The View from Denial Island

Catherine Hickland Says "Soap Fans Are Being Heard"

2012-02-10T17:27:00.003-05:00

Interesting - former One Life To Live actress Catherine Hickland rally's fans saying that they are being heard by people in charge, especially at other networks, and that there is still a possibility of these shows coming back.

Now was this just wishful thinking and trying to put herself in a good light or is there actually a shot at these shows returning? I would love to be an optimist and say "there is always a chance" but at the same time I kinda feel like the optimum time for One Life to Live to have returned has past, and that while there are still fans out there that would follow it, the show has lost the momentum it would have had, if Prospect park had continued on with their efforts.

What do you think? Do you think the shows will come back or is it all done? Let me know in the coments below

SoapClassics Releases Guiding Light "The Reva Shayne Collection"

2012-02-10T17:18:00.003-05:00

She's a liar, a tramp, an adulterous, a cancer surviving, post- menopause birthing mother, an more importantly the slut of Springfield, how am I doin Bud? Yea she's REVA SHAYNE LEWIS and she is getting her very own DVD collection released exclusively by SoapClassics!

The Reva Collection includes 5 iconic episodes from this Guiding Light heroine's past, and will keep viewers on the edge of their seat as they see this legendary character arrive on canvas with her FIRST episode all the way to her 2006 divorce from her other half JOSHU-AH!!!!!!!!!

Reva has entertained us for years, and its only fitting that she should get a DVD set of her own.

Are you going to be purchasing the set? What are you looking forward to seeing the most? To give you a little taste check out the unforgettable 'Slut of Springfield" speech below.

Ragged Isle Episode 2 Recap and Reactions

2012-02-10T15:12:00.005-05:00

To say I went a little hard on the premiere of the SFN drama Ragged Isle would be probably the biggest understatement ever made on this blog, or probably in the world, but I stand by my initial thoughts that I posted last week, and I still believe that it is best to be honest when talking about these productions, because they ARE the future of the entertainment medium and instead of building relationships off of lies and coddling I would rather build them on truth and honesty.

With that said now that I have had another trip to Ragged Isle, not to mention a week to get to let the initial episode sit and compare to the initial episodes of DeVanity and Pretty did my impression change any?

The episode picks up with Vicki Burke (Meghan Benton) at the house- she's trying to keep herself entertained while her brother Eric is off on his "errand", she eventually gets fed up and leaves.

Vicki then in Victoria Winters fashion introduces the episode "My Name is Vicki Burke'...

As Vicki walks over to another house a strange man tries to warn her from going into the house, but he says never mind, and Vicki walks in. Once inside she hears shouting, but she continues in, and she meets a psychic, Madame Clelia (Kathryn Morrison), and a man. The man (who we later find out is Shaw) says "He'd have thought her brother would have warned her away from this place."

Vicki then gets a free reading from the psychic, who gave her a necklas to hold onto for a special time. As the psychic begins her reading she tells Vicki she's on the right path, but its going to be dangerous, she's going to see things that she shouldn't see. She then starts a trans, but snaps out of it.

Shaw than gets into it with another guy- who went to the far side of the island where the psychic sent him, and Shaw is mad, they then see Eric and co stumbling past.

Over at the bar Sheriff Dalton and Rachel Moody are talking about the day, the Sheriff leaves to use the restroom as Eric and co walk in. Rachel explains they are closing up for the night but Eric says they have had a long night, so Rachel agrees to one round. She asks what's up with the wet guy (- Answer- His friends didn't love him enough to get him some clean dry clothes!) and he just says "I remember this place" with a close up to his face. Sheriff comes out and talks a bit, followed by Shaw coming in and interrogating them.

The guys leave the bar, and are being watched as the screen fades into the credits.

Okay reactions: This was a slow character building episode that really just introduced us to more of the island through Vicki's roaming around / Eric doing the same. I think the episode was beautifully shot! and as much as I would love to say "I'm IN!" but I'm not. No matter how much I wanna be I am just not hooked on this show, and I don't really know what it is that is holding me back, the slow pace of this episode and the length of the scenes was perfect, I like slow building stories and things of this nature (I LOVED Invasion on ABC and more than anything that is the vibe I feel like I am getting here from this show at the moment with a Dark Shadows twist to it).

I think what I am waiting for is that "character" and story that I will latch myself onto and be able to see the world through their eyes because I can relate to them in some form or fashion. Right now I don't have that. As a result the show doesn't have me. I REALLY think it will, I think Eric is by far my favorite character on the show- and there is a LOT of potential there to flesh things out, but as 'character' driven as this episode in particular was, it still felt kinda like a 'pilot' episode where its still setting all the pieces in place and waiting for them all to be in place before it can build on these people's relationships (IE: the thing that tends to get me hooked on shows LOL)

So that's just me, I know it's not exactly the outcome I was hoping for either, but I did like what the episode was doing, and I fully expect to come around by the end / season 2, but for now it's just a show I watch...

Did you like episode 2 of Ragged Isle? If so what about it? Or are you still waiting to be hooked like I am? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @Soapwikijohn

Days Of Our Lives Recasting Santo Dimera????

2012-02-10T13:45:00.003-05:00

Well this is odd, Days Of Our Lives has put out a casting call for a new Santo Dimera to play the role for 2 episodes with potential for more later on. Considering the role was originated by James Scott who is still on contract I really don't see the point to this recast, but hey that's just me.

Speculation on what this return could mean for Stefano (especially his paternity) have been running rampant over the internet, but we will just have to tune in and find out in May/June when these scenes will air.

Why do you think they are recasting Santo? Do you want a recast or would you rather see James in the role? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below

DeVanity Season 2 Episode 5 Recap And Reactions

2012-02-09T21:38:00.009-05:00

Hey all,

So a brand new episode of The SFN Network's series DeVanity just aired, and I am here to recap the action and discuss what I think now that I am all caught up.

The Episode begins with Bianca (Katie Caprio) back home, getting out of a pool. Jason (Michael Caruso) walks in and asks "Why is it that I get nervous every time I see you near a pool?" Bianca replies that the last time she saw him his wife (Lara played by Alexis Zibolis ) was throwing a bag of cocaine (that Bianca had hidden) at her. Jason basically tells her that she needs to stop running away and face her problems head on, to which Binx's replies that she only came back because Jason said he had two things to talk to her about. Jason then attempts to tell her about Byron coming back and his new face, but Bianca gets a phone call and interrupts him. The call was from Andrew Reggis (Kyle Lowder) - Bianca's new husband! Jason then yells at her for getting married and not getting a prenuptial agreement, but Bianca basically says it's her life and she will live it however she see's fit and will run DeVanity how she wants as well. Jason doesn't like her attitude so he get's in his car and leaves as Byron (Jason H. Christopher) walks up.

Over at the apartment Lara is talking to ALEX (Mike Dirksen), she is informing him about what has happened since he left and how Bianca didn't even attend his funeral. He is disappointed but understands. Porcha (Katie Apicella) walks over and says she is staying until Byron is completely healed, and flirts a little with Alex, before he leaves.

Back at Bianca's Byron walks to the pool and talks to Bianca, he says he works for Jason but he isn't quite sure how he fits with DeVanity just yet. Bianca than kisses him and tosses him the pool saying that he is her replacement, and she then says if Jason is trying to screw her than she is going to screw him (New faced Byron). Byron is confused, but Bianca says just shut up and enjoy it, and the show fades to black.

Reaction:

AWESOME episode! I really enjoyed seeing how the pieces are slowly starting to fall into place, and I actually knew everyone's name so that helped A TON!

Now positives: I absolutely adored the shot of Jason DeVanity getting into his porche and driving away! I know it's lame and stupid thing to be excited about but it really made that scene seem more real to me, especially when it could have been just a lame cut away, but nope they showed the whole thing (even if it was just a stunt driver!)

