Sons & Daughters Watching/rewatching/discussing The Aussie Hit Show

[Willie Oleson]

only to be written out for good with a few throwaway lines in the same exchange between Beryl and Fiona

And didn't Fiona look great in that big white fur coat?

a bit of a shame. Kevin is a character who could have been explored just a little more

And yet again we're on the same wavelength. I want to know more about this actor.

it strikes me that Doug is partially intended the rough diamond role left vacant by David.

Hadn't thought of it until I read it in your post, but it makes sense.

Strangest of all, the brand new set of opening titles debuted towards the end of the Fifth Season

I usually skip the opening titles except when the 10th episode doesn't play properly (or, at all). In that case I need to watch every second of the subsequent episode, and that's how I noticed it. Maybe they couldn't wait to show their slick, revamped opening titles.
(I remember how disappointed you were when YT removed the uploads because you couldn't use your S4, 5 and 6 signatures anymore)

In terms of going wildly OTT with events, that final shot of the fin appearing behind Wayne gives new definition to the term “jumping the shark”

Ha-ha!

Gordon and Beryl seem on the verge of becoming a couple. It's happening fairly organically with both of them being concerned about Susan and Wayne (with good reason) and finding they have common ground. Charlie is seething marvellously about this new twist

Who would have guessed that Charlie (of all people) would consider Beryl (of all people) to be her rival? I enjoyed this cattier version of Charlie.

Three characters being attacked by animals simultaneously

I wonder if Craig is going to develop a "Barbara" limp.
Wouldn't mind watching Craig's tightly-jeans'd buttocks in slow motion.

The biggest standout for me is how many opportunities have been taken to tap into the characters' - and series' - histories. In amongst the twists and turns have been a satisfying number of moments featuring quiet reflection and gentle remembrances. Rather like some of the characters, it's reached that time of knowing that its true glory days are over, while recognising that it's more interesting for the experience and there's life in the old dog yet.

Well said!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Doug Fletcher takes the nutcase "doctor" (a prettier version of Willem Dafoe) to David's farm and I felt slightly disappointed that he had to die right there and then.

Same here. There was another few episodes' worth of story there, I think.

I love the anxiety surrounding the Wayne/Susan/Glen triangle. It's like trying to escape from King Henry VIII, JR Ewing or Jusin Lamotte

Isn't it just.

Secondly, Susan considers her accident to be a punishment for her betrayal and she decides to stay at Dural and undergo any kind of torment or humiliation if that's what it takes to be the dutiful wife.

I found Susan the victimy martyr very frustrating to watch.

But no. No, no, no that's not twisty enough for Sons & Daughters!

Indeed. Why draw the line at being simply convoluted?

I probably recognize more than I realize. Every now and then I think "that actor makes me think of..."

This happens to me a lot. I dare say a good number of posts in this very thread are in that vein.

Ginny can be a little exhausting sometimes, but I like the fact that she's aware of her flaws. She doesn't like it but she also doesn't apologize for it.

I was dreading the arrival of Ginny, but I found her fun to watch this time round. The actress popped up in a 1988 episode of Home And Away I watched recently, and it was amusing to see her playing someone a little more wordly who was poking fun at the gauche young ingenue who was trying too hard.

Shouldn't there be a law that prohibits Australian actors from impersonating American accents? It sounds even worse than Americans speaking French.

Funniest thing is: Deni Gordon is actually American born, though she'd been living in Oz for almost two decades by the time she was in S&D.

But instead of shootings and crashes they use animals and exotic locations which adds a typical Australian feel to it.

I completely agree. They're quite unique to the region and give the Australian soaps a very special something.

I've been watching these episodes with a big smile from ear to ear, but what can I expect from season 6? After gold, silver and bronze comes…lead?

Tee hee.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

And didn't Fiona look great in that big white fur coat?

As only a grande dame can.

And yet again we're on the same wavelength. I want to know more about this actor.

Oh. I hadn't read your second post when I made my post about your first post. So I ended up repeating myself. And now I'm making no sense at all.

Maybe they couldn't wait to show their slick, revamped opening titles.
(I remember how disappointed you were when YT removed the uploads because you couldn't use your S4, 5 and 6 signatures anymore)

Touché, Willie. And thanks for making perfect sense of the reasoning behind the early change. Now I can fully understand their processes.

