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John

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  3. Darryl 'Brax' Braxton - Steve Peacocke

    in Character/Actor Discussion

    Posted · Edited by john003au

      Red Ranger 1 said:
    I should probably shut this computer down, go to bed and have a think before posting but...I'm here now.I feel I probably qualify as one of the "holier than thou" types of whom john speaks but, right to reply. I have spent the last few months following the talk in the Australian Discussion section and there's been talk of how the consistent portrayal of crime without punishment or consequence sends out the wrong message.And it seems people have grabbed that message with both hands:"If you're poor, crime is an acceptable lifestyle choice."Maybe I'm being simplistic and maybe those who have a balanced view of Brax are overcompensating to answer the other extreme.But it frustrates me when even storylines that have nothing to do with Brax are held up as evidence that he's somehow in the right, where Romeo failing his exams to impress a girl, dropping out of school, playing at being a businessman without making any money and entering a marriage he is not financially or emotionally ready for is suggested as the only alternative to getting a gang of street thugs together and growing marijuana.Did Brax come from a poor background?Yes.But if I believed his choice was the best or only one for someone from his background, I'd throw myself off a cliff.Maybe it's naive of me to think we live in a world where a man can support his family without breaking the law but I'll carry on believing it anyway.

    A few posts back, DocZed suggested the moral "If a good girl gets involved with a bad boy, she'll die a violent death."That seems pretty accurate.Perhaps less obviously we might have "Violence breeds violence" or "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."It's implied with Brax, and shown with Charlie, that breaking a little law to help those you love can seem like an acceptable choice at the time.But a few more steps along that road and you're mired into a world of crime and violence and revenge and there's no way out, however much you might want to convince yourself it can all stop.

    If we are not meant to view Brax as a criminal, why do we see him react in such a matter of fact way to Angelo being left with life-threatening injuries as a result of his activities?Why do we see him ordering Liam beaten up for crossing his family?Why do we see him purchasing a gun with the expressed intention of murdering a man he sees as a danger to him?Why do we see him declaring he'll "deal with" Romeo if he objects to being used as a drugs courier?A criminal is how we are meant to see him.Is he "just" a criminal?No, he's a son, a brother, a boyfriend and even a legitimate businessman at times.But none of that stops him being a criminal and nothing ever will.A man who sees nothing wrong with planting evidence on a man who did him no harm because it's the most convenient thing to do.A man for whom "grief" is just another reason to wave a gun about.

    Did Brax love Charlie?Yes.And her death was the result of that love.Have Heath and Casey really been helped by being exposed to gang culture or has it left all three Braxton brothers irreparably damaged with regards their moral and psyche?How often can you justify your behaviour by saying "I did it for my family" before you stop and look at what that family has become?

    It seems as though the show and the fans are very restrictive about how "compassion" is implied.Is Jake Pirovic deserving of compassion for losing someone he loved or is he just to be viewed as a criminal to be locked up and kept away from society?Is Dean O'Mara, the perpetrator of an indefensible crime, to be given allowances for his disadvantaged background or is he just to be quietly shunted off to prison in a congratulatory manner?The only difference between Brax and any other criminal in Summer Bay is the amount of screen time he's given.If the story was told from someone else's point of view, we could have a very different image of him.

    What a thought provoking post and just the sort I was hoping would be part of this discussion. That's not to say I agree with it all.

    Just to clarify my thoughts;

    1. I agree that Brax has been involved in criminal activity and that the River Boys are a gang involved in criminal activity.

    2. I know that not all people from poor socio economic backgrounds resort to criminal behaviour but statistically, in Australia anyway, people from those poor backgrounds are over represented in our jail population.

    3. I am not trying to promote Brax as some sort of Robin Hood figure who should be excused from the consequences of his wrongdoing.

    My point was one of effective dramatic presentation of the human cost of criminal activity particularly that associated with drugs and gang activity.

    It is my view that the ongoing saga of the River Boys, the death of Charlie ( and others) and its effects on Brax, Jake, the other gang members, Ruby, Casey and all members of the Summer Bay community needed to be explored at some length and in some depth for the "human suffering" message to be effectively presented. That message is still being presented in the pain and suffering of those left behind.

