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2020 Season - UK Episode Discussion


Dan F

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Onto the 2020 Season next week, so time for a new thread for discussing the episodes at C5 pace from Monday onwards!

As ever please be mindful of not posting spoilers (that includes eps airing on 5STAR) - if you do feel the need to, please use the spoiler tags ?

Those who are interested in spoilers, but not necessarly at Oz pace, we're doing weekly preview articles on the main site (complete with a video slideshow if you just want to get the gist without the reading ?).

We follow the pace for UK press, so every week there's articles added covering the following week.

Here's the preview articles for this opening week (though be aware there's some very big spoilers within the articles):

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2020 season begins, six weeks after it did in Australia, but vagaries of Oz broadcasts means we're only 26 episodes behind at the moment.

Well.

Okay, seriously, what was the hospital siege all about? It feels like we were given the flimsiest excuses ever for a big end of season stunt, and the result was a load of sound and fury signifying nothing.The bad guys' plan, if it can be called that, seems to have been to kill Robbo and either kill Jasmine or release her once they didn't need her to secure Robbo's co-operation.So why take a couple of dozen or so random people hostage and then randomly murder one of them? If all they needed was for Scott to take Robbo somewhere quiet, why didn't they have him do that at the start of the day when they were driving in to work together? And if they needed Jasmine, why not either have the bodyguard in their pay let someone into her flat or have him drive her somewhere other than work or arrange for someone to intercept them like the last, infinitely more sensible, time they took her hostage? Instead, it looked as though Scott actually made sure she'd be in work the following morning by arranging for her and Robbo to spend the night together so she swapped shifts, thereby pretty much guaranteeing the entire gang including the bent cop running things getting arrested. (There was a suggestion he was giving Robbo one last moment with his family, as with taking him to Tori and Grace next morning, but still.)

And really, once again, just about everything apart from (for the most part) the characterisation of the regulars made zero sense. It's hilarious to realise in retrospect that the gang played out that OTT "Give us your gun, pig!" bit as a charade even though no-one was actually paying attention to them.It's even more hilarious that, for no apparent reason, Jay suddenly decides to blow his cover and stop pretending to be a good guy in front of a dozen or two witnesses.And to realise that he just sat there while the other hostages made plans within earshot of him and did nothing about it.Reg has suddenly gone from the nervy one to full-blown psycho (although that's kind of a sensible character arc: I suspect he was the one that snapped and shot Mason).And right after Mason gets murdered in front of them for pushing his luck, everyone's suddenly going "I'm going to ignore what you say and do what I want to do, so there" and getting away with it: Maybe Jay's better at keeping the triggerhappy elements in order, but at best it de-escalates the menace.

And the ending of the siege was as muddled as the rest of it.After endless scenes of Colby and Dean sneaking around the hospital making big declarations like "Everyone we care about is in there!" (to which I imagine Willow, Ziggy and indeed Karen would say "Oi!")...did they actually do anything? Okay, I guess Dean knocked out one of the guards, which helped.(Incidentally, wasn't Ari meant to knock out the other one as part of the escape? Did he recover quickly?)But did Colby follow through on calling McCarthy and let him know the situation? Was the fire alarm Dean's signal as Mackenzie assumed, and if so did he know the armed police were going to respond, or was that a lucky coincidence that stopped him charging out like an idiot with three to one odds and getting shot? Did Colby know it was going on or did he just decide to charge in and try and look important?

Mason being dumped out of sight like rubbish by his murderers increased the feeling of him not being shown any respect.Is a nebulous threat to his family really enough motivation for Scott to agree to murder his two best friends? Was he actually trying to kill Robbo at the end, deciding it was the only way Victor would let his family go? (If he was just being suicidal, he could have stopped and let Robbo out first...) The credits were a bit of a mess: The reporter (credited last week) wasn't credited despite having dialogue, the two anonymous hostage takers (not credited last week) suddenly were even though I'm not entirely sure we saw both of them and it must have been fleeting if we did, and there's a credit for a police negotiator who, unless that's an odd description for the armed police officer, didn't seem to have a speaking role.(I'm assuming it was meant to be the negotiator calling when Reg ripped the phone out on Friday: Did all his lines get cut but he was briefly visible in this episode?)