Who would have guessed that Charlie (of all people) would consider Beryl (of all people) to be her rival?

I know! Only in Sons And Daughters.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Funniest thing is: Deni Gordon is actually American born, though she'd been living in Oz for almost two decades by the time she was in S&D

So...do I have to eat my words....or not?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

So...do I have to eat my words....or not?

Not at all, Willie. Twenty plus years can do a lot to someone's accent. If I had to guess, I'd say she'd been Down Under for so long that doing an American accent didn't come naturally. It would probably be the same for me if I attempted to "do" the accent for the area in which I grew up. If I was around a group of family or friends from that city I'd probably find myself slipping into it here and there. But as I've long since moved away and have been around different accents for a long time I'd struggle to use the accent "cold". And I'm only a couple of hundred miles away from where I was born.

Or it might even be that she'd chosen to do an accent from a different state to the one in which she was born.

I found this recent video of Deni. She doesn't say much, but to my ears her accent sounds like an Aussie/US hybrid:

 

[Willie Oleson]

880

Well it looks like Billie's already gone. I didn't really dislike her or anything but the whole story was just too frivolous, and maybe that applies to anything "Doug & Caroline".
At some point Caroline does her high-pitched, pseudo-outrage moment - "you are THE most impossible man I've ever met!" - and I say moment but it goes on forever. And then they fall into eachothers arms and everone in the room applauds.
It's the classic incompatible lovers story that they've been playing from the very beginning, the rascal hero and the uptight heroine, and I'm sure it worked in many many movies but here in Sons & Daughters it comes across as unwanted Feel Good fodder.
Incidentally, I like Doug & Caroline's cosy and semi-luxurious living room because it reminds of Jan Howard's living room.

A poor man's Matt Kennedy - Dr. Michael Benson from Wayne's wilderness scenes - has wormed his way into our beloved soap and he's determined to be the good influence and reform characters like Wayne and Alison.
Still, I'd say there's potential in this character but that development is being stalled when he gets involved with Janice who believes she's been impregnated by the naked motel hunk.

She doesn't want to deal with it and yet she goes on and on about it. Pat McDonald is the saving grace in these scenes because somehow she manages to add some humour to the situation.

Susan didn't drown and she does spooky appearances because...she can.
I wouldn't say that her reasons to hide are unbelievable or far-fetched, considering the suicide attempt and the big drama that caused it.
I could also understand her (subconscious) need for escapism which results in a gambling addiction.
However, when she overhears Wayne's confession to Caroline it should change her perspective on the whole situation. And in a way it does, but now there's no longer any reason for her to stay in Melbourne and hang out with Caroline.
Knowing the full story she should be able to face the Hamiltons, and Wayne in particular. Oh and it would be nice to tell Beryl she's still alive.

It looks like writers didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to create the tearful melodrama surrounding Susan's death, and Leila Hayes' performance is flawless, as always.
David's absence during Susan's memorial service is a bitter pill to swallow but at the same time I think he couldn't have been there without making it bigger than it should be.
Naturally he'd be furious with Wayne and cause a big scene.
But Susan isn't dead so it's similar to Lucy Ewing's absence during Valene's funeral. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

My favourite part of these 12 episodes is Gordon's proposal to Beryl.
Gordon hasn't always been a a very likeable or interesting character: too stuffy or too gullible and he mostly has to react to everyone and everything for no other reason than to support the plot development (*cough*Liz Smith*cough*)
These scenes with Beryl and Wayne prove (to me anyway) that Brian Blain's talent has been somewhat underused in this series.
The understatement and humbleness in this proposal scene suddenly made me realize how very meant-to-be their relationship is.
Actually I remember it as something that happened in the very last episodes, just to wrap things up as tidy as possible.
But it's already happening and it's happened in such a natural way that I almost didn't notice it. There's no specific build-up to this scene and yet there's absolutely nothing surprising (let alone shocking) about it.
It makes sense to me, just like Maggie Gioberti & Richard Channing in FALCON CREST.

Btw, Beryl, that's one mighty blow-dry.


