2023 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, apparently everyone else was as teed off at that episode as I was, given no-one's commented on it! I found it deeply, deeply frustrating. I wanted Bella to be free of all this, not dragged back into the same cycle. I wanted her to be out there, living her life, having something better. I wanted her to finally move on and realise that just because Nikau was the first boy she fancied, it doesn't mean he's somehow something special that she has to be tied to for the rest of her life.Instead, she's back mired in dreary teen angst, with Nikau, who's actually been quite tolerable lately, suddenly back to being sulky and brooding.And that's not even the worst of it: As Irene says "John Palmer, what have you done now?" Seriously, what was he trying to achieve? So Bella and Nikau are both angsting over saying goodbye, how exactly is setting them up for a bout of poorly-timed ex sex going to make things better? Is Bella now supposed to throw away everything she's worked for in order to stay with her drippy ex? Or is it just going to make saying goodbye hurt even more? (The promo suggested a third option which isn't much better: I'll try and reserve judgement but it already left me wanting to hit John.) They live separate lives now, they need to accept that.

The other storyline wasn't any less frustrating. I should probably go easy on her because she's had a shock, but Mackenzie just seemed to be everything worse by living in denial. First she tries to find a doctor who'll tell them what she wants to hear, then she goes around acting as though chemo is a miracle cure that will cause them to live happily ever after rather than just delaying the inevitable. I'm not sure Ziggy helped either: She did eventually make some good points, but she kind of buried them under an inspirational story about how her mum had chemo and now she's great, which didn't seem to have any relevance to Gabe's situation.By the end, Gabe's been pressured into making a decision that I'm far from convinced is right for him, since it seems to be putting him through more pain for potentially very little gain, while giving Mackenzie false hope as she still seems to be convinced there's going to be a happy ending.Honestly, Dean was the only one talking sense. Mind you, the episode finally made me like Gabe thanks to Ziggy and Mackenzie being so annoying!

[H&Alover]

Did Justin really believe Ava's "I'm over Theo" line - when only moments previously she wanted to go back to the Morgan's when Theo got the call from Kirby and Justin had to persuade her to stay with him -  silly man, to be fair, though,  he didn't drop Kirby in it.  Ava had previously told Kirby fans know their crushes a lot better.   As a  parent of course he wouldn't want to acknowledge his child is a 'psycho'  stalker.   It was a good line of communicating the news, and I can see why it had to be Leah to break the news to Justin.  Great minds think alike, I was the same waiting for Ava to ferret in the bin once Justin had  gone out of the room.  I'm not that sure we - or Theo/Justin/Kirby - should feel safe about it 'only' being Ava. 

Yep, never mind Felicity necking bottles of booze and not paying for it Mac did her 'have this meal on me' stunt again and not for one but two - sorry but another .   Luckily - sorry bad choice of words  - but Gabe has more on his mind that her doing her version of a food kitchen for the not so poor. 

Seems Rose did impress Elandra, does she know she's a cop yet?  In one way it's good that Rose and Elandra are getting on but it will mean they can gang up on Mali.  I'm guessing Elandra will get the unenviable job of telling mum. Mali did convince her it was good for him staying in the bay as he can be him. 

Terrible news for Gabe and I guess we shouldn't be surprised with Mac's initial reaction that  he should get a second opinion and when the second oncologist said the same as the first urge him to get chemo.  Most people would be the same if it's a loved one of yours. Naturally you'd want to look on the upside.  

Chemo is not exactly a miracle cure but it can reduce or kill off the tumour(s).  Some people can take the treatment but for many it totally wipes them out so that it why they refuse it.   In between treatments it robs you of quality time with your family/loved ones. I 'm guessing Gabe went through it last time so knows what it was like and it would be harder this time round. It is only the one going through it can fully understand. 

Nothing to do with it all really but Mac was bemoaning to Dean the fact she and Gabe had spent all that time apart but wasn't that due down to the fact he'd walked off after dumping her? Plus he only found out two years ago. 

Now it may just be me and hope I'm wrong but I got  a funny niggle when Gabe got that phone call from his oncologist giving him  the bad news, wouldn't any responsible medical person call their patient in to give them the bad news face to face?   The same thing with his second opinion, they, whoever they were, would have had to got through all his notes, medical records to confirm what the first one said and it seemed such a short time when he called them and got the results. 

