|
|
Post by justinate on Jun 3, 2022 10:52:21 GMT -5
Michelle left the show so abruptly - a part of me wonders if Vivienne has just been a stopgap until the actress could return...but this may just be to tie up loose ends, and I could see her helping Chris out. I'm a few weeks behind and I skipped a few months at the start of the year - did Rosalyn appear in those periods of time? The last time I saw her was when Leanne was angry over the time she was spending with Tom. If she and Rosalyn do break up I can't say I'm that shocked at this point. I wonder if something happened like COVID to write Dawn out so quickly. From what I understood, Michelle was due to exit but it just ended up happening sooner and offscreen because Covid lockdown measures prevented the actress from returning to tape her exit scenes. I can't for the life of me remember what was the last scene between Leanne and Rosalyn where both were shown onscreen, but Leanne mentions Rosalyn every now and then and it seems like they're very much still in love. I guess the actress isn't committed to appearing regularly, but I was very surprised that she didn't appear at all this past year, not even during the anniversary episodes. And nor did Rachel - the bigger omission, considering what a big part of the show, and Chris's life, she has been; both she and her father were even mentioned during the anniversary and it would have been easy to slot her into the documentary if she didn't want to come in to film with the rest of the cast. If Dawn really had an abrupt exit due to contracting Covid, I can't imagine they would have had time to write any kind of onscreen exit for her? It was a multi-episode arc where she (and Dave) interacted with a lot of the cast. But it is weird if that really was her last scene. Love her or hate her, the actress has been a huge part of Shorty for the last few years and it certainly feels like this anniversary is largely about the more recent past of the show judging by the returns they've organized. |
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Jun 3, 2022 22:44:45 GMT -5
From what I understood, Michelle was due to exit but it just ended up happening sooner and offscreen because Covid lockdown measures prevented the actress from returning to tape her exit scenes. I can't for the life of me remember what was the last scene between Leanne and Rosalyn where both were shown onscreen, but Leanne mentions Rosalyn every now and then and it seems like they're very much still in love. I guess the actress isn't committed to appearing regularly, but I was very surprised that she didn't appear at all this past year, not even during the anniversary episodes. And nor did Rachel - the bigger omission, considering what a big part of the show, and Chris's life, she has been; both she and her father were even mentioned during the anniversary and it would have been easy to slot her into the documentary if she didn't want to come in to film with the rest of the cast. If Dawn really had an abrupt exit due to contracting Covid, I can't imagine they would have had time to write any kind of onscreen exit for her? It was a multi-episode arc where she (and Dave) interacted with a lot of the cast. But it is weird if that really was her last scene. Love her or hate her, the actress has been a huge part of Shorty for the last few years and it certainly feels like this anniversary is largely about the more recent past of the show judging by the returns they've organized. I remember reading that about Michelle. I had wondered if she might have left due to all the COVID stuff and may be returning now, but it does make more sense that she was already leaving and this is a short return. The actress who plays Dawn was involved in the anniversary interviews so I assume she is still there...but the absence is odd, yes. www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/128824952/shortland-street-cast-predict-the-future-for-their-charactersI wonder what Jack is going to be angry about. More baby rabies with her? This seems to be Rosalyn's last appearance - nearly a year ago. Yeah I won't be shocked if Leanne gets some bad news about this relationship... (I miss Boyd) www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvd8W_d8QbE&list=PLxBMAme75N8cqV-f_I19remimzBnkMtmN&index=134 |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Jun 30, 2022 10:13:28 GMT -5
I'm posting the Dawn spoilers because Jack's sole mention in next week's spoilers is in relation to her.
Tuesday 5 July (7494) - Dawn scores a timely win.
Wednesday 6 July (7495) - Jack doesn't recognise Dawn.
Thursday 7 July (7496) - Dawn makes a tough decision.
Friday 8 July (7497) - Dawn decides to make her move.
|
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Jul 4, 2022 6:08:14 GMT -5
It looks like maybe Jack will get his own plot next week? Or is it just supporting Dawn again? I kept in the Monday spoiler because of that, plus Wednesday has an interesting line about a boyfriend - Maeve is a gold star lesbian so it can't be hers ...
Monday 11 July (7498) - The truth hurts for Dawn.
Tuesday 12 July (7499) - Jack lets go of a huge love.
Wednesday 13 July (7500) - Maeve thinks twice about a boyfriend.
Thursday 14 July (7501) - Jack takes a hit.
|
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Jul 5, 2022 13:20:51 GMT -5
It looks like maybe Jack will get his own plot next week? Or is it just supporting Dawn again? I kept in the Monday spoiler because of that, plus Wednesday has an interesting line about a boyfriend - Maeve is a gold star lesbian so it can't be hers ... Monday 11 July (7498) - The truth hurts for Dawn. Tuesday 12 July (7499) - Jack lets go of a huge love. Wednesday 13 July (7500) - Maeve thinks twice about a boyfriend. Thursday 14 July (7501) - Jack takes a hit. I wonder if this is about resolving more of his feelings for Hamish - maybe Hamish is killed in prison or something. Either that or he decides to stop thinking about Esther/Curtis and encourages Esther to find new love with the Curtis replacement. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Jul 29, 2022 2:07:05 GMT -5
No Jack in next week's spoilers, but he's on every day the following week and the implications are veeeery interesting. I don't know if it's a fakeout but it sure sounds like Rahu will be his new love interest. Would they really go there with the hottest guy on the show? I left in the Esther/Marty spoiler because it sounds like she'll be back in his orbit and not Rahu's.
