Girl power! (L to R) Melissa Bergland, Demi Harman, Melanie Vallejo and Virginia Gay. Image credit: Channel 7.
Better get the tissues ready as long running Aussie drama Winners & Losers is sadly, after five seasons, coming to an end on Monday night in massive double episode filled with tears, friendly faces, more tears, many laughs and even more tears.
With Channel 7 pushing out double episodes on a weekly basis since the shows return, they’ve decided to call Monday nights epic finale a ‘movie length send off’ while in reality, the first of the two final episodes is a follow up to last weeks cliff-hanger and takes a close look at Sophie’s (Melanie Vallejo) love triangle with Luke (Nathin Butler) and his brother Alex (Scott Smart) while Jenny (Melissa Bergland), who has discovered she’s finally pregnant, must find the right way to reunite with Gabe (Nick Russell) after she chose to pretty much end their marriage after his kiss with co-worker Riley (Demi Harman)
Thankfully it’s not all woe and drama wtih Frances (Virginia Gay) and Pete (James Saunders) deciding to take a romantic ‘mini moon’ after their sudden nuptials….in a fancy hotel, in the city…..but find themselves struggling to keep up with the fast paced youths running rampant in the same hotel and Riley discovering her ex is about to get married and toys with the idea of going to said wedding and making a scene to prove a point.
Frances (Virginia Gay) imagines what life would have been like had she taken more chances after the lotto win. Image Credit: Channel 7.
It’s not until the loose ends involving Sophie and Jenny are done and dusted and a sneaky little glimpse at a 15 year high school reunion invitation that we make our way into the final ever episode (insert tears here). Jenny, Sophie and Frances are to be interviewed for a documentary on lotto winners five years on from their win, just how much their lives have changed and are they happier now than before they won. It’s a smart way to push the newly inserted Riley out of the story line (she’s off with Gabe working on the presentation of the SpoilSport app) and allow the three remaining lead characters take the spotlight together for one last time while they take in their lives now and where they started off.
Familiar faces including the entire Gross clan – Trish, Brian and Patrick Gross (Denise Scott, Francis Greenlade and Jack Pearson) and former nemesis Tiffany Turner (Michala Banas) are a very much welcome return but don’t be expecting much more than that. For a show that offered up a slew of recurring characters over its five seasons, sadly, there is virtually no reference to those we loved who have come and gone like Bec (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith), Doug (Tom Wren), Flynn (Tom Hobbs) or Sam (Katherine Hicks).
But, that’s not what this Winners & Losers finale is about. The aim is clearly to give a massive send off to who we have left standing and to celebrate the big changes coming their way as we say goodbye to the girls we’ve come to know over the past five years.
Tissues will be needed and lots of them, but probably not until the last 15 or so minutes because that’s when it all gets real and we know the end is coming. It’s always tough to give a show a respectable farewell and the final few scenes are actually a perfect way to say goodbye to Jenny, Frances and Sophie as we’re offered a perfect little glimpse into their lives after it’s all said and done. The only thing that may rub fans wrong is that said ‘non mention’ of long gone series favorites.
I can honestly say for Jenny, Sophie and Frances, I wouldn’t have had this finale any other way.
The Winners and Losers series finale starts Monday night, September 12th at 8:50pm on Channel 7.
It’s great to see Channel 7 showing faith in one of it’s locally produced dramas after the announcement of a fifth season of Winners & Losers to come in 2015.
The drama, currently half way through it’s fourth season, has been officially greenlit for season 5, Seven said yesterday. “At its heart, Winners & Losers is about the unbreakable bond of friendship and that’s why it resonates with so many Australians,” said Seven’s head of drama, Julie McGauran. “It’s an evolving story about young women trying to make their way in life, connected by shared experiences and supporting each other along the way. We’re delighted the journey continues.”
There’s no real surprise though with the renewal seeing the series averaged 1.05m metro viewers through it’s run in 2014 and is also Sevens highest-rated locally produced drama series in the younger demographic, even ahead of Home and Away.
To refresh you all, last time we saw our favorite winners, Frances had just given birth to her baby girl, Sophie was contemplating single life after another break-up, Jen was struggling to deal with life after her double mastectomy and Sam was left dealing with a dying Luke in her arms.
Gabe (Nick Russell) and Jenny (Melissa Berglund) head for hard times. Source: Provided
Winners & Losers is steamrolling into it’s mid season finale (airing next Tuesday, Sept 23rd) and like usual, the show is goes out with a bang that will leave fans hanging.
Tonight’s episode fast tracks the time line forward one month after Jen’s double mastectomy and reconstruction and there’s tension in the air between her and boyfriend Gabe (Nick Russell) with Jen not wanting to accept that the surgery has changed things in her life. Sam (Katherine Hicks) is struggling living life without Cory (Jacob Holt) who has returned to the care of his mum Hayley (Anna Samson) while Sophie (Mellanie Vajello) decides to make amends with Luke (Nathin Butler) and attempts to rekindle their friendship.
But it’s next week’s finale that brings out all the drama with Frances (Virginia Gay) finally going into labour (hoorah!) that brings some of the funniest moments from the season to date while Doug (Tom Wren) and Carla (Sibylla Budd) come up against some unexpected closed doors while looking into the possibility of adoption leaving Carla’s sister Izzy (Laura Gordon) wanting to make a selfless offer. while Jenny and Gabe and Sophie and Jack find themselves in romantic messes trying to determine what they both want out of their relationships.
This mid-season finale’s biggest ‘OMG!’ moments however revolve around the Sam/Cory/Hayley story-line that has played out over the first half of this season, finally coming to a very dramatic end that will not only leave you wondering who’s going to survive, but also grabbing the tissues!
Winners & Losers airs tonight, channel 7 at 8:30pm with the mid season finale airing next Tuesday night on 7.
Rear Katherine Hicks as Sam, Virginia Gay as Frances Front Melissa Bergland as Jenny, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith as Bec, Melanie Vallejo as Sophie. Source: Provided
The massive cast changes in Winners and Losers that took place at the season three finale is about to add another name to the list of those who have left with Tuesday night’s episode seeing a main character joining those who have moved onto greener pastures.
The season three finale saw characters including Patrick (Jack Pearson), Jasmine (Pia-Grace Moon), Flynn (Tom Hobbs) and Jonathan (Damien Bodie) all exit the series along with Trish Gross (Denise Scott) taking an extended break in Switzerland and Bec (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith) moving to Singapore to be with Ryan (but let’s face it, she hasn’t really gone anywhere with the amount of time she’s spending back home in Melbourne!) is about to see a favorite cast member say goodbye.
Speaking with The Daily Edition yesterday, cast member Melanie Vallejo (Sophie) revealed that yes, a main cast member will be leaving the show! So who is it that’s leaving? I know….but i’m keeping quiet on this one, instead offering up some suggestions as to who it could be.
Is it Francis?: Francis has had a tough time of late between Zach leaving, her surprise pregnancy and the departure of business partner Flynn and co-dependent Jonathan, Francis has found herself relying on the slightly airy Bridget, not only for emotional support but professional support too. Has it all become too much for Francis to handle with her only option to be with Zach in Abu Dhabi?
Is it Jen?: While things haven’t been as tough for Jen as they have been for Francis, Jen’s still been on a very up and down ride that could see her throw it all in and leave for good. With all her winnings now gone, Jen has had a tough time readjusting to life before money that included returning to her old job and suffering through a string of bad relationships. Will new boyfriend Gabe be enough to keep Jen from leaving?
Is it Sophie?: One could say “poor Sophie” if it wasn’t for all the naked fun she was having with Sam’s brother Luke. While her ex Doug has moved on and married Carla and her struggles with revealing what happened to her while in Africa played heavily in the past few seasons, it’s her relationship with Luke that has really started to haunt Sophie. Trying to deny she wants more from him that she currently has is a typical Sophie move, but can she deal with having her heart broken all over again?
Is it Bec?: We’ve seen some very ‘out-of-character’ behavior from our widowed Bec of late. There was the hook up with bikie Jason (who was also dealing dope on the side) then becoming romantically involved with her therapist Ryan (who subsequently lost his job) which then led to her moving to Singapore to continue to be with Ryan and finally back into Jason’s arms, cheating on Ryan. It’s all been very un-Bec like…could this behavior lead to her saying goodbye to it all and leaving?
Is it Sam?: Just like the others, Sam has found herself in a situation she never thought she’d ever be in. One day your working as a nurse, the next you’re marrying a patient dying from cancer and suddenly, you’ve inherited your dead husband’s son he abandoned years ago while his mother is off in Bangers living large with the payout from her ex’s death. Sam somehow managed to get the raw end of the deal here and has found herself single and the legal guardian of a moody 14 year old. How long can she deal with this?
So who leaves? Find out tonight on an all new Winners and Losers, 8:30pm on Channel 7
Jen learns dating younger men can be more trouble than it’s worth
Starting an episode of Winners and Losers off with vodka shots can only lead to good things like icky sexual tension between Flynn (Tom Hobbs) and Sam (Katherine Hicks), a badly dressed random (Savers shopper anyone?) playing sexy eyes at Sophie (Melanie Vellejo) and Jen (Melissa Bergland) happily expressing just how much sex she’s having with her man-child fling.
So what happened to our favorite winners last night?
Frances/Zach/Jasmine/Jonathan: Frances (Virginia Gay) is beginning to find herself on the wrong end of a rather cranky Zach (Stephen Phillips). Either Zach is on a rager of a heavy flow or his mood swings resulting from his stroke are really starting to kick in. Jonathan (Damien Bodie) finally tells Frances that back in the hospital, Zach went (for the better use of the word) mental while Jonathan was throwing purses out of his mouth. it’s here Jonathan comes up with the bright plan to include someone else into this really bad mix of injuries and mental anguish.
Frances decides to rope Doug (Tom Wren) into trying to get Zach to open up about his feelings post stroke, but he does so using beer and the offer of being his best man at his wedding. Personally, I’d have brought a wheel of Brie and Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion on DVD to watch but each to their own….
There’s talk of a bucks night (no shaving cream or nudity please) which quickly turns into Doug asking if Zach can use a keyboard. This of course brings on Zach’s Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde persona resulting in Zach taking a fall and yeah….there was wee.
cue awkward pause
There was another cap to be used from this scene…but…you know…wee.
Zach finally explodes, literally blaming Frances for everything that’s happened to him. Granted, Frances was the one who brought Shannon into the fold, but last time I checked, Shannon was the one stuffing an unconscious Zach into the boot of his car….case of misguided anger I’m guessing.
This anger continues on including an uncalled for verbal spray at Jasmine (PiaGrace Moon) before Frances and Zach have a decent heart to heart but we all can tell that Frances wants to get the heck out of there and go drinking with her friends. Who’d blame her?
Flynn/Sophie/Sam: Flynn and Sam have decided that to avoid the weird tension hanging thick in the air between them, they decide to go back to being friends – but the kind that eye each other off and get jealous when the other shows interest in someone else. I would say to them “just get a room already” but..they’ve been there, done that.
Random shirt and tie guy tried his luck with Sophie, he’s got a cracker of a pick up line, “Excuse me, you wouldn’t happen to have any raisins? No? How about a date?” How did she not throw him down on that table right then and there?
Minus the bad pick-up lines, surely this shirt nabs all the ladies…
The two people struggling with their own romantic issues with each other (Flynn and Sam), offer sad and single Sophie some dating advice which was basically them calling her a frosty bitch who glares at everyone around her. To prove she’s not a frosty bitch, Sophie decides to break out the iPad and download Tinder. Well Winners and Losers version of Tinder. This version allows her to list ten attributes she wants in a guy to which, after an hour of thinking, she only come up with two. “Not ugly” and “Not stupid”. I guess while she may be a frosty bitch, one could never claim Sophie to be a picky bitch….
So it’s been hours and Soph is still trawling the internet for men, Sam can’t decide what to have for dinner and Flynn wants to go out to a nice bar with some decent food and find some hot guys….ummm Flynn, I have a stocked wine rack, can cook a mean roast and well…I ain’t ugly looking….
Turns out, Flynn was talking about hot guys for Sophie. Bugger. Sam takes this as an opportunity to get her girls out and pick out rather greasy looking guys for Soph to smile at. Let’s face it, Sam is from the bush and has turned down Flynn…I don’t think she’s the best choice for boyfriend picking….
Sam and her girls go out for the night
The night out turns a bit disastrous when the male version of Kelly from My Kitchen Rules begins hitting on Sam and her girls talking about his worldly travels to exotic locations. Flynn is being attacked by a group of horny women on a hens night and Sophie picks up a DJ. Yes, a DJ. I wonder where bad pick-up line guy is….
Anyways, Sam and Flynn decide they can’t be friends without all the tension and decide avoiding each other is the wisest decision. I guess getting all that inner rage out with a round of bed hopping is out of the question.
Bec/Ryan (Psych Doc guy): Oh there’s Bec (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith), I think she was at the bar in the beginning…anyways she’s talking to Jasmine (PiaGrace Moon) about the school councilor who was made part-time. With Dieter Brummer off riding his motorcycle and dolling out spliffs, she needs a project to keep her occupied and this sounds like the perfect distraction.
Bec doesn’t know what auto-save is….
I do keep forgetting about Bec lately. She doesn’t have much going on right now, well except flirting with Ryan her ex psychologist and making lasagna and now this school counselor issue..oh and a baby that spends a lot of time on the floor….anyways, she’s decided, with the help of Ryan, to sort this school counselor issue out which includes some rather intense eye undressing (on Ryan’s behalf) and Bec realizing she has NO IDEA WHAT AUTO-SAVE IS!
Jen/Man-Child/Gross Family Members: Jen and man-child are trying to find a place to have lie down kisses. His place is no good and Jen has had enough of the back seat of the car (saucy minx) so to her bedroom (in her parents house) they go!
This causes all kinds of awkwardness at the ‘Haus of Gross’ the following morning as Jen (negligee and all) introduces her topless man-child to the Gross clan. Her sister Bridget (Sarah Grace) eyes him off, mum Trish (Denise Scott) offers to cook him breakfast, Dad Brian (Francis Greenslade) basically asks “are you adult cuddle friends?” and brother Patrick (Jack Pearson) offers up the most normal reaction of “ewwww you’re my sister, you’re not supposed to be doing that”.
Off to the beach they go (does Jen work?) where she’s taken a sexy selfie in the change room…probably not the best of locations to take one, I hear there’s bad lighting in those rooms….man-child talks a lot about Jen meeting his parents and how cool it’s going to be and skateboards and playstation and OMGs.
She’s starting to realize (not that he’s a child) that he’s wanting more out of this than she wants and makes the utterly heartbreaking decision to dump his man-child ass. Of course this doesn’t sit well with the child who promptly sends out her sexy selfie to the entire internet.
Talk about your worst nightmare coming true! Though snaps to Jen for having a crack at telling man-child to delete the image and everyone he sent it to. I wonder if she realizes that age old saying “Once it hits the net, it’s out there forever!”
Winners and Losers airs Tuesday nights, Channel 7 at 8:30pm(ish)
ThePopHub.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.