Originally Posted by
Pantherboy
Well, I thought it was a beautiful and emotional farewell episode for Irene. A stunning way to say goodbye to SB. And I agree with the host of positive comments from viewers, including that it was great that the whole episode was about her, the extended recap at the beginning, the speeches, the music, the farewells & especially the letters with Irene's voiceover - where I agree with people that have been mentioning that she seemed to be speaking not just to the characters, but also to the viewers as well. And then at the end when the car passes the "You are now leaving Summer Bay' sign, she appears to look straight at the camera, as if she is saying goodbye to the audience as well. I also felt that they have had plenty of flashbacks over recent days & that if they had tried to bring back some previous characters/returnees for her farewell, as some have suggested, that it would have taken away the attention on Irene herself (some have praised how 'low key her exit was - hopeful and sad').
The writers/producers can never please everyone, with some saying that the whole storyline was too fast, while others have been saying that they couldn't wait for it to finish as it had been going on for so long... I think it was best summed up in Irene's/Lynne's voiceover to her letters she left for her friends to read, where she explained that she had to go now/quickly because she wanted them to remember her as she is now, still full of life...
"I can't tell you how much our friendship means to me and how hard it is for me to say goodbye. But I am going now, so you'll remember me as I am now, still full of life and love and hope. I want you to remember that life moves so quickly. So, make every moment count. Every single moment. Don't waste a minute. Be brave, take risks, love hard and laugh loud. It is good for the soul........"
I also think that Lynne's decision to leave took them a bit by surprise. When she took time off to do the play "The GrandParents Club", I believe that she was expected to return, but when the play did so good & they decided to 'take it on the road', Lynne thought it was the perfect time to leave H&A & 'get back to her roots'. I assume this left them little time to come up with an extended farewell storyline, so to speak (a storyline about Dementia which we now know was Lynne's idea).
I thought John/Shane was great in showing his concern for how Irene was going to cope overseas & I believe he was entitled to show his grief at losing his closest & dearest mate - and came good for her in the end (& will meet up with her in Paris later on!).
The only negative for me was, as happens in a lot of these types of farewells, the amount of random background extras attending the party. Some have said that the appearance of new cop, David, at the party was also random. I thought it was great, as David has bought Irene's place, & it was sort of a 'passing the baton' type moment - & also given that Irene invited him "Why don't you come to my farewell and meet a few people". (It was also great to see some outdoor shots of Irene's place - hopefully there will be more!).
I agree with Perdita in that I hope we hear some of them say they have heard from Irene & how she is getting on...first step of her travels to see VJ.
Overall, I thought it was very well done and a good send off.
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