Aden Jefferies - Todd Lasance

[Slade]

What exactly happened with Tam? Because if my memory serves me correctly I remember them getting drunk on the beach with Aden’s other mates then Cassie came along and asked if everything was alright and shortly afterwards he got-off with her. Then I think afterwards at school he lied about sleeping with her. I wouldn’t class that as “assault”. Come on. Stuff like that happens all the time in night-clubs.

[rachel&kim]

They were on the beach and he got her drunk, or encouraged her to drink, whatever. Then suggested they went away from the crowd and they started making out while one of his friends filmed it, then sent it round the school afterwards. It doesn't sound like much but she was at least three years younger than him and she thought he liked her, by the way he completely lost interest in her after this.

And let's not forget the time he got Geoff drunk, who thought Aden was finally befriending him after bullying him, and then locked him in the boot of Tony's car.

I'm not saying Aden didn't have issues. Obviously he did and it was since proved that he had problems of his own which caused a lot of rage and right, now he's a reformed character. What I don't like is that the whole town seems to have forgiven him anything he did without really asking him to account for his actions.

[Slade]

They were on the beach and he got her drunk, or encouraged her to drink, whatever. Then suggested they went away from the crowd and they started making out while one of his friends filmed it, then sent it round the school afterwards. It doesn't sound like much but she was at least three years younger than him and she thought he liked her, by the way he completely lost interest in her after this.

And let's not forget the time he got Geoff drunk, who thought Aden was finally befriending him after bullying him, and then locked him in the boot of Tony's car.

I'm not saying Aden didn't have issues. Obviously he did and it was since proved that he had problems of his own which caused a lot of rage and right, now he's a reformed character. What I don't like is that the whole town seems to have forgiven him anything he did without really asking him to account for his actions.

Exactly! You’ve just confirmed what I suspected. So he didn’t actually assault her did he? I agree with the rest of the stuff as my previous comments concur with this. But I was just enquiring about the earlier “assault” remark made because I recall a similar one in the Anti Aden thread a few weeks ago and the last time I checked, sticking you tongue down someone’s throat if you are both drunk and willing (as your post suggests) is not classed as assault.

[cicerid]

It's pretty obvious that Aden is one of those characters you can't be neutral about: you either love him or hate him. Being one of those people who loves Aden as a character, I'll try and bring some positive vibes .

Aden has undoubtedly done many bad things in his still relatively short life. I don't think people have forgotten them but I believe they are now friendlier towards him because they see today's Aden and not yesterday's Aden and they judge him by his present actions. Nobody can deny he has changed a lot and that he is making an effort so they are willing to give him a chance. Since coming out of the clinic he's been focusing on his studies, looking for jobs and trying to stay out of trouble (yes, there's the whole cheating business, I'll give you that, but somehow I find Aden's role in this situation not as reproachable as Belle's). If we are not prepared to give people second chances then there's hardly any hope for any of us!

Aden admits he's working towards being a better person but that does not and cannot happen overnight. He apoligizes to both Rachel and Belle for what he did. He has not apologized personally to his father yet but they have met and I'm sure the writers have not closed this chapter yet and we will see more of them together in the future. Yes, it's true we have not seen him apologize to Goeff for all the nasty things he subjected him to and I'm only hoping that an apology will come soon. As for Tam, as bad as Aden's actions towards her were, she's not exactly around any more so he can hardly apologize to her.

Some people have mentioned Aden's lack of empathy but I can counter that by saying that he was/is very empathetic towards Ross and Melody for instance. Before he used to hang out with waste-of-space bullies like him and these have now gone from his life and he's developed healthy relationships with the likes of Roman, Morag and Nicole.

Finally, it is probably true that the whole pre- and post-breakdown counselling which led him to making love for the first time and to him recognizing what he felt towards his father was wrong (and he was visibly upset when he had this breakthrough) was very short but this is a soap and if things happened in the same timeframe as they do in real life we would still be seeing Aden trying to cope with having a normal sexual relationship and this would probably drive all viewers away because the show would become slow and boring. The writers and the actors (in this specific case Todd Lasance) are doing an amazing job at dealing with serious real-life issues but let's not forget what H&A ultimately is: entertainment.

