I have recently re-watched both 'Packed to the Rafters' and 'Back to the Rafters'. While not a disaster of a return to the world of the Rafter characters, this sequel lacks the charm of the original series.
It has been 6 years since Dave, Julie and Ruby Rafter were seen driving off in their family kombi and after a few years of travelling, they have settled in the peaceful country town of Buradeena. Dave is enjoying country life, becoming close mates with his apprentice electrician and finding himself more at peace with himself than ever before. Julie has made friends and has a job at the local cafe, but yearns for her old bustling life in the city. On a visit to Sydney to visit her ailing father Ted, connect with her children Ben and Nathan who are each facing their own personal issues and visits to see Donna at the Boat Club and to her favourite restaurant Shanghai Express, Julie decides she wants to move back. Dave resists her decision. He is determined to stay put. The conflict of should-I-stay-or-should-I-go for Julie and the impacts on her marriage to Dave is the biggest continuing storyline of this sequel, with the challenges in Rachel, Ben and Nathan's lives also explored.
Some viewers will be disappointed in the lack of connection of the story to the last episode of Packed to the Rafters. While we see a flashback of the last scene of Packed to the Rafters when Dave, Julie and Ruby leave their beloved family home, no mention of characters that were part of the final goodbye in Season 6 of Packed to the Rafters were mentioned (Coby and Frankie, Emma, Buzz and Jackson, Eleanor, Matt, Sammy). The nicely tied up ends of Packed to the Rafters and ideas that were hinted at (like the reconciliation of Sammy and Nathan) were undone through this sequel. It was also unusual to witness the Rafter family in a large, quiet family home when the concept of a lively, small, packed to the rafters home was central to what the original show was about. However it was a nice detail to include Dave and Julie showing Ruby where they used to live. As a whol, Back to the Rafters is not a bad show and there were glimpses of the style of the original series, without the same impact of the character narrations. It is hard to return to the same format that proved such a success several years ago, with a change of setting, society and a change in some cast members and it showed in this sequel series.
It has been 6 years since Dave, Julie and Ruby Rafter were seen driving off in their family kombi and after a few years of travelling, they have settled in the peaceful country town of Buradeena. Dave is enjoying country life, becoming close mates with his apprentice electrician and finding himself more at peace with himself than ever before. Julie has made friends and has a job at the local cafe, but yearns for her old bustling life in the city. On a visit to Sydney to visit her ailing father Ted, connect with her children Ben and Nathan who are each facing their own personal issues and visits to see Donna at the Boat Club and to her favourite restaurant Shanghai Express, Julie decides she wants to move back. Dave resists her decision. He is determined to stay put. The conflict of should-I-stay-or-should-I-go for Julie and the impacts on her marriage to Dave is the biggest continuing storyline of this sequel, with the challenges in Rachel, Ben and Nathan's lives also explored.
Some viewers will be disappointed in the lack of connection of the story to the last episode of Packed to the Rafters. While we see a flashback of the last scene of Packed to the Rafters when Dave, Julie and Ruby leave their beloved family home, no mention of characters that were part of the final goodbye in Season 6 of Packed to the Rafters were mentioned (Coby and Frankie, Emma, Buzz and Jackson, Eleanor, Matt, Sammy). The nicely tied up ends of Packed to the Rafters and ideas that were hinted at (like the reconciliation of Sammy and Nathan) were undone through this sequel. It was also unusual to witness the Rafter family in a large, quiet family home when the concept of a lively, small, packed to the rafters home was central to what the original show was about. However it was a nice detail to include Dave and Julie showing Ruby where they used to live. As a whol, Back to the Rafters is not a bad show and there were glimpses of the style of the original series, without the same impact of the character narrations. It is hard to return to the same format that proved such a success several years ago, with a change of setting, society and a change in some cast members and it showed in this sequel series.