I guess I have to admire the producers' persistence to sell Craig & Debbie as the romantic couple eventhough the actors don't have the talent, charm or screen presence to pull it of.
Craig & Debbie talk about Andy, Craig & Andy talk about Debbie, Debbie & Andy talk about Craig.
Craig & Debbie are now living together and it's so important that it took them 150 episodes to make that decision.
Now I wouldn't say that Bumps & Grinds is one of the most exciting storylines, but at least it's more fun to watch the CharlieGlenGinny combo.

There's also a sense of The Final Battle between Wayne and Alison.
With the help of Tony Driscoll she cooks up a scheme to ruin Wayne financially - and it works: Hamilton Industries is (not are) ruined again!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Well it looks like Billie's already gone. I didn't really dislike her or anything but the whole story was just too frivolous, and maybe that applies to anything "Doug & Caroline".

Yes. The casino story was borderline unwatchable for me.

he's determined to be the good influence and reform characters like Wayne and Alison.

Good luck with that, Michael.

the naked motel hunk

AKA "Kylie's-perpetually-half-naked-brother-from-Neighbours".

I could also understand her (subconscious) need for escapism which results in a gambling addiction.

At the time I watched this really felt like too much with everything going on for Susan. In hindsight (and not physically watching scene after scene of it), it doesn't seem so bad.

It looks like writers didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to create the tearful melodrama surrounding Susan's death, and Leila Hayes' performance is flawless, as always.

Absolutely. She's a knockout

These scenes with Beryl and Wayne prove (to me anyway) that Brian Blain's talent has been somewhat underused in this series.

I know he was gullible and a little staid, but I quite like Gordon as is. With Gordon, you almost always know exactly how it's going to be. It's grounding for the series to have a character this reliable.

The understatement and humbleness in this proposal scene suddenly made me realize how very meant-to-be their relationship is.

I never really felt it when I originally watched, but it really clicked with me on this last viewing.

that's one mighty blow-dry

Welcome to 1987, Willie.

I guess I have to admire the producers' persistence to sell Craig & Debbie as the romantic couple eventhough the actors don't have the talent, charm or screen presence to pull it of.
Craig & Debbie talk about Andy, Craig & Andy talk about Debbie, Debbie & Andy talk about Craig.

I've said it many times, but to me this relationship has always felt like a conscious and cynical effort on the part of the series to do what Neighbours was doing so successfully at this point with the Jason & Kylie phenomenon. As you said, it just fell completely flat. But that didn't stop it going on forever.

 

[Willie Oleson]

890

Pff, I'm exhausted - physically, mentally, emotionally and intellectually.
The tragedies, the sense of finality to the characters and story, only to be revived in yet another but very important twist.

I'm not sure how I feel about Gordon living in Melbourne. He's too...tall for Beryl's house and for Beryl's furniture. I could imagine Beryl living at Dural or Woombai, also because it would give extra closure to the Beryl/David relationship.
But they want to move away from Wayne as far as possible. So, what's on the telly tonight?



Alison: Oh, and Ginny, don't get too attached to that dress.
Ginny: Are you kidding?
Charlie: Hahahahaa!

I wonder if Dr. Michael Benson is secretly in love with Wayne. The opportunity was there, I think.

The Hamilton marriage isn't the only Sons & Daughters-in-the-media topic.

But what could it be, and who's the author using The Twins' name?

 

[Willie Oleson]

900

Susan's back as Mrs. Hamilton and she's out for revenge.
Her newfound wealth is the tool in a rather far-fetched master plan to destroy Wayne bit by bit.
I guess it's meant to be some kind of psychological terror but she puts her cards on the table right from the very beginning, and this takes all the tension and surprise out of it.
Not that I think the writers were aiming for subtlety here, and yes it's kinda funny to watch Susan barking orders but at the end of the day it just feels a bit petty.
And eventhough Alison is her financial assistant, there are so many things that could go wrong. After all, this is dastardly way of life is Wayne's territory.
But I'm a sucker for miserable soap marriages so I'm enjoying it anyway.

