Neighbours is back! That means I am also back with my weekly Ramsay Street Round-up, where I give some bombastic side-eye to whatever nonsense has been going on in Erinsborough for the past week. I feel a little bit rusty, but hopefully, it won’t take me too long to get back into the swing of all things Ramsay Street.
Quantum Leap
If you saw any behind-the-scenes photos from filming the new episodes, you would have already guessed that there was going to be a jump forward in time. This was given away most obviously by the recasting of Nell and Hugo, but the choice of actors had me thinking that the time jump was going to be about five years. It isn’t, it’s two years, which has been hammered home numerous times by various characters commenting on it, just in case we didn’t all catch it the first time.
Now I know that characters in Soapland age in a completely different biological way to us regular humans, but it really is getting on my nerves that in two years Nell has gone from being about 10 or 11, to being a sassy 15-year-old in a neon green hat that’s too big for her. “A lot has happened in the last two years,” Susan said. Clearly this is very true for Nell and Hugo – they must have been doing a very tough paper round for the last two years. All I’m going to say is that I’m glad I don’t age at this rate, or I would look something like Yoda right now.
The Wedding Bombshell
Talking of the Rebecchis, that brings me to the first bombshell from the new series – the wedding. The adverts kept teasing that there was a wedding, and that we’d never guess which two characters were getting married. Not to boast, but I did guess, but then my brain immediately went, “Naaah!” and I discounted it. I should have more faith in myself.
So. Toadie and Terese. From what I’ve seen online, opinion is pretty split on this pairing. Honestly, I find them more believable than I ever found Toadie and Melanie, but maybe that’s just because I always found her really grating. It’s a bit odd but I’m not mad at it.
I do have a couple of things to bring up from the wedding though. Firstly, why did Paul go to a wedding in a black suit and bow tie when he wasn’t the one getting married? He looked like one of those alpacas you can hire to turn up to your wedding dressed in human clothes, complete with enormous bow tie. I know it was to make us think Terese was marrying Paul, but I think a normal tie would have worked just as well without making him look so unhinged.
Obviously Susan was the celebrant, but she was also absolutely ripping up the dance floor at the reception, which I enjoyed immensely. What I didn’t enjoy was her picking up a glass of water off the buffet table, taking a drink of it and then putting it back down again, as if Covid was never a thing.
The other highlight from the wedding was Angie informing Terese that she needed to adjust her boobs via the medium of an extremely graphic mime. That’s not what anyone wants to see on their wedding day. Or ever.
Mysterious New Family
There’s a new family on the street, and of course they have A Secret™, because nobody can come to Ramsay Street without having something momentous in their past that they’re trying to get away from. In actual fact, the Varga-Murphy family might have two secrets. Firstly, the mums have had a few vague and hushed conversations about putting the family in danger, which I haven’t quite managed to decipher yet, and additionally one of the kids, JJ, is acting like he knows something about Ramsay Street already. He’s the one who spotted the house for them to move into, and he’s very interested in the past and present residents of Erinsborough. Are we about to find out that yet another Ramsay Street resident has a surprise child? Probably.
Is Harold OK?
It’s quite obvious there’s something going on with Harold, which I do not like at all. He’s been very forgetful and confused, and the inference seems to be that he’s starting to develop some sort of dementia. I’m not OK with this, Harold must be protected at all costs and I don’t want anything sad to happen to him.
Susan is Ramsay Street’s Answer to Mr. T
Susan’s behaving a bit weirdly, squirrelling gold and jewels away in a big box as though she’s compiling her own Mr. T cosplay. She’s obviously hiding it all from Karl, who inevitably finds out about it and is confused as to why she’s spent twenty grand on jewellery. I must admit, I’m a bit confused as well. The reason she gives is that she resents Karl for losing all of their money and also for her decision to retire from teaching, but for that resentment to manifest in an addiction to Elizabeth Duke is a little bit baffling to me. I suspect there’s going to be more to come on this particular storyline, or at least I hope so, because I can’t really make head nor tail of it yet. I thought it was going to be a shopping addiction and massive credit card debt, which would have made more sense.
Holly is a Nightmare
This apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, with Holly being just as much a law unto herself as her mum is. She’s got a job at the hotel, but she’s late, lazy and rude, not to mention having a penchant for going through guests’ belongings. She gets sprung after spraying herself with Reece’s perfume and ends up getting the sack. Holly doesn’t seem to be very likeable, but I think she’s going to have real Izzy/Roxy sort of energy, and the street always needs a resident firecracker.
Reece’s Pieces
I sort of have to mention Mischa Barton’s entry into the show because she’s such a huge name, but I find myself with not a lot to say at the moment. She’s doing a fine job, but her character hasn’t really piqued my interest too much yet, as her storyline has only been a couple of bits and pieces so far. Hopefully there’ll be a bit more to her than making grabby hands every time she sees Byron, and her being there to secretly assess the Lassiters spa.
TREVOR
I have a new favourite character and he is a very good boy. The only way Trevor is going to be topped is if they bring my chaotic king Mick back.
That’s all from week one. It’s good to be back!