Monday 8 August (7518) - Jack and Rahu go under the radar.
Tuesday 9 August (7519) - Jack's feelings take a turn.
Wednesday 10 August (7520) - Jack's challenged to come out of his shell.
Thursday 11 August (7521) - Esther and Marty hide their fun. Jack turns up the heat.
Friday 12 August (7522) - Jack suffers the consequences.
|
|
|
|
Post by anthonyl on Jul 31, 2022 20:35:42 GMT -5
No Jack in next week's spoilers, but he's on every day the following week and the implications are veeeery interesting. I don't know if it's a fakeout but it sure sounds like Rahu will be his new love interest. Would they really go there with the hottest guy on the show? I left in the Esther/Marty spoiler because it sounds like she'll be back in his orbit and not Rahu's. Monday 8 August (7518) - Jack and Rahu go under the radar. Tuesday 9 August (7519) - Jack's feelings take a turn. Wednesday 10 August (7520) - Jack's challenged to come out of his shell. Thursday 11 August (7521) - Esther and Marty hide their fun. Jack turns up the heat. Friday 12 August (7522) - Jack suffers the consequences. I was surprised to see that. I thought they’d hook Jack up with the Iron Dog guy given Jack’s history, but he seems to have vanished. I can’t agree Rahu is the hottest guy on the show but he could easily be bi or whatever given what show this is. But I’m sure if they do get romantically involved it’ll get very messy. Esther seems to like having guys dangling until they move on to someone else then she yanks them back She’s done it with Marty more than once and I’m sure she’ll feel ‘betrayed’ or whatever if Jack does have a fling or more with Rahu and decide she wants him. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 1, 2022 9:33:19 GMT -5
I was surprised to see that. I thought they’d hook Jack up with the Iron Dog guy given Jack’s history, but he seems to have vanished. I can’t agree Rahu is the hottest guy on the show but he could easily be bi or whatever given what show this is. But I’m sure if they do get romantically involved it’ll get very messy. Esther seems to like having guys dangling until they move on to someone else then she yanks them back She’s done it with Marty more than once and I’m sure she’ll feel ‘betrayed’ or whatever if Jack does have a fling or more with Rahu and decide she wants him. Are we both jumping the gun? Rereading those spoilers, they're totally non-committal about whether there's any actual romance between Jack and Rahu. I might have interpreted them too generously because I was feeling buoyant about Rebelde, where there was an actor no one thought would actually play a gay romance, and viewers were simply being queer-baited, except the gay angle paid off in the end (with a pretty steamy sex scene, no less) so I thought we might actually be on the cusp of the same phenomenon on Shorty. (Zak Martin who plays Rahu is apparently semi-famous as a boxer in NZ, and let's face it, boxing is not a sport known for its gay-friendliness). Those spoilers can really go in a totally different way. Jack and Rahu going under the radar could be some semi-undercover investigation of the Iron Dogs, or the ongoing dispute about nursing staff between ED and Surgical. Jack's feelings could be non-romantic. Coming out of his shell might mean confronting the Dogs or Chris (over his separate setup of the better-paid Surgical Nursing team), and likewise turning up the heat on his opponent. And then there's the facing consequences line. Assuming it is referring to Jack nursing a crush on Rahu that's not reciprocated, what consequences could he face? Unless he goes so far as to cross the line of consent with Rahu, which I would hope he won't given that he was recently lambasting Chris over Zoe. It will be disappointing if it's an unrequited crush - a throwback to Jack's teenage years when he failed to convert Archie Andrews (or rather, KJ Apa's character Kane) to our team. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 5, 2022 5:20:05 GMT -5
So Jack and Rahu had their first proper interaction (unrelated to Esther or Desi) today. It was a small moment, too brief to qualify as a chem test. I suspect they're going to team up to track down the patient who refused treatment for severe pain in his groin. Whether that will lead to anything more between the fellow doctors, remains to be seen. The trailer for next week didn't feature either of them (I've posted it below anyway), but they did release a couple of spoilers for the following week that piqued my interest. Monday 15 August (7523) - Esther keeps a secret. (This could be something pertaining to her own love life, or her uncle TK's affair with Te Rongopai.) Tuesday 16 August (7524) - Jack kicks the dog. (I wondered whether this meant the same thing as 'screws the pooch' but apparently not!) Thursday 18 August (7526) - Esther gets side-lined. (She could be the loser in a triangle with Marty-Monique or Jack-Rahu; if I had my way it'd be both!) Friday 19 August (7527) - Esther sees the green-eyed monster. (ditto) http://instagram.com/p/Cg3qB4EpFnb |
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Aug 5, 2022 23:46:18 GMT -5
Tuesday 16 August (7524) - Jack kicks the dog. (I wondered whether this meant the same thing as 'screws the pooch' but apparently not!) Urban dictionary says it means endangering a relationship through thoughtless or insensitive behavior, although I'm not sure how many relationships Jack has to endanger. That story of Maeve playing god has been going on for a year or more now. Rare to see a story have that many legs these days. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 8, 2022 10:15:08 GMT -5
So I watched today's episode, which spoilers indicated would have "Jack and Rahu go under the radar."