Andy thinks he knows where Debbie might be, and when the police arrives Frank shoots himself.
The disturbed kidnapper is not exactly an original story (Bob Mitchell and Amanda) but they tried to give it a fresh spin with the father-daughter drama.
But it's never dangerous or unnerving enough and Debbie's prison - the kitchen table - isn't exactly the most eerie setting.
I also wonder why he called her "Debbie" during the phone-stalker episodes when he clearly thinks of her as "Amy".

Well, thank God Debbie's safe and sound now, so it's time to move on to the next problem: living with Craig without any prospects of financial security.
Not an unrealistic problem, normally speaking, but they have been living together on David's farm, they've tried all sorts of ventures and - most importantly - S&D characters don't really have to work. So it all feels rather trivial and much ado about nothing.
Combined with the bush-hiking scenes (city people clash with nature, eating funny berries hahaha) it was one of the worst episodes.

The title of the scandalous novel "My Sister My Love" doesn't refer to Alison/Patricia, and of course it couldn't have been because Margaret's dead. Unless it was the introduction of her other sister, Pamela. And that also doesn't make sense because Patricia is renamed "Pamela" in the novel.
Come to think of it, it is rather curious that Patricia's fictional alter ego becomes reality in one of the next episodes.
Either way, because it combines so many characters (on and off-screen) it feels like a Number 96 storyline. It's supposed to be shocking and devastating (Caroline's lucky that David wasn't there!) but they can't resist the odd wink here and there.
Gordon reads it too, and he learns more about David and Beryl's relationship. I thought this was unintentionally hilarious, and therefore so much funnier than Charlie's self-parody.
Incidentally, Baby Robert can talk!

What the novel mostly does is creating domestic trouble for Doug and Caroline, and the tone of the story shifts from anti-Caroline to pro-Caroline when she receives a very profitable offer to have it published in the United States. Doug still thinks it's blood money but Caroline retorts that no one in The States would recognize the characters, "they don't care about the Palmers and Hamiltons". Funnily enough this is true because Sons & Daughters wasn't a hit over there, maybe not shown at all.
The publishing company also wants her to write season 2!

The situation at Dural is becoming more grim and - OMG! - there's another horrible accident at the Hamilton driveway.


Both Susan and the baby survive the crash, but then she loses the baby anyway because of a heated argument between Wayne and Beryl. Ah, the power of words.
Wayne gets shot and Beryl is the main suspect (couldn't watch it due to disc failure, but we all know the result of Beryl's arrest. *trembles*)

And so I'll continue with the last 72 episodes!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Pff, I'm exhausted - physically, mentally, emotionally and intellectually.

That ten a day S&D habit will catch up with you, Willie.

I'm not sure how I feel about Gordon living in Melbourne. He's too...tall for Beryl's house and for Beryl's furniture.

Ha ha. Yes. I think I said something similar when watching because it just looks all wrong. But I suppose they couldn't not have the iconic Palmer living room occupied by equally iconic long-term characters, and since Wayne's at Dural, Gordon was it.

I wonder if Dr. Michael Benson is secretly in love with Wayne. The opportunity was there, I think.

Oh yes. Michael certainly went to a lot of trouble to track down Wayne. It makes one wonder.

But what could it be, and who's the author using The Twins' name?

Surely it can only be the most literary and bookish of characters.

And so I'll continue with the last 72 episodes!

At this pace it could all be over by Christmas Day!!

 

[Willie Oleson]

That ten a day S&D habit will catch up with you, Willie.

Haha. But in this case it was also the story itself. @Victoriafan3 I know how much you appreciate Mark Conroy in S&D, do you remember how you felt when you watched Glen's death for the first time?

Surely it can only be the most literary and bookish of characters

At this pace it could all be over by Christmas Day!!

I had planned to finish the series before December so I'm falling behind schedule. But there was also a two weeks gap between my last-watched YouTube episode and my first-watched DVD episode, so I'll forgive myself

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Do you think it would have been too much if, around this time, Caroline had begun to wear spectacles as part of her new image.

I had planned to finish the series before December so I'm falling behind schedule.

Well I for one am very glad there's been a constant trickle of Hamilton/Palmer updates to give me my fix throughout December.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Do you think it would have been too much if, around this time, Caroline had begun to wear spectacles as part of her new image.

