Neighbours: May I Return (To the Beginning)…?

Tragically, the Neighbours cast and crew, not to mention us as devoted fans are counting down the days until our beloved show comes to a hopefully temporary end on 1^st August, with a huge double episode. But by now, most of us will have heard of some major cast returns and some of them are SERIOUSLY exciting!

Harold Bishop (Ian Smith)

The first person to be mentioned, several weeks ago was Harold Bishop, such a classic character that the café is still named after him, long after his departure. He is so loved that the show wasn’t even capable of killing him off without bringing him back to life! Nobody would ever be able to forget the beautiful love story that was Harold and Madge (Anne Charleston) – the humour and the tragedy. It could not end without him. If only Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), his old sparring partner was returning with him!

Joe Mangel (Mark Little)

We will also see Joe Mangel (Mark Little) with whom I am very much hoping we might also see his daughter Skye and her wife, Lana (Stephanie Mackintosh and Bridget Neval). Joe was always a loveable character and it was one of the show’s most memorable and tragic episodes when wife, environmentalist, Kerry was shot and killed. We saw Skye, a police officer return a couple of years ago a marry teenage love, Lana, finally getting closure on the relationship that started all those years and had to end abruptly due to homophobia. It was the show’s second gay marriage and really showed just how far Neighbours has come in terms of diversity and celebrating the LGBTQ community.

The Kennedy Family

Benjamin McNair as Mal Kennedy
(Digital Spy)

There are so many iconic families on Ramsay Street and Neighbours are clearly doing their best to represent as many of them as possible in the characters they are bringing back, as well as making sure they keep the current, radiant cast shining. It is a joy to hear that Mal Kennedy (Benjamin McNair) will be winging his way back to his parents from where he ‘lives’ in London. If only Libby and Billy (Kym Valentine and Jesse Spencer) would drop in too. They could pose for a new portrait! My wife has been tuning in for these last few months and she was shocked to see it still hanging in Karl and Susan’s lounge!

Also on her way back to Erinsborough is Elly Conway (Jodi Anasta), Susan’s niece, prompting the hope that after everything they have been through over all these years, #Chelly might finally get their happy ever after. I did like Chloe and Nicolette for a while and this Kiri seems quite nice but Chloe and Elly were the original couple. Nobody ever quite moved on from them, did they?! Next week, we will be seeing Pierce Greyson (Tim Robards) return, in line with his son Hendrix’s tragic diagnosis but let’s hope that doesn’t mean a reunion for him and Chloe because quite frankly that never worked for me. Just saying.

The Rebecchi Family

Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi
(Digital Spy)

Poor Toadie has been through so much during his life on Ramsay Street. He lost his first wife, Dee Bliss. He found true love with Sonya until she died from cancer in possibly the saddest ever storyline the show has ever aired. Then there was the whole Dee/Andrea insanity, which I was hooked on from start to finish! And it has taken a respectful amount of time but he has finally found love again with Melanie Pearson. So, it is lovely that his mother, Angie and his and Sonya’s son, Callum (Leslie and Morgan Baker) will be here for the end.

The Willis Family

Kate Kendall as Lauren Willis
(Digital Spy)

Paige Brennan (Olympia Valance) is also due to return again, although not with husband, Mark as far as we know. I’m not the biggest Mark fan but with the Brennan family having made such a huge impact on the Street, it would have been amazing to see Mark and Tyler (and Tyler’s partner, Piper) reunite on screen with their siblings, Chloe and Aaron – not to mention Piper and half-sister Paige back together again.

However, Paige’s mother, Lauren Willis (Kate Kendall) will return! And so will Ned Willis (Ben Hall), who has barely left. Ned has got himself into quite a lot of bother recently, having cheated on girlfriend, Amy with Harlow. He must take after his father. Deciding he needs to start afresh, Ned decided to head off to Sydney but it has been confirmed that both he and ex-girlfriend – and clearly the love of his life – Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) will both return for the finale. So, does this mean they will get their happy ending after all?

Ned and Yashvi – reunited?
(Digital Spy)

But most importantly, Ned is heading to Sydney to spend time with his mother, Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia) – no relation to Mark etc. Natalie recently won The Masked Singer UK and added her voice very loudly to the #SaveNeighbours Campaign so could it be possible that she might also return?! This would be amazing! Especially with Lauren, the third Mrs Willis back on screen, albeit played by a different actress, but still the same character who had an affair with Brad when Beth was in a relationship with him way back in the 90s. Neighbours, you need to make this happen. Three Mrs Willis’s on screen at the same time: Beth, Terese and Lauren! Ramsay Street actually could explode after all!

Will Beth make one last return to Ramsay Street…?
(ITV)

Also returning as part of the Willis clan are Kyle and Roxy Canning (Chris Milligan and Zima Anderson). They too have only left the show very recently. With Kyle only just recovering from testicular cancer, these two are a couple of the level of Scott and Charlene in terms of just how much they love each other. I’m not a TV wedding crier by any stretch of the imagination but I got very emotional at this one. And now, despite the odds, they are expecting a baby!

Chris Milligan and Zima Anderson as Kyle and Roxy Canning

Other Notable Characters

Also back for the finale are: Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien), Des Clarke (Paul Keane), Joel Samuels (Daniel MacPherson), Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingwaighte) and Amy Williams (Zoe Cramond).

