Annie Campbell - Charlotte Best

[idris]

I don't think there's any conspiracy theories flying about, RR. It's a question of either or, pushed or jumped, based on the facts at our disposal. I wouldn't have spent anywhere near as much time on this aspect if it wasn't for my contention that H&A have tested, and, in some cases, broken an important bond of trust with viewers. That applies to matters on screen (stupid plots and tainting of her character,) and off (false publicity,) that I won't repeat in detail here.

I was under the impression that 'Geoff' left in a hurry because he landed a part in a film, upon which shooting commenced last September. The film could spawn sequels, which would be like finding a gold mine for an actor. The casting seemed to happen pretty quickly, but I've no reason to suspect he was axed one week and got that part the next. He did put in an appearance at the Logies earlier this month, under the H&A banner. Not sure what that says except perhaps that he likes attending gala events ?

I think you answered the question about why they brought her back from Japan. Firstly, and explicitly, by pointing to the character assassination job they did on her. I presume that was a chance for some contemptuous fun by the writers that they couldn't resist. Secondly, by referring to the casting aside of her relationships in the bay, and their substitution by a few weak farewell scenes with Romeo.

I think that is the key to why she was brought back, and what did happen, or didn't, between her and Romeo. It wasn't about Annie, it was about Romeo and how it affected him. To the writers, Annie was history last June at the latest. Romeo's the one they've been writing for, the one they're 'investing' in for the next 2+ years.

I think that Annie did have connections with others in the town. Irene's obviously the most important, but Ruby seemed like a strange kind of friend for Annie to have. Annie had pretty strong links with Martha and Alf, Aden and, through Jai, Miles. It feels wrong that all those relationships were ignored to keep the spotlight on Romeo. I really question what H&A are saying about relationships, and loyalty to those relationships, with this and other recent story lines.

[j.laur5]

I don't think there's any conspiracy theories flying about, RR. It's a question of either or, pushed or jumped, based on the facts at our disposal. I wouldn't have spent anywhere near as much time on this aspect if it wasn't for my contention that H&A have tested, and, in some cases, broken an important bond of trust with viewers. That applies to matters on screen (stupid plots and tainting of her character,) and off (false publicity,) that I won't repeat in detail here.

I was under the impression that 'Geoff' left in a hurry because he landed a part in a film, upon which shooting commenced last September. The film could spawn sequels, which would be like finding a gold mine for an actor. The casting seemed to happen pretty quickly, but I've no reason to suspect he was axed one week and got that part the next. He did put in an appearance at the Logies earlier this month, under the H&A banner. Not sure what that says except perhaps that he likes attending gala events ?

I think you answered the question about why they brought her back from Japan. Firstly, and explicitly, by pointing to the character assassination job they did on her. I presume that was a chance for some contemptuous fun by the writers that they couldn't resist. Secondly, by referring to the casting aside of her relationships in the bay, and their substitution by a few weak farewell scenes with Romeo.

I think that is the key to why she was brought back, and what did happen, or didn't, between her and Romeo. It wasn't about Annie, it was about Romeo and how it affected him. To the writers, Annie was history last June at the latest. Romeo's the one they've been writing for, the one they're 'investing' in for the next 2+ years.

I think that Annie did have connections with others in the town. Irene's obviously the most important, but Ruby seemed like a strange kind of friend for Annie to have. Annie had pretty strong links with Martha and Alf, Aden and, through Jai, Miles. It feels wrong that all those relationships were ignored to keep the spotlight on Romeo. I really question what H&A are saying about relationships, and loyalty to those relationships, with this and other recent story lines.

I've been watching some 2009 episodes last night and i noticed how much Annie didn't have her own storylines almost the same as Colleen. Annie just seemed to be Ruby's shouller to cry on or Belles. As much as I love this show to death I must admit the producers have more interest in certain characters than do in other characters. It is highly possbile that Charlotte felt that acting was no longer her thing and felt like she wanted to return to the quiet life and just go back school and gain a new career. Because let's be truthful here could you really see Charlotte becoming a famous Hollywood actor.

Edited June 1, 2010 by john003au

[Red Ranger 1]

I think that Annie did have connections with others in the town. Irene's obviously the most important, but Ruby seemed like a strange kind of friend for Annie to have. Annie had pretty strong links with Martha and Alf, Aden and, through Jai, Miles. It feels wrong that all those relationships were ignored to keep the spotlight on Romeo. I really question what H&A are saying about relationships, and loyalty to those relationships, with this and other recent story lines.

