John003au
This has been an interesting year of TV for me. I was away caravanning from late May to early October. There are some parts of Northern Territory and Western Australia where television reception is nonexistent.
Even so Home and Away provided some wonderful moments for me. The storyline around the departures of Sally and Cassie was superbly written, worthy of Kate Richie's 20 years on the show. That marvellous "passing the baton" scene with Alf on the beach must certainly become a part of the show's all time highlight reel.
The storyline had some wonderful sub plots. Sally's departure with Cassie confirmed for me that caring part of her character which had marked her career as a teacher and a foster parent. The final Cassie storyline interwoven as it was with the Sally departure really demonstrated that caring part of Sally's nature. Cassie had really made a mess of yet another relationship illustrating the twin "dangers" of unprotected sex. Yet there was no question that Sally's support for her would be total.
Her decision not to go immediately into another teaching position showed a return to her first love of interaction with young people. I never thought she had enough "mongrel" in her to survive as a Principal in the longer term. I also loved the "leap into the unknown" aspect of her departure from the show because it must have mirrored exactly how Kate was feeling in real life.
The introduction of Milco as a long lost part of Sally's family was a masterstroke playing out alongside her stabbing by Johnnie and the reappearance of Pippa and Tom. It drew together the longer term parts of Sally's life in the Bay.
I'm not so sure about Miles since Sally left. For me he still seems to be a confused character who doesn't have the instinctive rapport that Sally had with young people. He seems caught between the role of a friend and foster parent. I still don't see him as the foster parent replacement. Perhaps as time goes on he will grow into that role. I still can't understand why they don't use Irene.
The Cassie HIV storyline for me also showed the depth of the teen group relationship development between Cassie, Ric and Mattie. I often admire how realistic some teenagers are about young relationships. Changing partners within a teen group doesn't always break up the group. Some teen groups are stronger than that and this one between Cassie, Ric and Mattie was. Ric's devotion to Cassie outside a romantic relationship was particularly powerful. It was well portrayed by the three. It also brought a sense that behaviour of the kind that Cassie indulged in does have risks attached; something that the show sometimes doesn't always seem to do.
I missed Mattie and Ric's transition into the sunset as a happy committed couple while away and I was annoyed about that.
Leah lost yet another husband with the off screen death of Dan. She must be proving something of a challenge for the writers. She has already had multiple marriages and her character with it's Greek background is "the marrying kind" not really prone to serial casual relationships. I love her volatility and passion which are well and consistently written. I'm not sure where they will take her from here. Perhaps she will eventually end up with Miles. Could she also find some common interests with Belle who has some similarities in nature.
Since my return in October I have been most interested in the development of Belle. The year began with her ethical dilemmas in her newspaper job which lead indirectly to a really superbly written and acted break up with Drew. Although she is of a similar age she is the sole "survivor" of a previous teen group. Having regard to Jessica Tovey's obvious acting ability they have involved her in a major storyline which showcases her idealism. They have made little obvious attempt to integrate her into the new teen group. I hope this continues and I look forward to the ongoing impact of the toxic waste storyline particularly how it impacts widely on current characters in the show but also connects with the show's history.
Jack and Martha have never really interested me as a couple but in recent times Martha's breast cancer storyline and particularly her battle with what she saw as her "changed body" have been sensitively written. The scenes where Martha finally accepts that Jack will still accept and love her as sexual being were particularly well done.
The introduction of the new teen group saw us meet Annie and Geoff with their fundamentalist religious upbringing and Melody from a similar background. Jai has a history of family tragedy, Nicole comes from disturbed parental background as does Aden.
Aden's journey from abused teenager to caring partner has been well written and played. As we would expect he still has some way to go. His relationship with Belle has played out in the middle of his dealing with an abusive father and more recently the toxic waste storyline. Aden's journey has been particularly well written.
Nicole's encounter with Geoff placed both of them in moral/religious dilemmas from opposite sides of the issue. It took the nasty revenge focussed intervention of Elliott to see them stranded on a deserted island where Geoff saved Nicole's life and they made love. I particularly like this relationship in its exploration of the pressures faced by two young people with very different upbringings and attitudes to relationships. The relationship promises a lot of drama in the future.
Melody's entry into the real world from an abusive Christian parental relationship with her mother has also been interesting and there have been many different opinions as to how this should develop. Should she be "slapped into line" or should we understand her confusion with a world she has not been allowed to experience up till now. What is the best way to help her? How far should tough love be carried?
