Classic Episodes on 5★

[c120701]

Only Marilyn could walk up the ailse to the tune normally played when leaving the church.

[c120701]

I miss the old surf club wedding receptions, they always made it look so different and the telegrams were such a nice touch.

[James Martin]

I think the telegrams were a product of their time when we didn't have e-mail and social networking - although if a long-running character (say, Irene) was to get married nowadays there's nothing to stop someone reading out messages left on Facebook by various Summer Bay ex-pats.

Nonetheless, I see now why many people regard 1996 as the best season ever. By this time the show's had 8 years to establish itself, it's now a runaway hit not just in but was getting exceptional figures in the UK and Ireland, commercially one of Seven's best products... but the writing is exceptional, the mix of cast seems right, the teen group seems perfect - any teenage viewer tuning in must have loved to have had that lot as their mates! - you had a ****-hot adult cast to back the teens up... the packaging of the show (credits and theme song) were beautiful...

1996 has without a doubt been the strongest evening's viewing in the From Day One run so far. Anyone agree/disagree?

[Ryan]

I enjoyed last night more (especially the fridge episode), but that may have been because with my familiarity with todays episodes.

[Red Ranger 1]

Watched the Chloe episode online at lunchtime.Ah, Sally, Shannon, Chloe and Selina.What more could a hormonal heterosexual teenage boy ask for?Feels a bit strange seeing Steven working as a teacher again.Alf's "Why do you think?I want to read some poems!" is one of those lines that have stuck in my head:I found his storyline quite touching.(Interesting point, H&Alover, about Alf putting Angel in a wheelchair but I think they'd got over that.As for Frankie, there'd actually been a big debate about whether she or Sarah was going to be Angel's bridesmaid which ended with Sarah stepping aside.And I remember Frankie ultimatately giving up on the idea of staying in Summer Bay, saying this way instead of her getting in the way of Angel's new life she'd have it to visit.And then she never did and Sarah turned up at the wedding instead.)I think it must have been the 1995 episodes when ITV started cutting the end credits, some time prior to the song change because I can remember the tiny snatch of the closing music they used suddenly changing and I can clearly remember them skipping from the freeze frame to that shot of the family walking up the steps.

Oh god, Shane's death.I was actually hoping we would get the one where it happens at the end.Reading some of the comments in here it seems I was in the minority but I was squirming with embarrassment throughout the first third of that episode when I watched it the first time round and praying my mum wouldn't come in until it was over.(She did.)I like the idea of the montage of everyone finding out about the news but I just found the music unbearably cheesy and it completely destroyed the mood.It's a shame because the other two thirds were great and all Angel's reactions were surprisingly raw:That almost voyeuristic moment where she can't bring herself to kiss Shane's body, the way she tries to block out Don relaying the news on the phone, Shane's jacket(a motif that would be around for a while)and the pitch perfect scenes with Dylan who behaved exactly how a child would in those circumstances.Kelly being professional at work then breaking down when she got home was a nice character moment and Travis does seem to have mellowed.This was obviously Wilson's obnoxious period:I always remember that scene where he sees Sally crying and basically just shrugs and walks off.Grant Dodwell as Kelly's superior!No idea he'd been in it before his turn as the Mangrove River surf team head last year.(Incidentally, spot the Mangrove River reference in the Shannon-and-Curtis episode, which ties in nicely with its eventual introduction.)On the subject of super couples, that next teen group never really produced one, mainly because they never stayed together long enough(I don't think there's really another teen super couple until Will and Gypsy), but Steven and Selina come closest by virtue of actually managing to outlast their time on the show.Er, sometimes.

