What things never made sense to you on Home and Away?

[CaptainHulk]

10 hours ago, cymbaline said:

Bobby as a foster parent is another one. I think we forget how young Bobby still was when she got Sam because of how much she had packed into the previous 3 years on H&A, and because she seemed to be older than she was. Would they really give a 21/22 year old single woman a foster child? Especially when it was known that she had been a teenage tearaway, then had a short-lived marriage, then had lost her own child? That's a lot of baggage in a short space of time. 

Bobby's drive to be something more than "the town derro" is probably what aged her and her rough childhood (Simpson beating her, etc).  When the Fletchers gave her that golden 2nd chance she was like "I'm getting what's mine, F*** everyone, I'm going back to school, getting my HSC, and Flathead can suck on that!". Regards to fostering, Louise Scott probably re-reviewed her case and saw her able to provide a stable home being a businesswoman (albeit with a house of randos).

And yeah, we've all seen that "I've got to pop out for a sec" compilation on youtube lol (Avoiding work like Precious Little on Come Fly With Me, that Walliams/Lucas vehicle that was gaining traction but ultimately had one series)

They bent the rules for Irene a little as to start with Selina was technically a lodger (as it wasn't really formal, no DOCS breathing down her neck), though social services did get involved during the whole Nick/Angie mess. She even had a criminal conviction raked up in her battle against  Diana  to secure Olivia, which was scuppered, before Uncle James rode into  town acting on Chloe's instructions.

if Greg had stayed, the audience would have lost (more) sympathy as he would most likely have hurt Adam seriously and wound up in jail, while Adam copped his fine.

 

 

 

[CaptainHulk]

On 03/05/2023 at 23:18, j.laur5 said:

Donald having a brother and sister and then years later telling Seb he's an only child. 

Mary was later readded to continuity during the Blake/Sophie guest arc of the early 2000s but yeah it was weird to X her and Clive out.

[cymbaline]

Maybe they're languishing in Summer Bay limbo along with Debra Stewart, Kate Ross and other forgotten characters?

[CaptainHulk]

14 hours ago, cymbaline said:

Maybe they're languishing in Summer Bay limbo along with Debra Stewart, Kate Ross and other forgotten characters?

At least Debbie was seen albeit as a child in a flashback but strangely never mentioned post 1988.

Kate Ross never got a mention when Michael died though was mentioned by him two years before he died but not named.

Lucinda was pretty much forgotten (until that 2005 ep 4000 montage where the clip of her with Sophie and newborn Tamara) but still never spoken of.

Danny King got an offhand mentioned by Pip in '94  mentioning how they used to perform for their parents at Christmas (nameless mention)

 

 

[Homeandawayfan.]

Ailsa having Duncan in 1989 and it being hinted he was her first ever child, yet in about 1999/2000 she was revealed to have had a secret 20 year old daughter Shaunna.

Celia calling Roo her only niece in 1988.

Donald's mother arriving in 1997 and her looking younger than him.

[CaptainHulk]

Especially at the last one and when Isobel said "Donald was born 50!"

[nenehcherry2]

On 07/05/2023 at 11:51, CaptainHulk said:

Bobby's drive to be something more than "the town derro" is probably what aged her and her rough childhood (Simpson beating her, etc).  When the Fletchers gave her that golden 2nd chance she was like "I'm getting what's mine, F*** everyone, I'm going back to school, getting my HSC, and Flathead can suck on that!". Regards to fostering, Louise Scott probably re-reviewed her case and saw her able to provide a stable home being a businesswoman (albeit with a house of randos).

And yeah, we've all seen that "I've got to pop out for a sec" compilation on youtube lol (Avoiding work like Precious Little on Come Fly With Me, that Walliams/Lucas vehicle that was gaining traction but ultimately had one series)

They bent the rules for Irene a little as to start with Selina was technically a lodger (as it wasn't really formal, no DOCS breathing down her neck), though social services did get involved during the whole Nick/Angie mess. She even had a criminal conviction raked up in her battle against  Diana  to secure Olivia, which was scuppered, before Uncle James rode into  town acting on Chloe's instructions.

if Greg had stayed, the audience would have lost (more) sympathy as he would most likely have hurt Adam seriously and wound up in jail, while Adam copped his fine.

 

 

 

I agree with both of these posts... I sure don't think it was out of character for Bobby to attempt to foster at such a young age. She was always determined to win whatever she put her mind to and had been longing for a family of her own. I believe that the stillbirth (always bugged me that they referred to Baby Tom as a "miscarriage" given the pregnancy length) propelled that into a "right now" life goal. And, to Hulk's point, everything she'd been through in such a short space of time had ultimately fast tracked her in the aging process. So not out of character for me.

