Give Irene a decent storyline!

[alexx]

I\ll just re-post what I said in the Aus thread, because I think its an important example to the writers of what they are currently doing, with Irene, or not doing as the case may be…

Monday’s episode definitely had a psycho thriller/horror feeling to it, I thought it was well written and acting superbly, and directed really well.

I wasn’t able to properly get into it though because the writers chose to ignore some vital aspects back in Summer Bay, a stand out to me was the lack of emotion or care Irene had towards the whole thing. It was so noticeable to me, she should have been in tears at the thought Belle had disappeared in the middle of no where, and frantic to find out where she was, including having a screaming match with Dom’s uncle in the diner about the same things Drew was going insane about…but I expected nothing less, the writers have simply given up on Irene as a character and yet again for the thousands time this year missed out on the opportunity to provide us with some fantastic emotional drama.

The acting by those characters the writers did focus on, was top notch, it probably would have been better if the whole episode was focused on the three characters without any Summer Bay scenes, so that the episode wouldn’t have been dragged down by the total non-character driven stuff going on back there, because that’s where the writers loose me in these kind of storylines, it stops me from believing in it!

[Big Ben]

Thats a very good point. The Irene of old would have been having a coronary, and would have been climbing the walls. These days they ignore those part of her character. She loves Belle like a daughter, and sometimes we see that emotion, but only when it suits the writers. I don't get why. Irene in full flight is great viewing, so why are they not providing it? Do the writers not like her or something? My brother is really into the media business and stuff and says sometimes if writers don't like a character or an actor they marginalize them for a bit. I don't see how they can dislike either so I don't think its that, but that has to be some reason for it all. Or as Alex says, maybe its just crap writing. It was a good episode in many respects last night, gripping, and Belle and Drew were great, but that one thing, that lack of attention, stopped a good episode from being a brilliant one.

[celtgirl]

Irene used to have such brilliant storylines, such as the one where her psycho ex, Murdoch (her kids' father), came to the bay and she protected Selina from him. She's a great character and actress and deserves far better storylines than the ones she's got in the last couple of years. I hope the writers correct that mistake and soon.

[emmasi]

Maybe it's something as simple as new writers don't want to mess with old characters. They don't have the time to research them properly and don't feel confident writing about who they are and what they should be doing when they don't really know what they're talking about. I don't even like writing fanfiction unless I've rewatched the episodes I'm talking about, which can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 12 hours of viewing to feel right, and I don't have the added pressure of being paid to get it right... and having all of us angry fans howling down any inaccuracies

What I'm saying is, I don't think it would necessarily be that they don't like Irene, they just mightn't know what to do with her. Even with the younger cast, the standby seems to be hopping from bed to bed. Irene doesn't have many beds she can hop into without causing a massive scandal... so... unless Drew or Ric decide they like their women much older than they've currently tried... I just don't know where they'd go with her.

[alexx]

I think you’re right about the writers having some sort of fear of touching the well developed and in depth older characters that were introduced before there time on the show, so they just focus on the ones they created. But if that is even partly the case, it is so so so unprofessional and quite frankly they shouldn’t be in the positions they are in, and I would have much rather them go off and create a brand new show and do all the stuff they have with that, and left Home and Away to writers who know what they are doing. I know that sounds very harsh and I don’t mean it as bluntly as it sounds, but its how I’ve felt about the show for ages.

I’m not a stick in the mud and embrace change totally, and I have loved many changes the show has undergone over the years, but when these changes make me not want to tune into a show I’ve been a loyal viewer of since the first episode, its just annoying, because I almost feel like the writers have lost interest in catering for what the ‘old school fans’ want at times.

Anyway back on topic. Regardless of whether or not we as viewers have been watching 20 or 2 years, I think we all love to see character-building storylines and emotional ties that have depth, continuity and some sort of meaning amongst the characters, and that includes realistic responses to events that takes place to not just the characters at hand, but also the characters that are suppose to have close bonds to them.

And please don’t do it all off-screen and expect us to just believe in a relationship, whether that be mother-daughter, or just friends… Jack having all these phone calls from the loving community…ehh? Sally called Jack to see how he is? When did they become friends? As far as I’m concerned they are just passing acquaintances. Alf??. If you want us to believe they are close enough to make calls to each other from interstate, you have to actually write that as part of there character traits.

Surely they have a portfolio for each character with all the vital aspects of there personalty and history with storylines and details etc.

Just simple character driven moments run alongside all the shock horror stuff is all I ask for to start with, and then work on the more character driven storylines. I don't know whether I've gone off topic again or not...

Anyway regardless of whether the writers don’t know what to do with the likes of Irene..etc surely its common sense, If you were writing from a character’s perspective, that if a daughter is missing in the middle of the bush, you’d be frantic with worry, not ‘oh flippin eck…oh well, she’ll be right dahl…I’ve seen this kinda thing happen to her, Tash and Martha a thousand times in the last two years, I didn’t care then and they came back relatively unhurt, and definitely fine within a week or so, so I wont care now…’ - kinda a true reflection to how some viewers take the storylines though!

