Melody Jones - Celeste Dodwell

[Little Princess]

I might not be getting it but I understand Melody enough to know that compassion is the last thing she needs and probably wants. What she DOES need is to get back on track and she's lucky to have someone like Miles who I'm sure will step in soon enough to get things straight with her so that she can find her north.

I'll say this once again: none of the kids in H&A have had a normal childhood but this is the first time I see one of them consciously using her past to justify what she's doing and get away with stuff. This alone makes me think that Melody is very aware that what she's doing is wrong and, whereas I agree that she's a very confused and lost kid, I'd love to ask anyone who's been through puberty who didn't have some sort of identity crisis at some point and it takes us all a great deal of time, pain and effort to find our own self. I do get that for Melody this process is going to be even harder however, that doesn't mean things should be made easier for her or they'll make the same mistake her mother did during her childhood. Let her try her wings and crash and she'll learn how to fly solo soon enough. The only thing we can do is try and suggest her the way to do it, the rest is up to her.

Also, it is true that Aden, Geoff and Annie all originally had a family but, contrary to what I've read somewhere in this forum, the parents died when they all were way too young to have actually formed themselves an idea of what true family live was. If anything, having known a loving family probably made things worse for Aden when he had to face the hell he faced (at both physical and psychological level) and we could all see what living with Bruce Campbell was like: no phone, no TV, no school, basically no contact with anyone from the outside world, was hardly the best environment for Annie to grow up. Geoff was 'lucky' since he got sent to boarding school but, do I need to remind you that Annie, aged 14, couldn't even read properly when she first joined SBH? Or that she got her first period and didn't even know what was happening to her? And yet, probably thanks to Geoff but largely thanks to Annie herself, she's a decent kid who did her best to fit in the new world she was living in, handling Lucas' rejection with a lot more class I would expect from adult women and not giving up on Jai when he needed a friend.

As per the Bible, you don't need to be a believer to get what's it all about. I'm not a Muslim but I studied the Koran when I was a teenager and I understood a lot of the moral values that rule the Islamic community. That's what's making me sure that Melody knows very well the difference between what's good for her and what's not. At any rate, I love H&A so I sincerely hope I'm proven wrong by its writers and that in the next season they'll manage to make me like Melody...maybe with a storyline involving her feeling really sorry for what she's done and hopefully trying to rebuilt her relationship with her parents...

[John]

Okay, I'm going to waste just one more post to say this for the last time: Melody, contrary to what an unbelievable amount of people think, is not a defenceless little creature unable to fend for herself. It makes me laugh when I read that she doesn't have the 'tools to deal with life'.

Let me ennumerate just a few of the 'tools' she has:

The BIBLE: if you've ever had this book in your hands and have taken a bit of time to read it and hopefully understand it, you will know just how many freaking lessons in life it contains. It was written in a way so that even illiterate people could come up with the right conclusions and could apply them to everyday life. Melody, as smart person she is probably has HEAPS of knowledge in what's considered right and wrong and what it takes to make it through life. Jesus was nice enough to make sure we knew how to be good people, regardless of the parents we found ourselves with.

Her FRIENDS: contrary to real social outcasts, Melody actually has a number of people of her age who care about her enough to support her and be there for her and even get her out of trouble when she needs it. Considering how she's been behaving with them lately, it's nothing short of a miracle she DOES have friends, and it says a lot about how good friends they really are. She's very, very lucky.

Her FAMILY (i.e. Miles & Co): Melody, after 'divorcing' her parents, more of that later, was exeptionally fortunate finding someone like Miles, Alf and Kirsty who are prepared to look out for her and to provide the guidance she needs and who are patient enough to put up with her tantrums and, as Kirsty put it, let her test the boundries in a way that not even real parents would do for her. Again, she's very lucky for that.

Now, regarding her parents, what does alarm me a lot is the fact that no one is commenting on how she decided not to have anything else to do with them. They might have been as far from perfect as it gets but they ARE her parents, they gave birth to her and she should never forget that.

