discovered that not all UK prime movies and series are available in my region.

Oh boo. Why on earth do they do this. What I don't get is that we're the same DVD region so why not make the same material available? I feel your frustration as I hate when this happens with films, TV shows and even music on Amazon and iTunes.

For what it's worth, the full Pilot movie is available on the Home And Away Romances DVD. Might be worth a peek if you can bag a cheap copy.

It's not that I expect them to send the actors to my home and play the stories! (although that would be very my Home vs. their Away).

Now there's a logical next step on from super-duper High Definition 3D home cinemas. It may not fly during these times of social distance, but it definitely needs to happen soon.

So...no Cornelia and Judy Extra Time for me. *sigh*

That's such a shame as both are terrific in this series. And they have some nice scenes together.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 375-390


For the first time in this rewatch I’ve been forced to skip an episode of Home and Away. Episode 375 appears twice in the Amazon Prime playlist: a very poor quality version is followed by a good quality version, with the duplicate erroneously listed as #376. The next episode is #377, so Episode 376 doesn’t appear at all. No matter, I’ve consoled myself with the happy fact that I’ve seen it before. And at least the episode recap - and even the annoying “next on Home and Away” spoilers - came in useful.

Absent friends have been kept alive through chat between characters. Ailsa had a postcard from Bobby during her brief ski trip with Narelle. The more conspicuously absent Celia communicates with Alf via the same method, with the poetic enthusiasm of ABBA’s Our Last Summer:

Paris is too wonderful to describe. Boulevard cafés, strolls along the Seine, trips to the Louvre. The company is so charming it makes me quite giddy. Please say hello to everyone. I’m off to the theatre tonight. Comédie-Française’s production of The Three Sisters. Hope all goes well.

Love, Celia

Alf is xenophobically sceptical:

I think there’s somethin’ funny about them froggies.

Just because they drink their beer out of a glass, love.

There’s also an update from Alf’s missing daughter when Donald asks after her while visiting the bait shop:

I didn’t really know whether to bring her up. You know, with Frank and Bobby and that.

Oh no… it’s all water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned, Alf. How are they both?

I, uh, think they’re taking things fairly slowly. But she rang me just the other night and, well, she said everything was great. And she sounded happier than she has done for years… Still… they’re startin’ to sound like city slickers, ya know? I don’t think Summer Bay’ll ever be big enough for them again.

It’s a nice touch in itself, made more substantial by Ray Meagher’s performance. As Alf finishes speaking he looks deep in melancholy reflection, as though saying the words out loud has tapped into his own grief at losing his daughter to the big city. It’s perhaps even more meaningful when viewed with the benefit of hindsight. Justine Clarke’s Roo will never return. It’s a significant part of the series that is gone forever. Which also means the loss of aspects of Alf that have been key to his character for the first season and a half.


There have been references to Carly’s father when The George Morris Agency takes over the publicity for Image, meaning Carly can’t reapply for the position she’s lost. There’s no sign of George himself, but the continuity is welcome.

Just an episode after he departed, Dodge is still very much a presence as Pippa boxes up his things and burns his trademark jacket.

Sally complains that the loft room now smells of Dodge (Dodge had been moved there to stop him leading Steven astray, while Sally moved in with Carly). And I do envisage that Dodge would have spent much of his time up there chain smoking. And so the decision is made to redecorate the room. After the requisite cathartic paint fight, the atmospheric earth tones have given way to something more suitable for a pre-teen (“it’s very pink”, observed Carly).

This scene, too, came with an air of history as the workers took a tea break:

The number of times we’ve redecorated. There was one room in the old house where I think the walls were a few inches thicker with all the layers of paper and paint. That was your room when you first came to us, remember?

Uh, yeah, right. The one with the daggy black and white harlequins and the frilly lampshades.

We thought that’s what thirteen year old girls were supposed to like.

Wavy-haired brunette men have begun arriving in the bay in droves. Well, a hat trick, at least. Two in particular mean bad news for a number of characters.

The first of them is Ross Keating who arrives unexpectedly one evening:

Hi… I’m sorry it’s so late. You must be Mrs Fletcher. I’ve come to see Sally. I’m her uncle.

Now, here’s where I missed an episode, but putting the pieces together it seems Ross is very keen to adopt Sally and is in cahoots with Morag who gives him a game plan:

Become friendly with them. Try and get as close to them as you can. Particularly Sally. Now, you have to win her affection. That is imperative.

Ross’s motives are at first unclear. But he appears willing to use all the guile necessary to move things forward. Tom and Pippa tell him that the decision has to be Sally’s, and he speaks to her alone, determined to influence that decision:

How would you like to come up and stay a couple of days with me and Louise? …We’ve got a swimming pool. Ponies.

I’m too busy.

Well, how about coming up for a day, then. You can swim, play the piano. Anything you like… I know Tom and Pippa are hoping you’ll come… They told me downstairs.

With Sally so manipulated, the Fletchers are powerless to stop the equally reluctant Sally exploring the world outside of Summer Bay.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 375-390 (...continued)

Hello Sally. You’re even prettier than I imagined. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you so much.

