Aden Jefferies - Todd Lasance

[Red Ranger 1]

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.

What?!I've seen this about before and I'm not sure where it comes from.Has Aden's age been changed in an episode I haven't seen?At the time, about a year ago, Aden was eighteen and in Year 12.He's still in Year 12 and it was established several times at the beginning of the year that he flunked his exams(possibly because he collapsed from appendicitis in the middle of them)and is repeating.I don't think there's been any mention of him being de-aged.When he was first staying over at Belle's, Roman said they were the same age.Is Belle supposed to be sixteen or seventeen as well?Unless someone can present me with on screen evidence to the contrary, I'm assuming Aden's nineteen now.

You could claim that Tam's actions were consensual but, seriously, I really don't think she was in the right frame of mind to be making decisions and I do think Aden took advantage of her.Maybe not in a serious way but he saw an opportunity to have a bit of fun with her and took it without taking her feelings into consideration.

[emmasi]

Roman I think said something (or maybe someone said to him) about having two 17 year olds in his house, meaning Nicole and Aden. There has also been a couple of occasions where Aden hasn't been allowed to drink this year. He's been deaged, and there seems to be no apparent reason for it.

If you watch the clip with Tam, which I did the last time this was brought up, he's actually very caring and gentle with her, and she looks a bit nervous - indicating that she knows what's going on - but she nods for him to kiss her. She makes the decision and he doesn't force her to do anything. I don't think anyone had decided on the abuse stuff when this happened, but I've explained it by saying that he was on top of Tam - he was in control of the situation, unlike when Nicole attacked him. (If Axel attacked Melody, Nicole attacked Aden.) He wasn't taking advantage of Tam in my opinion, and he wouldn't have felt like she was taking advantage of him. You could even argue that he wanted to get her drunk, and get a bit drunk himself, in order to make it easier for him to get with her. She wouldn't be any kind of threat if she was a bit out of it, and he wouldn't be completely aware of what was going on so he'd be less inhibited about it. I don't see that incident as being unmeshable with what we know now, I think it just takes a bit of creativity to make it fit.

[Red Ranger 1]

I don't remember Aden being referred to as seventeen and I don't remember him not being allowed to drink(which wouldn't necessarily mean he's underage anyway).When Aden and Nicole first moved in, Morag said something about becoming surrogate parent to two teenagers, which might be what you're thinking of.But I don't know everything so you might be right, although Roman DEFINITELY said Aden and Belle were the same age.I can probably find the episode if you like.

My theory on Aden's behaviour pre-abuse revelation:The show has deliberately left it vague as to how experienced Aden is.I think that before the article about his grandfather brought it all to the surface, Aden had repressed his memories of what happened.It wasn't a healthy way of dealing with it, which is why he was behaving badly, but it was a way and I think he didn't start having problems with intimacy until it all came out and he had to face up to it.I think Belle is Aden's first serious relationship but he was sexually active beforehand, he had a few casual flings.Belle said she's never known Aden to have a girlfriend but she seems to have forgotten about Cassie(although I don't think they slept together). And what about that Izzie girl he was going out with before he binned her for Tam?Were they just holding hands?But that's just my theory and everyone is welcome to disregard it.

As for Tam...I agree, Aden was quite sweet and charming towards her, more so than he was when he was first with Belle and his idea of courtship seemed to consist of saying "You want me" repeatedly until she agreed.But I also think he was mostly using her to get one over on Geoff, by copping off with the girl he liked.Whatever the case, as Sally pointed out, at the very least he was guilty of supplying a minor with alcohol.

[wrongturntaken]

Roman I think said something (or maybe someone said to him) about having two 17 year olds in his house, meaning Nicole and Aden. There has also been a couple of occasions where Aden hasn't been allowed to drink this year. He's been deaged, and there seems to be no apparent reason for it.

If you watch the clip with Tam, which I did the last time this was brought up, he's actually very caring and gentle with her, and she looks a bit nervous - indicating that she knows what's going on - but she nods for him to kiss her. She makes the decision and he doesn't force her to do anything. I don't think anyone had decided on the abuse stuff when this happened, but I've explained it by saying that he was on top of Tam - he was in control of the situation, unlike when Nicole attacked him. (If Axel attacked Melody, Nicole attacked Aden.) He wasn't taking advantage of Tam in my opinion, and he wouldn't have felt like she was taking advantage of him. You could even argue that he wanted to get her drunk, and get a bit drunk himself, in order to make it easier for him to get with her. She wouldn't be any kind of threat if she was a bit out of it, and he wouldn't be completely aware of what was going on so he'd be less inhibited about it. I don't see that incident as being unmeshable with what we know now, I think it just takes a bit of creativity to make it fit.

