2023 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[pembie]

Theo calling out to the crowd that we are back was slightly amusing Remi you you haven’t missed much that one crap ass song seems to be the only thing Lyric seem to play As for Cash realising Eden was singing about him big head much a lot of songs are about love so it could have been just a random song 

As for Nic leaving I didn’t really like Bella this time around she seemed bit stuck up I thought and since she has been gone I thought Nic and John had more chemistry 

Twist would have been when Bella and John wondered who was behind them and we thought Nic was on his way if turned out to be a axe murderer 

Nic should have stayed and got eaten by a shark while life saving 

Dean should go visit Jai and Ziggy and Tane should have a affair while he is away 

imprisoned not in the mood for all this lovey dovey crap 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

It's precisely because I'm such a big fan of Bella that I was so incensed by the use of her last week.To me, Bella already had a nice exit:She had an exciting new life, a promising career and a friend/mentor who respected her, and was finally free of all her baggage.And then the show brought her back to replace it with a horrible exit where one of the worst bits of baggage decided to go with her:In my opinion, Bella had finally outgrown Nikau and lumbering her with him again is a huge backwards step for her.I didn't see Tane as selfish, I saw him as rightly pointing out that Nikau deciding to move to another continent with his on/off girlfriend on a whim is a dumb idea that'll probably cause him (and her) a lot of misery in the long run.(Given that Bella's apparently living in the New York equivalent of a bedsit, I'm not convinced she can support Nikau until he realises that "Go to New York" isn't a plan, it's an idea that you have and then think better of.)Mind you, given Tane's abrupt conversion to Team Bella4Nik4Eva, I'm not sure that reading entirely holds, unless he really is daft enough to fall for John's rather flimsy argument.

Tane didn't buy the house for Chloe and Mia, who didn't exist back then.This was the good old days when the far superior and sadly underused Gemma was the family matriarch.

Anyway, today, which was a lot better.Even though we had to sit through the inevitable "reunion scenes", I'm glad that Cash and Eden did actually talk beforehand, and it does feel like they're on the same page.Felicity being simultaneously pleased for them and freaked out by the visuals was very well played as well.I'm glad that Felicity seems to be more back to her normal self, although unfortunately that still includes a fair bit of self-destructive behaviour as she continues to sabotage her relationship with Tane on the basis that she doesn't deserve a happy ending.

Another day, another character abruptly deciding to move away.Fortunately, unlike Nikau, Ziggy and Dean are behaving like adults and thinking it through, rather than hopping on a plane in the same episode and hoping for the best.I did like Ziggy's chat with Tane and the reminder that he has a bit of history with Amber: I'm glad he defended her a bit in the face of Ziggy trying to paint her as the devil and pointed out that, whatever her faults, she won't do something that'll hurt Jai. (He also did a good job restraining himself from pointing out that he has history with Ziggy too!) And it's not entirely one-way, since Ziggy will be closer to Coco. (Looking at the map, they're not exactly just down the road from Cairns but they'll be a lot closer than they are now.) I guess I'll reserve further comment on this for when/if they actually leave.

Meanwhile, Felicity actually does leave town in the same episode, although she's in the promo so it's apparently not the last we see of her. (I was rather worried about her hitchhiking but...that's okay too, I guess?)

[Slade]

I'm surprised during all this time Bella hadn't met someone else or at the very least gotten over Nikau, especially considering that she's living in New York and probably socialises quite a bit.  When he answered the door bare chested, I knew they were going to end up sleeping together.  So I guess they have their happy ending riding off into the sunset.

Tane's the one I feel sorry for as he has nobody now, especially given Felicity is still rejecting him.  I'm not buying this whole "I don't deserve happiness", "I'm hurting you" thing Felicity is spouting.  I think it's just a cop out and whilst I do think she is in love with Tane it feels like she wants out of the relationship and is just making excuses.  It's good that Tane and Ziggy are friends and I smirked when she was telling Tane about Amber just leaving with Jai, and she said Tane was only sticking up for her because they had a thing.  I quite liked her suggestion of moving to Queensland.  It's a great idea and solves all their problems.  It's a shame we probably won't see Jai any more.  I quite liked it when Dean had him for a bit and Ziggy overheard him telling Dean he didn't want her to be included.