I like that. And tweeds, of course. Lots of tweeds. And a notebook for the quote notes. ("I'm sorry Caroline but I won't allow you to interview Isabella!")

 

[Willie Oleson]

910

There have been quite a few references to DYNASTY and KNOTS LANDING in our S&D discussions, but the last season feels very DALLAS.
That can never be a bad thing of course but the "fact" is that this soap continues because it can - and even that itself isn't a bad thing because that's what soaps do.
It's just that things don't feel as important as they used to. David in jail and the prospect of Terry going to jail had a much more dramatic narrative than Beryl in jail.
And yet, somehow, this soap-on-its-last-legs manages to be entertaining and watchable.
Most of season 5's frivolity is gone so in that regard it's even an upgrade from the previous season.

In true Sons & Daughters style there are some bonkers storylines that develop into something very interesting - and I can almost never pinpoint the moment when that happens.
Caroline's tell-all best-seller is no longer the point of discussion, only the resurface in later storyline, and not without consequences.
It's one of the many things I love about Sons & Daughters.

So, the bitch is back, and how I dreaded to rewatch this infamous chapter because it has the same negative impact as "Bobby in the shower" i.e. S&D's ultimate jump the shark moment.
But it's Rowena Wallace, for crying out loud, so at least let's hear what she has to say.
And dammit, it works, it really does!
Amazingly enough she does come across as a different character: the accent and body language, it's definitely not Patricia.
And eventhough these events are considered outrageous (and they are) I think it's a lot of fun that the soap genre does these things and try to sell it as straight drama.
It's so bad it's good but then sometimes you forget the "bad" part.

Not surprisingly, Rowena's Pamela has great chemistry with all the old and new characters.
Charlie revels in the insanity of it all, almost in a breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of way. The counter-argument could be that it's very honest to acknowledge that very insanity.
The question is: does the soap viewer need it?
But Charlie usually gets away with everything, and she even does her classic vampire thing when she spots Wayne's new bodyguard. I mean, that was pretty close to an orgasm.

Andy is working for Wayne again (!) and he has to steal whatever files or documents from Alison. He has no idea what he's looking for and yet it only takes a glance at some company papers to understand that he's found something very important.

Eventhough Wayne has accused Beryl of shooting him, the real shooter appears in his nightmares, but the identity of the shooter varies from dream to dream.
To keep the whodunit relevant, I suppose.
At some point he suspects it could be Caroline and he threatens to change his statement to the police if she doesn't pay him lots of money.
I'm trying hard to ignore how ridiculous this is but the police don't seem to be bothered with hard evidence. And where are the lawyers??
Ian Rawlings completely overacts in his villainous scenes but maybe it compensates for the wacky dialogue.

Dr. Michael Benson has a brother, Nick, he's the psychiatrist who has to trigger Wayne's memory about the shooting. That's all the evidence they need, apparently.
He also hypnotizes Beryl, just in case she remembers a tiny but crucial detail. Quelle surprise, she does remember a tiny but crucial detail.
A few years before Sarah Palmer does it, Beryl Palmer Hamilton suddenly "sees" the hand with the ring of the real Killer Bob - or Bobette.
I could imagine a cassette tape-esque storyline about the ring going from one person to another in order to create a lot of confusion.

A childhood tragedy has tarnished the relationship between the Benson brothers. Leave it to S&D to come up with an extreme background story!
There's a mini sub-whodunit when a mystery person hangs up an "executed" doll in the Dural living room when Susan's sleeping on the couch.
It turns out to be Charlie, and eventhough her intentions are good I found it an uncharacteristically cruel method considering Susan's miscarriage and all that.

Alison discovers that Pamela is her presumed dead twin sister, and with her current craving for family she decides to force a friendly relationship.
And it almost works until Pamela realizes that Alison is "Pamela" in Caroline's best-seller.

