The Boring Austin Family

[Snapp]

There are too little about them. Thats the reason why people can't connect with them.

No no no....no no no, less screen time please. The reason people can't connect with them is because Xavier is played by a plank of wood & written as a constant whinger. And Gina because she has no soul.

The show now seems to be sentered around Miles, Marilyn, Rabbit, Alf, Leah and Elijah.

Thank Goodness for them, all are involved in great storylines at the moment.

[OzSoapie]

I used to like Ruby and Xavier together until Ruby and Geoff got together - and then I saw what real on screen chemistry was.

I'm finding Xavier duller than ever at the moment. Gina isn't much better but then again I thought she was only interesting when Brendan was there.

[stephen!]

There are too little about them. Thats the reason why people can't connect with them.

No no no....no no no, less screen time please. The reason people can't connect with them is because Xavier is played by a plank of wood & written as a constant whinger. And Gina because she has no soul.

The show now seems to be sentered around Miles, Marilyn, Rabbit, Alf, Leah and Elijah.

Thank Goodness for them, all are involved in great storylines at the moment.

gina and xavier are fine characters, xavier is just a normal kid and doesn't need to be anything else...having him around brendan certainly gave him an edge mind. as for for gina...so...she's no earth mother and to be honest i don't want the writers to give me that or...a polar opposite. just a flawed normal person...and i like the stuff with john palmer too.

i don't think home and away has ever been great at giving us intresting teenage males...drew was good so was blake and brendan...the girls have always been the driving force.

now getting rid of ruby...she's bloody dull! recasting or SUDDEN DEATH!

all of this is IMO hehe

[HAA Girl 08]

I thought Gina and Brendan were nice additions to the Bay, but Xavier is just plain boring and annoying.

[Snapp]

It's fast getting to the point where I'm going to stop watching until Xavier & Gina leave. Ok I'd live with Gina but the plank has to go.

[devon]

It's fast getting to the point where I'm going to stop watching until Xavier & Gina leave. Ok I'd live with Gina but the plank has to go.

That whole whole family has been a disaster. The only OK one was Brendan - and he's gone.

As for Xavier, I don't get why the script constantly has him acting like a hard man when he comes across as being so wimpy!

[Dalby]

Xavier has come on leaps and bounds since when he first arrived. Recently I have loved him especially, I like him and April together. I even kind of fancy him now.

[jldraw]

The addition of Rhiannon Fish has helped David Jones-Roberts immensely as I think it's the first actress which he's been paired that he has any type of chemistry with. No offense to Rebecca Breeds but how many times can you pair up Ruby/Xavier and expect different results. Something obviously wasn't working there the first time and it didn't work the second time. In my opinion they are much better as friends.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago in my eyes, Xavier is the closest the show has had to a "Shane-type" character in a long time. I really don't see much difference between the two characters except that Dieter Brummer had a solid partner to work with in Melissa George while David Jones-Roberts really has not found his niche yet as far as having another actor to bounce off of. Maybe he's found that actress in Rhiannon Fish, maybe he hasn't...time will tell. There is of course also the issue of the material they are being given to work with and whether or not these actors are able to take the material given to them and either run with it or in some cases rise above it.

As for the rest of the Austin family, Sonia Todd is a fine actress who is trying her hardest to make her character work but I'll put it this way. Ever since Fisher left they've been trying to recreate lightning in a bottle by having an adult character who is a bit on the rigid side but also likable enough so that the audience responds to them. They've never been able to do it and the character of Gina Austin is no exception.

[j.laur5]

I think Xavier is becoming a better character lately.

I always liked Gina because she is such a calm and warm women who also has her flaws.

[CougarCat]

Agreed, David Jones-Roberts appears unable to act. Still, I'd like to see him in something un-soapie to see if there's an trace of talent. Luke Mitchell can't seem to act either but people don't pick on him as much because he's more traditionally good looking (if that's your type). But again, I wonder if it's the material because he does look silly playing a teenager (and no doubt feels it too).

One of the few actors who could really act was Jeremy Sims who played Gardy. An example of someone who could rise above their role, although he was given decent material. And okay, Tood Lasance was a decent actor too, though Aden annoyed me.

I think a lot of people get liking a character mixed up with an actor playing their role with talent. A crap actor may have a decent character and be considered a fantastic actor just because their character was popular; at the same time an otherwise talented actor may play a dismal character but ever get noticed due to the poor material they have to work with.