Quick Questions

[cymbaline]

It wasn’t the first time they ran into problems finding a responsible adult to hold the fort. Years later they brought Pippa back to look after things when Irene and Alf were away. She didn't know any of the kids in the Beach House by then but hey, needs must. 

12 hours ago, nenehcherry2 said:

And it felt so out of character that Don didn't step in where there was a risk of Sam being fostered elsewhere. Especially as he was by that time married to Maz & talking babies. The writers pretty much forgot about Sam and Don's connection for a few years, didn't they?

I wasn't watching by then so here's a new quick question. Was Greg mentioned at all during this time and did he have any input into what might happen to Sam? He isn't a character I particularly like but if he was happy to stand by and let his kid be fostered by strangers, he's an even worse father than I thought he was. At least Sam was looked after by people he knew after Greg left. This was a step into a different world. 

[Bobby Forever Missed]

33 minutes ago, cymbaline said:

It wasn’t the first time they ran into problems finding a responsible adult to hold the fort. Years later they brought Pippa back to look after things when Irene and Alf were away. She didn't know any of the kids in the Beach House by then but hey, needs must. 

I wasn't watching by then so here's a new quick question. Was Greg mentioned at all during this time and did he have any input into what might happen to Sam? He isn't a character I particularly like but if he was happy to stand by and let his kid be fostered by strangers, he's an even worse father than I thought he was. At least Sam was looked after by people he knew after Greg left. This was a step into a different world. 

Greg wasn’t mentioned much at all from memory but from what was said Sam wanted nothing to do with him (fair) Greg returned in 2000 with the intent of taking Sam to live with him but left Sam again and was never heard from after that 

[adam436]

On 31/01/2024 at 21:45, nenehcherry2 said:

And it felt so out of character that Don didn't step in where there was a risk of Sam being fostered elsewhere. Especially as he was by that time married to Maz & talking babies. The writers pretty much forgot about Sam and Don's connection for a few years, didn't they?

I don't really remember the details of that story, but why were they worried about Sam and not Christopher. I'm guessing it was to do with Christopher being Pippa's biological child and Sam being a foster child, but were they not worried about him not having a responsible adult to care for him? 

  

On 01/02/2024 at 10:44, cymbaline said:

It wasn’t the first time they ran into problems finding a responsible adult to hold the fort. Years later they brought Pippa back to look after things when Irene and Alf were away. She didn't know any of the kids in the Beach House by then but hey, needs must. 

Debra Lawrence talked about that return in a podcast interview and it sounds like "someone stuffed up" and the producers realised no one was around. It must have been a surreal time for Debra, as she said she didn't know any of the cast at the time either, which is probably true. Ray Meagher and Lynne McGranger were absent (hence, the need for Pippa), and she'd never worked regularly with the other stalwarts of the time, Ada Nicodemou and Lyn Collingwood. She wasn't even in a familiar set either, since she was staying at the Beach House and not Summer Bay House. 

Who else could they have realistically drafted in to the hold the fort at Summer Bay House? I guess they could have brought back a past foster child like Carly or Frank to hold the fort, but then we wouldn't have had the story of Sam possibly going into care in that situation... 

[nenehcherry2]

On 01/02/2024 at 00:19, Bobby Forever Missed said:

Greg wasn’t mentioned much at all from memory but from what was said Sam wanted nothing to do with him (fair) Greg returned in 2000 with the intent of taking Sam to live with him but left Sam again and was never heard from after that 

The last positive mention of Greg was in early 95 when Sam came back from spending a couple of weeks with him "up the coast" and they seemingly had a good time together.

This was totally forgotten in Greg's 2000 return wherein it was implied that Greg hadn't even seen Sam since he left the Bay.

