Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[emmasi]

5 hours ago, Edward Skylover said:

While I agree that Alf is important in H&A, I think Paul Robinson has the opposite effect on Neighbours. He is the worst aspect of the show, going round in circles for years.

Couldn't disagree more. Paul tends to do the same thing (lying, cheating, scheming, stealing, etc) but in different ways and for different reasons. He has turns of being good, but usually gets slapped down by life and reverts to his easier, evil ways. He's a fantastically complex character, played with a huge amount of range from the actor. Alf on the other hand does nothing and serves no purpose. The most important thing he ever does is stand on the sidelines and give other people advice, and there's a 50/50 chance that "advice" means yelling and grumbling and calling them a flaming idiot, whether they're being a flaming idiot or not. He contributes nothing to the show except for negativity and anger, and whenever he gets a storyline where the actor can do anything with any kind of range, it's dropped in under a week. He was always a bit grumpy but he had a good heart and got to show that regularly. Now he's just an awful, selfish, stubborn...flaming idiot!!

It doesn't surprise at all that Ray's been negative about the writing. What on earth does he have to be positive about? I've said a few times lately that I just want Alf to DIE, which seems like the kind of thing that could get my Australian citizenship revoked, but this constant storm cloud isn't Alf. Forget the stroke (oh wait, you already did!), give him dementia or something to at least make his deteriorating personality seem meaningful and give Ray something worth actually turning up to work for. I'm sure he's only sticking around out of nostalgia (and because he doesn't want his citizenship revoked!). 

Lol at the idea of an Australian TV actor with wheelbarrows of cash. Maybe if they paid him in five cent pieces

 

[Luke39]

TBF it is trendy the crime stuff. I mean Breaking Bad e.t.c. Maybe the writers are like those hip parents attempting to be cool, when really they should should just be true to themselfs lol. That is what it feels like anyway. Alf and Sally not close? Really? I thought Alf was almost like a father to her, that is how I saw the relationship. The biggest relationship in this shows history. Was that just me? Anyway. I actually think H and A has turned a corner.

Spoiler

I am enjoying Alf, Roo, and Duncan stuff. Tabitha and Olivia, and Hunter.

But one thing that was so great, was the established Teen Group. Maddy, Matt, Oscar, Evie, Josh e.t.c. That is gone now tbh. Which is dissapointing, I was loving Matt and Maddy's and Josh Evie's date nights haha. But you know some things change, and some things remain the same. Home and Away is a sleepy, beach town. Having too much danger is to inducive. It has quited down a bit, since old Brax took a clue. But hell even the Morgons are bringing that component in. Thing is Rome was not built in a day, I think it is going to take like maybe Four years before they really get back on track. 

And re Ray and Stefan comparions. I agree that Paul shows alot more range on Neighbores heh. And is a very complex character. TBF Stefan is a lot younger then Ray, so is that a factor? I absoulutly love Paul though haha. He is such a engima, one moment he can be this loving uncle, father e.t.c. Next Second he is the Ruthless Man, who would sell anyone for anything. Their has been times for Paul where he can become good. But he has always taken the easy way out. To me Alf is just a grumpy old man now who sits their in his beach house judging people with a long stick, not a broom stick. Negihbores really utilizes the older actors and characters more efficiently. It is almost Home and Away is more equipped in writing younger characters, and Neighbores writes older characters better. Shows could learn something from both. 

[dee123]

44 minutes ago, emmasi said:

Lol at the idea of an Australian TV actor with wheelbarrows of cash. Maybe if they paid him in five cent pieces

 

He is one of 7's highest paid people though. It was reported at half a million a year a few years ago. Like someone said a few pages back. H&A needs Ray more than Ray needs H&A.

[emmasi]

53 minutes ago, dee123 said:

He is one of 7's highest paid people though. It was reported at half a million a year a few years ago. Like someone said a few pages back. H&A needs Ray more than Ray needs H&A.

That makes me feel a bit better about the state of the industry. I didn't think it would be that high. Still, there are American TV actors who wouldn't get out of bed for that. Not sure what it's like in England, but I imagine it's better than here.

[Luke39]

I guess you could argue Alf is the last resemblance of what Home and Away was. That is the problem when you bring in a set of characters and then pretty much ignore the rest of the show and it's characters. Even if Brax, Casey, And Heath became integrated into the show. It was still The River Boy's Starring Home and Away maybe if your luckey Show. I felt back in 2010, they should of really integrated them better. Instead of them bringing all that crime driven stories into the show. Which led to all these dark storylines. And of course led for a periord of time. Female Characters only purpose being a River Boy's girl. Until they werent and had nothing left to do. Ala Tamara, Ruby, Sasha, Natalie e.t.c. Now It's almost like oh the other characters. So they have spent the past year, in a post Braxton era. Now we could go back and fourth, with what is wrong with the show. But tbh, I have seen more positive changes in the show over the past year, then negative. I Think it is getting back on track. 

