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Magic Moments > 1999 > The 1999 Season Finale Episode 3445
Written by Christopher Gist, Directed by Chris Adshead and Robert Meillon
Lance ask for reassurance from Amy that he will see her at the Millennium party, saying he can't think of anyone he'd rather see the next thousand years in with. Amy gives a grudging smile. Joe arrives home with a box full of expensive foods for the party, having assumed Lyn got the job at the new salon. She gets upset, telling him she didn't get the job and consequently they have no spare money to spend. She accuses him of trying to impress the new neighbours by making out they're well off...
Amy walks in on Lance who's dancing with a floor brush to a pop song. She makes a sarcastic comment about him as he wraps his arms around her and attempts a kiss. She pulls away, using her soon-to-depart flight as an excuse. Amy warns Lance not be worried if she doesn't turn up at the party - explaining the New Year delays are causing havoc with flight times. Lance jokes that her plane might fall out of the sky with it being Millennium Eve and that she should call in sick. His girlfriend doesn't appreciate the joke, but makes a reluctant promise, for the second time, that she will make it to the party.
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Lyn walks into the kitchen, having composed herself, exclaiming that prawns, at 40c a kilo were an unnecessary extravagance. Joe defends himself with the claim that the other residents will be chipping in with food, but Lyn cuts in saying they'll all be contributing sausage rolls. To add fuel to the fire, Joe pulls out a pair of brand-new trainers he bought for Michelle. This is the final straw for Lyn who screams at her husband, telling him off for spending money they agreed not to. At that moment, Michelle walks in, spots the trainers she's been after for weeks. Lyn nearly manages to make Joe see sense and refund the trainers, but he is influenced by his youngest daughter's pleas to keep them and pay them off herself. Joe leaves to organise a slab of beer, assuring Lyn that the trestle tables will be taken care of by the boys.
Drew is talking on the 'phone to his mother, while Paul works on a car in the background. Drew insists to his mother that he will "do it tonight" and send his love to the rest of the family. Paul jokes about his mother giving him a hard time, but Drew seems slightly preoccupied. He says he has something important to organise and leaves the young lad in charge.
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Harold is still bandaged from his attack a few nights previously, and Karl assures him that the doctors are telling the truth with regards to his facial healing. Drew enters the Coffee Shop as Karl is about to leave. He asks Karl if he could have a word in private. Karl is in a hurry, but invites him to sit down. Drew, however, would rather be somewhere more confidential, so Karl suggests a chat on the way to the hospital. Drew seems confused and dazed, but suggests they talk later.
Anne walks up Ramsay Street as Lance and Joel are about to set up the trestle tables. Lance appears to be in a very happy mood, which Anne comments on. The reason is due to Amy's promise of coming to the party. Anne is surprised that Amy should be scheduled on a flight to Sydney on Millennium Eve, but Lance concludes that someone has to do it. Elsewhere, Michelle pops round to No.24 to see Paul, apologizing that she can't make that day's guitar lesson because she's helping Lyn with party preparations. She does, however, suggest they resume lessons if they manage to survive the Millennium. Tad hears this from the kitchen and makes a jokey remark. Michelle stick to her guns and fails to have her fears alleviated by Tad and Paul's dismissive attitude.
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At the Kennedy residence, Susan is on the phone to Lou as Libby and Karl joke about what music to play at the party. Karl pleads with his daughter for permission to play The Right Prescription. Libby grudgingly agrees, if only because Michelle will be "subjecting us to Boy4 all night". Karl jokes that he loves Boy4 and has all their records. Susan finishes her phone call and reports that Lauren and Mark are finally talking but the Queensland roads are still impassible due to flooding. A knock at the door signals Drew's arrival. Karl initiates a conversation, trying to suss out what he wanted to discuss earlier in the day. Drew tries to explain that he can't discuss it in front of Libby and Susan, but gets muddled and forgets that the excuse he used to visit No.28 in the first place was to borrow barbeque tools. The mechanic gets further confused when Libby asks him to bring along his REM and Powderfinger CDs to the party as he leaves. Susan and her daughter are bemused by how distant Drew seems, like a lost child. Karl confers between the ladies asking if they know what his delicate subject might be.
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Lance enters the kitchen dressed smartly and meets with Toadie's approval, asking if he thinks Amy will like it. Toadie admits he'll be without partner at the party, but they both agree that the night will be "huge". Outside, he revelers are in full swing. Michelle asks Paul for a dance, but he fobs her off with the excuse of it still being too early. Felicity and Steph look on, commenting on their younger sister's loss in love. Harold appears behind them with a tray of canapés, telling them he hopes they're enjoying themselves. Steph assures him that she's sure they will enjoy it, before joking to her sister that "he's a one off, isn't he?". Anne and Billy make eyes at each other across soft drinks. They wander over to Joe, who jokes that their mother is inside packing her bags. Flick humourously says he'll be forgiven -eventually. At that moment, Lyn comes hopping down the steps of No.6 and onto the street yelping for Joe. She darts in and out of the residents before falling into his arms, exclaiming that the salon owners have been on the phone telling her she's got the job at Lassiter's!
In the Scullys' garden, Michelle is sat up in Hannah's old treehouse looking forlorn. Joe emerges from the house and begins to climb the tree. He pokes his head into the treehouse and spots boxes of canned food and non-perishables. He eventually realizes the cause of Michelle's brooding - she's fearing the Millennium Bug. Michelle begins to get upset when she recounts how she refunded her trainers and kept the money intended for her guitar lessons to pay for the emergency stock. Joe puts his arm around her, asking if she really thinks he'd let anything happen to one of his girls?