Ryan
Some years I want to whitewash they are so brilliant. I also don't want to blackwash 2008 either. It was a year that started off so well, then my interest waned as work pressures took over or did they? Is the reason that I was happy to see episodes weeks after they aired don't to being tired or was it because the inclination to download the show wasn't there because it wasn't good.
Certainly 2008 fell short of what I had hoped for in lots of ways. Perhaps the expectations I had built meant that it was always going to fall flat, but perhaps the show could have also done things differently. Home and Away was 20 years old this year and throughout last winter/summer, we kept on hearing about how it was going to be a year that was forward thinking and action packed, yet paid homage to the 20 years that had gone before it. If we look apart from the actual cheesiness of the one cliche ridden week, Neighbours 20th anniversary did a lot. We caught up with large swathes of the past cast and characters that had mattered. There is the few faces that can always be relied on for a visit, yet there was some that had not appeared since 1986. If there was one year I was going to be OK and not mind people pointlessly rolling into town, this was going to be it. Even more frustration, was the missed opportunities. Colleen became a Stewart. We have two 20-year old families there, and later Morag got married. Two great opportunities to celebrate 20 years of the families. That's not to do away with the fact that we saw the original caravan park family back together and we found "a" solution to Milco, oh, and Kane and Kirsty. I dreaded this and the actual on the run bit was pretty naff. But, what the next few months have shown me, is that Kirsty is a pretty interesting character without all this Kane/Dani baggage.
And the finale. Home and Away's two favourite stunts rolled into one, plus a shooting. By the time the finale airs and this feature is uploaded, it will probably be resolved and everything, and going spoilerless infinitely helps the watching of the show, but perhaps it was this multi-finale thing, there was just too much going on. It could be worse though, it could have been the 2005 finale! This was probably the best year of the last few, it just wasn't brilliant either.
bttb-rox!
For me, it's hard to describe 2008 without sounding completely and utterly over the top and obsessed about the year gone by. It truly was outstanding.
The introduction of Miles was an absouloute masterstroke and to see him carry on the age old traditions of Summer Bay House is something we'll hopefully have the privilege of watching for many many years to come. While at times during the year he appeared to be struggling to know what to do with Jai and Melody, I'm positive he'll grow into the role over time.
Cassie's HIV storyline was a real favourite of mine. Before this I'd always felt like Sharni hadn't had her chance to shine and that she had so much more to give if only she was given the material. And thankfully she was given that material. The storyline totally blew me away from start to finish. Everything from her initial diagnosis to her waving goodbye to family and friends as she took off with Mattie. The sensitive writing, the incredible acting - everything was fantastic.
On the relationship front Tony and Rachel becoming a couple was definitely a highlight of the year. For a while before they got together I was keen for them to explore the possibilty of a relationship and was on cloud nine when it finally came to fruition. There were a few moments following the Olympic Cliffhanger that I felt could've been written slightly better, but I enjoyed the majority of their scenes. If only there had been more!
Johnny Cooper's return was a very interesting storyline and I, for one, didn't expect so many twists and turns in such a short amount of time. Sam being brought into the storyline was quite a shock and I felt it worked brilliantly.
The Diner collapsing was an enjoyable storyline. Not that I wanted to see the Diner fall apart, of course, but because I felt it brought everyone together in more of a community spirit. Morag moving in with Roman was terrific, and though I was hoping they would work well, I had no idea they actually would!
The Alf/Colleen saga was, yet again, another fantastic story. Everyone's reaction to the news, particularly Morag's 'disgust', was perfectly captured and completely in character with how I was expecting everyone to feel. Alf in a bit of shock, Morag very vocal about her feelings and Colleen wanting to share the news with the world.
Looking back, Sally's exit would definitely stack up in my top three storylines of the year. What I liked so much about the story was that it was crafted so beautifully. It wasn't just a single event that culminated in her exit; it was a series over a long timespan. For me, her exit storyline really started when Alf ran over Pippa in 2007. Sal had lost her "safe place" and suddenly all these things were coming at her. Her daughter's life had very nearly been lost, her relationship with Brad was over, Cassie was going off with Henk and Ric was becoming more independent. Then come 2008 Johnny came along and her job at the school was in jeopardy. All these things just came rushing up and I don't think she felt like she could breathe half of the time. That's why I loved that as we were heading for her final episodes everything was all starting to calm down. Pippa was there, her family was there. Everything was as it should be. A truly fantastic send off for both Sally and Kate!
I was expecting to be in mourning for weeks after she left, but suprisingly, I managed to pick myself up pretty quickly as the Sam murder mystery began. And what a cracker of a storyline that was! I had often felt quite negative towards Sam. I regularly saw her as a very selfish and neurotic woman with nothing better to do than worry about Martha. But actually I shocked myself by starting to feel really very sorry for her. I still think she had some serious problems, but I could sympathize with her more by the end of it all.
