{"id":19497,"date":"2022-07-29T23:01:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T21:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1687148"},"modified":"2022-07-29T23:38:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T21:38:09","slug":"neighbours-finale-review-tears-reunions-and-susans-crowning-moment","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/neighbours-finale-review-tears-reunions-and-susans-crowning-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighbours finale review: Tears, reunions and Susan\u2019s crowning moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Helen Daly\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 29 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

It was the day no soap fan was looking forward to \u2013\u00a0the day one of the big ones fell. Neighbours<\/a>, after 37 years on screens in the UK and Australia, finally came to an end with the residents of Ramsay Street coming together for one big celebration.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to the end, fans of the soap have been quite frankly astonished by the amount of talent from the past who announced they were returning to say goodbye. Guy Pearce (who plays Mike Young), Margot Robbie (Donna Freedman), Jason Donovan (Scott Robinson) and even queen of pop herself Kylie Minogue (Charlene Robinson) made their way back for the occasion. The wealth of talent this show has produced is on full force throughout the final week, but especially in the last episode.<\/p>\n

The hour-long special centred around Toadie Rebecchi (played by Ryan Moloney) and Mel Pearson\u2019s (Lucinda Cowden) wedding. The sweet, American-western inspired affair went without a hitch (quite unusual for Neighbours, and especially strange for a Rebecchi wedding), and became the catalyst for bringing people back to Erinsborough in one way or another.<\/p>\n

It was also responsible for notorious bad boy Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis)\u00a0finally<\/em> reigniting his love with the only woman to tame him, Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou). Fans from the recent years will have been pleased to finally see them seal the deal with a kiss and<\/em> call off The Lassiters buy-out and move to New York. So they were staying put in Erinsborough.<\/p>

One couple who were planning on leaving, though, were Toadie and Mel. With everyone but the Kennedys selling up on Ramsay Street, the soon-to-be-newlyweds are wondering about whether a new life away from Erinsborough will be best for them considering how many memories (and let\u2019s be honest, failed marriages, ahem Toadie) surround them. Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) are in charge of collating memories for the Ramsay Street book and take it upon themselves as a good time to share their findings with Toadie and Mel.<\/p>\n

A video montage plays, with former residents of Ramsay Street leaping at the chance to congratulate the happy couple, begging them to stay on Ramsay Street. Enter the how-the-hell-will-they-do-that cameo from Margot Robbie, who pops up on screen looking like the Hollywood star she is to share her congratulations. It\u2019s not quite Donna-back-on-the-street, but it\u2019s lovely nonetheless (and Margot\u2019s probably a little too busy with Barbie<\/a> for a flight across the world, anyway). We also reconnect with Steph Scully (Carla Bonner), Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia) and Flick Scully (Holly Valance) to name but a few. Admittedly some returns were a little more seamless than others, but one must suspend belief when watching Neighbours.<\/p>\n

How could Toadie and Mel leave after that? They, of course, decide to stay, and a reception\u2019s held on Ramsay Street with plenty of faces from years gone by.<\/p>\n

Enter, the elephant in the room: Kylie and Jason\u2019s return. Big, and bold, their return to the sound of Especially For You is admittedly goosebump-inducing if not a moment of camp that the soap does so well. They are<\/em> Neighbours, and it was lovely to see them back, even if it was a little bit forced and slightly disconnected from the main storyline.<\/p>\n

It almost doesn\u2019t matter if some of the reunions weren\u2019t executed with exemplary flare. This was more about nostalgia, which the hour-long special delivered in bucket-loads. Could some of the returns been a bit more seamless? Yes. Did we all enjoy when we saw Margot Robbie back as Donna? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

But really, this episode was Jackie Woodburne\u2019s. If Scott and Charlene were the faces of Neighbours, Susan was the heart. Beloved Susan held all the values that Erinsborough put on a pedestal. She was kind, thoughtful\u2026 everything you\u2019d want your own neighbour to be. If anyone could reflect on the history of the show, it\u2019s Susan. Woodburne, who seemed to be on the verge of tears throughout the entire final week, was tasked with wrapping up 37 years of the show in a beautiful monologue which was helpfully Susan\u2019s entry into the memory book.<\/p>\n

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Neighbours finale cast<\/span><\/figcaption> Fremantle \/ Channel 5<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The beauty of it was just how delicately it spoke to fans of the show, showing them touching hints of the past while also reflecting on the talent of the current cast. \u201cHow do you begin to describe a street?\u201d Susan ponders, before going on to talk about the \u2018legendary legacy\u2019 of the early inhabitants of Ramsay Street \u2013\u00a0the Robinsons, the Ramsays.<\/p>\n

The most touching moment of the entire week, let alone the finale, came when Susan reflected on those who the soap lost, including surprising returns for beloved Madge Bishop (Anne Charleston) and Doug Willis (Terence Donovan) from the classic era, and Sonya Rebecchi (Eve Moray) and Hendrix Greyson (Ben Turland) from the new era. Heck, even lovable psychopath Finn Kelly (Rob Mills) had a surprise ghostly cameo (much to this Finn stan\u2019s delight). To say fans got what they wanted is an understatement. I defy anyone to be disappointed with the sheer amount of famous faces back on screen.<\/p>\n

As the monologue wraps up, Susan pays homage to us, UK viewers. \u201cI think you have to acknowledge everything, celebrate it all. The good, the bad, because all of that makes us who we are,\u201d she says. \u201cEveryone deserves a place in the history of Ramsay Street\u2026 even those who watched us from a far. Together, we\u2019ve been the perfect blend.\u201d Barely holding back tears, Karl asks where she\u2019s been and Susan utters the final line of the show: \u201cI was home.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what Neighbours was for so many: home. Always comforting, funny, honest, dramatic, emotional, and familiar, Neighbours was \u2013\u00a0and will always be \u2013\u00a0an exemplary soap that exists in many people\u2019s lives, no matter where they are in the world. Good Neighbours truly did become good friends, and that\u2019s proven by the sheer amount of talent they got back to say goodbye, let alone the outpouring from fans across the globe. TV\u2019s loss is our gain. We have the wonderful memories of 37 years, and the lasting image of all our favourite characters on screen for the most beautiful celebration.<\/p>\n

Goodbye, Ramsay Street, and goodbye Neighbours. We\u2019ll miss you forever.<\/p>\n

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