UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

It's holding my attention but it feels like most of the episodes are being devoted to three couples that I really don't like but who everyone involved in the show seem convinced are perfect for each other. You've got the latest round of Kate and Brennan, an utterly dull character who has been brought back far more times than he deserves, built up into the love of each other's lives because someone seems to have believed their own publicity after a minority of fans wet themselves over a relationship that only lasted a few weeks here and a few weeks there.You've got Kyle and Georgia, who seem to spend all their time discussing whether or not they should get back together without even once thinking that if the answer's "No" they should go off and do something more interesting.And you've got Josh and Amber...who the writers actually seem to have taken a good look at and done their best to sort out their problems, notably by making Amber less of a doormat, so maybe there's some hope there if they don't slide back.

And I'm missing Mason.He and Imogen had the potential to be a much better couple than any of the above but instead she breaks up with him for no reason other than that the plot requires it and then he leaves, despite being one of the most promising and likable youngsters.And Imogen's just a bit irritating without him to bounce off.

I'm quite interested in the Lauren and Brad had a child story, even though it's only just about plausible in terms of both continuity and the weird underground baby trade that Neighbours seems convinced exists.Lauren's sudden surrender after one dead end seemed like an extreme reaction though and I can't see anyone else leaving it like that.

[haaf14]

Kate's death did well in the ratings but can honestly say I didn't shed a tear when she died and I am glad to see the back of her. The last 6 months I didn't like her character. The death scene wasn't good, it was poorly done and I didn't see any blood on her which was poor and also the her death conclusion with her funeral done and dusted the next day which rushed very quickly, the could have slightly dragged it on a bit.

[Slade]

I was disappointed that Mason left as he was one of the few characters I actually liked. The whole thing with Imogen reminds of Xavier and Sasha from H & A. The writers spent months building up a relationship, they finally get together then they breakup very quickly only for the other person to leave.

One of the recent highlights for me was Paul becoming mayor of Erinsborough. Loved the way Matt tried to rally Karl and some of the other residents against Paul but they were thwarted and Paul won. Really, wasn't happy about them bringing Rebecca back so I was glad when she left although I was kinda hoping that Paul would give Susan some payback for her taking Rebecca away and talking her out of going back to him.

I'm not sure what to make of this storyline re Brad and Lauren's long lost child. I actually didn't mind them having a whole episode devoted to them but I'm not sure I like the way Brad has to now stop looking because Lauren doesn't want to go through the pain anymore. It just seems selfish. I always thought the writers bringing the Willis's and the Turners into Ramsey street was just a way for having an opening to create a affair with Brad and Lauren somewhere down the line. And I do wonder if this storyline is a way for that to make it happening. Although Brad and Terese's marriage seems strong (there could potentially be issues with her job and Doug returning), I always thought there have been issues with Lauren and Matt. They've lied to each other on quite a few occasions (her especially) and the only reason she came clean about her baby was because of what happened with Georgia. And I still feel she doesn't like confiding in him at times.

I never really liked Kate and could never really understand why so many people thought the sun shined out of her backside but even I didn't want things to end like this. When I heard the actress was leaving a while back I just assumed that when Brennan returned they would be riding off into the sunset together which I wouldn't have minded at all (even though I didn't buy the whole love thing as she was in love with Kyle just a few weeks previously). But when I saw the preview on channel 5 the week before last week about the shooting I just knew it would be Kate. Although it was good to see Sophie again, I wasn't convinced with the whole funeral. There were too many characters absent. No Andrew, no Harry and no Mason. There's no way her cousin or brother wouldn't have been there regardless of whether they were halfway across the world. And I know Mason only went out with her for a short time but I'm sure he definitely would have returned. Also no Rebecca. If she was prepared to stay in Erinsborough to get Kate and Brennan back together then do they seriously think she wouldn't have come back for Kate's funeral rather than send some flowers.

Paul's my favourite character but in spite of everything I never really felt sorry for him simply because a lot of the time he's kinda deserved what's happened to him. However I did feel really bad for him at the memorial when Karl was singing Georgia's song and he started crying. I really liked the way Susan went up to him and comforted him and I thought "Wow". I guess the worst thing was that he arranged this big birthday party for her (even though it was partly motivated by getting one over on Brennan) and it happened right before she was about to enjoy it. I don't doubt for a second that he loved her. Although it will be interesting to see what he does next. Will he actually go through with making Brennan's life hell or will he reopen the bar and try and rebuild his life?

