Bobby and Frank

[adam436]

Re-watching the 1988 season on 7Plus, I'm really not liking or buying them as a couple at all. It could because that I know what's coming for them in 1989 though? 

The chemistry between Alex and Nicolle feels more like that of best friends than two characters madly in love. I actually find the romantic chemistry between Frank and Roo much more believable. 

I've just watched the episode where Frank doesn't want Bobby to go to uni and instead stay at home and "look after the family". The episodes are dated in terms of societal views, but Frank comes across as really chauvinistic and arrogant in those episodes and makes me realise how much he dragged Bobby down. He made it sound like his career and future was more important than hers, despite her having more study opportunities. 

I'd be curious to know what would have happened had Alex Papps not quit the show? The marriage fizzling out as it did play out would have been much more believable, but I imagine the producers probably had high hopes for them as a "Golden Couple", which I struggle to imagine due to the lack of romantic chemistry. 

 

What are everyone thoughts on the pairing? 

 

[Bobby Forever Missed]

You’re looking at it with 2024 eyes, imo you need to view the early years with the mindset of “oh well it was insert year here” otherwise you’ll end up hating anything that isn’t the modern product 

 

with regards to Frank’s values he was born on the early side of Gen X (late 60s) so he would still have had the values of parental figures like Tom who believed it was the man who went out to work, I do take his point about someone looking after the kids but that is what babysitters and later childcare are for.

 

a lot of it as well came down to his biological parents neglecting him as Pippa said to Bobby 

[nenehcherry2]

I didn't rate Frank much as a character. He's very much a plot device for Roo's plotting (pun intended) and then straight into the equally strong-minded Bobby. Just the romantic male foil to the two strong female leads of the show at that point.

In addition there was also something about Alex's acting for me which didn't gel with the writing. It's like he has this condescending tone in his line delivery towards his co-stars which doesn't match how he's supposed to be perceived by the audience (presumably as boy next door, prince charming, Mr Nice Guy yadda Yadda). Something just doesn't work for me. It was like the writers noticed Papps' moodiness and aloofness so finally bought those traits into the writing in his 92 return.

I totally agree RE his chemistry with Bobby vs. Roo. I loved Bobby on her own the best. She didn't need a man by her side and none of her screen husbands or boyfriends bought out her best (just my own opinion). 

Edited January 28 by nenehcherry2

[cymbaline]

Even as a young teenager, I didn't take to Bobby and Frank as a couple. There seemed to be something tepid about them and it didn't surprise me when they split up. Watching again years later, I still see no chemistry. It has the feel of the producers deciding to have a go at creating a Summer Bay Scott & Charlene. Frank and Roo was too messy by then so they went for the next best thing. It's very much a rebound relationship and if they hadn't rushed Bobby and Frank up the aisle, it'd definitely have fizzled out. If Alex Papps had stayed for longer, they'd still have split him and Bobby up. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any female characters he might've dated but I'm sure they'd have brought some in. He and Roo had a spark but they were a bit dysfunctional. I thought that Bobby and Grant had better chemistry later on and pairing them up would've worked. They managed to marry her off to two men whom she had zero chemistry with, and both made her less interesting. 

Edited January 29 by cymbaline

[nenehcherry2]

15 minutes ago, cymbaline said:

Even as a young teenager, I didn't take to Bobby and Frank as a couple. There seemed to be something tepid about them and it didn't surprise me when they split up. Watching again years later, I still see no chemistry. It has the feel of the producers deciding to have a go at creating a Summer Bay Scott & Charlene. Frank and Roo was too messy by then so they went for the next best thing. It's very much a rebound relationship and if they hadn't rushed Bobby and Frank up the aisle, it'd definitely have fizzled out. If Alex Papps had stayed for longer, they'd still have split him and Bobby up. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any female characters he might've dated but I'm sure they'd have brought some in. He and Roo had a spark but they were a bit dysfunctional. I thought that Bobby and Grant had better chemistry later on and pairing them up would've worked. They managed to marry her off to two men whom she had zero chemistry with, and both made her less interesting. 

Totally agree. Bobby was on fire in 88 and (in a pretty different way) later 89-early 92. 

Being the (quite rightly since they both treated her like a doormat) nagging, strong-minded wife to two very chauvinistic, self-centred men became tired very quickly in each instance.

Edited January 29 by nenehcherry2

[cymbaline]

35 minutes ago, nenehcherry2 said:

I didn't rate Frank much as a character. He's very much a plot device for Roo's plotting (pun intended) and then straight into the equally strong-minded Bobby. Just the romantic male foil to the two strong female leads of the show at that point.

In addition there was also something about Alex's acting for me which didn't gel with the writing. It's like he has this condescending tone in his line delivery towards his co-stars which doesn't match how he's supposed to be perceived by the audience (presumably as boy next door, prince charming, Mr Nice Guy yadda Yadda). Something just doesn't work for me. It was like the writers noticed Papps' moodiness and aloofness so finally bought those traits into the writing in his 92 return.

I totally agree RE his chemistry with Bobby vs. Roo. I loved Bobby on her own the best. She didn't need a man by her side and none of her screen husbands or boyfriends bought out her best (just my own opinion). 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who never warmed to Frank. He was easy on the eye but I never bought him as a boy next door or Prince Charming. That observation about his 1992 return is spot on. He showed us how shallow a person he was and also, that he didn't know what he wanted. He was definitely a man who needed to spend some time being single after being with Bobby and Roo. Ironically, I wished Bobby had taken him up on his offer rather than go through with her wedding to Greg. She and Frank would've fizzled out again once the novelty wore off but he was still better than Greg. She wouldn't have looked at him twice if it wasn't for Sam. Even though Bobby became a foster mother while she was still young, I think she and Sam were a good pairing. I would have rather seen her raise him as a single mother rather than get into a relationship with yet another unsuitable man. Both her husbands were awful in a low-key way.

I wonder have they ever asked Alex Papps to come back as a guest? Even though it's a different Roo now, it'd be fun to have them rake over some old coals. 

Edited January 29 by cymbaline

[adam436]

1 hour ago, cymbaline said:

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any female characters he might've dated but I'm sure they'd have brought some in. 

There was Narelle he could have been paired off, but she left pretty quickly. I didn't think much of her as a character either though. And Carly, but that would have been a little ick, since Carly and Frank had been foster siblings since they were both young. 

I'd say it would have had to have been a new character.

43 minutes ago, cymbaline said:

I wonder have they ever asked Alex Papps to come back as a guest? Even though it's a different Roo now, it'd be fun to have them rake over some old coals. 

I doubt he has, given the producers reluctance to celebrate the past. There is also another Morgan in the show now, which may confuse viewers who aren't aware who Frank is.

[beachside]

Never liked them always preferred Roo and Frank

[homeandawayroxsomuch.]

Somehow, the highest-rating love interest for Bobby is Alan.

[nenehcherry2]

I think she had the most chemistry with Alan and with Danny.

The worst Bobby romance for me was with Geoff. So painful to watch her forcing herself to like a man who wasn't her type in any shape or form whilst he was, genuinely, a nice guy.

Greg and Frank were both just very meh for me.