Those people who, like me, live in Australia should know that Channel 7 is currently screening the older episodes of "Home and Away" (otherwise known as "Home and Away, The Early Years) in addition to the new ones. I would recommend watching these older episodes (which, at the time of my writing this, go all the way back to 1989), but forgetting about the current ones. The earlier episodes of "Home and Away" seem a lot fresher (probably because all of the storylines had only been recycled a few times, rather than fifty or so which is no doubt the case by now), and also give the viewer a chance to laugh at all of the horrible late '80s fads and fashions depicted in them (I remember one earlier episode, for example, which had Carly wearing a T-shirt with the message "Twenty Decades Old" on it; God, that is sooooooooooooo 1988!). The characters also seem a lot more interesting A friend of mine once said that the series really suffered when that lovable pair of dimwits Lance and Martin left it; he may well have been right.

Although I have attempted to watch the newer episodes of "Home and Away" on various occasions, I came to the sad conclusion that I was simply killing too many brain cells each time I did this, so have since given up on them. From what I have heard from other people who still watch the current episodes, I have gathered that these episodes have two glaring faults ie:

1) the producers are more concerned with ISSUES these days than simply telling a story.

2) the show is now filled with annoying fifteen year-olds who are always wanting to hop into bed with each other ie it's trying to become the Australian version of "Dawson's Creek" (another lame show).