Forums
New posts
What's new
New posts
Latest activity
Awards
Log in
Register
What's new
New posts
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Poison your name this Hallowe'en
There's plenty of time to choose your spooky October username
Click here for more details
Forums
Telly Talk Soaps
Australian & New Zealand Soaps
“Welcome to Summer Bay”: Rewatching the early years.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 205306" data-attributes="member: 23"><p><u><span style="font-size: 22px">Episodes 294-295</span></u></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In-series continuity may have become more complex, but there’s a rich vein of history that runs through current episodes, adding meaning to events on-screen.</p><p></p><p>In the Pilot episode a caravan being set alight was used to reinforce the difference between the big city ways the Fletchers were (then) used to and the small town they had arrived in. Back then, the fire squad arrived too late, after the Fletchers and McPhees had put out the fire themselves. The squad’s one contribution to the evening was destroying the Fletchers’ newly erected pergola. Most memorably, one of the officers was none other than Alf, effectively showing that in a fairly remote community like this it’s all hands on deck, and the many jobs are handled by the few that step up to volunteer.</p><p></p><p>In 1989 terms, there are a few tweaks to the system, but many of the same points are hit. Tom and Pippa again are first on the scene, this time driving by and seeing the store in flames.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/kKRemQ.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/ibVclU.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Alf is evidently not on duty this evening, but is still in attendance. Bobby - the prime suspect for being the arsonist in the Pilot - is at his side, having been visiting Ailsa when he got the call.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/pnSaBH.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Stepping into Alf’s former role of “familiar face in uniform” is the Pilot’s villain: Donald Fisher.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/2mS2Zi.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/WBNhkL.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>After the caravan fire, we next saw Donald coming to Summer Bay House to encourage the Fletchers to tell “a few white lies” to ensure Bobby was punished for the fire, guilty or otherwise. The store fire is quite another matter. So concerned is he when Bobby fears that Frank may still be inside, he bravely dashes back into the burning building himself. He emerges having made a grim discovery:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/50Utuv.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/5rEzVL.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/kvZCh6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>In the Pilot, Pippa told Tarquin Pearce with great pride that “Steven can actually sleep a full night without waking up screaming” from the trauma of watching his parents die in a house fire. His past is utilised perfectly in these episodes. Adam Willits shows us a great deal of fragility in Steven. Simply hearing the sirens is enough to cause him anxiety, and when Tom brings home Bobby, who is in shock, Steven looks positively haunted.</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/3WqgIX.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/ueyPb6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>By the time Tom and Pippa approach Steven to tell him the body was probably Frank, he’s in full on flight or fight mode. It’s an uncomfortable scene to watch. Tom and Pippa approach him together, as though they’re a single entity, jabbing at him with their words, their sentences almost overlapping and overloading him with bad news. It’s probably not the suggested parental approach. Most people in that situation would feel overwhelmed, never mind someone with Steven’s experiences.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/5W3pAP.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/4JaDjc.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/SEF9BD.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/AQ1SEM.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Steven’s response to Frank’s death further reinforces the forward moves made since the Pilot. Back then he was Einstein, the object of Frank’s ridicule. There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and so Steven reflecting tearfully on Frank’s death feels perfectly natural:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/HcgC2N.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/HiLa5B.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Celia, too, is most upset. She blames herself, feeling that if she hadn’t changed her mind about evicting Frank and Bobby from the flat he would still be alive. Not able to bear staying alone, she spends the night at Alf and Ailsa’s where she has a quiet word when left alone in a beautiful scene:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/tuhVIT.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/AmzBZp.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/emjFFp.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>The imagery is perfect. Note how the arms and headrest of Alf's furniture very subtly create the effect that Celia is bearing wings and a halo as she approaches her deity. Is it done with reverence or a mocking tongue-in-cheek by the director? Is it even delibrate? Or accidental? Who's to say. But the scene is a knockout, which is all that matters. </p><p></p><p>Celia has been given a number of these slow zoom scenes, where the camera begins at a distance and stays on her for a long time while moving into a tight close-up. On each occasion, Fiona Spence has filled the scene with intimacy, emotion and a sense of connection.</p><p></p><p>Efforts are being made here to make Frank's death mean something. It has resonated through the whole bay and seeing the characters so affected in turn affects us as witnesses to the event. Even watching it thirty years later, through a prism tainted by knowing the big picture, I find this a powerful and moving series of scenes thanks to the performances and writing.</p><p></p><p>Bobby, meanwhile, finally finds her voice, and what she says disturbs Tom and Pippa:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And then Bob Barnett knocks on the door with a surprise</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/uyPqH8.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/OwQKdB.