Most bizarrely of all...have Channel 5 cut that crash we saw in the promos? Maybe it's going to be next episode, but I checked the Oz broadcast briefly (the first three episodes were shown edited together there so it's hard to be sure of episode breaks) and it looked like it should have been in this one.

Edited by Red Ranger 1
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26 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

But did Colby follow through on calling McCarthy and let him know the situation? Was the fire alarm Dean's signal as Mackenzie assumed, and if so did he know the armed police were going to respond, or was that a lucky coincidence that stopped him charging out like an idiot with three to one odds and getting shot? Did Colby know it was just going on or did he just decide to charge in and try and look important?

That was a bit of a mess wasn't it, I didn't understand it either. And will Colby be given a warning for going against strict instructions from his superior I wonder.....? ?

Pernickety as it sounds, one part I found unbelievable was that the gunmen didn't hear the racket Colby & Dean (should have) made when they jumped down into the lift - obviously they had the advantage of a solid studio floor, but there's no way it would have been that quiet in reality. They were noisy when they made their escape off the top of the lift, but Phil inexplicably didn't hear that either despite being a matter of feet away... Dennis Hopper would have been onto them like a shot....

26 minutes ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Most bizarrely of all...have Channel 5 cut that crash we saw in the promos? Maybe it's going to be next episode, but I checked the Oz broadcast briefly (the first three episodes were shown edited together there so it's hard to be sure of episode breaks) and it looked like it should have been in this one.

Wow, I hadn't checked the broadcast ep, but yes they most certainly did snip it off the end. That's a very recent edit as the UK press preview has it intact.

If they haven't randomly added it onto the beginning of tomorrow's ep then that's got to be the most ridiculous censor of recent times.

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Please God let this finally be the end of this Robbo storyline. I’m not going to lie, I stopped watching regularly waaaay before Christmas and have sort of dipped in and out of the endless episodes recorded in my TV to see if I can be bothered to engage properly. I’ve caught up now and it was every bit as bad as I was expecting. Everything Red said is what I feel. Mason didn’t even get to die heroically on camera. It was just BANG....so yeah, that happened.....Sheet over face....bye. 
Will I stick around for the new season? If Robbo dies in that crash and this is truly the end of it then maybe. I’ve never warmed to his character - nothing against the performance just the character and storylines have really not been my cup of tea. I do want to see Jade get her comeuppance so I’ll stick around for that.....assuming it happens! ?

(Oh, and don’t get me started on the “main character actress takes break from filming so let’s have her character disappear, probably kidnapped, for a while” shenanigans. AGAIN.)

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We weren't talking 'professional' hostage takers here don't forget more a rag tag of three low life crims.  At least we got the reason why it happened, Scott's girlfriend and child had been threatened, even Robbo could accept that as an reason why Scott had been got to. He'd been there but I'm guessing didn't give in to Vic's threats.  Was naïve of Scott to believe they would have just let Jasmine go once he rang them, the call they were waiting for,  to say Robbo was dead.  Robbo did a very good job of talking him round made a very valid point about he thought it was all over five years ago yet here he  was and it would  likely be Scott in five years time going through the same thing.  Sadly that didn't last and Scott decided he couldn't take the risk, hence the tussle for the wheel at the end.  The screen did go black at the end of the episode yet we saw the crash in the trailer for the new season so as you said Red maybe TPTB are holding It back for tonight, Robbo makes it to the hospital.  Just a throw away thought but that is the second time Robbo's being threatened with death on a cliff top, last time it was Ash.

Jay, though, had he been threatened or was money his motive for switching sides?  I don't think anyone was suppose to get hurt let alone killed. 