Negatives: Okay well the Alex being alive thing was a bit predictable (Seriously if you EVER think anyone is really dead in a soap and you don't see a body, than you need some help because they almost ALWAYS COME BACK!) LOL But really that's minor. The only thing that bothered me a bit in this episode was the fact that Bianca said Jason had called her and had two things to tell her and yet we didn't get to see that phone conversation.

The episode appears to take place awhile after the last episode, so the timeline of everything got screwed up in my head (Episode 4 was Christmas, Bianca left a message for Jason (that Lara deleted) saying that she was coming back in a few weeks, and some point before her 'returning' Jason had to have called her and said "hey we need to talk I have two big things to tell you but I wanna do it in person, can you come home please?" )

But really overall I LOVED this episode! It clocked in at 10 minute mark and I really enjoyed every minute, yea I would have loved more, but I think that they did a good job setting up that pool scene, and you know if Bianca is good at one thing in DeVanity it is those pool scenes! Just wow. With that said it did take me a few seconds to remember that Bianca and Byron are not blood related, at first I got all grossed out, but then I remembered and was alright with everything again!

Anyways next week's episode is supposed to have a great cliffhanger ending, and I cannot WAIT to see what DeVanity has in store for us! What did you think of the episode? Did you like the twist with Alex being alive? Or how about Bianca marrying Andrew? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

Is The SFN's DeVanity All It's Hyped Up To Be?

2012-02-08T20:21:00.010-05:00

I have been kind-of quite here on the blog lately, especially where it concerns the internet darling that is the SFN web series DeVanity but with Ragged Isle kicking off our web soap coverage into full swing I finally decided to give the series a proper go. Unlike Ragged Isle however, I had the entire first season and a few episodes of season 2 to marathon and get to know the cast and crew through before writing this blog post.

Going into DeVanity I had low expectations, and let's be perfectly honest Devanity really under performed with its initial pilot episode- there were sound issues, certain scenes appeared to be blown out, and I just didn't find thing's really that great within the first few minutes of the program. But a few things kept me going. 1) It was a pilot - it was only going to get better from there. 2) JASON DEVANITY ROCKS! Michael Caruso in my opinion single handedly salvaged this show and made things worth watching because of his impeccable timing and actual acting chops.

So I continued watching, and things continued to get better as episode 2, and 3, rolled around, and by the time I finished the first season finale I was pretty much hooked. Was there still issues I had with the series? OF COURSE! But those issues were irrelevant at that moment because I was literally wondering how Byron (Chris Parke) was going to survive, or rather how Lara (Alexis Zibolis) was going to talk her way out of this situation that she had gotten herself into.

Now knock around to season 2. The production quality of the show kicked it up a notch, long gone was the awkward continuity errors, audio errors and washed out images, now we had crystal clear visuals, bigger sets, and special guest stars that we actually know (and CARE about), add in some excellent one liners, and of course Michael Caruso just being awesome, and you have for a pretty solid few minutes of TV.

Why this review is being pretty optimistic you say? Well fine I guess we can get into the negatives now.

First the length. I don't care who you are, I don't care what you do (*starts singing "as long as you love me"*) but you will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER Sell me on the whole under 20 minute a week format. I am sorry but you won't. While I LOVE Jason DeVanity and got hooked on the Lara saga, I honestly didn't have enough time to really feel a connection to most of the other characters. Yes Jackie (Erin Buckley) and Bianca (Katie Caprio) had that amazing pool scene (that felt like what a Dynasty reboot would totally include) but it didn't really let me connect to these characters the way I connected to say the cast of the former ABC primetime soap Dirty Sexy Money- because there was simply not enough time there to connect.

IF DeVanity was longer than I think it has a TON of potential, but from everything I have read and seen the economics of it just don't seem to be there at this point in time for 'web series' to be in the longer format... Hopefully it is just a economic thing and not that perceived notion that people do not want to watch longer form content on the internet (as said by a few web soap producers back in 2008-9) but for now it is what it is.

Second - Again as previously mentioned I did not connect to the entire cast. I liked Jason and a few of the other characters but not enough to really distinguish one from the other and feel anything come the second season revelation that Alex (Mike Dirksen) is 'dead', (Sorry if Days of Our Lives and All My Children taught me one thing death is meaningless in soapdom- especially when you don't see a body!).,..like nothing, not a thing. I just kinda waved at my screen "see ya"... With that said his death, I believe, would have impacted me more had the episodes been longer and had I had a bit more time to get to know these characters, because I really did like what I saw of Alex during season 1, but not enough to really care now that he's dead.

Third- The acting...........Did I mention that I love Michael Caruso ? Cuz I do, I really really do....but the rest of the cast I felt had a bit of a learning curve to get to Caruso's level. I do think that they have all improved from episode 1 to where they are now, some leaps and bounds over where they were...and I don't think that their acting would bother me so much had the episodes been longer - I mean I am watching flamin Sunset Beach and most of them need to be told where they are but they grew as actors and I didn't care because I am sucked into the story more than I am the over the top acting/ underacting that occurs.

Forth- the writing - Okay I have mixed opinion's on the writing. I think it has some AMAZING one liners and scenes (The pool fight, the second season premiere, the plan to take down Byron, etc were all great), but there are also some scenes and stories that I feel are a bit weaker than the others. This in conjunction with the time bit (that I swear I have beat into the ground at this point) left me wanting more but at the same time I could see my life "Without DeVanity in it"

Final thoughts-

DeVanity is the critically acclaimed websoap for a reason, it provides some great drama, and lines that no other webseries can get away with. It pulls off some amazing cliffhangers and moments that really provide hope for what the future of web television will become.

The scene that I think exemplifies the most hope, for not only this show but the genera, occurred in this past weeks episode- when Jason is talking to his Nu-Face brother Byron.

Byron asks "hey um were we friends? I mean were we good brothers to each other?" And Jason just looks at him for a moment, the camera cuts to a close up of Jason's face as he somberly says "We will be, I promise"

Simple character moment's like that is why I watch these shows, not for the microchips, whose the daddy's, doppleganger, foolishness that we have become so accustomed to, but to actual well written moments that get what the characters are all about and for just a second allow me to forget that I am watching a fictional show because I am so caught up in what is going on it seems almost real, so it is for moment's like that that I will continue watching not only this show but the genera as a whole. DeVanity is far from perfect, but then again what show truly is perfect? There is always something for us to complain about and always something that the show runners feel they can improve on, but for what it was Devanity knocked it out of the park, and has garnered this fan's attention for at least the foreseeable future.

What do you think of DeVanity? Do you like it? What's your favorite part? and more importantly let's look at the show critically and say what you DON'T like about the show? Being positive about thing's is a lot easier then it looks, but being hard on something and truly being honest about certain things seems frowned upon in this industry, so let's change that, shake up things and discuss the good the bad and the ugly here in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

Home and Away 6 Feb 2012 (5446) Episode RECAP And Reactions

2012-02-06T23:47:00.003-05:00

Hey all, sorry for the delay! Had a LOT going on today and then technical issues got in the way so I didn't get to do this until now! Anyways let's get started!

The episode begins with Heath and April hooking up in a car, they discuss how if a mangrove river boy got a summer bay girl he was ace, she asks if they could meet up later, he says no, Bianca walks by but Heath takes care of her and she just keeps walking.

Inside the school Xavier is helping his mother bring stuff in, April comes inside and Xavier talks to her about him kissing Sasha.

At the braxton’s Heath walks in as Brax is mopping around and Casey is rushing to get to school. Brax leaves saying he’s headed to work after Heath tries to bring up dealing with Jeff.

At the diner Leah and Roo discuss Brax a bit and then go back to working.

Back at school Gina welcomes all the students back to the ‘new’ Summer Bay and asks that they treat it respectfully. She then introduces a new substitute teacher Henrietta Brown (“A former SummerBay High studented….. Yea a rant will be at the end for this foolishness).

At Angelo’s Brax meets with Jeff again, he threatens Brax and then leaves.

