Storyline Spotlight (Mar - April)



Joey Collins first appeared in the Bay working on a Prawn Trawler with Aden, after initially being taken on as his replacement. Joey immediately took against Aden and demanded Aden resign from the job because they were overstaffed. She knew one of them would be fired and because Aden was one of the boys she knew it would be her.

Aden refused and it turned out there was room for them both. However, it soon became clear that Joey was being bullied by her co-workers, in particular by one called Robbo. He caused various accidents and set Joey up for falls all the time. Aden picked up on this and encouraged Joey to go their boss and tell him. She refused and took the stance that if she ignored him it would soon stop.



Unfortunately Robbo didn't stop. Infact, he started to watch Joey at her home from his car and this culminated in him raping her. Joey had asked Aden to stay after work but Belle turned up upset and Aden went to her, believing what Robbo had said, that Joey had gone home. When infact she hadn't and Robbo then assaulted her.

The next day Joey mysteriously quit her job and refused to speak up about why. She was later found crying on the wharf by Aden and she confessed what had happened. They went to the Police and an AVO was taken out against Robbo.

However, this didn't stop him harrassing her and making it seem as if she had consented to sleep with him. Aden even found her a short-lived job in Noah's Bar, where Robbo soon found her and harassed her further. She didn't last long because he wouldn't leave her alone.



Charlie and the police soon tracked down another victim of Robbo's who he had raped previously. Thinking this key witness had been secured, Joey admitted that Robbo had raped her. Robbo still insisted that Joey had consented to sex with him and, despite her concerns over what her brother Brett would think if he found out she was gay, she did admit this which confirmed Joey had been raped.

During all of this, the key witness was injured in an apparent accident and Joey was spotted with Robbo by Aden. He reported this to the Police and Joey was found by Charlie being held under water by Robbo. Now with charges laid against Robbo, Charlie decided Joey should come and stay at Leah's because Brett wanted nothing more to do with his sister.



Joey and Charlie's affections then grew and Charlie, unable to understand or manage her feelings for Joey, did all she could to avoid her. This became impossible and it wasn't long before they admitted their feelings, which resulted in a kiss.

They embarked upon a relationship, which they kept secret to begin with, but it wasn't long before Ruby spied her sister and Joey kissing in her car. At first she was shocked and couldn't accept it. However, it soon became clear, thanks to Jai's support, that Charlie and Joey did love each other and they just wanted their friends and family to accept them. Ruby does finally accept them and gives them both her blessing.



It wasn't long until Charlie's doubts re-surfaced and she soon found comfort in Hugo's arms. She ended up sleeping with him but Ruby soon found out. She decided to keep it quiet but, due to Charlie's lost earring, it wasn't long before Joey put two and two together when she found the other earring in Hugo's possession. She then got the truth out of Hugo by pretending she knew how Charlie had lost it.

Despite still loving Charlie, Joey was unable to forgive her and said she was leaving the Bay as she had found a job on another boat. Charlie tried to stop her leaving but Joey insisted she had to and they said a tearful goodbye at the wharf.



Some member's comments:

What is this Joey like? I have a feeling I'm either going to love her or hate her. (homeandawayxoxo)

Joey looks like she could be an interesting character. I like her. Aden is an idiot if he thinks Robbo is going to leave her alone now he has put the word on to the big boss. This is just the beginning methinks and he is gonna get much nastier. (Corey)

To be honest i didn't think this story would interest me much because i'm not really a Charlie fan. But i was welling up today when she told Joey she wasn't going to act on her feelings. It was the way Joey said 'why?' It was like she was trying really hard not to cry. I'm really warming to Joey and think she's a great addition to the cast. She's so pretty too, in a completely understated way. I love how they've dealt with their relationship so far and hope it continues without becoming too much of a cliche. (KirstyEkua)

I feel like I'm in the minority (what, me !?) but I was excited by the kiss. I thought it was purrrrfect My only complaint is that I had to wait so long to see it (emmasi)

Its about time HAA showed a gay couple and I hope they show it properly. (Miranda)

They are just perfect together (the writer's created such a genuine, beautiful relationship between the two women)! (Azkadellia)

I have finally watched the last two episodes in full and I am totally in love with Joey and Charlie. They give me warm fuzzy feelings How long has it been since I've seen a pair of characters just let go and dance! (emmasi)

I really love this friendship. It's about time Seven did something like this with Home And Away. (chari0t)

How can anyone not like these two? Seriously, they are gorgeous together. And you can tell Joey REALLY likes Charlie, and she looks very happy when she's with her, and Joey deserves happiness. (Emma)

Joey's fear about revealing her sexuality to her family is also being explored really well. Her conversation with Charlie, about dealing with issues, when she did not even have the courage to tell her own family, must resonate with such a lot of young people coming to terms with their sexuality. Joey and Charlie were also developing in their friendship and that caring protective side of Charlie was really nice to see. I am enjoying seeing how this story line develops over time as it is being done with great sensitivity and care. I am very impressed with the way that it has been handled. (Bareenfan)