It’s with the introduction of Louise Keating that this story develops a substantial heart. Louise has an interesting - almost ethereal - combination of warmth and desperation. Thanks to Felicity Soper’s portrayal I find her immediately likeable (back in 1989 Felicity was already familiar to me from her role in Richmond Hill, which was airing concurrently), but there’s also something a little dark about her.

There are looks between Sally and Ross, over Sally’s head or behind her back that are meaningful to them. But without knowing the meaning they could be interpreted as slightly sinister. There’s also a sense that she is very nervous and trying to impress. When, early on in their conversation, Sally emphasises she can only stay a couple of hours, there’s something akin to a look of hurt on Louise’s face, before she recovers and graciously tells Sally, “Of course”.

The Keatings’ house appears to be filmed entirely on location, and it’s nice to be able to look out of the windows and see real greenery. Something that surprised me was how well these interior locations fit in between other scenes that use sets. And the most is certainly made of this new location as we see both outside and in, and move from room to room.

Mike Perjanik’s music on Home and Away is as important as any character on the series. As we spend time with the Keatings one of his most beautiful piano pieces accompanies adding depth and poignancy.

How come you’ve got so many toys.

For the kids.

You said you didn’t have any.

The ones who come and visit. You can have them if you like.

The visit is a hit, and Sally decides to stay the night. After she’s gone to bed, the Keatings chat:

Isn’t she adorable?

Seems she thinks the same about you, too.

I hope so. Oh, we’ve certainly come a long way since this morning, that’s for sure. I thought today was gonna be a disaster. D’ya think there’s a chance?

The way it looks to me, we’re going to have a little girl living with us very soon.

The Keatings are essentially an Antipodean Harry and Sheila Fisher. Ross has the connections to “obtain” a child for his wife, though his approach is heavy handed and his moral stance somewhat questionable. Louise has an emptiness in her that she feels can only be filled by having a child. We don’t yet know exactly why, but we feel the urgency which could mean the difference between happiness and giving up completely. Except happiness for Louise in this case means misery for the Fletchers.

There’s a fragility to Felicity Soper’s reading of the character that makes me root for her. Just as Valene spoke to Sheila Fisher through the fence on Knots Landing, so there’s a moment in which the two women connect with one another, laying aside their rivalry to a good extent. In this case, it’s as simple as Louise knocking on the door unexpectedly.

I wanted to apologise for Ross taking that legal action to stop your guardianship proceedings. Look, I realise now it must have been incredibly insensitive from your end of things. And… I said as much to Ross when he told me what he’d done. Anyway, we’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and, um… having Sally over made us see things in a different perspective.

Does that mean you don’t want to take Sally?

No. No, quite the opposite. Look, I’m sorry. I know how much this must hurt you but we still want Sally to come and live with us. Well, now more than ever.

In finding her character, Felicity has given a really interesting body language to Louise: something we’ve already seen in the little looks towards Ross. There’s a terrific little moment where Pippa, carrying Christopher, sits at the dining table where Louise is already seated. Louise compulsively reaches one arm out towards Christopher as though her arm is being controlled by something outside of her. Once again, this is an action that could be interpreted as slightly troubling to someone who doesn’t know Louise. Just before she makes contact she seems to stop herself, as though remembering etiquette. She awkwardly asks Pippa if she may hold Christopher - a request that is granted.

You probably don’t wanna hear this and I wouldn’t blame you. But, when I see kids like Christopher - probably sounds stupid, but - I feel a kind of physical pain.

No, it doesn’t sound stupid at all. I used to feel the same way myself. Then after years of believing we couldn’t have kids I fell pregnant. It was like a miracle to us. So you never know; that could happen to you too.

Oh, I do know. It won’t. No, I had ovarian cancer a few years ago… I had to have a hysterectomy. So if I got pregnant it really would be a miracle.

I always think it’s the people who want kids most who can’t have them. It isn’t fair, is it?

Sally arrives home and Pippa is clearly bothered by how affectionate she is towards “Auntie Louise”. The sense of quiet competition escalates as Pippa gets red flag after red flag: when Sally comments to Louise that she’ll return to see their pony soon, Pippa looks up with something between concern and fury. And when Pippa serves freshly squeezed orange juice, Sally tells her it’s bitter and suggests she should use the same oranges as Auntie Louise. Even worse, as Louise talks about a friend Sally had fallen out with, Pippa quickly realises that Sally has been sharing parts of her life with Louise that she’s unaware of and so committing mother/daughter infidelity.

Things come to a head over dinner:

Why do we always eat here? Why don’t we ever go out to restaurants? Louise and Ross go out to dinner all the time.

Bully for them… Don’t you like my cooking? I work very hard to put a decent meal on this table. I don’t think any of you realise what goes into keeping this family fed. You all think you’ve run a marathon if you peel a potato or pick up a tea towel. Well, that’s not the half of it… And if any of you think you can do better well you’re welcome to try. And if you think I’m fed up well you’re damned right. I am fed up… I’ve had about as much as I can take.

There’s a melodramatic underscore playing while Pippa rants, which sounds uncannily like the verse to Tom Jones's Delilah. I thought it somewhat appropriate.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 375-390 (...continued)

Sal, I’m scared. I’m scared I’m gonna lose you. I’m frightened that you like Ross and Louise so much you’ll want to go and live with them.

