Frank returns in 1991

[yaniv]

There is no doubt that the big star of the show in 1988 and half of 1989 before he left  was Frank ,his romance with Roo and Boby were in the headlines everywhere ,and the character and the actor who play him Alex Papps were on top of the popularity ,every thing changed 2 years later when Frank come back in surprise ,and in my opinion he just wasn't belong to the show and  Summer Bay anymore,like the fashion of yesterday ,the 80 were gone ,it was an new era ,and no one care or wanted to see him anymore ,he was boring and intolerable and just try to push his nose in Bobby life again!! my question is ,did you like Frank return? and in your opinion this guest stint was success or failure ?

[cymbaline]

Bringing back old characters rarely works anyway. They're fine if they just show up for an event (wedding/party/funeral) but they rarely sit well within the wider show. It was obvious even at the time that bringing Alex Papps back for a handful of episodes was merely a gimmick and that he'd soon be gone again. So really, unless you cared whether Bobby married Greg or not, there wasn't much to raise the pulses here. It didn't help that in his absence, Pippa had had her head change and we were expected to believe that DebPip had been Frank's foster mum all along. Maybe the whole point of the storyline was for Bobby and Frank to draw a line permanently under their relationship. She was going to settle and marry Greg (I never liked them as a couple) and Frank proved that he was no knight in white armour.

[Summer's Bay]

14 hours ago, cymbaline said:

Bringing back old characters rarely works anyway. They're fine if they just show up for an event (wedding/party/funeral) but they rarely sit well within the wider show. It was obvious even at the time that bringing Alex Papps back for a handful of episodes was merely a gimmick and that he'd soon be gone again. So really, unless you cared whether Bobby married Greg or not, there wasn't much to raise the pulses here. It didn't help that in his absence, Pippa had had her head change and we were expected to believe that DebPip had been Frank's foster mum all along. Maybe the whole point of the storyline was for Bobby and Frank to draw a line permanently under their relationship. She was going to settle and marry Greg (I never liked them as a couple) and Frank proved that he was no knight in white armour.

It didn't help that in his absence, Pippa had had her head change

 

Maybe the whole point of the storyline was for Bobby and Frank to draw a line permanently under their relationship.

I agree with this 

 

She was going to settle and marry Greg (I never liked them as a couple)

 

Ive always wondered if this was the plan for her character..just to settle for an ordinary man with an ordinary life. Im sure she was happy, but she definitely settled

 

Frank proved that he was no knight in white armour.

 

I think he was serious, but it was too late, Bobby couldn't be certain that he wouldn't walk away again. 

The fact that the writers didn't kill of his character leads me to believe that maybe the idea was for him and Bobby to get back together again(which was ultimately going to be revisited due to the way they parted)  permanently down the road,  but Alex wouldn't commit to a full time gig. 

[cymbaline]

4 hours ago, Summer's Bay said:

The fact that the writers didn't kill of his character leads me to believe that maybe the idea was for him and Bobby to get back together again(which was ultimately going to be revisited due to the way they parted)  permanently down the road,  but Alex wouldn't commit to a full time gig. 

Interesting thought. We shall never know. I wonder did the powers that be ever ask Alex to come back for a longer spell/permanently? He was the show's original hunk and never lost his good looks. He'd still be an interesting addition because of what happened between him and Roo back in the day.

[Summer's Bay]

On 06/01/2020 at 16:06, cymbaline said:

Interesting thought. We shall never know. I wonder did the powers that be ever ask Alex to come back for a longer spell/permanently? He was the show's original hunk and never lost his good looks. He'd still be an interesting addition because of what happened between him and Roo back in the day.

How long can that story line run its course? this will mean having to change history to explain why they broke up when both said they were unhappy and wanted different things.  In my opinion Frank returning to draw the line under him and Bobby was the same as  Frank and Roo having their second chance away from Summer Bay. 

Unless Frank returns with his own family to live and run the caravan park, I'm not sure where he would fit in as a long term character..I think that ship sailed long ago.

[cymbaline]

He wouldn't necessarily have to get back with Roo, just shake things up a bit. But yes, you are right. The majority of old faces who return to soaps either stick out like a store thumb or have their characters destroyed by the writers.

[CaptainHulk]

At least when he came back in 2000 his interactions with Pip were more genuine seeming even if Sally was the unifying factor.

[Summer's Bay]

Not sure how far into the storyline this interview was done, but according to the last page of the interview (click right arrow to access the interview), it appeared, wel according to Nicolle that the end game might have been for Frank and Bobby to make it work. I assume Alex announcing that he wanted to leave changed that.

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

That's not the way I'm reading it. She almost seems to be saying that it was never going to work, but they knew the fans wanted it so they gave them a big wedding as a consolation.Possibly the interview's influenced by the way things ultimately went (Bobby being the rebound, them both wanting different things out of life and not really being compatible) but there's not much in the way of an alternative viewpoint.

[Summer's Bay]

9 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

That's not the way I'm reading it. She almost seems to be saying that it was never going to work, but they knew the fans wanted it so they gave them a big wedding as a consolation.Possibly the interview's influenced by the way things ultimately went (Bobby being the rebound, them both wanting different things out of life and not really being compatible) but there's not much in the way of an alternative viewpoint.

I was more so referring to the line in the interview where it says "Nicolle warns against writing them off too soon".

 

In a different interview Alex said along the lines of the characters  wanted the same things, but  they just went about it in different ways. It really wouldve been interesting to see what wouldve happened had Alex not left the first time, or chose to return permanantly the second time.

I personally think it wouldve been a nice touch for Frank to return for Bobbys funeral, or at the very least have some sort of flashback when he returned for Sallys wedding