I’m back. Back to the Feature. Meaning I will occasionally post “Reviews” of movies/TV shows and or things of other cinematic interest.
Been like 2 years, in which I have seen a lot of movies, some good some bad, but almost every one of them has had something that I could have mentioned something about. So why not get back on the horse. And back on the horse we shall get.
During these 2 years I have among other things seen a lot of TV series.
One of them being
McLeod’s Daughters
Pfft you might think. Dork and horse/girly crap you might think. While you are allowed to think that I shall try to persuade one of you that I am correct in stating that McLeod’s Daughters is perhaps the best Aussie day time TV show.
Yes I know a few of you will cry out “What about The Flying Doctors, Skippy or Neighbours?” And while they are tremendous successes and good shows, they are lesser compared to other similar shows. McLeod’s Daughters is however in my humble opinion a more original series, and with better content.
Quick synopsis for those of you who have no Idea what I’m talking about.
Farmer Dad (Jack McLeod) while working hard to sow and reap the land, sows and reaps a lot of daughters too. Two of which grows up together for a few years, then following the demise of his current relationship mother and one daughter moves away. Fast forward 20 years. Dad dies and the two sisters meet again after they both inherited the vast property.
Claire, the one who has grown up on the farm all her life sees life on the farm as the proper life. Tess who grew up in the city sees this as an opportunity to sell her part and open a café in the city.
Things don’t go as either of them planned and they end up managing the farm together.
Throw in a couple of farmhands and some nosy neighbours (and some good looking ones too) and you have a show. Basically the McLeod’s estate is run by women and the majority of the neighbouring farms run by men. This invariably leads to a lot of battle of the sexes and a lot of unspoken desire. However the show doesn’t really indulge in sex or romantic forays. While it is there as an flavoring undercurrent the main focus is actually on these women who try and do the best they can with what they got. Disease, famine, drought, storms, floods, politics and a lot of mustering animals gets mixed up with humor and excitement and a bit of love. And a lot of death. Perhaps the main thing that this show teaches you is how easily people can die, and how different you can cope with it. It also teaches you that you should Always talk to each other, cause no one seems to be doing that in Australia according to this show.
It had basically anything that you could want in a TV show. And horses too. 😉
224 episodes of horsing around rates it a sturdy 7 out of 10, a slight minus due to it causing me to think that Australian people are retarded (I Know they are not, generally) since no one in the show just said what they felt until after anything that could go wrong did.
Be on the look out for great actors like John Jarrat (John Weirs wonderful “Picnic at Hanging Rock” 1975), actor and musician Craig McLachlan and Anna Torv whom we all know from Fringe to name but a few.