The abuse storyline with Aden - yet another highlight of the year for me. When I first saw him, I thought he didn't really have a care for anyone or anything. But as we got to know him better, we got to peel back those layers and really get into his head as to what was going on with him and his life and that's when everything changed.
While on the subject of Aden, I suppose this would be a fitting time to mention Adelle. While I wasn't a mega fan of them, I did love them together. I thought they were well-matched, had fantastic chemistry and created a wealth of story material. The only thing I would've liked to have seen less of was the seemingly constant blow ups...
Belle's development - Without a doubt, Belle was one of the most captivating young characters of the year for me. Her personal battles and her fragile state of mind were a huge transistion from the upbeat Belle of 2006 and somewhat 2007. While I was unsure about the development site storyline at first, due to similar previous stories, I felt it really started to kick off when the cancer link was found. This got the rest of the Bay involved too, while also putting more pressure on Belle and the Aden and Angelo situation. Where the writers are going to take her I have no idea, but I can't wait to find out!
If you had said last year that I'd be putting Jack and Martha's reunioun down as a highlight of 2008, I would've eaten my hat. Never in a million years did I think I would love this couple again, but it happened and I'm happy it did. These two finally did the growing up that they needed to, especially Martha, and the awful, repetitive storylines of '07 were a thing of the past. Hooray!
Along with Ross's Alzheimer's, Cassie's HIV and Aden's abuse, I felt Martha's cancer was one of the most well handled storylines of the year. When I heard the news that Martha was going to suffer from cancer, I had my reservations as to how it would be handled. Jack and Martha getting an increased amount of screentime, like that of the previous year, was my initial concern. Having just found my love for the couple again, I didn't want it to dwain so soon and especially in a sensitive and emotional storyline. But my concerns soon faded away when the storyline started and it became clear that the writers were giving them a fair amount of screentime.
While the Oylmpic Cliffhanger was certainly exciting and nerve-wracking, it was the return that sparked my interest the most. On paper the concept of having one character dangling on the edge of a cliff while the other two are stranded on a deserted island could sound overly dramatic for Home and Away (or maybe not...). But when you look deeper into why they are there and how they are going to cope, it gets interesting. And that's why I loved the OC return. The emotions of Roman, Nicole and Geoff were explored on a fantastic level, while the dramatic impact of the chase scenes, the explosion and the novelty of being on an island was still experienced.
The 2008 teen group was one of the best and strongest I'd seen in years. Fresh blood in the form of Melody, Nicole, Ruby and Jai was exactly what the show needed and to see those characters socialising and forming close friendships with established characters was really enjoyable and refreshing to watch. Their emotions were explored brilliantly and, unlike previous years, they had a lot of depth. Overall I felt more able to invest in them and not only as individuals but as groups of friends trying to be there for each other. More of that in 2009 please, writers!
Nicole - It's not often that I don't know what to think of someone from one episode to the next - or in Nicole's case, from one scene to the next - but I honestly couldn't make my mind up! One minute she was a selfish, arrogont snob and the next she was a poor girl who hadn't received the parental guidance she so desperatley craved. All I can say is that I suppose that's what made her so interesting.
Jai - Unlike most of the teens who seemed to either crumble or flourish in 2008, Jai sort of stood still. I don't mean that in a completely negative way, but following his arrival (which was actually well done) he didn't 'advance' all that much and for me quite a bit of the appeal he had when we first saw him vanished. A point I agree with is that after moving into Summer Bay House, he perhaps fitted in too well and too quickly. Whereas before we were learning about his reservations in trusting Miles and his lack of enthusiam for moving to the Bay, by the end of the year it was almost like he'd been there for years. I don't feel the transistion was made partcularly well on that score.
Ruby - It's not always the case that you can make a fair judgement of a character having not seen them for very long, but I felt Ruby was portrayed honestly and genuinely from day one and that her personality shined through quickly after she arrived. What drew me into her character is that on the surface she expressed a happy, positive and confident attitude when inside she had a tendancy to keep things bottled up - as we saw illustrated by the Alziemer's storyline. We need characters like Ruby, and I'm definitely looking foward to what's in store for her.
Melody - Wow. Wow. Wow. Celeste Dodwell - what a jem of an actress. The story of Melody's life and how virtually every aspect was controlled by her mother was captivating and extremely sad to watch. I felt her feelings of inadequacy, no self worth and not knowing who she was were portrayed excellently throughout and highlighted the debate that goes on in society as to how people's way of dealing with life is deeply affected by their upbringing, others' views and their personal view of themselves. Like Belle and Ruby, I'm very excited about what's ahead for Melody.
