Don Fisher storyline dropped in 2015-2017 (more details)

[adam436]

On 20/04/2022 at 10:21, cymbaline said:

They rarely grant any character a "happy ever after", do they? The writers like to split up characters who'd left the Bay happily paired off. Or if they don't kill them off, they trash their characters. I think they did enough harm to Donald's character in later years without ending his story with this. 

Any classic character who has returned for more than a cameo appearance in the last 10-15 years had a really poor return storyline: 

Will and Gypsy - two classic characters who got their happy ending back in 2002. The producers brought back Will just to send him to prison and Gypsy returned in 2012 only to be trashed too 

Fisher - his depressing 2007 return. Discussed above

Chloe - killed off

Sally - I wasn't watching at that point, but wasn't her daughter dying or had a lifelong chronic illness? 

Celia - she had a gambling addiction

Even Jett, who I wouldn't consider a character from the "classic", was confined to a wheelchair in the end. The Braxtons got their happy endings in their return appearances though. 

[j.laur5]

2 hours ago, adam436 said:

Any classic character who has returned for more than a cameo appearance in the last 10-15 years had a really poor return storyline: 

Will and Gypsy - two classic characters who got their happy ending back in 2002. The producers brought back Will just to send him to prison and Gypsy returned in 2012 only to be trashed too 

Fisher - his depressing 2007 return. Discussed above

Chloe - killed off

Sally - I wasn't watching at that point, but wasn't her daughter dying or had a lifelong chronic illness? 

Celia - she had a gambling addiction

Even Jett, who I wouldn't consider a character from the "classic", was confined to a wheelchair in the end. The Braxtons got their happy endings in their return appearances though. 

Also Pippa had a blink and miss return in 2009. 

[Sally Keating]

14 hours ago, j.laur5 said:

Also Pippa had a blink and miss return in 2009. 

Pippa's return was so bad and so off-putting that Debra Lawrance said as a result of that return she'd never go back again.

The producers at that point - and ever since - haven't had a clue what they were doing. "Parental" characters were not seen as characters in their own right but simply as interchangeable silhouettes. Alf and Irene have left on a break? Let's just bring in Pippa to run the diner (which she's never done before) and look after the Beach House teens (who she barely knows). It's pathetic to think this is what viewers want to see. Yes we want to see old characters but not like this! And as for Morag? Bringing her in to run the caravan park for 4 months in 2011? That's UNBELIEVABLE. It did not fit her character AT ALL.

It shows you just how little the people in charge at that point, and ever since, really underatand the show. Answer: They don't.

[j.laur5]

2 hours ago, Sally Keating said:

Pippa's return was so bad and so off-putting that Debra Lawrance said as a result of that return she'd never go back again.

When did Debra say that?

All I remember her saying was that the show different to when she was in it and said she to guest return if they really wanted her back . 

[Sally Keating]

5 hours ago, j.laur5 said:

When did Debra say that?

All I remember her saying was that the show different to when she was in it and said she to guest return if they really wanted her back . 

In a podcast I listened to a while back.

[Red Ranger 1]

10 hours ago, Sally Keating said:

Let's just bring in Pippa to run the diner (which she's never done before)

Actually, and I'm possibly going to look stupid because I can't be precise, I remember that during the 7Two run, I noticed a storyline where Pippa did end up running the Diner or at least working there. (Plus of course she used to run the original tea shop, or whatever they called it, with Ailsa in the show's early months.)

[CaptainHulk]

On 23/04/2022 at 00:57, Red Ranger 1 said:

Actually, and I'm possibly going to look stupid because I can't be precise, I remember that during the 7Two run, I noticed a storyline where Pippa did end up running the Diner or at least working there. (Plus of course she used to run the original tea shop, or whatever they called it, with Ailsa in the show's early months.)

The General Store which had a psuedo-Cafe. Celia gave up once she realised she couldn't compete with the diner and stuck to selling standard store goods. 

Pippa, like Floss and Nev only really would hold down the Fortress if Ailsa or Celia was away.

Yeah Pippa's 2009 return was a waste. She ostensibly looking after Teenagers who could more than fend for themselves. Bet Debra relished playing Liz on Neighbours after that (She took that character up a level)

Chloe was killed off to aid Jesse's departure and take the focus off Scott/Hayley/Kim paternity mess and the Summer Bay Stalker for a couple weeks. Also gave Irene something do.

 

 

[adam436]

13 hours ago, CaptainHulk said:

Yeah Pippa's 2009 return was a waste. She ostensibly looking after Teenagers who could more than fend for themselves.

Especially as she'd never met them either and Pippa had her own family with Ian, Christopher and a younger daughter. In reality, Irene's charges would have fended for themselves and someone like Colleen, Alf, Leah, Tony etc would have just kept an eye on them or moved in Irene was away.

 

13 hours ago, CaptainHulk said:

Chloe was killed off to aid Jesse's departure and take the focus off Scott/Hayley/Kim paternity mess and the Summer Bay Stalker for a couple weeks. Also gave Irene something do.

I guess I feel like it wasn't needed. The writers had even been building a romance between Chloe and Jesse that they could have just had their happy ending. At the time, I remember thinking that Chloe's death was going to give Irene or Sally and Flynn another foster child in Olivia, but James quickly returned and whisked her off. I vaguely remember Irene having some sort of breakdown after Chloe died though? I stopped watching for a few years not long after Jesse's exit. 

[j.laur5]

4 hours ago, adam436 said:

Especially as she'd never met them either and Pippa had her own family with Ian, Christopher and a younger daughter. In reality, Irene's charges would have fended for themselves and someone like Colleen, Alf, Leah, Tony etc would have just kept an eye on them or moved in Irene was away.

I think Pippa actually did meet Geoff and Annie at Sally's farewell but I don’t remember them having any scenes together. But given both Irene and Campbells and Pippa were there they likely did meet even though probably just briefly and Irene probably introduced her foster children to Pippa . 
 

Also when Pippa returned in 2009 Tony was away on his honeymoon with Rachel, Alf was away at Duncan's wedding and Leah was busy visiting  Roman at hospital. Rewatching those episodes recently I noticed too that Colleen was absent in that week too for some reason. In Pippa's return episode in 2009 episode I remember Colleen running to give Pippa are hug after she got out of taxi and after that Colleen was offscreen for whole week until after Pippa left. 
 

So I guess with Alf/IreneColleen/Tony all being away they felt they needed an older character around. 
 
I think it would have been better to bring back Sally for episodes and if Kate Richie was willing to return and they could made it Sally decide to make return to Australia to tell everyone she selling house and settling down somewhere else and Sally decides stay for bit to  sort out Belle and Campbells. 

[Sunny Girl]

On 23/04/2022 at 02:50, Sally Keating said:

In a podcast I listened to a while back.

What podcast was that, Sally Keating?