Nice to see that Ziggy has got over her fear of subjecting Izzy to the dangers of the big bad world by taking her to the beach. 

Aren't you  all jumping to conclusions about what Bella is going to do - go back to the States, stay in the bay -one knows yet.  Of course it would be awkward them being friends after they were a couple and they didn't have a proper ending.  No-one forced her going round to see Nik and he didn't drag her into bed, she went to his  and more than happily jumped into it.  There have been hints of what may happen, and I've seen a very happy looking Bella waving,  but Nik does have obligations himself - saying no more. 

[Red Ranger 1]

That wasn't quite as bad as I feared, mainly because there were still a few good moments and the actors were doing their damnedest to sell it, even if that did seem to translate to "Smile and laugh a lot, even when it's completely inappropriate to the scene". But it was still pathetic shipper-pandering tosh, and I still feel like ripping the whole sorry mess to bits scene by scene.So I will.

We start off with Bella and Nikau cavorting on the bed, smiling and giggling, and I'm left thinking "Well, I'm sure the sex was great, guys, but like I said, it hasn't actually changed anything.That goodbye you were angsting about dreading all that last episode? Still going to happen. Any chance you could get a dose of reality any time soon?"

But no, apparently not, because Nikau suddenly announces he's moving to New York.Bella, quite sensibly, reminds him of all the reasons he didn't go with her in the first place: He knew he'd hate it, he knew there was nothing there for him aside from her, everything and everyone else he knows and cares about is in Summer Bay. Nikau just gives a pat answer about her being most important.But then that sums up the storyline, everyone doing a complete 180 from their attitudes last year even though nothing has changed apart from Kawakawa's contract being up.Dean, who stopped Nikau going after Bella because he knew she deserved to be free of his drama, was suddenly pushing Bella into talking to him and now giving her a "Maybe it's not too late" pep-talk.John, who, whilst accepting it was Nikau's choice, advised him against throwing away everything he's worked for just to follow Bella around, is suddenly resorting to rather distasteful emotional blackmail in order to make sure he does exactly that.

Then Nikau puts his harebrained idea to Tane who, rightly, points out that it's completely stupid. Tane is 100% right: You don't just follow some girl to the other side of the world and have everything magically be wonderful.He makes several good points: That there's not actually anything for Nikau to do there, that he'll be left with nothing when/if it doesn't work out (and giving how unstable their relationship has been, it feels like more "when" than "if"). Nikau just gives a pat answer about getting another job (because his track record at that is so good), then whines about Tane being negative, making it obvious he hasn't thought about anything important at all.Yes, Tane was probably influenced by what's going on with Felicity, and wouldn't have been so cynically "You can only count on yourself" normally, except that doesn't make him wrong.I was utterly disgusted by how John treated him, barging in and not making any attempt to be logical or actually answer his point of view, instead just laying a huge "You're stopping Nikau being happy!" guilt trip on him. How is he doing that? Like I said, Nikau has been perfectly happy for months while Bella's been in New York. John hasn't even made any attempt to talk to Bella and Nikau and find out what they want, he's just decided he knows what's best for everyone because he saw them hugging.

I was genuinely sickened by Bella's rictus "I love Nik, I've always loved Nik!" because it summed up everything I hate about how the show's treated her in relationship terms.Nikau can sleep with as many people as he likes but Bella always has to stay pure and never look at anyone else.It's like she imprinted on him and is incapable of seeing there's a whole world out there and not everyone in it is an irritating twerp. Just to hammer the point home we have Ziggy giving a gushing "It's just like when Dean and I reunited!" Yep, another couple who got together out of convenience, stayed together because they were too lazy to do anything else and have never remotely come across as perfect for each other.Now, there's nothing wrong with that: Most relationships involve people getting together by chance and staying together through hard work.But you need a heck of a lot more than "Because it's an easy solution" if you're going to uproot your whole life for someone.

Then we get Bella's farewell and I actually liked this, because there's none of the histrionics and "Oh, I can't say goodbye again" nonsense of the previous episode.Sure, she's disappointed but she's also accepted it.She says goodbye to the people that matter, exchanges jokes, she's ready to head off back to the real world.And Nikau's the same, heading home ready to get on with things.Nothing's changed, they're still the same people living the same lives they did two weeks ago, their moment of madness has passed.And I'm left thinking that that's how it should end: Bella's seen her friends and family, had closure with Nikau and parted friends, and now she's heading back to reality.If Nikau needs to leave, send him to his family in New Zealand or something, where he won't be a complete fish out of water with nothing going for him except being with some girl.

