Shortland Street's 25th birthday - A review

In TV land, a cliffhanger is defined as an episode that leaves you on the edge of your seat, grasping to know what will happen in the next episode. It's an episode where the stories haven't been resolved and there isn't closure. And unlike relationships that end where there is closure, there was no closure from tonight's episode of Shortland Street, which was a celebration of the program's reign over the last 25 years.

Once the program had ended, the viewer was only left with more unanswered questions that are likely to be as gripping as the question mark over Lionel Skeggins' disappearance in 1999. The generation of questions means that as the writers, cast and crew expected, it was in fact the most successful Shortland Street episode of all time.

The event

Prior to tonight's episode of the program, there had been some hints that the show would feature a "cataclysmic event that would leave the lives of the residents of Ferndale up in the air", and let me tell you that's exactly what happened.

If you've been watching the program for the last few weeks then you would know that there have been a few earthquakes and that might have been predictable, so the Shortland Street writers decided to create a script where Mount Ferndale (played by Mount Eden) would erupt. Any long term fan of the show would have seen that coming, but despite the predictability, it was massive, like nothing ever done by the writers of Shortland Street ever before.

While the hospital staff were racing to save the lives of patients, there were conflicts, reunions and of course Chris Warner's 50th birthday party.

The characters

Writing Chris Warner's 50th birthday into Shortland Street paved the way for old characters to return to the show. The characters amongst that list included: Marjorie Brasch, Nick Harrison, Waverley Harrison, Stuart Neilson and Lionel Skeggins (but more about his return later). As you'd expect though, there's no way that the residents of Ferndale can ever have a party without something going wrong. When you look back on previous years you'd realise that something bad often happens to the characters who are trying to celebrate.  

In 1994, when Gina and Leonard held their going away party, there was a fatal car accident where nurse Steve Mills and Sam's wife TP tragically died. Initially Steve survived the crash but he went back to save TP and then the car blew up. Nurse Carmen Roberts died on Christmas Day after a truck smashed into the clinic and another momentus occasion was in 1999 when Lionel Skeggins married Mackenzie Choat before disappearing without a trace.

Tonight's 25th birthday episode was no different, with Mount Ferndale (which appears to be based on Mount Eden) erupting during Dr Chris Warner's birthday, and Marjorie Brasch (the original clinic receptionist) dying of a cardiac arrest.

It's not yet known, but Lucy Rickman-Karim might have died in the program after bleeding to death following the bith of her and Ali's baby girl.

The villian

Shortland Street has had its fair share of villians since the show began in 1992, with Ferndale Mayor Mason Coutts playing that part now. Although we've known he was a murderer for a while, tonight was only the second time we'd seen him kill. Earlier in the week he killed one of his foreman, George, and tonight he killed one of his accomplices, Lizzie. It was suspected during the program that he had killed triplet Frank Connelly, but fortunately he managed to survive. Mason suffered a stab wound and he is still alive as well. It is not yet known what will happen to him given that his wife, Sass stabbed him when she thought he'd killed her triplet brother Frank. It's possible that he will end up in prison, or that he will die from the toxic fumes caused by the volcanic eruption and the stab wound.

The humour

Whenever you have a serious episode, you need to have some humour thrown into the mix as well. Nick and Waverley provided that, with them arguing with eachother every five seconds, and then Waverley uttering a phrase she'd used in 1994, "I'm pregnant as anything", when she thought she had been pregnant to Nick or Stuart (she wasn't though. She is this time).

Until the end of the episode when Marj quietly died in recpetion, she had been very humerous with her interactions with Chris, receptionist Leanne, and other cast members Harper and her on screen son, Stuart Neilson.

The relationship between Boyd and Eve has been somewhat up and down the last few months, with it progressing somewhat tonight. Eve had gone up to the mountain and managed to get a rock (which if you recall, she and Boyd had discussed when they first met before she had a job at the clinic), but now they seem to be making progress though we'll know more about that next week.

Leanne and Damo are such opposites that their relationship works. Leanne is very dry whereas Damo is a joker. Tonight saw the pair get back together. 

