members either left or were pushed, leaving only four originals - Beryl, Gordon, Wayne and Fiona.
As if they did not know what to do with these much loved characters they created ridiculous situations, such as the completely implausible marriage between Beryl and Gordon. The role of Susan Palmer was recast and she was reintroduced to the show. Susan married Wayne, who by this point had become truly psycho and she was forced to fake her own death to get away from him.
The role of Charlie Bartlett was expanded, fleshing out the character and making her more three dimensional and sympathetic, but the opening of her gym "Bumps and Grinds" was surely the beginning of the end for what had once been a top quality family saga.
The programme began to descend into farce, becoming a sad parody of itself. By the end of its run, it was like a terminally ill patient begging to be put out of its misery. The viewers were that patient's family, sentimental about better days, but relieved that the suffering would be over. |