Whatever everyone's thoughts of Greg's character otherwise, he was always written as a very hands-on Dad. Look at the efforts he took in 91 to find Sam and then the fight he put up against Bobby for custody (before they fell in "love", as we all would do in that situation...). And then the fight again for access when they broke up after his rendezvous with Fiona. Him abandoning Sam completely in 93 (and more officially a few months later) seemed incredibly out of character. And even more so unbelievable that the more established likes of Don, Alf, Ailsa, Pippa etc wouldn't have questioned Greg's decision to do this. The "I don't fancy working in a diner" response didn't really ring true, neither did there not being other jobs in the area more suited to him. Him choosing to be a long-distance truck driver again was a purely selfish motive. I get that it was in the thick of the recession,  jobs were more scarce, that he was grieving for Bobby etc but it was just terrible writing for the sake of contriving Sam to continue as the "next Sally" whilst booting out Greg (which I understand as he'd run his course and Ross is clearly a very "transient" actor anyway, so would have probably gone of his own accord come say 95 latest). But the exit storyline could have been so much better.

In fact, why not just have Greg killed off along with Bobby? Or somehow have had him cause her death and sent to jail? That would have been more believable, more dramatic and have left an even deeper scar on Sam, making him moving in with the Rosses more justified, as with his later 90s behaviour.

Also, a great story would have been to see Jackie return (rather than Morag, that was an awful storyline overall, sorry if anyone liked it) to fight for custody. A recast would have been necessary (the actress was awful imo) but that would have been far more believable than Morag's contrived interest in "Sem" (as Ailsa liked to call him).

7 hours ago, adam436 said:

I don't really remember the details of that story, but why were they worried about Sam and not Christopher. I'm guessing it was to do with Christopher being Pippa's biological child and Sam being a foster child, but were they not worried about him not having a responsible adult to care for him?

Very good point, I also picked up on this. Shannon said something like "Christopher's her natural child" before they all looked at Sam as the vulnerable one. But, to your point, surely Pippa would have been equally incapable of looking after him had the brain damage been permanent (and he would have needed an adult even more & for longer given his younger age).

Then again, Bert's miraculous cognitive recovery had just occurred by then so he'd have been more than able to look after Chris with Isobel by his side for a few years.

Edited February 3 by nenehcherry2

[c120701]

1 hour ago, nenehcherry2 said:

The last positive mention of Greg was in early 95 when Sam came back from spending a couple of weeks with him "up the coast" and they seemingly had a good time together.

This was totally forgotten in Greg's 2000 return wherein it was implied that Greg hadn't even seen Sam since he left the Bay.

Whatever everyone's thoughts of Greg's character otherwise, he was always written as a very hands-on Dad. Look at the efforts he took in 91 to find Sam and then the fight he put up against Bobby for custody (before they fell in "love", as we all would do in that situation...). And then the fight again for access when they broke up after his rendezvous with Fiona. Him abandoning Sam completely in 93 (and more officially a few months later) seemed incredibly out of character. And even more so unbelievable that the more established likes of Don, Alf, Ailsa, Pippa etc wouldn't have questioned Greg's decision to do this. The "I don't fancy working in a diner" response didn't really ring true, neither did there not being other jobs in the area more suited to him. Him choosing to be a long-distance truck driver again was a purely selfish motive. I get that it was in the thick of the recession,  jobs were more scarce, that he was grieving for Bobby etc but it was just terrible writing for the sake of contriving Sam to continue as the "next Sally" whilst booting out Greg (which I understand as he'd run his course and Ross is clearly a very "transient" actor anyway, so would have probably gone of his own accord come say 95 latest). But the exit storyline could have been so much better.

In fact, why not just have Greg killed off along with Bobby? Or somehow have had him cause her death and sent to jail? That would have been more believable, more dramatic and have left an even deeper scar on Sam, making him moving in with the Rosses more justified, as with his later 90s behaviour.

Also, a great story would have been to see Jackie return (rather than Morag, that was an awful storyline overall, sorry if anyone liked it) to fight for custody. A recast would have been necessary (the actress was awful imo) but that would have been far more believable than Morag's contrived interest in "Sem" (as Ailsa liked to call him).

Very good point, I also picked up on this. Shannon said something like "Christopher's her natural child" before they all looked at Sam as the vulnerable one. But, to your point, surely Pippa would have been equally incapable of looking after him had the brain damage been permanent (and he would have needed an adult even more & for longer given his younger age).

Then again, Bert's miraculous cognitive recovery had just occurred by then so he'd have been more than able to look after Chris with Isobel by his side for a few years.