Cash and Eden are back on.  I think Eden is in love with him whereas Cash just wants to bang her.  I did find it funny when Felicity walked in on them in bed together again, although at least her reaction was better this time.

[c120701]

BTtv is oddly no longer letting me series link Home and Away but it seems the first look is now being added to My5 on the day it airs.

Also, Tane & Nik catching up with Bella & John was filmed on the road into Summer Bay House, wasn’t it?

[Dan F]

19 minutes ago, c120701 said:

Also, Tane & Nik catching up with Bella & John was filmed on the road into Summer Bay House, wasn’t it?

Correct 

[atrus]

9 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

It's precisely because I'm such a big fan of Bella that I was so incensed by the use of her last week.To me, Bella already had a nice exit:She had an exciting new life, a promising career and a friend/mentor who respected her, and was finally free of all her baggage.

Yeah, I think this position is fair enough, particularly if you're not convinced of the merits of Nikau and/or don't believe that he's done enough penance for his previous misdemeanours (and on that question I'm mostly agnostic). I suppose my thought on it was just that Bella seemed a bit miserable that she was losing him on the last occasion we saw her; didn't she have some kind of guest appearance where he pretty much cut her off without an explanation, probably because of whatever crime saga he was embroiled in at the time? (May be wrong, my memory is shaky on it.) Anyway, I got the sense she never really wanted to split from him and so, it was only in that sense that I was kind of happy for her to be back with him in this latest stint. But yes, I can see that her original ending was also positive in most respects.

Tonight...

Ugh, absolutely all the navel-gazers were rostered on this episode (except Remi, and believe me, I'm thankful for small mercies); and I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I'm just not sure how much more I can take. Felicity, the Navel-Gazing Queen, was the worst offender by a long chalk - this behaviour just screams attention-seeking. She loves Tane; she doesn't want to hurt Tane; she actually has no tangible problems in her life other than feeling shaken up after the crash; so why on earth doesn't she just accept Tane's support, get some counselling, and then we can all skip ahead to pastures more interesting? At least she's headed out of town to give us all some much-needed respite, I thought; until I saw the promo.  Though in fairness, it's good Gary looks to be involved, as he actually made her bearable last time he was in town. Cash and Eden are on the mend, meanwhile (which I'll take with open arms if it means less moping and stomping about from the both of them) although that didn't negate the need for a lengthy post-match analysis during which we learned that actually, Eden's had her memories back for weeks! So, then, what has all this ridiculous fuss been about, I'd like to know?

I'll generally miss Ziggy and Dean; I was fond of both characters; although it does feel like their time has come, and in some respects I'd rather they go now and together, than that they linger on and end up getting torn apart down the track.

[H&Alover]

Courtney Miler wouldn't have been forced at gunpoint to reappear as Bella, maybe she thought Bella deserved a proper ending to her and Nik's storyline, although it wasn't the most believable.  The last time we 'saw' Bella was on a  video call where Nik told her he was dumping her because of the bikies hanging around. 

Didn't Tane join Ari, Nik and Gemma later, Tane was the bad boy back when we first met him  and Ari was against Nik getting involved with him.  

Some people do like Lyrik so don't mind them being back me being one.  Also seeing as Eden was looking  directly at Cash while she was singing that song it was blindingly obvious she was singing about them. She did explain to Cash that her memories had come back but she wanted to be sure they were genuine.  After all the hiccups they had before you can understand why she felt that way.  Lovely touch that Cash asked Eden if she was sure before moving onto the bedroom.

It was funny that Cash knows Felicity so well he knew she would come bursting into Eden's bedroom and catch them snuggled up. That grin of Felicity's said it all. 

Good talk that Eden and Flick had, Eden was relieved that Flick was pleased that her and Cash were finally an item considering that when Eden first turned up and flung herself at Cash Felicity warned her off because she had hurt him all those years before.  Eden did manage to get Flick to talk about she was feeling, that it did hurt that she felt Tane hated her, which so isn't the truth, as we saw. They, Tane and Felicity, have talked, not in depth, but pleasantly.

Did seem in the end it was freaking her out too much and left, not before though, she and Tane had had a passionate snog.  It did worry me she just jumped in a random car without us seeing who was driving, but she did get to where she was going safely. Lovely to see John Palmer  - sorry Gary - again.  I think he may of great help to her and if I'm right she was at her father's grave which she had never visited before had she.  More to her problems than just the aftermath of the car crash. 