As suspected, it had to do with that patient Jack was worried about last week, not anything romantic. In fact, given their interactions in this episode (Esther being a presumptuous jerk - she really is getting more intolerable by the day), I'd say Rahu-Esther is still on and Jack may become their cheerleader instead of a contender for Rahu's affections.
|
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 10, 2022 9:46:52 GMT -5
Yep. This show ... Esther can have two love interests since her baby daddy died but Jack's had none because his ex turned out to be a killer.
|
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Aug 10, 2022 21:58:05 GMT -5
Yep. This show ... Esther can have two love interests since her baby daddy died but Jack's had none because his ex turned out to be a killer. I watched a bit of the "arguing" scenes with Rohu and Esther a few days ago and they have little to no chemistry. Even though he and Jack are meant to be bros (and I would be fine with that if Jack had any kind of life or value), they have more chemistry...Jack has more chemistry with that older gay man who's popped back up again than Esther and Rohu do. The whole relationship just feels very false. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 11, 2022 5:28:46 GMT -5
I watched a bit of the "arguing" scenes with Rohu and Esther a few days ago and they have little to no chemistry. Even though he and Jack are meant to be bros (and I would be fine with that if Jack had any kind of life or value), they have more chemistry...Jack has more chemistry with that older gay man who's popped back up again than Esther and Rohu do. The whole relationship just feels very false. I think I let myself get carried away because of the simultaneous premiere of Punch - the NZ film about a young gay boxer played by Jordan Oosterhof who was previously on Shorty. With Zak Martin (Rahu) being a boxing champion, and the way those spoilers were worded (which I'm convinced were intentional queerbaiting), I thought Shorty would try to break that barrier for real too. Guess that's just one line too far for the boxing world in real life! I still have the unsettling feeling that they're setting up Jack and Stanley to become a couple down the road. I'm just not a fan of the whole "double age gap". I know it happens, and this show is no exception (Chris-Zoe being the recently dredged-up example) plus they're both consenting adults. But there has been increasing backlash - for good reason - against normalizing these portrayals. I mean, Stanley lost the love of his life to AIDS around the time Jack was born! In addition, to really mine the whole "robbing the cradle" drama, you'd need some characters to meaningfully make some noise about the age gap, but Mo and Curtis are dead. (Remember how Mo was unhappy even when Jack dated the cop Darren because he was a like 5-10 years older? Imagine the freakout with Stanley!) But all we have are: Chris, who can hardly step into the paternal role without looking like a massive hypocrite (and in any case, Jack seems to have cut off that relationship), and ... Esther. No thanks. I can't take her being the sanctimonious preacher in yet another situation. On a separate note, I was watching the series finale of Neighbours and watching all of the big stars who made a return to the show. And it got me thinking that, if Shorty ever has to end, I'd hope KJ Apa would reprise his character of Kane and make Jack's day/life by revealing that he's discovered his bisexuality during his time away and wants to give it a go with Jack. They even have a built-in excuse for why Kane turned Jack down all those years ago when they were teens, because Kane was going through a major, dark, depressive episode at the time and might not have wanted to further complicate his life. |
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Aug 11, 2022 17:35:26 GMT -5
I watched a bit of the "arguing" scenes with Rohu and Esther a few days ago and they have little to no chemistry. Even though he and Jack are meant to be bros (and I would be fine with that if Jack had any kind of life or value), they have more chemistry...Jack has more chemistry with that older gay man who's popped back up again than Esther and Rohu do. The whole relationship just feels very false. I think I let myself get carried away because of the simultaneous premiere of Punch - the NZ film about a young gay boxer played by Jordan Oosterhof who was previously on Shorty. With Zak Martin (Rahu) being a boxing champion, and the way those spoilers were worded (which I'm convinced were intentional queerbaiting), I thought Shorty would try to break that barrier for real too. Guess that's just one line too far for the boxing world in real life! I still have the unsettling feeling that they're setting up Jack and Stanley to become a couple down the road. I'm just not a fan of the whole "double age gap". I know it happens, and this show is no exception (Chris-Zoe being the recently dredged-up example) plus they're both consenting adults. But there has been increasing backlash - for good reason - against normalizing these portrayals. I mean, Stanley lost the love of his life to AIDS around the time Jack was born! In addition, to really mine the whole "robbing the cradle" drama, you'd need some characters to meaningfully make some noise about the age gap, but Mo and Curtis are dead. (Remember how Mo was unhappy even when Jack dated the cop Darren because he was a like 5-10 years older? Imagine the freakout with Stanley!) But all we have are: Chris, who can hardly step into the paternal role without looking like a massive hypocrite (and in any case, Jack seems to have cut off that relationship), and ... Esther. No thanks. I can't take her being the sanctimonious preacher in yet another situation. On a separate note, I was watching the series finale of Neighbours and watching all of the big stars who made a return to the show. And it got me thinking that, if Shorty ever has to