THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 1 and 2 (8904 and 8905) OF THE SERIES
After 14 months off of our screens, Neighbours returned on Monday and immediately both the fans and the residents of Erinsborough found themselves in the middle of another big Ramsay Street wedding. This one came with a huge twist. The Bride and Groom were Terese Willis and Toadie Rebecchi. Through the first episode viewers were left guessing, who was getting married. That reveal didn’t happen until the final seconds of the episode when Toadie took Terese by the hand ready to say “I do”.
When we last visited Ramsay Street we saw Toadie marry Melanie Pearson and Terese reconciled with her estranged husband, Paul Robinson. We hoped it would be plain-sailing for both couples, but something drastic must have happened in the two years since that fateful day. The identity of the Bride and Groom was not the only surprise for viewers at the wedding, as four previously-unannounced returnees showed up to celebrate the couple. Toadies mum, Angie (Lesley Baker), his son Callum (Morgan Baker), Terese’s daughter Imogen (Ariel Kaplan) and husband Daniel (Tim Phillipps) were all at the ceremony.
The first episode also caught us up to speed with Jane & Mike’s relationship, rekindled after almost 35 years apart and the show introduced us to the new Varga-Murphy family, renting Jane’s home while she heads off to England for a holiday. Another big arrival was <a href="https://ramsaystreet.co.uk/who-is-neighbours-reece-sinclair-and-why-is-she-in-erinsborough/" title="Who is <em>Neighbours’Reece Sinclair, played by Mischa Barton. Instantly she jumps into bed with Byron Stone, is he back to his old escorting ways, or does he have a deeper connection with this mystery lady?
So much action was packed into this episode and it left us with a whole load of questions. How did Toadie and Terese end up married? Why did Terese’s relationship with Paul end? What happened with Toadie and Melanie? That final question was made even more confusing with the inclusion of a scene where Toadie and Melanie are preparing gifts for a Paul and Terese wedding and it feels like the two are very much still in love. Fans were left scratching their head and rewatching the episode looking for answers.
in typical soap fashion, we were left with a major cliffhanger. Now it is up to the show to fill the upcoming days, weeks and months with the story of how we got to be at a Terese and Toadie wedding and what DID happen while we were away?
This is where we headed into episode 2 and immediately things felt a little more familiar as we heard the show’s revamped theme in full for the first time and saw the brand-new title sequence, which is almost as iconic as the show itself.
The episode began with Susan addressing the congregation at the wedding, but secretly speaking to the audience at home, watching Ramsay Street from afar. “Toadie and Terese would like to give everyone a moment. So if there are jaws still on the ground, now would be the time to pick them up”.
This episode was still jam-packed with information and exposition, filling in gaps from the drama we missed and setting brand new stories up, but felt considerably more like a normal Neighbours episode that we are used to.
We got to meet people that were only in the background before. Haz (Shiv Palekar) the new owner of Harold’s is seemingly being lined up as a new love interest for Mackenzie, her first dip into the dating pool since losing Hendrix. We also met the newly recast Hugo and Nell Rebecchi (Tanner Ellis-Anderson and Ayisha Salem-Towner) and delve a little deeper into the new family, the Varga-Murphys. We see JJ Varga-Murphy take a deep interest into Ramsay Street and some of its residents… what is he searching for, exactly? Absences were also explained. Glen and Kiri are now seemingly together on Magnetic Island. Gone, but not forgotten, we also know that Piper isn’t supportive of Terese’s relationship with Toadie, refusing to come to the wedding.
As we delved further into the episode, we learned a little more about why this wedding happened. In a conversation at the wedding reception with Lucy and Leo it is revealed that Paul left Terese standing at the altar a year prior. That ended his relationship with Terese but also led to a falling-out with son David and his husband, Aaron, who no longer live on Ramsay Street. Terese’s vow renewal with Paul was also when Toadie’s marriage to Melanie broke down. During a heartfelt conversation walking through the vineyard, Toadie revealed that he had been thinking about a conversation he and Mel had, letting the viewers know that the scene in the previous episode with Mel was actually a flashback. She walked out a couple of weeks after the cancelled Terese and Paul wedding, seemingly uncomfortable with her role as step-mum. We still don’t know how newly-single Toadie and Terese ended up getting together, but we are sure all of that is to come.
There were lots of other breadcrumbs dropped throughout, including Susan receiving a payout, buying lavish gifts for herself but hiding them from Karl. Jane and Mike’s trip to the UK, Holly’s mysterious ex-boyfriend and Terese’s obsession with her dead son, Josh. We are certain all of these stories will grow as we return to Ramsay Street more regularly.
And then there is Harold. Trailers for the new chapter of the show hinted at health problems for the iconic Mr. Bishop and it seems that he is having issues with his memory, clinging onto the Ramsay Street history book as a connection to his past.
This second episode ended on a cliffhanger (of course) and it appears Reece isn’t who she says she is when Byron finds some folders in her hotel room.
So, episode one was full of set-up, full of reveals, introducing new characters and getting us ready for the unmissable drama ahead. Episode two fell back into the flow we know and love, multiple stories running alongside one another, webs of lies being exposed and new loves being explored. In all these two debut episodes really were the perfect blend and we cannot wait to see what comes next.
The first two new episodes of Neighbours are now available to stream on Amazon Freevee and Amazon Prime Video in the UK, USA and Canada with new episode dropping at 7am Monday-Thursday. In Australia you can watch on Channel 10 and 10 Peach as well as 10Play, in New Zealand on TVNZ2 and on RTE in Ireland. Check out our easy guide on where you can find new episodes of the show.