H&A Spring Break - From the Bay to LA

[c120701]

Great to see the full length 1996 titles today, I've been waiting for these ones as they're my favourite.

Irene going off at Don was great, as was him telling her to shut up so he could speak.

I love Episode 2000 so much, they gave Angel a great departure (aside from being stuck for eternity with the rather boring Simon) and quite rightly farewelled Shane & Angel's relationship at the same time. Don's speech to Angel was lovely too.

I love the Shannon/Selina elbow nudge scene.

This episode really was at one of the best times of the show. I don't think there's been another set of teens I liked as much as these.

Also the brief period when the stable door at the Beach House was actually used as designed with the bottom part being closed and the top open.

[Light of the Bay]

I too thought some scenes were cut short.

I've been really enjoying these episodes over the past few week and I'd love for Channel 5 to resume airing classic episodes on a daily basis again.

[home and away 1988-2000]

Is there anyway Channel 5 could aquire maybe 1996 starting from 1921, i'd say 1995 but there wouldnt be much point it's going to be on the air in a year from now anyway.

[Dan F]

Ep 2000 was exactly as originally aired in case anyone was thinking Channel 5 had made any cuts, probably just a few abrupt edits made at the time to fit everything in.

[Jamie2811]

Lovely exit for Angel in todays episode, she had come a long way in 3 years. I like her relationship with Donald.

Great to see Irene in the days she had more fire, I notice her hair was still blonde in the titles. Speaking of those titles they are the best titles era I think.

Chloe's father looks familiar, I'm sure he played Colleen's husband in 2000. What was the story with Chloe and what was she struggling to cope with?

[Dan F]

Lovely exit for Angel in todays episode, she had come a long way in 3 years. I like her relationship with Donald.

Great to see Irene in the days she had more fire, I notice her hair was still blonde in the titles. Speaking of those titles they are the best titles era I think.

Chloe's father looks familiar, I'm sure he played Colleen's husband in 2000. What was the story with Chloe and what was she struggling to cope with?

Yes he did play Les Smart in 2000.

Chloe had been raped earlier that year - when it went to court, the man who had been suspected of it walked free as Chloe never saw her attacker's face. Her dad then shot him dead outside the courthouse.

It later turned out the man was innocent all along and had been set up by an old friend, Brad Cooper, who by that time was himself in a relationship with Chloe - that all came to light in the 1996 season finale.

[Red Ranger 1]

I too thought that episode was a mess technically.It felt like we kept being plonked into a scene mid-conversation without any attempt to establish where we were and why.It was as if someone randomly cut all the establishing shots that might have given the audience a chance to stop and breathe.The flashbacks didn't exactly fit in seamlessly either, with the kitchen scene near the start seeming all over the place.It also didn't help that it felt like they wanted to have something other than Angel's farewell in the episode but didn't know what so ended up including about four other storylines without much happening in any of them.

Which is all a bit critical and perhaps unfair.It was nice to get a set of credits with Alex on at last, although I think he'd actually gone by this point.Having Angel go off into the sunset with someone other than Shane was always going to be controversial but she deserved a happy ending and Simon sweeping her off her feet was credible, he was a decent guy.I remember Dylan giving him the Father's Day card and Angel explaining it.They seemed to skimp a bit on the farewells (was Ailsa elsewhere?) but the scenes between Angel and Don were very emotional.Angel did seem a lot more glamorous here than when she was with Shane.Does anyone know why Sam was on crutches?Angel and Dylan's last exchange was a genuine tearjerker.Angel and Sally in the same scene, although they don't speak to each other and I'm not sure Sally spoke at all except for a few generic mumbles.Similarly, Pippa only appears in Angel's farewell scene with one line.Am I right in thinking that when Simon returns in 1999 he's played by a different actor (and a bit less stiff)?

(On the subject of Sally being a goody two shoes, she wasn't that all the time in 1993 or even 1989, it's just she always went back to being one once the storyline was over, as we saw in yesterday's episode.)

Irene's rant about Steven, while morally correct, was so self-righteous that I just couldn't bring myself to agree with her, especially when we know Steven and Selina ended up together when they were older.That's two episodes in a row (at least from our point of view) where Shannon's been a bit annoying, although her silent moment of reconciliation with Selina had me shouting "That's the clip from Episode 4000!" (Double the number of the episode here, ironically.)We're obviously very early on in Casey's time on the show (and Joey's and Liam's and Stephanie's and Jesse's, none of whom have made the credits yet: the following week?), so I'm guessing her black eye is to do with her mother? Despite the row with Don, I think she did ultimately leave on good terms with the likes of Joey, Aaron and Rebecca.