But no, instead we get an ending which not only messes things up for Bella but for Nikau as well, as he casually hops in the car with her to cross a continent to do, well, he obviously hasn't thought that far ahead.Nikau's actually improved these last few months: He's become someone his family can rely on, he's found a career that he's good at and he likes...and now that's all gone for the sake of one stupid impulsive decision.There isn't a hope of it working out.They're still feeling the glow of reunion sex and stuck in the honeymoon period.No doubt not long after they land in New York, the shine will wear off.Nikau will be stuck lounging around Bella's flat with nothing to do or taking a job he doesn't really like.Bella will be trying to carry on with her career (with a guy that Nikau's always been jealous of) and not have time to deal with his whining for attention.And then what Tane predicted will happen, but at least he let Nikau make his own decision so he's only got himself to blame.No doubt the show will try and romanticise it and insist they're still together as long as there's someone on the show likely to mention them, but I'm not buying it.The show got Bella back for a guest stint and just treated her like a virgin sacrifice to give Nikau an utterly unconvincing happy ending.What a waste.

Anything else happen?

Well, aside from Remi and Bree talking about stuff we already knew, we had Felicity slowly heading in the right direction.Her chipper mood at the start didn't last but at least she feels guilty about Tane, even if she's not trying to make things up to him.And while she was tempted, I'm glad she didn't succumb to the drink again.It's good to see Cash and Eden more at ease with each other as well, although I don't think this is the time for them to try and matchmake Felicity and Tane so hopefully they won't go in that direction.

[H&Alover]

Well that was certainly negative.     

They are both adults so quite able to make their own minds up, it may not work out, there aren't many beaches in New York after all, but he can come back, he's not been exiled. I know we don't know if Bella got involved with anyone back in the Big Apple but Nik only got with Heather and that was very brief.  Stacey did flirt with him but as far as he was concerned she was with Xander so  he didn't go there.  

I feel they should give it a go rather than always wondering "What if".  Tane wasn't the best person to ask advice from considering how he is feeling about women - OK one particular woman -  right now.  Nik may have been OK whilst Bella was away but his mood changed when she came back and was distracted which John picked up on. 

Is it just in soapland that people seem to find it so easy to jump on a plane to go to far flung places at the drop of a hat?  Not forgetting just chucking in your job with no notice.  OK, this time John was fully aware of what was happening and behind it, but normally off they go. Nik is going to the States, no ticket, no money, no visa which, in the case of the States, I think he will still need to visit let alone live.  If he does decide to settle he'll need a Green Card. 

Sorry I do disagree about Ziggy and Dean, some couples do ping and pong off each other but they are meant to be.  Dean being  the boss in the house.   

Did Bree and Remi agree to give themselves a little distance from each other?  She was surprised to find out he'd had his brace removed and was hoping to play that night.  

False bravado with Felicity maybe, it did give her a jolt seeing Tane causing her to run off,  so she does still care.  Maybe too soon for her to approach him.  It was good seeing Cash & Eden have an awkward free talk about Flick and she found out how hard it had been for Cash the last time when she had her breakdown.  It needs handling carefully.  

 

 

 

[Foellfan]

I was moved by the goodbye 'Hongi' (I think that's right) between Tane and Nikau, Tane looked so forlorn watches them drive away and the same with the following episode, he seems quite lost and clearly hurting though I still think he can do better than Felicity. I'm glad Nikau and Bella went together, they've always come across to me as an old married couple in young bodies!

All I can say of Ava is she's a petulant, dangerous brat and I think Theo is right to be unnerved really, it can start innocently but when told 'no' or rejected it can turn scary very quickly.

[c120701]

Tane’s of the opinion that New York or even New York City only consists of Manhattan if he thinks there’s no work for a lifeguard. If they lived on Staten Island there are beaches and Bella could get the ferry into Manhattan or they could live in Brooklyn and find a halfway point to Manhattan & Coney Island.

[Red Ranger 1]

Apparently Nikau doesn't have a clue either, given that his carefully thought-out response was that he can do something else.

