Neighbours – Ramsay Street Round-Up (14th-17th October)

I’m in DIY HELL this week, as I’m attempting to completely renovate my entire bedroom for the first time in over a decade, and I now seemingly live in a house full of cardboard boxes. My lack of patience in general may well colour my thoughts on this week’s episodes of Neighbours.

Remi and Cara Are Getting Broody

JJ is cleaning the car out and discovers Cara’s wishlist which she wrote for her birthday. Top of the list is her desire to have another baby, which sends Remi into a bit of a tailspin.

Remi has pretty much said goodbye to that era of their lives, with them having two teenagers, but the more she thinks about it, the more she comes round to the idea. I thought their discussions were well done, it’s nice to hear soap characters speaking openly about fertility, having babies later in life and IVF.

It’s looking quite likely that they’ll probably take the plunge and go for it, which leaves the question of a sperm donor. I wonder if Andrew will offer his services again and actually go through with it this time? The only fly in the ointment is probably JJ, who did not seem that keen on the idea of having a baby brother or sister. He worries that Cara and Remi think he’s such a dud that they want to try for a better one, which shows some rare self-awareness.

A Character On Neighbours Actually Has Lasting Trauma

We’re so used to characters going through traumatic events on Neighbours and then bouncing back as if nothing happened, but for once, there’s a character who actually appears to have lasting effects from trauma. It turns out that getting tipped into a grain silo, pushing a man into the jaws of a crocodile and being taken hostage is what it takes for someone in Erinsborough to get PTSD.

Felix has been able to see the symptoms in Holly for a while, but she’s wanted nothing to do with Felix, his opinions or his self-help books, but eventually can’t resist taking a look at the book he gave her, and she’s starting to come around to the idea that she might be showing some signs of trauma.

After having an anxiety attack and being unable to use the breathing techniques to calm herself down, Holly asks Felix to help her. I think we can all see where this storyline is going, right? It’s been a little while since we had a new couple on Ramsay Street.

Andrew Still Being a Tool

I don’t know what it is with the writers trying to turn previously likeable blokes into absolute saucepans, but we are fully seeing the Toadification of Andrew right now. He and Wendy go to see a marriage therapist, and Wendy opens up about her relationship with Quinn. She insists that nothing ever happened, but this isn’t enough for Andrew, who decides he needs to hear Quinn’s side of the story, and so asks him to meet up. Of course, Sadie finds out and tells Wendy, throwing yet another grenade into the middle of the Rodwells’ marriage.

Andrew is one of my favourites, despite being one of the most inept cops to ever grace the streets of Erinsborough, but they’re turning him into a buffoon. It’s such a douche move for him to want to speak to Quinn in order to try to catch Wendy lying. No wonder she’s sodded off.

Terese Falls Off the Wagon

Susan accidentally reveals to Paul that Terese’s feelings for him are complicated. The upshot of this is that both Paul and Terese decide they need to be less dependent on each other and not spend time together, especially after having a “moment” on the street. This leaves Terese dealing with her current heartache alone though, and she gives into temptation after someone leaves a bottle of wine for her at the office.

I’m sad that this is where Terese has ended up, the Terese of the recent past would have talked it through with Susan, gone to an AA meeting, or booked a therapy appointment – but instead she builds herself a sofa nest, gets smashed, and then makes some decisions she’s probably going to regret about her garden landscaping.

Nell returns to see JJ and drops in to see Terese, catching her with a bottle of wine. I hope this is the jolt she needs to get back on track, because I don’t like to see sad and struggling Terese. I need my no nonsense Queen back.

Vic Starts winning People Over

Vic is doing what he does best, and that is charming everyone – even the people who have had it up to their back teeth with him. Melanie told him in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t be in a relationship, but she still keeps meeting up with him and going into bat for him with his family. Nicolette and Byron are dead set against having anything to do with him, but they eventually accept the money he promised them.

Jane is also done with him, especially when she finds out he’s meddled in the sale of Mike’s motorbike, but he wins her over by offering to help her paint over those lovely lilac kitchen cupboards with the most boring grey paint Jane could find. Now they’re being all flirty and cute, flicking bright blue paint at each other, despite the fact that they’re not painting anything bright blue.

Incidentally, if anyone flicked paint at me while I was decorating I would end them, but that is coming from someone who has spent most of last weekend and every evening wielding a roller or a paintbrush and breathing in paint fumes.

When Byron and Nicolette see them being all playful with the paint, both of them have a glimmer of a smile on their faces. How long until Vic worms his way back in permanently? Not long, surely. For the record, he’s not charming me.

Ban This Sick Filth

I do love a comedy Neighbours storyline, and there’s also something delightfully retro about a moral panic motivated by Hilary. Hilary’s got her goons campaigning against the Boylesque strip show, and they start a petition trying to get it banned. Krista uses a lovely bit of 1980s joke shop disappearing ink to try to disrupt the petition, and they seem to be winning until Aaron makes a bit of a show of himself at the complex.

For some reason, he’s decided to test out his rip-off trousers in front of his friends, with nothing on underneath, so if the trousers are sub-par, then everyone at the house share is going to get a good look at his gentleman’s agreements. Predictably he gets called into work urgently, so sprints off in his stripper strides, only to get them caught on a bench and flash everyone in the complex. Just as they’re winning the battle against the old lady moral crusaders, here comes Aaron to show everyone his meat and two veg. It’s classic comedy Neighbours.

A Few Random Notes

As usual, here are a few random notes I took while watching Neighbours this week:

• OH GOD, BYRON IS RAPPING NOW. PLEASE KILL ME
• Could Paul have found a more phallic looking cactus to send to Terese?
• Those leather chairs in the coffee shop look like they came out of a skip. 
• Oh, now Aaron is going to work in his stripper trousers, so he’s going to get his bum out in The Waterhole. 
• UGH. Nell’s back. Is she back for good? UGH. 
• The funny thing about Felix telling JJ off is that he can’t hit back with the classic, “You’re not my dad!”