No I won’t. Never, never, never. I promise. I love you and Tom, so don’t worry about it, OK?

For all her good intentions the spoilt little brat comes out in Sally who - having experienced a little of the good life with the Keatings, who have a piano, a swimming pool and room for a pony - becomes whiny and starts demanding that the Fletchers buy her a pony of her own. This puts further distance between her and her family.

Kate Ritchie does nice work of going ugly once again, and while the whining is annoying, it’s far preferable to cutesy (a smile with multiple blinks she gave Louise as she was leaving their house made me quite giddy with nausea. There’s nothing less cute than a kid trying to be cute).

Among other things, Sally runs away from home, stealing money from the housekeeping money in order to get to the Keatings. She also tells the Keatings that her siblings had done similar things before now: information which Ross is determined to utilise to strengthen their case. Pippa is understandably angry when Sally is returned and sends her straight to her room, which pushes Sally further away.

Bobby, returning from her trip with Narelle is appalled by the situation and decides it’s big sister time:

Look Sally, I know I haven’t been around here, but Pippa’s told me what’s been going on. An’ you know what I reckon? Well, I reckon you’ve been actin’ like a real little brat. An’ especially after everything Tom an’ Pippa have done for you… If you don’t realise how lucky you are to have Tom an’ Pippa as foster parents then you’re even dumber than I thought. And to think that they were going to adopt you.

I don’t care. Uncle Ross said with the things that go on around here they’re not even fit to be parents. They’re gonna see Mrs Bellingham and make sure they get custody of me. So there.

Morag is quick to bring on the threats:

The Keatings have a very strong case. And if you insist on wasting everybody’s time by forcing them to go to court then a lot of other matters are going to come up… The fact that Sally was forced to stay here all that time with a murderer in the house. And then, of course, there’s Steven’s criminal record. And with all the publicity it’s going to cause I’m sure the welfare department would have no choice but to reconsider Steven’s placement with you.

Are you tryin’ to blackmail us?

I’m simply trying to do the best for my clients. …You say you love her. Maybe the question you should be asking yourselves is: do you love her enough to let her go.

But when she talks strategy with the Keatings, Louise is deep in thought:

Tom and Pippa are convinced enough to have the talk with Sal:

We just want you to know that if you’ve made up your mind, and that’s what you really want, we won’t try and hold you.

And Sally takes up the offer:

She’s going, Tom. She really is. Last time, with Dodge, that was bad enough. I thought we’d settled it for good. But this time it’s for real. She’s my little girl, Tom, and I’m gonna lose her.

Ever the voice of reason, Louise comes to see Pippa once again and is invited in:

I told Ross to wait in the car. I wanted a chance to apologise for the way they’ve gone about things. Believe me, it wasn’t my idea.

That’s all right, Louise. I didn’t think it was you… It’s what Sal wants and ultimately that’s all that matters.

Pippa, I feel awful about this.

So do I.

A goodbye visit to Lance speaks to Sally’s conscience:

I reckon you’re doing the right thing. I mean, you can’t worry about how Tom an’ Pippa are real upset. You don’t owe them nothin’, eh? I mean, they ain’t got a horse or a pool, ‘ave they? Yeah, you gotta find someone else who has, ‘aven’t ya? It’s gonna be great.

But still Sally is almost ready to make the jump. Until she remembers something:

I’ve gotta go to the diner and say goodbye to Carly and Bobby… and Steven. He’s playing basketball at school.

It’s a long drive and we’ve gotta get going. You’ll see them again sometime.

No, I won’t. They’ll think I’m terrible for going without saying goodbye.

Well, if they’re like that it doesn’t matter what they think, does it?

Yes it does. They’re my family. Pippa… you’re my family, aren’t you? I don’t wanna go… I made a big mistake. I’m sorry, Pippa. I don’t have to go, do I?

Well, I think that’s it then. You , uh, said you were running a bit late, Ross?

OK Fletcher. We’ll see you in court.

No. Come on. We’re going. Ross, I think we’ve had our day in court. As far as I’m concerned, Sally is the only judge who matters. And she’s made her decision. Goodbye, Sal.

And with that, the story is wrapped up, rather too hastily to me. Why, after going to so much trouble to get Sally to move in with them, would Ross balk at the idea of dropping by the diner on the way out of town? It made no sense at all outside of the writer needing something to drive Sally back into Pippa’s arms. Suspending disbelief, though, the ending satisfied. Louise as a character resonates a little beyond her final appearance, because I don’t believe we’ll ever know if she got her happy ever after.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 375-390 (...continued)

My name’s Danny Price, and I promise you, Mrs Bellingham, you won’t regret giving me your time.

The second curly haired brunette to join the series in this run of episodes is also the most impactful.

As I’ve watched him, several analogous characters have sprung to mind which represent different aspects of his character and backstory: from Dynasty’s Nick Toscanni through Knots Landing’s Chip Roberts and Peter Hollister to Sons and Daughters’ Luke Carlyle and Paul Sheppard.

We first meet Danny as the boy next door type, enquiring at the diner about a place to say. Bobby directs him to the caravan park, which he takes up. Carly and Ailsa tease Bobby about the crush Danny seems to have on Bobby.