end, I'd hope KJ Apa would reprise his character of Kane and make Jack's day/life by revealing that he's discovered his bisexuality during his time away and wants to give it a go with Jack. They even have a built-in excuse for why Kane turned Jack down all those years ago when they were teens, because Kane was going through a major, dark, depressive episode at the time and might not have wanted to further complicate his life. That's a great idea. If you ever write a story along those lines I'd read it in an instant. I think I read KJ is moving back to New Zealand so if that's the case, you never know. I do see what you mean (the image of Esther judging Jack is awful in of itself). The age gap is why I don't think it's going to happen - for the most part the older characters on Shortland Street seem to be kept in their lanes (Chris I imagine was put into that role with Zoe in part for drama with his teenage son). Even Damo, who on some shows probably would have hooked up with Dawn by now, only gets paired with women around his age or older (admittedly I missed his first years on the canvas). The only way I could see it happening is if it's a two-week story where Stanley is dying, or if they want to make him some kind of obsessive stalker, which I would hate, but wouldn't shock me as you can't be shocked by anything on soaps now. I hope they keep the friendship and let Stanley find a new love. I hadn't thought about the severing of the Jack and Chris relationship. The damage done with Chris' character in the racism story - even if it may have been realistic - will probably never be fully repaired. The show as a whole is missing those bonds now, to me. I saw CeCe pouring her heart out to Jojo and was trying to remember if they'd even been friendly. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 14, 2022 11:40:33 GMT -5
That's a great idea. If you ever write a story along those lines I'd read it in an instant. I think I read KJ is moving back to New Zealand so if that's the case, you never know. I do see what you mean (the image of Esther judging Jack is awful in of itself). The age gap is why I don't think it's going to happen - for the most part the older characters on Shortland Street seem to be kept in their lanes (Chris I imagine was put into that role with Zoe in part for drama with his teenage son). Even Damo, who on some shows probably would have hooked up with Dawn by now, only gets paired with women around his age or older (admittedly I missed his first years on the canvas). The only way I could see it happening is if it's a two-week story where Stanley is dying, or if they want to make him some kind of obsessive stalker, which I would hate, but wouldn't shock me as you can't be shocked by anything on soaps now. I hope they keep the friendship and let Stanley find a new love. I hadn't thought about the severing of the Jack and Chris relationship. The damage done with Chris' character in the racism story - even if it may have been realistic - will probably never be fully repaired. The show as a whole is missing those bonds now, to me. I saw CeCe pouring her heart out to Jojo and was trying to remember if they'd even been friendly. I didn't realize KJ wanted to move permanently back to NZ. I read that headline some time ago but assumed he was talking about a visit since he probably hasn't been home since the pandemic began. It's quite unusual for an actor who's managed to break into Hollywood to want to return home permanently, unless he's keen on a different career. Maybe becoming a dad has changed his priorities. Hopefully, he's staying in acting and Shorty manages to snap him back up. If he just wants a stable job to provide for his family, I imagine a role in a continuing drama would be perfect. And if Kane is bi, he has a lot of potential. Knowing our luck though, Kane will be torn between Jack and ... Esther. I think it's a disservice to Chris and to Jack (and Esther) just to burn their relationship like that. I can understand one of those characters (Jack or Esther) doing that - Esther would be my bet since she's really insufferable right now, plus it's her uncle TK that Chris is up against - but both of them? Jack knows firsthand that Chris had changed and improved and that his beloved dad Mo "rated" Chris (in Jack's own words), not to mention the haka incident happened before Jack was even born. Jack has no family left, I know they are positioning Esther as his would-be sister-in-law, but she is really a fairweather friend. Chris would've been just nice and linked Jack to the first family of the show. Down the line they could even have one of Chris's sons return and "compete" with Jack for Chris's affection/paternal approval. Now for some real spoilers and ... she's back?! Nooooo.... Monday 22 August (7528) - Dawn keeps a foot in two camps. Monique dodges a bullet. Tuesday 23 August (7529) - Dawn's living a lie. Friday 26 August (7532) - Esther gets it all wrong. |
|
|
|
Post by anthonyl on Aug 16, 2022 8:51:23 GMT -5
That's a great idea. If you ever write a story along those lines I'd read it in an instant. I think I read KJ is moving back to New Zealand so if that's the case, you never know. I do see what you mean (the image of Esther judging Jack is awful in of itself). The age gap is why I don't think it's going to happen - for the most part the older characters on Shortland Street seem to be kept in their lanes (Chris I imagine was put into that role with Zoe in part for drama with his teenage son). Even Damo, who on some shows probably would have hooked up with Dawn by now, only gets paired with women around his age or older (admittedly I missed his first years on the canvas). The only way I could see it happening is if it's a two-week story where Stanley is dying, or if they want to make him some kind of obsessive stalker, which I would hate, but wouldn't shock me as you can't be shocked by anything on soaps now. I hope they keep the friendship and let Stanley find a new