Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 207102" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 324-330    (...continued)Soap denial is one of those double-edged swords. It can create fascination and enrich character as well as driving storylines when people respond to the denial with confusion, hurt or anger. But replicating a state that is, in real life, very frustrating for those around the person means that it can be equally frustrating to watch.Pippa’s response to Tom’s absence leans towards the latter. Up to this point I’ve been quite a fan of Vanessa Downing’s  Pippa, so I’m still undecided if Pippa being so unlikeable during this storyline is because she was doing a poor job or doing her job too well. Or perhaps sub-par writing. Some of my least favourite scenes during this run of episodes have featured Pippa emphatically letting everyone around her know that she’s in denial:Fear of losing Tom and guilt about their last encounter being one of hostility are obviously meant to be the driving forces of Pippa’s actions. Perhaps, too there’s a touch of intuitive omniscience about Tom’s survival. But perhaps not.Either way, a great deal of Pippa’s responses seem self-centred and attention seeking. Which is possibly quite truthful. I understand what the series is trying to convey: Pippa is distressed and needs to keep busy in order to get through it. There’s even a scene in which, alone, she darns Tom’s trousers and tells him he can stop complaining now, before breaking down.<img src="https://i.vgy.me/otSIqm.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/1ROO46.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />It’s a sweet scene. But something about it didn’t work for me. It’s very stagey, which can sometimes be an asset to TV. But sometimes stagey scenes work on stage but not screen. Maybe this is one of those cases. Whatever the case, I found myself mentally recreating it with Leila Hayes (probably because the darning and crying and turbocharged housework seems a very Beryl Palmer thing to do). And I have to say the virtual recast improved the scene no end.And in case we haven’t got the message, Pippa then gets up and actually tells herself she has to keep busy. She makes Sally a new dress that Sally doesn’t want, and then tells everyone Sally insisted. Then she decides to make the dress into new curtains like Maria Von Trapp stuck in rewind. And she curtly cuts off anyone who tries to talk to her about the situation. While Donald tries to discuss it, for instance, she talks over him about something on TV that’s Tom’s favourite and insists on taping it for him.It all comes to a head when she takes her frustrations out on a minor:<img src="https://i.vgy.me/NRIAUl.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Pippa’s sentiments, of course, reek of hypocrisy. Until you consider that she’s talking to herself more than she is Sally. After this outburst, she is visibly calmer and becomes nice, accessible Pippa once again. And it’s a relief for the viewer as much as the family, because being held at bay emotionally from our characters can be a confusing time for us.Roo, likewise, is not having an easy time of it. And a half hearted attempt to pass the time with a game delivers one of those slightly cartoony faux pas, similar to Celia buying Carly liqueur chocolates or Frank sending Carly a greetings card featuring a stick man falling off a cliff while she was accused of killing Gary Samuels. This time it’s Carly who makes the blooper:<img src="https://i.vgy.me/wq550Y.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />On the plus side, at least Roo knew that it was Natalie Wood. I love the diversity of characters in the room during this scene. In current terms, it’s natural that all would be there. But there are a number of characters who could barely stomach being in the same room as another a year ago, much less support one another. The fluctuating dynamics based on changing relationships can be quite exhilarating when I reflect on it.Even Morag has called in and found herself stuck in the unnatural role of babysitter. Hilarity ensues.<img src="https://i.vgy.me/AQR9A1.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Roo, meanwhile,  is feeling all the more fragile having received a letter from Simon:Even worse, the letter is found by Celia who, after a little soul searching and discussion with Donald, decides to let the police know, getting her into trouble with her niece:<img src="https://i.vgy.me/PE6jqt.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/9pHbpQ.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />There’s a really nice little moment where Roo enters the store and Celia - expecting trouble - moves quickly back to put the display of tea bags between them.continued...</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?

Poison your name this Hallowe'en

There's plenty of time to choose your spooky October username

Click here for more details

Reply to thread