Why does Irene NEVER get screentime?

[Light of the Bay]

alexx never said it wasn't.

Her cancer was in 2011 and she recovered quickly and it was in early 2012 that she dealt with her heart disease diagnosis.

Since then she literally hasn't done anything. Shocking. I hate the people responsible for this.

A true waste of who was once a central character to H&A.

[alexx]

Her cancer was last year.

I know, that's my point. She hasn't realistically developed as a character since around 2004/2005, despite having storylines here and there.

I know people want Irene to have a storyline, I agree that would be great too. But I think it's more important for them to actually re-develop the character overall and give her a real purpose and personality. Maybe it's too late. It shouldn't be a one off storyline to please the fans, it's an investment in the character and needs to be on-going, in between storylines. So that she is a character in the show and not just a prop.

[Light of the Bay]

But how is that going to happen?

Let's face it; the current writers aren't capable or willing to develop any character - they miss that part out when creating characters and giving them storylines. The writing is so messy.

Irene may just be a lost cause but I'm hoping Lynne McGranger is rectifying that! Whether you like her or not, Louise Bowes is the problem IMO. She favours the Braxton characters and puts her efforts into writing for them. I praise her for developing John/Jett but the Braxtons still rule. She won't listen to fans who wish other characters to have a storyline.

Her period is Script Producer is the worst IMO and she's taken the heart of H&A away IMO. When she took over it's all gone wrong. The writing is patchy and Irene is one of the most disused characters and that's down to her.

Although, at least she has had a storyline! What about Alf? Even Marilyn has only had sub-plots!

Many problems plague H&A I think. Sorry for going slightly off-topic too.

[shyongirl]

But all we get of the Braxtons is crime and they do not develop either.

[JamesC10]

But all we get of the Braxtons is crime and they do not develop either.

We did see a bit of development from the Braxtons last year with Danny Braxton...

When I watched Home And Away before 2004, Irene used to be so prominent and was an important character. Irene had so many big storylines, It's saddening that all Irene does now is toss a salad on a plate and gives some advice etc... I want Irene to be redeveloped like alexx said.

[Ryan]

I don't think necessarily given Irene storylines in the short term would solve anything. Part of the problem is she would appear to be accomplices with so few people in the bay, so why should they care if something happens to Irene.

To explain, back in the good old days , when Home and Away focused on a core group, rather than the scattered entities of today Irene, if something happened to Irene, 90% of the cast would be interested because they were Irene's kids, friends of Irene's kids or Irene's friends.

The storyline whilst involving Irene, would need to be about Irene building bonds with others in the cast she does not already have.

[JamesC10]

I was watching old clips of Irene in 2005-2007, and Irene played a big part in the Summer Bay community. The community rallied together and Irene was the one who had actual good friends and people who cared about her. It seems that only Marilyn and Leah care about Irene much.. I know Irene got Bianca and April, but they are always involved in their own dramas.

[alexx]

I agree that Irene was better in 2005-2007 than she is now, but I remember discussing how much she had changed during 05-onwards, even back then in 2006/2007. She may have still been more prominent than she is currently, but her personality had started to drift away and her relationship with Tasha and Belle for example, was not on the same level as her relationship with the kids that she had fostered prior to 2005. Becoming the owner of the Diner seemed to put an end to her developing as a character too because her screen time seemed to be filled serving coffee instead of on character developing.

Ryan, I agree. I think if she is to be given a decent storyline, it should be used as a catalyst to re-define the character not just in the short term, but on-going. Otherwise, it will just be like the cancer storyline, or the rehab storyline where it features for a few episodes and then it's all done and dusted and she goes back to being a prop.

I think having read that Louis didn't really know much about the characters when she joined as producer, it explains why she hasn't managed to recapture the H&A spirit overall and why she has neglected the characters that were already there, in favour of those that were either brought in by her, or introduced within the last 3/4 years.

[j.laur5]

But how is that going to happen?

Let's face it; the current writers aren't capable or willing to develop any character - they miss that part out when creating characters and giving them storylines. The writing is so messy.

Irene may just be a lost cause but I'm hoping Lynne McGranger is rectifying that! Whether you like her or not, Louise Bowes is the problem IMO. She favours the Braxton characters and puts her efforts into writing for them. I praise her for developing John/Jett but the Braxtons still rule. She won't listen to fans who wish other characters to have a storyline.

Her period is Script Producer is the worst IMO and she's taken the heart of H&A away IMO. When she took over it's all gone wrong. The writing is patchy and Irene is one of the most disused characters and that's down to her.

Although, at least she has had a storyline! What about Alf? Even Marilyn has only had sub-plots!

Many problems plague H&A I think. Sorry for going slightly off-topic too.

But what's your problem with Irene not getting dramatic storylines as most of the older actors would rather not have big storylines. Judy Nunn herself said the main reason why she left was because H&A didn't give her more time out.

There's nothing wrong with how Irene is just being there and living a realistic life and working at the diner.

[jodlebirger]

Irene was OK during the Geoff, Annie and Belle period. She had far more scenes than she has now (read: 2012). But she could have been better at that time too, and she wasn't used to her potential under Belle's drug addiction or after Adens breakdown or not after Belle's death either... but she was still better used than she is now.

Her relationships to Geoff, Annie and Belle seemed more natural than her relationship to Bianca and April. she had a clearer role in the relationship to Belle, Geoff and Annie. We saw the more concerned Irene when they went through rough times, and she was better in the diner... she did a lot more in the Diner/Den than cleaning tables back then... a lot of conversations and also her personality shone in that kitchen/backroom. I think that she faded away after Annies departure and she has never been Irene since then, she doesn't have a real purpose anymore.

And it was in 2010 season the show started to look like two shows... the younger and the older group and became much worse after the Braxtons arrival in 2011 season.

I actually think there are too many characters in the 40+ group, and other characters like John (gina), Roo, Harvey, Marilyn, Alf are stealing the attention. There have never been that many characters in the 40+ group before, not even in the early days.

People are complaining about teen characters, but the Braxtons (at least not three of them) are not teenagers, not the older Scott sister either or Leah... or Natalie (Zack). I think that this group is too big, and they are getting too teen like storylines. And the characters aren't explored these days, not the younger ones either.

For example characters like Sally, Leah in the past, Dan, Roman, Martha and so on got more adult story lines and we knew their personalities and their backstories much better, and were more like a young adult groups and were more defined characters. I think that it was easier to write the older cast in natural conversations with the twenties/thirties group back then than it is now.

And that was the reason why the show felt much more like one show, the Summerbay community were stronger before 2010/11.