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Night has fallen on Australia as it edges towards becoming one of the first inhabited territories to enter 2000AD. Tad sarcastically offers Susan two pieces of meat: burnt or medium. Both are black as soot. She opts for the medium joint. Joe checks with Karl if he managed to organise Joe's mate to fix the Kennedys' plumbing. Susan jokes they might have hot water in time for the next Millennium. Michelle is inside No.26, minding Louise who's in the bathroom. Through the window, Michelle spies Paul and Tad, and has an irresistible urge to go out to them. She tells Louise to wait where she is until she gets back.
Joel, Toadie, Lance, Billy and Anne are stalking around No.30 in search of a missing Bob the dog. They jokingly call out Robert, hoping he hasn't run out into traffic. Lance dismisses Toadie's fears saying the street's closes. Toadie's replies with the fact that there are other streets. Joel jokes that is a phone call Toadfish will be making to Sarah. They hear a distant bark, and head off in the direction of the garden, leaving Billy and Anne at the poolside. Billy takes out a couple of sparklers from his jacket and lights them. The couple wish each other a happy new Millennium. Anne admits she always wondered who she's be friends with and where's she'd be at the dawn of the year two thousand. She's interrupted by fireworks rising high into the sky above Erinsborough. Susan and Karl are arm in arm on the steps of the Kennedy house, no doubt reflecting on their disastrous 1999 which saw them renew their love following the Sarah Beaumont saga. Susan comments she can't think of anywhere she'd rather be as fireworks explode around them. Billy and Anne declare their love for each other and kiss as the firework reach a climax in harmony with Lisa Maxwell's Falling Into You.
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Lolly wanders through the loungeroom of No.26 looking for Michelle. She cannot find her, but comes across a collection of spaklers and fireworks left on the kitchen table. She begins to open the packets, as the residents outside enjoy each other's company, oblivious to the unsupervised toddler in the house.
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Drew finally manages to get some time alone with Karl. He begins to talk, but Karl asks him to speak up on account of the loud music. Just at that moment, Tad knocks Paul into the sound system rendering it silent, as Drew shouts into Karl's ear: "I want your permission to ask Libby to marry me". The residents turn round in shock at what they've just heard - none more so than Libby who asks her mother to assure her she heard correctly. Libby's in a fluster, begging advice on what she should say. Karl, meanwhile, has given his full consent to Drew's proposal. Toadie wanders over to a visibly worried Lance and assures him that Amy will make it eventually. Little do they know that Amy's flight has long since landed, and she is getting into an airport taxi with her air steward colleague, Damien Smith. They kiss before being driven off. Elsewhere, Teresa runs up Ramsay Street shouting for Susan. She is visible hurt with bruises and cuts to her face. Susan comforts her and takes her inside. Drew drags Libby off to a corner away from the music and admits he doesn't care who interrupts him, but he's going to say what he wants to. He declares his undying love to his girlfriend and admits he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Libby is unsure and attempts on several occasions to get a word in, but before she manages to speak, Drew asks her to marry him.
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At that very moment, Karl lets out a scream of "Joe, Joe, your house is on fire!". The residents all turn to face the burning No.26 as Karl, Joe and Drew question Michelle as to where Louise is. Michelle cries that she's still in the bathroom, and the three men run towards the house. Lyn tries to restrain a hysterical Michelle. Drew charges through the smoke filled lounge, but as he enters the kitchen he's greeted by intense heat and flames reaching high into the rafters.
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At No.28, oblivious to the drama outside, Susan is tending to Teresa. She plucks up the courage to ask if Brendan hit her. Tess nods her head. Just then, Anne dashes into the house and picks up the phone to dial the emergency services. She manages to relate the crisis to the two women at the same time. Susan and Anne race out of the house when a loud explosion of flames breaching another part of the Scullys' roof causes them to look skyward. Tad and Paul help Harold extend a hose reel in a bid to fight the fire. Karl and Joe struggle with the escaping smoke to open the back door and Joe screams at Louise, whom he hopes can hear him, to get down on the floor. Drew braves the burning kitchen and spots Louise curled up in a corner. He scoops her in his arms and races out of the house. Karl catches up with him and grabs Louise as they reach the driveway. Drew's back is visibly burning, and Karl orders him to drop to the ground and roll. Other neighbours rush to Drew's aid and smother him in blankets. Susan dashes over to Karl and an unconscious Lolly as the fire engines enter the cul-de-sac and Flick and Steph move tables aside to make way for them. Ambulances arrive, so Karl briefs them on the situation, as the Scully's huddle together and look up at their burning home. Lolly and Drew are lifted onto stretchers and placed in ambulances as the other residents look on.
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In the thrilling climax, the ambulances race out of Ramsay Street into the darkness of the early hours of the new year and Lyn comforts a crying Michelle as the Scullys look first at the flames protruding from their home and then the exasperated expression on Joe's face, as they wonder what the new year will bring.
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Notes: This episode was the last broadcast in 1999 before the show took several weeks break over Christmas. The fire incident was used as a cover up to hide the fact that the Scullys' kitchen set was destined for a new home in the newly opened Melbourne Museum. Thus the fire damage hid any minor alterations in the replica built for future onscreen use. Although Millennium Eve occurred a week after Christmas, the Ramsay Street residents did not celebrate the festive season at all this year.
Comment: The 1999 season finale is a true example of Neighbours at its best. Nearly the entire cast was present for this special edition, with the only exceptions (Lou and Madge) being explained by plausible on-screen storylines. It's very unusual for Neighbours to script current affairs into the programme, and as a result, this episode is made all the more special because of the major hype surrounding real life celebrations of the Millennium. This episode firmly integrated the newly arrived Scully family into the thick of the Ramsay Street action and provided many unanswered questions to see viewers through the Christmas period until new episodes aired in 2000.
Summary by Rhys. Captures by Karl
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