Neighbours (AU) - General Discussion

[Nozycat]

I don't find her annoying either, maybe in the beginning but she has really grown on me.

[xfuse]

17 hours ago, neutron said:

How is she annoying?

Voice, attitude and actions.

A woman who I'm assuming is in her twenties who is so immature that her only friend is a teenage, gets in the middle of teenagers lives and can't have a adult conversation.

[TeeVee329]

I just find Roxy such an in-your-face try-hard, she would be exhausting to be around.  And I don't think she's grown an inch, given the ridiculous scheme she did with Mackenize like five seconds ago.  Also, I really like Kyle and I'm not about him getting paired with her.

[neutron]

21 hours ago, xfuse said:

Voice, attitude and actions.

A woman who I'm assuming is in her twenties who is so immature that her only friend is a teenage, gets in the middle of teenagers lives and can't have a adult conversation.

Umm, but her voice is the actor's actual voice. And she's only about 4 years older than Harlow, and Kyle and Shane aren't teenagers, and she's had plenty of adult conversations. Seems like you're only noticing what you want to notice! 😛 She's not having tantrums every five seconds or depending on guys for her existence or drinking constantly anymore, so she's definitely grown up since she first came to Erinsborough, IMO.

Edited April 26, 2020 by neutron

[TeeVee329]

Even if Claudia wasn't scheming against the Kennedys, I couldn't blame her for being taken aback seeing Susan lay into Mackenzie, that was not cool and tough to watch. 

That said, I'm kinda over Claudia, I hope her trying to buy the island doesn't means she's going to be an even more permanent fixture.  I am enjoying her lawyer Samantha, her relishing the effects their scheming is having on the Kennedys is very soapy.  I'm not clear on what her grudge is based in, but I'm kinda excited to see her come face-to-face with Susan and Karl.

And I know Paul can be a controlling dick sometimes, but Harlow making him take her to get birth control to prove his love was kinda mean.  Girl, that's your grandpa, give him a break on being in the know on your sex life.

[neutron]

2 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

Even if Claudia wasn't scheming against the Kennedys, I couldn't blame her for being taken aback seeing Susan lay into Mackenzie, that was not cool and tough to watch. 

That said, I'm kinda over Claudia, I hope her trying to buy the island doesn't means she's going to be an even more permanent fixture.  I am enjoying her lawyer Samantha, her relishing the effects their scheming is having on the Kennedys is very soapy.  I'm not clear on what her grudge is based in, but I'm kinda excited to see her come face-to-face with Susan and Karl.

And I know Paul can be a controlling dick sometimes, but Harlow making him take her to get birth control to prove his love was kinda mean.  Girl, that's your grandpa, give him a break on being in the know on your sex life.

I thought it was especially awkward because Susan had just been on the phone to Angela, who is anti-trans (she's had disagreements in the past with Susan over that), and then she got off the phone and immediately told Mackenzie that she was selfish for wanting to discuss her surgery. (Obviously she didn't know that's what the conversation was going to be about, though.)

I don't think it was wrong for Harlow to ask Paul to take her to the doctor, it was more just weird that she'd be comfortable with her ragey grandpa being there. I mean, she can't drive herself there, and her parents aren't around, so who else is going to take her? Paul is the closest relative she has. And presumably his entire reason for being worried about the sleepovers was that she might accidentally get pregnant, so why shouldn't he be part of the solution? It's not like she made him come in and watch it being "installed" (which is what I thought she was going to do), so basically I think it just comes down to the fact that it's completely reasonable to ask your guardian to take you to a medical appointment. And if anything, he has been the one trying to involve himself into her sex life by trying to control her and make decisions about it. He wasn't even invited to her initial post-sex discussion with Roxy and Terese, but he chose to eavesdrop and act on what he overhead.

[Nozycat]

For a supposedly intelligent woman Susan can be so stupid, self-important and bull-headed.  She just wants what she wants and storms in treading all over everyone else and stuffing things up for herself and them.  You would think she would have learned from the Finn debacle but no she is off and running again not listening to anyone else.  I knew she would lose it in front of the judge, stupid woman.

[TeeVee329]

19 hours ago, neutron said:

I mean, she [Harlow] can't drive herself there, and her parents aren't around, so who else is going to take her? Paul is the closest relative she has.