The tragedy

No soap opera fan likes when a character dies unless it's a villian. It's different for someone like Mason Coutts to get injured and attacked because he's evil and you want him to get what's coming to him. When it's someone like Lucy however (though it's up in the air if she lives or dies), even though she's annoying and boring, people do care about the character. It's the same when someone like Lizzie gets killed. Even though she's working for the bad guy it's not all her fault. Sass had thought that her triplet brother Frank had been killed, and that's what prompted her to stab Mason, however he wasn't dead. He is still alive.

It's even worse when an original cast member dies without warning. That's exactly what happened tonight with Marj. She had been in hospital becaus she had a fall, but she ended up stuck in a lift and then suffering a cardiac arrest in reception. She had a DNR order so she couldn't be revived without her son Stuart's approval, which he did not give. 

The romance

The New Zealand Herald hinted that returning character Stuart Neilson would find romance in the corridors of Shortland Street and that's exactly what he did. He found it with Harper, although that was swiftly ended and she returned to her fiance Drew who she had a falling out with last week over her neice, Ashley. Hawks and Sass finally reuinted after they'd had a fling last year and Mason had tried to stand in his way, knowing that there was true chemistry between the characters.

The unanswered questions

 It's unknown if Lucy has survived her blood loss, however, given she and Ali were moving up north, it's likely that she has been killed off the show. We won't know until it returns on Monday.

The next question left unanswered following the episode is, will Marj's funeral be on screen or off screen, and if it's on screen, why isn't Jenny Harrison returning for it given they are best friends?

These are just minor questions compared to the true cliffhanger question, that after 18 years, we still don't have an answer to, is, in the words of Dr Chris Warner, "Lionel, is that you?"



Copyright is owned by South Pacific Pictures. I do not own the copyright to this screenshot from Shortland Street, May 25th 2017.

It looks like Lionel to me, however after 18 years of not being on the program and fans (like me) suspecting he was still alive, we now have our answer. Lionel is alive. He's been alive this whole time, but we don't know the following:

1 - What happened after he was swept off the rock?
2 - Was he even swept off or did he swim out to get away from Mackenzie?
3 - Did he end up going to Makara to live? If you recall, he went to Karori Normal School (here's a fun fact, so did I).
4 - Does he have amnesia like Harold Bishop from Neighbours did when he disappeared for a few years?

5 - What's he been doing the last 18 years?
6 - Does he still bake muffins and run a coffee shop?
7 - Is it possible he knows that he's Lionel but after 21 years he doesn't recognise Chris Warner due to time lapse?
8 - Did he ever meet up with Kirsty in Wellington if that's where he was?
9 - Who rescued him if he was swept out to sea?
10 - If he knows who he is, and he's pretending he's not Lionel then why?
11 - Did he end up finding Caroline Buxton and ending up happy with her?
12 - If he was living outside of Ferndale for the last 18 years then what brought him back to Ferndale?
13 - Or, did he fake his own death? And if so, why?
14 - Why didn't Waverley recognise him?
15 - Does Lionel have any other kids we don't know about other than Luke?
16 - If Lionel answers to the name Lionel why is he pretending he doesn't know Chris Warner?

This is the only thing that was wrong with the episode, the moment when Lionel returned for a split second. It's opened up so many more questions. Please campaign the writers to bring him back to tell this story. This story needs a conclusion as there are just too many questions, and in soap opera land, if there's no body, as there wasn't for 18 years, the character is still alive (I always knew he was still alive).

We now have evidence that Lionel is alive, and that story needs to be told. We need answers and closure.

All in all though, I give the program a 4.9 for tonight's episode. It loses minor points for killing off Marj, and opening a raft of new questions about Lionel's disappearance.

Shortland Street turns 25: A trip down memory lane with the characters of Shortland Street

It wouldn't be the 25th of May without acknowledging the biggest birthday of the year. Long running New Zealand television show turns 25 today. Can you actually believe it? The show is turning 25. TWENTY FIVE.

That's more than most television shows survive. If you recall, Friends and How I Met Your Mother only had ten and nine respectively. Outrageous Fortune had six, and Sex and the City had the same, followed by two movies as well.

25 years is longer than some friendships and it's longer than the average person spends in the education system. Some people don't even live in the same city for 25 years, so the fact that a television show, such as Shortland Street has survived for so long is a major achievement that the writers and cast should be extremely proud of.

