Give Irene a decent storyline!

[celtgirl]

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??)

I'm under 40 and I remember Roo (Alf's daughter). Roo and Bobby had some classic fights in the first couple of years of Home and Away. I also remember when Irene first arrived in the bay and her kids Fin and Damien. She was horrible to them at first, but got sober and became a great mum to them (she even agreed to be a surrogate for Fin). It's sad to see Irene going from being involved in some of the best storylines of the 90s to just serving coffees in the diner the whole time. She's too good a character for that. There has to be some sense of continuity and familiarity for people like myself who have been watching from the very first episode (AND I'M STILL UNDER 40)

[emmasi]

Okay, under 25 then

I don't know and I don't really care. Stuff happens or it doesn't. Characters are used or they're not. Wait for Bevan to come back. He'll probably want to use the older characters and ditch the new ones... Speculation... blah... I'm too tired and disinterested to try and defend my own sweeping generalisations... sorry about that.

[Frankie]

I think I know what she meant... If you have watched the show outside of the last couple of years... that is you are a long term viewer... then you do know the history ... you are right though that they don't give much away to new viewers so they are given nothing in which to invest emotionally.... those of us who have watched since the outset do know characters like Alf, Sally, Irene, Colleen well, and therefore know that what we are getting now is short change.... particularly with characters like Irene who have previously been so much more integral to the show..... but I have faith in Bevan

[Ryan]

I actually question what relevance they have to the show.

Initially the show was about adults and kids, adults that had teenagers as children.

Throughout the years a twenties group grew and soon it had three groups, sometimes more than others. I actually feel that the 2000-2002/3 cast was in a way good for it's balance of twenty-somethings, kids and teenagers.

However, from 10 adult characters in 2000, we now have 4 and that's just not enough, IMO, especially when three of them are especially OAP's now. (Don't hit me Lynne).

Tony is really the only parent, whilst the others are 20-something's, looking after kids that are not their own. Where's the 20-something's we used to know who were trying to make a go. Rachel on her arrival was a good example of this.

IMO, to make the older characters more relevant, we need a couple of families to enter the show, and just edge that age up a bit. Certainly, don't add characters as old as Alf or Colleen or it will begin to look like Last of the Summer Wine.

[Frankie]

I think that there is a lot of live left in the OAPS yet Ryan.... and I think that to write them off is short sighted. They are the age of many parents... I do agree that they need to get the generational balance more even... its slanted very heavily in favour of the teenage group..... and I think a new family with a parent or parents might help even things up a bit....but we may yet see that.... I think what a lot of us are trying to say is that they are overlooking Irene as a parent/carer in terms of stories, and as a character who deserves story lines in her own right as well.

[emmasi]

My parents aren't that interesting... They go to work, come home, complain about work, sleep, and then go to work again. Which is pretty much what we see Irene doing these days...

I'm where all the action is. I sleep all day, stay home all night, and complain about things on the internet - the internet makes it sound like I'm living in a futuristic wonderworld, and it's therefore exciting

Maybe there should be an internet storyline... one of those serial stalkers that lures people into adult situations via MSN. According to the government, that's all we lot do anyway. And if Jason would just agree to meet me in a dark, deserted alley somewhere, they might have a point...

[Bareenfan]

I'd put Barry on my wall... I don't know if I'd be in love with him,

And Irene... I hardly know anything about Irene at all.

LOL .

Well I think what we mean by love changes when we mature. When I was 16 I thought I would die because the boy I loved at school did not return my affections. I thought my life was over. I remember things being very intense, and I see the same thing in my children. Its very real and very painful at the time, and I also remember thinking that people over 25 didn't have sex. Like most teenagers i was extraordinarily egocentric. It goes with the territory and with the hormones.

Today I much older, (and about to enter another hormonal phase, such is a woman's lot in life,) I love Barry as a character now but in a completely different way, not because he is hot, like I would love Chris Hemsworth if I were 16, (and actually I am not so old that I don't appreciate his hot bod as well ) but because of who he is. I do have a bit of shallowness too and think he is kind of cuddly and love his wonderfully sexy voice, which I think one of my fellow bareen fans once described it as a "come to bed "voice. Its like velvet, listening to his final letter to Irene turned me to adolescent, well OK, middle aged, mush.

My parents aren't that interesting... They go to work, come home, complain about work, sleep, and then go to work again. Which is pretty much what we see Irene doing these days...

On the other hand most kids I know are not like the ones in Summer Bay, they do not spend their lives being kidnapped 5 times a year , being raped, falling down mine-shafts, being drugged, getting stabbed, pole-dancing, being stalked, getting into endless love triangles, having endless admissions to hospital, having chopper crashes, being lost on school excursions, or any of the other things which happen to the kids in Summer Bay. So if the can be creative and write good exciting stories for and about the kids on the show, why not for the ones in my age group? Is it too much to ask? And please get the ball rolling with Irene.

[emmasi]

I do have a bit of shallowness too and think he is kind of cuddly and love his wonderfully sexy voice...

Well that's a given...

Barry and Kim are essentially the same person anyway. They're both just too stubborn to admit it... And I do love Kim so... I guess I love Barry as well... ?

Well, I suppose I do. I still don't think I'm IN love with him though

Ah off topic conversation, I know ye well.

[Frankie]

Ah off topic conversation, I know ye well.

If we gave out medals for it.... you'd get the gold

[emmasi]

The conversation is relevent to ME, and I'm IN the thread... therefore it's on the topic of the thread. Ha!