Chloe increasingly disenchanted with her father, which ultimately turned into full blown depression I think.Watching those scenes, I'm left thinking it's been nearly 20 years since Richards was locked up and wondering what became of him.Is he out now, having been released to find his daughter's dead and his life is even emptier?(There's a fan fiction about him and Diana teaming up to get custody of Olivia waiting to be written...Man, that girl lucked out on the grandparent front.)Chloe and Curtis obviously still together at this point, although I'm not sure how long for.

And tomorrow we skip forward to 2003, between Vinnie going and Kim arriving.

[Jamie2811]

Lovely exit for Angel in todays episode, she had come a long way in 3 years. I like her relationship with Donald.

Great to see Irene in the days she had more fire, I notice her hair was still blonde in the titles. Speaking of those titles they are the best titles era I think.

Chloe's father looks familiar, I'm sure he played Colleen's husband in 2000. What was the story with Chloe and what was she struggling to cope with?

Yes he did play Les Smart in 2000.

Chloe had been raped earlier that year - when it went to court, the man who had been suspected of it walked free as Chloe never saw her attacker's face. Her dad then shot him dead outside the courthouse.

It later turned out the man was innocent all along and had been set up by an old friend, Brad Cooper, who by that time was himself in a relationship with Chloe - that all came to light in the 1996 season finale.

I knew she'd been raped at some point, but not about her father shooting the man suspected of it so thanks for that Dan. Think I need a read of some of the character summaries on the site, brush up on the teen characters from this era.

[Dan F]

It was nice to get a set of credits with Alex on at last, although I think he'd actually gone by this point.

We're obviously very early on in Casey's time on the show (and Joey's and Liam's and Stephanie's and Jesse's, none of whom have made the credits yet: the following week?)

Yeah some big changes in the next ep, that's when the opening theme was cut down for the first time, going straight into the verse without an intro, and losing the last part of the song (Let me be the one etc.). Of course the latter never returned.

Angel and Alex were removed, Liam & Stephanie given their own shot and Joey put with Sam. Plus various others were switched around (the debut of Sal & Pip hanging out the washing), the only shots that remained the same were Curtis & Chloe, Travis & Kelly, Alf & Ailsa and Irene & Maz. There was even a new wider shot of the H&A sign on the beach.

Casey and Jesse didn't make the titles until the next big revamp around 60 eps later.

And yup Simon was recast on his 1999 return.

[CaptainHulk]

Having Angel go off into the sunset with someone other than Shane was always going to be controversial but she deserved a happy ending and Simon sweeping her off her feet was credible, he was a decent guy.I remember Dylan giving him the Father's Day card and Angel explaining it.They seemed to skimp a bit on the farewells (was Ailsa elsewhere?) but the scenes between Angel and Don were very emotional.Angel did seem a lot more glamorous here than when she was with Shane.Does anyone know why Sam was on crutches?Angel and Dylan's last exchange was a genuine tearjerker.Angel and Sally in the same scene, although they don't speak to each other and I'm not sure Sally spoke at all except for a few generic mumbles.Similarly, Pippa only appears in Angel's farewell scene with one line.Am I right in thinking that when Simon returns in 1999 he's played by a different actor (and a bit less stiff)?

(On the subject of Sally being a goody two shoes, she wasn't that all the time in 1993 or even 1989, it's just she always went back to being one once the storyline was over, as we saw in yesterday's episode.)

Ryan Clark injured himself IRL playing rugby/football so they had to write into the script, I remember seeing him randomly limp into the Ross house on crutches one day and thought "how'd that happen?" then I read a small Inside Soap article.

Simon returns played by Morgan O'Neill in 1999

to help Don out of a hole (to fund Byron's US healthcare) for two episodes.

Sal was only a brat in 1989 due to getting a taste of Ross and Louise's fancy lifestyle which was way beyond the means of the Fletchers but went back to normal within weeks. Sal was pretty much a goody-goody throughout with the exceptions of 1993 and 1997. But hey, every soap has to have at least one or two.

As for Angel being more glamorous, it was clear she had undergone some changes (not just cosmetic) but had steadily matured and Melissa George was worthy of the #2 spot at that point. 3.5yrs can change a person. Husband died, become a single mother, house falls down in earthquake, she needed a happy ending. If this was the modern product, she'd probably would have been kllled off after all that!

I found it Ironic that Alex made it into the credits only for Nick Freedman to quit three months later!

Talking of High Credit positions, #3 and #4 were Curtis and Chloe's best showings.