Loveday Writing

Before he leaves, Penny asks to speak to Hugh outside of the Clinic. She’s brought Floyd to work with her due to his running away twice in the previous episode, and she wants to know what happened at Floyd’s school, knowing that Floyd told him. Ken and Melody come outside before anything can be said, to inform them about a hot balloon crashing nearby, hitting a power line in the process with multiple casualties, that they have to attend to. On their way to the crash site, Hugh tells Penny what happened with Floyd at his school. They go to the site and successfully attend to the casualties (even after the hot balloon gas causes an explosion). Before they leave the site, Hugh and Penny have a tender moment, almost kissing, only to be interrupted by a phone call from Sharna, who has arrived back in Whyhope. Hugh and Penny pick her up from the airport.

Sharna meets up with Charlie to ask her if she has planned any upcoming events for Whyhope, which eventually leads to her asking Charlie about Hugh’s dating history. Charlie responds by revealing that she dated Hugh, and that Hugh and Penny had an “on and off thing”, which Sharna didn’t know. Later when Sharna visits the Clinic, she accuses Penny of falsifying the KPI stats to keep Hugh in Whyhope, but Penny counters that it was a mistake and wishes them both the best in Sydney. Later, when Hugh and Sharna are talking in Hugh’s car, Sharna asks if Penny means a lot to him, he says that his past is complicated and he can’t do anything about it, and tells her that if she’s going to Sydney, he’s going with her.

Meanwhile at the Clinic, Floyd comes to see Penny to ask when they’re going home for the day. Penny admits to Floyd that Hugh told her about the dick pic situation, and asks why he couldn’t tell her about it. Floyd counters that he, as a teenage boy, didn’t want to explain the situation to his mother. He also calls her out for not being honest about her feelings for Hugh, especially as everyone can see them.

Later Hugh leaves Whyhope with Sharna and Eliza, and we see his life in Sydney – he’s back in the operating theatre and also working out of his office, and attending social events with Sharna. However, it’s not long before the cracks begin to show, especially Hugh’s dissatisfaction with the monotony of his job and his irritation at Sharna’s suggestion of hiring an au pair to look after Eliza due to their busy lives.

The episode ends with Hugh returning to Whyhope with Eliza on Matt and Charlie’s wedding day (albeit late, missing the ceremony), without Sharna, for good. When Penny approaches him, he tells her that he and Sharna have broken up as she deserves someone who is “all in” and he wasn’t. He also declares his love for her and they finally kiss. They then go to the homestead, hand-in-hand, and dance the night away on the dancefloor.

Overall, while the story arc came to a nice, neat close, the outcome was always obvious, and therefore was predictable. However, I appreciate the character development of Hugh and Penny – both as individuals and as love interests – over the course of the series. On another note, it was good to see a medical drama in this episode as that is an element of the show that has been lacking this season.

Hayley and Ajax – Hayley and Ajax inform Meryl of their separation at the start of the episode. Later the same day, Meryl visits the Council Chambers and tells Hayley that she thinks that her and Ajax acted too quickly in separating, that every new marriage has teething problems and most of them can be traced to the bedroom. She gives Hayley a book which provides a detailed guide on sexual discovery, in a brown paper bag, and tells her that she’s booked a counselling-like therapy session for her and Ajax at the Clinic.

Later, Hayley and Ajax go to the Clinic, where Ajax finds the book. Hayley starts to leave, only for Melody to welcome them into a consultation room. While we don’t see the session take place onscreen, later on we see Hayley and Ajax sitting under a tree, trying one of Melody’s strategies to talk things out without physical contact. Hayley tells Ajax that she didn’t need him to build her a house, she wanted him to want her, and that her “tryst” with Tom was just something she needed to get out of her system. Ajax tells her that he loves her and has always thought she was beautiful. They end up hooking up, vowing not to tell Melody about it.

We see them later at Matt and Charlie’s wedding happy together.

Overall, I’m happy that Hayley and Ajax got back together and worked their way through their marital problems, especially as I disliked the cheating and gambling subplots. Again, it was another predictable outcome and there was a part of me that felt it would have perhaps been more interesting if they had stayed apart, to see where their lives would go without each other.

Matt and Charlie – Matt spent the episode bungling his proposal attempts to Charlie and on cloud nine after being offered a $2 million deal for the Arcadia beer. While he feels that both Meryl and Charlie telling him to have the contract looked over is putting a damper on his spirits, he does get Michael to look at it anyway.

Michael informs him that the contract states that the Arcadia beers won’t be brewed in Whyhope, but in Melbourne. He also informs him that there is a non-compete clause, which limits Matt’s options to trade outside of the agreement, and therefore it will stop him from being able to brew his own beer at The Brewery. Michael theorises that the company views Arcadia as a competitor to their other craft brew beer brands, so they are buying Matt out to close him down.

