#378
My viewing has slowed down. In large part because some recent episodes have felt largely like an endurance test, with huge chunks devoted to characters and situations I’m not connecting with. It's incredible how drastically different things seem to just a few short episodes ago. And not for the better.
Earlier, I commented that S&D’s speciality is having characters connected on numerous levels. Robin is an example of why it’s not a good idea to go against this. He’s one of the new breed of S&D characters who is only loosely connected to anyone. His motives aren’t clear which would be great if it created mystery (presumably as intended). Instead, there’s just an irritating lack of information. Half the cast seem intrigued by him, but I don’t care what his dark secret is or why he’s being such a bitch, because it all feels so incidental. Yes, it’s creating some enjoyable tension between Patricia and Margaret which is making them both more sympathetic (miscommunication again). But it would be more meaningful if it was created by someone with some kind of connection to others on the show. Robin feels like a very “surface” character, rather than one with roots. Casting is a large part of the reason, I think. In place of charisma or depth there’s just a load of smirking and that weird throat clearing thing he keeps doing.
In further insipid casting news, Tony’s whiny girlfriend is getting more screen time. Again, she's not connected to anyone on the show other than Tony - who is himself a secondary character. It all feels very peripheral and meaningless and I feel I'm wasting good time in watching these scenes. Her latest whining is about not wanting to move away, so I’m feeling hopeful there could be an ending to this dullest of dull characters very soon.
The stories, too, are less than inspiring at the moment. Wayne turned up with a comedy bandage on his head and a chunk of his memory missing. There have been lots of scenes of he and Amanda navel gazing and trying to put the pieces together, which has given the flatulent sofas at Toorak a real workout.
However it’s starting to show a little soapy promise, with the news of Amanda’s pregnancy and the new twist that Amanda now has feelings for Wayne. So this is essentially this season’s Brian/Jill marriage-of-convenience-with-feelings-involved story.
Speaking of babies, Jill’s bump is showing now. Which is usually a sign that the writers have some jeopardy in store.
With Kevin out of the picture, and Lynn missing him desperately, the writers took around ten minutes to throw her together with Andy. There has been scene after scene of these two mooching round after each other. Did I mention these episodes have felt like an endurance test? Amanda has stumbled on them together, but is too bored by the situation to bother doing anything about it.
All signs point to Lynn following Kevin out of the show. She and Davey even had a long goodbye scene with Beryl in which flute music played. Surely they wouldn't be so cruel as to fake the audience out with false hope?
In brighter news, Stephen continues to fascinate me. The dynamic with Patricia is so different from her relationships with Gordon or even David. In many ways he feels like a match for her. There’s a darkness to their relationship. And a strange kind of collusion. It’s difficult for her to hide her scheming from him. As with David and Gordon, Stephen despises this side of her character, but he is far quicker to nip it in the bud. And to name it:
It’s a disease with you, isn’t it? …It has to be a sickness. There’s no other explanation.
it kinda shows just how popular it was in Australia (like I said that was just some of what they were on). I’m glad you enjoyed them
I'll have a look at all the details at a later time, it'll be nice to see what else was "big" in Australia at that time.
I do put Patricia Hamilton to shame!