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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 192816" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 87-95  (...continued)The wrapping up of The Nutter storyline, while not necessarily the most surprising, proved unexpectedly poignant and satisfying. And the Whodunnit? aspect well played in the moments leading up to the reveal.Back in February 1989, around the time the series began in the UK, I read a sensationalist article about the series in one of the red tops. The tone of the piece was that the series was too shocking and scandalous for its 5:10 slot immediately following Children’s ITV. It summed up a number of the more controversial moments which had aired in Home and Away's first year on Australian TV with a hyperbolic sentence each (“one sixteen year old schoolgirl is raped, while another becomes pregnant to an older man”; “the local greengrocer turns out to be a murderer”). Naturally, as a teenager this article made me determined not to miss an episode. One of the plots encapsulated  so briefly and hyperbolically was something like “the local headteacher turns out to be a Nutter who stalks residents of the town”.I can’t remember exactly where I was on things as a teenage viewer based on what I'd read ahead of time. But I know at one point Donald Fisher - as acting headmaster - was my prime suspect. I’m certain at some point towards the end the real culprit was clear to me. And possibly my suspicions started out that way and shifted focus. But even with the culprit having such a distinctive voice (even when distorted during his Nutter bits), I got thrown off the scent at times.And had I not known what I known, another suspect could easily have entered the fray in more recent episodes. Jeff Samuels is one of the series’ most unsympathetic characters. The brutally casual way he speaks about anyone he doesn’t view as a “winner” is refreshingly nasty. One recent example which could be viewed as tying into The Nutter storyline saw him take aim at Nico:Very few supporting characters who stick around for a while get such meaty material to work with, and Alex Peterson plays him almost too well. We’ve seen a slightly different side to him with Danny, which has served to flesh him out at least a little and make his more unpalatable moments even more frustrating.So he comes firmly onto the radar of suspects when Pippa rings the school and recognises the voice of The Nutter, who has chosen to champion her causes and somewhat befriended her. Pippa then going straight to Samuels at the school and practically marching him to Fisher’s office gives the viewer time to wonder about her reasoning: Is Samuels The Nutter? Or does she need the support to confront Fisher? One can’t help thinking of Fisher’s threats towards Eric the dog, and his sometime animosity towards Nico and his cow.And when Pippa announces to the assembled pair that she knows who The Nutter is and the frame freezes, the looks exchanged between the two men could be read any number of ways. Back then, I suspect I may have worked out who the culprit was from empirical evidence (most notably the voice), but I have to give the writers credit for giving it all they have to play with the audience’s expectations. To long term viewers, the next episode’s proper reveal would be impossible to resist.Even though the next scene moves things forwards, it takes a while for the truth to be clear. Donald goes to Walt Bertram in a classroom to discuss it. Bertram, too has been acting strangely at times. But he’s also been very supportive to his students, and it’s due process that Donald would need to speak to the head:And just like that, in the quiet of an almost empty classroom,  The Nutter’s identity is exposed.The ongoing storyline hasn’t been the most compelling the series has given us, and there have been a few misfires, but there is lots to admire about it: the dark mystery of the small town falls somewhere between Peyton Place and Desperate Housewives with a hint of Prom Night; the suspects (even those unspoken) were credible ones; there have been some creepy scenes (Pippa’s night-time conversation with The Nutter, hidden behind some foliage springs to mind).Most importantly, with hindsight, there’s a sense of careful plotting. The Nutter has been hiding in plain sight, inconspicuous enough not to draw too much attention, but visible enough that there’s no danger of cheating on the writers’ part.What’s more, the reasons for his actions all make perfect sense. We saw his avunicularity and compassion before his accident and we witnessed the mood changes on his return to work. Even better, the mental impairment he suffered was a direct result of Bobby and Carly’s  prank-gone-wrong in Episode Three, in which Carly released the handbrake on Martin’s ute only for it to crash into Walter’s car.So it all goes back to the beginning. And Carly created a monster.But like any great screen monster, Walter is a sad, broken and misunderstood creature. His two post-reveal scenes were both wonderfully played by Owen Weingott. The pain evident behind his eyes. As he speaks to Donald, he has a thousand yard stare, almost as though he is begging to be put out of his misery. Or as though he’s speaking about someone else entirely:In addition to Owen Weingott, it’s a great moment for Norman Coburn's Donald. I always like seeing Fisher display such empathy and compassion. In many ways he’s as misunderstood as Walter.Owen also had some lovely moments with Vanessa Downing and somehow his connection with her played into the foster mother role. She could see the good in The Nutter even before she knew his true identity.I feel like I know this first year inside out, but evidently not. I’d forgotten that Nico returned at this point, so it’s been a nice surprise. And Walter asking Pippa to take the reward money for turning him in, and use it to buy Nico a calf, with the rest going to his mother was a sweet denouement.There was also a nice touch of continuity when Tom spoke about ringing the Pappas's next-door neighbour to check he’d arrived home. It was established in his original run that they don’t have a phone, but it’s the kind of detail that’s easily forgotten as things get busier. continued...</blockquote>

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