H&A Spring Break - From the Bay to LA

[H&Alover]

Although great to see all the old episodes, I have to admit this ping ponging between the years is making me dizzy!!!

Oh Diana, she was a bitch wasn't she, we don't seem to get many of them these days do we? Glad the estate agent refused to be bribed by her, see there are honest ones out there. I thought it was a good move by Justine, though seriously it took a young girl to come up with the idea for them to pool their resources to buy the caravan park!

Another fall out between Ailsa and Alf, what caused it this time? Duncan in these episodes was more of a normal young lad, than the out and out bad boy he ended up as.

There hasn't been much Vinnie considering it is supposed to be his week, he just seems to be drifting in and out, though last night's did include him a bit more. I loved how he was looking after Leah and going OTT about it, normally it's Leah who over cares and yes they did make a lovely couple. I'm with others on here, that lady just wanted his company. They should have included the episode where Sally discovers the lump in his testicle, still a relevant issue today as it was then. I think it's Friday that's going to be the night to watch.

I rather liked Jude, tall, dark, moody, yum! His and Noah's mum was a bit of a religious nut, I believe she did turn up for a few episodes.

We may have seen the Sutherlands in the opening credits last night but we didn't see all of them.

Sally as a fledging teacher, who would have thought then she'd eventually be Principal!!! Did Don change his mind about becoming Principal or did someone else step up?

[j.laur5]

That's good you didn't see the Sutherlands, any good episodes in the 2000s were Sutherland free!

The only Sutherland I liked was Shelley, sometimes Kirsty.

[CaptainHulk]

Thing is Duncan was a toxic little turd in early '99 calmed down by the end of the year, was in the middle throughout 2000 but as 2001 dawned and

Ailsa died

he took his naughtiness up to ELEVEN and broke off the handle.

[Red Ranger 1]

A year on from yesterdays episode and theres been a lot of departures, I believe 2000 is the year of the most departures?

I noticed that 2000 was the year that most regulars left and a lot that left had only arrived the year before!.

Is that actually a fact?Hmm: Jesse, James, Justine, Sam technically (although he was back as a guest at the end of the year), Tom, Joel, Natalie, Ken, Edward, Peta, Judith and of course Ailsa.Aside from the fact that it seems to have been a bad year for people whose names began with J, that's a pretty long list (and feel free to tell me if I've missed anyone) but there've been other years with a lot of departures too, I'd have to do a big count.

We may have seen the Sutherlands in the opening credits last night but we didn't see all of them.

Did Don change his mind about becoming Principal or did someone else step up?

We didn't see any Sutherlands, which was a bit surprising given that nearly everyone else turned up (I think Will and Mitch were the only other regulars present).Yes, Don changed his mind and went back as principal, and stayed in the job until he left in 2003.

So, that episode was shown in the UK on Thursday 19th September 2002, and was only two weeks after the end of 5*'s 2007 run.Not a huge amount of Vinnie despite it being his party, he and Leah were the normal ones amid all the feuds.And the double pregnancy, of course.Sally v Shauna, which must be one of the few times Sally's genuinely hated someone (even if she does deny it).A look at the nice Sally/Gypsy friendship that sprang up towards the end of Gypsy's time on the show.Things starting to thaw between Will and Gypsy.And also between Alex and Brodie, although I think we're a long way off their next reunion, after Brodie spends the lion's share of the episode showing she could be really annoying sometimes.

I'm surprised that that was nearly the end of 2001 and Flynn still wasn't on the opening titles, I didn't realise it took that long.So, in addition to the rest of the 2000 departures we'd lost Duncan and Mitch in the interim.I seem to recall Vinnie ends on a whimper rather than a bang, so not sure there's going to be much of him in his last episode either...