I think it was more that as Shannon & Sally were 18 they could look after Christopher with him being Sally’s brother legally and Pippa’s child. DoCS may have felt differently about Sam, particularly with Sally/Shannon already having Christopher to look after.

[Homeandawayfan.]

Colleen having a daughter in 1955 (adopted out and named Maureen Evans) was during one of my non viewing phases of H&A but AFAIK the identity, well the name of Maureen's father was never revealed. There must have been a passing ref to the father? If Maureen was born March 1955 then she was conceived around June 1954 when Colleen was about 15. I guess the father was some random bloke who lived in Summer Bay.

I know the name of Shaunna's father was never said, but I did remember hearing a line saying it was a prison warder.

[adam436]

11 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

I know the name of Shaunna's father was never said, but I did remember hearing a line saying it was a prison warder.

From memory, Shauna's father was a prison warder who raped Ailsa? I also have a vague recollection of it being confirmed he had since died. I've not seen those episodes since they aired though, so my memory is a little hazy. 

[Bobby Forever Missed]

8 hours ago, adam436 said:

From memory, Shauna's father was a prison warder who raped Ailsa? I also have a vague recollection of it being confirmed he had since died. I've not seen those episodes since they aired though, so my memory is a little hazy. 

true though i don't remember him being named?

[Homeandawayfan.]

I doubt we will ever know the identity of Shaunna's father, or Maureen Evans father. Ailsa is long gone now and Shaunna has not been mentioned for many years now AFAIK, also it would be a random storyline to dredge up after 23 years for Ailsa and about 20 years for Colleen.

 

[cymbaline]

On 03/02/2024 at 09:28, nenehcherry2 said:

Whatever everyone's thoughts of Greg's character otherwise, he was always written as a very hands-on Dad. Look at the efforts he took in 91 to find Sam and then the fight he put up against Bobby for custody (before they fell in "love", as we all would do in that situation...). And then the fight again for access when they broke up after his rendezvous with Fiona. Him abandoning Sam completely in 93 (and more officially a few months later) seemed incredibly out of character. And even more so unbelievable that the more established likes of Don, Alf, Ailsa, Pippa etc wouldn't have questioned Greg's decision to do this. The "I don't fancy working in a diner" response didn't really ring true, neither did there not being other jobs in the area more suited to him. Him choosing to be a long-distance truck driver again was a purely selfish motive. I get that it was in the thick of the recession,  jobs were more scarce, that he was grieving for Bobby etc but it was just terrible writing for the sake of contriving Sam to continue as the "next Sally" whilst booting out Greg (which I understand as he'd run his course and Ross is clearly a very "transient" actor anyway, so would have probably gone of his own accord come say 95 latest). But the exit storyline could have been so much better.

Was abandoning Sam twice and having that affair really out of character? Greg was a shallow sort of person and when he was married to Bobby, she was the one doing the heavy lifting. Even though he was quick to look for custody of Sam, he was found wanting when he finally got sole custody. I think him leaving to drive trucks again was very in character. Even when he came back and gave Sam the option of moving in with him and his fiancée, it was still a half-baked offer. There were some really sweet scenes when Donald and Sam finally admitted how much they cared about each other. 

 

On 03/02/2024 at 09:28, nenehcherry2 said:

Also, a great story would have been to see Jackie return (rather than Morag, that was an awful storyline overall, sorry if anyone liked it) to fight for custody. A recast would have been necessary (the actress was awful imo) but that would have been far more believable than Morag's contrived interest in "Sem" (as Ailsa liked to call him).

Now that would've been an interesting turn of events. When they originally had Jackie give Sam up, the story was very much weighted in favour of Bobby. It was all about how heartbroken she was, and how she and Sam had bonded and should be together. They glossed over Jackie and simply painted her as an immature party girl who didn't have the self-discipline to look after Sam properly. Even though she wasn't the best mother in the world, she wasn't a bad person. Would she have been a better mum a few years later? Who knows? It would've been fun to find out. Ryan Clark seems to be a nice chap but as an actor, he was never in Kate Ritchie's league. Was he really that indispensable?