The Robinson Family

Melissa Bell has returned as Lucy Robinson
(Digital Spy)

The final family with returning character are the Robinson family. Paul can expect two of his many children to return: Elle and Andrew (Pippa Black and Jordan Patrick). Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) is already on screen, attempting to rescue the mess Paul has made – and is blaming Terese for – of the fashion show. She is due to be joined by gay best friend and father of her baby, former resident, Chris Pappas (James Mason) who moved to live with her in New York. As far as Paul and Terese are concerned, they remain together in the credits, so I hold out hope that by 1^st August, they will be back together, where they belong.

Scott and Charlene (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue)

Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue as Scott and Charlene Robinson
(Metro)

And of course, the return that everyone is talking about… Scott and Charlene Robinson, played by the legendary Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, who began their careers in Neighbours in the 80s and went onto become global superstars. This has been the ultimate dream cast return for decades and I can hardly believe it is actually happening! Scott and Charlene have been mentioned regularly throughout the years with their extended family still living on Ramsay Street. In fact, Jason’s real life daughter plays Harlow! In the fictional world, Scott and Charlene have been happily married all this time and remain one of those couples and make you believe in true love! Their wedding was watched in the UK by 20 million people!

They went onto have two children (off screen), Madeline and Daniel, both of whom turned up on Ramsay Street as adults. Daniel arrived in 2014 and eventually married Imogen Willis, daughter of Terese, who eventually married Paul, brother of Scott! I am secretly hoping that Daniel and Imogen (Tim Phillips and Ariel Kaplan) might also find their way back home for the end!

Of course, everyone knows that since departing Erinsborough, Kylie went onto have an incredible pop career and became a huge gay icon and ally. She has lent her voice to the cause and is cherished by the LGBTQ community the world over. So, there is something particularly special, I think, that she is returning not just to the show that began her career but to the show that has developed itself from a soap that competed with all the others, to a soap that celebrates diversity in such a magical way – far beyond any others. And I watch them all! When Kylie and Jason were Australia and the UK’s sweethearts, there were no gay characters. Through the years, they tried and failed with characters such as Skye and Lana and had successes with others such as Chris. Now, we have Aaron and David, who even have a child and have been accepted as foster parents. We have Nicolette. We have Chloe. We have had the privilege of following Mackenzie through her journey as a beautiful, graceful transgender teenager. I believe we’re about to meet a non-binary character in the coming weeks. Aaron and David had the first gay wedding on Neighbours and walked down the aisle to ‘Especially for You’ by Kylie and Jason themselves! So, to have them back is an amazing thing, despite the circumstances.

Although, I am dreading that final episode and having to say goodbye to one of my most favourite ever programmes, I admire the dignity with which all the cast and crew have approached things. I also salute every single fan, who with true Ramsay Street Spirit, has campaigned for the show to be saved. I am proud to have been tweeting away, desperate to save the show we love and I have really enjoyed making those connections. I am excited for all the cast members who love the show so much that they wanted to be part of its celebrations and goodbyes. And I will also never lose the hope that even though the show will be rested, it will return.

Neighbours: The Scarlett Woman

(Monday 9^th – Friday 13^th November 2020)

Pierce and Dipi continued their affair, apparently without guilt. They were almost caught out by Hendrix, who I feel incredibly sorry for. He really believes in his Dad and he adores Chloe. He is going to be so hurt when the truth comes tumbling out. He was further concerned when he found Chloe getting drunk with Nicolette but Harlow persuaded him to keep his cool. However, he did persuade his stepmother to focus on her marriage and set boundaries with her friend. Little do any of them know, she needn’t bother.

Things became even more fragmented between the couple when they heard the news that Pierce’s ex, Lisa has had her baby. While it gave Chloe food for thought about the future, Pierce (with a new face) completely shut her down regarding any kind of serious conversation about their relationship.

Pierce has a new face!
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Dipi wasn’t best pleased when Shane suggested a camping trip. Nothing he suggests is going to be good enough now, as if it were good enough before. I feel sorry for him. I know he messed up but he is trying. And he is a lot more interesting than Pierce. Dipi is making a huge mistake.

David and Aaron told supportive Chloe about their surrogacy plan. Nicolette is looking more and more besotted with Chloe in every scene. It’s quite sweet.

Karl couldn’t help sticking he nose in by telling Jane that Nicolette was working as a nurse in London when she claimed she wasn’t. The truth came out that Nicolette visited Mrs Mangel and came out to her, upsetting her on the day she died. In one fell swoop, interfering Karl has ruined the fragile relationship Jane and Nicolette have built up. And also ruined Susan’s cunning plan to get rid of Jane and have her move in with Nicolette and the boys. Nicolette made no secret of her fury with Karl, who breached confidentiality by looking through her records and passing information onto her mother. Ever kind and thoughtful, Chloe attempted to advocate for Nicolette with Jane.

Janes struggles with the latest revelations…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Some humour for the week involved Roxy secretly and very naughtily taking Ned’s portrait of Paul all around the town for people to tag themselves with it on social media. This only infuriated Paul more, as he already hated the portrait and it was becoming even more infamous. Unfortunately, when Terese was bringing it home in Bea’s van, she ended up running Kyle over, as Scarlett (who is not dead – what a non-shock), had cut the fluid to the steering wheel.