I agree, i think that we can say he did what he did with Tam because of what you said and i also think because at that point in time he seemed to have repressed what he knew had actually happened to him, but when the newspaper article came out about his Grandfather we saw him gradually not being able to keep it to himself anymore because he had been forced to confront it. And then this could have been what influenced him with girls in the future because the abuse was suddenly playing a major role in his life in a different way to what it had before, i.e. him moving out of his father's house.

I'm not quite sure that all made sense, but i hope it did! lol

[Red Ranger 1]

I don't remember Aden being referred to as seventeen and I don't remember him not being allowed to drink(which wouldn't necessarily mean he's underage anyway).When Aden and Nicole first moved in, Morag said something about becoming surrogate parent to two teenagers, which might be what you're thinking of.But I don't know everything so you might be right, although Roman DEFINITELY said Aden and Belle were the same age.I can probably find the episode if you like.

I'm sorry, emmasi, my bad, you're absolutely right, I can remember some of it now.Curse inactive memory.I can remember Aden going to get a beer from the fridge and Nicole saying something like "Roman was in the SAS, he'd notice" and Aden putting it back.And I can vaguely remember the conversation you referred to.I think I just chalked it up as a continuity error and ignored it.You can explain it away by saying the character didn't know how old Aden was and was just guessing.(It's not without precedence: shortly after they met, Flynn gave an age for Sally that was clearly wrong and obviously just a guess.)I don't think it was a conscious decision on the writer's part, I think they just forgot how old Aden was and now they've remembered, hence the line I quoted(although in the context it was slightly ambiguous).That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

Edited November 7, 2008 by Red Ranger 1

[doola]

So with all things pointing to some major storylines coming up for Belle next year, there has been no mention of Aden in relation to any of them.

What do people reckon will happen to the character next year?

Aden is my favourite character, so I hope he gets some good storylines of his own, and won't just be relegated to a 'supporting boyfriend' role (even if it does mean more Adelle goodness )....I can live with that, but only for a while!

I do hope that at some point we get to see Larry again, or at least hear some update about his liver disease. Maybe having Aden's brother(s) coming back would shake things up a bit.

[cicerid]

So with all things pointing to some major storylines coming up for Belle next year, there has been no mention of Aden in relation to any of them.

What do people reckon will happen to the character next year?

Aden is my favourite character, so I hope he gets some good storylines of his own, and won't just be relegated to a 'supporting boyfriend' role (even if it does mean more Adelle goodness )....I can live with that, but only for a while!

I do hope that at some point we get to see Larry again, or at least hear some update about his liver disease. Maybe having Aden's brother(s) coming back would shake things up a bit.

Aden is my favourite character too and I really hope we'll get to see some interesting storylines involving him. I really miss Aden when he is not in an episode.

Also, I've been re-watching episodes at UK pace and Todd's performance on the big screen comes across so much better and powerful.

There is one particular scene which I think shows what good an actor he is: when he is still in the clinic and he finally has a breakthrough with his counsellor and understands his father did not help him because he could not help himself. Todd's facial expressions change so much in the space of a few minutes: he goes from being serious and reflective, to emotional and then happy in a very sweet and touching way - when the doctor tells him he deserves a break and that he can go out for a day and see his friends his face really lightens up (his eyes do).

So, as far as I'm concerned, bring on more acting from Todd (and even better if it involves Belle too )

[Deborah]

I think it would be great if Aden's brother, Justin, was introduced into the show! His other brother, Sean, is supposed to be in prison, although I don't know how long for, or what he is in there for.

Would be nice to see Larry again, not to sure how Aden would be with that.

[whispered_envy]

Sean is in prison for bashing Ric. I agree, I think it would be great to bring in Justin- can you imagine how emotional the scenes between those two would be? It would result in some more great acting from Todd.

I don't think I could stand it if they just turned Aden into a 'supporting boyfriend' and nothing more- I really hope he has storylines next year that aren't all about his and Belle's relationship!

[Lise]

It will be very interesting to see where they take Aden from here. The introduction of Justin would be good to see. It would be interesting to see wether he's dealt with the abuse or having his brother reappear brings it all back to the surface.

Aden is such a brillant character that for him to exist purely as a support to Belle would be criminal.