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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: 208610" data-attributes="member: 23"><p><u><span style="font-size: 22px">Episodes 341-350</span></u> <em>(...continued)</em></p><p></p><p></p><p>Stacey has bet Martin that he won’t be able to lift up an anchor, so there are tedious scenes of him taking delivery of, assembling and using exercise equipment. Plus almost every episode now has at least one segment where he jogs up to the anchor accompanied by wailing guitar music and fails to lift it.</p><p></p><p>There’s also a Lance/Marilyn plot recycled from the Martin/Leanne era, which I thought I was going to hate but which has won me over. Up to a point.</p><p></p><p>Martin, convinced Marilyn wants to marry Lance, convinces him to dump her before she drags him down the aisle. Meanwhile, Colleen is also thinking wedding bells are in the air and starts dropping enormous hints to Marilyn - walking her past the church, and the like. So when Lance takes Marilyn to have a serious chat at the diner (where else?), Marilyn is expecting a proposal but gets the heave ho. So far, so blah.</p><p></p><p>The saving grace with this storyline is the involvement of Colleen. Lance is afraid of his mother’s reaction to him ending things and so even as he dumps Marilyn, he asks her to tell Colleen the split was her idea. Marilyn obliges and tells Colleen in the kitchen of Lance’s home while Colleen is preparing vegetables. As realisation sets in, Colleen becomes more hysterical and shrill by the word as she has her say to Marilyn while brandishing a stick of celery:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/Sifsnc.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/hynaFH.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/6Gw2Kr.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/PmLJa7.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>During the latter part of her dialogue she starts physically beating Marilyn with the celery, driving her from the kitchen. On the first strike, the disobedient stick snaps, but Lyn Collingwood - professional that she is - manages to keep hold of it almost unnoticed and continue the beating.</p><p></p><p>It’s a genuinely funny scene, but I love the vein of pathos that runs through it. Marilyn is clearly shocked and hurt. So is Colleen, who starts crying immediately afterwards. It’s difficult to make this balance work, and the risk is that in trying to be two things a scene fails on both counts. This isn’t the case here. It’s rather <em>Corrie</em>-esque, and I’m also seeing something of the Lilimae in Colleen, which is no bad thing by any means.</p><p></p><p>Marilyn then goes to Morag’s but since Morag has already given Marilyn some enforced holiday in order to give Ailsa some respite, she finds there’s no room at the inn.</p><p></p><p>This vein continues into the next episode. With Lance not coming home, we see Colleen looking sadly at the two full plates of food before covering one and putting it into the oven. When she’s talking to Donald and Celia saying she hopes Lance isn’t out there alone, her audio continues over shots of Marilyn on a clifftop, looking reflectively out at the water.</p><p></p><p>Things take a turn for the worse when it becomes an Andrew-heavy storyline. When Colleen comes to the diner looking for Lance, he sits and overreacts as she talks to Lance, with inserted close ups of Peter Bensley’s gurning while Lyn Collingwood wails which becomes too much (why can’t he just allow another actor to do their thing without trying to get in on it. It’s so distracting).</p><p></p><p>Now, plainly at this point I’m not enjoying Andrew. Most of my bias towards him is down to the portrayal. Bensley’s style just doesn’t appeal to me in this role and in this series. Try as I might to avoid it, there comes a point in this situation where the <em>character</em> can’t do anything right. I suppose there has to be a synergy between writing and acting. A likeable actor can overcome a character's shortcomings and contrivances in the writing. Whereas with an actor who is already an endurance test, the character's foibles are more difficult to overcome as a viewer (I had a similar experience with Mack Mackenzie last time I watched <em>Knots</em> in full, despite not experiencing that with him on previous viewings). Such is the case with Andrew at the moment. There are issues with the way he’s written - much of which is necessary to create some kind of conflict. But I find myself feeling irritated rather than invested.