1994 - Your Reviews

[Dan F]

Now that we've finally reached the end of the 1994 season, here's your chance to write your thoughts on the season as a whole.

Such points to consider could be your favourite storylines, the storylines which didn't work so well, any character developments that you found interesting, what you thought of character arrivals/departures...even any points about new underscores/locations/opening titles etc. are all welcome to be part of it.

If you need a reminder of what's occured, you can find a general overview of the major storylines here.

As discussed at the beginning of the season, 1994 often gets overlooked when compared to the huge events of 1993 and 1995 - has a repeat viewing of the season changed your perception of it?

Please only post your own reviews in this thread, one post per member, any discussion should continue in the 1994 discussion thread.

[CaptainHulk]

My Perception has changed a bit It's funny as I remember it but deeper too. Growing up in the UK, we got the show completely butchered as stuff was edited but 7Two gives a second chance.

Michael and Pippa had plenty to do this year, It seems like they're alternating Billing. Pip got top this year after being 2nd last year. Haydn really did a number on them.

Shane and Angel were the dominant couple naturally with all the Dylan stuff and the Engagement and their temporary break. They even kicked the Stewarts down a place in the titles! Whether you loved them, hated them or were just plain sick of them, you couldn't deny their impact

Alf had a fair bit to do as he was the most used character over 40, clocking up more than 150 eps. Ailse not so much (Judy took some of time off to plug the books) but she was still a valuble confidant to Pip. Alf's flames were pretty high, most of them were caused by Shane, Damian, Tug, Jack and Shannon!

Irene really came into her own, destined to make a start/name for herself by letting Nathan have it, and buying the Beach House where she resides today.

Sal didn't have much to do until the tailend of the year but it was clear Kate was starting to blossom into a young woman, kind of cute in those netball scenes.

Tug went through a major downward spiral but came out the other side with everything. Him and Shane hanging out on a regular was a nice touch.

My fave Sarah moment was the Ronald McDonald/Shirley Temple Perm. Remembered that word for word from first broadcast!

Roxy could be irritating but I did sympathize with her with the cancer.

"Cheat Week" is/was one of my fave story arcs.

Jack is Mr. Marmite on this forum, You either love him or hate him. He livened up proceedings this year and did some boneheaded stunts not seen since Lance and Martin. Getting into Don's bed, The three-timing,etc.

We waved Goodbye to Adam who outlasted pretty much every post-1989 character. And Finlay who had run her course months before but was given a last hurrah with Haydn.

Still think Sam needed a clip round the ear for the hose stunt!

Some pretty cute female extras this year!

Damian underwent a change, no longer wanting to be Shane's second banana (sort of like how Billy had become wary of Toadie's clownishness in Neighbours after a while)

Curtis and Shannon. While their romance petered out quickly, it's nice that they remained friends. I like how they tried to make Curtis a goody-goody but they probably gave up on that. I sort of always envied him with girls hanging off his arm, he'd seemingly have a new babe each week!  Shannon was a right little spitfire and naturally got Alf's back up.  Isla was supercute back then too.

Don was on form as ever.

Rob seems like a down-to-earth type of guy. 

Non-Alf eruptions: Don understandably after Jack got into bed with him! Irene after finding out about Damian being the cheat, Michael at Damian, Jack and Sam.  Pippa at Jack (That was by far the scariest). Surprised Perjanik's Piano and Guitar didn't turn around say "Enough!" as they got used quite a bit.

In a Nutshell, 1994 was a great year. Just because nobody had a baby, got married or died didn't make it boring. Although, I think there was a slight ratings drop, in Australia at least.

Also, Diarmid Hedeinreich (known as Gunno in the more recent product) played one of Jack's porno customers.

All in All 1994 is a kick-ass year! Even the "boring" parts aren't so bad.

 

[KittCatt]

Well as someone who has never seen 1994 episodes before, I have to say I enjoyed and looked forward to watching most days. For me, it was nice seeing what home and away was like back in the day before I was even born- difference in family oriented structure, filming techniques, fashion and so on. I only started watching properly from mid-year though, so can only give my take on that.

Favourite storyline- Pippa and Michael storyline by far. It really demonstrated what financial issues can do to a family and a couple. I could really see the stress Michael was going through and could relate to that. Though there were parts of the storyline I thought were silly and at times the characters weren’t very likable, it wasn’t completely rushed and the fallout affected the whole family. I felt for all characters involved and hope to see Michael back at home soon.

Notable Characters:

When Selina first arrived I wasn’t too keen on her but now she’s probably one of my favourites. I love her relationship with Irene, as well as Shannon and Curtis which surprised me. I also like her friendship with Jack, though I think she got over him 3 timing her a bit too fast.