Terese accidentally runs Kyle over…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Between this victimisation of Bea and Ned thinking he has seen Scarlett at the garage, the police – well, Yashvi and Levi – thought that Scarlett may well be still alive. Yashvi and Bea staked out the garage, little knowing that she was at The Hive, where Ned was camped out for the night. While Ned implored Yashvi not to fall into danger, Yashvi happened upon a plan to smoke Scarlett out – a fake wedding. Of course! What else?!

Ned and Yashvi trick Scarlett out of hiding…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Kyle was left a paranoid wreck, convinced he was going to get struck by a third accident after the barbeque burn and then being hit by the van. So, who knows what the outcome will be now he, Roxy and Terese have got wind of the wedding plans?! With Scarlett sufficiently alerted to the wedding, she has battered Bea and locked her up and as the credits closed on Friday, she was charging towards the altar with a jar of acid in her hand…!

Scarlett launches her attack…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Neighbours: The Affair Begins…

Tuesday 20^th October – Friday 6^th November 2020

It looked ever so briefly like love was in the air for Toadie and Rose but alas, it wasn’t to be as Rose drifted back to her corrupt husband, James. Oh well, she was nice but she will never be Sonya. We will have to wait for someone worthier to come along.

Aaron, David and Nicolette bonded after a drunken party and the boys invited Nicolette to stay with them permanently. Hooray! I like this friendship. And I like Nicolette, although there is clearly a slightly viscous side to her as she took genuine pleasure in informing Pierce that she was staying put. Oh well. I have never liked him anyway.

Karl and Jane stashed all their bulk buying rubbish on Aaron and David’s roof, causing it to fall in. As sick of the storyline as I am, Susan laid down the law – no more bargain basement hoarding or Jane has to move out. Now, can we move onto a story a little worthier of characters such as Karl Kennedy and Jane Harris? This one has been pretty insulting, quite frankly. Then the story moved onto Susan feeling crowded by Jane…

Thanks to a photo Aaron put online of him, David and Nicolette, an old friend of Nicolette’s suddenly pitched up in Erinsborough and the boys made her much more welcome than Nic did. Her name was Audrey and she turned out to be an ex-colleague of Nicolette’s. They both looked after a patient called Marco who was severely neglected by his horrible family. When he died, they cashed a winning lottery ticket of his and split the winnings. While Nicolette clearly had no issues spending the money, Audrey has been wracked with guilt all this time and not spent a cent until recently, when she bought a fancy handbag and then completely panicked. She now wants to confess and give the money back. Nicolette does not agree and spent the rest of the week trying to stall her.

Working at the hospital together, Audrey dropped Nicolette in it about visiting London two years ago when Jane had no idea she was there. Karl and Jane became concerned about what was going on between Nicolette and Audrey. Susan was concerned about Jane taking over her house. Karl searched through Nicolette’s records and concluded that she had been working in London, just as Audrey had said.

Ned’s life was in tatters as Scarlett continued to make complaints about him to the police and Yashvi’s trust in him was broken. She did agree to attend Ned’s exhibition, along with the rest of the residents in order to support Ned. He ended up winning the Osbourne Prize but not with the portrait of Yashvi that he submitted but with the destroyed portrait of Scarlett that she swapped, ready for the big unveiling right at the climax of the exhibition. She then appeared and announced that he had been stalking her before running off. Ned gave chase, ignoring his loved ones begging him to let her leave. Roxy was left to explain the whole debacle to Paul and Terese.

He chased Scarlett back to the maze, haunted by memories of the stabbing. Yashvi found him (not by the maze), asleep in his car with a cut on his head and no recollection as to what had happened the night before. While Ned suffered nightmares and flashbacks about what had happened, including holding his bloodied pallet knife and someone being locked in his boot, Scarlett was declared missing. CCTV footage then transpired of Scarlett being thrown to the ground by a mystery assailant.

While Ned’s loved ones were certain Scarlett had set Ned up, Ned was traumatised by his ‘memories’ and confessed to murder. The Detective who wrongly charged Tyler of murder, arrived to run the case and correctly stepped Yashvi down. Why on earth was she allowed to get involved anyway?! Ned was charged with murder and let out on bail thanks to Paul and Terese.

Ned is arrested…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

All the while Ned’s life was falling apart, believing he had killed Scarlett, she was actually hiding in The Hive, listening in on his oblivious friends talking all about what had happened. Once Ned had been bailed, she sneaked into the garage and tampered with a car. Meanwhile, Yashvi was certain that Scarlett’s journal, which had been critical in the case of her stalking Ned in the first place. Desperate to help, Shane attempted to get hold of it, only to get caught stealing it and charged for the offence by Levi. This of course landed him in a huge amount of trouble with Dipi, Toadie and Yashvi. Shane then infuriated Dipi further by suggested she be in charge of his decisions so he didn’t screw up again.

Chloe returned from visiting her mother, having reached a decision. She cannot think about the long term future due to her Huntington’s, which is understandable. She needs herself and Pierce to live for now. She and Pierce endured an awkward double date with Shane and Dipi, with Chloe and Shane unaware that their partners have shared a kiss.

