Editorial

So, what did I think of the Channel 10 series?

Well, my feelings were mixed. I didn't like the way the original series ended. I realize that they had a limited amount of time in which to neatly wrap up 12 years of stories and I think they did an admirable job of doing so. However, it left me feeling cheated and it would be putting it mildly to say that I was an unhappy camper. I've since reconciled myself to the whole thing but this was my state of mind as the first of the Channel 10 episodes aired the following Monday here in Canada.

I had heard much about how bad the second series was but really, that's an unfair assessment. Sure, it wasn't the same calibre as the original but if it could have been judged on its own merits, without being compared to the original, it may have actually stood a chance. Many of the writers and producers who made the original series the great show it was continued on with the new series so there had to be some quality associated with it.

I resolved, before I began watching it, to treat it as if I knew nothing of the pre-history of the town or characters. Strangely enough, that was actually quite easy. There were too many discrepancies, too many people missing without a word, too much that had changed for it to feel like the original series. It had the feel of "Blue Heelers" or "Water Rats", probably because of the new one hour per week format, which made it even easier to think of it as a totally new series. I grew to like the new characters and I looked forward to each "new" episode. I know I'm probably very alone in this but I actually missed them when the last of the 30 Channel 10 episodes ended.

If you have an opportunity to view the second series, I urge you to give it a fair chance. Try to pretend it's a totally new series and not a continuation of the ACP we all know and love. Give it time to grow on you rather than dismissing it from the start.