But Terese was right there, she's her step-grandma and a guardian to some degree and someone Harlow knows and trusts and is a woman.  And offered to go!  It seemed like she insisted it be Paul just to prove a point.  Then again, she and Hendrix have some cheek negotiating for sleepovers in the first place.  Sneak around, you idiots, like us old-timers did!

Moving on to today, Samantha's cat-who-got-the-cream entrance and subsequent demolishing of the Kennedys as they sat there gobsmacked was, as expected, kinda delicious.  What I don't understand is why they and/or Toadie didn't mention that Samantha has history with them and possibly a grudge, wouldn't that help their case that Claudia blindsided them?

Also interesting to me is the characterization of Andrea right now.  I feel like she both genuinely feels for Elly as a mother who's been separated from her kids and is calculating how to use this situation to her advantage.  Ditto her time with Dee.

[TeeVee329]

Aw I really liked Toadie and Dee's kiss today.

[Columbo]

I haven't been watching Neighbours for months. Didn't like Brent, and am meh with Nicolette. Can't tell if we are meant to like or hate her. The writers have her being in the right, yet the actress portrays her with such vehemence, such harsh brutal ugliness that it is hard to watch her. Like I remember when Dr Karl I think made a mistake that affected her. From what I remember it was an accident, but the way she went after him with such pure unbridled anger it was like he'd murdered her entire family. If the writers had a much clearer idea of how she is meant to be portrayed she might be a better character. I don't know, maybe the writers have got it right with her. Maybe she has her own Terese like Paul has. Someone to stand up to her when she goes too far but who is in her corner. 

 

But I've been rewatching the sonya and toadie storyline on YouTube. Mainly from 2015 to her death in 2019. Wish it had the storyline from the start, but I'm happy with what I have. Sonya and Toadie were such a great couple. They had enough drama, but also had a strong enough bond to last many years. Unfortunately the producers didn't see it that way when they had Sonya die. Anyway I'm up to the part where fake Dee first arrives to see Sonya and Toadie. I wish they hadn't brought back the real Dee. Not only because the way they explained the way she escaped death was beyond ridiculous even for a soap, but I get the impression that Madeline enjoys playing Andrea more than dreary Dee.

Rewatching the whole storyline, it becomes clearly how the return of Steph indirectly leads to Toadie cheating on Sonya with Andrea. Of course the cheating was one hundred percent of both Andrea and Toadie. But in terms of plot development the return of Steph in to Toadie's life once again reawakens feelings of jealousy in Sonya, probably one of the most insecure resident on Ramsay street. She warns Toadie off Steph, saying she is his greatest weakness. She hires Steph's ex Belinda to help Toadie with his rehabilitation in the hope that Belinda and Steph would get back together. And of course there was the whole surrogacy storyline where she basically browbeat and manipulated Mark, Steph, and Toadie in to this arrangement. With the underlying theme being that Sonya for some reason was so insecure about losing her husband to Steph that she did the whole surrogacy thing so that Mark and Steph could stay together. 

 

So, the return of Steph, the insecurity of Sonya, the surrogacy he was manipulated into accepting, Toadie growing increasingly uncomfortable with Mark getting close to Sonya, the fact that what he thinks is his first wife is now back from the dead, which brings all sort of complicated feelings in him, leads him to make the dumbest decision in his life.

[TeeVee329]

Izzy's antics during her guest arc in 2018 is what first drew me into "Neighbours" so I was thrilled she was coming back for this last run of episodes.  And this story with her having started a romance with Susan and Karl's son Malcolm (who, ironically, I just watched in an old clip screaming at Izzy for messing with his parents) is so deliciously soapy, and Susan's open-mouth disgust about it is a hoot.

Edited July 18, 2022 by TeeVee329

[Nozycat]

On 7/19/2022 at 8:40 AM, TeeVee329 said:

Izzy's antics during her guest arc in 2018 is what first drew me into "Neighbours" so I was thrilled she was coming back for this last run of episodes.  And this story with her having started a romance with Susan and Karl's son Malcolm is so deliciously soapy, and Susan's open-mouth disgust about it is a hoot.

Yes cracked me up when she said she might call Susan mum.  Susan spitting chips is a sight to behold.

Cracked me up too when Mrs Mangel fell off the wall when Jane found out Byron was an escort.

