Yeah I agree that Piper being so OTT about it bugs me a lot!! Her dad treated her mum like shite and now they're all friends!! Only neighbours!! Need the rolls eye smiley!!

storylines such as Harold's amnesia were absolutely ludicrous but part of what made neighbours so great! I vividly remember Helen dying on the sofa, Harold's return, Lou's stint as a secondhand car salesman, Harold's memory returning when Lou served him jelly, Susan slapping Karl over his affair, Harold going temporarily blind after having his FOOT run over by a car! Etc.

In recent years all I remember is hating most new characters and fancying some pretty non-actress model who turns up for a while before getting killed off!

They should hire back a few good old characters, even if just part time, and hire a few decent older actors. Harold (and his Tuba!) and Lou should still appear. And there should be a handful of other characters of the calibre of Karl and Susan to give the show some stability. The hot young people should be decoration, not clogging up airtime unless they can act.

Piper is an over indulged brat. Brad and Terese didn't want a divorce party, but Piper did so they had to have it with her as chief organiser. Lauren didn't want a hen do, but the same happened. She was forbidden to have a tattoo but went ahead, tricking Ned with her lies, with no consequences. And don't get me started on the effects of her vlogging yet however much her parents ban her from media she always finds a way past that and the ban is forgotten.

I agree that the actress is very good, but the character is a total brat.

And she used her parents to enact her poor-taste revenge on Paige! who she's now all bests with, it seems!

Darcy wasn't out and out bad,jhe did care for his family

look's like Lou's back Monday

I hope it is a short visit!

Darcy was fantastic, he had the intelligence to completely figure his enemies out and then was just fantastically evil. The stuff between he and Izzy was brilliant. And he also brought out a previously unseen side to Susan. Rhys Lawson slightly reminded me of Darcy and he is also missed. A big mistake killing off Rhys.

Agree. Funny how when Lauren mentiond how Amber and the boys will turn up, Piper or Brad did not seem to mention Imogen. I will love to hear all their excuses for not coming lol.

The IVF/surrogacy is going at break neck speed, I expect Sonya will give birth at Christmas at this rate. I know soaps don't drag storylines out but onto injections Steph's injections already? Sonya should be injecting too, and I think it would be interesting to see Toadie struggle with that, as he seems to be over the whole 'maybe wanting more children' thing now.

Another one here who finds the fuss of the wedding of Brad and Lauren distasteful. Not only that, but Therese seems absolutely fine with it. Didn't she help organise the hen party? Who in their right mind would do that for their ex-husband's mistress?

Seconded

I noticed they forgot Imogen (and Daniel). Maybe the excuse could be some kind of hideous sickness bug like on EE! I'm still hoping for a surprise Mason recast. Someone they might be testing out for a few eps before bringing the character back again in the near future. The glut of 20 something males in the show is getting a bit boring now though. I'm glad to see Lou back.

I disagree that Steph is a 'saint'. She has flaws like many characters but her current surrogacy storyline is realistic, to me and I'm pleased they're raising awareness about the potential consequences. Carla Bonner and Eve Morey are doing a fantastic job so far.

What would it achieve for Terese to outwardly hate Lauren and Brad? She said before that she didn't want to end up bitter or something to that effect, especially as they are neighbours. Terese did say that her and Lauren would never be friends again, and she's kept to that. Terese agreed to help organise the hen party after she had just had amazing sex with Gary; she was blissing out and eager to share her happiness. Let's not forget her contribution was the hot air ballon ride, which she was also using to promote Lassisters.

I think it's a great storyline provided it doesn't have a happy ending which presumably it won't because that is the soap fashion. Sonia with all her do-gooder ways is very much in character by making such an offer and I can also see why Steph and Marky accept because one misses her kids and the other one simply wants one. I just wish more than of the other characters saw reason though and tried to talk them out if it, Paul is the only one who is telling it like it is.

I loved grumpy Dr Rhys

The surrogacy storyline is not at all realistic. A couple who had only been together a few months (and broken up more than once in that time) would not be accepted. A surrogate as flakey and controlling as Sonya would not be accepted.

I can see where this is going: St Steph has no eggs. Sonya will then donate one of hers, get pregnant and then Steph will have second thoughts and want to stop. Sonya will refuse and will then try to hang onto the baby and on and on it will go.

I wouldn't object to a surrogacy story, but the way this is being played out is ridiculous.

You and me both!


Piper being all over Lauren is a bit weird - Lauren is nice but she did cause Drab and Therese to split.


Interesting that I read an article today about the organisation for surrogacy set up by Kim Cotton, UK's first surrogate mother. Wonder if Australia has anything similar? There are a lot of legal ramifications - the woman featured used a surrogate to have a child from her egg fertilised by her husband. Apparently the surrogate has to go on the birth certificate as birth mother and her husband (who had nothing to do with it apart from supporting his wife) has to go an as father - the 'real' father can't. Obviously this may well be sorted out and the 'real' parents inserted, but there's obviously a lot more to this than all concerned think. Australian law may well be different but what you say above will obviously happen given what we know of Sonya - and if she uses her own eggs then it's her baby - hers and Marks! What will Toadie think of that?

As usual, Neighbours seem to have sacrificed a bit of research for a sensational plot. I'm getting very tired of Neighbours, and I never thought I'd say that.

It wouldn't achieve anything for Therese to hate Brad and Lauren but I don't think I could be as friendly to them as she is. Even if I wanted to make things easier for myself, I'd find it very hard to look at my husband so happy with his new/old woman. I think most people would struggle with it.

Agree that Piper/Lauren is weird too. Nothing wrong with them getting to know each other better and Piper accepting Lauren but they seem like best buddies at the moment.

Sonya can't donate eggs and be the surrogate, I don't think. I'm pretty sure that legally if you need donor eggs and a surrogate it has to be two separate women. Not that that would stop them in Neighbours, given that Steph and Mark were given the go ahead for surrogacy in the first place.

Lauren and Piper's faces were funny when Lauren's mum and Lou said they'd had sex. Ick. Imagining Lou going at is is not a mental image you need when eating.

Brad saying something about how Karl knew what was important - family . Like family is important to Brad. Cheated on his first wife when he had a newborn baby. Left Beth and had a family with Terese. Neglected his daughter in favour of his son and left his other daughter on the longest exchange visit known to man. Cheated on Terese and moved across the road. Showed very little in the way of grief when his son died and forgot to add his other son to the headstone. Forgot his daughter's birthday and never bothers to parent her properly. Oh yes Brad you know how important family is you miserable, bland, greasy haired lump of tedium.

Don't care for Brad then??

Lauren is someone for Piper to talk to, she listens to her and hears her POV then advises her without taking over the parental role, someone like Piper would love the fact that Lauren, in Piper's view, is treating her like an adult and respecting that she has her own view point.

The fact Lauren is her sister's mother helps too

This is such a beautiful post.

He doesn't usually bother me but that hypocritical line bugged me.

What annoyed me more was Tim Collins taking a new M3 to a backstreet garage for repairs. Surely if it was mechanical he'd try his luck with the warranty and if it was bodywork he'd go to a BMW bodyshop. I'd never have anything done in a non approved garage in case it did invalidate any future warranty claim. It's just a convoluted stupid story to bring Tyler and Piper together probably with the use of technology or vlogging

Every neighbours episode should feature a scene in which a character enters a room carrying food or drink as somebody blurts out the words "We slept together!"