[beau_t]

Gypsy is blonde on the opening titles but a redhead in the episode. I had completely forgotten Peta appeared on the 98/99 style titles: We’re not far off them being replaced with the thumbnail pictures scrolling across a pale blue background style, which would last until 2004. Interesting that Mitch is on the closing titles before being added to the opening titles. Following up on what someone said earlier, I believe ITV stopped showing the full closing titles during the 1995 season and never brought them back, so this really is a rare UK showing for them.

Yeah Mitch's opening credit shot of 1999 has to be one of the rarest. I don't think I've ever seen it online. I vaguely remember it being quite dark/artistic but can't remember the details.

I do remember being irritated by the inconsistency of blonde Gypsy in the opening credits even when she'd been a red head for ages. The same thing happened a few years before with Irene after she went brown during the pregnancy storyline.

Always remembered Peta's unusual credit shot, surrounded by apples hanging on strings. Very surreal. Gosh those credits were so good. The blue 2000 credits were visually impressive for the time, and certainly had a lot going on in them, but the actual character shots were so boring and unimaginative in comparison to what had come before.

[Slade]

OK so going by the end credits it was the year Kane raped Dani.

I'd completely forgotten about Charlotte. I remember not being convinced with her acting at the time as I thought she was quite robotic but watching this episode again she was actually OK. Jude was out of order using her like that. The actress who played her (Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen) is another person who has been quiet successful in the US. I remember her in Terminator - Sarah Connor Chronicles, I also remember her being one of the major characters in Melrose Place and she was in a few episodes of Revenge last year.

See that's the real Flynn (not the fake one that appeared a couple of years later). That Flynn was one of my favourite all time characters. I loved his scruffy look and the way he always helped people at the Drop-in centre. I wasn't happy with Shelly declining his request for time off so I was glad he resigned.

Loathed Sally in that episode even though Shauna was in the wrong for trying her luck with Flynn. I was thinking to myself even though I'd already seen it, please don't apologise. Shauna gained absolutely nothing from doing it. And the only thing it achieved was giving Sally the satisfaction of throwing the apology right back in Shauna's face. Then even when Flynn quit his job to help Ashley and Sally was talking to Gypsy about it, Sally had to make it all about her.

Ah Brodi. I really liked her. Thought she was really sweet and I quite liked the way she was there as a friend for Dani.

[atrus]

Judging by this episode and the last, this era seems to be dominated by twentysomething love-rat nobodies cheating on one another, so it was nice to see Leah and Vinnie happy in the midst of it all - for the time being, at least.

I think I'm right in saying that the Charlotte character was a regular for a time. She's another one who's very vague in my mind - there seem to be a lot of those types flying around during this period.

Flynn #1 and Flynn #2 are pretty much totally different characters, it seems to me. I'm not a huge cheerleader for either of them, but then in fairness, it was difficult to get to like any of Sally's boyfriends because you ended up being so overinvested in her as an ultra-long-termer, and underinvested in them because you knew they wouldn't last. It's much the same with Leah's string of live-in nobodies. (No offence Dan, Elijah, Zac. I put Miles in a slightly superior category.)

[c120701]

Another fall out between Ailsa and Alf, what caused it this time?

Alf agreeing to turn her life support off following the car accident. She was convinced he was trying to kill her.

[marcosb]

I wonder will they ever bring back opening credits, the ones in 2009-2010 were terrible, it's the only soap opera i know off which doesn't have opening credits

[Dan F]

Gypsy is blonde on the opening titles but a redhead in the episode. I had completely forgotten Peta appeared on the 98/99 style titles: We’re not far off them being replaced with the thumbnail pictures scrolling across a pale blue background style, which would last until 2004. Interesting that Mitch is on the closing titles before being added to the opening titles. Following up on what someone said earlier, I believe ITV stopped showing the full closing titles during the 1995 season and never brought them back, so this really is a rare UK showing for them.

Yeah Mitch's opening credit shot of 1999 has to be one of the rarest. I don't think I've ever seen it online. I vaguely remember it being quite dark/artistic but can't remember the details.

Oh I loved that shot, certainly the most surreal one they had. Sadly it only lasted for the last 4 weeks of the season.