But it’s no coincidence that Danny’s arrival in town comes very shortly after Morag has begun receiving threatening phone calls and even a night visitor to her new offices:

*Incidentally, thank you to the props department for taking my previous complaint about the greengrocer's apostrophe seriously enough to white it out this time round.*


Morag is quick to blame Bobby for the harassment. After all, Bobby had made no secret of her disgust for the way Morag had represented the Keatings. Not to mention that she couldn’t stand Morag in the first place. And Donald’s assurance that Morag had it wrong wasn’t going to reach her:

Oh, rave on about her virtues ad nauseam, Donald. She and I are sworn enemies and that is not going to change until one of us is six feet under.

But - as you’ve probably guessed - Bobby isn’t behind it. Indeed, she looks set to become a victim in the situation, as the real culprit helpfully soliloquys in his darkened caravan, as all good sociopaths must:

Interesting developments, Dad. Seems my plan for revenge is gonna be a lot easier than I thought. I’ve got a date with her daughter. We’ll go for a long drive. Along the cliff road, I think. It’s a shame. I quite like, Bobby. But there’s no reason to put things off any longer. The judge has gotta get what’s coming to her. She knows as well as I do that people are expendable.

I love the direction of this scene. The extreme close up of Danny with the darkened background, his eyes sparkling with vengeance are great. But then we dissolve to Bobby in the diner, getting ready for her first date with him and interacting playfully with Ailsa and Carly. We don’t hear what they say. Instead, Danny’s soliloquy continues over the image, adding an enjoyable juxtaposition, before we return to Danny as he finishes his soliloquy.

On the date, there are some rather unsubtle hints about Danny’s state of mind after he swerves to avoid a dog:

Glad I missed it. My Dad said you should only take a life when you have no other choice… We used to go out hunting a lot.

Oh yuck.

We only killed what we needed to eat. And there is a humane way to kill. Do it quickly, so your prey feels no pain.

It’s a little comical that Bobby seems unfazed by the turn the conversation takes. But it’s been a long day in the diner after all. And while Bobby’s wits let her down, serendipity doesn’t. First, Danny gets a flat tyre. And with a 4-way hex nut spanner to hand, he improvises Plan B.

But as he's about to strike, unsuspecting Bobby - her back to him - shares some of her backstory:

A while ago I found out that my real Mum was a judge… It was in all the papers: “High Court Judge Flees Love Child’s Wedding”… I was the last to find out. Morag Bellingham is my mother. Oh, I wanted to puke when I found out. The only good thing, I suppose, is that the feeling’s mutual.

She hates you? That’s terrific. I’ve always hated my mother too. So we’ve got something in common.

Plan C is to approach Morag herself with a pitch to be her assistant:

I’ve got the personality to be a good front man. I’m an excellent typist. I make great coffee. And I’ve done two years of law, passed with honours.

I was under the impression it took four years to get a law degree.

I ran out of money, so I’m taking a year off to get financial… I’ve studied all your cases. Kelly versus Connolly just blew me away. They should’ve never let you leave the bench.

Well, you’ve certainly done your homework, haven’t you? …And, um, when do you want to start?

Right now’s as good a time as any. How do you like your coffee?

[she laughs] Black. You know, I think we’ll get on rather well together.

And it’s not long before he’s discovered her Achilles’ heel. So she receives a reconciliatory bouquet of flowers from “Richard”. Her surprise and hope as she reads the card are quite touching. She acts immediately:

Hello Richard. It’s me… I just wanted to say thank you very much for the flowers. Well, it was quite a surprise, but I’m very touched. Oh, um, well, I’m sorry. It had Richard written on the card so I assumed that… No, you’ve made yourself perfectly clear. No, this is not some pathetic attempt at a reconciliation. [Richard hangs up]

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 375-390 (...continued)


For all the dramatic goodness over the last three weeks’ worth of episodes, there’s an awful lot of filler that runs the spectrum from testing to intolerable. Increasingly, “funny” scenes and storylines are no longer just the domain of Martin, Lance and Marilyn. Now everyone’s getting in on them. It is not an improvement.

At the more watchable end Morag herself was on the receiving end of a practical joke at the diner.

What’s so funny?

Her lunch. I just put a tonne of pepper in it and she’s about to taste it.

The scene works by taking the “less is more” approach. Wisely, we see Morag about to taste the offending soup and the scene cuts away. When she is next seen at the office she is fuming about the incident to Danny, who uses it as an opportunity to impress Morag by dashing out for some salmon and cream cheese sandwiches. So far so good.


At the other extreme, there’s the Summer Bay Bunyip “storyline”, in which Lance - wearing a fur coat - is mistaken by Marilyn for a Yeti-type monster when he stumbles out of the bushes in the dark, groaning. Alf pulls legs by deadpanning a story about a local legend, leading to various sightings and newspaper headlines. The diner now sells Bunyip Burgers and Bunyip soft toys, while a number of recent episodes have ended with “which one of you is the Bunyip” type cliffhangers. It’s completely unwatchable, and one can almost hear Justine Clarke and Alex Papps breathing a collective sigh of relief at getting out in good time.