When Aaron mentioned that Nicolette had a friend visiting, Chloe was jealous. There is no other word for it. I hope she realises soon that Nic is a much better match for her than Pierce. He was furious to overhear her admitting she missed her friend. When he then thought he saw Nicolette threatening Audrey, he decided to wade in and speak to Audrey himself which only landed him in trouble with Chloe.

Once she had calmed down, Chloe was ready to talk but she was set off again when rather than talking, Pierce presented her with a diamond necklace, feeling like he was trying to buy his way out of their marital woes.

Chloe was not impressed with Pierce’s diamond gesture…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Dipi was upset when Shane decided to quit University and persuaded him not to cancel his future. And that was the moment she and Pierce found solace in each other at the hotel. And I have to say, it was all a bit weird. I know they had to do it social distanced but it was a bit like someone pressed the wrong button and cut in an advert for their affair in the middle of the ‘moment’. However, judging by the obligatory half naked Pierce scene, alongside Dipi in her towel, we can safely assume they are supposed to have now slept together. Determined that it was a one off and they have now got each other out of their systems, Pierce and Dipi were determined to focus on their marriages.

Pierce and Dipi believe they’re getting their feelings out of their system… yeah, right!
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Dipi was jealous when Pierce began to launch a new wine brand and named it after Chloe. However, Chloe was crestfallen when she discovered the wine was called ‘Chloe Greyson’. She chose not to change her name from Brennan and couldn’t help but listen to Nicolette’s opinion that the wine was Pierce’s way of stamping his mark on her after he believe she was trying to take her away from him. Chloe challenged Pierce about the name, prompting a big row and him staying at the hotel yet again.

Chloe sought Nicolette’s friendship over her latest row with Nicolette, prompting Dipi to stand up for Pierce. Dipi reported back to Pierce and the pair raged about their respective partners, Pierce for Chloe’s rejection of the wine and friendship with Nicolette and Dipi for Shane’s latest balls up with the police. Of course, they ended up in bed again.

Meanwhile, Clive tried everything to get back together with Sheila, even dressing up as a gnome, with Kyle getting burned on a barbeque in the process. But when she finally explains her reasoning and confessing to messing with Levi’s results, he agreed that their relationship was over for good.

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Neighbours: An Illicit Kiss

(Monday 12^th – Monday 19th October 2020)

Chloe and Pierce struggled to communicate, both handling their grief over the miscarriage in different ways. Wanting to give her daughter time and space to focus on her own life, Fay headed back to Adelaide but not before she stopped to kindly ask Nicolette to keep her distance from Chloe in order to let her focus on her marriage. Unfortunately, the conversation was overheard by Pierce, revealing the Chloe knew about Nicolette’s feelings all along.

More revelations were to come when Pierce challenged his wife and she admitted that she had been having doubts about their marriage and about the baby – and that she had confided in Nicolette about it all. With the couple wanting to resolve their marriage woes, Pierce suggested doing something fun: Dipi’s cooking class. The look on Chloe’s face suggests that she did not think that was fun.

And she was right. The class was a disaster for everyone, including poor Hendrix who had turned up to partner Susan, with whom he has developed a lovely relationship. Things became very intense between his Dad and Chloe as she wanted to forget their troubles and he wanted an intense conversation. Shane turned up to help Dipi, despite Pierce warning him off and as ever, his help was more of a hindrance. Shane and Pierce got into a nasty row and everyone got upset.

After the class, both couples argued. Chloe refused to talk to Pierce who stormed out. Across the road, Shane blamed Dipi for his addiction, prompting her to also storm out, throwing her and Pierce together in their distress. While Pierce gave Dipi a complimentary room at the hotel for the night, Toadie spent the night at home, talking Shane down from using drugs. This set Dipi off again, straight into Pierce’s arms and the pair shared a long expected kiss, which they both regretted immediately and decided to keep a secret. While Yashvi blamed Shane for everything going wrong, a chat with alcoholic Terese helped her become more supportive of her Dad. You’ve gotta love, Terese. And I did feel sorry for Shane, especially when he apologised to not only Dipi but Pierce as well.

Dipi and Pierce share a secret kiss…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

When Chloe sought out her brother, she ended up chatting to Nicolette again (who lives with him and David) but got caught out by angry Pierce, setting everything off all over again. But it was Hendrix’s words that forced Chloe to sort things out with Pierce in the end. When did he get so wise? Probably when he got together with Harlow. Chloe went ahead with the marriage counselling and also ended her friendship with Nicolette before heading off to Adelaide to make sure Fay had settled in okay. Alone and needing space. Possibly not a good idea to leave her husband unattended right now but then, quite frankly, she’s better off without him.

On Nicolette’s advice, Levi got another medical assessment, independent of Clive so nothing looked suspicious and he didn’t end up pushing himself beyond what he was medically capable of. While Levi was understandably upset with his Gran, Sheila ended her relationship with Clive, having broke the single condition he set when they got back together – no deceit.