I actually didn't think Danni's boyfriend was involved. They said that he was aiming for Brennan but I didn't think he would try and kill him for the simple reason that if he was trying to find his ex girlfriend he would want Brennan alive because he could potentially lead him to her. I actually thought Brennan's ex girlfriend Sienna may have done it. She had more of a motive as she was completely deluded and obsessed with him and would have saw Kate as an obstacle. The funny thing is she was about to give up on Brennan but Paul talked her out of it to stop a potential reunion with Kate.

[samdanfan]

Sadly if that what it takes to increase ratings for a show then that says a lot,

I would worry about "who going to be killed off next?" both from the fan and actors POV?

Yet I understand why the actor allowed her character to be killed off.

[haaf14]

Never really liked Kate as also mentioned by Slade and also glad she has gone. It just depends which characters go if any because if someone like Josh or Amber then I wouldn't mind, I don't really like both of them. For me it was mistake to get rid of Mason, he was far better than Josh.

I do give credit to Neighbour for bring back old character, 3 in a space of 3 episodes is very good and something H&A could learn from.

[Red Ranger 1]

I didn't really dislike Kate, even though she annoyed me at times, but I can't say I was unhappy with the way things worked out.Her relationship with Brennan was horribly contrived so I'm glad it got cut short rather than a sunset ending being forced on us.The only downside is that now we're stuck with Mark stomping around town with a blank expression on his face expecting us to care about him losing a girl he was dating for about five minutes.Maybe he'll notice Imogen's basically offering herself to him on a plate and get over it that way.Unless this is just going to be a retread of her and Mason with a less interesting leading man.I didn't think it was Montague, they'd surely have shown his face if it was that obvious, and I didn't suspect Sienna, who's apparently been dismissed as a suspect so casually you wonder why she was ever included, either, it looked pretty obvious that the person who attacked Chris was a man.Actually, I think I pretty much single-handedly blew the secret on another forum by pointing out the undue prominence given to a character in the credits(and the UK credits were apparently different from the Australian ones, which just drew more attention to it), prompting someone else to come up with a plausible sounding theory which, the more spoilers and trailers we get, seems to fit more and more...

Shame Sophie didn't stick around longer and I guess that's Zeke gone too.At least we've still got Doug although it's hard to shake the feeling this storyline isn't going to go to a happy place, unless there turns out to be some correctable physical reason for his absent-mindedness.Georgia once more works better without Kyle around, making me wish he'd stay in Thailand.Lauren continues to frustrate me with her dogmatic attitude to finding their daughter and massive load of denial over Lisa.

[Slade]

I wasn't watching Neighbours during the time of the Lasiters fire so I never would have guessed who Kate's killer would have been. Although I could completely see where he was coming from I found Brennan's obsession to catch the killer slightly annoying at times. He constantly got in the way of the police investigation and frequently launched into self-righteous rants. I don't like the way he used Danni (someone who was supposed to be his friend) to try and lure the killer completely disregarding her safety. Not sure whether Paul was directly or indirectly responsible for the death of the killer's brother although he seems to be paying for it now. I'm sure he'll bounce back from this state of depression he's in at the moment.

I like Sonia for the most part but she has been really annoying me as of late. I'm so sick and tired of her trying to save people at the expense of her son and husband. She really annoyed me at first when she went into control freak mode and wouldn't let Callum take the apprenticeship in the states because she wanted to keep him for herself rather than let him have the opportunity of a lifetime. And last week when Toadie bought her flowers and wanted to have lunch with him, she practically bit his head off. In saying that I really dislike Naomi. As a person I just don't see any redeeming qualities with her whatsoever. Don't get me wrong there doesn't seem to be anything particularly unpleasant about her and I don't find her particuarly annoying personality-wise but she just seems very selfish i.e. the underhand way she's trying to sabotage Sonia and Toadies' marriage so she can have someone with who is reasonably well off take care of her. Not even sure if she really likes Toadie in that way TBH.