I think that this says a lot about how Melody isn't the Miss Goody-Goody she wants us to believe and is nowhere near as forgiving a person as, for instance, Aden and Nicole have showed us to be. Need I remind anyone that Aden, even after trying to get him killed actually went to visit his father one more time and even said to Belle that he still loves him? And how Nicole, who lived her childhood trying and failing to get her mum's affection, forgave and told her that she loves her? After leaving the clinic Melody never gave her mother a single chance to start from scratch, she simply gave up on both her and her poor father who, other than lacking spine, seemed rather harmless to me...

But hey, if I ever came across someone like Melody in real life, I'm sure as hell that I wouldn't treat her any differently than I treat everyone else because the last thing troubled people need or want is to be made feel even weirder by getting any sort of special treatment. People like Melody, Aden, Jai and the rest are craving for normality and that's what I'd give them...oh cruel me.

Believe it or not I'm not trying to cause you exasperation!

Perhaps I should explain, I manage a christian counselling centre that has as part of its clientele teenagers just like Melody. They suffer abuse at the hands of "God fearing christian parents". They have the bible quoted at them every hour of every day but the domineering example their parents show by their behaviour negates almost everything the Bible teachers. Their emotional and social growth is so stunted they are almost unable to cope in the real world

You're right they do need some reality therapy. However, like children, that reality has to come in manageable doses. Too much medicine can kill rather than cure. They have to learn by experiencing the consequences of their mistakes or destructive behaviour but if possible not to the extent that they are destroyed in the process. Melody definitely fits into this category.

The other factor is to learn the right things from an encounter with reality. Damaged people can sometimes just have their misconceptions reinforced by reality rather than have them shown to be misconceptions.

Edited November 15, 2008 by john003au

[Red Ranger 1]

I'm finding this argument very interesting and there probably is a case that Melody has had it worse than the others.Larry Jefferies and Bruce Campbell might have been far from ideal guardians but deep down they did seem to love their charges.I never really felt that with Christine.She thought she loved Melody but she didn't seem to understand what that meant, ensuring Melody acted the way she thought she should rather than let her develop as a person.It's a bit much to say she's the only person who's used her past to excuse her behaviour:

Aden used it as a defence in court and got away with it

.I don't think we should be writing her off like some people seem to:The show has a long history of teenagers self-destructing(Matilda, Lucas, Hayley, Nick, Jade, Kirsty, Jack, Sam, all the way back to Carly)and coming good in the end.

And I don't like the way that, because they love Geoff and Nicole now, everyone feels the need to rubbish Geoff and Melody's relationship.I don't see it as him playing it safe.Nicole as she was then was definitely NOT a suitable girlfriend for Geoff and he went out with Melody because he realised he wanted a girlfriend who was a decent person rather than someone glamourous.I genuinely think they loved each other and it would have worked out if things had been different.Okay, Melody encouraged him to break his AVO but then Nicole was the one that encouraged her.And it was Melody, albeit with a lot of prompting from Belle, who persuaded Annie to go easy on Geoff after he'd humiliated her, before thanking Geoff for trying to be nice and admitting she needed to grow up, after which Geoff was the one pursuing her.It's no wonder she's fixated on him, he was probably the first person to genuinely care for her.Aden fixates on Belle when she's with someone else and they're meant to be together. Melody does it and she's a stalker.

I'm hoping the writers know what they're doing, that they're taking Melody on a journey which is going to have a pay-off(round about the season finale/return perhaps?)and we're going to get Nice Melody back at the end of it.If they end up ruining a decent character, I will not be best pleased.

[mokhashin]

Melody, Melody..

First and foremost they should focus on her and her going to therapy. That would be really interesting, and bring depth to her character, and make her more understandable as a character. Her situation is handled so unprofessionally, the adults around her are clueless with what to do with her. We see the adults telling her, that "I'm here if you ever want to talk", when the girl has been mentally abused probably all her life. She even stated, that she quit her counseling, and the reaction was Miles rolling his eyes...

Now to me it seems as Miles, the only adult who seems to be caring for Melody, has NO IDEA what is happening in Melody's life. IMO Melody is not ready for this kind of "normal" teenage life, because of the lack of her social skills. She is very vulnerable to any kind of abuse, because she is not used to living like normal children or teenagers.