Back at the school Henrietta befriends Bianca and the two leave to go to the diner, Casey informs April that Henrietta used to be Heath’s girlfriend and she was less than amused. Once the two arrived at the diner they chat about old times and Henrietta talks with Roo, she mentions her mother – Maggie Slone (…) they talk a bit more and then Heath walks in- Henrietta introduces Heath to Bianca (They say they have met) and catch up a bit.

Heath then leaves and goes to Angelo’s where he talks to Brax about what to do now, Heath doesn’t want him to jeopardize anything.

At the beach Xavier is doing a job for Roo, he talks to Sasha for a moment but she leaves with Sid to eat at Angelo’s, only it’s closed. Brax is drinking, Leah walks in and Brax explains he is $25,000 in debt- Leah didn’t consider him a quitter.

At school Sid talks to Gina about Xavier and Sasha’s relationship, while Casey and April set up a study date at Casey’s. The two go over to the Braxton house and April gives Heath a flirty look from afar. Meanwhile back at school Gina talks to Xavier about Sasha.

Over at the diner Leah talks to Roo about Brax, Leah is conflicted and thinking about loaning him the money, Roo doesn’t want her to but Leah seems to have her mind made up.

At Braxton’s Henrietta comes over and takes Heath out for a drink much to April’s dismay, while at Angelo’s Brax tells Jeff he isn’t giving him anything and if he wants to take over he will have to shoot him as he places a gun on the table.

END! YAY!

Okay quick reaction- I like the concept of Henrietta, but I hate the execution, its lazy, why couldn’t Henrietta be someone we have actually seen before in Summerbay considering she’s supposedly rooted in the series fabric? I HATE out of the woodwork retconned characters, Madison on Days of our lives is a prime example of this. Anyways a good episode and I cannot wait for tonight’s to come!

Jane Beale's EastEnders Exit

2012-02-04T17:28:00.003-05:00

Good gosh everyone is leaving the square these days! First Pat, than Kat, and RICKY! Now JANE! :(

Jane's exit however was done much better, in my opinion, than Kat or Ricky's because it gave actual build up and follow through and I really enjoyed that. YES her getting a job from a random hobo was kinda odd and rushed, but I did like her good-bye party and the way they treated her was just brilliant. Hopefully Jane will return, but if she doesn't at least she got a proper EastEnders exit in the back of a car.
We will miss you Jane so don't be a stranger!

What did you think of Jane's exit? Will you miss her? Or is it well and truly her time to go? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Pretty The Series Season 1: Recap and Review!

2012-02-04T15:50:00.011-05:00

When I was trying to decide what websoap to cover next after Ragged Isle, I saw a tweet about Pretty: The Series 3rd season finale airing soon! So I thought what the heck and decided to check it out. (YES I am also watching Devanity slowly and will probably have the season 1 recap and review for that series done shortly)

So without further ado, let's get pretty.

Michael Champaign is a full time pageant dad who loves Disney, he has a '5 year old daughter' named Annett.

He is married to Ribina - she is a professional smoker - she gets paid to smoke....

The first season basically consist of Annett participating in the "Stary eyed competition"- during which her mother Ribina has an affair with her uncle Ethan, while Micheal flirts with the male co-chair and Annette flashes everyone...

This leads to a press conference where the pageant states that they do not endorse what has happened but after a discussion with the family, aka the uncle and her had some fun in the bathroom, Annette has been reinstated.

Annette tells her daddy that she doesn't want to be in the competition anymore, but he cries and she is persuaded to do it...at least that's what Michael thinks, when he wakes up however he realizes that Annette is missing!!!!

The cameras later show that she is at the beach, where she wanted to go instead of the pageant.

Thankfully Ribina and Ethan find her and bring her back in time (thanks to the co-chair blackmailing the president with pictures of her and Ethan in the bathroom).

After performing a speech proclaiming herself a "proud black woman" the judges render the decision and the winner of the miss starry eyes competition is...

To Be Continued! *GASP!*

Okay so the way I want to review this is in a couple of factors 1) Production, 2) Writing, 3) Acting, and 4) Overall Quality.

1- Production wise the show was alright. It was obviously working on a shoe-string budget, but it didn't take anything away from my overall enjoyment of the show. A few episodes seemed a bit blown out (you could see the sunlight was effecting the shoot for whatever reason), but because of the nature of the show (having it be a 'mockumentary') some of my other gripes got looked over because they could easily be explained as 'part of the show'

2- Writing- This one is a little bit harder. As I said in the Ragged Isle's review I do find the shorter episode format to be really trying for me to connect and care about these characters. The whole 'season' felt like a pilot for something bigger, only in need of a few tweaks. This however helped it because I did watch it back to back, thus I did 'connect' on some small level to these characters and kinda wanted to see what happened.

With that said, I did only laugh at a few jokes, but I don't know if that was necessarily bad writing or just the fact that different people's taste in humor varies.

3- Acting- They did the best they could with what they were given. Due to the nature of the show and the overall length of the entire first season being just 25 minutes there wasn't a lot of 'acting' to do, no real scenes to carry on ones back because the scenes had to move at such a rapid pace. With that said I did enjoy some of the acting and I am interested in seeing more.

4- Overall Quality - Okay What Pretty is trying to accomplish is interesting, a scripted version of Toddlers & Tiaras but with a twist. I would just like to see things developed and fleshed out more, I need more time with the characters as a whole to really get into things. I did laugh at a few points, but at others I just stared blankly like "really?" "seen that 'sex in the back of a car' joke how many times?", etc, etc. But I do think that Pretty has some Pretty good potential.

So while I gear up to watch season two in anticipation of the third season finale, what did you guys think of the first season of Pretty? Was it good? Did you enjoy it? And better question is did you watch week to week or once the entire season was released? I think it is a LOT easier to marathon a season than watch the show week to week, because if I were to analyze each individual episode I think a LOT of the flaws that I found in Ragged Isle would have been present here as well... But hey that's just me. Let me know what you think in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

Ricky Butcher's EastEnders Exit

2012-02-04T13:35:00.002-05:00

The residents of Albert Square bid EastEnders star Sid Owen farewell as his character Ricky Butcher was kicked out of his house, family, and marriage by Bianca after she found out about his affair with Mandy Salter and his lie about the two's child.

While Ricky has never been my favorite character on the show, I did feel that this exit was kinda piss poor. I mean Ricky stuck with Bianca throughout her prison sentence and took care of HER kids, he did forgive her for cheating on him with Dan Sullivan, and it just seems like a rushed way to break up this popular pairing, and I hate that.

But hopefully Ricky will once again return and we can see Bianca and him rebuild their relationship.

What did you guys think of Ricky's Exit? Were you sad to see him go, or happy and hope he never comes back? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn.

First Impressions of Hetti Bywater As Lucy Beale

2012-02-04T13:01:00.003-05:00

Now that we have had a bit of time to adjust to actress Hetti Bywater in the role of Lucy Beale on EastEnders it is time to give your thoughts! What do you think of her performance? Does she fit your vision of Lucy?

Personally I love her, while she isn't Melissa Suffield she has brought something of her own to the role and I am really enjoying her scenes and seeing Lucy back on my screen. Let me know your take in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

SPOILER: What Will Happen To Coronation Street's Frank Foster?

2012-02-03T16:19:00.003-05:00

With the trial having come to an end this morning the fate of Frank Foster has been revealed (Both the verdict and long story)

Frank was found NOT GUILTY of having raped Carla Conner, with that happy news out of the way Frank proceeds with his relationship with Sally, only he decides to double dip and starts cheating on her. However things take a turn for the worst for ol' Frank when Sally finds out! But just when things look like they couldn't get any worse Frank ends up MURDERED! With so many suspects who could have killed Frank Foster? Find out this spring as the story kicks off with a bang.

