Were Pippa and Michael the foster parents from hell?

[Sally Keating]

On 03/03/2022 at 14:26, Red Ranger 1 said:

Well, if the title isn't actually the question being asked, what is?

Fun place.

[j.laur5]

I can  imagine Tom and Debra Pippa  together more then Vanessa Pippa  and Michael. 

[CaptainHulk]

On 07/03/2022 at 00:10, j.laur5 said:

I can  imagine Tom and Debra Pippa  together more then Vanessa Pippa  and Michael. 

They're both of similar Height and they WERE in Doctored Wedding pics together (Debra plasted over Vanessa's FACE)

[adam436]

It's entirely possible we are more critical of Michael and Pippa #2 because they were around for much longer, and therefore more scenarios and examples (good and bad ones!) to draw upon. 

Tom and Pippa #1 were only around for a little over two years, and it felt like took a backseat for most of the second year, since Lynn was gone and Bobby and Frank were married off, leaving them with just Carly, Steven, Sally and Dodge when he was around. Both characters also disappeared for quite a while too - Tom when he recovered from his stroke and then shortly after he returned, Pippa went to care for her sick mum or dad for quite a while. 

[BobbyFridge]

31 minutes ago, adam436 said:

It's entirely possible we are more critical of Michael and Pippa #2 because they were around for much longer, and therefore more scenarios and examples (good and bad ones!) to draw upon. 

Tom and Pippa #1 were only around for a little over two years, and it felt like took a backseat for most of the second year, since Lynn was gone and Bobby and Frank were married off, leaving them with just Carly, Steven, Sally and Dodge when he was around. Both characters also disappeared for quite a while too - Tom when he recovered from his stroke and then shortly after he returned, Pippa went to care for her sick mum or dad for quite a while. 

I noticed that it seemed like Tom and Pippa weren't on screen together quite a lot during the latter part of their era. But then i remember one of the low points towards the end of the Tom/Pippa#1 era being when Tom and everyone else thinks Pippa is having an affair with that silly ''shark catcher'' guy and how they ''jumped the shark'' (couldn't resist that one) with Tom and Pip a bit. 

[j.laur5]

I think the problem was we just got to used to Pippa we saw in 2000-2009 as Pippa was no longer enduring the Summer Bay dramas and was just back for while and really felt more like Pippa was just being Debra Lawrence. 
 

Much like Irene can just be like she being Lynne McGranger. 
 

 

[adam436]

23 hours ago, BobbyFridge said:

But then i remember one of the low points towards the end of the Tom/Pippa#1 era being when Tom and everyone else thinks Pippa is having an affair with that silly ''shark catcher'' guy and how they ''jumped the shark'' (couldn't resist that one) with Tom and Pip a bit. 

Yes, I definitely hated that story. Didn't the rumours come about because Tom had a personality change after his stroke, or at the very least he felt inadequate because he wasn't as physically able as he once was? But still, it went on too long and the fact everyone pretty much just accepted Pippa was having an affair was really poor

[homeandawayroxsomuch.]

On 14/03/2022 at 19:25, adam436 said:

Tom when he recovered from his stroke and then shortly after he returned, Pippa went to care for her sick mum or dad for quite a while. 

The main things I think of about the period when Pippa was away then was Tom struggling to explain the Facts of Life to Sally after a boy had kissed her and Carly and Steven had teased her about getting pregnant and having to get married, and then Pippa being away when Steven and Viv ran away, Steven fell down the cliff and broke his leg, and the climax of the Al storyline and then Tom taking in Sophie.

[cymbaline]

I wouldn't agree that they were the foster parents from hell but I think they overstretched themselves. By the time Pippa and Michael's marriage ran into problems, the household was running to stand still. They'd suffered two huge financial blows in the previous year or so. First the Sands Resort went bust, owing Michael a fortune. Then they ended up on the hook for Haydn's gambling debts. Throw in Pippa baking like a mad thing to try and keep some money coming in and the family manning the barely profitable kiosk and you'd wonder where did anybody find the time to do anything apart from eating and sleeping. By now there were six kids in the house and that's ridiculous given the circumstances. They really shouldn't have taken Jack in but concentrated on looking after the other five better.

Michael was a flawed father figure from the start and they kept that consistent. He wasn't the best father to his own kids and after his divorce, never rebuilt any bridges with his daughter (it's a pity they didn't delve further into that). He also managed to fall out with Haydn all over again. I agree that he wasn't a natural foster parent but it was always going to be hard for Pippa to find another Tom. Ian never came across as being foster father material either. Michael was pragmatic enough to know that he'd have to make an effort with the foster kids but I think the only one he truly bonded with was Damian. He was generally nice to the others but I'd say if he was honest, he'd have got rid of some of them. 

[j.laur5]

One time when I think Pippa didn’t do right thing was when she went on holidays in Sydney to visit her parents and not take Christopher with her as Christopher was her birth son and was only 6 years old and leaving him with Michael who had 4 other children to look after already as well as his job.