On the older and non-teen front, Charlie and Angelo were my favourite main additions of the year. Charlie I liked for her warmth and her vulnerablity, while Angelo's cheeky and slightly overboard attitude was appealing and different. These two both advanced hugely following their arrival and they remained intriguing throughout the year.
On the guest character front, Jazz was without a doubt my favourite for the year. She was portrayed excellently and written fantastically, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her at some points. While she made some terrible decisions and didn't do many favors for herself at all, there was something captivating about her. Hopefully she'll make a return one day, as there's so much more we could learn about her.
Bridget was another favourite of mine. There was a likeablity about her when she arrived and her friendship with Martha was wonderfully portrayed. But when the 'other side' of her started to emerge I became a bit wary. Towards the end of the year I still believed there was some good in there, and I hope we do get to see that in 2009, but her betrayal of Alf, Leah and others wasn't fun to watch. She was a very interesting and layered character, however, even if she wasn't a particularly nice one!
Roman - I loved him to pieces, I really did. Not only was he one of very few who actually mixed with other older characters on a regular basis, he interacted and supported the younger cast also - something that I feel could be improved on with other characters.
Aside from Sally and Cassie, the main cast departures of the year - Drew, Lucas, Ric and Mattie - were excellently crafted. I didn't feel as though Drew leaving was a massive loss (I very nearly forgot to add him...) in terms of what he contributed to the show, but his last few episodes were fantastic and brought to a head issues that seemed to be simmering for months. The 'blow up' between him and Belle was extraordinary and was certainly one of the most heated arguments I'd ever seen in the show before. Drew and Belle being able to part on good terms in the end was a surprise, but I was very glad it panned out that way.
At first I was quite disappointed with Lucas's understated exit. No one seemed to know he was leaving, no fuss was made when he did and no one seemed to notice he was gone. Quite frankly, I was more than prepared to bring out the words 'Damp squib' in his departure feature. But then it hit me that a low-key, no hoo-ha exit was totally in character for Luc and that anything else would probably not have worked as well. A big 'shindig' at Noah's would've been nice, but looking back a simple gathering with a few friends for a chat was a nice, fitting way to end his time in the Bay - even if it wasn't the most exiting event.
Ric and Matilda's exit I really enjoyed. I honestly thought they were over once Mattie had moved to Perth, but I'm glad I was wrong. They were well suited and to see two characters take a leaf out of Robbie and Tasha's book and go off into the sunset as a young, long-term couple made a lovely change.
Having been positive about the year so far, I think it's about time I balanced it off with a few honest negative comments.
Firstly, Irene and Leah. What on earth happened to these characters? Confined to that small, cramped and clinical-looking kitchen, they russled up more coffees last year than an espresso vending machine would have in its entire lifespan. And that was just coffees. Irene interacting with Belle, Geoff and Annie and really getting to the heart of the show would definitely be a good place to start for the year ahead. And as for Leah - we need to see that loud, opinionated and fun-loving girl back! Every episode I despised seeing Leah doning on her apron for yet another shift of serving yet more of the same.
While I enjoyed the KK return storyline and the aftermath of Dan's death, these storylines seemed to last for all of five minutes. Whether it's my perception of time or whether they really did last five minutes, I was hugely dissapointed with how rapidly they were covered and the lack of Irene and Leah material we saw for the rest of the year. I can only hope that Ada and Lynne will be given the chance to work their magic in 2009.
Ric and the fightclub - I felt it was repetetive at times and didn't advance him to the extent that it could've. However, that's only a minor critism of what was on the whole a fantastic year.
In conclusion: Though the car crash, the explosion and the shooting were horrifyingly soap, I really enjoyed the season finale. It opened up opportunities and left me asking questions and I believe that's crucial to a good season finale.
Bevan Lee returning to the healm for his stint at the beginning of the year set 2008 off to a perfect start, while the remaining parts continued to be exciting, nerve-wracking, captivating and totally draining!
If the same is in store for us in 2009, I can't wait!
Eli's thoughts
Favourite storyline: Cassie contracting HIV or Aden's abuse and breakdown
Least favourite storyline: Tony and Rachel's relationship development
Best Newcomer: Charlie
Best guest character: Jazz
Best Couple: Mattie and Ric
Most memorable moment: Sally says goodbye to Alf
Throughout the years I've seen a lot of good H&A episodes and storylines, but I really think 2008 had the most promising start of all the seasons I've seen. I think only once before has H&A had me completely captured and obsessed for weeks, and that was late 2004. Unfortunately I don't think they managed to keep it as good as the first weeks throughout the entire year, but still, a very memorable year!
