I need to catch up on the last 8 years !

[j.laur5]

Why did paula forset who played Shelley leave home and away in 2002.

[KirstyEkua]

^^ Yer i thought he was alive? I remember he came back dressed as a bear for VJ's birthday party? And Leah knew, or we were lead to assume she know it was him in the suit but nothing was done about it.

I always hope he'll come back one day.

[river4ever]

He's still alive, but as he is in witness protection, he's under a new identity, so legally, Vinnie Patterson is dead. I think that's why Leah didn't have to divorce in order to marry Dan, I could be wrong though, that's just how I see it.

Ryan Kwanten said a while ago that he'd return when Ada leaves, so that Vinnie and Leah can be together again, but since he's become quite successful over in Hollywood, I don't know if he still plans to do that.

[Red Ranger 1]

I prefer to think of Vinnie as illegally dead, since the death certificate is a fake on the grounds of him being still breathing and walking around somewhere.He's certainly not actually dead.(And absolutely nothing happened in 2005, his official death was in 2002 and we found out he was alive in 2004, which is when the bear incident happened.)And I'm far from convinced about the legality of Leah's marriage to Dan, it's one of those occasions when the writers just seemed to shout "Look over there!" instead of explaining it.

[oldtimer]

Well as I say, I think this Jeff fellow is actually Vinnie, its just that no ones noticed

Seriously though, thanks to everyone who'se replied. I have watched quite a few on the 5 on demand now and am really getting back into the show. I wish I had never stopped watching in the first place now.

[Ryan]

He's still alive, but as he is in witness protection, he's under a new identity, so legally, Vinnie Patterson is dead. I think that's why Leah didn't have to divorce in order to marry Dan, I could be wrong though, that's just how I see it.

Ryan Kwanten said a while ago that he'd return when Ada leaves, so that Vinnie and Leah can be together again, but since he's become quite successful over in Hollywood, I don't know if he still plans to do that.

If you look at the original timing of Vinnie's prison term, I'm guessing that he was given that to run up to the end of Leah's contract, since the cast aren't exactly great at renewing their contract. However in 2002, Adam ust have decided to sign another contract and so perhaps the perceived conclusion was scuppered.

[James Martin]

Sarah Lewis did top herself, after realising she'd bumped off Noah Lawson.

[Red Ranger 1]

^I'm sorry, when was that stated?And why would she given that she deliberately shot him and was threatening to bump off an entire room full of people immediately beforehand?

[Slade]

^I wondered about that myself but I think there’s something about it on her character profile on the main site.

http://www.backtothebay.net/characters/lewis_sarah.shtml

But as you usually have an answer for everything and being a "know-it-all" I’m expecting some sort of counter (Joke)!

[Red Ranger 1]

^Don't worry, I know when you're joking.(Usually.)I had a look at the profile and saw what it said but I'm not convinced as to its accuracy.What I remember happening is this.(Anyone feel free to chip in if I'm wrong.)

The early part of the episode was peppered with flashbacks showing various characters struggling with Sarah and we learned that the two gunshots we heard before the break were actually the gun discharging harmlessly.Sarah runs out of the house and runs into Dani.Noah comes out behind her and she turns to face him.There's flashing blue lights on them, which suggests to me that the police car that was seconds behind Dani at the end of the previous episode has caught up with them.And that's all we see, but from what's going on in the present day it's pretty obvious Sarah shot Noah.

So, what happened to Sarah?Well, elsewhere in that episode Leah's sitting with a comatose Peter and says something along the lines of "I wonder how many people there are at that girl's funeral."And she continues in the same vein for a while[without once mentioning Sarah's name as I recall, although her death's confirmed later]but doesn't say anything about what exactly happened.

We don't hear anything else until months later when Eve/Zoe is sitting with a group in the Diner and Sarah's name comes up."Isn't that the woman that was killed by the police?"she asks."No,"Kim replies testily,"That's the woman that murdered one of our friends."But he doesn't offer an alternative explanation so it seems to me it was the description of the person rather than the events that he disagreed with.