Not Happy, Mishka!
I'm not sure why an actor's poor accent and stereotypical dialogue is getting me so angry, but the performance Deborah Kennedy has been putting in as Lou's Russian 'mail-order bride' on Neighbours has really been frustrating the pants off me!
The dialogue would even be okay, if only the portrayal of a Russian stereotype wasn't so frought with ridiculous "how you say" and "ziss is troo, yah?" comments. And despite Deborah's impressive acting experience, her version of a Russian accent sounds like that of a bad parody or an exaggerating schoolchild. It completely detracts from any realism the scenes she shares with (so far) Lou, Harold, Sky, Paul and Izzy.
Next we'll be seeing Lou arranging for her to meet her Australian cricketing idol Shane Warne (where else but in the Scarlet Bar!). Mark my words. Hopefully neither she nor the cricketer will try to disgrace themselves any further.
(If you don't see the pun in this post's title, spare a thought to the original Australian Yellow Pages TV commercial that spawned the phrase 'Not happy, Jan!', and take a good look at the angry businesswoman it featured. The actress herself actually coined the phrase - which is now part of the Australian vernacular - on the day of shooting. I wonder how often she hears it said on a daily basis. I wonder if the writers have very cleverly given the same line to Lou or Harold and I've missed it.)
I don't know what the future has in store for Lou Carpenter, but I trust that if he's headed for a retirement far away from Erinsborough in the not-too-distant, he won't go gallavanting off with 'Mishka Babooshka'.
If she's been written in as a plot device for writing Lou out, I'm not so sure this was the best way to do it, even if it's more original than him just meeting the women of his dreams down at the General Store. But either way, I just hope her guest starring role winds down soon. Her entire dialogue is just too irritating.
My apologies to all those involved in creating the character, but ziss is troo, yah?
posted by BEVIS @ 11:42 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
interesting. i have to disagree though. i think you are being far too exacting for a soap actor. i think she does an ok job with her accent, the way she says "herold" is legendary in our lounge room. also i think the writing/dialogue is quite good, having been a teacher of english to people from non-english speaking backgrounds, my ear tells me it's quite authentic.
i think i like her because she's motherly and sometimes i wish she would walk into my house, make me a cup of tea and invite me to "tell mishka all your problem, all your worriesomes, it will make you better feel, i zink so, yah"
the stereotyping is annoying though, i agree with you there. but we just have to remember the audience.
Fair enough; I embrace dissention and absolutely adore personal experiences that establish any point contrary to the one I've made. (When made nicely, the way you do it.)
It proves there is still much to learn in the world and that no one person already has it all "in the bag". (Even me!)
Mark my words on the Shane Warne thing, though.
Post a Comment
<< Home