Her well being is now handed to her friends, teenagers themselves, who are NOT prepared for this kind of responsibility. The only one who has any idea how to handle Melody now is Nicole. She is letting her make her own mistakes while watching her closely from the sidelines, ready to step in when needed. Teenager herself, with sort of abusive and difficult childhood.

IMO Melody's character is very interesting, but with kind of bad writing, a lot is missing from her and her story line.

[Jocy]

As per the Bible, you don't need to be a believer to get what's it all about. I'm not a Muslim but I studied the Koran when I was a teenager and I understood a lot of the moral values that rule the Islamic community. That's what's making me sure that Melody knows very well the difference between what's good for her and what's not. At any rate, I love H&A so I sincerely hope I'm proven wrong by its writers and that in the next season they'll manage to make me like Melody...maybe with a storyline involving her feeling really sorry for what she's done and hopefully trying to rebuilt her relationship with her parents...

Well that's great but you read it and understood it because you had the cognitive skills to do so. You were equipped to understand and to analyse what you read. Melody isn't.

Goody two shoes like Melody who do well at school until their mid to late teens will start to fail miserably a this stage. I am a teacher so I know. They can learn a lot of fats and will churn them out and teachers will miss it till they are asked to do more analytical work. Once they are asked to think they they panic as they actually can't as its always been done for them. Its so ingrained in you as you were brought up from the word go to learn to think for yourself that its hard for you to grasp that actually someone else can't but Melody can not think for herself at all. Nicole is about the only person who is realising this and is being there to catch her when she falls as she is going to fall and fall and fall again. Its much harder to learn these things as teen or an adult than it is when you are child.

Miles is really annoying me as he seems not to notice whats going on ansd is so wrapped up in Kristy that Melody could turn yellow and develop purple spots and start speaking in tongues and he would not notice. He needs to snap out of it and start taking his parental responsibilities seriously.

[Little Princess]

Oh wow...no wonder people like Melody don't stand a chance in the world with so many people thinking that she's nothing but a poor little defenceless creature!

I might not like her as a character but that doesn't stop me from giving her the credit she deserves: Melody is a terribly smart person, probably too smart for her own good, and it will take sometime for her body and her emotions to catch up with her intelligence. That day, Melody might stop blaming the whole world for her problems and might start using her brain to get on with her life in a more harmless way.

I agree with those of you who say that Nicole's approach is definitely the only one which works and that Melody will actually accept: let her do her own mistakes while being on standby in case she needs help to get back up and be pointed towards the right direction.

To finish off, I'll say this one last time and then I'll leave this thread quietly: Melody isn't ill equipped to cope with real life, she's intelligent enough to realise what she's missing and in her own clumsy way she's trying to make up for it, the same way other teenagers do, by trial and error.

Also, Melody has made quite a few decisions on her own. For instance, when she started seeing Geoff, she chose to lie to her mother by telling her that she was going to see her girlfriends. She also chose to report Axel's assault to the police out of her own free will, which btw, it took a lot of guts; more recently, she reported Nicole's illegal driving knowing very well that it would make Nicole lose the captaincy, denoting a high level of analytical thinking, not to mention the fact that she seemed to me like she had a pretty good social life, good enough for her mother to not find it strange that she would go out after school, which meant that she probably developed a good deal of social skills, at least much better than real social outcasts who spend their non-school time locked up in their room.

The problem is that the writers have pulled storylines like when she stopped eating since it was the only thing she could decide when, in reality, it would seem like she's been making decisions all her life... I found this to be rather contradictory and in fact one of the reasons why I think I don't like Melody as a character is because I think she's been very poorly written. Hopefully, the H&A creative staff will fix these issues soon and provide me with a reason to think that she's not wasting perfectly good screentime.

[chatter box]

Oh wow...no wonder people like Melody don't stand a chance in the world with so many people thinking that she's nothing but a poor little defenceless creature!

I might not like her as a character but that doesn't stop me from giving her the credit she deserves: Melody is a terribly smart person, probably too smart for her own good, and it will take sometime for her body and her emotions to catch up with her intelligence. That day, Melody might stop blaming the whole world for her problems and might start using her brain to get on with her life in a more harmless way.

I agree with those of you who say that Nicole's approach is definitely the only one which works and that Melody will actually accept: let her do her own mistakes while being on standby in case she needs help to get back up and be pointed towards the right direction.