Who do you think did it? Do you think Frank deserved to be murdered or should he be rotting in prison for what he did to Carla? Let me know your take in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

Shortland Street 3 Feb 2012 (4915) Episode RECAP and Reactions

2012-02-03T15:06:00.004-05:00

Thanks to our Brooke for doing all the Home and Away recaps I had a tiny bit of free time today to recap and react to the latest episode of Shortland Street so let's get started!

The episode begins with Ula and Vasa talking about going to the christening and how Ula doesn't like the barge of questions she has been getting.

Wendy is once again apologizing to Murray for trying to trade him for Maxwell- he says whatever but she will just have to deal with it when his team beats her! She's shocked, He should be on HER team, Murray replies that all is fair in love and war.

Brooke meets with Chris and they discuss the upcoming media for the surgery, Brooke questions Gabrielle's ability to deal with the reporters, Chris says to leave it to him.

Wendy is annoyed that Evan won't join her team, and says that the dishes won't do themselves before storming off. Murray takes this as an opening and says he will do the dishes for a week or two if Evan joins "Team Murray"- Evan says that's a sucky name, to which his father replies "that will get you out of house work." Wendy storms back in saying its unethical and Evan shouldn't listen to his father, so Evan says "Deal, I'm in!" and then there were two for team Murray! YAY!

Chris and Gabrielle discuss the media again, Gabrielle says that he can go take care of the media, he tries to persuade her to do it but in the end agrees to take it on. Bree then talks to Gabrielle and says the only way she can get better is if she practices.

Over at the coffee house Murray and Evan are discussing their team and they get Mary and Phoenix to join.

Ula comes in and talks to Evan about the christening and then discuss the pregnancy again. Ula is really annoyed that Evan isn't on her side, but he is just trying to help.

Gabrielle finds Chris and tells him that she is going to take on the media, Chris is proud of her and wishes her luck. Brooke is upset and takes out her frustrations on Bree.

Wendy and Belle talk about how Team Murray is getting 'fit teenagers' and how she needs help if she is going to win, so Belle makes a "desperately seeking skippers" sign to get more members.

At Maxwell's Ula says she feels terible but it's probably just nerves from having to deal with the family and give a speech, Nicole raises an eyebrow and suspects it is something more...

Gabrielle practices her speech to Bree- Bree basically tells Gabrielle to dumb it down and just talk to the media in a normal fashion...well normal for everyone else that is.

At the Coopers, Mary, Evan and Phoenix come in from a long run, Wendy then uses this opportunity to offer then pancakes, and throw off their training (*Shakes head* Bad Wendy BAD!)

Maxwell, Vasa, Ula, Vinny and Nicole arrive at the church and meet up with Family.

The press conference has begun and much to Nicole's surprise, Gabrielle is handling it very well, when the reporter asks her to elaborate and explain things a little more clearly she does, and she even talks about the surgery on a personal level and how she enjoys the challenge and skill it requries.

At the church Vasa is told she is not allowed in, and that she is lucky she didn't get struck by lighting walking through the doors. Maxwell tries to defend her, but in the end Vasa decides its not worth it and leaves on her own. Nicole remarks that it doesn't seem fair, Ula says it isn't but it is just the way it is.

Back at the Coopers, Murray walks in and see's the kids stuffing their faces, he sends them outside to go work it off and then confronts Wendy. She says she was just bending the rules like he was, and says they are even now, she suggest combining the teams, but Murray has a better idea, he wants to have their two teams compete against each other, and let the best team win, whoever wins will be combined with the other and the winning leader gets something extra.

Back at the hospital Chris congratulates Gabrielle on the journalist and Brooke does the same, after Chris leaves Gabrielle offers Bree a chance to assist on a surgery in the morning, after a moments hesitation Bree agrees to do it.

At the Church Ula goes up to do her reading, but at the last moment cannot finish it, she breaks down and starts crying and runs out the door. Maxwell jumps up and calls her name as the screen fades to black.

Thoughts:

Overall a great episode, yea I kinda don't care much about any of the stories on today, but I still overall enjoyed things and cannot wait for next week to see if the surgery is a success with Bree, if Ula finally tells people she's knocked up, and if Team Murray will claim their rightful spot as best skippers! What did you guys think of the episode? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

Home and Away 3 Feb 2012 (5445) Episode RECAP

2012-02-03T03:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Home and Away fans - lets find out what happened on the show tonight! Now fully updated with screenshots!

Xavier's helping John Palmer get the surf club ready for the council debate. Gina rocks up. They talk about what happened yesterday. Gina is worried - Xavier is not normally so aggressive. Xavier confesses - HE LIKES SASHA. Well duh. Xavier's not sure what to do about it. It's not like him to be so shy - he must REALLY like Sasha *wink wink*. Gina advises Xavier not to say anything at the moment - Sasha's under a lot of pressure right now. Xavier resolves to wait to say anything.

Sid wants to talk to Dex about his outburst of the night before. He wants to know when Dex changed his mind - hasn't he always acted like he wanted to be a doctor? Dex said, yeah once, when he was 7, but he also said he wanted to be a ghostbuster LOL. Sid is not impressed. He wants to know why Dex applied for the course if it wasn't what he wanted. Dex says Sid should know the answer to that. Sid figures it out, he asks Dex what does he want to do. "I don't know" Dex sighs and leaves for work. Sid and Sasha continue the conversation. Sid knew what he wanted to do from 10 years of age. Sasha says to him, 'yeah, but you're not Dex'. Sid turns his fatherly attention to Sasha - she seems better this morning, but is she ok to stay by herself at the house? He promises the police will find Stu and he'll never hurt her again, he'll make sure of it.

Set up for the debate at the surf club is almost complete. In walks Harvey - he congratulates Roo for breaking up with Sid. Roo lets him know he still has no chance with her. Always good to be direct, Roo!! Sid arrives at the surf club looking for Xavier - he's after a favour (I think we can all guess where this is going...) - Sasha's on her own at home, would Xavier mind going around there. Heeding Gina's advice, Xavier is hesitant. I mean, he WANTS to go, but he doesn't think Sash will want a babysitter. He decides to go anyway.

Dex starts his shift at the hospital. He has obvious rapport with the patients. Whilst helping one back to her room, he finds Irene on the floor in pain. He rushes off to find a doctor. They're going to make Dex change his mind about becoming a doctor methinks.

Ad break...

Irene's now looking much better, but her test results are a little inconclusive. Irene's feeling a lot better, and then she's not. The nurse asks Dex to go get Irene a glass of milk. Odd, you might say, but I'm pretty sure there's something about milk that settles chest pains. Don't quote me on this!!

Unrequited love (at the moment anyway). Ain't it grand?!?

Xavier rocks up to the farm. Sasha answers the door and immediately tells him Dex isn't home. She doesn't shut the door in his face though - this is a good sign. She does leave without inviting him in - not such a good sign. Xavier invites himself in. He asks how Sasha is. She doesn't want to talk about it. This is going to be as difficult as you thought it would be, Xavier. Sasha says she doesn't need a babysitter. Xavier asks if she wants him to go - Sasha tells him it makes no difference to her either way (in that typical teenage, I don't care kinda way). Xavier tentatively sits on the edge of the couch, right next to Sasha. Oh yeah, he has it baaaaad.

The debate starts at the surf club. I'm confused, I thought this was a debate - turns out it isn't; it's the resort developers answering questions from the public. Harvey asks the first one - he wants an explanation as to how the resort wont negatively impact on the environment. Dennis accuses Harvey of grandstanding, Harvey accuses Dennis of the resort developers trying to sell them a used car that wont go. There is clear support for Harvey's question in the crowd. Dennis puts forward his case. There is clear support for the resort as well.

Xavier makes Sasha and himself a sandwich. Xavier tells Sasha he's joining the police force. Sasha tells him he'd be good at it, that he was the one who warned her off Stu in the first place. Sasha looks sad and Xavier tells her it's okay. Sasha says it's not ok, she should have listened to him. Xavier tells her she doesn't have to worry about Stu anymore. Sasha starts to confess something (I'm guessing about Stu), but changes her mind halfway through. She suggests a walk outside instead - Xav, I'd take this as progress!

