Stay Home to watch this! (Home & Away)

Member Name: Beckemm

Product:	Home & Away
Date:	26/03/04 (375 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good storyline, Good looking actors/actresses, keeps you interesed

Disadvantages: Big cast turnover, Could be too tame for some

Home and Away is definietly one of my favourite tv shows. It is just so trashy and typical of autralian soaps that it is just so enjoyable to watch and to take your mind of the real world for 25minutes!

Home and Away (H&A) is shown on channel 5 at 6pm every weekday, and then repeated the following lunch time at 12:30pm. It also has an omubious on staurday mornings, so if you ever miss an episode at least you can pratically guarentee you'll catch up with it at some time in your busy life scedule.

I personally like H&A as it is very much based around the lives of the teenage chacracters in the cast and this makes it more fun to watch without having to sit through an episode of attcaks, murders, illnesses and general upset, which you don't really want to see when you swich on the tv for entertainment purposes. Unlike some of the more intense soaps, like Eastenders, it is not so graphic due to the time scedule in Austarlia and England. To me this is definitly an advantage, although if you prefer the more heavy exciting storylines then perhaps you may find it a little too tame.

Another defintie advantage which can apply to both the males and females is that everyone who lives in 'summer bay', just happens to be very good looking! This is also emphaised by the many beach scenes, with the females in their bikinns (for you guys to keep you interested), and life guards in their trunks for the ladies to ogle at!! (enter the old actor of flynn and nick!!) Trousers are rarely ever worn by the younger cast, and shorts and skirts are regularlly seen. What i find quite funny is that even when in real life the weather is freezing cold and windy the cast still have to film their beach scenes dressed as if it was the middle of summer!!

The setting of home and away is a beautiful beach, which of course is always spot lessley clean and the sand is always white and shining. The water is also an advantage, the guy
s favourite pasttime is surfing and you also of course get the occasional drowing where everyone gathers around and a sexy life guard runs in and saves them, and the suspense is climaxised! Althouth this is a very typical setting it deosn't really matter as i find it much beter to look at than the grotty house and streets of the British soaps. the other main places to 'hang out', if you live in summer bay are the Dinner and the surf club. The Dinner consists of just tables, and of course 'OJ's' and coffees. It really does amaze me how everyone on H&A always has enough money to get breakfast, lunch, a milkshake, and dinner from the dinner! The surf club, is quite obviously, for the surfers and the younger memebers. With a pool table, pinball machine, gym and cafe it is certainly a hang out which i know my town could do with!

The cast of H&A i find are generally good actors/actresses, and each play their characters very well. My favourite characters are the gang of Nick, Seb, Kirsty and Jade, and then the slightly older set of Hayley, Noah, Dani and Alex. Max the 8year old boy with the mind of a 25 year old is also a great asset to the show providing humour with his many dilemas and attitude! I like these chacraters best as they are similar to everyday teenagers and have the worries of boyfiends/girlfriend, and exam etc. Rather than the more unbelivablt stories which are sometimes seen with soaps. Humour is also a common feature in H&A, with their being beach parties and the usual boy meet girls storylines, where you know in the end they'll get together but its still great to watch!

Even the old classic members of the cast who have been there for years upon years are still intersting. Alf never fails to come out with classic Aussie quotes which never fail to have you laughing!! Although Donald has recently left the soap, to live with his new girlfiend, sally flecter is also still in it, after being in their
since being about 5 years of a
ge. It is also good as from time to time, some of the old cast come back for reunions etc, which is always good to see. For exmaple for sallys wedding last week Alisa and Donald cam back, as well as Collens Lancy and sophie.

Every episode of H&A ends with a usual soap cliffhanger and keeps you wanting to watch the next episode to find out what happens. Although i said the stoylines aren't that greaphic they have still covered the ususal stories of deaths, rapes and most recently a gay storyline. There is quite a large cast turnover in home and away with new characters often coming in and old ones leaving. they also do the occasional sawpping of actors for whatver reasons. The most recent change in chancter was with Flynn. I loved the way they got around it though as the new flynn looked nothing like the old, Alf steward had lost his memeory so when Sally came into the hospital with a new guy on her arm, alf comment of he's he fitted perfectly!!

Overall H&A is a pleasure to wtach and always keeps you interested. It is also easy to catch up with!

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