But... Do I find the Department agreeing to it a suspension of reality? Perhaps. Not sure RE the legalities (someone would need to research NSW family law and / or DOCS policy as it stood in 91 LOL!) but it does seem a stretch that Louise's only concern was the short period of time since the stillbirth, with nothing being said about her age. I agree with @CaptainHulk suggestions of Louise's reasoning and would also add Bob's own firsthand experience of fostering as a tickbox, as well as the fact that she'd been a rebellious teen herself only two years before, so could empathise (we can only assume that all happened offline)  but it would have been more realistic to see those concerns about her age shown on screen and those said "Bobby benefits" being discussed by DOCS . In fact, the only mention was from Donald ("she's barely 21") as well as a couple of more indirect comments from Pippa and Jean. Maybe have the new characters coming in comment on it "aren't you a bit young to be a Mum to a kid that age?!". Especially Greg, surely his son being fostered by a woman even younger than him would have raised a comment? 

On that point,why did Bobby stop wanting to foster post Sam? Appreciate she gave Sarah a place to live and went on to take in Tug (at one point suggested to Greg they formally foster him) but that was REACTIVE and not PROACTIVE true fostering. So why did DOCS stop visiting her with new kids after Tracy? I don't recall this ever being directly mentioned. Perhaps we should assume that she / they decided Sam was enough for her and / or maybe DOCS didn't think Greg was keen to co-foster (which would have been believable given his attitude to Tug and Sarah). But, again, they should have acknowledged all this in the script. The lack of that acknowledgement makes it all feel like her fostering of Sam was nothing more than a forced way to contrive a (non-traditional) nuclear family for her in a short space of time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by nenehcherry2

[Homeandawayfan.]

2 hours ago, CaptainHulk said:

Especially at the last one and when Isobel said "Donald was born 50!"

He always did seem old before his time. Donald had his 50th birthday in Feb 1995 so was born Feb 1945 but had the attire and hobbies and attitude of a man born 1905.

[CaptainHulk]

2 hours ago, nenehcherry2 said:

On that point,why did Bobby stop wanting to foster post Sam? Appreciate she gave Sarah a place to live and went on to take in Tug (at one point suggested to Greg they formally foster him) but that was REACTIVE and not PROACTIVE true fostering. So why did DOCS stop visiting her with new kids after Tracy? I don't recall this ever being directly mentioned. Perhaps we should assume that she / they decided Sam was enough for her and / or maybe DOCS didn't think Greg was keen to co-foster (which would have been believable given his attitude to Tug and Sarah). But, again, they should have acknowledged all this in the script. The lack of that acknowledgement makes it all feel like her fostering of Sam was nothing more than a forced way to contrive a (non-traditional) nuclear family for her in a short space of time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably 1992 after she got married and the file on Sam likely closed. B&G probably they had enough on their plate with 3 jobs (Diner/Boatshed/Whatever Driving Work He picked up) and a 8-9yo underfoot. Though Greg did suggest having another little Marshall, I think.

As for Greg, he was supposedly 5yrs older than Bobby just looked about 8-10 more due to his build and at times carried on younger or way older depending on writer.

 

[nenehcherry2]

2 hours ago, Homeandawayfan. said:

He always did seem old before his time. Donald had his 50th birthday in Feb 1995 so was born Feb 1945 but had the attire and hobbies and attitude of a man born 1905

I've never bought him turning 50 in 95. Not only because it doesn't fit with previous mentions of his career history but because Norman Coburn looked 60 when he was 58. Not believable as a 50 year old from that POV alone (never mind, to your point, how old Don also acted).

Same with Ailsa's 50th in 2000. I remember being shocked to the core when I read that on a Teletext (yes, I said that!) synopsis at the time. No offence to Judy Nunn, I'm sure she's a very lovely person and all that, but she looks about five years older than her own age. She could easily have passed for 60 by 2000. So that, in combination with Ailsa acting so conservatively by that time, made her being "50" rather unbelievable to me.

1 hour ago, CaptainHulk said:

Probably 1992 after she got married and the file on Sam likely closed. B&G probably they had enough on their plate with 3 jobs (Diner/Boatshed/Whatever Driving Work He picked up) and a 8-9yo underfoot. Though Greg did suggest having another little Marshall, I think.

As for Greg, he was supposedly 5yrs older than Bobby just looked about 8-10 more due to his build and at times carried on younger or way older depending on writer.

 

That would all make complete sense and think we're aligned in all of those guesses! But why didn't they incorporate that in the script? Would have been more bearable than Sophie changing nappies or Ryan sitting at the diner counter looking pretty with no purpose at all! Oh wait... Because the writers in the Andrew Howie era didn't give a **** about such details! 

Your response has raised a further point from me (never a good thing!)... Why not show Sam's by Bobby adoption on screen? Rather than it being a retrospective mention a year later. Oh, that's right, to justify the Morag storyline... "She's been after Sam since day one".