Wasn't sure whether we'd ever see Libby again. She's been and gone so many times I feel completely indifferent towards her now. But I do wonder what the point of her coming back for a week or so was. Even Steph's return has more meaningful (I wonder if Libby spoke to her parents about her). I didn't mind Ben. I liked the way he stuck up for Bailey. Perhaps a shame he didn't stick around a while longer as with Callum going it's starting to feel like Bailey is redundant now.

I quite liked Holly so it was good to see her again. Like Ben thought it was a shame she wasn't around for a little longer.

It's funny how my opinion with characters can often change. Imogen who was one of my favourite characters a few months ago. Now she is one of my worst. I really, really can't stand her. She seems to spend a lot of her time moaning and she genuinely seems to think the sun shines out of her backside. She clearly thinks she's so much better than everybody else and just comes across as completely self-centered. And when she's not doing that she's just about throwing herself at any guy that is remotely interested. She was extremely annoying the way she pursued Brennan and then the way she kept constantly having a go at Daniel when he first arrived. And I don't like her attitude towards Paige either.

On the flip side. Josh, who I couldn't stand and wanted to pass the swimming trials so the character could leave Erinsborough I actually quite like. Since he realised that swimming isn't the be-all and end-all he's kind of gone through a personality transplant. I liked the way he was there for Bailey and that snobbish behaviour when he first came seems to have disappeared.

Still don't like Amber and I like her even less now she's started cheating on Josh. It's a shame because I actually really liked Daniel when he first turned up and was kind of hoping that something would happen with Imogen but I've kind of gone off him. I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he declared the whole connection thing re Amber but I should have known whether consciously or subconsciously he was after Josh's girl. It's disappointing because I thought he was better than that. I hope they are both caught in the act TBH.

Matt's another character who I've changed my opinion about. I actually really like him now. I liked the way he handled the whole investigation into Kate's killing. I thought he was very professional and sympathetic especially as far as Paul was concerned. And I feel quite sorry for him regarding his relationship with Lauren.

Terese I still find hard to like although I don't dislike her. I appreciate she's gone above and beyond the call of duty regarding Paul but I guess her business persona makes it hard for me the connect with her.

I haven't really changed my opinion of Brad. Again don't like him but don't dislike him.

Lauren's actually one of the characters I find the most interesting at the moment. And I'm really not sure what to make of her. On one hand she seems selfish and inconsiderate. Pursuing her long lost daughter with little regard for how it affected her family. She's still lying to Matt, i.e. kissing Brad and keeping quiet about it. But on the other hand she's clearly a very loving mother and a kind person.

I mentioned before that I thought the whole long lost daughter thing was just a way for the writers to facilitate an affair with Lauren and Brad and I wasn't sure whether we would get to see her but I'm glad we have. Paige is one of my favourite characters and I find i enjoy most of her scenes. She clearly has some very serious issues and even her brother (adopted) can see that. She seems to handle rejection badly and obviously just wants to be loved and wanted. Every time I see her on screen with Brad and Lauren I keep hoping that she tells one or the other. But I'm actually hoping the reveal will be more dramatic than that. Perhaps at some sort of event with her going mental and publically telling all. Perhaps we can see them reject her beforehand and realise what a mistake they've made. Either way I think this is going to turn out badly and all going to end in tears.

[Homeandawayfan.]

Naomi Canning is a right scheming little madam but I am enjoying her storylines. That kiss she shared with Toadie, ooh err.

I think Paige is one of the best new additions to the show now.

[Red Ranger 1]

So Kate's killer was exactly who those of us on another forum worked out it would be.I've got very mixed feelings about the reveal.Reminding us that Paul got away with murder opened up a whole can of worms which was only ever going to be resolved by him still getting away with murder, which reached ludicrous proportions when Mark Brennan, usually a character so straight you barely notice him, covered up for him for spurious reasons.The result was that I ended up cheering on Kate's murderer since the best I could hope for was Paul being mildly disconcerted.They seem to be trying to make out that Kate's death is an adequate punishment but however long they drag it out for, I'll be very surprised if he doesn't go back to his old ways before too long.He's far too entrenched as a soap villain to ever change for good.