 

[Victoriafan3]

Gosh @Wintry North Poleson you have almost finished! Can’t wait to read your post on the last episode. I found it so touching

While I lusted after gorgeous Glen for a long a time, I wasn’t moved deeply by his death bed scene like I hugely was with Bobby Ewing

I’m not sure why that was? I think I was probably frustrated at Susan by this point, having married Wayne instead of Glen and how martyr like she’d become? And it all seemed like a rehash of Jill and Wayne but never quite as good. I didn’t have the same attachment to Susan as Jill and so I don’t think it pulled at my heartstrings like it could have. Jill and Glen. Now there would’ve been a very different story. I’d have sobbed like a baby ;-)

I really liked Gordon and Beryl together. I remember I thought that had done a much better suited partner swap - Beryl with Gordon and Alison with David - and they matched really well together. But yes now you mention it he was to tall for David’s house. But I’m glad they stayed there as so much history had happened in that house and in that kitchen. Beryls kitchen was a character in itself and a familiar grounding to the musical chairs carousel of characters that have come and gone so it still seemed appropriate (albeit not quite realistic) Gordon wouldn’t want a new un-David home for them and Robert

I’m up to late July early August 83 now. Right into my favourite era of the show. Loving it so much. It’s still an outstanding show with top notch acting even all these years later. Rowena is a knockout. John and Angela have just told her where to get off and Patricia does that final scene at Stephens party. I got goosebumps again just as I did in 1987 when I first watched it. She has created a character that you know is so dreadful to people but in a moment you can feel so totally sorry for her. I never felt like that with JR Ewing. He never seemed to get enough of a comeuppance but by golly Patricia did and we still cheer for her. That is something very special to watch such world class acting. I feel sad that Rowena didn’t get more great and memorable roles sent her way. She exudes talent out of every pore

And this period is completely Jill-centric. So much happens to this girl in seven months it’s unbelievable. And still Kim Lewis shines through as a believable actress who I really feel for. My favourite. And she is very Attractive to watch

 

[Willie Oleson]

I wasn’t moved deeply by his death bed scene like I hugely was with Bobby Ewing

Understandably. Bobby was a far more iconic TV character - and they got much more mileage out of his death bed scene.
But this time I was surprised how much I liked Glen, and not just for his pin-up appearance. So I found it terribly sad that he (of all characters) had to die - but that's not a bad thing, is it? After all, Sons & Daughters is also about tears & sadness and if that's how I feel then they've done a good job with it.

with top notch acting even all these years later

And even that hasn't really changed in season 6. But there's only so much they can do with a somewhat tired script.

She has created a character that you know is so dreadful to people but in a moment you can feel so totally sorry for her

Yes, she's one of the most fascinating soap characters I've ever watched.

I never felt like that with JR Ewing

I think most of these US prime time soap villains were designed to be the non-stop aggressor type because the various feuds between these characters was such an essential part of the story.
Patricia is capable of doing evil stuff, but because it doesn't happen all the time it creates an interesting and addictive tension because you never know when it's going to happen.
Like, when she had moved in with David and she and Lynn were getting along just fine and then suddenly she threatened Kevin to destroy his relationship with his father if he wasn't going to back off - and she meant it!

 

[Willie Oleson]

920

Doug Fletcher, former shopping centre tycoon, is going to make it big again with THE trend of the eighties: talking T-shirts.
But...he needs some financial backup to get things started.
Luckily, Susan thinks it's a wonderful opportunity for Hamilton Industries (!) but Wayne disagrees. But even if it wasn't a stupid idea he'd still disagree.
He tries to persuade Caroline to call off the deal on Doug's behalf and when she refuses he threatens with physical violence, courtesy of his bodyguard Vince.
This kind of threat doesn't make sense because he could never pretend that he didn't know what was going on, and yet Caroline makes that phone call to Susan - only to be overheard by Doug (because they never look at the door or hallway).
He then takes the upper hand away from Wayne by simply making the exact same threat!
Honestly, this juvenile plotting is beyond belief.

Michael visits Wayne and they're eating peanuts (I think, it sounded crunchy).

With so much craziness going on these scenes are almost like little time-out moments.
I still hope there's going to be an official S&D DVD box set - they can put Wayne and Michael's deleted romance on the bonus disc. Seriously, there's some weird editing going on!

Alison to Gordon (about her reason for being in Fiona's office): I was just going to talk about rents. As a matter of fact I was thinking of upping yours to 1, 50 a week.
Gordon: You're joking.
Alison: Yes that's right, I'm joking. I can't help myself sometimes.