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Bobby’s wish is fulfilled. Celia’s prayer is answered in the most unexpected way.</p><p></p><p>And Steven’s relief is visible.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/UsVEjl.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Well, <em>someone</em> had to say it.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: right"><em>continued...</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Spells & Karma, post: 205306, member: 23"] [U][SIZE=6]Episodes 294-295[/SIZE][/U] In-series continuity may have become more complex, but there’s a rich vein of history that runs through current episodes, adding meaning to events on-screen. In the Pilot episode a caravan being set alight was used to reinforce the difference between the big city ways the Fletchers were (then) used to and the small town they had arrived in. Back then, the fire squad arrived too late, after the Fletchers and McPhees had put out the fire themselves. The squad’s one contribution to the evening was destroying the Fletchers’ newly erected pergola. Most memorably, one of the officers was none other than Alf, effectively showing that in a fairly remote community like this it’s all hands on deck, and the many jobs are handled by the few that step up to volunteer. In 1989 terms, there are a few tweaks to the system, but many of the same points are hit. Tom and Pippa again are first on the scene, this time driving by and seeing the store in flames. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/kKRemQ.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/ibVclU.jpg[/IMG] Alf is evidently not on duty this evening, but is still in attendance. Bobby - the prime suspect for being the arsonist in the Pilot - is at his side, having been visiting Ailsa when he got the call. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/pnSaBH.jpg[/IMG] Stepping into Alf’s former role of “familiar face in uniform” is the Pilot’s villain: Donald Fisher. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/2mS2Zi.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/WBNhkL.jpg[/IMG] After the caravan fire, we next saw Donald coming to Summer Bay House to encourage the Fletchers to tell “a few white lies” to ensure Bobby was punished for the fire, guilty or otherwise. The store fire is quite another matter. So concerned is he when Bobby fears that Frank may still be inside, he bravely dashes back into the burning building himself. He emerges having made a grim discovery: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/50Utuv.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/5rEzVL.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/kvZCh6.jpg[/IMG] In the Pilot, Pippa told Tarquin Pearce with great pride that “Steven can actually sleep a full night without waking up screaming” from the trauma of watching his parents die in a house fire. His past is utilised perfectly in these episodes. Adam Willits shows us a great deal of fragility in Steven. Simply hearing the sirens is enough to cause him anxiety, and when Tom brings home Bobby, who is in shock, Steven looks positively haunted. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/3WqgIX.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/ueyPb6.jpg[/IMG] By the time Tom and Pippa approach Steven to tell him the body was probably Frank, he’s in full on flight or fight mode. It’s an uncomfortable scene to watch. Tom and Pippa approach him together, as though they’re a single entity, jabbing at him with their words, their sentences almost overlapping and overloading him with bad news. It’s probably not the suggested parental approach. Most people in that situation would feel overwhelmed, never mind someone with Steven’s experiences. 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. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/5W3pAP.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/4JaDjc.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/SEF9BD.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/AQ1SEM.jpg[/IMG] Steven’s response to Frank’s death further reinforces the forward moves made since the Pilot. Back then he was Einstein, the object of Frank’s ridicule. There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and so Steven reflecting tearfully on Frank’s death feels perfectly natural: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/HcgC2N.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/HiLa5B.jpg[/IMG] Celia, too, is most upset. She blames herself, feeling that if she hadn’t changed her mind about evicting Frank and Bobby from the flat he would still be alive. Not able to bear staying alone, she spends the night at Alf and Ailsa’s where she has a quiet word when left alone in a beautiful scene: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/tuhVIT.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/AmzBZp.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/emjFFp.jpg[/IMG] The imagery is perfect. Note how the arms and headrest of Alf's furniture very subtly create the effect that Celia is bearing wings and a halo as she approaches her deity. Is it done with reverence or a mocking tongue-in-cheek by the director? Is it even delibrate? Or accidental? Who's to say. But the scene is a knockout, which is all that matters. Celia has been given a number of these slow zoom scenes, where the camera begins at a distance and stays on her for a long time while moving into a tight close-up. On each occasion, Fiona Spence has filled the scene with intimacy, emotion and a sense of connection. Efforts are being made here to make Frank's death mean something. It has resonated through the whole bay and seeing the characters so affected in turn affects us as witnesses to the event. Even watching it thirty years later, through a prism tainted by knowing the big picture, I find this a powerful and moving series of scenes thanks to the performances and writing. Bobby, meanwhile, finally finds her voice, and what she says disturbs Tom and Pippa: And then Bob Barnett knocks on the door with a surprise [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/uyPqH8.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/OwQKdB.jpg[/IMG] Bobby’s wish is fulfilled. Celia’s prayer is answered in the most unexpected way. And Steven’s relief is visible. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/UsVEjl.jpg[/IMG] Well, [I]someone[/I] had to say it. [RIGHT][I]continued...[/I][/RIGHT] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
6 + 4 =
Post reply
Forums
Telly Talk Soaps
Australian & New Zealand Soaps
“Welcome to Summer Bay”: Rewatching the early years.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top