[SnideAsides]

I'm going to miss this hilariously awful show.

[TeeVee329]

I'm trying to give it some leeway because it's obviously a story pivot brought on by the cancellation, and it makes sense as an endgame given the fandom, but Elly suddenly showing up and declaring her love for Chloe, that it's always been Chloe, feels very abrupt.

Susan sawing through that loaf of bread clearly imagining it was Izzy's neck was quite funny to me.  But easy, Iz, I don't think Mal is liking this color on you.

ETA...what was with Yashvi slamming Izzy's past?  I seem to remember another character who had an affair and broke up a marriage - your mom!

Edited July 26, 2022 by TeeVee329

[TeeVee329]

Wait, so why is Paige doing real estate work in a town where she doesn't live?  This is kind of a boring return for her, but maybe I was hoping they'd reveal she flipped from Mark back to Jack, even though I know I'm in the minority on preferring that pairing.

At least Paige is clearly rooting for Paul and Terese, as are we all.  The longing going on with them the last few episodes has been so great and soapy.  And I had to laugh when I realized that this show, always a fan of incestural pairings, had Terese leap from Paul right to his half-brother lol.

Uggghhhh Roxy, the groan I let out when she came stomping in.  So annoying!

[TeeVee329]

So obviously, Izzy's storyline with the Kennedys ended the way it was always going to - Izzy caught out, Susan triumphant, etc.  But it was a nice twist on the foregone conclusion that, instead of her smooch with Shane being exposed by Susan/Karl, she fessed up/owned up to Mal on her own.  And her self-realization about what she was really after - acceptance and validation - tied back nicely to what I thought about her in 2018, that she's a soap bad girl who schemes for money or men, but not because she's malicious, she's just a screwed-up person trying to fill a hole inside herself.  And tying those two halves of herself together, I loved that her modicum of personal growth didn't stop her from hooking up with Shane haha.

In non-Izzy news, even though I never watched their original love story, I found everything about Mike and Jane really sweet.  Guy Pearce is, duh, a great actor and he and Annie Jones have a very natural, easy chemistry, and their arc across the hour was much more impactful than the much-ballyhooed Scott/Charlene appearance (Kylie Minogue had, what, three lines total?).

Watching Toadie and Melanie prep for the wedding the last week or so, was I the only one hoping we were heading for a "I, Toadie, take you Dee" moment at the altar?  Even better, they could have had Dee show up to try and stop the ceremony, only for it to turn out to be Andrea again!  It's just weird to me that, given how many alums they got to put in an apperance, Madeleine West was absent entirely, especially given how much story Andrea and Dee drove the last few years.

The ghosts were hit-and-miss for me.  Seeing Sonya with her kids was really sweet, but I could absolutely have lived without seeing stupid Finn again.

All in all, it went out as "Neighbours" always was to me - a show about nice people being nice to each other admist classically soapy situations.

Edited July 29, 2022 by TeeVee329

[Nozycat]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

All in all, it went out as "Neighbours" always was to me - a show about nice people being nice to each other

Yes loved the finale for this emphasis.

[Jan Spears]

On 7/29/2022 at 5:07 PM, TeeVee329 said:

In non-Izzy news, even though I never watched their original love story, I found everything about Mike and Jane really sweet.  Guy Pearce is, duh, a great actor and he and Annie Jones have a very natural, easy chemistry, and their arc across the hour was much more impactful than the much-ballyhooed Scott/Charlene appearance (Kylie Minogue had, what, three lines total?).

I really admire Guy Pearce for being "all in" on the finale.

By my count, Kylie Minogue spoke three times: "Home sweet home," "Jane," and "Harold". But who cares? When Kylie and Jason Donovan drove up and "Especially for You" was playing, I admit I had a big old smile on my face. And when Scott said to Charlene, "We made it, huh?", it was a sweet moment because it could have been Jason speaking to Kylie given that they've both experienced and overcome great travails since they were young. 

[TeeVee329]

I should say, I appreciate that Kylie and Jason were like, we'll appear, but the finale shouldn't be The Scott and Charlene Hour.  But maybe, instead of the powwows Mike and Jane separately had with a motley crew of supporters (Mike being advised by Jane's ex-husband Des and ex-lover Paul was classic "Neighbours", oh that tickled me), it would have been cool to see Mike and Jane have those conversations with Scott and Charlene respectively.  Although I also read that Guy Pearce and Jason/Kylie were never on set at the same time owing to scheduling conflicts, which is why there's that weird cut away when Mike goes to hug them.