It's a useless conversation and it isn't even that funny, but it's one of those things that shows that Alison is more playful and coquette than original Patricia.
It also feels a bit inappropriate to "prank" a character like Gordon. I could imagine this scene happening between the serious Blake Carrington and the cheeky Alexis, circa Dynasty season 9.

Patricia's presumed dead twin sister is nothing but an ordinary retcon, but at least their background story plays out as genuine as possible - oh, and had they mentioned brother Patrick before?
From Pamela's point of view it's not so hard to see why she plans to take everything away from Alison. Of course we've been there before when Margaret turned evil on Patricia, but the main thing is that I can believe it.
Alison suggests to Pamela, rather insensitively, that they could watch old family movies but of course this is too painful for Pamela.
Alison - again, unintentionally cruel - replies with "well I guess you had to be there to enjoy the trip down memory lane".
Pamela watches the old home movies anyway and it kills her to see what she's been missing (her adoptive mother never liked her).

And here she is, the mini-Patricia, ready to destroy people's lives.


Beryl's trial isn't going too well, and she accidentally plants the idea in Susan's mind that a follow-up assassination would prove the real Dural shooter is still out there.
Susan arranges the shooting and it looks like it has the desired effect, but then someone mentions Doug's threat to Wayne and I thought, OMG, that silly storyline is going to be relevant after all because it could jeopardize Susan's plan. But the idea was dropped immediately.
Susan appeals to Wayne's sense of decency, and in a surprising testimony Wayne says he can't be sure that it was Beryl who shot him.
But that's still not the end of it.
Beryl spots the incriminating ring on Susan's necklace and in even more surprising testimony she pleads guilty (OK, this was a little predictable but I hoped that the ring on Susan's necklace wasn't the ring, and that Beryl had made a terrible mistake).

Either way, we now know that it was Susan and she decides to confess in order to save Beryl, and she has the gun to prove it. Well...she had the gun, because Wayne took it.
And with Beryl in jail and no mystery shooter waiting for the next opportunity, Wayne holds all the cards again! Ha, I love it!
So much for Susan's "brilliant" plan to destroy Wayne bit by bit!

Whilst I could appreciate the gimmick of Caroline's first book, the sequel thereof feels kinda tacky. When she's preparing a chapter using a dictaphone in a sensationalist Jackie Collins fashion it's almost as if the soap itself (the golden era, before Caroline had arrived) is being ridiculed. Kinda like Maggie Gioberti's "Sudden Friendship". (Valene wrote about Dallas, but she didn't re-write the Knots Landing soap, and there's the difference).

 

[Willie Oleson]

930

There hasn't been a lot of progress in these 10 episodes, in fact, Susan and Wayne are back to square one. That's probably not a good thing but I can enjoy it for the misery of it all.
I guess Susan's gambling addiction is S&D's answer to Sue Ellen's alcoholism.
Alcoholism is more fun to watch of course, but Oriana Panozzo makes the best of all her scenes. I think she's a terrific soap actress.

Various events have started to cause more friction between the twin sisters, and now it's mostly about the love triangle with Nick Benson.
Pamela Hudson has become the queen of eye shadow, I thought the cover of the Pat The Rat DVD was photoshopped but no, she actually looks that way.

Caroline and Doug continue to disagree about the book and other related stuff, she's currently marketing her media alter ego Angela Johns.
There's some irrelevant stuff going on between Janice and Andy and I can't be bothered to mention Debbie & Co anymore.

I am intrigued by the pensive Michael Benson but he usually stays beneath the radar, unfortunately.

Overall, it's been 10 episodes of comfortable but not spectacular soap, and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times (but I don't remember when or why) so it certainly wasn't difficult to watch it non-stop.

 

[Willie Oleson]

940

A strong twin-sensitivity is not new to Sons & Daughters as it's happened quite a few times between John and Angela.
They take it to next "level" by inserting a bit of hocus pocus when Pamela intentionally uses her telepathic twin-power in order to disrupt a dinner between Alison and Nick.
I've never forgotten the line "as if someone just walked over my grave", so I guess at that time there must have been something about it that impressed me.
The fight over Nick Benson gets repetitive real fast, and since there isn't much chemistry between him and Alison or Pamela it doesn't feel very important either.
I wish I had some interesting updates about the more interesting brother, but no, still nothing.