Now, Nicolette really was a busy girl this week, dishing out help not only to Levi and Chloe but also to David and Aaron by putting them in touch with a friend who once acted as a surrogate. I am so desperately disappointed with this storyline. I thought it was amazing that they were fostering and providing a home for vulnerable kids. I think it’s absolutely crap that they ran that story once and now it’s all about having a biological baby. Don’t get me wrong, I love Aaron and David; they’re my very favourite Neighbours couple and one of my favourite couples in soap history. That’s probably why I’m so annoyed about it. They could have been the Pippa and Tom of Ramsay Street!

Anyway, the upside is that the story did give way to one of my favourite scenes in a long time. They mentioned to Paul about paying a surrogate from abroad, which would be legal but would not be legal if they had a local surrogate. They also claimed it would be ethical to pay for it that way, although I’m not entirely sure what difference the location makes in terms of morals but whatever. Anyway, mentioning money to Paul is like a red rag to a bull and he immediately visited Nicolette and offered to pay her friend (and her) if her friend would have the baby for the boys. Getting drunk with the boys that night, Nicolette revealed her conversation with Paul, which led to a drunken phone call with ‘Paulie’ to tell him off for meddling, which was overheard by a very angry Terese. Very funny.

Drunk Aaron told Nicolette that Chloe missed her friendship. He and David told her that they didn’t want her to move out. Hooray! Also, Aaron’s stubble is officially turning into an actual beard.

Ned fought his demons enough to complete the portrait of Scarlett, only for her to declare it a rush job and destroy it, terrifying him. He decided that it wasn’t worth the trauma of being around her and told Yashvi the truth. Understandably, she felt utterly betrayed. Meanwhile, Roxy met Scarlett’s oblivious fiancé, who was under the impression that Ned had been Scarlett’s stalker, not the other way around. And in the meantime, Scarlett made a complaint to the police of the same vein. But surely her history of stabbing him would prove that that wasn’t true?! And Bea and Roxy took on the role of Ned’s bouncers by handed back to ruined painting to Scarlett and warning her off. This story is a bit weird, to be honest. Scarlett Part One was quite good but I’m not sold on Part Two. Sorry.

Scarlett destroys Ned’s painting…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

After some pressure from Mackenzie, Toadie decided to do the right thing and warned Rose not to sign her divorce settlement, telling her where to look for evidence over where her ex-husband, James has hidden his assets. After some interference from Susan (it’s usually Karl’s job), Toadie and Rose ended up on an accidental date and admitted that they liked each other. Yay! I do hope this works out. I know she’ll never be Sonya (RIP) but Toadie deserves some happiness.

Then there’s this slightly strange storyline where Karl and Jane have raided one of those Costco places and have so many bulk buy items they can’t store it all. They ended up having to pay Nicolette, Aaron and David a fee for storing it under their house. Yes, that’s an actual plot. I guess the writers took panic bulk buying to heart in lockdown…

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Neighbours: Goodbye to You

(Monday 28^th September – Friday 9^th October 2020)

Sheila, Kyle and Bea arrived home to find Levi having a seizure. While the other two panicked, Bea took charge, aware of his epilepsy diagnosis and knew exactly what to do. When he came to, he remembered that Yashvi had called him from the school needing backup and raised the alarm regarding the siege, although as ever in soap, it takes a hell of a long time for the police to actually do anything.

Levi was left with no choice but to tell the truth about his epilepsy and Clive realised that Dax had messed with his medication. Finally! Subsequently, Levi was suspended from the force pending a medical enquiry, which of course Sheila couldn’t help meddling with, meaning that he has been allowed back without any of the restrictions Clive put in place. When Levi found out what she had done, he was understandably furious.

Sheila had to tell the truth…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

At the school, Dax held Susan, Yashvi, Richie and Mackenzie hostage with a taser but was clearly losing his grip on the whole situation. Paul, Harlow and Hendrix unwittingly walked into the situation, prompting, Harlow and Paul to get chased into a toilet. Nice. Dax attempted to make his escape. The lights went off and there was generally a lot of running about while the police hung around not doing much and the kids’ and Susan’s loved ones waited worriedly outside. Somewhere along the way, Mackenzie got hit with the taser, sending her into cardiac arrest. Susan desperately tried to save her life and thankfully, Karl was right outside to help. But hero Yashvi took down Dax and he was taken into custody. She is basically the Karl Kennedy of the police force. And she’s only worked about four shifts.

Dax attacked the school…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

In some good news though, Mackenzie and Richie got back together and Paul invited Harlow to give a speech in New York to make up for the fact that she lost the election to Mackenzie. Also noteworthy, Dipi and Pierce held hands while they waited for news. It is beginning…

Shane left rehab, wanting to be there for his family but judging by how close Dipi and Pierce have become recently, it may be too late. Especially as all he seems to have done since he came home is get in the way. Nobody has been happy to see him, apart from perhaps Mackenzie who is always happy to see everyone.

While Yashvi is apparently the best cop in the world, she is apparently oblivious to anything going on in the lives of people she loves. Firstly, Bea had a crush on Levi and they lied to her about dating. Now, they’ve told the truth, Bea doesn’t fancy Levi anymore but he’s harbouring feelings for Bea. Typical. And Yashvi has missed it all.

