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Weekly Reviews > Episodes 2718-2722 by Billy

Originally broadcast in 1996. UK Gold: Monday 7th April - Friday 11th April 2003
Writers: Piers Hobson, Susan Bower, Craig Wilkins, Xenia Michael, John Hanlon. Directors: Tony Osicka, T. Grant Fenn

We said a fond farewell to the Rebecchis this week, and also witnessed Lou and Karl both struggling to deal with the individual consequences that Cheryl's death left in its wake. Sarah's mysterious past finally caught up with her, and Phil was taught a valuable lesson...

The highlight of the week was episode 2720, when the Rebecchi's said goodbye to Ramsay Street to make room for the imminent arrival of the Wilkinson family. Angie and Stonie will both be missed, and I realised how much Stonie has grown on me in the past year. He's evolved from a simple comic relief character into someone who is actually quite sensitive and intelligent -- seeing him go on to University, meet a girlfriend and move onto new pastures has been rewarding, especially given the short amount of time he has spent in the show as a full-time cast member. As for Angie, well, the one consolation from her departure is that I know she is returning (in the 2002 season on UKGold, and later in 2003 on the current BBC episodes). Lesley Baker is a fantastic actor, and her scenes with Toadie were particularly moving, especially when she found out he had vied behind her back to try and stay in Erinsborough. A very moving performance, as usual. I've yet to find another character who can do both comedy and drama as well as Lesley Baker has been able to do so. The character of Angie just seeps so much energy, and truly does light up the screen in every scene she appears in.

Toadie's arrival at the Kennedy house provided some comic relief, and filled Kym Valentine's otherwise pointless week with some humorous storylines. The rapport between Toadie, Susan and Karl is already beginning to shine through even at this early stage, and I'm looking forward to revisiting his time with the family.

At the beginning of the week, Karl decided to give up medicine. At first it seemed like a rather strong reaction from Karl (who admits in upcoming episodes that "medicine is everything"), and I wouldn't have initially expected the character to make such a drastic turnaround. It all seemed artificial, and there wasn't much reasoning to it. Having said that, I can also see that his guilt over Cheryl's death has to be expressed in some way, and this would appear to be the most obvious route to go down. Another subtle shift for the character was the way in which Karl suddenly accepted his daughter Libby dating Darren.

Cheryl's death also made some heavy changes to Lou's life. Having found out he is the sole benefactor of her will, Lou tried to patch things over with Darren. I'm glad that this route was taken, as it adds a whole twist to Cheryl's death - given the fact that she died whilst not getting on with Lou, and would have most likely changed her will had the custody battle over Louise been resolved. I think this storyline was one of the most interesting this week, and Tom Oliver and Todd MacDonald both gave some good performances - I have to highlight MacDonald in particular, for his realistic portrayal of grief, and how Darren is handling - or not, as the case may be - his mother's passing. His heart-to-heart with brother Brett was also a very moving scene, which started to see Darren get back on track. Again, I'm pleased that the past relationship and differences between the two boys was not ignored, and someone finally beginning to understand Darren's way of feeling was welcome.

Across the street, mystery has been busy surrounding new arrival Sarah. I've really enjoyed the uncertainty of her past, and I think it's been a good way to introduce the character, rather than the standard "I saw your ad in the paper and thought I'd move in - I fit the requirements. I am stunningly attractive and have minimal acting skills". The past catching up with her wasn't as climatic as it could have been, with a rather dismal performance from the English supporting actor playing a journalist (Anthony Morton as Tony Farmer). Also, Catherine and Sarah don't seem to convince as sisters. Whether this is the complete difference in looks or because the two girls have little to no chemistry is unknown. I can't quite seem to put my finger on it.

Marnie Reece Wilmore's performances this week have also been strange. After finally confessing to Danni that she sabotaged her stock, I find it hard that Danni would a) forgive Debbie with a rather weak "don't do it again" speech and b) not take the matter further, since the two girls hated each other previously. I don't think Danni's reaction was true to her character at all. Danni has always been selfish and out to protect her own interests, yet the rather weak conclusion to this storyline disappointed because it didn't take full advantage of the character's nature. On a similiar note, I find it hard to believe that Debbie would have done something so malicious to begin with, as she's always been the down-to-earth girl next door.

Ruth and Phil meanwhile continue to be at loggerheads with each other. The performances from both Ailsa Piper and Ian Rawlings were good as would be expected, and I'm liking the fact that they have a genuine personality clash - something we haven't seen since the days when Jo Hartman and Cody Willis moved in together. I think that even were I not aware of the outcome of their relationship, at this stage I would say it was fairly obvious the pair would soon get it together, especially when the ice was well and truly broken when Ruth caught Phil speaking on the telephone in his birthday suit. Even after this event, however, Phil and Ruth still managed to not see eye to eye over Helen, and when Phil finally fired Ruth, it provided a quite moving scene between Ruth and her patient, when they both said how much they enjoyed each other's company. The week ended on a sour note when Helen became so angry at Phil's actions that she began to lapse into spasm. Anne Haddy's portrayal of a frail, weak, yet at the same time determined, Helen has been fantastic and a real pleasure to watch.

Notes: Episode 2721 saw Sarah added to the opening titles.