#118

For the first time, I've found myself muttering out loud at one of the characters' actions onscreen. I've done it twice now, almost involuntarily. Both times something like a longhand version of OFFS.

After the accident with his lorry, I felt for David as he watched things go from bad to worse. It was nicely played by Tom Richards who brought a little pathos to things but in a very subtle way with his facial expressions. And I believed he was genuinely regretful not for himself but for what he was failing to do for his family.

But then Pat shows up, talks down to him and Beryl, then David immediately takes her side by agreeing to do what she wants regarding the wedding. That alone was enough to irritate. But what has compounded this is that his first thought afterwards is about how to get everyone to cover up to make it look like their decision rather than Patricia's. I get that he doesn't want to upset Angela, but for the love of God. After all Patricia's done, it just doesn't make sense. Had I been Beryl I'd have been straight on the phone to Angela to set her straight after David blamed Beryl's "condition" for changing the plans. I sort of love that I've gone from concern to annoyance regarding the same character in the space of an episode or so (and don't even get me started on gullible Gordon).

It's almost like the Bobby and Pam lack of communication thing where the writing is contrived but the performances sell it. And because S&D has been so strong on character, when the writing takes a more plot-based, almost one-dimensional tone it feels a little like the characters have betrayed the viewer as well as the people with whom they're interacting. Which somehow makes it even richer in terms of character.

It must be working, because my blood pressure has been right up.

 

Every time I see the big Ramberg "R" logo outside the building and in the foyer, I immediately think of...



It gives me hope that we'll see some exciting superheroics and supervillainy there. Perhaps when it's time for action John will give his shorts another airing. I quite miss them.

 

Enjoy. Be warned that some may contain mini-spoilers about events in the episode, so you may want to wait until the closing credits. Unless like me you view them as little teasers of things to look forward to.

Well put. I agree on all counts.

And this is very true also. But I can't say more.

 

#133

Spot on. But seeing Patricia get Paul onside despite that has been a joy to watch. They've done a nice job of having Fiona just a little bit overconfident and almost smug in her relationship with Paul. While Patricia is doing this careful dance with Paul, Fiona's just been making little digs about Patricia all over the place and seeming to take it for granted Paul would instantly be on the same page as her because she knew him years before. And (in a nice bit of writing) Paul has commented on just that fact. To him, Fiona seems like the one with the problem.

Hal has said that of the two, Patricia is by far the better businesswoman. And I can believe it. It's very personal between Patricia and Fiona, but Patricia is managing to serenely glide and appear professional on the surface while Fiona is flapping for all she's worth.

I'm rooting for Fiona, but I can fully understand why Hal and Paul would think Patricia the better bet.

 

That sentence - "a very wealthy woman" - is the only phrase that's used regarding how much she's inherited. And (very mild spoiler) it's used more than once. And it's a phrase that could mean very different things to different people.

And maybe even more besides that...

 

I'm not enjoying Lynn this time round. She seems to have two default settings: giggly or whiny.

 

Or you could just lean Charlie a little and tilt your head. Far easier.

 

#142

I'd love to see a floor plan of the Palmers' house. The layout has long confused me.

Currently staying are David, Kevin, Jill and Rosie. Technically, Lynn and the baby are also still living there. And David has invited Gayle to stay on "the folding bed in the spare room with Rosie". Weren't John and Kevin sharing a room at the beginning?

Rosie and Jill's arrival has shaken up the dynamics in that house. It's a good thing, but feels a little weird. As though the property has become a halfway house for characters who are in between storylines. It feels more noticeable here and a little more forced somehow than in previous stints when Manly Terrace, Woombai and Dural have become so "eclectic".

Willie commented earlier in this thread that visiting characters felt like they were appearing in a spin off. But now - to me at least - the boundaries have become less defined. All the characters have greater freedom of movement. Travelling from Sydney to Melbourne and vice versa is suddenly not as inconvenient or as significant as it was 100 episodes ago. It's as though the writers have recognised the limitations of having the cast in two factions.

Just a few episodes ago, Beryl and Wayne met for the very first time. Something that was acknowledged in the script. Besides that, and Susan aside, I'm struggling to think of other characters who haven't interacted in this post-wedding era. No matter where their original base of operations was. It's like everything is out in the open. Paradoxically, in broadening the canvas, it feels that the canvas has become smaller.

But at least this way the writers get to have their cake and eat it. Beryl staying with Fiona gives her enough distance from her family to feel significant. And with other characters flying round like there's no tomorrow, it makes the lack of physical contact between Beryl and her estranged husband seem even crueller. Because we know they could be together in the space of a scene if they really wanted.



#142 has been a landmark episode for Patricia, it turns out. Amidst the chaos of a breathtakingly Olympian series of manipulations, Patricia suddenly hit us with a moment of weary reflection. A moment that's made all the more confusing because it's shared solely with her scheming companion Wayne:

This is immediately followed up with her speaking contritely to Rob. One of the people who she's now acknowledged has been hurt by her actions:

Then comes the coup de grâce. And it's devastating.

The thing that gave this scene such resonance is that I completely believed what Patricia said to Wayne. And to Rob. Is it coincidence that Patricia's honesty gave her exactly what she wanted? Under most circumstances I'd say absolutely not. But the scenes with her looking and sounding burnt out and fatigued have clouded things. And I can honestly say I have no idea where Patricia's motives lay in her conversation with Rob. Was it a new tact for her manipulations? Was she on the verge of giving up and then found a new resolve? Did she lull the viewer into a false sense of security, just as she would Gordon or John?

There are so many hidden facets to her, I may never know. But I have to keep watching to see if I can find out.

 

I seem to remember in the opening episodes when the police came to speak to John, the bedroom was just across the hall. But maybe that's just a sense I got from the direction. Often when watching, the set feels very much like a one-storey house.

According to the S&D site, the house is here.

It's far deeper than it looks like in the establishing shots where it looks really small. But the front of the house (assuming this is the house) looks very much like a one-storey bungalow.

The same thing she does at Woombai and Dural. Lots of dusting and dishwashing.

Goodness me. I need to pace myself a bit.

Thanks. It's a similar situation to when John was cleared of murder and everyone discovered who he really was. It was a step towards mainstream soapdom. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for the long run.

Definitely. She's so difficult to read with that poker face of hers.

 

I've just seen that these cups are now at Susan's. ******** was drinking out of one when visiting ****** who is now staying there.