Mcleod's Daughters: articles


'Art' imitates mundane life

MAY I recommend a summer holiday at Drovers Run? None of those McLeod's Daughters or anyone will be there, if that helps you decide at all ­ the season finale's tonight.

And the reason I'm suggesting a break in South Australia? Because it's Christmas day tonight and there's an open fire and everyone's wearing cardigans. On Christmas Day.

Compare and contrast December 25 in Brisbane . . . Or is the inclement weather at Drovers ­ and can anybody give me an example of another use of the word inclement apart from before weather? ­ one of Doris's spooky omens? Doris is tremendously gifted in that way.

She makes it rain tonight, I don't think it's ruining anything if I tell you that. I believe some sort of naked rain dance may have taken place in an earlier episode but fortunately I missed it. Great to see a big cliffhanger though, so nice work McLeod's. It's actually pretty dramatic.

Notice how I'm in no way knifing this soapy old drama? It's not because I'm feeling Christmas-y and generous. Nothing like that. It's because I had a breakthrough as I watched this episode.

I decided that what I used to laugh at as ridiculous dialogue is, in fact, extremely close to real life. Lots of conversations ­ most, possibly ­ are extremely tedious and boring. They're about the stupid washing, or how much is petrol today, or isn't it hot. It's not exactly Oscar Wilde. That's just how life is. So it's completely authentic and fitting that a television drama such as McLeod's has a lot of pointless talking.

On the other hand, the more I saw of Is Your House Killing You? the less I liked it. No breakthrough here I'm afraid.

Such a shame ­ I had hoped for an Amityville Horror show, with houses killing people. But what it really is, well, I'm not entirely sure. I know it's a major downer, I figured that much out.

There's a bit of home renovating, a bit of weight loss, a bit of public shaming, a bit of psychology 101 and in this first one tonight at least, there's a bloke who is stabbed by his own family on national television for being "moody".

I don't know how serious these evil-house-causing illnesses are but the father, a Gold Coast hinterland resident called Geoff Hatfield, has bad asthma and it looks like all that mould isn't really helping. Still, is this a TV series? Or more a school project? Your call.

By Dianne Butler
October 17, 2007
The Courier-Mail