Were Pippa and Michael the foster parents from hell?

[CaptainHulk]

 

They were by NO means perfect.

Michael, at worst was a bit of a Napoleon and a tight-arse.

Times when Pip was less than Saintly. 

But they had an ORGANIC chemistry. 

[adam436]

On 03/03/2022 at 07:07, BobbyFridge said:

I'm in 1992 now having rewatched from episode 1 since August last year. I'm really struggling to like Debra's Pippa and Michael. I know Tom and Vanessa's Pippa weren't always perfect but i don't remember being frustrated with them as much as i am with Debra's Pippa and Michael. I have never found Michael likeable, he is way too authoritarian and heavy handed for my liking, also stubborn. Pippa always seems miserable and moaning about something. They treat the foster kids like slaves, with endless chores to do. 

This is an accurate description really. 

If we are comparing Tom and Pippa #1 with Michael and Pippa #2: 

Tom was certainly more fatherly than Michael. He was firm, but fair and understanding, and certainly more approachable as a father figure. If I was teenage foster child in that house, I would certainly feel more comfortable going to Tom with a personal problem than I would with Michael. Tom was a foster child himself (I think?), so the purpose was there and I believe it in more. Michael often gave the impression he didn't want to be there, and that fostering was "part of the deal" because he married Pippa. I think that changed for Michael in 1995ish when he was separated from Pippa, because had to make more of an effort to be part of the kid's lives. And then Maya came along (the young girl from Europe whose dad died in the the plane crash!) came along, which is the first time he really seemed invested in fostering, which I think Pippa herself even pointed out. 

Pippa #1 certainly had a more lighter and fun side to her and like Tom, she was more approachable and understanding. There were definitely times when Pippa #1 definitely unreasonably took her problems out on the kids - it was either when Tom was recovering from his stroke or when her and Tom were arguing when he first came home from hospital, but that seemed like nothing to what Pippa #2 did to Jack in 1995. Pippa #2, as you say, was always moaning and miserable. It definitely didn't feel like Pippa #1 and Pippa #2 were the same character at times. 

The chores around the character is an interesting point to make too - it's been a while since I've watched 1988-89, but I don't remember Tom and Pippa nagging Carly, Steven, Lynn, Bobby and Frank to do chores around the caravan park, but I always remember Pippa and Michael doing it with their foster kids. 

[Red Ranger 1]

People still seem to have an idealised version of Tom. And indeed of Pippa #1. Tom threatened to throw Carly out at least once and after the pilot (possibly after the pre-credits sequence of the pilot!) it was always Pippa pushing to take on a new foster child and Tom being resistant to the idea. I agree that Michael only went into fostering because Pippa was already doing it, but that doesn't mean he wanted rid of the children. As I recall, Pippa was the one who insisted on the roster because it's what they always used to have. Again, Tom was putting the kids to work in the caravan park in the pilot, so I don't think it's something exclusive to their replacements.

I can't quite remember what Pippa did to Jack in 1995, but I don't think it was any worse than the way she treated the kids in 1989 or the first half of 1990. Insisting Carly cancel her wedding, after being the one who insisted it go ahead in the first place, was pretty unreasonable.

[Bobby Forever Missed]

looking back on this thread, i don't think Pippa and Michael are unreasonable for expecting kids to do chores, i had to do chores as a kid it didn't hurt me any, @Red Ranger 1are you talking about after Jack let the Meatloaves for the diner burn? that was 1994 i'm fairly sure around the time she and Michael started having problems and i think the meatloaves was just the straw that broke the camel's back, i do agree though Pippa 1 and Tom are idealised to a degree but i can remember them making the kids do chores and babysit Christopher 

[j.laur5]

Storyline’s were too simple back then compared to now.  The biggest drama at Summer Bay house was meatloaves burning. 

[Red Ranger 1]

@Bobby Forever MissedI don't know what I'm talking about! I was responding to the previous post by @adam436which claimed Pippa did something bad to Jack in 1995 that was implied to be the worst thing she'd ever done to a foster kid. I probably thought it was the incident you were talking about. If it was 1995, then they might even have been talking about the bushfire, in which case, really? We're blaming Pippa for not being happy about that?

[CaptainHulk]

The Writers clearly favoured Tom over Michael during Sal's journry into Adulthood,  no dispute.

And given how much of a brat Carly was at times, Did you seriously blame Tom? Ok, she had a crappy life being smacked around by George and being passed over for Samantha but that does NOT give her a free pass!

4 hours ago, j.laur5 said:

Storyline’s were too simple back then compared to now.  The biggest drama at Summer Bay house was meatloaves burning. 

Some of us liked it better that way! They didn't need to pull out guns every minutes but they did it was like "Oh s***!".  Less is more! 

[BobbyFridge]

I did say in my opening post that i don't think Tom and Vanessa's Pippa were perfect and of course they weren't. Tom in particular was very objectionable after the stroke and probably needed to go away by himself for a while. Vanessa's Pippa was capable of being moody absolutely. But she seemed more lively and youthful, i could never imagine Debra singing in the band like Vanessa did. Tom threatening to throw Carly out i saw as him being really hurt by her behaviour rather than just losing patience the way it always seems with Michael. Carly was depicted as being quite selfish in the first year of the show, she went off with her father and her twin thinking about fame and greed and they were just using her anyway. I thought Tom gave Carly more of a choice rather than actually kicking her out, he said something like ''either she comes back here and stops this nonsense or she's not welcome back, she can stay with her father'' 

I still struggle with Michael. Yesterday i saw an episode where Damo's sports kit is stolen by Shane. Fisher, as usual, refuses to listen when he protests that it was stolen and gives him detention as a punishment. Michael is then mad because Damo is late to the boat shed as he was due there to help him. He refuses to listen to him and tells him to ''get lost'' And the way he says it is very nasty as well. I just can't defend behaviour like that. At that point even Pippa tells Michael he isn't being fair to Damien and that unless he changes his ways with him it would be best for him to leave. That was the moment when i softened a little towards Pippa.

[Homeandawayfan.]

I so wish VanPip had met Michael, or DebPip had met Tom.

[Red Ranger 1]

1 hour ago, BobbyFridge said:

At that point even Pippa tells Michael he isn't being fair to Damien and that unless he changes his ways with him it would be best for him to leave. That was the moment when i softened a little towards Pippa.

You're probably not too far away from Michael's own epiphany moment then, when he realised he can't keep using threats to leave to keep him in line and has to commit to it. Like I said earlier, I think 1992 is the real turning point for his character with regards his attitude to be fostering. To be fair, he's giving them a choice as well. He doesn't threaten to get rid of anyone who's behaving themselves!