Speaking of Guy Pearce, I forgot to mention I loved the moment when Mike's daughter pointed out that Ramsey Street is, like, not a street but a court, and Mike is like, "Huh, you're right" lol.

[Jan Spears]

6 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

it would have been cool to see Mike and Jane have those conversations with Scott and Charlene respectively.  Although I also read that Guy Pearce and Jason/Kylie were never on set at the same time owing to scheduling conflicts, which is why there's that weird cut away when Mike goes to hug them.

I had the same reaction. Even though Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce didn't film on the same days and their "reunion" was spliced together, I found myself wanting Scott and Mike to have a scene together where they acknowledge that they're no longer young but that they're content with how their lives had turned out.

[SnideAsides]

They could have done a phone call scene if scheduling was the issue. I mean, they were able to find a way to film a Natalie Imbruglia cameo, even though she doesn't live in the country any more and never met any of the characters whose story she was supposed to care about.

Happy Susan got the final 'real' lines of the show; she really has been the main character for decades. A little bit surprised we never saw any of the Timminses though, given they were supposed to be Toadie's relatives. I know there's other issues there (Stingray died, the two daughters both have US careers now), but I have to imagine it would have been possible to at least get Ben Nicholas in for the ghost sequence, given he was doing behind the scenes videos for the show's social media stuff until pretty recently so must have been on good terms with producers.

[TeeVee329]

19 hours ago, SnideAsides said:

I mean, they were able to find a way to film a Natalie Imbruglia cameo, even though she doesn't live in the country any more and never met any of the characters whose story she was supposed to care about.

I was very charmed by that actually, two random strangers brought together across the globe by the feel-good power of Ramsey Street, and I liked that they said as much in their part of the video message montage.

[TeeVee329]

Wow! https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/neighbours-soap-amazon-freevee-return-1235264001/

So far, they've got Susan, Karl, Paul, and Toadie locked in to return.  I would love for a full-time Izzy return, but not sure that's something the actress wants.  And I wonder what that means for Jane, given how lovely the Jane/Mike ending was and given - even though he was a such a good sport about the finale - I can't imagine Guy Pearce being interested.

Edited November 19, 2022 by TeeVee329

[truthful]

On 11/19/2022 at 11:21 PM, TeeVee329 said:

Wow! https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/neighbours-soap-amazon-freevee-return-1235264001/

So far, they've got Susan, Karl, Paul, and Toadie locked in to return.  I would love for a full-time Izzy return, but not sure that's something the actress wants.  And I wonder what that means for Jane, given how lovely the Jane/Mike ending was and given - even though he was a such a good sport about the finale - I can't imagine Guy Pearce being interested.

It's tricky because people like Jane and they want her to get her happy ending. Yet they want to see more of Jane on the show in the upcoming revival. But to do that Jason and his writers will have to come up with a scenario that enables Jane to continue on the show without ruining what she had with Mike. Is like Guy ok with making a couple of appearances in the show to help set up the next chapter of Jane's life? Or will their relationship be just a couple of throwaway lines?

I'm also interested to know the new budget of the revived show? Will it bigger or smaller than before?

[TeeVee329]

Guy Pearce was such a good sport, I could see him making some sort of bridge appearance if his schedule allowed.

But I also think it'd be narratively easier - not just for Jane, but for lots of other story avenues - for the show to start with a time jump.  Maybe it's a year later and you have Jane say she and Mike tried, but it wasn't the same as when they were teens, and they parted as friends without seeing Mike at all.

I wouldn't mind more Jane (we know the writers had plans to do more with her son and then to bring in her kids' father), though the only must-have I think they still need to lock in IMO is Terese.

[TeeVee329]

Uh...sure? https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mischa-barton-neighbours-cast-1235376733/

[TeeVee329]

They're bringing back Karl and Izzy's daughter Holly: https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a43871396/neighbours-holly-hoyland-return/

I really hope this means at least an Izzy guest spot to help settle her in.  Either way, I'm down for a Holly who's more her mother's daughter and drives Karl and Susan crazy lol.

