| After all that voting and subsequent compiling of the
results it would be foolish not to learn anything from them. Later on as
we get nearer the top end I will go into more depth with some of the
successes. However here I'm going to focus on some of the more
disappointing results, more specifically the performances of Robbie and
Beth. When I held this contest last time in November 2004, Beth and
Robbie had been on Australian for screens for around a year each and in
the UK Robbie had recently appeared whilst Beth had been around for a
few months. Robbie and Beth each ended up on the outskirts of 10th
place. Now neither has made it above 30th place and Beth was extremely
lucky to make the top 50 at all. Robbie isn't even the second favourite
Hunter anymore, falling to third beyond his two sisters, Kit and
Matilda.
Robbie came into the show, rather loud, rather
boisterous, but also rather fun. He was different to most of the usual
seventeen year old boys on the show. With his glasses he didn't look
like he was brought into solely sell millions of magazines to the
screaming hordes of sixteen year old girls.
Coral thought Robbie one of her better creations and
initially we did as well. However those initial moments that we loved,
the naked runs through the bush with Tasha, the inventions gone wrong
faded away. Subsequent storylines, subsequent writers took away more and
more of originality of Robbie, he had slowly became a Home and Away boy
clone.
There have still been the moments of humour, last year
we were treated to the delightful donuts storyline. This didn't feel
funny, it felt forced and only served to break Robbie and Tasha up for
the twentieth time. His faux wedding with Tasha, we didn't feel warm and
fuzzy, we just felt annoyed.
Tasha's position hasn't slipped to the same extent, she's been held
up by stronger storylines. Whilst Tasha got caught up in a cult, Robbie
gets caught up at a nudist camp for a few days. Rumours are abound that
Jason Smith is leaving, will time let us remember the Robbie that we
first knew and loved or the second Robbie that we didn't love as much.
Beth, is a different story. Beth as a character hasn't changed much.
She's still loving, she's still caring. She even has a nemesis now in
Amanda. The trouble is that she has moved from being the centre of the
show to a character used infrequently. As a mother to the Sutherland's
and a husband to Rhys she got a chance to show herself, living in Summer
Bay House she drew comparisons with Pippa. Like Pippa she has lost two
husbands, and the divorce she went through rather than having her come
out the other side all guns blazing she did compartively little.
She has bought a stake in the bar and has served drinks, in a similar
way to what Alf has done recently. Tony was brought in, but he's a bit
like John Major. Completely grey. Tony and Beth have had a relationship
for approximately six months and the most exciting thing to happen
during that time is Beth throwing her drink over Amanda.
It's the classic soap syndrome. You get a couple of characters who
you know a big players. They have a huge storyline every month. Beth has
became a bit-part player, just filling the screentime that they are
required to give Clarissa House.
Whilst you are praised for your successes, you learn more from your
failures, and over the past two years Robbie and Beth appear to have
been two of the biggest. |