When Shortland Street first started on May 25th 1992 the expectations were low. As the only original cast member, Michael Galvin (who plays Dr Chris Warner) has said, nobody knew what to expect, and nothing of its type had been done in New Zealand before.

Four years after Shortland Street first aired, a new drama, City Life was created. City Life centred around the lives of a group of 20 somethings living in Auckland. The program did not survive and it was swiftly axed. Most people wouldn't even remember the program, but at the time it was dubbed New Zealand's answer to Melrose Place.

Over the last 25 years there have been hundreds, if not thousands of characters that have come and gone. The lives of the residents of Ferndale have been turned upside down with earthquakes, explosions, bombs, murders, plane crashes, stabbings, and untimely deaths.

Popular nurse, Carmen Roberts died way too soon after a truck crashed into the clinic, icy cold Li Mie Chen who died at the hands of Stryker Virus just a few months after her boyfriend, Norman Hanson died from a car crash caused by the return of his brain tumour; and bar manager Jay Copeland was taken way too soon after being the third victim of the Ferndale Stranger, also known as "Joseph James Henderson, gone but never forgotten". Others to die before their time include Rangi Heremaia, Dr Craig Valentine and who could forget the original joker, Steve Mills who tragically died in a car crash in 1994, along with TP, who had earlier married ambulance officer, Sam Aleni.

Others to depart too soon include cafe owner, Lionel Skeggins whose body was never recovered; and his first wife, Kirsty Knight, one of the original receptionists left with Daryl Neilson's good twin brother, Damien. She was played by Angela Dotchin, who quit acting and now resides in Europe and works in the fashion industry; Nick and Waverley Harrison who both moved to Taranaki after a spate of burglaries left Nick paranoid, Stuart Neilson; and Luke and Bella Durville.

There have been a multitude of teens from Nick Harrison, who married wacky Waverley, Stuart Neilson, Minnie Crozier, James Thornton, Daniel Potts, Shannon and Tama Hudson; Sophie McKay and Rachel McKenna just to name a few.

Rachel went onto marry Dr Chris Warner and became CEO of Shortland Street Hospital before she once again succumbed to the booze last year after her old flame, Glen Rickman returned following an affair they had off screen in 2014. She departed the show soon after her breakdown, leaving Chris Warner alone.

As you'd expect though, with all his previous love affairs, Dr Chris Warner would not be alone for long. He still had his teenage son, Harry (mothered by the late Toni Warner) living with him and his other children would soon arrive.

2016 saw the arrival his first son, one of the triplets who he had with original Director of Nursing, Carrie Burton after anonymously donating his sperm. Finn Connelly arrived as a doctor at the hospital, and just like Chris, he specialises in plastics. Just a few months later, his daughter, Sass would arrive, followed by the third wayward triplet, Frank, who now manages the IV Bar, which is owned by long running couple Nicole and Vinnie Kruse-Miller.

He is the only remaining original cast member; and just like Home and Away's Alf Stewart, the show now centres around the Warner family. It always has to an extent, although in the early years, the McKennas and the Neilsons were also two of the major families. The Coopers, Hudsons, Heywoods, McKays and Valentines never really had the same impact that the Warners and the McKennas have had.

Although, if it wasn't for the McKays, then like so many who came before her, the career of Kimberley Crossman, who played Sophie, would not have taken off. Kim Crossman has since gone on to star in many movies and TV programs in the US joining the ranks of Karl Urban, Temuera Morrison, Martin Henderson and others.

Some actors who had their career launched on The Street have remained in NZ. Amongst that list are Robyn Malcolm (Outrageous Fortune), Claire Chitham (Outrageous Fortune and Australian show Neighbours), Shane Cortese (Outrageous Fortune and Dancing with the Stars) and many others, including Blair Strang who quit Law School to take his role on Shortland Street.

So what has made Shortland Street last so long? Some would say it's because it's a New Zealand show that New Zealanders can relate to. Since the show begun it has never been afraid ot tackling the tough issues.