[TeeVee329]

It's official - we're going to see Mike Young on the street again: https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a43956324/neighbours-guy-pearce-mike-young-return/

This news is bittersweet TBH.  On one hand, Guy Pearce is just a hell of a sport and I love that he feels a genuine desire and responsibility to come back and play out closing this chapter of Mike (and Jane's) story versus Mike being off-screen for it.  But on the other, oh, it's going to be heartbreaking to see Mike and Jane split after their lovely reunion in the faux series finale.

Edited May 22, 2023 by TeeVee329

[TeeVee329]

So the 2017 season is now on Amazon FreeVee.  Because this is the year with the Fake Dee story - which, with Izzy's return in 2018, is what got me into watching "Neighbours" - I decided to skip around in this year and thought it'd be fun to share some thoughts.

So the first episode of 2017:

- I either forgot or never knew that the Dee storyline starts with Toadie's brother showing him a photo he took of someone who appears to be Dee.  So Toadie is freaking out about this and ends up hiring an investigator to look into it.

- Toadie doesn't tell Sonya about any of this because she just found that she's pregnant with the surrogate baby for Steph and Mark, who just got engaged.  I'm missing the context, but Steph is not happy at first while Mark is (Mark also is kind of an jerk bragging about how perfect his life with Steph is to Paige, his ex).  I don't really buy Steph and Mark as a couple, and Mark feels out of place with her/Sonya/Toadie.

- Speaking of Paige, she also finds out she's pregnant and is of course torn up about it given the baby daddy is a priest.  I was kinda shocked this show let David mention she has the option to terminate.  I'm also surprised Paige and David are such buddies, I thought that came later once he got with Aaron.

Piper and Tyler (who, I guess, were popular as a couple, but who I was mostly bored by) are dating and sneaking around, but get busted by Terese (hilariously, the scene of her stumbling across them is scored by the horror movie Piper and Tyler are watching).  Despite Piper's whining, both Terese and Brad refuse to budge on letting them date, and Mark turns down Tyler when he asks to move Piper in.  Also, I learned that Tyler was with both Paige AND Imogen before Piper and chuckled again at how often this show has characters date siblings/family members.

- Leo and David are here and both have terrible hair.  Leo also grossly hits on Paige.

- This is a season with the terrible opening credits where the actors awkwardly stand in front of what are clearly green screen images.

[TeeVee329]

"Neighbours" is back in September!

They also announced a new family, which made me realize that the cast still feels pretty thin.  I wonder if it will feel scaled down or they're holding back some of the cast announcements.

[TeeVee329]

To belatedly continue my 2017 watch, I decided to jump to the episode where we, the audience, learn this Dee is really an imposter:

- So Toadie and Sonya apparently just found out about Willow and are reacting in different ways.  I always liked Willow and how she became a daughter to Toadie and family to Sonya anyway down the line and it's sweet to see the seeds here, with Sonya being gentle and apologetic about the paternity test she (and Dee) insist on and then Willow being charmed that Toadie is actually listening to her when she talks about her goals and dreams.

- Steph catches Mark in a lie about standing her up for work when he was in fact comforting Sonya.  It appears to be the last straw for her amidst Mark and Sonya's growing closeness over the surrogacy as she drops her engagement ring on his desk at work after he rushes off to check in on Sonya again.

- Elly and Paige have a little spat when gossipy judgement Elly passes on Dee and Willow hits a little too close to home with Paige re: her pregnancy (Jack is still in the dark and people think David is the father at this point).  Elly apologies - and mentions a miscarriage she had with an ex, don't know this history - and the girls agree to be gal pals.

- There's also some banter between Elly and Ned, though I don't know if this is before or after they were together.  Ned is also doing community service for some crime I don't know about on Jack's church.

- Finally, the rapid-fire reveals in the last two minutes - Willow saying she's not Toadie's kid, Dee gleefully explaining how she got a sample from Nelle to use for the paternity test, Willow revealing she's actually two years older than any kid of Toadie and Dee's could be, and then the name-drop - Andrea.  It's soapy and great, particularly how Madeleine West starts letting these other notes slip into her performance as the Dee mask she's been wearing drops.