Irene- It’s nice seeing her happy and smiling, and with some good funny dialogue. Though i didn't like how she made Selina do deportment classes.

Sarah- I felt she deserved a better departure as it was rather abrupt and having bad blood with Alf right before it felt unnecessary.

Characters I don’t like very much…

Jack- He just never seemed to care about the consequences of his actions until it was too late. Yet he still makes the same mistakes again and again. Having him always stuffing up, even if he was trying to do something nice got a bit too repetitive and boring for my liking. I do like his relationship with Pippa though.

Shane- Overall from what I’ve seen I find him very immature. Of course I have only seen a little bit of the Shane/Angel saga but I seriously don’t get the hype. To me he usually comes off quite juvenile and ignorant to other people’s thoughts and feelings. He also seemed to be a bit jealous and controlling. I hope to see him mature a bit before getting married.

Some negatives:

I like that humour was a major part of the show, however most of the storylines that were supposed to be humorous fell a bit flat for me. The muck up day pranks, Jack getting taught a lesson by Selina, Frankie and Sonia, and many more felt a bit too juvenile for me. I just felt that there was a bit too many silly storylines where, particularly the young characters would do something, often with good intentions (like start to make Christmas puddings or Jack trying to help Pippa by fixing Sally’s window) but make mistakes while doing so leading to very predictable outcomes.

Anyway, overall I enjoyed what I have seen so far, and look forward to watching episodes from the year I was born!

[Skylover]

5 hours ago, KittCatt said:

I just felt that there was a bit too many silly storylines where, particularly the young characters would do something, often with good intentions (like start to make Christmas puddings or Jack trying to help Pippa by fixing Sally’s window) but make mistakes while doing so leading to very predictable outcomes.

I agree with you about this.

So...1994. Well, for me, it's got to be the best season I've seen from the early years since 1989, 1988 and 1989 were brilliant years, 1991-1993 weren't as good in my opinion, but 1994 has been brilliant. Did the ratings really take a dip in 1994 in Australia? That really surprises me as clearly (imo) 1994 is so much stronger.

My favourite thing about this year is Jack. First of all what brilliant casting, Daniel is a great actor and he's so charismatic and fits the role perfectly. I do agree with KittCatt that he went through too many predictable stories but at the same time, I feel that made his redemption towards the end of the year a lot better, and his character development was better. I guess it doesn't hurt that he's gorgeous too, but I feel like I shouldn't be saying that cause he's young! The teen group is the best it's ever been, they do seem to have more fire about them, which I think Alexx or Beau t mentioned in the episode discussion thread. All of them are great actors which has helped, (Shannon the weaker of the lot) but they're all gorgeous and their friendship bond was lovely too watch.

Losing Sarah was a lapse of judgement by TPTB for me. There was still more for her character to do, I get the feeling Angel might get isolated without her. Another great thing about this year is we got the makings of the first proper golden couple; Shane and Angel. Sometimes they bore me but I do get the feeling we've only seen the beginning of what's to come with them, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with them in 1995, they have so much potential. I'm glad Tug and Shane put their feud to rest, but I wish they'd done that earlier. I also found Shane and Damian's friendship a lot more realistic this season than in previous ones, they have more chemistry these days.

Cast departures; apart from Sarah, we lost Fin, Luke, and Tug, I liked them all but they did seem to naturally come to their end, particularly Fin, she was at a loose end.

Michael and Pippa's marriage problems gave us some of the best scenes since the beginning of the show, such as Pippa shouting at Jack, and Sally shouting at Pippa.

Although there haven't been any births, marriages or deaths, I don't think it matters, I think we got more character development rather than token weddings and pregnancies, and of course character development is more important.

Overall, actually, thinking about it, 1994 is as good if not better than the 2 great seasons; 88 and 89. It feels like most of it was making groundwork for the next generation, that is literally the word I would use to describe the year, groundwork for a golden era. 

I'm so excited to see what comes up with Jack but I was so blessed to have so many great episodes of this character this year, that I feel like I've got the best I'm going to get from this character, I don't think there will be as much focus on him next year but I hope so. Jack  I hope he comes back to the current show one day.

This is the first time since 1991 repeats that I've been upto date and excted for the next episode. ***** 5 stars from me.

Lastly, I love the strong emphasis on the foster element this year.

[Summer_Bay_Sunshine]

Ok here goes..

Personally I think 1994 belongs to Michael & Pippa, and a lot of the reason for this is the brilliant acting and on screen chemistry that Deb and Dennis have, whether it's a scene which requires them to shout the odds at each other, a cute romantic scene (yeah I know not too many of those at the moment), or a scene just with those glancing looks at each other, they are just wonderful screen moments, pure class, I never want them to end.  The producers and script writers sure kept them busy again this year, with the return of Haydn and his gambling addiction, the comings and goings of various foster kids and my all time favourite storyline the breakdown of their marriage.  I have really enjoyed watching 1994 Michael and Pippa again, gotta make the most of it eh..