The very first episode dealt with a teen pregnancy, and a week later nurse Jaki Manu accidentally pricked herself with a needle exposing her to HIV, which in 1992 was a big deal causing fear amongst the clinic staff, teachers at Ferndale High School were accused of being sexual molesters, teens such as Fergus Kearney and Lulu Chatfield ran away from home, Minnie Crozie lost her virginity as soon as she could, Lucas, one of Nick Harrison's friends committed suicide; and Blue, a current core cast member is the first transgender character to appear on the show in a major role (although, those who watched in 1995 will recall that Lionel briefly dated a transgender woman), and throughout its run it has dealt with mental illness, one notable storyline involved teenager Scarlett Valentine, who after being bullied at school tried to murder Hunter McKay. She was acquitted and moved to live with her mother Paula in Perth.

The show has also dealt with IVF and euthanasia, with Maia Jeffries getting pregnant through artificial insemination and Caroline Buxton helping her friend Annabel Lustwick kill herself after suffering from MS. The show has dealt with physical disabilities such as paraplegia (Tane Samuels after a car crash) and developmental issues (Amanda Warner); and blindness (Nick Harrison after a firework exploded) as well as Rangi Heremaia (trapped between a wall and a car that Rachel McKenna was driving while drunk). The program has also explored marriages of convenience (Nick and Rachel in 1994, and Boyd and Brooke in 2012); less common "disabilities" such as Tourettes Sydrome, with Angus Phelps appearing from 2007 - 2008; and Gabrielle Jacobs, a doctor having Asperger's Syndrome.

It hasn't explicitly been said but it is possible that early cast member, Dr Emily Devine played by Michaela Rooney (now a storyliner) had Asperger's and that current cast member, Dr Eve Reston may have it as well.

Fans who have been watching a long time will also recall all the villians who have appeared on the show. The original villian was of course receptionist Marjorie Brasch's son, Daryl Neilson who would often torment his younger brother Stuart, and Kirsty before he plummeted to his watery death after falling off the Toroa following a fight with Kirsty. Other villians include Dominic Thompson, the deceptive brother of nurse, Toni Thompson who killed Geoff Greenlaw and Avril Lucich before torching himself in a barn (an incident that Chris Warner narrowly escaped), Mackenzie Choat who married Lionel a short time after killing fellow villian Oscar Henry who had raped Minnie Crozier; and her aunt Carla, who murdered her psycho husband Bernie before being admitted to a psych unit and trying to kill Ellen. There have been many others throughout the years, although these are the memorable ones.

The most memorable villian though has to be Joey Henderson who, in 2007, killed five characters - Claire Solomon, Meg Harris, Jay Copeland, Beth Wilson and nurse Brrenda Holloway who was close to revealing the identity of the killer. Joey tried to kill Tania Jeffries and Shanti Kumari before settling on his final victim Alice Piper. Luckily for Alice, Detective Lara Wade as well as Craig Valentine and Keiran Mitchell realised that he was the killer, and he was stopped. The difference with Joey was that even though he was a villian, he was very likeable unlike the others; and even though he killed himself when his identity was revealed, he has gone down in the soap's history as, "Joseph James Henderson, gone but never forgotten".  The actor who played him, Johnny Barker since went onto achieve more acting roles in New Zealand, although now he focuses on his music.

The only character that gives him a run for his money as being the most "successful" villian is current cast member Mason Coutts (played by Colin Moy, who in 2004 played Craig Valentine's brother, Brett).

Mason is the mayor of Ferndale and he is incredibly dodgy. He is a serial killer, although he doesn't do the dirty work. He pays people to do it for him. That storyline is all going to go down in flames tonight when the 25th Anniversary episode airs.

So what can we expect from the next 25 years?

It's hard to say, but now that this storyline will come to a head tonight, and see the return of fan favourites, Nick and Waverley Harrison, Lionel Skeggins and Marjorie Brasch, the pipeline storylines revolve around Chris Warner's health and his relationship with nurse Kate Nathan, the return of Hawks (a former ED doctor, not currently working); and the fun relationship of Damo Johnson and Leanne Black (nee Miller), plus the complicated relationship between Drs Boyd Rolleston and Eve Reston, who is carrying his child.

Happy birthday Shortland Street! It's been a great first 25 years. Here's to another 25.

And in the words of Joey Henderson, characters may come and go on the program, but they are "gone but never forgotten".

What happens if you take the wrong job?

We're constantly bombarded with stories in the mainstream media about how few jobs there are and that we have high rates of under and unemployment. What happens if you get the elusive job offer but it's the wrong fit?

