Light of the Bay Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Thinking back over the last 6 years, it is obvious that the character of Irene Roberts has not developed in any way and has not really had consistent screentime. Even when she had her major storyline in 2009 and her Breast Cancer storyline of 2011, Irene was afforded very little screentime and exposure. It really saddens me as Lynne used to be great at playing Irene and the character was such a central and integral part of the Summer Bay community. After Hayley left in the 2005 finale, I feel as though it all went downhill from there. She just descended to the sidelines and there was no character development from that point onwards. When Lucy Addario was appointed the new Series Producer this year I was very hopeful that we would see Irene return to her former glory and also see the Summer Bay community come to life once again but no such thing. What are your opinions? Do you think Lynne McGranger herself made this decision or do you think the writers just don't really care about Irene, Leah or Alf? It really is a sad state of affairs and I hope one day it will change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison C Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I agree. It does seem thought that as H&A has moved away from the idea of family and more towards the gang thing there is less use for people like Irene and Alf. But maybe with the introduction of people like Jett and Lottie the family and fostering thing will become more of a focus again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light of the Bay Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Well yes, the whole gang thing sort of makes Irene and Alf seem rather useless. I really do hope that perhaps later in the year or next year H&A will abandon the gang and violence theme once and for all. I just hope that Lynne doesn't get fed up with the direction of the show and leaves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadyctslover Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 It would be terrible if she was to leave, but Irene has been a real background character recently, even more so than pre-cancer. I understand that it's difficult to write big storylines for the longer-standing characters such as Irene that aren't a re-hash of something they've already performed or which break continuity, but why don't they give Alf/Marilyn/Irene the fun 'storyline B' plots that H&A used to provide? The karaoke from earlier this season was a good example of comic relief that should be the focus of these characters when they would otherwise be background. It's a real shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Light of the Bay Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I doubt she would leave anytime soon. Going by what Lynne says on twitter, she very much enjoys playing Irene. I remember the karakoke storyline! It was awesome! I really enjoyed watching that even if it was brief. I believe that was shown while Cameron Welsh was still at the helm. Is there anyway to contact C7 or TPTB? Maybe if they received enough complaints they would perhaps consider making some serious changes to the show?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexx Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 I don't think complaining will do any good, though you should try. I've tried it before, nothing changed. I've been of the opinion that Irene is a pointless, characterless person in H&A and has been for years and years. I agree, it started in 2005 and has continued to get worse and worse as the years go by. Irene isn't even in the show any more as far as I'm concerned, Lynne McGranger is there saying lines, but Irene the character has long gone. So whilst it would be a shame to see a familiar face disappear, I wouldn't be surprised or that bothered if she left. In fact the show has become something I dislike so much that I'd rather Alf, Irene and Marilyn all left so I could forget about it all together. Having said that, there is always that glimmer of hope that someone who actually knows the show and how to write good, consistent character based Summer Bay, will step in and I'll be thankful those characters are still around. As it stands, they are all under utilised and characterless. You can tell the writers put in 10% effort, if that, when it comes to writing for these long term characters. I think its a shame that we view the karaoke scenes as a highlight - such a small, insignificant sub plot stands out because it is so rare. Whereas this sort of storyline would be a weekly occurrence back when the show was actually worth watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadyctslover Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 I suppose we can be hopeful that with next year being the 25th anniversary and 20 years of Lynne McGranger she might even get a real storyline. It's amazing that they can't even devote 30seconds a week to have Irene at the hospital having a quick checkup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaxland 89 Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 From what Lyn Collingwood has said in interviews, she felt that Colleen wasn't used as best she could have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrett84 Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Maybe she should change her name to Irene Braxton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alreetlike Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Maybe she should change her name to Irene Braxton. Shhhhhh don't suggest that, somewhere one of the writers is browsing this forum and a lightbulb just went on in their head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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