Other highlights for me this year have been the arrival of Jack, really can a kid get into that much trouble? It seems like he is the new Adam with his schemes and not very bright ideas, he is funny though the mice storyline was amusing.  I do find his chasing after girls and the whole wanting to date all 3 of them a bit tiring but I put that down to my own age and generally being a bit of a misery. I look forward to seeing a more serious and at times a bit more grown up Jack in 1995.

I am also enjoying the mix of yougsters on the show at the moment, Curtis, Shannon and Selina seem to fit in nicely after the departure of Finlay, Tug and Sarah.  Sally is growing up fast, seems a lifetime ago that her and Pippa went shopping to buy that first bra. ☺  

Unfortunately Sam continues to annoy the hell out of me, he did have some good scenes this year though, him and Sally on the beach when he was trying to make up his mind about going to live with Pippa and Michael was one of them.

Most favourite '94 moments :-

Donald teaching Sam about the birds and the bees with his diagram on the beach, and Angel and Sarah walking past. So funny ?

Alf and the waterbed - flamin' galah!

Jack getting into bed with Fisher, just the look on Fisher's face was a picture.

Damien being the school cheat - who would have though it?

Any scene with Mick or Pip or both in it (sorry couldn't resist). ?

So many others, far too many to mention!

Departures - Tug, Sarah, Luke, Nick and Adam, you will be missed.

Hello to the newbies (although not so new anymore) Jack, Shannon, Curtis, Selina and Rob.

A quiet year for Donald really apart from Rebecca turning up, also not too much for Alf and Ailsa to do (the mousetrap on Alf's foot was another funny moment).

Shane and Angel had some good storylines - those around Dylan, Frankie and Ros were enjoyable.

So goodbye 1994 been great seeing you again. ***** from me too. ?

G'day 1995 you are the first of the golden years of Home and Away in my opinion, can't wait to see you again.  Very excited!  

 

 

[early years fan]

Overall, I really enjoyed 1994, the humerous side, as well as the more serious story lines with hard hitting drama such as the marriage troubles of Pippa and Michael, Angel's search for Dylan and finding him, Tug with his suicide attempt, there was some superb/talented acting, and farewells to some old favourite characters who I was sad to see go. 

Funniest moment for me was the waterbed incident with Alf...

1994 has been one of the years I remember most, the dawning of a new era with the teen group growing up and moving on with their lives. I suppose that like them, I felt as if I had outgrown home and away a little and moved on with my own life at the time and sort of lost interest. The maturing of Shane and Angel as a couple from school kids to adults is interesting to watch.  Things look different now watching as an older adult, and can appreciate the story lines more now then I did back then.

1995 was an important year for me in my life, I had finished uni and embarked on my nursing career, also the year I got married and started a family the following year so I guess life got too busy for me to watch the show regularly anymore after this.  I do recall the big Shangel wedding, and then I think I mostly stopped watching it after that, so I look forward to seeing many episodes for the first time.

Unlike these days of technology overload, if you missed an episode back then, you couldn't just hop online and catch up....unless you had the old vcr set to record it

[Red Ranger 1]

So, what can I remember of 1994? Well, one teen group solidified just in time to break apart, and we saw some characters that were going to become significant in future years slowly sneaking into the show. It was very much the era of Shangel, who went from the uncertainty surrounding the discovery of her teenage pregnancy at the start of the year to being on the verge of getting married at the end.Along the way, they took in their only major break-up, Angel's struggles to reconnect with her son (and sister) and Shane's awkward reunion with his mother. Alongside them, Sarah and Tug came to an end with exits that avoided tying everything up in a bow but pointed towards a positive outcome all the same.

In addition to births, deaths and marriages, once Nathan was taken for another spell in jail early on the season lacked out-and-out villains.Instead we had Jack Wilson, who seemed to take Adam's place as the local wide boy, with a series of get-rich-quick schemes that invariably left him out of pocket.By the end of the year, there's a teen group forming around him.Selina's character development goes for a bit of a wander throughout the year, with it not entirely clear whether she wants to lose her reputation or not, but the bond that forms between her and Irene solidifies Irene's transition from a comedy character to another reliable adult figure.

The young adults are less well-remembered but Luke and Rob both come across as decent likable characters even if they aren't exactly up there in the classics.Donald got to show both his villainous and his caring side, with his brief feud with Luke counteracted by his growing into a parent figure for Shane and Angel.And, of course, Michael and Pippa, one of the most solid of soap couples, shockingly prove as vulnerable to marriage difficulties as anyone else, ending the season in a very worrying place.