Does H&A need an overhaul at the moment?

[CaptainHulk]

Wonder which poor bugger they'll get to clean up *her* messes?

[Skylover]

I would have said Jason Herbison, but now Neighbours is coming back.

[adam436]

No thanks. He would just fill the main cast with heaps of irrelevant past characters and not have any long-term plan for them. That's not going to salvage this mess either. 

We don't need Justine Wells entering a thruple with Cash and Theo, nor Carly Morris marrying Justin because Leah has been killed off to save money and he's now at a loose end.

As much as I would love a "back to basics" revamp, it's not going to happen. Having said that, H&A can maintain it's current dark tone whilst still having the well round characters and balanced cast it currently lacks. The show could easily dump half a dozen of the cookie-cutter twentysomethings and replace them with a new central family and some teens to prop up John and Marilyn (I've still not given up on them yet!).

[CaptainHulk]

On 10/12/2022 at 10:44, adam436 said:

No thanks. He would just fill the main cast with heaps of irrelevant past characters and not have any long-term plan for them. That's not going to salvage this mess either. 

We don't need Justine Wells entering a thruple with Cash and Theo, nor Carly Morris marrying Justin because Leah has been killed off to save money and he's now at a loose end.

As much as I would love a "back to basics" revamp, it's not going to happen. Having said that, H&A can maintain it's current dark tone whilst still having the well round characters and balanced cast it currently lacks. The show could easily dump half a dozen of the cookie-cutter twentysomethings and replace them with a new central family and some teens to prop up John and Marilyn (I've still not given up on them yet!).

Don't be bagging Jason! 

[Golden Sands]

Yes, it definitely needs a major overhaul.

 

The acting for the most part is fantastic, it's the storylines that are a major problem.

 

The Marilyn retcon was stupid and insulting. For a start everyone acted a fool in that storyline. Roo believing a virtual stranger over a friend she'd known for decades, Marilyn not confessing sooner to end weeks of stress and turmoil to the brain rotting conclusion ripped out of an embarrassing trashy US soap and what for? Marilyn refused to have anything to do with her after the events and it proved Heather right that Marilyn was a bitch and a deadbeat mother that only cared for herself and nothing about her. Though that's if you buy into the story, which is total BS. Marilyn acted like she was a naïve teenager that felt pressured to give up the baby because she was poor and alone. Yet she was in her mid twenties when Heather was born, married/separated and had once owned a house and was financially sufficient enough to support herself for years prior. What is the point of having long term characters if you are going to ignore history and change things on a whim usually for a flash in the pan storyline that never goes anywhere?

 

Then there was the lame Bikies/Tex crap. As if the retaliation would happen months later that neatly tied into the end of year cliffhanger. They could have built this plot to climax in the end of year cliffhanger, it would have gave the build up and pay off more depth. It actually would have meant something that Rose was duped and the tension the Bikies had on Tane. In the end it meant nothing and produced yet another dull, tedious and laughable storyline and conclusion. Of course the Police conveniently forgot the Gym was purchased with stolen money and that the Paratas were innocent, law abiding victims.

 

The Jasmine exit was another brain cell reducing plot. Yes the Jasmine the writers had built up would just dump a person she cared about in such a callous way. I get it the actress left suddenly but they still could have written Jasmine out without trashing the character. Have Wendy die/terminal illness and have Cash commute only for the relationship to fizzle out. They didn't need to have Cash mope and be a tool for months (we got that with Mac in 2021) or have Jasmine be cruel to everyone including Irene.

 

Lyrik. My god do they suck. Yes a few performances here and there would have been fine, say they were in a band part time, but to have the band be the sole focus of the characters was a huge mistake. It got old and repetitive very quickly. Kirby does nothing but date band members and write awful songs. She also had the cheek to whinge about the lack of money despite her being the only one that didn't have a side gig. They only sing the same two songs and what other drama can they get out of a band that just plays at salt. It's incredibly redundant. 

 

Bree is an idiot and a moron and I have no sympathy for her at all. I hope Jacob does kill her because she is such a chore to watch. That is not the reaction the writers should have been going for when addressing a serious issue like domestic violence. Firstly she came to the bay flirting with multiple men and generally being a tease despite knowing she was married (even Eden called her out on her behaviour). Then she deliberately cheated on her husband that supported her for years. Yes that doesn't excuse abuse, but it also doesn't excuse Bree's disgusting behaviour. The major problem from the get go was the writing. Why create an abuser that is never there? How can he abuse her from the other side of Australia? She didn't rely on him financially, she wasn't tethered to her room fretting over phone calls, she was out flirting and cheating and at the end of the day Jacob was vindicated, she did have a thing going with Remi. So we only have Bree's word that Jacob is unreasonably abusive and it's a very one note one sided story with a hugely unsympathetic victim. All she had to do as soon as she got to the bay was file a divorce and alert the Police to what was going on in case of reprisals. Then there was that laughable ending where Remi let himself be tied up to get his fingers smashed. Hello there were two of you and Jacob never had a knife or gun. Again dumb writing.