    The portrayal of a swift implementation of justice and winding up of the storyline without portraying the suffering would not have been as effective either as drama or in portraying the human cost.

  5. Darryl 'Brax' Braxton - Steve Peacocke

    in Character/Actor Discussion

    Posted · Edited by john003au

    I'd like to widen the discussion of the character of Daryl Braxton.

    At times discussion has been focussed entirely on his criminal dealings, real and assumed, and the tragic consequences of those both for him, his family and his friends. I certainly acknowledge that and I think that a large part of the point of the River Boys storylines has been the tragic consequences which can come from association with gangs and their culture and criminal associations. This is particularly the case when drugs are involved. These have been graphically portrayed in the death of Charlie and the various others who have become casualties of that whole scene and will continue to be felt in the grieving of those who loved Charlie and those who were her friends.

    But to stop there ignores all the other dimensions of this complex character.

    There are some who choose to believe that Brax and the others effected by the deaths of other gang members are not entitled to any sympathy or compassion and are only to have blame assigned to them, be ostracised from society and forgotten about. I don't subscribe to that view.

    I believe any human being is entitled to compassion after suffering loss or grief.

    Why did the writers introduce us to Ma Braxton and her attitudes to Casey and her other children if not to have us understand the background they came from? Why did the writers show us the struggle that Brax had to try and go straight and cut himself off from any criminal associations in his past? Surely it was to show us how difficult it is for people who are born on the "wrong side of the tracks" to escape from that life and access the opportunities for a better life that those of us who are more affluent enjoy often without thinking. Casey's struggles have been a great illustration of this.

    So I feel compassion for Brax, at the same time as I feel it for Ruby and Charlie's friends.

    I don't believe any of these insights into the difficulty of escaping from a criminal background would have been illustrated to us, the viewers, if the drug squad had descended on mass and swept all of the alleged criminals up and conveyed them to court and jail. A sometimes self righteous, and "holier than thou" society would have once again dusted off it's hands, congratulated itself on a job well done, and proceeded to once again ignore those who grow up in disadvantage and who at times see crime as their only chance of gaining some of the advantages of society denied to them.

    This examination of the tragic consequences of all of this in the death of Charlie and all of the others, as well as the ongoing grief being suffered by Ruby, the Summer Bay community AND BRAX is a far better illustration of the tragedy of all this than a simple morality tale where all crime is punished, all criminals end up in jail and all crime is committed by those from the "wrong side of the tracks".

    To me that is the point of the character of Brax and I think he has been written with a great deal of insight and beautifully played by Steve.

  6. Heath/April

    in Character/Actor Discussion

    Posted

    I think the relationship has possibilities. April certainly isn't intimidated by Heath and has the ability to make him think.

    Heath certainly seems to care for April on some level. He wasn't prepared to provide her with drugs and has showed at least some concern for her welfare at times.

    It will be interesting to see how it develops. For it to last fairly substantial character changes by both of them.

    I'd like to see it.

  10. Casey Braxton - Lincoln Younes

    in Character/Actor Discussion

    Posted · Edited by john003au

    I'd like to see the storylines with Casey go in another direction. I think without the influence of Ruby and the adults that back her Casey will drift back into the life he knows from the example of his family. Rememeber that Irene has had a substantial influence on Ruby so had Leah. In that sense I think Casey's relationship with Ruby is important to his eeking another direction for his life.

    A lot will depend on where Ruby turns to for wiser counsel. If Ruby turns to Irene, Leah and perhaps Roo then both she and Casey could become a stable and mutually supportive couple who would help each other to grow within that relationship.

  11. Are you unsure ?

    in Questions & Suggestions

    Posted

      Aquamarine said:
    I just posted a thread in the What Do You Think forum and I noticed my thread didnt post because it has to be reviewed by a moderator. Its been a while since Ive regularly visited the forum, but I dont recall this being done in every forum I've posted in. Is this only for certain forums?

    Most Forums don't require Mod preview. I have PMed a Mod on your behalf as I am not able to deal with this as a Forum Mod

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