Seriously, did Annie really have links with those characters?She might have had a few scenes with Martha at the farm but she was nowhere near as into that as Geoff was and soon drifted away, I think she was more settled in the Bay and didn't really feel like revisiting her old life.Her link to Aden was through Belle and that was gone, by the same token he had hardly any scenes with Irene and none at all with Geoff this year.As for Miles and Alf, did she ever have a one-on-one scene with them?She saw Miles at school or at the caravan park if she was visiting Jai or Melody or at a pinch Kirsty or Nicole, she never went there specifically to see him.I'd say they had as much interaction during her visit as they ever did:ie.not very much.I don't even remember her ever talking to Alf offhand, he's just Alf and so everyone likes him.She probably spent more time with Xavier than any of them and I wouldn't expect them to get a big farewell either.Aside from Irene, Ruby and Romeo, the only characters she really had a connection to were Geoff, Belle, Jai and Lucas in the early days and they were all gone.

Assessment of Charlotte's acting ability aside, I kind of agree with j.laur.It's not exactly unheard of for young teenagers to have an acting career for a few years as a bit of a hobby and then do what they really want to do afterwards.There's a long tradition of soap children suddenly deciding they don't want to do it anymore and their roles being recast.When they get older, they get written out instead.

[idris]

Quote by Red Ranger.

Seriously, did Annie really have links with those characters?She might have had a few scenes with Martha at the farm but she was nowhere near as into that as Geoff was and soon drifted away

Seriously, yes she did. The farm was her family home, so I'm not sure how much more into it she was expected to be. Didn't drift away of her own accord - it was taken from her by the bank.

As for the others...it's very easy for the writers to suffocate a character, as they did with Annie, by simply not following up on links and giving them no story lines. Just a few pointers though that contradict the assumption that Annie had few connections left in the bay : -

Who persuaded her to return from Japan for the 6 week break ?......Martha.

Who was Annie confiding in just before she left for the first time to Japan ?........Aden.

There should have been 'catch up' scenes between her and Miles re. Jai, and that should have been the prompt to explore the choices she was about to make about her future. Instead she was pretty much left on her own to decide what to do.

The fact she made no new friends at SBH would also indicate that the writers were winding her character down. Yet we were expected to believe she was making lots of new friends, fast, in Japan ?

So there were existing personal relationships there that just weren't explored again......that's down to the writers surely ?

Quote by Red Ranger.

Assessment of Charlotte's acting ability aside, I kind of agree with j.laur.It's not exactly unheard of for young teenagers to have an acting career for a few years as a bit of a hobby and then do what they really want to do afterwards.There's a long tradition of soap children suddenly deciding they don't want to do it anymore and their roles being recast.When they get older, they get written out instead.

I've come to my conclusion, and given my reasons for reaching it, about why I think CB is no longer in the show, based on what I can see before me. There's no evidence to assume that CB fits into the category you're describing here RR.

As for acting ability and ambition, Charlotte was on the show from age 13 to 15. It's useful to remember that. I'm not trying to make excuses here, she wasn't the worst actor on the show by a long way. She played a fairly quiet character too, not a loud one. That's harder at any age, but especially as a teen playing opposite brash/bouncy characters like Nicole and Ruby. But I get the impression that her age must have affected the producers thinking (PC and all that stuff,) and restricted the possibilities for story lines earlier in her tenure. For instance, I thought it would have been just as realistic for Annie to have run away 'to the city' as Melody.

Anyway, we'll have to wait and see if she resurfaces in a new guise won't we ? But I wouldn't claim she's destined to be a Hollywood starlet.

[Red Ranger 1]

Quote by Red Ranger.

Seriously, did Annie really have links with those characters?She might have had a few scenes with Martha at the farm but she was nowhere near as into that as Geoff was and soon drifted away

Seriously, yes she did. The farm was her family home, so I'm not sure how much more into it she was expected to be. Didn't drift away of her own accord - it was taken from her by the bank.

I won't labour the point as to the others but I think you misunderstood me here.I was talking about when Martha bought the farm.Annie just seemed to go there, have a look around and decide that that part of her life was over and there was no point going back to it, unlike Geoff who we saw helping Martha out there on a fairly regular basis.I think we only saw Annie there on one later occasion, when a whole crowd of residents were helping out and she was playing matchmaker for Irene and Lou.I wouldn't say that Annie had a special connection to the farm or to Martha, certainly not at the time she left for Japan.

[idris]

Quote by Red Ranger.