It's an incredible situation to be in. Despite all the odds you've secured multiple interviews and an offer comes through so you become excited that you're starting a new job. You decide that the search is over and that you've found The One so you cancel your upcoming interviews, but what happens if you start that new job but it doesn't work out?

You're back to the drawing board and the search recommences. You have two choices. You can go back to the start, or if the time lapse was short then you can contact the companies you were going to interview at and ask if they're still looking.

So how do you do this?

It's a tricky one. 

Did you let your prospective employers know you were off the market?

When you had the interviews lined up, did you do a no show when you received your job offer or were you were professional? Did you send an email thanking them for their time and wishing them the best with their search? 

If it's the latter then you're in the best position to contact them to ask if they're still hiring.

Send them an email asking if you could still interview with them. It's a ballsy move but you have nothing to lose by asking for an interview.

Most people are reasonable and at the very least they'll interview you.

How do you prepare for the interview?

Okay so you've passed the hard part. You've secured an interview. Now you need to get to the next stage. You need to be prepared for them to ask why the job lasted such a short time and why you're looking again.

There will be mixed opinions on this. Some people will say you should lie. I've spoken to a couple of friends who have said this.

I prefer the honesty policy however. At the very least it shows integrity and that you'll take responsibility when you make a judgement error. Everyone has chosen the wrong employer.

Own it. Be honest.

Ask questions about culture

So you've just been in the situation where you took the wrong job. You're probably feeling frustrated and maybe a little bit burned. When you get to the interview ask about culture and management styles. You may not have asked about these things in the past however now they're important so be transparent from the start.

Happy hunting everyone!

If you've been in this situation yourself feel free to share the outcome.

Is self employment right for you?

With the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reporting that unemployment for the March quarter is 5.9% you could be forgiven for losing faith in the job market and wondering if you should be self employed. Maybe you've had a few different jobs but they're never really the right fit and something is missing. You might not be able to pinpoint exactly what's missing.

It could be that you're actually supposed to be self employed. You wouldn't be alone if you chose to run your own business.

According to figures released by Civil Society statistics 2.4 million Australians are running their own businesses. Of the total population that is 10 percent.

The ABS says that 12 million Australians are in paid employment. That means 20 percent of the working public have chosen to create their own path and set up their own business.

That's a huge number. The Department of Employment says that no other industry has the same level of participation. The four biggest industries recorded the following numbers;

• Health Care and Social Assistance (1,523,000)
• Retail Trade (1,267,400)
• Construction (1,046,900)
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (1,023,300).

Source:  https://australianjobs.employment.gov.au/jobs-industry/industry-overview

Based on these numbers, you might be wondering if you should go out on your own and start your own business. It certainly seems to be the most popular industry in Australia.

Here is a list of the top 5 reasons you should become self employed:

1 - You have a passion

So many people lack a passion and drive. They don't care about work. For them, work is just a means to an end, a way to make money. Others however have a vision and they want to realise that. They want to change the world and how things are done.

If this sounds like you and there is something you are passionate about, then that is a sure fire sign you should set up your own business.

No matter how much you like the security of being employed by someone else, when you are under someone's thumb, you're always going to be working for their vision and not your own.

2 - You're not worried about security

One of the biggest barriers to self employment according to Entrepreneur.com is the fear of being in poverty. People are worried that if they don't have the security of traditional employment they'll live in poverty.

In reality it's actually the opposite. When you're self employed nobody can ever fire you and you can choose what you earn. If you want to earn a million dollars then you can, just as you can earn only $100,000 if you'd prefer.

When you're self employed you're in control of your destiny, so if you would rather control what you earn then it looks like self employment is suitable for you.

3 - You prefer calling the shots

Everyone knew a kid in school who was defiant and always had to do things their way. It didn't matter what the teachers said. That kid had a better way of doing things. They thought outside the square (or is it an iceberg?) and decided to dance when everyone else was singing or playing in the band. That kid knew what they wanted. The chances are they went on to start their business.

If you're a bit of a control freak and you hate taking orders from other people then there's a strong possibility you would be suited to self employment.

4 - You hate the 9-5 workday

Country singer, Dolly Parton sung about it, "9-5, what a way to make a livin'!....It's all takin' and no giving, it's enough to drive you crazy if you let it...you want to get ahead but the boss won't seem to let me...."