[TeeVee329]

Ah, so one of the newbies is actually a recast of Jane's son Byron:

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a44552188/neighbours-recast-byron-stone-xavier-molyneux/

[AnimeMania]

Neighbours        September 18, 2023        Amazon Freevee

“The continuation of the long-running soap series — about the lives, loves, and challenges of the residents on Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, Australia, a fictional suburb of Melbourne — follows the finale in 2022, which was watched by millions of adoring fans.”

[AnimeMania]

[TeeVee329]

Some observations:

• So two years have passed, smart to use a time jump to explain why so many street residents are gone.
• Did they SORAS Nelle and Hugo?
• A tad too much Mischa Barton, though noticeably never speaking.

[TeeVee329]

Three weeks to go!  A few articles and interviews with some spoilery teases about what's to come on Ramsey Street:

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a44938152/neighbours-producer-jason-herbison-new-season/

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a44946534/neighbours-spoilers-annie-jones-jane-mike/

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/a44950775/neighbours-spoilers-new-season/

I remain intrigued about what the show is going to do with

Holly.  Is she going to live in this share house with the twenty-somethings or with Susan and Karl?  And aw, Mike and Jane and Sam (and Ms. Mangel's portrait) have been living together!

[TeeVee329]

The first clip from new Neighbours! 

 

[TeeVee329]

"Neighbours"!  Everybody needs...well you know!   Some thoughts on the return: 

- It was almost obnoxiously obvious that we were being misdirected into thinking Paul and Terese were retying the knot so that was a bit frustrating to sit through.  Still, I was shocked by the reveal that Terese was marrying Toadie of all people!  I never cared for Toadie with Melanie so I'm not sad that coupling went bust, but oh, I did always like Paul and Terese together.  Curious to see how they fill in the backstory of how this happened.

- Nice job by the show keeping the appearances by Imogen, Daniel, Callum, and Angie to themselves (I'm not sure if they're just guesting, but Imogen and Daniel could be interesting to keep around, at the very least because it would give Paul and Terese opportunities to interact).  

- Speaking of couplings busting up, oh, I'm anxious how they're going to end things with Mike and Jane as we know Guy Pearce can't be sticking around too long (the fact that Mike was already out of Erinsborough slash isn't interacting with anyone but Jane seems to confirm Pearce did one burst of filming and that's it).

- I was predisposed to given her mother, but I'm excited to see what the show does with Holly.  I liked the realistic portrayal of a young twentysomething who's a bit aimless - staying out until 3am, not giving a toss about the minimum wage job their parent arranged, etc.  And there can be a lot of sweetness on this show so I liked that she seems to be adding a dash of salt.  Curious to see more of her with the other youngsters and if a feud develops between her and Mischa Barton.

- Speaking of, Mischa Barton was...I dunno, fine?  So we know she has a Dad in the States whose orders she's presumably there on.

- Finally, I liked the new family, particularly Remi and JJ.  It was funny how taken aback they were by the almost obtrusive friendliness of the neighbours.  And whatever JJ's interest is in the street, that's a smart if obvious way to tie the new to the old.

Edited September 20, 2023 by TeeVee329

[TeeVee329]

In a weird way, Toadie and Terese turning to each other given the partners they were burned by makes a kind of sense.  If you had been stood up at the altar by someone like Paul - secretive, holds his cards to his chest - you might gravitate towards someone like Toadie who's open and big-hearted.  And if you'd had an hippy-dippy flake like Melanie walk out on you, a woman who's strong and self-assured like Terese would be a breath of fresh air.

So I guess I'm in for now.  I'm not 100% buying the chemistry - I feel it more from Toadie to Terese than vice versa - but it's working enough.  And it's clear this is just for now - the spark was still there when Terese talked to Paul and there are a bunch of question marks, I think, about why Melanie really left.

It's also pretty obvious that newly teenage Nell was the one who planted the invite and the charm at Terese's to try and spook her.

It took me forever to figure out who was standing up for Toadie.  It's the Rodwell husband, right?  Were he and Toadie friends when last we were on Ramsey Street?

Angie motioning for Terese to adjust her...generous front porch...was pretty funny.

Mackenzie and the new guy Haz were cute, ditto the meet-cute with JJ and Nelle.

Guess we'll find out who Mischa Barton is tomorrow, not that I'll be referring to her as anything but Mischa Barton lol.

Edited September 27, 2023 by TeeVee329

[TeeVee329]

Mischa Barton being a member of the family who are silent partners in the hotel with Paul was kind of a blah reveal.  I thought they would tie her into the history of the show more, though I guess there's still time for that.