[Skylover]

6 hours ago, emmasi said:

Couldn't disagree more. Paul tends to do the same thing (lying, cheating, scheming, stealing, etc) but in different ways and for different reasons. He has turns of being good, but usually gets slapped down by life and reverts to his easier, evil ways. He's a fantastically complex character, played with a huge amount of range from the actor. Alf on the other hand does nothing and serves no purpose. The most important thing he ever does is stand on the sidelines and give other people advice, and there's a 50/50 chance that "advice" means yelling and grumbling and calling them a flaming idiot, whether they're being a flaming idiot or not. He contributes nothing to the show except for negativity and anger, and whenever he gets a storyline where the actor can do anything with any kind of range, it's dropped in under a week. He was always a bit grumpy but he had a good heart and got to show that regularly. Now he's just an awful, selfish, stubborn...flaming idiot!!

It doesn't surprise at all that Ray's been negative about the writing. What on earth does he have to be positive about? I've said a few times lately that I just want Alf to DIE, which seems like the kind of thing that could get my Australian citizenship revoked, but this constant storm cloud isn't Alf. Forget the stroke (oh wait, you already did!), give him dementia or something to at least make his deteriorating personality seem meaningful and give Ray something worth actually turning up to work for. I'm sure he's only sticking around out of nostalgia (and because he doesn't want his citizenship revoked!). 

Lol at the idea of an Australian TV actor with wheelbarrows of cash. Maybe if they paid him in five cent pieces

His current plot with Terese makes no sense at all. They seem to be sparring for no reason at all other than to 'have sexual tension'. Everything Paul does is pathetic.

For me Alf is one of the only reasons I carry on watching this awful mess of a show. He doesn't need to have huge OTT storylines IMO, but he does serve a purpose. A character doesn't have to be thrown into stories all the time in order to have a purpose. Yes, he gives advice to the younger characters but that's all he needs to do IMO. He had a scene with Evie this week where he was just giving her advice and it was a beautiful scene. As someone who watches and loves the early years of the show, having Alf in the current show is a massive source of nostalgia and I have a huge amount of affection for him and want him to stay for as long as he can. For me he is the Harold Bishop of Home and Away, he is part of its DNA.

His recent story with Duncan shows there is loads left for him to do. HOWEVER, I do agree that most of the older characters are under-used. I love Roo's scenes with Alf, but I feel like she's been there for 6 years and hasn't done anything. The older characters do lack character development which is a problem, but I feel Alf is an exception to this, he is a legend and I think most people are happy for him to just be there.

[c120701]

6 hours ago, Luke39 said:

Alf and Sally not close? Really? I thought Alf was almost like a father to her, that is how I saw the relationship. The biggest relationship in this shows history. Was that just me? 

Yes, really. Up until the point that Don was about to leave the show they didn't have a lot to do with each other, she'd even refer to him as Alf. Then they had the brain tumour story where Ailsa appeared & when Sally returned with (new) Flynn after a trip to see Sophie, they were by his side which to me marked a point of Don moving aside to build the Alf/Sally relationship. That's when we got the real push on her calling him Mr Stewart, but even then it was more that Alf & Flynn became mates because of Ric, it wasn't until Episode 5000 leading into Flynn's cancer diagnosis that I'd say that Alf stepped into that father figure role with Sally.

[Skylover]

They're doing the same thing with Alf and Leah now. They've never been OTT close like they are now.

4 hours ago, Luke39 said:

I guess you could argue Alf is the last resemblance of what Home and Away was.

Exactly, hence his importance.

[c120701]

15 minutes ago, Edward Skylover said:

They're doing the same thing with Alf and Leah now. They've never been OTT close like they are now.

Exactly, hence his importance.

Actually, Alf & Leah makes more sense that Alf & Sally as they ran the Diner together for quite a few years, with her working for Ailsa & him prior to that. She & Mitch kept the business going after Ailsa's death and then Alf was there for her when Vinnie died and they became very close during the period from Leah being given the partnership & Alf moving in with Sally. In the intervening years they had less to do with each other, but hints of their closeness would come up every now and then.

Of course you could argue that Leah & Alf are responsible for Ailsa's death as Leah found a unit for the diner which had a flat upstairs, saving them finding a unit & a house, so if she hadn't then the boxes that Alf needed to move from the Diner to the flat upstairs wouldn't have been there, so they wouldn't have been in Ailsa's way & she wouldn't have moved them.

[emmasi]

57 minutes ago, Edward Skylover said:

His current plot with Terese makes no sense at all. They seem to be sparring for no reason at all other than to 'have sexual tension'. Everything Paul does is pathetic.

Not sure where the UK is with Neighbours so just in case

Spoiler

It's because she paid someone to lie under oath to get him sent to prison, where he was tormented and severely beaten. When she realised she was wrong and that he wasn't actually responsible for Josh's death, "sorry" didn't cut it for Paul. I actually love how vindictive he's being. It's been great to watch him shift from desperately in love with her to making her life hell, because that's what she tried to do to him. I still think they both have romantic feelings for each other mixed into the serious hatred, which is fascinating. There's a lot of tension there but it's not all sexual, not by a long shot. In contrast, Home and Away would've had them back in the sack by now, if they would give over 40s a storyline at all, which they wouldn't.