You do tend to forget Ziggy and Tena were an item as they are so easy together, Ziggy couldn't resist having a jibe at Amber, but as Tane said she is a good mum to Jai and had looked after him all by herself all those years before she let Dean know the truth.  Ziggy was surprised that Tane and Flick had split, I know she had been in a baby zone, but really?

Rather sweet Dean coming back from seeing Jai and Jai giving him the count down to the move painting.  

Ziggy's made this decision, already looked it up to check the place out so she, Dean and Izzy are going to northern Queensland before Amber and Jai!?  OK not exactly the same as flying to the other side of the world but can't be that easy to sort everything in such a short pace of time but then it happens that way for soap land folk.   Yes, a good mechanic can find a job anywhere and they have great beaches. But Ziggy will need to give Justin notice, Dean will need to sort out who will be running the board shop and teaching the surf lessons, Mali is only supposed to be doing it short term at present. Is Dean actually selling both or will Mali be working for him, he'll need some money coming in until he sets up another one or Ziggy gets a job.  What, too, are they going to do with the farmhouse, sell the place or rent it to Mac as once again they will need some cash coming in until they get established. 

 

[Foellfan]

Only one thing I can say at the moment, it's entirely unconstructive....awww Tane and Izzy, my heart melted! 

[atrus]

Well, Gary does bring a calming, moderate influence to proceedings, so this episode was a bit more bearable than yesterday's. Still, I think I'm going to feel annoyed if Flick takes his advice and Tane just immediately rolls over and takes her back - but he probably will because, honestly, what else has he got going for him storyline-wise (in the absence of any current crime sagas) except continuing to pick up the pieces after her tantrums?

I feel like a bit of a family meeting might've been a good way to clear the air after the Ava revelation, rather than just expecting Theo to get on with being stuck in a house with her under that cloud. He shouldn't have to move out but if Ava is really only staying briefly then perhaps it's for the best, to make everyone's lives easier.

[Red Ranger 1]

On 02/05/2023 at 00:37, atrus said:

I suppose my thought on it was just that Bella seemed a bit miserable that she was losing him on the last occasion we saw her; didn't she have some kind of guest appearance where he pretty much cut her off without an explanation, probably because of whatever crime saga he was embroiled in at the time?

It was a shame that our last sight of Bella was her crying at a computer screen, but she made the choice to stay in New York and by all accounts was happy there, so in my head, after that scene ended, she brushed herself down, moved on and built a good life for herself. And sure enough, when she came back she was happy and successful and as well-adjusted as we'd ever seen her...only for her last two episodes to undo all that by deciding that she hadn't moved on at all and was frustratingly eager to jump right back into her train wreck relationship.

10 hours ago, H&Alover said:

Courtney Miler wouldn't have been forced at gunpoint to reappear as Bella, maybe she thought Bella deserved a proper ending to her and Nik's storyline, although it wasn't the most believable.

I don't think the fact she agreed to do it is necessarily a validation of whether it was the right choice for Bella.She might have been grateful for a couple of weeks work, or the chance to visit the show and see all her old friends regardless of the storyline.She probably enjoyed working with Kawakawa (she had enough practice), but that doesn't mean their characters necessarily belonged together.

Anyway...today!

Justin did seem incredibly oblivious to the tension in the house, although it was a nice touch that he quickly came round to Roo's tutoring idea. Leah and Theo are in a difficult place here, not wanting to upset things between Justin and Ava but also aware that nothing's been resolved.Kirby isn't keen on supporting Theo during his encounters but is at least providing him with a bolthole, and Leah trying to put her foot down over that won't help matters.I did like how Roo managed to shut down Ava's attempt at rebellion.

Given that Felicity refused to let Gary help her when she came to live with him, I guess it's fitting that it's him she went to in order to heal. After the show refused to give Cash and Felicity's mother a name last year, we finally get one on the gravestone! I can understand why people would be disappointed if Tane takes her back, but having been forced to endure a reunion I didn't want last week, I'll be quite pleased to get the one I do want: I know Felicity's treated Tane pretty badly over the last few weeks (as does she), but I do think they make each other's lives better on the whole.