McLeod's Daughters is one of those well made dramas, that pulls at your heart strings (thanks to the good writing, fantastic acting and good music) set on a working farm, showcasing farm and country life at its heart. Farm life, work and hardships aren't glossed over, which makes the stories and 'realities' of the characters believable. Plus the scenery is beautiful. I imagine this is why the show is shown and loved across the world. On top of this, the personal stories of the characters are surprisingly gritty (Becky season 1 for example). It was ahead of its time, telling primarily female stories through and through.
I recently watched all 8 seasons from start to finish, and while I love the show and always will, a few things annoyed me:
1. I know the story line needs to 'keep moving' to keep peoples interest, but at least PRETEND more time has passed between events. E.g. Claire has a baby and almost right away is being encouraged to start dating or find someone. What the.... particularly since these are strong independent women, I found this difficult to wrap my head around.
2. Certain themes repeat themselves (i.e. Women getting involved with married men). I get this happens and can become a 'grey zone' particularly for those involved, but this happened a tad too often...
3. Certain people (family members) get parts of the farm signed over to them overnight. Again, at least pretend more time has passed. These new owners appear over night and because of the good acting make it work, but a lot of personal and story development is actually wasted because of this.
4. Tess and Nick leave for Argentina for a second time, and are almost never ever mentioned again (I think they are mentioned ONCE). For someone who has the biggest stake in Drovers Run, it's bizarre and doesn't make sense. Particularly when the farm is in financial trouble (they go to Argentina after all, to make money and secure their farms for the future). People seem to be dropped from the storyline quite a bit. I understand this, but again, for the story's sake, a mention for the background would be good (e.g. Stevie reunites with her parents on her wedding day, but her Sister is missing and not mentioned).
5. Two people died in the last season. I don't think that was necessary and almost 'lazy writing' in my eyes. Perhaps the writers were really stuck, I don't know, and I get certain actors don't want to come back but it was the last season.... and least give them the opportunity to 'come back' in future! Human stories can be personal and gritty enough without having to kill people off for dramas sake.
That is all. Don't believe the bad reviews that aren't even substantiated, this is a great show. I hope Australian tv has the courage to create more like it!
I recently watched all 8 seasons from start to finish, and while I love the show and always will, a few things annoyed me:
1. I know the story line needs to 'keep moving' to keep peoples interest, but at least PRETEND more time has passed between events. E.g. Claire has a baby and almost right away is being encouraged to start dating or find someone. What the.... particularly since these are strong independent women, I found this difficult to wrap my head around.
2. Certain themes repeat themselves (i.e. Women getting involved with married men). I get this happens and can become a 'grey zone' particularly for those involved, but this happened a tad too often...
3. Certain people (family members) get parts of the farm signed over to them overnight. Again, at least pretend more time has passed. These new owners appear over night and because of the good acting make it work, but a lot of personal and story development is actually wasted because of this.
4. Tess and Nick leave for Argentina for a second time, and are almost never ever mentioned again (I think they are mentioned ONCE). For someone who has the biggest stake in Drovers Run, it's bizarre and doesn't make sense. Particularly when the farm is in financial trouble (they go to Argentina after all, to make money and secure their farms for the future). People seem to be dropped from the storyline quite a bit. I understand this, but again, for the story's sake, a mention for the background would be good (e.g. Stevie reunites with her parents on her wedding day, but her Sister is missing and not mentioned).
5. Two people died in the last season. I don't think that was necessary and almost 'lazy writing' in my eyes. Perhaps the writers were really stuck, I don't know, and I get certain actors don't want to come back but it was the last season.... and least give them the opportunity to 'come back' in future! Human stories can be personal and gritty enough without having to kill people off for dramas sake.
That is all. Don't believe the bad reviews that aren't even substantiated, this is a great show. I hope Australian tv has the courage to create more like it!