love. I hadn't thought about the severing of the Jack and Chris relationship. The damage done with Chris' character in the racism story - even if it may have been realistic - will probably never be fully repaired. The show as a whole is missing those bonds now, to me. I saw CeCe pouring her heart out to Jojo and was trying to remember if they'd even been friendly. I didn't realize KJ wanted to move permanently back to NZ. I read that headline some time ago but assumed he was talking about a visit since he probably hasn't been home since the pandemic began. It's quite unusual for an actor who's managed to break into Hollywood to want to return home permanently, unless he's keen on a different career. Maybe becoming a dad has changed his priorities. Hopefully, he's staying in acting and Shorty manages to snap him back up. If he just wants a stable job to provide for his family, I imagine a role in a continuing drama would be perfect. And if Kane is bi, he has a lot of potential. Knowing our luck though, Kane will be torn between Jack and ... Esther. I think it's a disservice to Chris and to Jack (and Esther) just to burn their relationship like that. I can understand one of those characters (Jack or Esther) doing that - Esther would be my bet since she's really insufferable right now, plus it's her uncle TK that Chris is up against - but both of them? Jack knows firsthand that Chris had changed and improved and that his beloved dad Mo "rated" Chris (in Jack's own words), not to mention the haka incident happened before Jack was even born. Jack has no family left, I know they are positioning Esther as his would-be sister-in-law, but she is really a fairweather friend. Chris would've been just nice and linked Jack to the first family of the show. Down the line they could even have one of Chris's sons return and "compete" with Jack for Chris's affection/paternal approval. Now for some real spoilers and ... she's back?! Nooooo.... Monday 22 August (7528) - Dawn keeps a foot in two camps. Monique dodges a bullet. Tuesday 23 August (7529) - Dawn's living a lie. Friday 26 August (7532) - Esther gets it all wrong. There was a long article in a NZ mag that talks all about how Dawn’s exit was only brief and she’s back full time with a new storyline. The actress is very happy and has no plans to leave. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 16, 2022 11:38:41 GMT -5
There was a long article in a NZ mag that talks all about how Dawn’s exit was only brief and she’s back full time with a new storyline. The actress is very happy and has no plans to leave. I bet, LOL. Dawn's simmered down a little but she's still too much to take on top of Desi ... and Monique ... and Leanne ... and Logan ... you get the picture. I also worry that the topic of Dawn and Jack being co-parents is going to rear its ugly head again. |
|
dylan
Junior Member
Posts: 288 
|
Post by dylan on Aug 17, 2022 22:54:12 GMT -5
I think I let myself get carried away because of the simultaneous premiere of Punch - the NZ film about a young gay boxer played by Jordan Oosterhof who was previously on Shorty. With Zak Martin (Rahu) being a boxing champion, and the way those spoilers were worded (which I'm convinced were intentional queerbaiting), I thought Shorty would try to break that barrier for real too. Guess that's just one line too far for the boxing world in real life! I still have the unsettling feeling that they're setting up Jack and Stanley to become a couple down the road. I'm just not a fan of the whole "double age gap". I know it happens, and this show is no exception (Chris-Zoe being the recently dredged-up example) plus they're both consenting adults. But there has been increasing backlash - for good reason - against normalizing these portrayals. I mean, Stanley lost the love of his life to AIDS around the time Jack was born! In addition, to really mine the whole "robbing the cradle" drama, you'd need some characters to meaningfully make some noise about the age gap, but Mo and Curtis are dead. (Remember how Mo was unhappy even when Jack dated the cop Darren because he was a like 5-10 years older? Imagine the freakout with Stanley!) But all we have are: Chris, who can hardly step into the paternal role without looking like a massive hypocrite (and in any case, Jack seems to have cut off that relationship), and ... Esther. No thanks. I can't take her being the sanctimonious preacher in yet another situation. On a separate note, I was watching the series finale of Neighbours and watching all of the big stars who made a return to the show. And it got me thinking that, if Shorty ever has to end, I'd hope KJ Apa would reprise his character of Kane and make Jack's day/life by revealing that he's discovered his bisexuality during his time away and wants to give it a go with Jack. They even have a built-in excuse for why Kane turned Jack down all those years ago when they were teens, because Kane was going through a major, dark, depressive episode at the time and might not have wanted to further complicate his life. That's a great idea. If you ever write a story along those lines I'd read it in an instant. I think I read KJ is moving back to New Zealand so if that's the case, you never know. I do see what you mean (the image of Esther judging Jack is awful in of itself). The age gap is why I don't think it's going to happen - for the most part the older characters on Shortland Street seem to be kept in their lanes (Chris I imagine was put into that role with Zoe in part for drama with his teenage son). Even Damo, who on some shows probably would have hooked up with Dawn by now, only gets paired with women around his age or older (admittedly I missed his first years on the canvas). The only way I could see it happening is if it's a two-week story where Stanley is dying, or if they want to make him some kind of obsessive stalker, which I would hate, but wouldn't shock me as you can't be shocked by anything on soaps now. I hope they keep