‘Suddenly’ by Angry Anderson seems to be the track benefiting the most today on iTunes - currently 38 & 172

Weird I can’t see EFY anywhere on U.K. iTunes?

Weird I can’t see EFY anywhere on U.K. iTunes?

 

Looks like there has been zero impact for it - other neighbours stars/related songs are appearing by Angry Anderson, Natalie Imbruglia and Delta Goodrem.

That's strange I expected especially for you to be doing something even at the bottom end of the chart.

3m viewers on channel 5 for Finale

That's brilliant ratings, that could come up to 3.5 or 4 when catch up etc is counted in.

Odd that there has been literally zero impact for Kylie or Jason on iTunes especially as it only takes a few sales to appear.

 

There has also been heavy coverage about the finale with Kylie and Jason heavily featured and some playing EFY.

I feel like their cameo in Neighbours was a bit of a let down, to say the least. :cry: Kylie (as Charlene) hardly saying a word came across quite oddly. It’s also been mocked a fair bit on social media, which is certainly not the outcome I’d have anticipated prior to the episode airing. I’m curious about whose fault it is that she had so few lines, but ultimately I feel that it was a missed opportunity. Their legacy deserved something better. I know in the grand scheme of Kylie’s career this hardly matters of course. It’s funny because having recently watched many of her 1980s scenes, Charlene spoke a mile a minute. While Charlene in her 50s would obviously be mature, I doubt she’d be a woman of few words either! :lol:

 

I was also thinking that the tour of the houses scenes that Jane and Mike were a part of would have been even more poignant if Charlene and Scott had been involved in those scenes too, but evidently Kylie and Jason were only available to do the outdoors location for some reason.

 

Anyway I think this may go someway to explaining the muted reaction to Especially for You on UK iTunes. It’ll be interesting to see how the vinyl and cassette sells because it doesn’t really feel like “a moment” was created for Especially for You to really benefit all that strongly.

I actually think they pitched Kylie’s appearance just right. Speaking as a huge Neighbours fan, the finale was practically perfect. I might have wanted to see some other past characters but that list is endless and the ones we saw were more than enough.

 

The episode was centred around the big characters in the show today. Toadie and Mel’s wedding, Paul and Terese reunion, plenty of sentimental moments for Karl and Susan (that monologue *.*) and most importantly-Jane. Guy Pearce was great and slipped back into Mike so well. Mike and Jane never got the fairytale ending Scott and Charlene did. It was open ended for both initially and poor Jane has been luckless in love over the past couple of years since she’s been back. Them getting their moment was really special. I’m not sure what Scott and Charlene being on the house tour would have added. If anything, it would have taken away the intimacy between Jane and Mike in those scenes.

 

And I’m absolutely positive that Kylie’s lack of dialogue was probably her idea. She’s been on record in the past saying that Charlene returning would upstage the regular cast which she was worried about doing. I agree with her and I expect she requested as small role when she agreed to come back and I think that they played it just right.

 

Their wedding might be the most iconic part of Neighbours history but it was 35 years ago out of 37 of the show’s history. Scott and Charlene were a footnote in Neighbours overall history. It would have been bizarre to make the whole last episode about them. I think popping up to join the celebrations is all we needed.

When you put it like that I do agree that Mike and Jane doing the house tour by themselves created an intimacy that was perfect in allowing their old feelings to bubble up to the surface again, so that was very nicely done. While I can imagine it could have been poignant to see Scott and Charlene in their old houses one last time, within the context of the episode overall it probably would have been a bit clunky and shoehorned in to do that.

 

In advance of the finale I caught up on the final two weeks of episodes, assuming it would help me to have more appreciation for the finale, and it definitely helped. I was kind of surprised by how quickly I became invested in all the characters, including those I'd never seen before such as Jane and Melanie! (I watched it from the mid 90s to 2010, so there were a few characters I knew very well such as the Kennedy family and Toadie). With Jane I quickly sensed how she was quite sad and downtrodden, so I found myself rooting for her and Mike in the finale. The episode leaving them with the possibility that they'd have a happy ending was very heartwarming!

 

I also agree that Scott and Charlene definitely didn't need to dominate the episode. The number of scenes was right - but ideally Charlene would have said just a couple more lines within those scenes so that they came across a bit more naturally. I think the main offending one is where she sees the open window and runs up to it and inspects it. While I totally understood that it was a callback to her very first episode, her not saying one word in that scene seemed a little odd.

 

Though I know that was a minor detail within an hour of a really fantastic episode though. Susan's monologue really was absolutely perfectly done! :wub:

The ending was superb.

A few more lines from Kylie would have been lovely but it also worked beautifully the way it was.

Neighbours bosses have confirmed they filmed Kylie and Jason’s scenes before they had completed scripts for the final episode and had to fit them into the episode after, they also didn’t want them to overshadow the other characters in the episode. I suspect time restraints with Kylie’s schedule also played a bit of a part.

Ya it all makes sense and the exec producer has also spoken out saying how willing and easy kylie was to work with.

Executive Producer Jason Herbison tells TV Tonight the timing of their secret shoot meant it stood apart from finale storylines.

“Our discussions with Jason (Donovan) and Kylie were always about making a small appearance. They didn’t want to overshadow the current cast or make the finale about them. We also filmed their scenes before I’d written the episode, so whatever we filmed had to fit in with that. I hate to see Kylie copping any criticism – she was nothing short of amazing on the day,” he said.

I don’t think the reasons given completely justifies her character hardly saying anything (and in one scene, nothing), considering that Jason as Scott said quite a bit more than her. I think it’s a valid criticism, but what’s done is done of course.

There were literally characters that came back and said nothing at all though. They were add ons, not part of the story. Most of Jason’s lines were clearly ad-libbed as well, particularly the balcony scenes with the other characters.

A few words from Charlene on the balcony would have made sense, remember the day we met for example but we just need to appreciate the moment and appreciate Kylie took part.

I agree a couple of more words would have been good, there was times it did look like kylie was holding back from saying anything, the part where charlene was running up towards the house and the scene on the balcony, even 3 or 4 more words would have made those scenes better and likewise when she hugged Jane, she could have said its so good to see you, but i loved just seeing them back and seeing them take part in what was a great finish to neighbours and to be fair to kylie she could have said no and i was happy that she was part of it. As others mentioned others that returned didnt have a word at all but i think the context worked brilliantly and it was a thank you and acknowledgment for anyone that made the effort to be part of it and it was great that so many former cast members put in the effort to be part of it.

The final episode only aired in Ireland today with a repeat on this evening so hopefully especially for you may do more here than it did in the UK although i would think many other Irish fans like myself would have watched the hour special on channel 5 on friday night.

No sign of especially for you on itunes ireland yet from what i can see.

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