Later Charlie proposes to Matt in her mayoral robes after she flashes him. Matt tells him he’s been trying to propose to her all day. She accepts and he tells her he’s turning down the deal.

After Hugh and Sharna leave Whyhope, Matt and Charlie have their wedding at the homestead, where their family and friends dance the night away.

Overall, I’m happy that Matt and Charlie finally got married again.

Meryl and Charlie – Once again Meryl is giving Charlie unwanted advice on how to be Whyhope’s Mayor. This time, Meryl comes to the Council Chambers and informs her that she has booked a dinner for her with the Chair of the Central West Horticultural Society, to get him to have Whyhope host a Floriade. Meryl gives her an envelope filled with money, a bribe to give to the Chair, which he’ll ask for under the guise of asking for dessert. Charlie refuses, pointing out that this is exactly what got Meryl into trouble in the first place, and why she is now Interim Mayor, but Meryl points out that the Floriade will be crucial to Whyhope’s recovery.

The internal pressure to bribe the Chair mounts for Charlie when Sharna tells her she needs to start planning events for Whyhope to improve the economy. Charlie buys a new dress for the dinner and even takes the envelope with the bribe in it with her. Just as the dinner kicks off and the Chair starts pushing for the bribe, Meryl arrives. Despite the pressure from both of them, Charlie makes it clear that she isn’t going to bribe him, instead offering a permanent venue for the Society’s events and a plaque in The Gardens with his name on it. The ego boost is enough for the Chair to agree to Charlie’s terms, terms which aren’t illegal, creating a win-win situation. Meryl tells Charlie as they leave the restaurant that Whyhope is in good hands with her, and that she should keep Hayley working at Council as she needs to be kept busy.

Overall, I enjoyed this subplot as while Meryl is still interfering, by the end of it she is clearly handing over the reins to Charlie, which Charlie herself points out. I was relieved to see that while she was pressured and tempted, she ultimately chose her own path and way of doing things as Interim Mayor.

Ken and Melody – The only focus on them was the subtle moments showing that they are clearly in a relationship. While I’m happy that they got a happy ending together, I would have liked to have seen the blossoming of their relationship over a few episodes (two, three at the most). In all honesty, I feel that the writers really only threw them together to give them a happy ending because the series was ending, no other reason. That being said, I guess these little moments were better nothing.

Meryl and Michael – The episode kicks off with Ajax, Hayley, Hugh and Jimmy coming into Meryl’s bedroom to tell her news, ask for help, and jump on her bed respectively. The shock on her face as Ajax barges in, as well as clearly trying to get them out of the room, made it obvious that Michael was hiding under the covers.

There wasn’t really too much of a focus on them, but at least their romance was finally out in the open. Michael also manages to get Meryl’s mother’s pearl necklace back for her.

The episode and the series ends with Michael and Meryl leaving Whyhope for the next chapter in their lives (although it wasn’t explicitly stated, I’m going to assume that Meryl finished her community service so she could leave), with the camera panning out to a sign stating “Thank you for visiting Whyhope”.

While I have provided my thoughts throughout this review, I will generally say that while there were a few cliches and predictable outcomes here and there, it was a solid finale as everything was brought to a neat close, even with certain characters (Hugh in particular) going full circle. Everyone was given a happy ending. Doctor Doctor certainly didn’t go out with bang but it didn’t go out with a whimper either, ultimately it was the best way to end the series.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Rodger Corser, Ryan Johnson, Matt Castley, Hayley McElhinney, Nicole da Silva, Chloe Bayliss, Tina Bursill, Charles Wu, and Belinda Bromilow for their spectacular performances over the last five years. I also want to thank the other cast members and crew for putting together a brilliant show over the last five years which has been compelling, entertaining, and just as heartfelt as it is funny. While it had its ups and downs, especially in its final two seasons, it was one of the best Australian shows I’ve ever seen, and I’m honestly going to miss reviewing it.

Stray Observations:

-Melody is partway through a sexual therapy diploma.

-Betty didn’t appear but did send a loving text message to congratulate Matt and Charlie on their wedding and to tell everyone that Bogota rocks and she loves Whyhope.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “Whyhope has been my wilderness for years, a time for me to shape the big ideas.” “I’ll let the Nobel Prize Committee know.” (Hugh-Penny while Hugh is giving a goodbye speech at the Clinic)
• “Penny, some may say I have big ego…” “We all do.” “But even I have to admit, I can’t see a life for myself without you in it, here in Whyhope, with you.” “You hate Whyhope.” “Yeah, well about that, can I let you in on a little secret…I actually kind of love it. Almost as much as I love you.” “I love you too.” (Hugh-Penny declaring their love for each other)