Alf's episode count:Suspended.

That was a rather mixed comeback gig for Lyrik: As much of a show stopper as Eden's number was, I hope they did something else after! Bree did a good job reassuring Remi after his big plan to, well, reassure her didn't go to plan.Cash actually worked really well here, being a good friend to Tane, explaining things well to Felicity, being rather animated and into things during the gig, and then the moment when he realises exactly what Eden's song means.Now that Cash and Eden are finally on an even footing (something which, to be frank, I never felt he and Jasmine were), I can actually see them being good together.

I'm afraid I found Ziggy annoying again.I'm not keen on the way Amber's being painted as the villain:Yes, it's unfair on Dean, but this is the sort of thing that happens when parents don't live together, and Ziggy banging on about getting a lawyer to stop her moving was just ridiculous.At least Dean was more realistic.

I did feel sorry for Tane as the last man standing but it was nice that he and Felicity had their first basically civil conversation in a while.I get that the show had to follow up on Nikau and Bella's departure, and for the most part they did it well, but I could have done without a smug selfie of them with inane grins on their face desperately saying "This is a happy ending! Throwing away everything you've worked for to follow some girl you've been back with less than a day and were rubbish with in the first place to another continent is a happy ending, not a stupid immature decision that's bound to end in disaster!" Sorry to their fans, but to me they feel like the opposite of an old married couple, they feel like a couple of dumb kids in young adult bodies. Which isn't surprising: Bella was seventeen and acted younger when they got together, while Nikau was apparently in his 20s (and acted younger) which always felt a pretty creepy. I spent three years seeing more and more evidence that he wasn't good enough for her yet the show never allowed her to get over what always felt like an immature infatuation. (When the closest thing she ever had to a non-Nikau romantic encounter was being forcibly kissed by an internet predator, while Nikau slept with Jade, Sienna and Heather, is it any wonder I feel like there's a double standard here?)

[pembie]

I’m a week behind Ava I don’t really mind it’s quite fun having a someone unhinged makes Theo less boring at least I’m guessing because she’s Justin’s daughter she will turn good in the end but she’s a tad strange lying on the bed semi wearing Theo’s shirt 

I have to say I’m beyond bored of Feilcity now I wouldn’t mind if she left 

[atrus]

Ugh, one of those weeks so had no time for the Bay, but had a mass catch-up yesterday and this morning.

Monday - I'm liking this Ava storyline; it's created the most interesting household dynamic we've had in roughly forever (well, certainly this year), and with Leah back in the fold it feels like a proper family drama. The scrapbook and stalking are obviously a bit next-level, but teenagers are wont to get a bit obsessive at that age and reading between the lines, I'm guessing things haven't been great for her back home and she's created this fantasy life with Theo as figurehead. In any case, it's going to be super awkward tomorrow now Kirby's rumbled her.

Curious as to why Elandra's so determined to find fault with Mali moving away - is there some major family secret/reason that he ought to have stayed put?

Tuesday - both intriguing threads from yesterday kind of petered out here, with Elandra shrugging and giving Mali her blessing before naffing off again - although we do get a mention of 'Mum' still being an unresolved issue, so hopefully we're going to see some more of Mali's family before all's said and done. The Ava situation ended a bit oddly, with her not even asking whether or not Theo knew about the scrapbook/stalking, which in real life would have been the absolute first thing she'd want to know. Glad Justin didn't kick her out, but not sure how Theo and Kirby are going to feel about remaining in her orbit.

I feel like the writers are trying to pull a Blake-and-Meg on us with this Gabe storyline, but I'll say again that there hasn't been enough build-up. Feel sad for the guy and everything, but it's not like Mack at all to be this all-in this quickly, and something about it just isn't ringing true.

Wednesday - Well, I'd be lying if I said I felt strongly about Nik and Bella either way, really. Yes, I thought we were done with them, and no, I wasn't particularly desperate for a reprise; but now we have it, I'm not particularly upset about it either. Nik did treat her badly but as I recall he showed a fair bit of remorse for it, so I don't begrudge them another shot if that's what they want. I do accept the criticism that everyone has changed their positions since last year on the flimsiest of pretexts, but also worth bearing in mind that their pretexts were flimsy then, too; it's only ever about which actors are destined for a contract end. Arguably Nik should have gone at the same time as Bella, given he's done sod-all of interest since, but evidently he still had some while to go.