I am kind of enjoying this constant exchange of pro and anti comments (even though I must admit sometimes anti comments upset me as Aden's character is very close to my heart for personal reasons). We seem to be focusing a lot on the character though and not on the actor. I don't think we should forget to mention that our feelings towards Aden, whether they are positive or negative, are all down to the brilliant way Todd has been bringing his character to life.

[Red Ranger 1]

They were on the beach and he got her drunk, or encouraged her to drink, whatever. Then suggested they went away from the crowd and they started making out while one of his friends filmed it, then sent it round the school afterwards. It doesn't sound like much but she was at least three years younger than him and she thought he liked her, by the way he completely lost interest in her after this.

And let's not forget the time he got Geoff drunk, who thought Aden was finally befriending him after bullying him, and then locked him in the boot of Tony's car.

I'm not saying Aden didn't have issues. Obviously he did and it was since proved that he had problems of his own which caused a lot of rage and right, now he's a reformed character. What I don't like is that the whole town seems to have forgiven him anything he did without really asking him to account for his actions.

Exactly! You’ve just confirmed what I suspected. So he didn’t actually assault her did he? I agree with the rest of the stuff as my previous comments concur with this. But I was just enquiring about the earlier “assault” remark made because I recall a similar one in the Anti Aden thread a few weeks ago and the last time I checked, sticking you tongue down someone’s throat if you are both drunk and willing (as your post suggests) is not classed as assault.

I seem to recall he did a bit more than just kissing her.He was lying on top of her and touching her in a manner that was highly inappropriate for a girl of fifteen(I think he actually had his hand up her skirt). I'm not sure Tam really was all that willing, he'd got her in such a state that she was virtually insensible at the time and not really capable of consenting to anything.The video of the two of them together did actually look as though they were having sex.Aden denied that that's what happened or what would have happened and I believe him but it was a very uncomfortable situation.

Edited November 6, 2008 by Red Ranger 1

[adelle]

They were on the beach and he got her drunk, or encouraged her to drink, whatever. Then suggested they went away from the crowd and they started making out while one of his friends filmed it, then sent it round the school afterwards. It doesn't sound like much but she was at least three years younger than him and she thought he liked her, by the way he completely lost interest in her after this.

And let's not forget the time he got Geoff drunk, who thought Aden was finally befriending him after bullying him, and then locked him in the boot of Tony's car.

I'm not saying Aden didn't have issues. Obviously he did and it was since proved that he had problems of his own which caused a lot of rage and right, now he's a reformed character. What I don't like is that the whole town seems to have forgiven him anything he did without really asking him to account for his actions.

Exactly! You’ve just confirmed what I suspected. So he didn’t actually assault her did he? I agree with the rest of the stuff as my previous comments concur with this. But I was just enquiring about the earlier “assault” remark made because I recall a similar one in the Anti Aden thread a few weeks ago and the last time I checked, sticking you tongue down someone’s throat if you are both drunk and willing (as your post suggests) is not classed as assault.

I seem to recall he did a bit more than just kissing her.He was lying on top of her and touching her in a manner that was highly inappropriate for a girl of fifteen(I think he actually had his hand up her skirt). I'm not sure Tam really was all that willing, he'd got her in such a state that she was virtually insensible at the time and not really capable of consenting to anything.The video of the two of them together did actually look as though they were having sex.Aden denied that that's what happened or what would have happened and I believe him but it was a very uncomfortable situation.