I actually kind of like Naomi, even though I realise she's on the wrong side of the moral line.It probably helps that I don't really like Sonya, who's sanctimonious and self-absorbed, or Sheila, who's deeply unpleasant, so with those two as her arch-nemeses she's bound to come out of it looking good.I rather wanted Toadie to have an affair with her, although I'm glad he didn't because no doubt that would have left him looking like the bad guy and Sonya being treated as a virtuous victim.With Callum gone, I'm not entirely sure there's anything left keeping them together so I guess this will be the crunch point.I was sorry to see Callum go, he and Josie were the best and most mature couple on the show.

I'm really not sure how I feel about Paige or her storyline.I started off thinking it was an okay idea if it didn't get dragged on for too long...and it has.It's reached the point where there's no reason for Paige to go on hiding who she is except to keep the storyline going, she's got to know her family and seen that they're basically decent people who, for all Lauren's faux pases, wouldn't turn her away.Okay, she doesn't know why they gave her up, but her keeping quiet is causing more trouble and causing her more distress than if she told the truth.And with her vandalising the coffee shop (which got written off way too easily)she's actually coming across as quite unstable, and now she hasn't got Ethan as a moderating influence.I wouldn't be surprised if the season ends with her trying to gas everyone to death.On the plus side, Lauren seems more likable after going off the boil for a while.

I like Amber but the storyline with Daniel isn't doing her any favours.I can't say I'm that bothered about Josh, who despite the show desperately trying to convince us he's nice now is still a pretty inattentive boyfriend who can't spend five minutes with Amber without getting bored and going off to do something else.(And no doubt he'll go back to being a tool when he eventually learns the truth.) But again it's being dragged out for no reason except dramatic tension and if Amber's not careful she's going to lose both of them.As for Imogen, the minute she started being a brat towards Mason at the start of the year I knew that his leaving would have the same effect on her as Harry leaving did on Summer, she'd lose the person who brought out the best in her and turn into a self-righteous prig.And so she has.I actually wanted something to happen between her and Brennan, it would have made both of them a bit more interesting, but not to be.I guess this "I only date people my own age" is a rule he came up with after he was sleeping with Kate when she was the age Imogen is now, prompting a lot of confused "Isn't he a bit old for her?".

The drop in Georgia's character since Kyle came back has been appalling to watch, with her abruptly becoming self-absorbed and childish again and creating weekly dramas.Couldn't Victor have shot one or both of them as well?

[Slade]

Sonya was out of line slapping Naomi but you won't catch me losing too much sleep over it. In a way those two at loggerheads is almost a win win for me. Sonya has been extremely annoying and Naomi, I don't like. Before Sonya hit her I thought Naomi made some pertinent points about her marriage and interestingly Sonya seems to have taken them on board, sacrificing her friendship with Brennan for now. The one thing I haven't liked is that it's made Sheila look like the good guy in all of this (taking Sonya and Toadie's side over her won daughter's, even trying to pay her to leave) although her parental instinct was still there basically warning Sonya not touch Naomi again.

Imogen was so annoying. The way she belittled Brad in front of the whole class like that. She may have had a point about his teaching methods but there was a time and a place and that wasn't it.

I think it's inevitable Josh is going to find out about Amber and Daniel. They had better hurry up and just tell him.

Although you could argue it's realistic, I'm starting to get pretty fed up with this storyline about Paul. All it seems to be doing is further isolating him from the other characters not that he really gets on with them anyway.

I've got mixed feelings about Kathy. At the start of Friday's episode, I wanted to throttle her. She was so arrogant, stuck-up and remains completely unrepentant about stealing Lauren's baby. So much so that I was really looking forward to seeing Paige make her suffer. Towards the end of the episode when she apologised, I thought baring the baby incident perhaps she's not as bad as I thought. If it hadn't been for the fact that Lauren found out about the baby then they would still probably be getting on OK and her grand children even seemed to like her. However I do feel there has to be some sort of consequence for what she has done. It will be interesting to see how far Paige goes. She could very well ruin her business. An easier option might be to simply report her kidnapping to the police although she won't get the satisfaction of retribution. With Ethan gone who knows what might happen.