It really feels like we’re hurtling at top speed towards the end of Neighbours, and I’m reminded of it every time I come to round-up another week. Still there’s been some good drama this past week, so let’s get on with rounding it up.
Erinsborough is Bejewelled
It’s finally here, the jewellery expo that nobody cares about.
With an entire hotel at their disposal, Krista and Annaliese decide to hold the supposedly very high-end and exclusive expo in the pub. They get everything set up, but when they go back to check on the display, someone has smashed some of the jewellery cases. Nothing’s been stolen though, which marks the second time that the jewellery has been tampered with but not taken. Annaliese thinks on her feet and grabs a crowbar, smashing more cases and trying to make it look like it was done deliberately as part of the exhibition, as if having shards of smashed glass and expensive jewellery which now isn’t protected by anything isn’t a health and safety nightmare.
Taye overhears Christina talking on the phone to someone, and then as she hangs up she sets off the fire alarm. Caught in the act, she comes clean that it’s her who has been sabotaging the jewellery event at the behest of the rubbish manager that got the sack. I knew Christina would be involved somehow, she’s an absolute loose cannon.
Wendy ends up winning the runner-up prize in the jewellery exhibition, and her and Jane go hard on the Chardonnay to celebrate, leaving Jane with an almighty hangover. I do love Drunk Jane and I’m glad she got to have another outing.
Paul Fails a Simple Comprehension Test
As a result of him committing ACTUAL FRAUD, Krista has told Paul that he needs to step back from running the hotel, and Lucy has gone as far as banning him from the property. But Paul demonstrates a total inability to understand simple instructions, and keeps turning up at the hotel trying to boss people about and make decisions. Every time Krista sees him, she scolds him like a naughty puppy who’s been caught sitting on the new sofa, which is incredibly enjoyable.
Aaron Makes a Big Decision
Everyone can see that the thought of Rhett’s impending departure to Adelaide is causing Aaron a lot of heartbreak. Nicolette and Jane are both feeling guilty about putting pressure on him to stay, and as they’re talking about their change of heart, Rhett overhears. Now it’s all out in the open, they give Aaron their blessing for him to move to Adelaide with Rhett, which means we’re losing one of the longest running members of the current cast.
I understand the logistical reason behind needing to slim the cast down ahead of the show ending – it’s just not practical to renew contracts at this point – but the reason for Aaron’s departure doesn’t really make a lick of sense. Aaron is going to move interstate and leave his daughter behind in order to be with Rhett, who is moving interstate to make sure he isn’t separated from his daughter. Make it make sense.
Anyway, with the increased amount of baby talk from Nicolette, I think that before long, her and Isla will be following Aaron and Rhett to Adelaide so Rhett can help them extend their family. She needs a donor, right?
Annaliese’s Anticlimax
When it becomes obvious that someone is trying to sabotage the jewellery expo, and before the culprit is revealed to be Christina, Annaliese’s immediate thought is that it’s her ex-husband Sam, because apparently he’s got form.
In an attempt to stop her from getting a job, Sam sabotaged Annaliese, and yet she admits that he still knows the password to her email. I’m sorry, but in what world would you keep the same password that your ex-partner knows? Especially one who has previously tried to sabotage your future employment? I’ve always known that the IT security in Erinsborough is terrible, but using an email account which you know has been compromised for work emails would at the least get you a stern talking to in most jobs, if not the sack.
Annaliese suspects Sam is in the area because she can see the IP address of the person who has been accessing her emails is in Erinsborough, which is why she immediately suspects he’s behind the attempts to sabotage the expo.
Sam is indeed in the area and everyone he calls on exclaims, “Sam Kratz!”, presumably to remind us who he is and to differentiate him from Sam Young. Whatever the reason, it must be weird to have your full name yelled at you every time you enter a room.
He speaks to Karl and Susan about his past mistakes and how he wants to get back together with Annaliese, and they try to do a bit of matchmaking.
Then Sam and Annaliese have one conversation in the coffee shop and that’s it – Annaliese forgives him for snooping on her emails and trying to sabotage her career. She’s a more forgiving woman than me, because I would send him packing in an instant, but the only thing Annaliese is packing is a suitcase full of her huge-lapelled outfits. It means her and Sam’s return to the show ends in quite an incredible anticlimax, as they just trot off, hand-in-hand.
Who will be next in the revolving door of heritage characters popping by before the show ends?
Remi Remembers
Remi is making more of an effort to spend time with Cara, and Cara is doing her best not to pressure Remi, and the two of them seem to be making progress. It even seems like Remi has a breakthrough when she remembers how she proposed to Cara. It later turns out that she’s remembering a presentation Dex did about said proposal, and can’t actually remember the day itself. Even so, she’s finally come around to thinking that she wants to remember her life and the part that Cara plays in it, which is super cute. I want these two happily back together ASAP, please.
The Andrew and Holly Situation Is About to Go Nuclear
This whole mess is about to get much messier, thanks to Aaron adopting his undercover detective persona once more before he leaves. This time it’s a bit more high-stakes than a random cyclist dumping in people’s gardens, though.
Holly and Andrew are both acting shifty, and it’s making Aaron suspicious that Rhett might have been right about them after all. Andrew is as jumpy as a bag of microwave popcorn every time he’s anywhere near Holly, and Holly can barely contain her disdain for Max, even when he buys her an insanely expensive pair of earrings at the jewellery expo.
Aaron sees all this and senses something is up, and when he sees the two of them having an intense discussion in some bushes, which was not at all a subtle place for a secret conversation, he decides to follow them to a later rendezvous. He stalks them to the city, where he lurks about until he sees them hugging, and his suspicions are confirmed. He then texts Andrew, and despite the fact that Andrew has quite literally only just had a conversation with Holly about how their affair is all over, and the two of them must never speak of it to anyone, Andrew spills his guts and tells Aaron the whole sorry tale.
The following day, Aaron sees Holly and Andrew talking and makes it very obvious he’s watching them, so Andrew is forced to tell Holly that Aaron knows about them. The three of them then decide that the best place to talk about this is in the back garden, using their normal speaking volume so any of the neighbours could hear them. But it’s not a neighbour who hears though, it’s Wendy, who comes barrelling into the garden right as Holly is saying that, “Wendy will be none the wiser”.
The gasp I gusp when Wendy walked in on this little meeting! Are they going to come clean in the next episode or make up an even bigger lie? I can’t wait to find out! I am dreading a broken-hearted Max though, the poor little cinnamon bun.
A Few Random Notes
As usual, here are a few random notes I took while watching Neighbours this week:
- Karl’s song about having a crush on Susan is cute and cringe in equal parts.
- I’m sorry, isn’t Paul banned from Lassiters? Why is he hanging about like one of those older kids who gets expelled but then keeps hanging round at the school gates?
- No Wendy. Do not wear one of each earring, it looks stupid. This just shows you can’t trust anything Andrew says because he’s a lying liar.
- “This is why we need to avoid each other,” says Andrew after following Holly into a bush.
- Holly is calling the bar “our place”. Yuck.
- “You’re not your mum” Andrew says. But she is though, isn’t she?