I love how Charlie is acting professionally yet is being seen almost as a big sister to Joey. (suzannelgnz)

Joey and Charlie were soooo awesome, all that playing on the beach, the growing awareness between them, and its just soooo sweet. Charlie is one confused cop right now. They are writing this story wonderfully. (Corey)

Joey and Charlie, I wanted more and the promo was a bit bum out but I'm hoping this will be a slow development, rather than something they barely touch on and then forget about. But what we did get was brilliantly portrayed by Kate and Esther, the confusion and the reluctance and the excitement. Eee! So nice to watch. (rachel&kim)

That scene on the boat was one of the most perfectly played I've seen in a while...everything was played superbly, the tension, the agony, the ecstacy, the confusion, the feelings.....can't fault it. Brilliant stuff, let's hope it develops in precisely this way. (Foxy)

I also liked the tentative kiss between Charlie and Joey; a full-on one wouldn't have suited the moment. And I love that it was initiated by Charlie. (Julez)

Everyone seems to be focusing on the kiss itself, but I must say the scene that preceded it, with Charlie and Joey discussing their feelings was written incredibly well. You really got the sense of Charlie's confusion, and about 15 seconds before the kiss happened, you never would've guessed that that is what it was leading up to - the emotions changed directions so many times throughout the scene but never without losing the dramatic integrity. Brilliant stuff. (Foxy)

I am another who has to admit that I'm not finding the way the Charlie storyline is being played out as being entirely believable. For one, it has come on awfully quickly in the scheme of things and it would have been better to have deeper scenes of personal realisation with Charlie rather than off-the-cuff one-liners like her wanting to forget about men for a while; her enjoying the company of a girlfriend (Martha) then pecking her on the cheek; her general awkwardness around Joey; her leaping to Joey's defence in Hugo's presence; etc. I understand it is a very confusing time for Charlie but no matter how hard I try, I just can't swallow it as being believable at the moment. To know that Joey has feelings for her has indeed made her question her sexuality. I'm not sure she is attracted to Joey in a sexual sense - I am certainly not feeling that chemistry - but there is no question that she feels protective of her and I think you could say she feels a certain sense of empathy and responsibility of her. She certainly enjoys Joey's company but I have not got the feeling she is falling in love with Joey the way Joey is with her. (tw1057)

Demanding that Charlie must "love" her... They're not even dating. Love is a bit much. I am very pleased that Charlie has admitted her "strong feelings" for Joey, all the same (emmasi)

But the best line for me was "And hey, there's an upside. From now on when Joey stays over you won't have to share your room with me." Hahahaha, best call ever Charlie! I literally laughed out loud. (Lauz)

We haven't seen enough of Charlie's sexuality to label (Gay, bi or straight) her as yet. There are quite a few gay people who prior to coming out have be had several "straight" experiences. This doesn't make them bi - they certainly see themselves as gay. Like wise people have experimented with gay relationships or experiences and realise that they are straight. Charlie still hasn't worked out where she's at - still confused - needs to re-evaluate how she sees herself. (harrietjames)

Charlie is such an interesting character with 2 very different personas. There is the Work Charlie, who is such a strong, independent and single-minded woman with a strong sense of justice. Then there is Private Charlie, who is littered with insecurities, confused, ambiguous and desperate for love and acceptance. Her indignant outburst, "I'M NOT GAY!" to Hugo spoke volumes about where she is at at the moment. She is really struggling with being an outsider, she is not suited to it, even though in her professional life she embraced it openly (coming to the Bay, asserting her authority, proving herself, etc). Being straight, being with Hugo, it's just the easy option and I'm not sure if Charlie is quite ready to disregard other people's close-minded judgements about her at the moment. (tw1057)

Was anyone else saying "She misses Charlie enough to kiss her but not stay? If you know you will miss her then stay!" yet she still got on that boat, well I hope this is not the end of this storyline. Because if it is then well it wasn't done that well, I mean it had mostly been angst during the entire relationship. (WillowsTara)

I love the way they introduced Joey as a gay character. It really reflected how society is. It would have been so easy for them to go all politically correct and try and dictate to the other characters and us as an audience how we should react in a politically correct way. Instead we have a cross section of society reactions. There are so many Robbo types out there in society. Instead they have portrayed Joey as a real person with strengths (when she took on Trey) and vulnerabilities about the reaction of others to her sexuality. I already like her. Some of the best moments tonight had no words... the look on Charlie's face when she thought Ruby had realised she had feelings for Joey. The love story between Charlie and Joey continued tonight. I love how they are building this up so slowly and gently. We need to get how big a deal this is for both of them. (john003au)