Once again we aren't talking even half decent people here when Mason's body was moved out of the way and dumped in a side room, though it would have been distressing for the others, especially those who knew him just to leave him there.   Reg, Phil  and even Jay weren't paying that much attention when Alex was having her chat with Colby 

Batman and Robin, I mean Colby and Dean, somehow managed to sneak past the floor where the lookout was supposed to be keeping, you know a look out, to be able to drop into the lift which handily was on the floor where the siege was happening what are the chances of that eh?:rolleyes:    I agree Dan F both Colby and Dean would have made some sort of noise when landing on the lift floor, not as if it's cushioned, didn't clock what Dean was wearing but Colby would have been wearing his police issue boots, they heard Dean's phone!  Mac had the good sense to take her high heels off when she was sneaking about. 

That was pretty good thinking by Dean  leaving his phone on the stairs to lure the last gunman out so he could wallop him.   I think Colby must have called McCarthy to send in the troops they were right behind him  and yes he should get a rollicking from McCarthy, Dean being  a member of the public he can't do much about though he will get it in the neck from Willow Mac and Ziggy  which when you consider it will be a lot worse.  Lucky assumption the fire alarm was the signal, people do sometimes act on instinct and Dean and Colby know each other very well.  

Bella survived just but has she learnt her lesson and will her opinion of Mac have changed?  Colby needs to get to the bottom of why she was acting the way she was and "It's Mac" won't wash and he needs to try and persuade her to see a counsellor, and before someone says it, you can't force her or anyone. 

Wasn't paying much attention to who was credited and who wasn't but the construction  worker comforting Marilyn has a name Ari.  It was another soap coincidence it was him John approached so he could reassure him she was OK last time he saw her.  I may have missed them but I don't remember seeing Irene there or Roo.   I wouldn't want to be McCarthy tonight having to break such heart breaking news to Justin and Tori. Jumping ahead here but will Brody and Raffy be back for Mason's funeral and will Simone be with them?   Justin, surprisingly, didn't blame Robbo when he and Tori learnt Vic was again a threat but now Mason is dead that is definitely going to change.  

Only  physical victim was Mason but Marilyn, Alex, Mac, Marilyn and Ari are going to be affected by what happened.  Not counting Bella as she was out of it. 

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The crash was shown in the recap of today's afternoon broadcast as normal... ?

Which makes no sense. It aired in the promos, it aired in the recap... but it needs removing from the actual episode?

Although very abrupt there was a fade to black, so it wasn't a glitch—someone cut it. The My5 version is also the same.

I've made enquries to see if anyone can shed any light.

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21 hours ago, H&Alover said:

I may have missed them but I don't remember seeing Irene there or Roo.

Last time we saw them in the finale, they were at the Diner watching the news reports on a phone. I assume they simply stayed there (although Irene made it down to the hospital today).

I'm reminded of previous end of season messes like the cancer cluster and year long mystery, where we're left with a load of unanswered questions and I spend the next few days indulging in wild mass guessing to try and make sense of it all.I mean, Colby probably did call McCarthy (if only to tell him Jay was one of the bad guys) and time his run with the arrival of armed back-up, but we don't see them making plans or hear about the plan afterwards, so it just feels like a load of disconnected events that we have to connect ourselves.(Of course, then the recap gets edited to make it look as though Colby captured all the hostage takers single-handed and we have to watch the smug pair being hailed as heroes and making comments like "Cops always mess things up.")

And talking of recaps and edits, I can only assume Channel 5 thought the full crash scene was too much for the sensibilities of UK daytime television viewers: I've only watched it once but I think the sequence at the end of the episode was a lot longer and more graphic than the shortened version seen in promos and recaps.(Of course, they could have just shown the shortened version at the end of the previous episode instead of cutting it completely...)So that's Lance, Dylan and Scott all declared dead off screen in the last few episodes: Mason should feel lucky we actually saw a body.Robbo's made it into hospital and had a few chats, but, in an inverse of the promos giving away whether Tori recovered or not a few weeks back, we kind of lose tension on this one as well.