Didn't listen to your Mum's advice, did you Xav?

Xavier and Sasha walk on the beach. They talk about Sasha blaming herself for what Stu did. Sasha feels like an idiot. Xavier says she should blame Stu. He tries to convince Sasha Stu wont hurt her again, ever. Sasha's not convinced that she wont make the same mistake with her next boyfriend. Wait for it peeps, Xavier takes her hand and makes her face him. He says she wont. She'll be able to tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy. Sasha agrees with him, saying he's right, she needs to move on from this. She also removes her hand from his, but not in a 'don't go there buddy' kind of way. Maybe she should have - Xavier kisses her and Sasha rushes off. Xavier apologises, he read the signals wrong (boy, did he ever!) but the damage is already done...

Ad break...

Irene's feeling much better. The milk's done the trick. Dex goes to get her some more. He asks the nurse how she knew about the milk. Nurse explains milk is good for indigestion, which is what was left after all the diagnostic tests ruled out any further heart problems. Dex is coloured impressed. The nurse tells him it's the sort of thing that Sid would have picked up, but most doctors miss. She says they really miss Sid, but they're really glad because now they have Dex. But how does Dex feel?

The resort meeting continues. It's degenerating fast. The comments start to get personal - especially from Dennis - he calls Harvey a hick lol. Harvey pounces on this immediately. If this was a court, the judge would be trying to bring everyone back to order. Guess who does? Alf. Dennis tells John they're in real trouble if Harvey is voted into council. Duh!

At the diner, Romeo finishes up a meeting with another prospective buyer. The client is not looking like he's going to be doing much buying. Is Romeo the worst salesman ever? Poor Romeo. Even he agrees he sucks at this. Alf walks in - the resort meeting is finished. Romeo gets a text from Dennis. He wants to see him asap. Romeo thinks this is good - he's hoping Dennis will fire him before he can quit because Indi doesn't like quitters. He goes to meet Dennis, but finds him celebrating over some champagne with Roo, John and Indi. Romeo's their new hero - surfing buddy Adrian bought five apartments! High fives all around. They congratulate Romeo. A lovely commission is coming Romeo's way in the way of a fist full of cash. Indi is all smiles.

Sid's waiting for Dex at the hospital. He offers him a lift home. Dex tells him to take a deep breath, he's decided what he wants to do. Nursing! Well that's the last thing I expected Dex to say! Sid looks as gobsmacked as I do. Sid asks he wants to do what??? Dex explains, he's interested in the nursing side, not the doctoring side. Sid processes this, but he still wants Dex to keep thinking this through. Dex disagrees and rejects Sid's offer for a lift home. Sid's left looking thwarted.

Ad break...

Sasha's crying again. Xavier returns to the farm to try and talk to her. He apologises through the closed front door. She says it's ok, don't worry about it.... now byeeeee. Xavier opens the door anyway and comes in. He tells her he cares about her, but he'd like them to be friends - he knows she's nowhere near ready for any sort of relationship. She says she can't be friends, and it's because of her - she's toxic; she tells Xav not to waste his time on her. Woah, poor Sash. Major self esteem issues going on here. Xavier tries to reassure her, but Sasha's not in any state of mind to hear what he's saying. She asks him to leave, so he turns and walks out the door....

Next week on Home and Away... oh look, it's the same Liam and Bianca 'who will she choose?' promo. Does this mean this might air next week? We can only hope.

Ragged Isle Episode 1 Recap and Review

2012-02-02T10:05:00.004-05:00

My name is Victoria Winters...Oh wait wrong soap. This time we are looking at Vicki Burke, and her trip to Ragged Isle on a new SFN TV series that feels like a mix between Dark Shadows and Harpers Island, so without any further delay let's get started!

In an homage to Dark Shadows - Ragged Isle opens up with lead Vicki Burke getting onto a boat, headed to a strange land, full of mystery.
Vicki soon bumps into Rachel Moody (A nosy woman if i do say so myself)- Rachel asks if it's her first time on the Isle, to which Vicki replies yes, and then introduces herself, Rachel then ask if she's related to Eric Burke? Vicki replies yea that's her brother. Vicki then explains how she got a job working for the isle newspaper, and Rachel wishes her the best of luck.

After arriving Vicki looks around and is disappointing that Eric isnt there, as she goes to call he arrives with a friend (Paul) that offers to take his luggage. Eric than breaks the 4th wall and says to camera "This oughta be an interesting summer."

Eric drops Vicki off and says he and Paul have to run an errand and will be back late.

The next scene we see Eric on a boat with some friends, they are poking at something in the water, and one of them get's pulled over. They panic because they can't see him, finally he is let go and floats to the top, they pull him aboard. He is acting weird, and dripping wet.

Another boat see's them, and they discuss what happened and how they were not supposed to be there (and neither was the other boat). The camera then cuts back to the guy that was tossed overboard and he has a weird look to him like something has changed his life forever, and not for the best.

ROLL CREDITS!
So there we go from a recap perspective the first episode of Ragged Isle. Now review.

I really do appreciate what Ragged Isle was trying to do, I think it was amazingly well shot and provided a great eery setting for a series to be expanded upon and develop. With that said, I really believe that is where the positives for this series end and the negatives begin. The acting, came off to me as very wooden and one note. The entire cast reminded me of Andrew Trichette of One Life to Live because you could see them 'running lines' and acting as if this is a school play, when I am not supposed to notice the acting at all just feel the emotions. The dialog for the series was equally as bad. I can get over the whole nod to Dark Shadows because it is a nod to Dark Shadows, but I cannot get past the awful discussion that was had between Vicki and Rachel on the boat. It was just a lot of information and exposition that was trying to be crammed into a tiny scene with dialog that no one would ever say to complete strangers with poor delivery.

Lastly we have the story and the length of the pilot rolled into one- The pilot tried to do way to much for being an 11 minute long adventure with 3 minutes taken up by music and credits. Within the span of those 11 minutes we had an introduction to 6-8 characters, a new location, a big splash and a cliffhanger, and all without allowing me to give a crap about ANY of these people. Woohoo Vicki has a twin brother, and I am supposed to care at all why???? If the pilot would have had the same beginning and same end but had expanded the middle portion by about 30 minutes so much more could have been done.

Ragged Isle didn't allow any connection to be made within the relationships of these characters and thus when the guy was taken overboard it was a big "so what?" factor more than a "Oh my gosh they got him!" moment that they were going for. There wasn't anyone that I could relate to or care about because there was zero character development and, like previously stated, relationship building scenes to make me want to root for Vicki and Eric's relationship to be rebuilt, or why the town of Ragged Isle is full of mystery.

And then we have the breaking the fourth wall foolishness. YOU DO NOT talk to my camera dang it! I didn't like it when Erica Kane did it, and I am certainly not going to like it when your fool behind Eric Burke does it either! So cut that out this instant! LOL! Yea that's minor and honestly didn't bother me that much but hey I had to point it out or I'd get torn a new one!

Overall I am thankful for what Ragged Isle attempted, but I think its a long way from being where it needs to be for mass consumption. I do think that the series has some stunning visuals and I will definitely be tuning in for future episodes if it's just to see the local shoots. Hopefully things will improve in the future, but for now I guess we will just wait and see.

What did you think of the season premiere of Ragged Isle? Was I to harsh on the series? Why or Why not? What was it that you liked or disliked? Let me know it all in the comments below or on twitter @soapwikijohn

Home and Away 2 Feb 2012 Episode (5444) Recap

2012-02-02T03:51:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone, apologies for the slight delay in the live Home and Away episode blog - here's your recap!