Equally problematic is the blandness created by new arrivals Viv and Adam. Viv at least has the benefit of interacting with Donald regularly. I’m sad to say that she frequently brings his scenes down, but there are also moments where he elevates her, as in this nicely written scene as she discusses the Bunyip with Donald

I’d hate to think there’s no more to the world than what we know about. I remember when I was a little girl my favourite story was Tom’s Midnight Garden, about a lonely boy who lived with his gran. An’ he made friends with this strange girl in old-fashioned clothing, who turned out to be a ghost. I used to wish something like that’d happen to me, ‘cause I didn’t have any friends. I wasn’t allowed to. I think people close their minds to things like that because they’re afraid… Don’t you think?

Yes, perhaps. You know, sometimes you remind me very much of my daughter, Rebecca. And my son, Alan, too. Yes, he’d have certainly seen it your way.

Stacey and Andrew are now an item. The writers are aiming for a Fairgate-Mackenzie volatile thing where they argue and make up repeatedly. An ill-fated camping trip was such a test of patience I found myself almost looking forward to the Bunyip. Peter Bensley has now shifted from “look, Mum, I’m acting” to “look, Mum, I’m being funny” by mugging and overacting even more than before. And I find him so terribly unlikeable that Andrew getting them both arrested by being unreasonable and entitled with an officer who tried to move them pretty much proved my point.

The storyline is also a waste when I consider that this is Stacey’s first romance since her fiancé was killed just a few months ago, and yet Philip hasn’t been mentioned once.

Still, at least Stacey’s relationship with her father has been in the spotlight. With Gordon back in town for the opening of The Sands Resort, Stacey finds old resentments coming to the surface:

OK, so you sent me to a pretty classy school. But you never came to see me in a school play or anything… You were always in New York or London or somewhere… And all the time I knew it didn’t matter how hard I worked. You’d never be proud of me. Because I was a girl… Look, in spite of everything I’ve just said, I love you. I can’t help it. You’re my father. All I ever wanted was your approval… It’s hard to love a father who never once said he loved you.

Gordon is initially dismissive. It’s worth noting that there’s a rare reference to Brett when Gordon says how he gave Stacey “and your brother” everything they could have wanted.

Gordon starts to see the light thanks to SuperTom:

I’ll have to get back. I’m an hour and a half late back for dinner as it is.

I’m sure my opening speech takes precedence over your evening meal.

Uh, not at nine o’clock at night it doesn’t, Gordon. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to lose sight of what’s important here. Work can’t take precedence over a family life.

There’s something of a making up between father and daughter when he comes to her flat and apologises, but then Stacey realises he hasn’t changed and we’re back to square one.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 375-390 (...continued)


Two new locales have made their series debut. In Episode 385 we first set foot inside the new surf club. Five episodes later, it’s the glamorous and grand opening of The Sands Resort. An event reminiscent of Amity Island’s new hotel opening in Jaws 2.

A number of regulars gather at the event. Gordon, Stacey and Tom, of course. Pippa is there to accompany Tom. And Andrew to accompany Stacey. Alf and Ailsa, too, are there. In a nice touch, Gordon asks Ailsa if the resort meets with her approval and she comments that she’s reserving judgement. Ailsa’s campaign against the resort is mentioned - albeit more obliquely - in Gordon’s opening speech:

The Macklin Corporation is very proud of - in spite of some initial, rather ill-informed opposition from some overzealous locals - we have done exactly what we set out to do: build a world class resort that will bring the tourist dollar and employment and international renown to Summer Bay.

It took me aback slightly to think that the resort has probably been part of the storylines in the series for well over a year now. Not long in the grand scheme of things to plan, build and open a large resort. But a very long time in soap. Especially such a young soap as this one. I have to applaud the continuity.

Meanwhile, the third curly haired brunette on the scene is Brad Mordue: music journo with Solid Rock magazine. One could be forgiven for thinking Ross Keating had returned, though he also has a Brett Macklin quality to him.

Brad is in town for the opening’s showpiece: the debut performance from Image.

Now, Image’s song, Living Without Your Love has been recorded with session musicians and I must confess it sounds good. Really good. It sounds like it could have been performed by Survivor or Aerosmith or some other mainstream hair rock band. The arrangement is good - nicely dramatic.

It’s getting lots of radio play in the series. And I believe it. I believe this could be a hit. It’s certainly an earworm. I haven’t watched the series in almost a week and I still find myself singing fragments of it (usually only realising afterwards where I’ve heard the song). I don’t know whether there was a plan to release this as a tie-in to the series. Like EastEnders did with Something Outta Nothing. Except good.

Marilyn - known as Ember for Image publicity - is happy just to be in the spotlight. Lance and Martin are peeved at having to lip sync to someone else’s singing, believing they can do better. Lance is also unhappy at being part of the band at all. Having tried unsuccessfully to quit, he resorts to sabotage by switching the tape with vocals for an instrumental backing track. This results in a then-topical Milli Vanilli moment as their secret is exposed.

Gordon bellows from behind the scenes for the group’s microphones to be activated, which they are. The result is a performance that gets laughs from everyone. Even - to everyone's surprise - Gordon himself!