Seriously, did Annie really have links with those characters?She might have had a few scenes with Martha at the farm but she was nowhere near as into that as Geoff was and soon drifted away

Seriously, yes she did. The farm was her family home, so I'm not sure how much more into it she was expected to be. Didn't drift away of her own accord - it was taken from her by the bank.

I won't labour the point as to the others but I think you misunderstood me here.I was talking about when Martha bought the farm.Annie just seemed to go there, have a look around and decide that that part of her life was over and there was no point going back to it, unlike Geoff who we saw helping Martha out there on a fairly regular basis.I think we only saw Annie there on one later occasion, when a whole crowd of residents were helping out and she was playing matchmaker for Irene and Lou.I wouldn't say that Annie had a special connection to the farm or to Martha, certainly not at the time she left for Japan.

I accept that Annie wasn't attached to the farm by the time she left for Japan (btw, although Annie lived there, and mucked in as best she could, I don't think Annie would have been as adept as Geoff helping out on the farm; they are built slightly differently. )

I don't think it's about 'special' connections with anyone really, more about normal social relationships with people who were involved in her life over the last 2 years. They're part of the glue that holds any community together, and that seems to have been left out recently.

[j.laur5]

It's a shame that just when Annie looked like she was going to get proper storylines she left. l really thought her character was better without Geoff and Jai.

Does anyone feel a little let down there wasn't a proper goodbye scene for Annie?

[idris]

It's a shame that just when Annie looked like she was going to get proper storylines she left. l really thought her character was better without Geoff and Jai.

Does anyone feel a little let down there wasn't a proper goodbye scene for Annie?

The way I look at it now j.laur5 is that I agree with most of the first point you made: although I think her character should easily have been able to emerge from the shadow of the other characters, so I wouldn't have minded Geoff or Jai remaining in her life. But.... because none of those possible storylines can happen now, I don't really care that she didn't have proper farewell scenes - as I wrote on May 30th -

"Thinking about it now, I really wouldn’t have wanted to have seen goodbye scenes for Annie, because her leaving for good at age 16, with no rhyme or reason to it, would have made them doomed attempts to legitimise a stupid storyline."

Wot a waste.

[Red Ranger 1]

It's a shame that just when Annie looked like she was going to get proper storylines she left. l really thought her character was better without Geoff and Jai.

I actually think the character was worse off without those two and perhaps to a lesser extent Belle. They stuck her in a more conventional relationship which I found far less interesting than the sweet and quirky one she had with Jai.And without Geoff we didn't really see that affectionate, sarky side she used to show with him.If her last few months on the show are indicative of the direction they were planning to take her in, turning one of the few genuinely different characters into just another whiney teenager with only the occasional hint of the fun, caring character she was for her first two years, it's probably best she left when she did.

I guess they gave her a "Everyone in the Bay turns up to say goodbye to her(except for her and Jai's best friends)" farewell when she left the first time so they didn't really need to do it again.At least she actually said goodbye to someone before she left town, that's more than at least one recent departure...

[idris]

It's a shame that just when Annie looked like she was going to get proper storylines she left. l really thought her character was better without Geoff and Jai.

I actually think the character was worse off without those two and perhaps to a lesser extent Belle. They stuck her in a more conventional relationship which I found far less interesting than the sweet and quirky one she had with Jai.And without Geoff we didn't really see that affectionate, sarky side she used to show with him.If her last few months on the show are indicative of the direction they were planning to take her in, turning one of the few genuinely different characters into just another whiney teenager with only the occasional hint of the fun, caring character she was for her first two years, it's probably best she left when she did.

I guess they gave her a "Everyone in the Bay turns up to say goodbye to her(except for her and Jai's best friends)" farewell when she left the first time so they didn't really need to do it again.At least she actually said goodbye to someone before she left town, that's more than at least one recent departure...

Last September I would probably have agreed that the relationship with Romeo was a conventional direction for a teen to take. Which wouldn't have been a problem if they had kept the rest of her personality intact. But that didn't happen, even though they knew she was leaving. And given that, I can't believe that they planned to take her in any direction, other than towards the exit sign. In fact, while she was on the show, her character seemed to be going in different directions at once, from disloyal, hard nosed student to sub-D*sn*y Channel teen..... "1,2,3, I Love You." Wish I hadn't just recalled that moment in the diner.

Remember it was all about Romeo, not Annie. They didn't care what they did to her, and still don't, as long as Romeo comes up smelling of roses by comparison. Roses need fertiliser don't they ? So...."More manure for Romeo !"