I could go on with the Dolly Parton lyrics, but I think you get the gist. 9-5 can be soul destroying and you will often find yourself being held back and not reaching your full potential.

If you are the type of person who hates being held back and never gets any credit, then choose self employment, by choosing self employment you're choosing success. You can be as successful as you want to be, and you can do the job that you were born to do, without being told you're not good enough.

5 - Freedom is important to you

To carry on with the 9-5 theme, you value freedom. When you work 9-5 you need to sit at a desk at a certain time of day, and have your lunch break at a certain time. You have to dress a certain way, behave a certain way, and well basically, you can't be who you are. That means that if you're most productive in the middle of the night, you can't work then because you're not calling the shots and you need to conform to traditions.

If you value freedom and want to work when the inspiration strikes then self employment is definitely the right path for you and you'll find that you're more successful when you're not being monitored by a boss or told to do things a certain way.

The bottom line

Self employment isn't for everyone and it can be a scary path to choose. It's long hours, however, if you do it right you'll find that the clients flock to you because you have an aura of confidence and self belief. That confidence is essential to business success.  Confidence can become drive, and when you're driven your performance will be better. Just take a look at the CEOs of the world's top businesses. The majority of them dropped out of University because they had another idea and saw a problem that needed solving. Their passion became their full time job and now they're rolling in the cash.

There are so many other reasons why self employment is right for you. We would be here all day if we were list them, so without taking more of your time, we'll let you go and think about the top 5 reasons.
 

 

What you should and shouldn't do when giving feedback

Everyone has heard a horror story about Human Resources and that their practices are somewhat shady and questionable. You are probably aware that employees respond to different styles of feedback, and that generally building up staff is a better way to get the results that you want. Tonight I'll be exploring what you should and shouldn't do when it comes to performance managing your staff.

Don't treat your staff like a naughty little child:

Do you remember when you were in school and there was a teacher who would always put you down? It didn't matter what you did or how you responded. They would always pick holes in whatever you were doing. If you stayed back after school to finish an assignment then they would critique what you were doing negatively. It was never good enough.

When you're adults and you enter the workforce, some managers tend to believe that putting their staff down is the way to encourage them to perform the way they want to. It actually has the opposite effect though. If you put someone down they are likely to shut down and immediately shut you out.

What you should do instead:

The best managers are those who can offer constructive feedback to their staff. Instead of saying what they're not doing and treating them like they're stupid, it's best to build them up. Lead the conversation with, "hi XXXXXXX, thanks for the work you did on XXXXX however it would be even better if you did XXXXX".

When you lead with positivity they'll respond better and you'll get what you want, plus the staff member will feel encouraged because you've told them what they're doing right and the areas where they could improve.

According to the Harvard Business Review, 57% of respondents surveyed would prefer constructive feedback that helps them improve their performance.

Forbes says that the delivery is extremely important when you're giving feedback to staff members. It's essential that you have a two way conversation with them and that you do not talk at them. You need to depersonalise the situation as much as possible and give them areas to work on.

Entrepreneur.com shares that sentiment saying that it's never okay to give feedback that attacks the person and diminishes their value or self esteem.

The key is to be positive and build skills. Empower the person that you are giving feedback to and give them information that they can work with.

What to do after you've given feedback:

Humans are impatient and attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter with the rise of technology. We now expect results immediately. The reality is, if you've given feedback then you need to give the team member time to work on the areas that you've said need improvement.

Just like the Pantene commercial says, "it won't happen overnight but it will happen".

You need to be aware that people work at different speeds and have different ways of responding to criticism.

In conclusion:

Staff expect feedback. It's part of every single job on earth, unless of course you're self employed, in which case you'll be the one giving feedback (and you should be reading this article).

Create an action plan and give staff the time to implement the changes you require. By doing so you'll create a happy, positive working environment where your staff can thrive.

You also need to put yourself in the staff member's shoes. How would you feel if you were in their position? What type of feedback would you want?

As QANDA Australia said last night, there's a fine line between free speech and hate speech. You need to know where to draw the line. That can be applied to employee feedback. You need to draw the line between insults and put downs; and constructive feedback that enables staff to make positive changes moving forward.

It's a fine line, one that is so frequently abused by employers.