Craig Thomson can’t bring himself to sing badly, which slightly dilutes the effect. Perhaps it’s a little touch of realism, as Martin has been shown to be a half decent singer (his performance with the band preparing for Variety Night springs to mind). All the same, I could almost feel his panic that if he wasn’t heard to sing well his post-series singing career might be in jeopardy.

Back at the office, the new, improved Gordon is full of praise for Tom, who’s done most of the organising and looks visibly weary as he pours himself a glass of water:

Everything seems to be going splendidly… Well done, Tom. I know you’ve been overworked, but everything should settle down into a steady routine after this.

Yes, I hope so.

Thanks again, Tom. I must run. Stacey and I are going to have a game of mini golf.

Oh great. I’m glad you were able to sort out those differences.

Gordon heads for the lift while Tom looks round as though a thought has just crossed his mind. Pippa is coming out of the lift and asks Gordon where Tom is. Gordon simply points and grunts before getting into the lift (maybe he’s not completely new and improved). But by the time Pippa heads into the office, seconds after Gordon left, she finds Tom face down and collapsed on the office floor. It's satisfyingly sudden.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 391-399

It’s a deadly combination of stress and high blood pressure. It kills and maims hundreds of Australians every year. Now, Tom Fletcher’s had a stroke. Will Tom be crippled or worse when Home and Away continues?

While the preview for the episode after Tom’s collapse dilutes any mystery completely, it does have a degree of exciting enticement. As well as a hint of the Very Special Episode, full of medical warnings, tips and advice for viewers.

What we get is a fairly standard medical crisis episode. Wisely, it does steer clear of Very Special Episode tones, though there is a sense that The Powers That Be have worked with an association or medical staff in order to get the facts right. Tom, we learn, has suffered an intracerebral haemotoma, which former nurse Pippa helpfully translates into English for young Sally.

Mostly, it comes down to family and friends spending time in the waiting area of the hospital emergency room, which I’m fairly sure is the same area where the Stewarts waited when baby Duncan was taken ill (which makes sense, with Summer Bay being a small town).

Pippa is head-centred when speaking to a nurse, establishing the facts and only briefly mentioning her shock:

I can’t understand it. He’s only forty two, for heaven’s sake. He’s always been so healthy.

Alone with Tom, though, it’s a different matter:

Be all right, Tom. Please, please, please be all right.

It’s a nice touch that a recently departed member of the family gets a mention:

Someone’s gotta tell Frank.

I’ve already thought of that. I’ll call him tomorrow in the city. There’s nothing he can do till then.

He’s gonna be all right, love.

Oh, God. I hope so. The thought of him being half what he was…

There are also white-bordered flashbacks. Tom and Pippa’s intimate dinner in the caravan during Pippa’s pregancy, and a scene between Tom and Sally that I can’t remember. Could it have been filmed just for this?

And in good news, Jessica Noad is back as Coral King comes to town to help look after the family while Pippa is supporting Tom. It’s an interesting change of energy.

Some episodes pass before Tom comes round, though he barely speaks. After this, we get information about his progress piecemeal and secondhand. Such as a conversation between Pippa and Ailsa in the diner:

Any news on when he’ll be allowed out.

Soon. But then he’ll have to spend six or seven weeks in a rehabilitation centre.

At this news, it occurred to me that this is probably a clever way to write Roger Oakley out for an extended break. Perhaps to do some other projects or some international promotional appearances. Since there are no more episodes on Amazon Prime, it’s a sad way to leave the central couple, but I suppose his temporary exit can be considered a form of closure.


Meanwhile, Ailsa is given some surprising news from a social worker who knocks on her door one evening(!).

I believe you have a seventeen year old niece. Emma.

No.

You were formerly Ailsa Hogan? …I hate to break this so bluntly, but your sister Bridget has a daughter.

I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen Bridget in twenty years.

I know this is all a bit of a shock, but Emma has been accused of assaulting her stepfather. She attacked him with a vase… Until the case is heard, Emma needs somewhere to stay. For obvious reasons she can’t remain at home. Particularly since there’s been allegations of her stepfather mistreating her.

I don’t understand. I don’t know this girl.

It’s either you or the remand centre, I’m afraid.

With Alf not on board with the idea, Ailsa goes to Pippa to ask advice while Coral feeds them afternoon tea. In a very enjoyable touch, Coral has actually stolen the cake mix from under Alf’s nose in the shiny new store, where she makes regular visits while carrying a large bag. It plays out so subtly, that it’s only really apparent with the benefit of hindsight. Coral’s kleptomania will become more of a “thing” as the episodes go on, but since I’m not going any further at the moment, what’s a little spoiler or two.

I love how mumsy Coral is. When Pippa comments that her slice is far too large, Coral tells her to just eat what she wants and leave the rest, in the sort of sing-song tone that suggests the solution is so blindingly obvious it almost pains her to say it. She probably used the same tone to Pippa when she was six years old.

Anyway, Ailsa is taken aback by Pippa’s reticence:

I really did think you’d be the first person to encourage me.

I want you to make a decision that’s right for you. It’s a big commitment taking a teenager into your home.

This isn’t like you, Pippa. All I’m asking… is a bit of advice. You’re my best friend.

I’m sorry. I can’t.

