After a two year revival, Neighbours has once again said farewell to Ramsay Street and its residents.
When we left them, Krista (Majella Davis) had discovered that she was pregnant, just weeks after revealing to Leo (Tim Kano) that she had no desire to be pregnant again or to raise a child. While Leo was quietly overjoyed by the news, Krista was terrified by the discovery. But thanks to some kind words from Nicolette (Hannah Monson) about why she’d be a great mum, Krista began to warm to the idea of expanding their family.
Speaking of baby news, Nicolette revealed to ex-girlfriend Kiri (Gemma Bird Matheson) that she had found a donor and that there was “sperm on ice with my name on it!”
After Paul (Stefan Dennis) confessed to Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou) that he had kissed Chelsea (Viva Bianca) during her last visit, it seemed like this on-again-off-again relationship was headed for off-again. But the power couple cemented their love for one another with a touching commitment ceremony, which saw Paul reference the “people who know about ups and downs, who know about mistakes and redemption, about forgiveness, and coming together when it really matters.” Considering this revival started with a wedding for Terese, it was very fitting to see it round-out with her happy end to her one true love.
On the topic of happy endings, Jane (Annie Jones) finally decided to give things a go with her younger lover Clint (Jason Wilder), after discovering her lost engagement ring from Mike Young (Guy Pearce). It was the closure Jane needed, prompting her to kiss Clint. Meanwhile Clint was delighted that Addison (Florence Gladwin) had asked if she could have a bedroom at his house so she could split her time between both her parents.
The final instalment of the two-part double picked up a week after the first part, perhaps a nod to the Amazon revival era beginning with a time-jump two years after the 2022 finale.
And fittingly, it began with JJ (Riley Bryant) driving the Varga-Murphy clan into the street by circling the cul-de-sac and parking outside No. 24, just as he did in the first scene on the 2023 revival. Only this time he was fully licensed.
No. 24 was packed with old faces, as Byron Stone (Xaiver Molyneux), Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) and Rhett Norman (Liam Maguire) returned to Ramsay Street for a Harris/Stone/Brennan family reunion.
But they weren’t the only familiar faces to grace the old neighbourhood again, with Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone), Haz Devkar (Shiv Palekar), Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major), Levi Canning (Richie Morris), Ned Willis (Ben Hall), Kiri Durant, and Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson) all back in Erinsborough to check out the competing proposals for a new Ramsay Street.
Byron was considering an investment property, Aaron and Rhett expressed their desire for a future back in the area, Roxy revealed that she had finally convinced Kyle (Chris Milligan) that Darwin wasn’t where their future lay, and both Ned and Levi were up for a potential move back too.
The iconic laugh of Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden) briefly graced the neighbourhood, while Lucas had a short reunion with ex-girlfriend Elle (Elise Jansen), although we can’t blame him for potentially not recognising her after all this time…
With so many current and former residents back on Ramsay Street, it was time to showcase the two options they had – Ramsay Hills or Robinson Towers.
Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien) and son Max (Ben Jackson) whisked a number of residents off to his proposed new suburb Ramsay Hills, complete with a ‘Kennedy Street’ in a bid to get Karl (Alan Fletcher) over the line.
Meanwhile Paul and grandson Jimmy (Darcy Tadich) took their own merry group of friends and family to the Melbourne CBD to show them the plot where Paul plans to build Robinson Towers, his new apartment and hotel complex.
As everyone converged on The Waterhole to hear the final presentation of the two locations, Jane asked how either of the two ideas would capture the essence of Ramsay Street and its heart and soul that had brought so many people to and from the street over the years.
This prompted Karl and Paul to reprise Susan’s speech from the 2022 finale: “we need to celebrate it all, the good and the bad. All of that makes us who we are…” Karl concluded, before the two finished in unison, “the perfect blend.”
As everyone at The Waterhole was partying to a dance version of the Neighbours theme, we saw Wendy (Candice Leask) approach Andrew (Lloyd Will) and warmly touch his arm, a small hint that there could be a future reconciliation for the Rodwells.
Susan (Jackie Woodburne) got a renewed energy for saving the cul-de-sac when Annalise Hartman (Kimberley Davies) revealed that there was increasing resistance to the plans for the new freeway. Does this mean the street can actually be saved?
In the final scene, Karl and Paul found Susan alone on Ramsay Street, taking in the six houses which have graced out screens since 1985 – seven if you include the rarely-seen No. 34, which was first reference in Episode 8000, and was home to elderly recluse Val Grundy (Patty Newton) before later becoming the home of Vera Punt (Sally Upton).
As Susan walked around the street, memories flooded through her mind and we heard the voices of Shane Ramsay, Lyn and Joe Scully (Janet Andrewartha and Shane Connor), Madge Bishop (Anne Charleston), and of course the iconic Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney).
Paul expressed that both Ramsay Hills and Robinson Towers were both viable options, and that everyone didn’t have to move to the same place.
But Susan made it clear that she didn’t want to move to either of them – she wanted to stay and fight for the street: “Other communities have beaten the odds, we could be one of them!… I love our friends, I love our neighbours, and I don’t want to find a new perfect blend. I want to stay in this one!”
And the only remaining original character uttered the final words as Paul asked “So what do we do?”
And with that, the camera panned out, giving us no definitive answer as to the fate of Ramsay Street and its residents, just one last glimpse of the iconic street we’ve all wanted to live on…
Executive Producer Jason Herbison has chosen an open-ended approach to wrapping up Australia’s longest-running soap opera, with a future of possibilities ready to be explored if the opportunity ever arises.
With the past, present and future honoured, it was a very bittersweet way to end the series, leaving fans to imagine their own stories for what happens with Ramsay Street, and the developments of Ramsay Hilla and Robinson Towers.
Although cut short, these extra two years thanks to Amazon, have continued the magic of Erinsborough, introduced us to some fabulous characters who have captured our hearts, and reintroduced old favourites who we wouldn’t have got to see again otherwise.
Is there another return to the world of Neighbours again in the future? Who knows. But the door is open, and there is still potential and plenty of stories to tell if the opportunity comes knocking again.
Cheers to the perfect blend.