 

I expected the golf tournament to be a big occasion, a perfect occasion actually to include the whole residents and make it feel like a big feel good event like H&A used to do that bolstered the community spirit. What a let down. Six characters playing golf for a few rounds and suddenly have Dean be a genius player out of no where just to have him be a victim when he misses out on the car. Terrible writing again.

 

The new characters sucked this year. I only like Rose but that's thanks to the wonderful actress playing her. She's had crap stories from the get go and is incredibly isolated. 

Xander is just a joke. That awful storyline about him getting tattoos to honour victims. Really? Then the whole FWB crap. The actor is very weak as well which doesn't help.

I warmed to Eden somewhat thanks to her friendship with Flick and the Cash thing was reasonably plotted. Though the band stuff was cringe as was leaving the wedding dresses in the car when it would have taken all of thirty minutes to return and then support Flick.

Kirby, Xander, Remi & Bree are duds.

It hurts especially that the new characters were largely awful when I loved Ryder, Bella, Logan & Jasmine.

 

I hated how sidelined Irene and Leah felt. Theo is Leah's nephew but you'd never know it from the writing and having Justin do everything with him (I liked that a lot btw). I would have liked to see Leah included more.

 

What I liked.

 

Dean and Ziggy starting a family. I loved the moments of them planning things out, going to the birthing class and have Mac question her direction in life. It felt very true to life and was great to watch.

 

I loved that John felt very much embedded in the community and seeing him interact with so many characters. He might be a bit stingy and nosey but his heart is in the right place and he always cares about others.

 

Mac & Flick going into business together. 

 

Justin & Theo's relationship.

 

Ziggy tutoring Theo

 

Lucy definitely needs to go. How many more retcons and ridiculous stories does she have planned for next year. I dread to think. 

[CaptainHulk]

^ I can't help BUT agree with a good chunk of that.

[hapitoby]

7 hours ago, Golden Sands said:

Yes, it definitely needs a major overhaul.

 

The acting for the most part is fantastic, it's the storylines that are a major problem.

 

The Marilyn retcon was stupid and insulting. For a start everyone acted a fool in that storyline. Roo believing a virtual stranger over a friend she'd known for decades, Marilyn not confessing sooner to end weeks of stress and turmoil to the brain rotting conclusion ripped out of an embarrassing trashy US soap and what for? Marilyn refused to have anything to do with her after the events and it proved Heather right that Marilyn was a bitch and a deadbeat mother that only cared for herself and nothing about her. Though that's if you buy into the story, which is total BS. Marilyn acted like she was a naïve teenager that felt pressured to give up the baby because she was poor and alone. Yet she was in her mid twenties when Heather was born, married/separated and had once owned a house and was financially sufficient enough to support herself for years prior. What is the point of having long term characters if you are going to ignore history and change things on a whim usually for a flash in the pan storyline that never goes anywhere?

 

Then there was the lame Bikies/Tex crap. As if the retaliation would happen months later that neatly tied into the end of year cliffhanger. They could have built this plot to climax in the end of year cliffhanger, it would have gave the build up and pay off more depth. It actually would have meant something that Rose was duped and the tension the Bikies had on Tane. In the end it meant nothing and produced yet another dull, tedious and laughable storyline and conclusion. Of course the Police conveniently forgot the Gym was purchased with stolen money and that the Paratas were innocent, law abiding victims.

 

The Jasmine exit was another brain cell reducing plot. Yes the Jasmine the writers had built up would just dump a person she cared about in such a callous way. I get it the actress left suddenly but they still could have written Jasmine out without trashing the character. Have Wendy die/terminal illness and have Cash commute only for the relationship to fizzle out. They didn't need to have Cash mope and be a tool for months (we got that with Mac in 2021) or have Jasmine be cruel to everyone including Irene.

 

Lyrik. My god do they suck. Yes a few performances here and there would have been fine, say they were in a band part time, but to have the band be the sole focus of the characters was a huge mistake. It got old and repetitive very quickly. Kirby does nothing but date band members and write awful songs. She also had the cheek to whinge about the lack of money despite her being the only one that didn't have a side gig. They only sing the same two songs and what other drama can they get out of a band that just plays at salt. It's incredibly redundant. 