the friendship and let Stanley find a new love. I hadn't thought about the severing of the Jack and Chris relationship. The damage done with Chris' character in the racism story - even if it may have been realistic - will probably never be fully repaired. The show as a whole is missing those bonds now, to me. I saw CeCe pouring her heart out to Jojo and was trying to remember if they'd even been friendly. I completely agree with you. I feel like what always made Shorty shine was the friendships and relationships between the characters - not the romances but the interesting character interactions. Lately it seems like characters rarely form these bonds the way they used to. I mean Tess couldn't even think of a single person to be her bridesmaid at her wedding, and ended up settling for Dawn of all people. Yikes. It's not just the friendships though, the familial connections are also missing, which is a real shame. It's a huge change from before when we had Drew and Boyd, Kylie and Drew way back, the Hannah family, the Warner kids, etc. And yeah, it really sucks that Esther is Jack's only close connection now.. She's so insufferable. And Dawn isn't much better at all.. What on earth was the point of her "exit" anyway? I can't see what new stories they could possibly write for her character |
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Aug 18, 2022 1:51:22 GMT -5
I completely agree with you. I feel like what always made Shorty shine was the friendships and relationships between the characters - not the romances but the interesting character interactions. Lately it seems like characters rarely form these bonds the way they used to. I mean Tess couldn't even think of a single person to be her bridesmaid at her wedding, and ended up settling for Dawn of all people. Yikes. It's not just the friendships though, the familial connections are also missing, which is a real shame. It's a huge change from before when we had Drew and Boyd, Kylie and Drew way back, the Hannah family, the Warner kids, etc. And yeah, it really sucks that Esther is Jack's only close connection now.. She's so insufferable. And Dawn isn't much better at all.. What on earth was the point of her "exit" anyway? I can't see what new stories they could possibly write for her character I wonder if the actress just wanted a lengthy break. I was just thinking about how ill-at-ease she is with the current slate of stories - I know Shortland Street has always had a dark edge, and probably even more than they do now, but the current canvas is a spate of high dramatic material, social justice commentary, and concerted efforts to shift focus away from norms by having characters like TK and Madonna put into the central hospital jobs. Even Desi is, for now, in a very serious plot. Are we going to go from this tone to yet more recycling of plots about what a loveable idiot Dawn is and how it is so so so so sad that Dawn can't find a man? |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 19, 2022 6:20:20 GMT -5
In the lead-up to the 30th anniversary, the show promoted that Chris, as their only original character still on canvas, was going to lose it all and claw his way back. Within the past year, he's lost a son and daughter-in-law, his remaining children are abroad (it's been implied his relationship with Finn will never heal), and the rest of his pseudo-family (Jack and Esther) have abandoned him in the aftermath of haka-gate. But I don't see any real effort at building his family unit back up. Neither the triplets nor Harry seem to be on their way back. (I know there's also Trinity, who would be a boost to diversity, but she's still too young to really create an impression.) Vivienne and a toddler hardly make a family. I thought, after Viv's mum died, we might be getting her dad (the actor reminds me fondly of my granddad) to stay with Chris and Viv, but he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. Obviously we will revisit that plot eventually since the secret of Viv's paternity remains to be exposed, and now Leanne is perfectly poised to move in as her stepmum. I looked up the ages of the actors playing Chris and Viv (and Michelle). I was surprised to see only 2-5 years between them. I guess it's because Chris has been on the show for so long, I keep thinking of him as being older. But he was only 25 when he started, 30 years ago. If anything, there seem to be more older women-younger men than the opposite. (The latest spoilers hint at a third such pairing, after Damo-Leanne and Vili-Viv!) I think the show's problem is that, right now, all the stories are about infidelity in some form or another. There's absolutely no originality. TK cheating on Cece with Te Rongopai. Damo cheating on Desi with Leanne. Leanne being cheated on by Roz. Drew and Cece having an emotional affair. Vivienne and Viliami flirting with an affair while she's with Chris. Marty and Esther doing their secret FWB thing while still entertaining Monique and Rahu, respectively. And through it all poor Jack can't even get a man to look twice at him. The only non-romantic plot we have is the domestic violence story which has Maeve, Nicole and Logan involved. And quite frankly, that lacks emotional resonance since both Alexis and her boyfriend were peripheral characters. I don't worry that Dawn's next plot will be about her next great love. I worry that it will be her wanting to start a family with Jack. And Jack, poor sap, will be so lonely and vulnerable that he'll actually think it's a good idea to have Dawn as a baby mama. Conceived the old-fashioned way too, if we're really unlucky. And with that depressing image in mind, here are the spoilers for the week after. Still nothing for Jack, and the window for Logan to be bi is closing since he seems to be getting sweet on Madonna. I don't know how old the actor is but surely he comes off as 10-15 years younger than Madonna who has a teen daughter. - Monday 29 August (7533) - Esther gets a win and a loss.