Leah is looking for Brax - Casey tells her Brax has gone out for a surf. That's a good sign. Casey thanks Leah for looking after Brax - she's obviously having more luck than Casey is. She goes home and finds Elijah slept on the couch. Elijah's a bit funny when he finds out Leah stayed at Brax's - it's not what you think Elijah, don't get jealous. If you'd seen Brax throwing up like we did in yesterday's episode, you'd know Brax wasn't up for anything last night but passing out. Leah asks Elijah why he stayed on the couch - Ruby comes out of her room, which pretty much answers the question. Leah is really happy to see Ruby.

Dex decides planking is the order of the day

At the farm, Romeo and Indy leave for work looking very professional - first day for Romeo's new job. Dex is planking on the couch, nervous about the university placements that are coming out today. Sid thinks he'll shoe in a place in medicine, but as soon as Sid leaves the room, Dex confesses outloud that he'd secretly prefer engineering. But how to tell Sid?

Leah shouts Ruby breakfast at the diner. Leah asks what her plans her and when Ruby says she would like to move in, Leah is surprised, but happy. Someone else who is surprised to see Ruby is Casey. Noone told Casey Ruby was coming home and he's a bit pi$$ed off. He thanks Leah for telling him this morning and poor Leah, she tells him she only just found out herself. Casey's not happy. Leah explains to Ruby she's been trying to help Brax, but Ruby doesn't see why anyone should be helping him.

Dex and Xavier are down at the beach. Dex is telling Xavier he needs to find a way to tell Sid that he doesn't want to be a Doctor anymore. Xavier asks if his change of heart has anything to do with April not doing medicine either. Dex says no, he's just changed his mind. They run into angry Casey. He asks if they knew Ruby was back; they're surprised like he is.

You're meant to drink the coffee Romeo...

At the diner, Romeo looks like he's about to hurl. Romeo is waiting for a strategy meeting with Dennis, and Roo and Alf keep him company until Dennis arrives. Harvey (Marcus Graham) walks in and asks Romeo if he's going to tell his clients that after next week's election there wont be any apartments for the new resort. Can I just say, that Marcus Graham used to be hawt. Now he looks emaciated. What happened to you Marcus?!?!? Romeo takes the self-doubt Harvey gives him on board - how can he make a go of selling resort apartments if he couldn't even make the charter business work? Cue Dennis. Dennis notices Romeo's lack of enthusiasm. Come on Romeo! Get with the game!

Are you talkin' to ME???

Back at the farm, Stu's dad pays Sid a visit. He's just come from the police station where Stu's been charged with assaulting Sasha. He wants to make a deal - drop the charges against Stu, or he'll tell the police Sid broke the AVO at the hospital by going into Stu's room when he roughed up Stu's dad. Sid tells him he has five seconds to get off his property. Stu's dad says he's got til tomorrow morning before he goes to the cops. Sasha eavesdrops looking worried.

Ad break...

Dex and Xavier visit Ruby. She tells them she is officially a mess. Xavier asks her about Casey. Ruby shuts down. Leah comes home and the teens decide to leave. Leah and Ruby discuss her moving back in; Leah reassures her she's always welcome at Chez Patterson.

Noooo.... I'm not a creepy stalker....

At the surf club, Alf rips down posters for Harvey's council campaign. Harvey watches him; they spar like all opponents in a political race do and the end result? They decide to have a public debate about the resort. Alf leaves, and Harvey goes around ripping off Alf's posters from the walls. LOL. Sasha is sitting alone at a table, Stu watches her for a bit, then approaches. Sasha thanks him for coming. She wants to work something out with Stu, so that their Dad's will be stop being at each others throats. Stu laughs; no one tells his dad what to do! Sasha pleads it's not right; Stu replies she better get used to it. Stu says he'll think about it if Sasha will think about forgiving him. In walks Stu's dad. Uh oh. Busted! He asks how stupid is Stu? (Viewers reply: A Lot). I'm getting confused with all these AVOs - so Sasha has one out against Stu and Stu has one out against Sid? Is that right? Sasha stands up to Stu's Dad. Girl's got balls!

Romeo meets with the client. I think he's bombing. So does Roo. The client wants Romeo to convince him to buy into the resort. So would Dennis I think Romeo. Sell Sell Sell!

Do you think my black eye matches my funky green car?

Stu drives alongside a walking Sasha. He's now sporting a lovely black eye, the result of Sasha's little outburst at the Surf Club. Sasha wonders how Stu's black eye is her fault? I'm inclined to agree. Stu says it's noone's fault, it's just the way his Dad is. Sasha makes an excellent point, saying so Stu hitting her wasn't Stu's fault either? It's just the way he is? She glares at him and asks what he wants. Stu tells Sasha he's sorry and that he's leaving Summer Bay. He's had enough with the whole mess. Sasha pleads for him to stay - Stu leaving means her leverage over Stu's Dad is gone. Stu asks her to get in the car so they can go somewhere safe to talk. DON'T DO IT SASHA! She wants to talk where they are. Stu doesn't want a matching black eye. Sasha says no. Stu asks if she wants to sort things out or not? Either get in the car, or he's gone.

Ad break...

Xavier's on a mission. Seek and destroy... Stu!

University placements are in - Dex has gotten into medicine. He's not happy Jan. Dex runs into Sasha, who's just arrived home after her "chat" with Stu. She's crying. Dex and Xavier follow her towards her room, asking what's wrong. Sasha sobs "Stu" to them, then shuts her door on them. Dex bangs on her door, asking her to tell them where Stu is. Xavier gets jack of this and starts for the door - Let's Go he says to Dex; a man on a mission! Sasha rushes out of her room to try and stop them. She wants them to leave it, but she's underestimated her brother's and Xavier's affection for her (I don't think he realises it yet, but we the viewers see it... don't we!!) . They're going to hunt Stu down...

Stu's Dad makes friends everywhere he goes

They start at the Surf Club, but Stu isn't there. Guess who is? Stu's Dad. Dex tries to get Xavier to leave it, but the boy's on a mission - he goes up to Stu's Dad demanding to know where Stu is. Apparently Stu is "gawn" (man I love the Aussie accent lol) aka gone. Xavier talks to Stu's dad like he's a little kid: "Where?" he says. Stu left a note saying he was going for good. Dex mutters 'good riddence' which is overheard - Dex is told to "watch his mouth, sunshine" Xavier says 'how about you watch yours', and grabs him by the lapel. Not sure that was a wise move, Stu's Dad is built like a brickhouse! He laughs Xavier off, and in walks Gina, witnessing Xavier accuse Stu's Dad of getting Stu to leave so he wont get busted for hitting Sasha. She puts some space between them and Stu's Dad leaves. Does anyone know his name? I'm sick of writing Stu's Dad lol. The boys tell Gina that Stu has hit Sasha again, but is that really what's happened? I don't think Sasha ever said... Meanwhile, Gina reminds Xavier that an assault charge doesn't look good when you're about to apply for the policeforce. Xavier reminds Gina that it's not on to hit a girl. She wisely asks: 'a girl? Or this girl.' Xavier asks what's the difference, but Gina's on a roll here - she says she understands why Dex is there, protecting his sister. Why is he doing something so crazy? Xavier storms out.

Down at the beach, Dennis is not happy to find Romeo surfing. Romeo's taken Adrian (the client) out to show him the breaks - even though he's not ready to buy yet. Dennis is not amused. He orders Romeo to get dressed and get on the phone to get him a sale. Oops Romeo.

Casey bumps into Ruby at the Surf Club. He asks her how she's settling back in, but Ruby doesn't answer him. Casey cottons on that Ruby is ignoring him and asks her if that's fair. Ruby thinks it is. She says he can go. He walks away.

Roo's upset that Alf told Harvey she's no longer with Sid. I'm not really sure why she's upset, but she is. She wants Alf to steer clear of topics involving men and herself. Fair enough. Alf asks Casey to make the game of pool he's playing the last one. They want to get the Surf Club organised for the debate tomorrow. Casey blankly tells him he's got money down for more games and to shift it tomorrow. Alf questions the attitude. Casey responds he's a Braxton. Alf pushes back - it'll be the last game. Ruby watches the encounter but I can't work out if she's thinking Casey's an idiot or glad she's cut all ties. What did you guys think?

