There is a lot of talk surrounding the Neighbours finale. How do you wrap up a tale that has been told for 37 years? With a wedding, an aircraft crash, or a natural disaster? Could there be another explosion at the Lassiters Complex, which is undoubtedly now uninsurable? Is there still anyone Paul Robinson hasn’t tied the knot with?
We are aware that some guest stars and well-known figures, like Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, will pay Erinsborough one farewell visit. According to set sources, the last scene would be a tenderly sentimental finish to over four decades of drama. However, if Neighbours stayed loyal to its origins, it might conclude with a terrifying, exaggerated 1980s nightmare sequence more akin to Elm Street than Ramsay Street, ending the way it started.
The new soap from Grundy Television premiered on the Seven network in Australia on March 18th, 1985. It was also resolved to leave a lasting impression. Viewers who were anticipating a smooth start to a new family teatime series may have felt a jolt when they saw…
…a ominous minor chord resounds as silhouetted gum trees swing in the dying sun. Then night falls. Invisible automobile headlights cast a greasily illuminating glow across the smoke. Unclothed boy spinning in terror as ominous synth music gets louder. Like a Wake in Fright kangaroo, he is encircled. As more vehicles approach, they rev their engines and flash their lights at the scared child. As the camera pans over the smiling faces of the spectators, they mock viciously at his misery. But hold on, these aren’t random strangers; they’re his neighbours, his family, and his friends. There’s Julie Robinson, his mother, and his father. Helen Daniels grins and throws her head back.
The young boy runs to his father, who begins to squeeze his son’s neck while mercilessly laughing. The youngster looks up to a swimmer on a diving board, lit like Roy Batty at the conclusion of Blade Runner, smoke pouring around him in the pitch-blackness. As the music builds and the youngster shouts “NOOOOOOoooooo,” the object dives, leaving behind what appear to be gas flames. He immediately sits bolt upright in bed.
Greetings from Danny Ramsay’s psyche. Greetings from Neighbors.
Soon after, Danny is talking to Des while riding his bicycle down Ramsay Street about his upcoming nuptials to Lorraine. Bridesmaid outfits and stag party planning are the talk of the entire street. Daphne, a stripper, has been scheduled to perform. In the end, Paul Robinson looks worse for wear and is just wearing a diaper and a baby bonnet. When Lorraine dumps Des, her affluent father awkwardly reveals that they are friends with the stripper. Thus concludes the first chapter, the first of 5,955 steps.
Whatever the series finale has in store, that opening declaration is a nightmare to live up to.
The final episode of Neighbours airs on Friday, July 29, at 9 p.m. on Channel 5 in the UK and on Thursday, July 28, at 10 and 10 Peach in Australia.