- Tuesday 30 August (7534) - Marty stops kidding around.
- Wednesday 31 August (7535) - Monique has no issue with Marty. Dawn's driven to desire.
- Thursday 1 September (7536) - Marty leans in. Dawn holds back. Madonna is challenged.
- Friday 2 September (7537) - Marty finds himself at a crossroads. Logan sees Madonna in a new light.
And here's the trailer for next week. I don't think we need to worry about Monique's possible pregnancy; the Monday spoiler says she dodges a bullet which I suspect is a positive pregnancy test. And ugh, at the Jack-Dawn reunion. You guys realize that, if Damo does die and Jack-Dawn do have a baby, it'll probably be named Damian - could there be a more apt name for the demon seed? |
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Aug 19, 2022 8:05:55 GMT -5
In the lead-up to the 30th anniversary, the show promoted that Chris, as their only original character still on canvas, was going to lose it all and claw his way back. Within the past year, he's lost a son and daughter-in-law, his remaining children are abroad (it's been implied his relationship with Finn will never heal), and the rest of his pseudo-family (Jack and Esther) have abandoned him in the aftermath of haka-gate. But I don't see any real effort at building his family unit back up. Neither the triplets nor Harry seem to be on their way back. (I know there's also Trinity, who would be a boost to diversity, but she's still too young to really create an impression.) Vivienne and a toddler hardly make a family. I thought, after Viv's mum died, we might be getting her dad (the actor reminds me fondly of my granddad) to stay with Chris and Viv, but he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. Obviously we will revisit that plot eventually since the secret of Viv's paternity remains to be exposed, and now Leanne is perfectly poised to move in as her stepmum. I looked up the ages of the actors playing Chris and Viv (and Michelle). I was surprised to see only 2-5 years between them. I guess it's because Chris has been on the show for so long, I keep thinking of him as being older. But he was only 25 when he started, 30 years ago. If anything, there seem to be more older women-younger men than the opposite. (The latest spoilers hint at a third such pairing, after Damo-Leanne and Vili-Viv!) I think the show's problem is that, right now, all the stories are about infidelity in some form or another. There's absolutely no originality. TK cheating on Cece with Te Rongopai. Damo cheating on Desi with Leanne. Leanne being cheated on by Roz. Drew and Cece having an emotional affair. Vivienne and Viliami flirting with an affair while she's with Chris. Marty and Esther doing their secret FWB thing while still entertaining Monique and Rahu, respectively. And through it all poor Jack can't even get a man to look twice at him. The only non-romantic plot we have is the domestic violence story which has Maeve, Nicole and Logan involved. And quite frankly, that lacks emotional resonance since both Alexis and her boyfriend were peripheral characters. I don't worry that Dawn's next plot will be about her next great love. I worry that it will be her wanting to start a family with Jack. And Jack, poor sap, will be so lonely and vulnerable that he'll actually think it's a good idea to have Dawn as a baby mama. Conceived the old-fashioned way too, if we're really unlucky. And with that depressing image in mind, here are the spoilers for the week after. Still nothing for Jack, and the window for Logan to be bi is closing since he seems to be getting sweet on Madonna. I don't know how old the actor is but surely he comes off as 10-15 years younger than Madonna who has a teen daughter. - Monday 29 August (7533) - Esther gets a win and a loss.
- Tuesday 30 August (7534) - Marty stops kidding around.
- Wednesday 31 August (7535) - Monique has no issue with Marty. Dawn's driven to desire.
- Thursday 1 September (7536) - Marty leans in. Dawn holds back. Madonna is challenged.
- Friday 2 September (7537) - Marty finds himself at a crossroads. Logan sees Madonna in a new light.