But more importantly, Ned has got himself into serious trouble trying to raise funds for his exhibition by sending a ‘fan’ nude videos and pictures. The ‘guy’ has easily located him and has asked for more and more to the point that Ned has cancelled his account. He has kept it all secret from Yashvi and decided to focus on his real art instead. He used some of the money to take Yashvi away on a romantic getaway, alongside Roxy and Kyle. He was then horrified for his Fandangle commissioner to appear and turn out to be none other than Scarlett, the woman who became so obsessed with him last year that she ended up stabbing him. What are the chances?! She threated to expose the videos and pictures unless he painted her portrait as a gift for her fiancé. He agreed on the promise that she deleted everything. I mean, this hasn’t got disaster written all over it at all…

Scarlett returned to torment Ned…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

While Pierce was extremely excited about plans for the baby and even started talking about siblings, Chloe was starting to have doubts about the whole thing, including her marriage to Pierce. Despite the awkward situation, she ended up turning to Nicolette about it all, who advised her not to act hastily and take some time to clear her head. But when she had to leave for her first shift at the hospital, Chloe continued her walk alone where she began to have a miscarriage.

Nicolette was an amazing support to both Chloe and Pierce and proved herself to be a beautiful, true friend. When Fay returned from her trip with David and Aaron (who has designer stubble now), full of excitement about the baby and the baby shower, Chloe ignored Pierce and Nicolette’s pleas and decided to go through with the shower so as not to break her mother’s heart. Sadly, she broke down in the middle of it and admitted to having had a miscarriage. In light of recent events, Aaron and David opted to keep their surrogacy plan quiet. So, we’re bored of the fostering storyline after one kid, are we?

Pierce hit the roof when he discovered that Nicolette had been with Chloe moments before the miscarriage and when Hendrix revealed that Nicolette also has feelings for Chloe, he fired her and threw her out, despite how much it upset Fay. Insecure, much? Nicolette accepted it without putting Chloe in any worse a position by revealing that she had already resigned or that Chloe already knew everything.

Trying to be a good person and do the right thing, Hendrix told the truth about Rose using Toadie to get information on her husband James, not wanting Toadie to end up in legal trouble. Toadie was furious, not to mention hurt, having thought he and Rose had built up a good friendship since she started working for him. She begged him not to tell her ex-husband, which so far he hasn’t and when he realised that since he fired her she has no money at all, he bagged her a job as a beauty therapist, the thing she initially trained in, at the hotel.

Unfortunately, her first day didn’t quite go to plan as she had to practice on a couple of volunteers – Toadie and Mackenzie – and managed to burn Toadie’s face and tint Mackenzie’s eyebrows orange! They were very forgiving though and so was Terese who hired her anyway under supervision. When she got pretty much nothing in her divorce settlement, Toadie advised her not to sign it and opted not to tell her husband about her snooping. Karl and Susan have also picked up on a vibe between them… Post-Sonya, I found Dee very annoying and just couldn’t support him and Toadie. Perhaps it was because she and Toadie were together before Sonya and it was being treated as if she was the true love of his life, like Sonya suddenly didn’t matter. Plus Dee is actually quite annoying. But I like Rose. She’s quirky and funny and despite some initial dishonesty, I think I could get behind this potential relationship.

Rose begs Toadie and Mackenzie for help…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Neighbours: #Fandangle!

(Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th September 2020)

In his desperation to raise funds for his exhibition, Ned stripped on video for one of his subscribers on the aptly named, Fandangle. Unfortunately, some leaflets in the background gave away his location, prompting the guy to message him to say he would visit him in Erinsborough very soon. I mean, he must have been zooming in pretty close! Spoiler Alert: It’s not a guy. It’s someone who already knows exactly where Ned lives and has been interested in his fandangle for some time… Eek!

Guilt ridden over Dipi’s Shane Pain, Roxy enlisted Pierce and Sheila’s help in organising a karaoke afternoon, which actually succeeded in cheering her up. It also succeeded in healing the rift between the two women.

Toadie and Rose continued to bond, sharing a love of practical jokes. Karl even noticed that there could potentially be a romantic connection. I noticed it too, which is why it is so annoying that she is only working for him to get some information from his files. She comes across so nicely. She is funny and charming and there seems to be a real connection there. I mean, obviously she’s no Sonya but she’s much less annoying than Dee. I don’t want her to be a liar. It’s so frustrating. Because she is a liar. She even got caught photographing some files by Hendrix and lied her away out of it by sounding like she was holding her hands up and confessing! That is an expert fibler if I ever I saw one! Hendrix agreed to keep her ‘secret’ by persuading her to hand over poor Mackenzie’s speech for the Council. Rose then bagged Toadie’s log in details and continued her deceit.

With Paul and Hendrix working on Harlow’s campaign, Mackenzie was largely working by herself until Rose stepped in to help her. She continually rejected disgraced Ritchie’s offers of help. Things had already started to turn sour between the girls but it was the straw the broke the camel’s back when Hendrix gave Mackenzie’s speech to Harlow (who was going first). Poor Harlow delivered the speech without having any idea it was stolen. Mackenzie was furious and then had to give a completely improvised speech herself. Susan was very proud! Harlow decided that Mackenzie’s unrehearsed speech was better than anything she could ever have delivered and she was the best person for the job. Now, those are some friendship goals! You know, assuming Mackenzie is in a forgiving mood.