To finish off, I'll say this one last time and then I'll leave this thread quietly: Melody isn't ill equipped to cope with real life, she's intelligent enough to realise what she's missing and in her own clumsy way she's trying to make up for it, the same way other teenagers do, by trial and error.

Also, Melody has made quite a few decisions on her own. For instance, when she started seeing Geoff, she chose to lie to her mother by telling her that she was going to see her girlfriends. She also chose to report Axel's assault to the police out of her own free will, which btw, it took a lot of guts; more recently, she reported Nicole's illegal driving knowing very well that it would make Nicole lose the captaincy, denoting a high level of analytical thinking, not to mention the fact that she seemed to me like she had a pretty good social life, good enough for her mother to not find it strange that she would go out after school, which meant that she probably developed a good deal of social skills, at least much better than real social outcasts who spend their non-school time locked up in their room.

The problem is that the writers have pulled storylines like when she stopped eating since it was the only thing she could decide when, in reality, it would seem like she's been making decisions all her life... I found this to be rather contradictory and in fact one of the reasons why I think I don't like Melody as a character is because I think she's been very poorly written. Hopefully, the H&A creative staff will fix these issues soon and provide me with a reason to think that she's not wasting perfectly good screentime.

I agree Melody is not entirely defenceless. And whether you like her as a character or not in the show is entirely your choice. This argument is not directed specifically at you as far as I am concerned, but at those in the main thread, and to a lesser extent here, who have assumed without thinking, that Melody’s ability to think things through is the same as theirs and that she is thus a selfish cow, end of story. And that this being so she should just somehow pull herself together. If only it were that simple.

The Jesuits used to say “give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man” and in many ways as far as social learning and socialization goes that holds some truth. Annie, Geoff and even Aden all had some degree of normal childhood in their first seven years as their parents were not lost to them at this crucial time. Melody’s mother however was influential upon her from the day of her birth and to all intents and purposes it was a bit like being brain washed, and as we all know that can have a devastating effect and many people never recover from that.

I don’t think that they are writing this particularly well and some of the points you made about the things Melody has done are very accute. However, the fight/flight reflex is something which I think could explain the reason why she ran from her mother when she was feeling overwhelmed by her. Reporting Axel could also be a response to Geoff telling her it was the right thing to do, Geoff having replaced her mother in her mind as the person she relied upon to give her life structure. It’s a classic response. What John003au, who works in a counselling centre, and myself, a psychiatrist, have said about Melody and what is happening to her is that we have seen the real life Melody’s and know only too well from first hand experience how ill equipped they are to deal with the world.

It doesn’t make Melody, or others like her, pathetic, weak or defenceless; it just means that people need to deal with her differently. She needs some reality milieu therapy, some tough love, and to be helped slowly to learn what is OK and what isn’t, and to find her self. She doesn’t need to be wrapped up in cotton wool or to be treated like an idiot, but what she doesn’t need is the assumption that she is a stupid selfish attention seeking little cow, which was where this debate began.

If you are interested in how this happens in real life there is a lot of information on the internet about social learning theory, socialization theories, cognitive development (Piaget) and many other things about the development of the personality which explain how we grow and learn and become a whole person over many years, and how easy it is for that development to be stunted or disrupted by controlling parenting. Cults often have a similar effect.

You are right that the story lines have been conflicting, and on that you will get no argument from me. They really should have consulted a psychiatrist about this story line, and if they did, they didn’t listen to him her as it's been such a hotch potch that they have missed an opportunity. I am disappointed because they have done brilliant job with Aden and his story and they could have doen the same with Melody.

I also agree that Miles is being neglectful, he really needs to open his eyes and start being a parent instead of Mr cool dude with his head in the clouds.