</p><p></p><p>Rather like a soap doctor is an expert in every field of medicine, so a soap counsellor is never off the job and has expertise in all aspects of human behaviour to the point of clairvoyance. And so, Andrew immediately correctly intuits the way things actually happened and - sensing a whiff of drama - he hunts all over town, eventually finding her atop the cliff where he does what all appropriate counsellors do in such a situation - he puts his paws all over her and tells her it’s going to be OK.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/okdcqU.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>After this unsolicited proffering of his services, Marilyn becomes his client as he wanted, nicely stoking his ego. Then, once the inital drama is over he is unhappy when she becomes too needy and he thinks she has developed feelings for him. Instead of discussing his concerns with Marilyn or his supervisor (does he even <em><u>have</u></em> a supervisor?) he bitches about Marilyn to everyone in town from her employer to his roommate and anyone who happens to be in the diner. After repeatedly breaching client/counsellor confidentiality he has the cheek to go to Marilyn’s home and tell her - in front of her employer - how important the boundaries of their professional relationship are.</p><p></p><p>He then puts his people skills to good use by bluntly telling Marilyn that he has no interest in her and never will. This has led into what is apparently crossed wires all round. Marilyn has been out shopping but is distracted. She’s collected Morag’s sleeping tablets and something for her own headache. She then accidentally takes a couple of Morag’s medication pills instead of the paracetamol and is found slumped on the floor by Celia.</p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/aIGhcv.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/IQCzDN.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/mD0ZNk.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/7EnQec.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, things have come full circle at Lance’s. Colleen has discovered the truth and this time it’s Lance she drives from the kitchen to the living room as she shrieks:</p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.vgy.me/8olb8b.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/byQwNi.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Lance ends up in Martin's lap. This is followed by a terrific moment where Colleen starts to walk off but turns and snatches Martin’s beer can while giving him the evil eye. Then she slam dunks the can into the kitchen bin, gathers her shopping bag, rolls her eyes to the heavens, sighs and walks out. Things are quite watchable in the mobile home these days, thanks to Colleen.</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: 208610, member: 23"] [U][SIZE=6]Episodes 341-350[/SIZE][/U] [I](...continued)[/I] Stacey has bet Martin that he won’t be able to lift up an anchor, so there are tedious scenes of him taking delivery of, assembling and using exercise equipment. Plus almost every episode now has at least one segment where he jogs up to the anchor accompanied by wailing guitar music and fails to lift it. There’s also a Lance/Marilyn plot recycled from the Martin/Leanne era, which I thought I was going to hate but which has won me over. Up to a point. Martin, convinced Marilyn wants to marry Lance, convinces him to dump her before she drags him down the aisle. Meanwhile, Colleen is also thinking wedding bells are in the air and starts dropping enormous hints to Marilyn - walking her past the church, and the like. So when Lance takes Marilyn to have a serious chat at the diner (where else?), Marilyn is expecting a proposal but gets the heave ho. So far, so blah. The saving grace with this storyline is the involvement of Colleen. Lance is afraid of his mother’s reaction to him ending things and so even as he dumps Marilyn, he asks her to tell Colleen the split was her idea. Marilyn obliges and tells Colleen in the kitchen of Lance’s home while Colleen is preparing vegetables. As realisation sets in, Colleen becomes more hysterical and shrill by the word as she has her say to Marilyn while brandishing a stick of celery: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/Sifsnc.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/hynaFH.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/6Gw2Kr.