What has struck me the most this year, has probably been the surprisingly well done teen storylines. Normally the teen storylines tends to capture teens only, but this year I've had the impression that many of the teen storylines have had a more mature audience captured through storylines of HIV, sexual abuse and identity as well.
The storyline that started out as the main influence of a great 2008 was definitely Cassie's HIV storyline, with all its realistic and in-character twists. Sharni was never one of the actresses I would have pointed out as the greatest or most talented, but with this final storyline she really got a fair chance to show us what she really is capable of, and she did not disappoint.
From there they picked up Aden's background story, building a background and a reason for the character he is, and that too was a storyline that really impressed me. I think Todd managed to steal into everybody's hearts with his good acting through this very emotional storyline.
And what can I say about Mattie and Ric? Even through annoying storylines like Ric's fighting they're still such a strong and real couple, it doesn't really matter what you give them. They're still good and interesting to watch and follow.
You can't forget the adults either; Sally's farewell marked the end of an era for H&A, but at the same time I think they managed to make it the end of the beginning instead the beginning of the end. When I first heard about the storyline and the connection between Sally and Miles, I was so sure Miles would be the excuse and the exit. But he wasn't the end, he was the beginning, because instead of closing doors with Sally's exit, they opened new ones with Miles sort of carrying out a legacy by staying in the Bay as another strong, warm, inspirational figure. And H&A didn't suffer too much after losing Sally either, they quickly picked up again, introducing some new interesting characters after Sam's dramatic exit.
When the Bucktons first arrived my first impression was that Ruby was great, and Charlie was... Well, not so great.
But after a few weeks I loved both the Buckton sisters. Ruby's upfront, fearless and fun personality spiked up many of the teen storylines and I think many people recognized themselves in Charlie's desperate need to control her life when everything threatens to change. The latest cast addition of Xavier also looks promising, although I won't go deeper into his character since we haven't seen much of him yet.
Another interesting touch, and a risky one for the writers, if you ask me, was bringing back Kirsty and Kane in order to break them up. I know many people didn't like this storyline, or the return of these characters at all, but I have to say I think it was a refreshing and interesting storyline, and it gave Christie Hayes a new chance to show off her skills, but this time in a much more matured and wise version of the stubborn and well meaning fighter her character is.
This year, there was also one thing that nobody could miss. About halfway through the season H&A saw a new "supercouple" form, quickly growing a huge fan base, - and eventually a huge base of anti-fans. Because whether you liked them or not, you can't deny that the hottest topic of this season was Aden and Belle.
Personally I think these characters suffered from their own popularity. I really liked the pairing when they first got together, and I thought it was a great storyline, but as soon as they were broken up and got back together again, I got the feeling it was only done to please the fans, and I thought the magical spark from before disappeared after their first round as a couple. Just like Jack and Martha in their prime, I thought Aden and Belle went from being a great storyline to another mediocre teen obsession after a while, and I think that damaged the characters as well as the pairing itself.
And speaking of Jack and Martha, you have to mention them this year as well, but this year I'm going to be a lot nice than I would have been last year. While the 2007 season mainly was a long series of drama for this "supercouple," I felt that 2008 gave them a chance to mature a lot more. At first of course there was drama with Sam (and Roman) and even though these characters from time to time have been their ever so loyally annoying selves, I think they also matured a lot this year, and there was a lot of good acting in the cancer storyline. And yes, I am still convinced the two of them somehow will ride off into the sunset together, I'm sorry.
To sum up I think 2008 has been a really amazing year, and it went by so fast! I feel like the season premiere was last week, when it's actually a year ago, and I think that's due to the fact that this season has been one interesting storyline following another. There have been some choices in the storylines that have annoyed me, but what I'd like to say has really impressed me this year is that the storylines that have really mattered, the big, deep storylines about bigger, deeper issues, have been handled so wonderfully! I can almost forget about Rachel going bridezilla on everyone, Ric fighting for Noel and Aden and Belle becoming another cliché, when I look at how well they handled the storylines about HIV, cancer and abuse in terms of both acting and writing. They went further with many touchy issues this year than ever before, and it was done with such grace I can easily forgive some slips and misses here and there. And that's impressive, especially considering 2008 was the season we lost many of the established long time characters. It's definitely looking very promising, and I'm looking forward to the 2009 season!