1988 Episode Discussion

[Skylover]

I've been enjoying the early episodes a lot actually, I think it's better than some people here are making out, but then I'm a Neighbours fan, and that's known for its small plots etc. whereas I'd assume the majority of people on here love the melodrama the current Home and Away brings.

ter06, I see you said that "even Roo seems tame" from what we've first seen of her, so I'm guessing she's not always this nice?

[Ryan]

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be getting the chance to see them and they are lots of things to enjot about them, there's just a couple of things (one being that I've seen some of these episodes before) that's probably making them slow at the moment.

[alexx]

I've always thought the show was much stronger a good few months into the series and when all the Ailsa/Roo, Fisher/Bobby dynamics fall into place when everything is more solid and the writers seem to up the pace a little and everyone is established. You are right that things are very slow paced, and I don't think it would last a week in prime time in the current television industry, not with such a 'light' plot as the dog and Lyn running away taking centre stage - I think that's why during the earlier-mid 90's the show reached its peak in popularity, because it had the slower character driven elements the show had in the early years, yet it had become more pacier and dramatic in style.

I think the same about Neighbours, I actually find the Channel 7 era of Neighbours to be quite bland and a bit boring and it started getting better once 10 took over and they created a style of there own rather than trying to emulate the Sons and Daughters feel as they had on 7.

I think Lyn is being a bit of a brat and selfish; Tom and Pippa are being way too lenient with her.

[ish_the_angel]

Today's ep felt like i was watching mr bean! that guy whose bacon lyn pinched was a bit of an oddball.

[ter06]

I've been enjoying the early episodes a lot actually, I think it's better than some people here are making out, but then I'm a Neighbours fan, and that's known for its small plots etc. whereas I'd assume the majority of people on here love the melodrama the current Home and Away brings.

ter06, I see you said that "even Roo seems tame" from what we've first seen of her, so I'm guessing she's not always this nice?

No, Roo was quite a b***h in her day, especially when it came to Ailsa!

[Old H&A Fan]

What I can't understand is little Sally's persistent going on about this "Milko", politely referred to as her "invisible friend". Mrs Patterson at her pre-school said this kind of thing usually goes away at a younger age than what Sally was at the time. Does that mean Sally was retarted somehow? or at least abnormal?

I have found in later episodes that

this figment of the imagination tends to appear when it is under stress of some kind

like when moving to Summer Bay away from her "friends" or when

Dodge was allegedly giving her a hard time

.

The writers decided 20-odd years down the track that "Milko" is actually "Milco" or Miles Copeland, her real brother who got lost and never even rated a mention up until the beginning of last year

.

[Red Ranger 1]

I don't think they're saying Sally was retarded or even particularly abnormal, just lonely.I think Tom summed it up in the pilot when he said throughout her life everyone Sally had got close to had ended up leaving her, so she created someone that wouldn't leave her.

If memory serves me correctly, when she started believing in Milco again the next year, it was when Tom was missing and possibly dead.Oh-and she didn't mention Miles before 2008 because she didn't know about him, although it does seem a bit strange that no-one ever found a record of him or her father.

[Jeremai]

I have just finished watching week 1 - a couple of things that caught my attention:

• As Edward Skylover mentioned a couple of pages back, it seems Donald and Ailsa had a "little affair". Was this ever mentioned again? I don't remember ever knowing this and it seems so wrong!
  
• Donald's brother owns the oyster farm that Lance and Martin work for. Again, was Donald's brother ever mentioned again? I have a feeling that these two points, along with Alf's sister "Debra" who gets mentioned later on, are just bits of dialogue that were subsequently forgotten forever.
  

Regarding Sally and Milco, I actually find it less cringeworthy to watch now, knowing that Milco is a real person buried deep in Sally's subconscious (although clearly not what the writers for going for at the time!).

[Ryan]

The affair plays a slightly larger part in Block 4 or 5, when Roo tries to dig up the dirt on Ailsa and Alison Patterson gets hold of a love letter.

I have to agree with your regarding Milco - a buried memory of her brother as ultimately a good resolution compared to just an imaginary friend and they appear to have researched the continuity as well.

Is the frankly brilliant scene in 350 episodes time where Dodge gets Sally to admit he's not real, the last time Sally ever believes in him?

[alexx]

I know that Ailsa and Fisher have a conversation about there relationship during the 1995 or 1996 season, in the Diner if I recall, because that is the first time I ever remember finding out about it.