I've been thinking about Slade's comment on the season finale about who we might want to have died instead of Mason and, frankly, I think aside from Jasmine I'd have chosen to sacrifice anyone in that room to still have him around.(Marilyn's first in the queue.)But Mason's dead, so I am glad Bella didn't die as well.I blame Colby for a lot of things, and he's not solely to blame for the way Bella is, but he really hasn't helped: There are so many secrets in that family, it's no wonder she feels isolated.I found her thanking Mackenzie interesting.I think she meant it, but I also don't think it means they're friends again.That whole scene felt much like the way Justin and Robbo's interaction is portrayed: They know that they're on the same side and want the same things, but they still don't really like each other.(See Justin's expression when Robbo is informed of Mason's death: He probably does blame him a bit, but he knew there was no point saying anything.)

As sour-tasting as Mason's demise was, at least we're seeing the impact on the community.It's nice that he's remembered as a hero, because he was, even if he was a rather dumb one: He died trying to help others and there are worse ways to go.At least he did get that lengthy farewell scene with Justin, Tori and Grace (and, via phone, Brody and Raffy) before heading into work: A sure sign he was a goner, along with tempting-fate lines like "We're going to see a lot more of each other." Somehow, he did touch a lot of people beyond his family and there's been little subtle reminders of it throughout these episodes: The fact he helped Maggie recover post-cancer (and managed to stay on good terms with the Astonis when Brody and Ziggy split), the fact he was a good friend and colleague to Jasmine, Willow and Alex and kept Robbo's business going. Still, it does feel like this is bordering on misery porn for the Morgans now: They've got the back story of their parents being murdered, then Raffy's father was murdered, and in no more than a couple of months we've had Tori in hiding, Tori in a coma, Leah going missing, Mason being murdered and now apparently the father of Tori's baby dying as well.How much can they take?

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15 hours ago, Dan F said:

The crash was shown in the recap of today's afternoon broadcast as normal... ?

Which makes no sense. It aired in the promos, it aired in the recap... but it needs removing from the actual episode?

Although very abrupt there was a fade to black, so it wasn't a glitch—someone cut it. The My5 version is also the same.

I've made enquries to see if anyone can shed any light.

That’s werid because Aus got the full crash scene and it was brutal! Even worse than what the trailer shows. Werid it got cut for you :huh:

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2 hours ago, christine king said:

That’s werid because Aus got the full crash scene and it was brutal! Even worse than what the trailer shows. Werid it got cut for you :huh:

Really I thought the crash was pretty tame I always expect hollywood effects though lol

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I felt compelled to come on and post about the crash being cut!! 

Apparently it aired fine on the 5star episode? 

Anyhow, as others have said, it's about time this really loooong story was put to bed. And the whole thing felt like it had been, if not needing an excuse for something really big at the end of season for 2019. It all just felt a bit contrived. Having said that, it was good to have a big couple of episodes that were quite well written for the characters and was driven by that rather than just a stunt for stunts sake. And this time, love or loathe Robbo, and of course Mason, characters that have died actually mean something to the viewers and it's not just a random death we don't care about. Home and Away does these big community shocks really well in my opinion but has gotten this wrong a few times before. I'm furious about Mason, it was a big shock. He's a nice guy, and didnt deserve that. Justin and the rest of the Morgan's have been through the ringer of late haven't they. Not so sure Justin will be able to hold everything together.... And so I'm looking forward to seeing his death ripple through the bay. I just worry Robbo will over shadow it. 

I already have friends who are FOR(fans of Robbo) saying things such as "he's not dead, he's faked it to keep Jas safe, he will be back" etc etc and I'm like.... WHAT ABOUT MASON PEOPLE!! Tori is just put of a coma, he finally got his job at hospital, it's only a skip since he lost Beth reall, the weed stuff for Raffy and now this :/

 

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