The promo promises lots of clenched-jaw moping from Tane - hurrah.

Thursday - Nik and Bella probably won me round in the end. Despite being a world-weary cynic I guess I am also a bit of a romantic at heart in that, if two people keep coming back to each other and like each other enough, then sure, why shouldn't one of them up sticks and move halfway around the world in order to stay together? I certainly would if I was lucky enough to be in that boat - sod living with my mopey uncle and running around the beach taking orders from John Palmer. Couples very frequently move away together when only one of them has a job, and I'm betting she's on half-decent pay now, so it's hardly the end of the world that he has no plan. Tane was being selfish trying to make him stay, TBH; and as far as the show is concerned Nikau's been very much a spare part for as long as I can remember now. So all in all I think this was probably the right decision, and I'm happy for Bella in particular, who I always liked as a character, that she gets a nice ending.

The bigger question now is what happens with Tane - I guess it's likely that some resolution is coming with Flick, but is that relationship really enough to keep him around as a character, or is the sun about to set on the Paratas?

Friday - meh, Lyrik: not even a coma stint and a brutal hand-bashing can keep these guys down. Almost died laughing at Eden opening her 'Ode to Cash' solo with: "Some things I remember, some things I forgot..." - yes, WE KNOW about your selective amnesia. All very teenage and cliched, as was the Remi stuff: don't know why he thought that playing a gig would be the clincher for Bree, she's not a schoolkid fangirl. And speaking of which - Theo's back on roster following the early-week events, but no real resolution on the Ava situation; surely we'd have expected at least one scene between them following the reveal?

So, could Amber's new job be Dean and Ziggy's route out? Worse ways to go than joining the classic soapie conga-line to Queensland, I guess. As with Nikau and Tane yesterday, I was wondering today what that means for Mackenzie and whether she'll be maintained as a lone wolf without family, particularly with Gabe unlikely to be sticking around long-term given his diagnosis.

[H&Alover]

I seemingly don't know much about New York either.

That was a great response to Lyrik's return even if Remi had to stop, pushed himself a bit too far there.  He gave two reasons - one he didn't want to let their public down and didn't want Bree to feel any more guilty than she was, though of course she has no reason to. 

Some of us do like Lyrik.

Amnesia can be selective.

Eden's song did go down well and Cash caught on what it was all about, hence his leaving and her following him and her confessing she had remembered everything. Hopefully they have now got that angst and misunderstanding behind them and move forward. Felicity will be pleased.  

Let's not forget Bella's emotional development was rather retarded due to her being held captive all those years so had a lot to catch up with up.   Mind you saying that, although he rumbled Jade,Nik could be quite niave sometimes. 

That was a tender moment between  Tane and Nik.

Obs Nik had no trouble getting on Bella's flight.

From being a bit of a wild card Tane had a real turn round in his life, buying the house so he,  Ari, Nik, Mia and Chloe could live in the same place, plus of course sundry drop-ins/lodgers.   Now it's just him and Cash.  Good  that Cash felt able to discuss Felicity with Tane and give him an update, showing Tane does still care for her.   Tane and Flick's meeting was a bit tentative but went well, she apologised for her behaviour and said her recovery was  a 'work in progress'.   I do get the feeling they will get back together. 

Big shock for Dean finding out Amber and Jai were moving to North Queensland, without any warning she was even thinking about it. Yes I know she isn't under obligation to but it would have been considerate for her to.  As I wasn't sure of the geography I checked it out and although it is in the next state it is in the far north.   I'm guessing, currently, Dean pops up/down/across to see Jai?  Dean legally hasn't got a  leg to stand on as his name isn't on Jai's birth certificate and there isn't any written arrangement for him seeing him when and how many times he can/wants to.  Ziggy and Amber will never be BFF and every time they meet they clash so not surprising Ziggy had a go at her.  It was good Dean explained his problem with Justin as he knows what it was like not being around when Ava was growing up, not that he had a choice in her younger  years, then Nina kept putting the blocks on him meeting her.    Dean missed out on Jai's early years as he didn't even know about him. 

I do know, but I'm saying nuffink. 

Brief mention of her, Ava, btw with Justin saying she was at home with Leah as he had banned her from coming to the gig, but she did text Theo on his personal phone - gone off him eh?