Surgeon Dan Marshall got tired of living with a career woman and fell for Jilly's niece, Jessica. Spookily, she too was a young woman with a disfiguring scar, whom he transformed using plastic surgery. A coincidence, or did Dr Dan have a rather sinister fetish?
In the final scenes of the show's original airing, Jilly accidentally shot Jake, as he tried to prevent her from killing Stephanie. In the ensuing tussle, Stephanie grabbed the gun and stumbled out of the room. She stood at the top of the stairs, blood splattered and holding the gun, while a party was going on in the sitting room below. Producers left the ending open in preparation for a second series, but one was never made. A proper ending to the story was only filmed once they realised that it would be impossible to sell the worldwide syndication rights as long as the show ended with an unresolved cliffhanger. Thus, some of the actors were called back to film a couple of extra scenes that quickly tied up all the loose ends. Sadly, the hurried nature of these add-on scenes is both obvious and rather jarring. Within just a few minutes, photographic evidence proved who really killed Jake, and Stephanie was released from prison and was also reunited with the long lost son she had had at the age of eighteen.
The soap's off-screen intrigue often threatened to overshadow the over the top plots. After the show's initial success, some of the stars fell over themselves to rubbish it, and disassociate themselves from it. A few stated categorically that they would not deign to appear in a sequel. Strange that these actors have barely been heard of since...There were also rumours of on the set tantrums, with some of the leading ladies unhappy with the costumes they were given to wear. Money was also a problem; the show's original wardrobe mistress spent the whole series' clothing budget on the first episode, and her successor had to beg and borrow, if not steal, frocks for the rest of the run.
Bad press also surrounded the show after the actor playing Jake was arrested on minor drug charges.
Return to Eden was the most flamboyant soap Australia (and Britain) had ever seen; it pretty much even out-"Dynastied" Dynasty. However, it was such a product of the 80s that it now seems the most dated classic Aussie soap of them all. But it was great fun while it lasted.
Click here for a list of main cast members
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