They were kissing and he put his leg over her, but that's about it. She was wearing pants too so his hand wasn't up her skirt and they both had all their clothes. I'm not defending Aden, what he did was horrible and he took advantage of Tam, but I think it got blown way out of proportion. Tam willingly got drunk with him, it wasn't like he was forcing it down her throat. Obviously she wasn't in the state of mind to make any kind of decisions, but there comes a point in time where you have to take responsibility for your own actions, and not blame others. It happens all the time, a girl gets so wasted that she ends up doing something she regrets with a guy, and all of a sudden the guy is an evil rapist who needs to be locked up. I'm not saying that taking advantage of drunk girls/boys is fine, its not. But you have to take some responsiblity if you willingly get yourself drunk. Aden was clearly in the wrong in that situation, but Tam wasn't completely innocent either.

I also think that its possible that this storyline was written before Todd was given a full contract and the abuse back story, which could explain why there are inconsistencies with Aden's character. I highly doubt that the sexually abused Aden would have tried it on wth Tam in the manner in which he did, especially given how he reacted when Axel went for Melody.

[emmasi]

Aden didn't take advantage of Tam. He offered her alcohol, she knowingly took it, she wanted to kiss him - he didn't force her to do anything else - and she complained when she was taken away from him, and in the morning when she was fully sober, she still wanted to be with him. However, Aden's mates - NOT Aden - took it upon themselves to film him kissing her and spread it around the school. Aden then went along with it to save face, but it was not his idea, he was just trying to act like a stud so as not to suffer the same embarrassment that Tam did. It wasn't nice of him to do, but it wasn't an evil masterplan either.

The only real issue was her age, 15, but according to the current writers, Aden would have only been 16 at the time so I don't see that that's such a big deal.

[rachel&kim]

Oh ok, I'll accept that one then. I did say I didn't remember all the details. But he still put drunk Geoff in the boot of Tony's car. And all he wanted to do was make friends. That one is harder to say wasn't his fault.

Like I say, I do like Aden now. Actually right this second I'm not crazy about him because he doesn't seem to be taking any responsibility for the cheating incident. But in general, he's one of my favourites on the show, I'm just saying I think it's weird that Geoff seems to have accepted him now, would he even know about the abuse?

[emmasi]

Oh ok, I'll accept that one then. I did say I didn't remember all the details. But he still put drunk Geoff in the boot of Tony's car. And all he wanted to do was make friends. That one is harder to say wasn't his fault.

Yes, he did do that . I could defend his reasons, from a "he's only human" point of view, but not his actions. He was jealous of Geoff and wanted to knock him down a few pegs, but what he did was very dangerous. Geoff could have easily suffocated, or died of alcohol poisoning, since he'd had a lot and he never drank before. It was very stupid. They're both lucky that it wasn't more serious.

I'm just saying I think it's weird that Geoff seems to have accepted him now, would he even know about the abuse?

They had a very awkward scene when Aden started dating Belle. Aden was in Geoff's house, so he decided to be civil and just say hello to him. Geoff decided to do the same, so I guess that they've just learned to get along for Belle's sake. Geoff's also been the less aggressive of the two; his Christian love angle has prompted him to reach out to Aden on several occasions, including when Axel died. Aden kept knocking him back, but I think they're pretty much over their differences now. Aden's done a lot of growing up, and Geoff's default mode is acceptance and understanding. Except when he's got a bee in his bonnet and gets all judgmental and has to be told to shut up about it

I don't know if Geoff knows about the abuse, but I don't think it would matter. Aden's Belle's boyfriend and he's been a good friend to Melody - that would mean a lot to Geoff.

[Deborah]

I agree Adelle. The Aden that did that with Tam does not seem in anyway like the Aden that came back into the show sometime later!

I have a feeling the writers were hoping us viewers would all forget about the Tam incident, when they brought him back, as someone who had been abused. The Aden they brought back, I feel would never have done that, given his past history with his Grandad. I feel that this is an inconsistency on the writers part.

I have been hoping though, that at some point, Aden might apologise to Geoff for the way he treated him. Maybe he will in a future episode, really hope so.

Whatever you feel about Aden's character, you have to admit Todd is an amazing actor, who I have a feeling will go far after H&A. Maybe he will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Guy Pearce? Not that I ever want him to leave the show!