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/PmLJa7.jpg[/IMG] During the latter part of her dialogue she starts physically beating Marilyn with the celery, driving her from the kitchen. On the first strike, the disobedient stick snaps, but Lyn Collingwood - professional that she is - manages to keep hold of it almost unnoticed and continue the beating. It’s a genuinely funny scene, but I love the vein of pathos that runs through it. Marilyn is clearly shocked and hurt. So is Colleen, who starts crying immediately afterwards. It’s difficult to make this balance work, and the risk is that in trying to be two things a scene fails on both counts. This isn’t the case here. It’s rather [I]Corrie[/I]-esque, and I’m also seeing something of the Lilimae in Colleen, which is no bad thing by any means. Marilyn then goes to Morag’s but since Morag has already given Marilyn some enforced holiday in order to give Ailsa some respite, she finds there’s no room at the inn. This vein continues into the next episode. With Lance not coming home, we see Colleen looking sadly at the two full plates of food before covering one and putting it into the oven. When she’s talking to Donald and Celia saying she hopes Lance isn’t out there alone, her audio continues over shots of Marilyn on a clifftop, looking reflectively out at the water. Things take a turn for the worse when it becomes an Andrew-heavy storyline. When Colleen comes to the diner looking for Lance, he sits and overreacts as she talks to Lance, with inserted close ups of Peter Bensley’s gurning while Lyn Collingwood wails which becomes too much (why can’t he just allow another actor to do their thing without trying to get in on it. It’s so distracting). Now, plainly at this point I’m not enjoying Andrew. Most of my bias towards him is down to the portrayal. Bensley’s style just doesn’t appeal to me in this role and in this series. Try as I might to avoid it, there comes a point in this situation where the [I]character[/I] can’t do anything right. I suppose there has to be a synergy between writing and acting. A likeable actor can overcome a character's shortcomings and contrivances in the writing. Whereas with an actor who is already an endurance test, the character's foibles are more difficult to overcome as a viewer (I had a similar experience with Mack Mackenzie last time I watched [I]Knots[/I] in full, despite not experiencing that with him on previous viewings). Such is the case with Andrew at the moment. There are issues with the way he’s written - much of which is necessary to create some kind of conflict. But I find myself feeling irritated rather than invested. Rather like a soap doctor is an expert in every field of medicine, so a soap counsellor is never off the job and has expertise in all aspects of human behaviour to the point of clairvoyance. And so, Andrew immediately correctly intuits the way things actually happened and - sensing a whiff of drama - he hunts all over town, eventually finding her atop the cliff where he does what all appropriate counsellors do in such a situation - he puts his paws all over her and tells her it’s going to be OK. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/okdcqU.jpg[/IMG] After this unsolicited proffering of his services, Marilyn becomes his client as he wanted, nicely stoking his ego. Then, once the inital drama is over he is unhappy when she becomes too needy and he thinks she has developed feelings for him. Instead of discussing his concerns with Marilyn or his supervisor (does he even [I][U]have[/U][/I] a supervisor?) he bitches about Marilyn to everyone in town from her employer to his roommate and anyone who happens to be in the diner. After repeatedly breaching client/counsellor confidentiality he has the cheek to go to Marilyn’s home and tell her - in front of her employer - how important the boundaries of their professional relationship are. He then puts his people skills to good use by bluntly telling Marilyn that he has no interest in her and never will. This has led into what is apparently crossed wires all round. Marilyn has been out shopping but is distracted. She’s collected Morag’s sleeping tablets and something for her own headache. She then accidentally takes a couple of Morag’s medication pills instead of the paracetamol and is found slumped on the floor by Celia. [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/aIGhcv.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/IQCzDN.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/mD0ZNk.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/7EnQec.jpg[/IMG] Meanwhile, things have come full circle at Lance’s. Colleen has discovered the truth and this time it’s Lance she drives from the kitchen to the living room as she shrieks: [IMG]https://i.vgy.me/8olb8b.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://i.vgy.me/byQwNi.jpg[/IMG] Lance ends up in Martin's lap. This is followed by a terrific moment where Colleen starts to walk off but turns and snatches Martin’s beer can while giving him the evil eye. Then she slam dunks the can into the kitchen bin, gathers her shopping bag, rolls her eyes to the heavens, sighs and walks out. Things are quite watchable in the mobile home these days, thanks to Colleen. [RIGHT][I]continued...[/I][/RIGHT] [/QUOTE]
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“Welcome to Summer Bay”: Rewatching the early years.
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