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“Welcome to Summer Bay”: Rewatching the early years.
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<blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 199977" data-attributes="member: 23"><p><u><span style="font-size: 22px">Episode 228</span></u></p><p></p><p></p><p>The Season One finale has “Christmas Special” written all over it. One by one it ticks off the boxes of the traditional festive episode. Father Christmas costumes. A nativity scene. References - both explicitly and thematically - to <em>A Christmas Carol</em>. Families gathered around the tree. Presents. The self-exiled loner who discovers the true spirit of Christmas through togetherness (and one who doesn’t). Healing where there’s been difficulties. And everyone coming together to sing carols.</p><p></p><p>The opening scene, which combines at least three of the above, contains what I’ve long viewed as an example of the dialogue being layered so that it may be read different ways by the audience, depending on their age and belief:</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/yuePp4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>It’s a nice quiet moment which, I imagine, captures that quiet moment parents have to breathe between frantic shopping and wrapping and the chaos of excited young children tearing the wrapping open. In a nice touch the pseudo romantic moment is interrupted by excited Sally who couldn’t wait any longer.</p><p></p><p>Also losing sleep is Alf who, still reflecting on his mysterious phone call to one of Bobby’s natural parents, confides in Ailsa:</p><p></p><p>Although we learn how Alf uncovered the mystery, there’s actually very little new information in it. There’s just enough to keep it ticking along. We know that Alf knows one of the parents and that Martha, too, knew even more about it. So it’s someone the Stewarts know - or knew. But in a town like this, that doesn’t whittle it down much. Like all good mysteries, just keeping it alive in this way both satisfies and entices. I love how piecemeal this is playing out. It feels very unhurried and long-term.</p><p></p><p>Then there’s a scene of Celia clucking over Donald, tut tutting that he shouldn’t be working on Christmas day… while serving him in the store. Without a trace of irony. And we establish (or re-establish) that Christmas doesn’t have the same meaning for him. Then comes Celia comparing Donald with Scrooge. Enter Betty Falwell - Celia’s gossipy friend who pops up every once in a while - with a crisis over the baby Jesus. Here’s where the stories intersect, because Celia then dashes to the Fletchers to nab Christopher for the job.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/A5nHwY.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/Yeh28G.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Nativity saved.</p><p></p><p></p><p>There’s some outside the church exposition: Celia deciding to speak to Colleen in a bid to get her and Lance talking again; Steven hinting to Pippa and Tom that Carly may not be home. Most fun is a bitchy exchange between three former classmates. First Alison accuses Roo of “scraping the bottom of the barrel” by choosing David. Then it’s Bobby’s turn:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/HGThgd.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/QvyXFp.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Once again, the outside antagonism serves to bring two former enemies closer, and so we get one of the most genuine Roo and Bobby scenes since the earliest days of the series. But now with added meaning</p><p></p><p>Roo then asks David to leave, saying she’s finding the pretence too painful to keep up.</p><p></p><p>Next we pan to Celia clucking over Donald again, appalled he’s planning to have Christmas lunch at home alone</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/rhY0rd.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>There’s a scene in which Matt reaches out to Carly and is rebuffed. Greg Benson’s acting leaves much to be desired. I don’t know if he’s got worse, is trying too hard or is being given too much to say. Perhaps it’s more noticeable now that he seems to have his shirt on almost permanently.</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: 199977, member: 23"] [U][SIZE=6]Episode 228[/SIZE][/U] The Season One finale has “Christmas Special” written all over it. One by one it ticks off the boxes of the traditional festive episode. Father Christmas costumes. A nativity scene. References - both explicitly and thematically - to [I]A Christmas Carol[/I]. Families gathered around the tree. Presents. The self-exiled loner who discovers the true spirit of Christmas through togetherness (and one who doesn’t). Healing where there’s been difficulties. And everyone coming together to sing carols. The opening scene, which combines at least three of the above, contains what I’ve long viewed as an example of the dialogue being layered so that it may be read different ways by the audience, depending on their age and belief: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/yuePp4.jpg[/IMG] It’s a nice quiet moment which, I imagine, captures that quiet moment parents have to breathe between frantic shopping and wrapping and the chaos of excited young children tearing the wrapping open. In a nice touch the pseudo romantic moment is interrupted by excited Sally who couldn’t wait any longer. Also losing sleep is Alf who, still reflecting on his mysterious phone call to one of Bobby’s natural parents, confides in Ailsa: Although we learn how Alf uncovered the mystery, there’s actually very little new information in it. There’s just enough to keep it ticking along. We know that Alf knows one of the parents and that Martha, too, knew even more about it. So it’s someone the Stewarts know - or knew. But in a town like this, that doesn’t whittle it down much. Like all good mysteries, just keeping it alive in this way both satisfies and entices. I love how piecemeal this is playing out. It feels very unhurried and long-term. Then there’s a scene of Celia clucking over Donald, tut tutting that he shouldn’t be working on Christmas day… while serving him in the store. Without a trace of irony. And we establish (or re-establish) that Christmas doesn’t have the same meaning for him. Then comes Celia comparing Donald with Scrooge. Enter Betty Falwell - Celia’s gossipy friend who pops up every once in a while - with a crisis over the baby Jesus. Here’s where the stories intersect, because Celia then dashes to the Fletchers to nab Christopher for the job. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/A5nHwY.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/Yeh28G.jpg[/IMG] Nativity saved. There’s some outside the church exposition: Celia deciding to speak to Colleen in a bid to get her and Lance talking again; Steven hinting to Pippa and Tom that Carly may not be home. Most fun is a bitchy exchange between three former classmates. First Alison accuses Roo of “scraping the bottom of the barrel” by choosing David. Then it’s Bobby’s turn: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/HGThgd.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/QvyXFp.jpg[/IMG] Once again, the outside antagonism serves to bring two former enemies closer, and so we get one of the most genuine Roo and Bobby scenes since the earliest days of the series. But now with added meaning Roo then asks David to leave, saying she’s finding the pretence too painful to keep up. Next we pan to Celia clucking over Donald again, appalled he’s planning to have Christmas lunch at home alone [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/rhY0rd.jpg[/IMG] There’s a scene in which Matt reaches out to Carly and is rebuffed. Greg Benson’s acting leaves much to be desired. I don’t know if he’s got worse, is trying too hard or is being given too much to say. Perhaps it’s more noticeable now that he seems to have his shirt on almost permanently. [RIGHT][I]continued...[/I][/RIGHT] [/QUOTE]
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“Welcome to Summer Bay”: Rewatching the early years.
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