Ad break...

Dex arrives back at the farm to find Sid waiting for him. Sid angrily asks if he was out looking for Stu with Xavier. It's obvious Sasha told Sid what happened. Sid continues on his tirade, questioning whether Dex has learned anything from the recent events? Going after Stu could have resulted in something that would have threatened Dex's future. Sid accuses Dex of making the same mistakes as him. Dex tells him they need to talk about the university invitation, it's not his dream to become a doctor - it's Sid's. He doesn't want to do medicine.

Ruby's telling Leah about Casey's "hissy fit" at the Surf Club. Ok, I get it now, she thinks he overreacted. Showing he really is a River Boy when he can't get what he wants. Leah tries to defend Casey, but Ruby's glad they're not together anymore (really? I like them together :( ).

Romeo arrives home after work. Dex asks how his first day was, and Indi pipes up asking, yes, how was his surf with Adrian?? Romeo mutters 'here we go'. Dex takes the rising tension as his cue to leave. Indi doesn't think Romeo is taking the job seriously. Romeo tries to explain his methods. Indi feels betrayed - she vouched for Romeo and now she feels like he's let her down. She goes off to bed... alone.

End of episode.

Next time on Home and Away. A large crowd is expected for the council election debate between Harvey and Alf. Harvey congratulates Roo from escaping from the good Doctor.

Home and Away 1 Feb 2012 Episode (5443) LIVE Blog

2012-02-01T03:05:00.001-05:00

Hi guys, tonight's Home and Away episode coming your way - stay tuned for the ad breaks...

We start at Morag's (I can hear @soapwikijohn's screams of joy already) - Ruby's stayed out all night, she comes home drunk in the morning. Morag is less than impressed. Morag wants Ruby to sign some of Charlie's paperwork, but that's a task Ruby's not facing yet - avoiding the aftermath of Charlie's death is Ruby's aim at the moment. That, and drinking.

Casey goes to the city to see Ruby. Ruby answers the door in her dressing gown, now's not a really great time. Casey tries to apologise for not being there with her, but Ruby is hesitant to give way. They go get a coffee and Casey gives Ruby mail from Summer Bay - unfortunately the mail is for Charlie. Oops. Casey tells Ruby Brax is still not coping, Ruby's not caring so much about Brax. A new friend of Ruby's stops by their table. Who is this new party-animal friend of Ruby's??

The police come to see Brax at Angelo's. They question him over the receipt of stolen goods. He takes them to the shed where Jeffery King keeps the booze. Ten bucks says King's already moved the boxes of alcohol. Lo and behold, I'm right - the shed's empty, there's only packing crates on the floor. Come on Brax, you didn't really think he'd leave it there if he dobbed you in to the police in the first place did you??

Ad break...

Back in the city (aka Sydney), Ruby makes smalltalk with Casey. Casey tells her about his awful week with Brax; Ruby tries to care (not really), but it's obvious she's still angry. Give up Casey, you can't win this one. He asks if Ruby misses him - Ruby's taken aback by this question - she answers of course she does, allowing Casey to plead that they talk about their relationship.

Brax has his head in his arms on the kitchen table. Leah's a-knock-knock-knocking on the door - she eventually opens the door herself and Brax is startled awake. There's a near-empty bottle of amber liquid next to him. Leah tries to offer him a friend to talk to, but Brax isn't interested. She leaves.

At the diner, Leah is organising a care package for Brax much to Colleen's disapproval. Leah thinks it's the least she can do, Colleen disagrees. For what it's worth, both Alf and Elijah think she's doing the right thing, but Elijah warns her not to forget her own grief.

Casey's been thinking about how they can make the long distance relationship work. Casey, you're going to have to do all the work here because Ruby's got zero interest in ever coming back to Summer Bay (at this stage anyway). Casey is willing to do whatever if it means they can be together; Ruby bursts into tears and apologises, saying she thought she could do this but she can't; she can't even look at him anymore :(

Ad break...

Morag comes home to find Ruby on the couch. Morag spots the letters; the conversation drifts to Ruby's breakup with Casey, and then Ruby's emotions over losing Charlie. I find this whole conversation one of the best so far since the show's been back on air! Great stuff Bec Breeds and Cornelia Frances!

Casey returns to Summer Bay and finds Brax passed out. Casey's over it, he's mad, he takes out his pain of Ruby's breakup on Brax, but it has little impact. Casey storms out of the room. Later that night, Leah calls Casey and tries to gives him reassurance. Colleen overhears and seeing Leah with the basket of food, puts her two cents in about it being a waste to try and help Brax.

Leah finds Brax at Angelo's. He's pouring alcohol around the place, yelling "he wont get this place!" and screaming at Leah to "GET OUT!". She stops him from dropping a lit match onto the floor. He collapses next to the bar, but then allows Leah to help him up and take him home.

Ad break...

Leah gets Brax home and struggles to get him onto the couch. He immediately gets back up and makes a beeline for the kitchen sink - all the alcohol had to catch up with him some time. He falls to the floor and hurls some more. Leah looks suitably grossed out.

At Leah's, Elijah reads a text from Leah saying she'll be late home - she doesn't say why. The door opens and Ruby enters! She's home for good! Well done Morag. Elijah gives Ruby a welcome home hug and offers her a cuppa tea :) Ruby kinda looks like greaaaat, now what?

End of episode.

Will Sasha get in Stu's car? Find out tomorrow!

On the next Home and Away, Stu's dad wants to make a deal with Sid - drop the charges against Stu or he'll go to the police telling them Sid assaulted him at the hospital. Sasha tries to appeal to Stu, "it's blackmail" she says - Stu says to get used to it, that's how his dad rolls. Sasha tries to threaten Stu's dad, saying she'll go to the police about Stu breaking the AVO if he doesn't stop going after her Dad. Stu tries to leave Summer Bay, he wants Sasha to go with him so they can talk. What will Sasha do?

PS. Has anyone noticed how long the promo's have become at the end of each episode? Not that I'm complaining!

Ringer 1x11 Promo: It Just Got Normal

2012-01-31T16:50:00.004-05:00

Former All My Children Alum Sarah Michelle Gellar's cult hit tv series Ringer returns tonight and promises to provide a lot of drama.

While Ringer has struggled in the ratings recently, it still has a possibility of coming back next season, do you think the series deserves it? And what are you liking or disliking about this confusing drama? Let me know in the comments below.

Stephen Amell Cast as Green Arrow!

2012-01-31T16:37:00.004-05:00

Actor Stephen Amell has been cast in the title role of Green Arrow for the CW's upcoming pilot Arrow. Amell is known for his guest appearances on various programs such as Hung, Private Practice, and Vampire Diaries.

The character was last portrayed on Smallville by former Passions star Justin Hartley.

While I cannot say I am happy about the news (I was REALLY looking forward to seeing Hartley front burner in his own show), I will give the pilot a view when it becomes available and will try and keep an open mind while doing so.

Are you guys excited for Arrow? Are you disappointed Hartley isn't going to be participating? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Neighbours From the Beginning Coming to DVD!

2012-01-31T09:39:00.002-05:00

Great news Neighbours fans, Shock Entertainment has announced that they will be releasing Neighbours from the beginning on DVD!

The 6 disc DVD set will be released on April 4th 2012, and will include the first 56 episodes.

Take a trip down memory lane for fans of one of Australia’s most successful TV dramas. Neighbours, the long-running Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. Through its entire run in Australia, Neighbours has been screened as a twenty-two minute episode each week night in an early-evening slot. The show has been sold to over fifty countries around the world, making it one of Australia's most successful TV series! Watch the very first 56 episodes of Neighbours and relive these memorable moments on DVD!