It’s that murderer, Dodge, isn’t it? And I don’t blame you. After the trouble that young hoodlum caused you and your family it’s no wonder you don’t want to get involved.

And so the past informs the present which colours the future. I found it interesting to hear Ailsa's overt acknowledgement that she considers Pippa to be her best friend. It's evident they have a really good relationship, and always have. But this puts a slightly new slant on things.


The preview for Episode 400 tells us that the niece drama continues in the Stewart household:

Alf, the kid needs me and I’m going to help her. And if you can’t find it in your heart to do the same thing…

Well, what’s that s’posed to mean?

Ailsa risks everything when Home and Away continues.

Except... Home and Away doesn’t continue. At least, not on Amazon Prime at this moment in time.

The story is your basic rehash of Ailsa fostering Bobby from the previous year. The fact that Emma would appear on screen in the following episode makes the whole thing seem very hurried.

It’s a consolation to me that the Prime cutoff is the episode prior to (stunt cast alert) Dannii Minogue's debut as Emma. At least I won’t have to suffer that again.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 391-399 (...continued)

You know, Danny. I don’t think it does much for my reputation to have an employee of mine living so, um, shabbily. I wish you’d consider moving in here.

Over at the Blaxland mansion, Morag and Danny are bonding in line with his master plan for revenge. He’s even getting bold enough to discuss his late father with her:

You’re a man of many parts, Danny… Not only a promising law student, but a handyman too.

Oh, I just picked up bits and pieces from my Dad.

Oh. He’s a handyman, is he?

Yes. Was.

Oh. Oh, Danny, I’m so sorry… Was it recent?

No, I was fourteen. He was sent away. I didn’t understand why.

Oh. Was he in the army?

He didn’t wanna go. Didn’t wanna leave Mum and me.

No, of course not. It’s very difficult to do one’s duty.

It’s from here that she asks him to move into the mansion, which he “reluctantly” accepts. Cue scenes of Danny menacingly brandishing a poker while Morag’s back is turned (conveniently interrupted by Marilyn).

​

And he continues to poke when away from Blaxland. Donald has made efforts to bond with him since Danny is dating his daughter, and Danny looks for opportunities to find out about Morag’s weaknesses. He finds his opening when Donald comments on Bobby’s clearing the table to keep an eye on them:

She seems to have a sudden phobia for cleanliness.

Funny things, aren’t they? Phobias. My phobia’s Pit Bull Terriers. If I was alone in a room with a Pit Bull Terrier I’m sure that within thirty seconds I’d be a gibbering wreck. Now, someone like Morag, on the other hand, she’d probably eat them for breakfast.

Oh, I don’t know. Everyone’s got something they’re scared of. Even Morag… Actually, Morag has one very bad phobia.

For a character previously shown to be an occasional language pedant, Donald's use of the word "phobia" to describe Bobby's cleaning is a little off. But it gets the plot to where it needs to be, which is the important thing.

The conversation cuts away at this point, but the content becomes apparent when Morag receives a box of chocolates containing a nasty-looking spider.

Once again, Marilyn makes a timely entrance and beats the poor spider to death with Morag’s morning newspaper. Morag is shaken but regains her composure quickly.

Mildly disappointed, Danny quickly strikes again, graffitiing a message onto the exterior of the mansion and watching closely as Morag becomes upset. Then he is on hand to console her with a hug.

​

Meanwhile, the closeness between Morag and Danny has been misinterpreted by locals, and there’s a nice scene in which Ailsa comes to talk to Morag about it:

There’s a rumour going round town about you.

This should be amusing. Let me guess. I murdered my gardener. Better yet, I’ve slept with a whole football team.

No. Actually, you and the Price boy. I’m sorry Morag. I don’t mean to sound like Celia, but maybe the boy really should to find somewhere else to stay.

You know, as a matter of fact, Ailsa, you do sound like Celia. Danny is a very intelligent young man with a fascination for the law and I’m doing nothing more than just helping him with his career… I couldn’t care less about your small minded women and all their pre-pubescent fantasies. And you may quote me on that.

[laughing] I don’t think I should.

Oh, please do. Drink?

As always, the sparks between these two great actresses and fill the scene with life and unpredictability. Once again, there is mutual respect with a healthy dollop of tetchiness.


Celia has returned from her European sojourn like a breath of fresh air:

It’s so wonderful to be home… Home is where the heart is, after all.

And where the gossip is, eh, sis? It can’t have been easy working out what was goin’ on over there when you couldn’t understand the lingo.

Oh, Alfred. You make me sound like such a scandalmonger.

She’s back in time for the unveiling of the new store, which made its debut in Episode 394. I’m unclear whether this is supposed to be on the site of the old store or a revamp of Alf’s bait shop. It lacks the soul of either of them. Perhaps it’s somewhere else entirely.

Celia is quick to jump on the Bunyip bandwagon, quickly making a huge profit by selling heavily marked-up Bunyip tea towels to the hordes of tourists now flocking to the area. The Bunyip storyline has been heavily present during these episodes, including many scenes of Adam or Martin running round in a Bunyip costume and mask making roaring sounds. Even when no-one is around. It’s dire. Not even so-bad-it’s-good dire. It’s just crap. And it’s drained my enthusiasm for the series, which has made the lack of future episodes so much more bearable.