And here's the trailer for next week. I don't think we need to worry about Monique's possible pregnancy; the Monday spoiler says she dodges a bullet which I suspect is a positive pregnancy test. And ugh, at the Jack-Dawn reunion. You guys realize that, if Damo does die and Jack-Dawn do have a baby, it'll probably be named Damian - could there be a more apt name for the demon seed? I assume TK won't be CEO forever but a part of me wonders if they are taking this time to phase Chris somewhat out of a central role in the show, to where he's no longer a "face," with the face being diversity, inclusion (which isn't a bad thing even if some of the stories, like TK's affair, were just not well done for me at all), etc. I hope they aren't going to have Monique fake a pregnancy to keep Marty... In an ideal world the story with Jack and Dawn and a baby would be ditched, particularly as I think it would just end up neutering Jack entirely (yes you can have children and have an active life, but it's not as if Jack has a very active life at present). Logan and Madonna is baffling to me. Madonna is very pretty, but she's a devout mother of a teenage daughter. There's no way Logan would be into her. This seems like a reason to have tension between Viliami and Logan and to start back on the Viliami/Madonna path...why not just have them reunite? It's all too complicated. The stuff you talk about is probably why I'm more invested in guest characters like Stef, who don't have any of the baggage. Otherwise, the story I'm probably most interested in is Maeve's god complex, which has been building for so long and hasn't had any cheating drama. |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 20, 2022 5:58:55 GMT -5
I assume TK won't be CEO forever but a part of me wonders if they are taking this time to phase Chris somewhat out of a central role in the show, to where he's no longer a "face," with the face being diversity, inclusion (which isn't a bad thing even if some of the stories, like TK's affair, were just not well done for me at all), etc. I hope they aren't going to have Monique fake a pregnancy to keep Marty... In an ideal world the story with Jack and Dawn and a baby would be ditched, particularly as I think it would just end up neutering Jack entirely (yes you can have children and have an active life, but it's not as if Jack has a very active life at present). Logan and Madonna is baffling to me. Madonna is very pretty, but she's a devout mother of a teenage daughter. There's no way Logan would be into her. This seems like a reason to have tension between Viliami and Logan and to start back on the Viliami/Madonna path...why not just have them reunite? It's all too complicated. The stuff you talk about is probably why I'm more invested in guest characters like Stef, who don't have any of the baggage. Otherwise, the story I'm probably most interested in is Maeve's god complex, which has been building for so long and hasn't had any cheating drama. Have they done a co-CEO plot before? I'm not sure TK and Chris's friendship can come back from this but that would seem like the ideal solution. Especially since half the hospital board wanted Chris to stay on as CEO and Raj is the one who cast the deciding vote. Divide up the spheres of influence - TK overseeing staffing and departments like ED, while Chris covers the finances and other departments like Surgery. It would be a disservice to a loyal cast member like Michael Galvin, and a veteran surgeon/administrator like Chris Warner, to be turfed out to fulfill some diversity quota. It's not like the show is really hurting for Maori-Pasifika representation. And it's not just the hospital staff - both the DHB bigwigs who appear in a recurring capacity (Te Rongopai and Raj) are from ethnic minorities, too. I would hate another fake pregnancy story for Marty because that's what Dawn did to him. You'd hope they wouldn't recycle the same plot twice with the same character. He deserves some heartache for being dumb enough to sniff around Esther, but not this fake fatherhood crap again. I wouldn't call Stef baggage-free; there's a BIG reason why Jack can't forgive her. She was an enthusiastic gang member. She held him and Esther at gunpoint and was ready to kill them both - Esther was holding her newborn daughter, Jack's only niece, at the time. Her father was the one who shot Curtis dead. (I know that Hamish is taking the blame for it but all he did was supply the gun, he didn't pull the trigger.) I like the actress, but I can't look past the character's history. Jack is having a realistic reaction to her; Esther's wholehearted support of her is bizarre. No mother would want Stef around their child! |
|
carld2
Full Member
Posts: 2,137
|
Post by carld2 on Aug 20, 2022 7:05:04 GMT -5
I wouldn't call Stef baggage-free; there's a BIG reason why Jack can't forgive her. She was an enthusiastic gang member. She held him and Esther at gunpoint and was ready to kill them both - Esther was holding her newborn daughter, Jack's only niece, at the time. Her father was the one who shot Curtis dead. (I know that Hamish is taking the blame for it but all he did was supply the gun, he didn't pull the trigger.) I like the actress, but I can't look past the character's history. Jack is having a realistic reaction to her; Esther's wholehearted support of her is bizarre. No mother would want Stef around their child! I meant as in Steph hasn't had all these torturous and endless romantic relationships or endless stories about her love life. (although I guess if she stays they seem to be starting one now with Rahu and Esther) |
|
|
|
Post by justinate on Aug 23, 2022 3:54:10 GMT -5
Ah, gotcha. I was initially scratching my head, wondering if you meant another character besides the murderous mob moll. I'm not confident she really has cleaned up her act, but I guess we'll see since she's staying.
As much as I despair of her character, Dawn was very pretty in yesterday's episode when she visited Damo - dressed all in pink with her hair down, she looked like Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. (And she's still eyeing Rahu - who Jack declares is hot, without any interest.)
Today's ending was really very sad - and I don't even like Damo or Desi! I wonder if Grant Lobban is officially off the show? I wondered if Shorty would actually go through showing the difficulties of long-term care for a comatose character onscreen, but I guess they don't want to pay for an actor to sleep through his scenes, LOL!
TK and Cece have truly atrocious timing. First they get engaged when Damo's prognosis is known, and now announce a wedding date when Desi has just had to see Damo off to a long-term care facility. Come on, have some sense, and sensitivity. Desi already hates TK, but it looks like Cece wants to join him on her hit list.
|
|