The introduction of Bill Sanders makes the Craig & Debbie story a little more mature and watchable, and there's even a sense of simplicity and optimism that reminds me of the first season when various characters started to get involved with Woombai. At the end of episode 940 it's already begun to create trouble for Beryl and Gordon, courtesy of Alison.
But eventhough this storyline shows promise it still feels like a weaker version of things we've seen before, and quite frankly I simply don't have the energy anymore to care one way or another.

Susan does her fake-death-and-escape thing again (actually, Leigh did it first) and it makes sense because we also don't want to see Susan in jail.
This time it's Wayne who's falling apart and his theatrical shenanigans are always fun to watch.

Janice takes over from Debbie as the current most unwatchable character, I just can't stand the sight of her anymore. Let's hope she'll be crushed by a meteor in the next episode.

Apart from the new venture with Bill Sanders, these episodes are mostly about things they don't want (to do).
Alison and Pamela don't want to share Nick with another woman, Nick doesn't want to choose, Beryl doesn't want to talk to Susan, Susan doesn't want to act as Wayne's wife, Gordon doesn't want to take Wayne's (Glen's!!) money, Susan doesn't want her child to be raised by Wayne (eventhough that was the very essence of their deal), Gordon doesn't want to take the job at Sanders Air Charter, Pamela doesn't want to be in any of Caroline's sequels and Beryl doesn't want Alison to be part of anything.

So...yeah...the fatigue is definitely starting to kick in, especially in binge-watch format. But I'm hardcore! I will finish this!

 

[Willie Oleson]

950

In fact I just wish it had gone on for longer and been a little more extreme. She threw a couple of punches in prison, and I'd have welcomed seeing her left with anger management issues as she struggles to re-integrate: compulsively whacking Gordon, Alison, Fiona, Debbie.. anyone who stepped out of line or looked at her the wrong way.

I agree.

Instead, she's immediately back to cleaning the kitchen and wringing her hands over Craig and Debbie sharing a room.

But I also enjoyed the good old-fashioned kitchen scene with Gordon and Craig. It almost looked like a family again.

While Caroline was discussing that very reasoning with Fiona, I noticed a photo of Irene on Fiona’s noticeboard

Ha, yes!

Greg has a perfect smile and showed his burgeoning promise in a poolside scene involving tiny Speedos and wetness.

And we only had to wait 5 minutes for it to happen. They sure know their audience, and there's even more poolside fun with Charlie's fiancé Todd.

Pamela herself failed to kill Alison through telepathy (all these years later, I can’t believe this is actually a plot).

This Sapphire & Steel stuff would have been great for the Far-fetched Soap Battle.
I also have to mention Nick's dramatic and slightly hysterical confession regarding Jason's death, which had the effect of a mental and emotional breakthrough.
There was definitely an urge to wrap things up for him and Pamela.

It is odd, though, that she never had a scene with Greg and Sarah, despite appearing in the same episode. There were soapy reasons for this, but in hindsight it makes the new twins' links to the series seem even more tenuous

There's something delightfully monstrous about the idea that she would steal her sister's children and start a new family with them because her own twins don't want to see her anymore (I find that hard to believe, btw).
But since Pamela can't react to this "coup" it kind of falls flat, and now they're just there. Oh well, I'm sure they'll get involved with this or that, like, let's say, graffiti!

But between the “Tick in peril” story and his crush on Sarah he’s being given an inordinate amount of screen time.

2 or 3 scenes is fine with me, but it goes on and on and on.

Alison is selling the mansion and you’d think Fiona had built the bloody thing herself, such a drama queen is she being

But she is the queen of drama
And I don't think it was only about the mansion. Maybe it's also the idea of getting old and having to start all over again - and that that should happen when the story is coming to a close certainly adds to the feeling of despair. The mansion was supposed to be her last act (and I'm sure it will be).

Summing up Fiona’s narcissistic indulgence was the scene in which Janice was talking to her about the satisfaction she was getting from helping unfortunate people in her new job and Fiona screamed at her to shut up

I loved this scene. The music, and Janice merrily rattling on. It's almost impossible to focus on both characters at the same time.