What I did enjoy was Holly's stank attitude towards her.  Obviously, she was in the wrong, but there was still something quite amusing, and very Izzy, about Holly refusing to concede any ground, even when Mischa Barton recognized her designer perfume.

Toadie trying to get Terese not to do work on their honeymoon really rubbed me the wrong way.  So Terese has to change who she is to make this work, what is Toadie changing about himself exactly (besides his address, as it sounds like he and the kids are moving into Terese's and, my guess, is that the new family will take over Toadie's house)?

Ah so Mackenzie, Haz, and Byron live together in Aaron and David's old house.  I think it's fun there's a house for the twentysomethings. 

A small touch I loved is that we heard and saw that people were hungover from the wedding, not because they were drowning their sorrows or made a huge public scene, but because it was a wedding and everyone got a little tipsy.  That's very true to life! 

[Nozycat]

18 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

Toadie trying to get Terese not to do work on their honeymoon really rubbed me the wrong way.

It rubbed me the wrong way that she couldn't take a couple of days out for her honeymoon.

[TeeVee329]

Some stray thoughts from the last few episodes...

- We get it, Nell's secretly plotting against Toadie and Terese, we don't need to see her smirking into the camera all the time.

- That said, I'm kinda over Toadie and Terese as a couple already.  I don't like that the vibe seems to be that she's uptight and needs Toadie to mellow her out by forcing fun on her.  Bleh.

- I feel like the response online has been mixed, but I just really like Holly.  It was nice this week to see another side of her, to show her really remorseful about betraying Susan's confidence, and that she values her relationship with Susan.

- But given Mischa Barton flat-out refused to give her her job back, I bet Holly finds out about her and Byron and blackmails one of them.

- Also this troublemaking ex of Holly's is surely going to blow into town as soon as she's started dating Byron or somebody else lol.

- I like Mischa Barton better when she's busting Paul's balls versus flirting with Byron.

- Sadie was stupid to not just tell Mackenzie that Haz is on a dating app.  It's not really a big deal, he hasn't even gone out with this other girl yet, and it doesn't mean he might not be into Mackenzie, but Mackenzie deserves that information.

- I like Haz and his dog is cute, but dude runs a café and the dog's hair is getting in peoples' food, that's not quirky, it's gross.

- I continue to enjoy how weirded out the new family - particularly Remi - is by the overfriendliness of the neighbors.  Them fleeing when Wendy et. all were screeching about a barbeque was very funny.

- Are we ever going to see the Mike/Jane scenes?  We've been teased after every episode, but they haven't shown up yet lol!

Edited September 27, 2023 by TeeVee329

[TeeVee329]

I haven't been enjoying the Mike/Jane storyline because 1) there's an element of doom hanging over the whole thing since we know Guy Pearce isn't staying and 2) Jane has been acting so weird with her yawning and constant talk of her ex.  But the proposal today was very sweet...though I was worried throughout Mike was going to get hypothermia from wading into the water or had been bitten by a snake or contracted some kind of infection lol.  I guess now we'll have to worry if Mike is going to die in a fiery motorbike crash to explain him not returning in a few weeks.

Betting right now that JJ's dad actually is the American donor and said donor is part of Mischa Barton's family.

This might be mean because he's young and this is "Neighbours" after all...but the kid playing Dex is...not good.

[Llywela]

I'm also getting a strong sense of doom from Mike and Jane's storyline - which I'm finding very bittersweet overall, because I remember them from first time around when I was very young, and they are (mostly) really lovely together, I'm enjoying Mike's bumbling awkwardness, it makes me want to keep him...but I know we can't, and I worry about what is to come.

