And just like that it’s almost December! I have a feeling we might be ramping up towards some sort of pre-Christmas catastrophe on Ramsay Street, with only three weeks left until the Christmas break. More on that later, but for now let’s round up what’s been happening in Erinsborough this past week.
Cara Ruins Her Own Recovery
Cara turns out to be the most annoying patient in medical history, as she comes home after major emergency surgery and just simply will not rest. Her wife, who is a doctor, repeatedly tells her she needs to take it easy, but Cara won’t stop tinkering with DIY projects and trying to do things without help.
In one such moment, she’s reaching up for a snack from a high cupboard, and feels a sudden stab of pain. At first, what I thought was happening here was Cara developing a painkiller addiction, as she starts popping pills like there’s no tomorrow. What’s actually happening is that she’s popped an internal stitch and is slowly developing sepsis. She continues to feel more and more unwell, without saying anything to anyone, eventually collapsing on the driveway and having to be rushed to hospital for more surgery.
The infection spreads to her womb and ovaries and, as I predicted, Cara ends up having to have a complete hysterectomy, which sadly puts an end to her dreams of having another baby.
While Cara is quick to admit that it is her own fault for not taking her recovery seriously, she also doesn’t seem to be dealing with the grief and loss in any meaningful way, brushing it aside and pretending she’s not devastated, which she clearly is. I have a feeling this is something else she will have to deal with in a bigger way down the track if she doesn’t tackle it now.
On a lighter note, I couldn’t help being reminded of my dear dad during this storyline. After I was born he decided to get the snip, precisely to avoid the sort of surplus baby situation Cara and Remi were actively trying to achieve, and probably also because I was the demon baby from hell. Anyway, the doctors told him after he had it done on the Friday that if he rested over the weekend, he’d be recovered enough to return to work on the Monday without anyone having to know what he’d had done. So what did he do? He washed the car. And what happened? His nuts swelled up like footballs and he had to have a week off work. Nice one, Dad.
Jane Rebounds Again
Jane and Shane go for a few bevvies at the Water Hole and end up speculating about what might have happened if they’d given it more of a go when they got together back in the day. Nicolette always takes too much of an interest in her mum’s love life, but this time she ropes Max in on it too, and the two of them go to spy on their parents – in plain sight, even thought they are trying to be sneaky.
Things look like they’re going to get steamy, until Karl turns up and performs an exquisite bit of cockblocking, completely oblivious to the vibe Shane and Jane are giving off.
The next day, Shane and Jane talk about how they should absolutely not go there with each other again, but then end up in bed together, and Nicolette walks in on them. Max is also there, so gets to see both Shane and Jane, flustered and only just decent.
Nicolette sits Jane down for a chat about the fact that she has a terrible habit of revisiting things with her exes, and she also has the cheek to say she doesn’t care who Jane sleeps with. I suppose that’s true, but she definitely cared who Jane wasn’t sleeping with, when she wasn’t sleeping with Vic. Anyway, Jane and Shane decide to leave it alone, and Shane disappears off to Queensland, leaving his annoying son behind.
Leo Acts Like a Mini-Paul
Leo is still having a major problem with Krista’s friend, Seb, hanging around. While I am totally with Leo on disliking Seb, on account of him being an annoying little goblin in horrible knitwear, I disagree with the way Leo goes about this. He tells Krista that he thinks Seb is bad news, and this is where it should have ended. He’s entitled to have an opinion about the people Krista hangs around with, but if she chooses to ignore that opinion, then it’s tough luck.
Instead, Leo goes all “Paul Robinson” and threatens Seb until he leaves. Krista is upset by his sudden departure, and is going to be furious when she discovers that Leo is the reason he left – and she is obviously going to find out.
Without David to act as his conscience, I feel like Leo might be becoming a bit too much like a younger version of Paul, but with more luxurious hair. I don’t like it, perhaps it’s time for David to appear to Leo in a bauble and tell him to mend his ways.
Toadie and Nell Are Back (Eye Roll)
I thought Toadie and Nell were gone for good, but now it seems like at least Nell is going to be coming back permanently. If she comes back for good, I really hope the directors gently guide her into being slightly less whiny, because I’m not going to be able to cope otherwise.
Anyway, Toadie’s dad is seriously unwell, and he thinks it’s going to be triggering for Nell to watch someone she loves die, after what happened to her mum. His first instinct is to ask Terese if she’s willing to take Nell in. Terese says she would, but she soon scuttles off without letting Toadie in on what’s been going on with her.
It takes Jane putting her foot in it in front of Toadie for him to find out that Terese has had a relapse and been into rehab. He goes back and retracts his request for her to take Nell in, saying that she’s got enough to be dealing with. Terese flies off the handle at this, taking it to mean that he doesn’t trust her to look after Nell.
It’s not very often I side with Toadie, but he’s right in this instance, and Terese should have been open with him from the start. I’m not saying that recovering alcoholics can’t be good parent figures, but someone who is leaving their kid in your care deserves to know all the facts, and they’re well within their right to decide that you might not be in the best place to deal with parenting right now.
Wherever she ends up living, it seems like Nell and her bleating goat voice are back permanently. I’m so thrilled.
Yet Another American Businesswoman Turns Up
American businesswomen keep turning up in Erinsborough, and nobody really seems to question it all that much. There was Montana, Reece, Tess and now Yaz. She shows up in an ugly designer dress, pretending that she’s putting on some absolutely lame-sounding light festival in Erinsborough, where all the various big landmarks get trimmed up with lights. Nobody really questions this, totally believing that she wants to try her idea out on a small scale before she considers doing it in a big city.
Because everyone is massively gullible, she manages to sign up the hotel, the school and Eirini Rising to participate in the festival, only it’s later revealed that she is none other than Heath’s sister. So this has to be some elaborately silly revenge plot. What are we thinking? The lights are somehow linked up to explosives? It seems like the obvious route to me, although it would be more fun if it involved crocodiles.
Yaz’s arrival must be to set up the big dramatic climax that’s going to help Neighbours close out 2024. We’ve had a lot of people leaving recently, so I hope whatever she’s plotting doesn’t turn out to be fatal to anyone, or else there’s barely going to be anyone left in Erinsborough.
Vera Continues To Be An Icon
This is only a minor storyline, but I adore Vera and everything she does, so I had to mention it. She’s busy playing up her lack of funds to everyone in order to get some freebies. Byron suggests the other tenants take on her share of the grocery bills, then Sadie gives her some free spa vouchers and Max services her car for free. It isn’t long before they all figure out what she’s up to, but by then it’s too late for them to retract all the things they’ve already given her, and she’s too busy driving round in her obnoxiously bright car, honking her horn at everyone.
Honestly, I am such a Vera fangirl. I’m kind of hoping someone gets me a velour tracksuit for Christmas…
A Few Random Notes
As usual, here are a few random notes I took while watching Neighbours this week:
- Jane and Shane? Rhyming couple names are a bit spewy.
- “My lawyer slash husband at the time didn’t foresee I was going to gas a whole building of pensioners!” – iconic quote.
- I hate Sebastian. When is he leaving?
- Susan’s poker face was AWFUL when Toadie said Terese had to go to work.
- Byron is so nice to Vera. Does he have Stockholm Syndrome?