[emmasi]

On topic is a highly overrated state of mind.

You're right, the writers should know better. I think it's tempting to write for the characters you created more than anyone else though, because you know them better and there's not a risk of "wrecking" them. I suppose what I mean is... would you rather Irene be off to the side and still herself, or at the forefront and acting like the characters that the new writer writes? It's not a happy decision, but it might be the one these writers have made out of some kind of twisted respect. *shrug.*

Coral's openly trashed the writing of Robbie and Tash after she left... maybe the current writers are trying to avoid that kind of wrath. Fear is a powerful motivation for stagnency.

[Lesley Bee]

I was beginning to have hope last week when Geoff was staying with her, we actually saw quite a bit of her. Since then nothing

[emmasi]

Just a reminder to everyone that this is the General forum... we're not really supposed to be discussing current Australian storylines...

[Bareenfan]

I think you’re right about the writers having some sort of fear of touching the well developed and in depth older characters that were introduced before there time on the show, so they just focus on the ones they created. But if that is even partly the case, it is so so so unprofessional and quite frankly they shouldn’t be in the positions they are in, and I would have much rather them go off and create a brand new show and do all the stuff they have with that, and left Home and Away to writers who know what they are doing. I know that sounds very harsh and I don’t mean it as bluntly as it sounds, but its how I’ve felt about the show for ages.

I doubt there is any over the age 25, and few under for that matter, in Australia who does not know who Irene is, or indeed Alf, Colleen, Sally and Morag. They are recognised in the streets, every one knows them like they are part of the family. So the writers should know them too. If they don't they should do their homework by looking at old scripts and story lines and by talking to the actors. It's called professionalism. I think some of it is also to do with pandering to a fickle, hugely impressionable, but highly lucrative younger audience, who although they "like" characters like Irene, don't imagine themselves in love with them and don't put posters of them on their bedroom wall's. In order to keep long term viewers, who have been with the show since the beginning, and to keep the young ones who have just signed on, they are going to have get off this merry go round and start making this about the people who live in Summer Bay again, and not just a series of stories which could really be about any old Tom, Dick, Dom or Jack. Characters like Irene, who are part of our lives, part of our family really, are too good to be ignored as they have been, and viewers will turn off if writers don't start to put this right soon.

I am glad the Campbells have finally moved in with Irene , and hope this means we are going to see a bit more of the her from now on.

[emmasi]

I'd put Barry on my wall... I don't know if I'd be in love with him, but his stern face would remind me not to do anything stupid... Unlike his son, who, along with Robbie, encourage me to do stupid things every day

But again, I know Barry. I know who Irene, Colleen, and Alf ARE... but I don't know WHO they are... Make sense ?

It's like... I know that Colleen's been around forever, she's a gossip and a busy-body. She had cancer once and has a son named "Lancey." She lives in a caravan, and works at the Diner. And she was Miss Groper, once upon a time.

Alf has been around forever too, and is close with Sally. Honestly? I don't know why that is. It's just a fact - there's no tangible history between them for me, it's just something I've been told is true. I've got nothing in my mind that I can draw on to prove that he's been her "rock" - mostly he's just some old man that's lived in the bay for as long as she's been there; they're close by default. Alf also has a daughter named Roo (who is Roo? Why is she named after a marsupial? Don't know...) who is the mother of Martha. He also had an illegitimate son named Owen, but didn't find that out until Owen had died. I know that because I saw it - and I saw him tracking down his troublesome grandson, Ric, to make sure that he was taken care of. I know who Ric is completely. I also know that Alf has a boat and loves to fish, and he had a wife named Ailsa but she had a heartattack and died. She did reappear in a crazy brain-tumor induced fantasy land of prophecy... but this is just a legend to me. I wouldn't go writing anything based on specifics.

And Irene... I hardly know anything about Irene at all. I know that she takes in stray teenagers like cats, and treats each one of them as if they were her own flesh and blood... and yet... I know nothing of her actual flesh and blood. Her children. I'm told she was awful to them, I'm told it's because she was an alcoholic - and she's sober now. Probably found God too, judging by that little cross she always wears. I know that she had a relationship with Barry, obviously, and that Corey tried to drive her insane and kill her... but other than that, what do I know? She owns part of the Diner with Leah, and works there every hour of her life... I wouldn't be able to say she's part of the family based on that. But then, I'm not close to my family anyway...

I forget what my point was but... hopefully that was an interesting read. Probably something about it being difficult for audiences under 40 to connect with character traits they never saw or can't remember... I suppose if they were reintroduced properly and reminders were laid in for an upcoming storyline, it could work. Like I know that Irene actually told Barry that she was a recovering alcoholic, so I'd understand now what it meant if she fell off the wagon - not to the extent that you would, because you'd know the depths to which she could sink. To me, watching her decline could be quite shocking and unexpected... so... I dunno, it might work.

I've over thought this. I think I'm going in circles. My head hurts... I'm getting out of this thread! (Note: the site crashed just as I tried to post this. Coincidence??)