I take no pleasure in writing this article and coming to the conclusion that Chelsea Murphy (Viva Blanca) just might have been what's made ‘Neighbours' so good since its Amazon Freevee revival.
Before you shout me down and tell me I'm wrong, hear me out. I know that Chelsea stirred up very strong feelings amongst viewers of the show but there's no denying that she kept things interesting. While I largely agree that her story arc went on for too long, and the character got way more screen time than some of the regulars, Chelsea added that bit of fire and conflict that every good soap needs.
I'm still enjoying ‘Neighbours' but since Chelsea's departure, the show has become a little bit pedestrian don't you think? Keep reading to find out my thoughts.
There's no villain now Chelsea has gone
Since Chelsea's departure the only real villain we've had is Vic Stone (Craig Hall), and honestly he's no match for his predecessor. He might be stirring things up for Jane (Annie Jones), Byron (Xander Molyneux) and Nicolette (Hannah Monson), but he's more of an untrustworthy con-man than a real villain.
Aside from that sleazy Doctor Gavin Bowman (Cameron MacDonald) has ruffled some feathers with Remi (Naomi Rukavina), Haz's (Shiv Palekar) sister Amira (Maria Thattil) was troublesome for about a week, and the mystery poisoner has provided a little intrigue although the storyline isn't that compelling.
We could mention the pooper too but I fear that readers of this article may be annoyed with me enough by this point.
The current storylines are a bit dull
The storylines since Chelsea left haven't been the strongest of the revival so far. While we're all for a teen love triangle (we're looking at you JJ, Dex and Nell), everything else that's going on in the street is just a bit dull. Aaron (Matt Wilson) potentially buying back his old house isn't exactly thrilling and the Eirini Rising fiasco with Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) has fizzled rather than sizzled.
Add to that the ongoing mystery around Leo's (Tim Kano) wine poisoner and there's no storyline that I'm desperately tuning in to see. The characters that I've loved so far in the revival are currently on the sidelines with Krista (Majella Davis) relegated to supporting Leo and the Rodwells only popping up in other people's storylines since everything went down with Andrew's (Lloyd Will) no-good brother Felix (James Beaufort). Come back Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis).
We need a new villain to cause chaos on the street
What we really need on ‘Neighbours' is someone to upset the apple cart and cause absolute chaos. That's one of the things Chelsea did so well. She touched upon so many characters and ruined plenty of lives in the process. That's the energy I'm looking for. I don't think we're going to get that with Vic so hopefully the writers have some fresh blood up their sleeves as Ramsay Street is in desperate need of a shake-up right now!
‘Neighbours' airs on Amazon Freevee every Monday to Thursday.
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