Caffeinated Clint
A couple of the cast members pop in to provide commentary on an episode. Audio and Video isn’t that crash hot – the colours go in and out at times. Looks like it’s straight from VHS.
Bruce Samazan, Melissa Tkautz, Adrian Lee, Toni Pearen, Marcus Graham, Kate Raison, Alyssa-Jane Cook, Melissa Bell, Adrian Martin, Tony Martin
From the moment I first hear the opening theme music, I’m back in Westside.
On a completely different map to Wandin Valley and very far south of Summer Bay, Westside was home to some of Australia’s most singular characters – on/off couple Toni and C.J, dimish cop Max, Brooding bad boy Jack Brown and er, The Teen Queens. But it’s Mr Bad, the town’s resident serial killer, who takes centre stage in the first of Umbrella’s new “E-Street” releases.
Up until Vince Martin’s frightening mass-murderer entered the picture, “E-Street” – modelled after “A Country Practice” initially – was just another ratings languishing Aussie soapie. It didn’t seem to be in any danger of being axed, but at the same time, it wasn’t forecast to garner any new viewers either. But like Heather Locklear’s debut on “Melrose Place”, Mr Bad pumped some much needed juice into the daggy drama – giving audiences a reason to watch each week. Suddenly, the show transformed into a hip and somewhat twisted twice-weekly serial. It was from that moment forward we knew we’d never see Fatso the Wombat wander into town.
For a full twelve months worth of episodes, the ‘Mr Bad’ storyline worked its magic. The show became such a guilty pleasure, as the drug-addicted maniac slaughtered his way through many of the town’s characters – quite a few regular stars were surprisingly killed off, which kept people watching too – and opened the doors for much wilder things to come (Werewolves, Hit men, Stalkers).
Vince Martin (who’d go on to play Marilyn’s love interest on rival soapie “Home and Away”) decided to quit the role of Mr Bad after producers rejected his plea to give the character a little more depth. Solution? They had Sheridan (Kate Raison’s character) shoot him in the head, only to return with a ‘bandaged’ – they don’t die, of course – face. That’s when Olav Evensen took on the role.
Mr. Bad continued his killing spree – by forcing a young nurse (Rebecca Rigg) into doing his killings for him – from a hospital bed, until producers decided enough was enough… and drowned him.
For a while there – and largely due to the fact that it was so welcomingly over-the-top – “E-Street” was the most popular soap in Australia. It made then-unknown (actually, now unknown) actors like Toni Pearen, Adrian Lee, Melissa Tkautz, Bruce Samazan and Alyssa-Jane Cook. (most of whom all cashed in on their success by either trying their luck in films – Pearen made the unfortunate “All Men are Liars” – or releasing singles).
“E-Street” continued to entertain for a couple more years – it didn’t take long for people to start dropping off though, and it’s then that Channel Ten went back on their idea to move the show to Melbourne and have it replace “Neighbours” – until things were just stretched to the limit. Dream sequence or no dream sequence, nobody can swallow a deadhead Aussie cop turning into a werewolf. Now that’s just silly.
A couple of the cast members pop in to provide commentary on an episode. Audio and Video isn’t that crash hot – the colours go in and out at times. Looks like it’s straight from VHS.
Good little blast from the past!
Rating : 
Reviewer : Clint Morris