[methodwriter85]

Mostly new to the show (although I did some watch clips of the Chris Pappas storyline as I thought he was absolutely gorgeous) and with Mischa Barton showing up, I thought I'd give it a chance. So far I've been liking it. It doesn't have the wild wackiness of Hollyoaks and it feels more grounded. The Nell/Terese wicked stepmother feud is funny, and I like how they're setting up JJ as some kind of slightly older crush for Nelle while he's focused on the far too old for him Sadie, who herself is busy trying to set up grieving widow Mack with the cute barista that has thrown food and safety standards out the window because of his shaggy dog. Mischa Barton is more entertaining as the bitchy corporate suit that Paul is trying to keep from shutting him down. Not so into her stuff with Bryon, although he is quite cute. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by methodwriter85

[TeeVee329]

I liked the show injecting conflict between the Rodwells and the Varga-Murphys - first with JJ being accused of stealing Wendy's watch, then Cara getting the job at Lassiters over Wendy - before it even comes out about Andrew possibly being JJ's biological father.  And I also kinda liked JJ thinking his little scheme was harmless, but now being stuck in this emotional mess, there's something very dumb teenager about it lol.

Paul and Terese still got it, there was so much more sizzle during their brief interaction this week than anything between her and Toadie.  But skip me with all this blah blah blah about Melanie being the greatest, she was annoying.  Since it can't be Sonya (the best acting from the Toadie actor so far was him reminiscing about her), bring back Dee for Toadie!

Earlier this week, I was amused that Holly was dressed for a day of early coffee and joblessly loafing around in a boob-forward mini-dress.  Izzy taught her well!

[TeeVee329]

I f-ing love Paul.  To end an episode with him finding out about Mischa Barton and Bryon's affair and then, in the very next episode, in his very first scene, you have him immediately putting her on blast, gleefully throwing the evidence photos around like confetti, hilariously expressing faux-shock that Mischa Barton didn't know about Byron's escort past, amazing.  His swerving away from a completely separate conversation to gloat at/berate Byron was also great.  And his delight in Byron's drunken scene in front of Mischa Barton and his mom ("Welcome home, Janey!") was the cherry on the sundae.

I also liked the little yet visible charge Terese got out of scheming with Paul to dig up some dirt on Mischa Barton.  And I liked that she was completely transparent about it with Toadie and he had zero jealousy about it.

Wendy is being so annoying about the Varga-Murphys.  Getting all upset that they're being cold/standoffish with her?  Lady, you haven't apologized yet for falsely accusing their son of theft!  And Cara was completely normal and mature when she asked Wendy to move those boxes or whatever.  You know Wendy digging into Cara's work history is going to blow back on her bad and I look forward to it.

I guess Sadie is Leo's nanny?  Nobody's said it out loud, but this is the second time we've seen Sadie looking after Abigail.

Edited October 12, 2023 by TeeVee329

[methodwriter85]

Agreed that Paul was the MVP of this week. Him gleefully exposing Bryon as a prostitute to Mischa Barton while insinuating that Byron was using her as his sugar mom was hilarious. Plus on the nostalgia front, there was something about watching Mischa Barton crying by herself while moody music plays that brought me back.

The attempts at defusing the situation between Wendy and Cara not going well was pretty funny to watch, and just so realistic. Cara blowing up about realizing that Wendy waited a week to apologize for her accusing her son of stealing was well-done. Cara holds a grudge and Wendy is on her shit list, and it's not getting better any time soon. At the same time, Wendy being upset and becoming fixated on not getting the building manager position (can she even do handiwork?) was interesting to me. It wasn't so much about the position, but what it represented to Wendy. I can get that feeling that life has passed by and realizing that she still hasn't found a career she's passionate about. 

The Harold/Mack deal is being done pretty well. I really liked Ed, but I'm pretty sure he's only coming onto Mack as a way to get to Holly, as Holly's videos seemed to show that Ed was actually Eden, her ex-boyfriend. I've learned in life that any time a guy says "I'm one of the good guys", you know for damn sure he's not. At first I thought he was a simple day player that was going to mug Mack for her Chanel bag, but he's definitely playing a long game.

[Nozycat]

11 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I really liked Ed, but I'm pretty sure he's only coming onto Mack as a way to get to Holly, as Holly's videos seemed to show that Ed was actually Eden, her ex-boyfriend.

Oh I completely mistrusted Ed and thought he was the one who set up the date so he could then swoop in and be the resucer.  I totally missed that he might be Eden.

[methodwriter85]

7 hours ago, Nozycat said:

Oh I completely mistrusted Ed and thought he was the one who set up the date so he could then swoop in and be the resucer.  I totally missed that he might be Eden.

It was really easy to miss, but you see it when Holly is looking at videos that she's about to delete. She freeze frames on a bit of her and Eden frolicking on the beach, and it's clear that it's "Ed."