Shock Entertainment is not new to the soaps on DVD game, as they have released the entire Prisoner (Prison Cell Block H) series on DVD also! So this is very promising news! Here's hoping a Region 1 DVD set will be released as well!

Lincoln Lewis Presents Award at the AACTA Awards 2012

2012-01-31T08:03:00.001-05:00

The first Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards (previously known as the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards) were held this evening in Sydney, Australia, and Lincoln Lewis (ex-Geoff Campbell, Home and Away) was there to present an award.

Lewis (pictured, right) co-presented the award for Best Original Screenplay. Not nominated himself, Lewis will soon be seen in Channel 9's new comedy Tricky Business - which, from the promo's, looks alarmingly similar to Channel 7's hit show Packed to the Rafters, but I digress.

Someone who was nominated was Todd Lasance (ex-Aden Jefferies, Home and Away), for the 'Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama' award, for his role in the television adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Cloudstreet. Lasance eventually lost out on the award to Richard Cawthorne (Killing Time).

Also spotted on the red carpet was David Jones-Roberts (Xavier Austin, Home and Away).

Home and Away 31 Jan 2012 Episode (5442) LIVE Blog

2012-01-31T03:02:00.000-05:00

Ready for tonight's Home and Away? Live blog coming - updates during the ad breaks as usual.

Bianca and Liam are discussing the wedding reception venue - they can't decide where to go. Liam still wants to have it held at Angelo's, but Bianca wants nothing to do with anything Heath has involvement in. Liam bravely plays the jealousy card and lo and behold it works! Bianca agrees to Angelo's.

At the hospital, Leah is visiting Irene, hearing about Irene's congestive heart failure. The convo turns to Leah and her now empty house - she's having a hard time seeing all of Charlie's things; Irene tells her to take it one step at a time.

Brax and Casey return home. Brax goes straight for the alcohol even though it's morning. Casey wants him to stop beating himself up about what happened to Charlie. Brax wants him to stop hassling him. Casey's talking to a brick wall.

Elijah and VJ are playing video games. Woah has VJ grown over the summer! Leah invites Elijah to stay for dinner but he says no.

Heath agrees to a deal with Jeffrey King (Geoff Morrell). He gives Heath a Rolex as a deal sweetener, or "bribe" as he calls it. Oh Heath, my newfound admiration of your smartness from last week has all gone. Thank you writers for reminding what a dumbass Heath actually is.

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Brax turns up to Angelo's. Liam seems glad to see him, he tells Brax things have gone to shite since he's been gone - noone's been paid, things are missing and Heath's been taking money from the til. Brax looks less than impressed. Liam tells him King's been talking with Heath; Brax now looks ropable!

April goes to visit Irene in the hospital - Irene's in the mood for a lecture. She questions April over her thought process in hooking up with Heath. April ignores every reason Irene has for why she shouldn't be with Heath, like, he's older, he deals drugs, he's in fights every other week - the sort of person April would never have touched with a barge pole a few weeks ago. April claims it's all about Bianca's jealousy over her and Heath or something, April's not making any sense to me either Irene. Irene, meet brick wall.

At the diner, Leah's obviously not 100% with it; Roo tries to get Leah to go home to rest. She wants to stay busy - VJ tells her he's going with Alf down to the beach to put up flyers for Alf's council campaign. He promises to come back when he's finished. Leah feels like he's starting to look after her instead of the other way around. At one of the tables, Casey is trying to write a letter to Ruby but scrunches up every attempt. Brax comes in looking for Heath - Liam calls, an unexpected big delivery has just arrived at Angelo's. Brax leaves looking frazzled.

Bianca runs into April at the hospital. They have the 'you're jealous about Heath' convo for the 1,000th time since the show came back last week. April wants to know if Bianca's reply to Liam's jealousy comment this morning was true, or just something she says to reassure herself. Bianca retorts if she wanted to be with Heath, she'd be with Heath - April takes this to mean all Bianca thinks she has to do is snap her fingers and Heath will come running. Uh oh, too late - April says Bianca had her chance with Heath and now she wants to ruin it for her because she can't stand the thought of Heath being with someone else. They become so loud Irene gets out of bed to find out what's going on. Well, that puts them to shame - fighting over a Braxton after what just happened to Charlie? Bad form ladies, bad form.

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April is waiting for Heath outside his house AGAIN. She apologises for the non-sex they had before, she tries to convince Heath it's more about not upsetting Irene; she wants to be with him, but they have to keep it a secret. Heath says his days of climbing through windows are over. She leaves.

Brax gives it to Heath about the running of Angelo's while he was gone. Heath handles it with his usual cavalier attitude and says Buckton made Brax soft, he's not up to making the hard decisions. Brax headbutts him LMAO!

VJ is waiting at the diner for Leah. He wants to go home. Elijah rocks up, VJ asks if he can walk him home and stay until Leah gets back so she wont worry about him being home alone. Elijah agrees, they leave.

Heath meets with King to call off the deal. Oh no Heathy boy, not that simple. King wants $5,000 for the booze, and another $25,000 for the watch. Did you hear bribe? Nahhh, he'll have payment in cash please. Heath tries to give the watch back, but King throws it into the ocean, then walks away.

Later, Heath climbs into April's room through her window (LOL). She asks what he's doing, he replies "practicing". He starts kissing her, April wants to know what's going on, Heath answers he's in, the whole secrecy thing is fine by him if that's what she wants. They bump uglies.

The next morning, King runs into Brax returning the alcohol. He still wants his 25k. Brax has no idea about the money. He refuses to pay and King says he'll take it off the price of Angelo's. Brax discovers why King wants Angelo's - because Brax set the cops on him after Charlie got shot and because Brax said no to the sale in the first place. Brax says he's well within his rights not to sell. King replies that he shouldn't turn him down (cue threatening expression); and because King's a nice bloke, he's giving Brax a week to finalise things for the sale - then he's taking over, "Darryl." LOL.

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Leah's slept in, she's stressing she slept so late. Best night's sleep ever though! Turns out Elijah stayed over, but it's not what you're all thinking GUTTER PEOPLE!!! He slept in Ruby's room. Leah wants him to stay all week - Elijah agrees. He looks happy that Leah is depending on him - this is not going to end well for you Elijah, watch that pure heart of yours!

Brax is looking for Heath, but Heath is at April's (remember?) - they think Heath's taken off now that the shite has hit the fan. Brax wonders what the eff he's going to do about the 25k?!?!?!? He gets more mad when he discovers the 6-pack of beer in the fridge is gone. It's just not Brax's day. Brax is determined to beat Jeffery King at his own game... Casey heads out, Brax continues stressing. He looks for more liquor but there aint none in the house... awww poor, poor Brax...

Tomorrow on Home and Away: the police visit Brax acting on information that he's received stolen goods...

Why Are You Not Watching Days of Our Lives?

2012-01-30T23:19:00.003-05:00

In September 2011, Days of Our Lives underwent a new regime and has been consistently improving over its last episode. Great socially relevant storytelling about characters we know and love have been implemented, as well as an improved use of its veteran cast (having the fab 4 driving as well as supporting story!) - yet the ratings don't reflect a liking for Days 2.0.

While I will 100% agree that Days is leaps and bounds away from being perfect, it is still a really interesting show that has continued to keep my attention and leave me wanting more, especially considering how SMART some of the scripts and storylines are.

So here is my question to you. Why are you not watching Days? Better yet what could Days do to get you to tune in? (*cough* answers like "Make it One Life to Live" or "Cast Trevor St. John as the REAL Todd Manning" don't count but are appreciated! *cough*). Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

New Box Art For Dark Shadows The Complete Original Series!

2012-01-30T22:36:00.003-05:00

As previously reported Dark Shadows the complete series is coming back to DVD in a nice boxset, but thanks to the kind folks over at tvshowsondvd.com we have some the interior box art to look at! Yea I really want this box set now! It looks AMAZING!

What do you guys think? Are you excited?