In more dire scenes, Lance appeared on Saturday Morning Live to reveal the truth about Image being a manufactured group, with session singers taking the vocals. An appearance that Nina capitalised upon by taking credit for manufacturing them as part of an experiment to prove how important marketing is. This has blown Lance’s friendships with Martin and Marilyn.

I don't know if SML is or was a real Aussie kids show, but the tone and graphics are very similar to some Saturday morning favourites of mine from the early-mid Eighties.

Then, out of nowhere, there’s an unexpectedly poignant scene by candlelight in the empty diner, with just Lance, Marilyn and Mike Perjanik’s beautiful piano:

I blew it. An’ I know that. But I didn’t wanna lose ya, Maz. I miss you. We sorta had somethin’ good goin’, don’t you reckon?

Maybe we did have something really good. But it wasn’t going anywhere… Well, it was, until you pulled the rug out from under us. You pulled the plug on our future, Lance. I just don’t see how you could ever make up for that. So I’ll see ya when I see ya, ‘kay? [she leaves the diner]

[shouting after her]But I can, Mazza. I can make up for it. Will you marry me?

[she comes back in and stands behind him]]I’m sorry Lance?

Will you marry me? Please?

I love how the scene plays out without Lance looking back at Marilyn. It’s like they’re in two different worlds. Marilyn smiles and we learn from Morag and Danny in the next scene that she accepted.


But there’s always a spanner in the works. Just as Marilyn is trying on a wedding dress, Stacey arrives with news:

Channel Six rang me. They contacted me because they couldn’t find you… They want you to be their new game show hostess. But I guess I’ll tell them that you’re getting married and you’re unavailable.

Wow. Me on television. Oh, I’m gonna be famous.

Cue Lance’s horrified face, and the end of the series for Prime viewers.

 

[Werewillie Oleson]

Reading this through "S&D" eyes:

including many scenes of Adam or Martin running round in a Bunyip costume and mask making roaring sounds

Debbie & Craig awefulness? Caroline in a bunny outfit?

and Danny looks for opportunities to find out about Morag’s weaknesses

A masterplan...that could only be Wayne, of course.

and the end of the series for Prime viewers

Would you continue with series 3 if it was available on Prime? How much of H&A do you consider "the best of the classic years"?

 

[Spells & Karma]

Debbie & Craig awefulness? Caroline in a bunny outfit?

Low as both those examples were, this was in many ways worse. Caroline in a bunny outfit was kind of a means to an end. Whereas Adam dressed up as a Bunyip to try to fool people into thinking this yeti type creature was roaming the bay. So rather than facilitating a plot, the dressing up in costume actually was the plot.

Would you continue with series 3 if it was available on Prime?

Oh yes. I certainly would. And I'm a bit peeved that because of the way they're grouped in the Prime playlists there are still 50 episodes of Season Two to go, so it's ended quite abruptly.

That said, I have felt a little fatigued with it recently, so I'm quite happy to take a break. And if no more episodes appear it won't be the end of the world for me.

How much of H&A do you consider "the best of the classic years"?

Oh gosh. It's hard to define, and purely defined by my own personal history.

I was a regular viewer for the first four or five seasons/years. And the first five seasons had the same style opening credits before being drastically revamped. So let's say those are "the classic years". But my most fondly remembered episodes are from the first two seasons. Of the episodes I've seen, H&A was at its consistent best for me from a couple of months in through to the middle of the second year, so I'll go with that era as "the best of the classic years".

I'd say there's been a noticeable drop in quality of material in recent episodes, and the series never quite recovered that special tone that it had up until recently. I can't help feeling it's missing Bevan Lee's touch, since he was involved in writing and script editing until #275.

 

[James from London]

Episodes 294-295

Phew, this one was intense!

Steven backs away from them, ending up almost in the larder like a cornered animal, and comes out fighting, where we get more aerial shots. The contrast between violence and stillness is striking. Steven’s outburst is made all the more powerful by seeing Bobby in the foreground, sitting placidly and barely registering what’s going on around her.

This really reminds me of a scene in Dallas, after Ray and Donna return to Southfork following his arrest for pulling the plug on Mickey. Their car pulls up outside their house, Lucy comes bursting out and starts hitting Ray in a fury, he just pushes past her and goes inside, she collapses in Donna's arms, and all the while Aunt Lil is sitting motionless in a chair in the background, like Bobby, seemingly unaware of what's going on. And the whole thing takes place in one take.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Phew, this one was intense!

Wasn't it just?

This really reminds me of a scene in Dallas, after Ray and Donna return to Southfork following his arrest for pulling the plug on Mickey. Their car pulls up outside their house, Lucy comes bursting out and starts hitting Ray in a fury, he just pushes past her and goes inside, she collapses in Donna's arms, and all the while Aunt Lil is sitting motionless in a chair in the background, like Bobby, seemingly unaware of what's going on. And the whole thing takes place in one take.

Oh yes. I can see exactly what you mean. That H&A scenario felt quite familiar to me as a viewer, even the first time I watched. Now I'm thinking hat scene in Dallas could be the reason - or one of the reasons - for that familiarity.