Well, It's About Time!

When the writers of Neighbours split up the ever-lovable couple Karl* and Susan Kennedy a few years ago, they broke our hearts. When they decided to have them argue over anything and everything during their divorce, they distressed us even further. And then when they each had their respective relationships with Izzy and Jenny, and Tom and Alex, they taunted us with the ever-more-distant hope that they may work things out and get back together.



Susan and Karl in happier times

More recently, the writers have been teasing us with little snippets of Karl longing for Susan when she's not available, and then Susan longing for Karl when he's not available. It's been torture!

But when they started to bond the other week over Cassie's death**, things took a decidedly-apparent turn for the better. Or so it seemed.

Karl was still with Jenny, but now Susan has been finding that her feelings for her ex-husband have been growing stronger by the minute. And with Lyn, Rachel, Katya (even Katya!) and Zeke supporting her feelings (in Zeke's case, 'sort of' supporting her feelings), we may yet see them get back together. Susan's illogical anger with Karl of late has been another clear indication that she's fighting her feelings for him.

And then on Friday, we finally witnessed the kiss we've been waiting to see for about four years. After they both rescued a lamb from a snake on Karl's father's farm, Susan took Karl's chin in her hand, leaned in and kissed him. After a moment of "will I or won't I?", he returned the kiss and as one spritely nine-year-old*** has observed, "they got up on their KNEES" and kissed passionately.

Naturally, Susan will be keeping the lamb, and from what Karl said before they starting licking each other's tonsils (Karl and Susan, that is -- not Karl and the lamb!), it looked like they were going to call it Cassie II.**** How fitting it is that such a moment would be the beginning of the beginning for Karl & Susan II.

Over the weekend, I was contemplating many possibilities from this point in the story. Will it just be the beginning of the end? How would Jenny take the news that Karl & Susan are back together (if indeed they are)? And how will it affect her 'engagement' facade? In fact, will it be outed by the press before Karl tells Jenny the truth? (That'd certainly be more dramatic than him simply telling her honestly!) And what about Zeke? His reluctance was evident on Friday about Susan going off to help Karl with his dad rather than celebrate the late Alex's birthday with the kids. I'm not terribly convinced that Zeke is A-OK with it all. He could always cause trouble for them both by being a spoilt little prat about things.

And hey, while we're throwing theories around, what about Susan herself? Who's to say she won't get cold feet about the reunion and call it off before it has a chance to start? (Probably after Karl's ended it with Jenny, if I know my soapies.) After all, he's cheated on Susan twice before (and then famously "fallen out of love" with her), and now he's cheated on Jenny with Susan!

Then again, Karl might be the one to call it off, if he gets an attack of the guilts about Jenny.

About the only suggestion I didn't contemplate over the weekend was that those crazy kids would just happen to find a way to make it work between them this time. And this is exactly what happened last night.

Uber-conveniently, Jenny arrives to break things off with Karl, because she has "the hots" for a colleague. More than that, when saying this to Karl (thinking she's breaking his heart), she uses the words, "I'm in lust - oh boy, am I in lust!" or something similar. Who amongst us would be quite so heartless and lacking in tact when telling someone their relationship was through? Anyway, not only does he take the news well, but he does the honest, responsible thing and fess-up about kissing Susan earlier that day. Jenny immediately laughs. No anger, no hurt, no rejection ... not even an "I told you so". It all seems so surreal I was half-expecting it to be a dream (particularly since we'd seen Susan daydream during Stingray's film and Karl had imagined Susan was at his apartment when it was actually Jenny).

And if Jenny arrived to break off their relationship, why did she start off by being all flirty with him? (By covering his eyes with her hands, I mean.) What about her precious political image and their fake engagement? How's that all going to play out for her? It doesn't seem like much thought has been put into that side of the story, ripping any semblance of realism out of the picture. I was getting the feeling that the whole Karl-Susan storyline was being rushed through to be a 'completed transaction' and all nicely resolved by a particular date. And maybe that's exactly what it was.

At any rate, last night's episode ended with Jenny leaving Karl's life for good (she asked him to keep in contact "more than just a Christmas card" and he agreed wholeheartedly, but I imagine that's the last we'll ever see of her ... unless they want to utilise a politician character on the show again and she proves to be the easy option, I guess), but she didn't leave before she had the chance to assure Susan that she and Karl had split amicably -- and that she, Susan, should take the plunge and get back together with Karl. There's nothing like the departing ex's permission to fuel a passionate fire, eh? So while Karl looked longingly across the room at Susan (almost painfully or even distressingly), she blurted out those words we've been dying to hear her tell him for so long: "I love you!"

So what happens now? Karl moves back into the street (officially), perhaps they even re-marry, Karl takes on a proper 'stepfather' role to the kids, and things get back to how they were when viewers were happy with the whole thing?

If so, that part at least is fantastic!

It's been a long time coming, and oc course everything is not completely sewn up yet. But things are looking good for a bright, happy future for the Kennedys.

If they get re-married, I wonder if Billy will drop his clinical duties with Dr House to fly home for the ceremony. He could bring Dr Cameron with him so she could meet the in-laws. And -- why not? -- that black guy as well. It's about time Ramsay Street had a black guy.



* Note: It's not 'Carl'. He was named after Karl Marx.

** 'Cassie', of course, being their pet sheep. Because it's short for 'Casserole'. Ha.

*** Or is she ten now, MG?

**** Spoil-sport Zeke derailed that particular train of thought when he dubbed the lamb 'Chop' instead.


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CONNOR UPDATE:

Total number of 'Connor' references since my last 'Connor Update': Zero.

Patrick Harvey's smiling dial was finally removed from the opening credits on Monday, 19th June.

Likely outcome: Connor will either be discovered dead, return to Ramsay Street on his own steam, or be tracked down by Toadie, et al (whether he be dead or alive), well and truly after the Robert/Cameron scenario has been played out in full. The two events won't even be pieced together as being related to each other (unless, as stated previously, Carmella returns to highlight that the last thing she said to Connor on the phone was informing him of the comatose Robinson twin). By that stage, Dee will also have returned. You read it here first!


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