Don and Marilyn's wedding.Wow.Guess 1996 was another year with a high cast turnaround:Never mind Pippa moving from Tom to Michael quickly, two episodes from the same year and Angel's already driven off into the sunset with someone who isn't Shane.The fact that the younger teen group of Liam/Stephanie/Joey is already in place makes me feel a bit old again.I remember they did a fair number of these gimmicks like most of the episode being from the point of view of a camcorder around that time and in this case it worked extremely well, making the wedding interesting without reorting to dramatics or saccharine sweetness.Marilyn fumbling her vows was a nice moment I'd forgotten.Dear god, doesn't Jesse look young here?!And The Rebecca That Everyone Remembers.Wonder if Travis and Kelly did get married in 2010 and what she'd have to say about it...I forgot about the two denominations clergy and wondered why the Archbishop of Canterbury appeared to be conducting the service.The other guy is the same actor who married Shane and Angel, can't quite decide if he's meant to be the same character.Brad popping up next to Chloe gets an automatic reaction of "Oh boy, if only she knew..."Random thought process during this episode:"Oh, Irene's lost the bleached blonde look."[About five minutes later]"Hang on, does that mean she's pregnant?!"[Looks really closely]"She is, isn't she!"

[James Martin]

Nearly everyone. Ryan probably remembers Original Rebecca since she got it on with the legendary Luke Cunningham. ;)

[Skylover]

Nearly everyone. Ryan probably remembers Original Rebecca since she got it on with the legendary Luke Cunningham. ;)

The Rebecca that got it on with Luke is Rebecca 2. Rebecca 1 appeared in 1988 and was played by Jane Hall.

[Skylover]

I think the telegrams were a product of their time when we didn't have e-mail and social networking - although if a long-running character (say, Irene) was to get married nowadays there's nothing to stop someone reading out messages left on Facebook by various Summer Bay ex-pats.

Nonetheless, I see now why many people regard 1996 as the best season ever. By this time the show's had 8 years to establish itself, it's now a runaway hit not just in but was getting exceptional figures in the UK and Ireland, commercially one of Seven's best products... but the writing is exceptional, the mix of cast seems right, the teen group seems perfect - any teenage viewer tuning in must have loved to have had that lot as their mates! - you had a ****-hot adult cast to back the teens up... the packaging of the show (credits and theme song) were beautiful...

1996 has without a doubt been the strongest evening's viewing in the From Day One run so far. Anyone agree/disagree?

I personally think 1995 seems like the peak. And the 1995 credits are my favourite so far as well. I don't have a problem with the 1996 ones per se, but I don't like the surreal element as much as the natural one. Plus by 1996 AngelJack have gone.

One thing I have noticed watching 1995/6 is that the casting policy is very much 'looks first' by this point. All the younger cast are gorgeous looking, namely Curtis, Jack, Shane, Angel, Selina, Shannon. I can see why teens would have loved the show and as you say, the older cast was fantastic too. I think Michael seems like the weakest character of the older lot.

I loved that scene of Pippa wishing Maz and Donald well on the video camera. You could see the sadness in her eyes and the way Shannon was doing it really added a nice touch too. Debra is a fantastic actress I also get the feeling that if we ever get to this period in the 7Two eps that I'm gonna love Angel. She seems like a tragic herione, a real stand-out.

Were they going through a proper ethnic phase come 1996? I'm thinking Stephanie, Joey/Liam...?

[alexx]

I also see 1995 as the peak, but 1996, especially the first half was just as good. There was a subtle shift once Angel, Curtis, Jack and co left.

I was just watching the 1996 revamped credits and I also noticed (for the first time) that there seems to be quite a few black extras in the background. Maybe it was a conscious decision what with Stephanie being cast that year too.

[nenehcherry2]

I also see 1995 as the peak, but 1996, especially the first half was just as good. There was a subtle shift once Angel, Curtis, Jack and co left.

I was just watching the 1996 revamped credits and I also noticed (for the first time) that there seems to be quite a few black extras in the background. Maybe it was a conscious decision what with Stephanie being cast that year too.

They got it totally wrong with Stephanie imo. Not as a character so much, but in selecting her ethnicity. She did not look Somali in any form (I think I read that the actress was part-white, part-black, and part-Indian from Kenyan parents or something) and had a 100% Australian accent. Plus, Somalia is a 100%, fundamental islamic country; I doubt her first name would have been Stephanie. And Somali people have their father's and grandfather's names as "surnames"; Mboto is of West African origin. A fully embarrassing attempt at adopting multiculturalism.