Mackenzie feels betrayed by Harlow…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Chloe and Pierce were excited and relieved to find out that their baby was a boy but more importantly that he has low Huntington’s markers. They can finally relax into the pregnancy, knowing they can enjoy it now and go ahead. Not that Chloe actually seems very relaxed.

However, things became all too much for Nicolette, who decided she had to resign her job. Chloe was devastated and begged to know what she could do to keep her. Nic eventually burst out her true feelings for stunned Chloe who was kind but remained committed to her boring husband. Nic eventually agreed to stay on until Fay could transition to a new carer. Throughout, Jane was so supportive, even suggesting a weekend away with her daughter to clear the cobwebs. I am so happy they have properly reunited.

Nicolette confesses her feelings…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Yashvi got herself suspended at work by sticking her nose in a bit too much, trying to prove Dax’s connection to River. She all but proved it until River turned up beaten to a pulp (by Dax) and named her as his assailant.

While Yashvi was suspended, Dax warned Levi away from supporting her and just to make sure, he worked out that he was epileptic and messed about with his medication. So when Yashvi, Levi and newly returned Bea (with very nice hair) discovered yet another link, this time between Dax and Jeremy, the guy who torched all the files during Finn’s trial, it essentially put them all in danger.

Yashvi headed to the school (in uniform, despite her suspension) and finally identified the school dealer, Lacy who also gave up Dax. While Levi suffered at home, having an epileptic fit, thanks to his mixed up pills, Dax stormed the school, desperately trying to keep control and threatening Yashvi with a taser. Oh dear!

New recruit, Yashvi is clearly too much for Dax to cope with!
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Neighbours: The Path to Healing…

(Monday 14^th – Friday 18^th September 2020)

It was a very awkward anniversary dinner, with Karl and Dipi being the only people unaware of Shane’s drug addiction. Dipi found out fairly quickly when Mackenzie challenged him about it as soon as she got a moment alone with the only real father figure she has ever truly had. Dipi walked in on them and her whole world shattered. While the others scattered, Toadie supervised husband and wife attempting to talk things through but I worry that it will be a long while before these two find their way back to each other properly. I also wonder, with Chloe and Pierce in the state they are and Dipi and Pierce’s growing friendship, if they are gearing up for something to happen between them too.

Shane has a lot of explaining to do…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

But anyway, Shane and Dipi’s relationship is in tatters, although at least the truth is out. Dipi was particularly hurt that Roxy had known and he still couldn’t be honest with her. Clever Mackenzie worked out that Ritchie knew more than he had confessed and it turned out that he had been the first person to supply Shane with anything. He gave him ADHD medication to help him study but turned him down when he wanted more. He has been worried ever since as Shane bought stronger and less legal drugs from other people.

Dipi and Toadie decided that Shane needed to go to rehab, meaning he had to defer his course. While at rehab, Shane kept in touch with Toadie, inviting him to a therapy session but Dipi was feeling distinctly shut out. She turned to Pierce for support again. Roxy was also feeling pretty broken by the whole thing. Dipi was unforgiving, although she did accept she had been too harsh; Roxy should have told someone but really, it wasn’t her fault.

Yashvi panicked that her Dad may now be caught up in the criminal investigation into the drug ring. Levi suggested questioning him unofficially just to get the information they need about the dealer but Yashvi decided not to go lightly on him, angry about what had happened. She even assisted in the interview, which of course would never happen in real life. The police tried to connect River (Shane’s Uni friend/dealer) and Ollie but Shane didn’t really know anything. Dax redirected the case, not wanting them involved anymore. When Yashvi pushed it, Dax threatened to put Shane in the thick of trouble and then put Yashvi on desk duty.

Yashvi confided in Levi that she thought Dax was dodgy, to which he admitted he had thought for a while. Dax was thrilled when Ollie was sprung for dealing but resisted them going after River, which suggests that Ollie was innocent and River was the culprit. The young cops decide to do their own investigation on the sly.

Karl offered his full support to Dipi and laid into Ritchie for setting the wheels in motion in the first place. Mackenzie decided not to go for the role on the Counsel in light of what had happened. Harlow stepped up in Mackenzie’s place but Ritchie put Mackenzie forward without her consent, meaning that the two girls were running against each other by accident. They have promised to keep it friendly! Yeah. We’ll see.

Toadie was completely overworked and interviewed a woman called Rose Walker to be his PA. They sparked off each other and got along well, prompting him to hire her on the spot, only to find she wasn’t as great on the computer as she had been on the phones. However, she managed to retain a very difficult client, thus proving herself to him. But as soon as she had the chance, she let herself into the office and began trying to break into his computer, so clearly she isn’t all that she seems…

Toadie’s PA is definitely up to no good…
(photo credit: WhatsOnTV)

Mackenzie interrupted Rose trying to hack into the computer and in the process of trying the password so many times, she locked Toadie out of the system. Rose managed to get a brief lowdown from innocent Mackenzie on Toadie’s personal life. Suspicious of Rose’s authenticity, Mackenzie caught her Googling how to run invoices. Rose ‘came clean’ about fudging dates on her CV and not being great with some technology. Toadie was forgiving and agreed to get her trained up. I am suspicious. Very suspicious.