 

Bree is an idiot and a moron and I have no sympathy for her at all. I hope Jacob does kill her because she is such a chore to watch. That is not the reaction the writers should have been going for when addressing a serious issue like domestic violence. Firstly she came to the bay flirting with multiple men and generally being a tease despite knowing she was married (even Eden called her out on her behaviour). Then she deliberately cheated on her husband that supported her for years. Yes that doesn't excuse abuse, but it also doesn't excuse Bree's disgusting behaviour. The major problem from the get go was the writing. Why create an abuser that is never there? How can he abuse her from the other side of Australia? She didn't rely on him financially, she wasn't tethered to her room fretting over phone calls, she was out flirting and cheating and at the end of the day Jacob was vindicated, she did have a thing going with Remi. So we only have Bree's word that Jacob is unreasonably abusive and it's a very one note one sided story with a hugely unsympathetic victim. All she had to do as soon as she got to the bay was file a divorce and alert the Police to what was going on in case of reprisals. Then there was that laughable ending where Remi let himself be tied up to get his fingers smashed. Hello there were two of you and Jacob never had a knife or gun. Again dumb writing.

 

I expected the golf tournament to be a big occasion, a perfect occasion actually to include the whole residents and make it feel like a big feel good event like H&A used to do that bolstered the community spirit. What a let down. Six characters playing golf for a few rounds and suddenly have Dean be a genius player out of no where just to have him be a victim when he misses out on the car. Terrible writing again.

 

The new characters sucked this year. I only like Rose but that's thanks to the wonderful actress playing her. She's had crap stories from the get go and is incredibly isolated. 

Xander is just a joke. That awful storyline about him getting tattoos to honour victims. Really? Then the whole FWB crap. The actor is very weak as well which doesn't help.

I warmed to Eden somewhat thanks to her friendship with Flick and the Cash thing was reasonably plotted. Though the band stuff was cringe as was leaving the wedding dresses in the car when it would have taken all of thirty minutes to return and then support Flick.

Kirby, Xander, Remi & Bree are duds.

It hurts especially that the new characters were largely awful when I loved Ryder, Bella, Logan & Jasmine.

 

I hated how sidelined Irene and Leah felt. Theo is Leah's nephew but you'd never know it from the writing and having Justin do everything with him (I liked that a lot btw). I would have liked to see Leah included more.

 

What I liked.

 

Dean and Ziggy starting a family. I loved the moments of them planning things out, going to the birthing class and have Mac question her direction in life. It felt very true to life and was great to watch.

 

I loved that John felt very much embedded in the community and seeing him interact with so many characters. He might be a bit stingy and nosey but his heart is in the right place and he always cares about others.

 

Mac & Flick going into business together. 

 

Justin & Theo's relationship.

 

Ziggy tutoring Theo

 

Lucy definitely needs to go. How many more retcons and ridiculous stories does she have planned for next year. I dread to think. 

Agree with a lot of this. I'm still salty about how Jasmine left. It was terrible. 

[pembie]

9 hours ago, Golden Sands said:

Yes, it definitely needs a major overhaul.

 

The acting for the most part is fantastic, it's the storylines that are a major problem.

 

The Marilyn retcon was stupid and insulting. For a start everyone acted a fool in that storyline. Roo believing a virtual stranger over a friend she'd known for decades, Marilyn not confessing sooner to end weeks of stress and turmoil to the brain rotting conclusion ripped out of an embarrassing trashy US soap and what for? Marilyn refused to have anything to do with her after the events and it proved Heather right that Marilyn was a bitch and a deadbeat mother that only cared for herself and nothing about her. Though that's if you buy into the story, which is total BS. Marilyn acted like she was a naïve teenager that felt pressured to give up the baby because she was poor and alone. Yet she was in her mid twenties when Heather was born, married/separated and had once owned a house and was financially sufficient enough to support herself for years prior. What is the point of having long term characters if you are going to ignore history and change things on a whim usually for a flash in the pan storyline that never goes anywhere?

 

Then there was the lame Bikies/Tex crap. As if the retaliation would happen months later that neatly tied into the end of year cliffhanger. They could have built this plot to climax in the end of year cliffhanger, it would have gave the build up and pay off more depth. It actually would have meant something that Rose was duped and the tension the Bikies had on Tane. In the end it meant nothing and produced yet another dull, tedious and laughable storyline and conclusion. Of course the Police conveniently forgot the Gym was purchased with stolen money and that the Paratas were innocent, law abiding victims.

 

The Jasmine exit was another brain cell reducing plot. Yes the Jasmine the writers had built up would just dump a person she cared about in such a callous way. I get it the actress left suddenly but they still could have written Jasmine out without trashing the character. Have Wendy die/terminal illness and have Cash commute only for the relationship to fizzle out. They didn't need to have Cash mope and be a tool for months (we got that with Mac in 2021) or have Jasmine be cruel to everyone including Irene.

 

Lyrik. My god do they suck. Yes a few performances here and there would have been fine, say they were in a band part time, but to have the band be the sole focus of the characters was a huge mistake. It got old and repetitive very quickly. Kirby does nothing but date band members and write awful songs. She also had the cheek to whinge about the lack of money despite her being the only one that didn't have a side gig. They only sing the same two songs and what other drama can they get out of a band that just plays at salt. It's incredibly redundant. 

 

Bree is an idiot and a moron and I have no sympathy for her at all. I hope Jacob does kill her because she is such a chore to watch. That is not the reaction the writers should have been going for when addressing a serious issue like domestic violence. Firstly she came to the bay flirting with multiple men and generally being a tease despite knowing she was married (even Eden called her out on her behaviour). Then she deliberately cheated on her husband that supported her for years. Yes that doesn't excuse abuse, but it also doesn't excuse Bree's disgusting behaviour. The major problem from the get go was the writing. Why create an abuser that is never there? How can he abuse her from the other side of Australia? She didn't rely on him financially, she wasn't tethered to her room fretting over phone calls, she was out flirting and cheating and at the end of the day Jacob was vindicated, she did have a thing going with Remi. So we only have Bree's word that Jacob is unreasonably abusive and it's a very one note one sided story with a hugely unsympathetic victim. All she had to do as soon as she got to the bay was file a divorce and alert the Police to what was going on in case of reprisals. Then there was that laughable ending where Remi let himself be tied up to get his fingers smashed. Hello there were two of you and Jacob never had a knife or gun. Again dumb writing.

 

I expected the golf tournament to be a big occasion, a perfect occasion actually to include the whole residents and make it feel like a big feel good event like H&A used to do that bolstered the community spirit. What a let down. Six characters playing golf for a few rounds and suddenly have Dean be a genius player out of no where just to have him be a victim when he misses out on the car. Terrible writing again.

 

The new characters sucked this year. I only like Rose but that's thanks to the wonderful actress playing her. She's had crap stories from the get go and is incredibly isolated. 

Xander is just a joke. That awful storyline about him getting tattoos to honour victims. Really? Then the whole FWB crap. The actor is very weak as well which doesn't help.

I warmed to Eden somewhat thanks to her friendship with Flick and the Cash thing was reasonably plotted. Though the band stuff was cringe as was leaving the wedding dresses in the car when it would have taken all of thirty minutes to return and then support Flick.

Kirby, Xander, Remi & Bree are duds.

It hurts especially that the new characters were largely awful when I loved Ryder, Bella, Logan & Jasmine.

 

I hated how sidelined Irene and Leah felt. Theo is Leah's nephew but you'd never know it from the writing and having Justin do everything with him (I liked that a lot btw). I would have liked to see Leah included more.

 

What I liked.

 

Dean and Ziggy starting a family. I loved the moments of them planning things out, going to the birthing class and have Mac question her direction in life. It felt very true to life and was great to watch.

 

I loved that John felt very much embedded in the community and seeing him interact with so many characters. He might be a bit stingy and nosey but his heart is in the right place and he always cares about others.

 

Mac & Flick going into business together. 

 

Justin & Theo's relationship.

 

Ziggy tutoring Theo

 

Lucy definitely needs to go. How many more retcons and ridiculous stories does she have planned for next year. I dread to think. 

I agree about Lyric and I don’t really like Bree either But I normally support actors and their acting skills seeing I have wanted to do that like my whole life But gosh I think the actess is pretty bad I can see why Jacob would be jealous haha 

[jakeyy.]

Yes it does. Lucy Addario needs to be removed

Stronger ties around the main stays with some fresh blood.

Don't bring back too many old faces but maybe characters with relations? Irenes got grandchildren that could move for police work or a handyman? and reunite John and Marilyn for some fostering and school scenes again. Lose like 3 20 year olds and have a better age demographic

[CaptainHulk]

13 hours ago, jakeyy. said:

Yes it does. Lucy Addario needs to be removed

Stronger ties around the main stays with some fresh blood.

Don't bring back too many old faces but maybe characters with relations? Irenes got grandchildren that could move for police work or a handyman? and reunite John and Marilyn for some fostering and school scenes again. Lose like 3 20 year olds and have a better age demographic

Thing about Maz and Palmer is they've just been apart too long for it to work again.

Paul, now all of 20-odd would be welcome addition as would  his brother Mark (The child Barry and Fin got to have themselves)