[LuvAden]

You are not cruel. I just don't think you are getting it. The bible thing is a red herring, though I think I understand where you are coming from, however, the point is Melody was told she believed in god and all that but inside she actually has not got a clue what she believes or thinks even so the bible doesn't actually mean anything nor can it teach her anything as she cant internalize it as she hasn't got the mechanisms to do that. Annie and Geoff were different because they did have a normal family with their parents before they died and can actually think for themselves a bit. Melody may be clinging onto the bible as a safety blanket but have no idea what it means, when she does know she may choose to continue going to church, or she may not we don't know. You can make someone learn something of by heart for example but you cant make then understand it if they haven't got the tools as it has been described. People learn their times tables at school but not all of them know how to do multiplication if they have not learned. Also the fact that Melody is now living with Miles is not suddenly going to make her learn all those things about being with people and how to be herself, and she doesn't even know what gratitude is, it's not a feeling she understands, she can't even put a name to any of the millions of confusing feelings she has I reckon; it takes years, decades even, to undo damage like that.

A few years ago back in the day a girl at my school had a Mum like Melody and when she was taken into care she completely went to pieces, she was suicidal and she did not know what to do, she could not even decide what shoes to put on, if you asked her if she like pasta she would not know and the panic on her face was sooooo awful. She tried to cover it up by being all aggressive sometimes or copying some extreme behaviors from the kids like Mathew in school. A lot of people reacted as if she was silly attention seeking little cow but I remember the look on her face one day before she tried to kill herself and for her the world was total chaos and all she felt was fear and panic. You can't reach out and accept help if you have never had a normal adult child relationship, and Melody has never that.

You don't have to like Melody, its difficult to like her when she doesn't even know who she is herself, so how the heck are we supposed to know who she is? She is such a mess that is not a lot to like sometimes. But I think maybe a little more understanding of why she is like she is a good thing. Compassion costs nothing.

^^^ Agree entirely.

People don't have to like Melody, a lot of what she has done lately isn't likable behaviour. But I think it can be understood - not necessarily excused - by her upbringing. I don't think Melody has any grand plan to decieve everyone I think she is just being very self-obsessed at the moment and focused on what she wants. For the first time she is making her own decisions and I think she is largely left to her own devices. I know Miles tries but going from an environment where everything was so structured to life on Planet Miles...completely different.

She is trying to make sense of everything, of who she is and what she wants. Unfortunately, her behaviour has been quite childlike in that she decided what she wanted and couldn't see any reason why she couldn't have it. You know how when a kid decides it wants a lolly or specific toy and they become really focused on it and nothing else will do? Melody isn't equiped either socially or emotionally to deal with life and here she is plonked into the world of teenage drama - falling for a guy she can't have.

There is a manipulative side to Melody, which she has probably picked up from her mum, but I don't think there is any really malicious intent. I'm shocked, to be honest, by how easily people are throwing around the word "evil" in relation to Melody. That's a very strong description. Murderers are evil, people like that. A teenage girl who kisses another girl's boyfriend and gets drunk? If that constitutes evil then I think there is a very high percentage of teenage girls in that category! And another thing I find strange is while Melody is being demonised Nicole is suddenly a saint. I think Nicole can be a great character (if she loses Geoff) but I think a lot of the reason why so many support her is because of how she looks, and I don't want to get into that here, but it's typical that the one considered to be the most attractive gets the sympathy.

Someone earlier compared Melody to Annie in terms of upbringing.....given the choice - Melody or Annie? I'd pick Melody any day as the better character. When did Annie generate so much debate? Like her or not at least Melody is interesting and sometimes I think it's the characters that do stuff you don't like that create the most enjoyment - how entertaining would the show be if every was nice and got on well? A show full of Annie and Geoffs!!!!

[jeffind]

I'm a bit hot and cold with Melody. I liked her post-breakdown because she was beginning to embrace the freedom now that she isn't living with the lunatic of a mother.

I want fun Melody back. I dislike this obsessive lunatic.

[mokhashin]

I remember one time with Robbie all his loved ones sat him down, and gave him the hard love approach, how his acting and behavior was affecting the people around him. I am starting to feel, that they should approach Melody the same way. They should all sit down with her, and explain, how her manipulating people, being rude to her friends, when they are only trying to help her, lying to Miles, who had no reason to take her under his roof except his good will, will only backfire, and she will end up loosing this great opportunity, which has been handed to her.

Obviously she is not happy, I have not seen her smile ONCE since she she started to act out. She is just acting like she has no responsibilities, and the people who really try to help her and support her, are out to hurt her.

I've had it with her, she needs to be stopped before someone get hurt because of her.