Nicolette had a lot of time on her hands having very strangely decided not to go away with Fay, Aaron and David, being that she is Fay’s nurse. You’d almost think it was scripted so that she could spend every second with Chloe and damage her marriage with Pierce…

But the first thing that happened was that Chloe took on the challenge of sorting out Nicolette’s relationship with Jane. With the help of Paul, she arranged for mother and daughter to have lunch and properly talk things through. Nicolette opened up at her hurt over the way Jane shut her down when she came out, desperate for Mrs Mangel not to ever find out. It prompted Nicolette’s relationship to break down and eventually for her to move from the UK back to Australia.

This prompted Paul to wonder if it was revenge that made Nicolette destroy Jane and Des’s relationship. He went against Jane’s wishes in order to tell her daughter everything that led up to the wedding, including the catfishing episode. Guilt ridden, Nicolette orchestrated a meeting between Jane and Des where they were finally able to make peace, agreeing that now isn’t the time for a relationship but promising to be friends forever. Nicolette confessed that it was her own hurt about the past that provoked her attitude towards Jane’s marriage to Des and she actually apologised. Could it be that she and Jane are finally ready to heal and move on as mother and daughter?

Nicolette and Jane have finally turned a corner…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Chloe and Nicolette have clearly been up to something in secret, written in such a way as to make the audience curious, play on the ‘love/crush’ theme and make Hendrix and Jane jump to the wrong conclusions. Excellent! Nicolette caught them investigating, thus potentially undoing the hard work she and Jane have put into their relationship recently. As it turns out, they were using the ‘non ethical’ hotel chocolate and cosmetics and using David and Aaron’s empty house as a day spa. Nicolette then decided to have it out with Hendrix once and for all, finally persuading him that she is not after Chloe. Unfortunately, Hendrix told Harlow who was not happy about Chloe and Nicolette’s lack of ethics. Forgiving Jane, Nicolette turned to her mother over her still present feelings for Chloe; the more time they spend together, the stronger her feelings become.

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Neighbours: The Sorrows of Shane Rebecchi

(Friday 28^th August – Friday 11^th September 2020)

Roxy continued to try and support Shane by herself, without telling anyone what was really going on and ended up becoming the victim of his temper when she threw his drugs away and her shoved her about. Kyle rescued her and told Dipi about her husband’s behaviour. Dipi turned to Karl for support, believing that Shane was suffering with depression. Shane refused to defer his course but decided to go away for a few days, lying that he was visiting his brother, Stonefish. Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Stonie covered for him, leaving Shane to hide out in his hometown in an abandoned shed to try and go cold turkey until he panicked and phoned Roxy for help. Roxy finally told Kyle and Toadie the truth, sending Toadie to go and sort his brother out and bring him home.

Toadie tracks Shane down…
(photo credit: Metro)

Shane, Dipi (and Toadie) were the only people unaware that Mackenzie was very sweetly arranging a party to celebrate Shane and Dipi’s 20^th wedding anniversary, which, after a lot of stumbling blocks, she changed to a romantic dinner for two. However, she found out from Ritchie at the last minute about the drugs, which he claimed to have found. I don’t buy it. Remember the hushed conversation he and Shane had weeks ago? And he has known for days that there has been something wrong, clearly more than he has been letting on. I like Ritchie but I haven’t trusted him for a little while now. Those drugs originated from the school, remember? Well, we’ll see.

Chloe brought Fay home to live with her, Pierce and Hendrix, plus Nicolette, their new live in nurse and I wouldn’t say it has gone smoothly. Basically, even without knowing that Nicolette has feelings for Chloe, Pierce is jealous. He’s jealous because he doesn’t trust Chloe’s bisexuality. He doesn’t even know the full story yet. Although, Hendrix has since found out more information. Now, I think I like Nicolette. She’s good with Fay and she is clearly sincere when it comes to Chloe. And I cannot stand Pierce. But she is a bit interfering, I do agree with him there. She pushes a bit too hard. Also, isn’t a bit weird that Aaron and David are taking Fay on holiday without her nurse? Isn’t that the point of her? I would assume it’s lazy story telling so they can focus on Nicolette, Chloe and Pierce? Anyway, one nice moment that has come during these past couple of weeks is that she has finally turned to Jane for support over it all so hopefully they will continue to reconnect.

Nicolette plays a trick on Pierce…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Things began to look up for Emmett with Terese giving her a job at the hotel but she promptly lost it for stealing booze. Soon enough, a previously never before mentioned aunt moved back into the country (all orchestrated by Jenna) and was deemed a perfectly suitable candidate to care for him and off he went. Suddenly what had been a very prominent storyline seems to have been hurried away and although Aaron seemed fairly accepting, David did not take it well at all.

David and Aaron say goodbye to Emmett…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

In other news

Harlow, Hendrix, Mackenzie and Ritchie staged an eco-protest to persuade Paul to make changes at the hotel
Tensions between husband and wife led Terese to go and visit her kids in L.A.
Bea and Levi fake dated – fated?!
Kyle was jealous of all the attention Sheila lavished on Levi to make up for her guilt
Ned made some very questionable ‘art’ to earn cash
Toadie almost dated Angela Lane! Eek!

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm