Review: Who would have thought the former rat tailed Toadie was such a pants man?

The first episode of the Neighbours reboot offers plenty of intrigue from familiar faces Toadie and Paul Robinson and a somewhat unbelievable plot line involving US recruit Mischa Barton.

The best line from the first episode of the Neighbours reboot didn’t come from Toadie or Dr Karl, but one of the wives of the new multiracial, lesbian couple.

We meet them in the opening scene arriving in Ramsay Street with their two kids, ticking all the diversity boxes, as they come to Airbnb Plain Jane’s house.

“A weight has been lifted being away from Werribee,” said Remi to her wife Cara, tossing organic salad leaves to ominous music.

A scene from the latest Neighbours episode.

That rules Werribee out as a tourist attraction for the US audience the soapie reboot is aiming at, but we kind of get it.

Back in Erinsborough and it turns out it has been two years since we said goodbye with a balloon popping glitter confetti all over Ramsay St residents after Toadie’s wedding.

Now, they’re preparing for yet more nuptials, but we’re left guessing about who is actually tying the knot.

Scriptwriters have already taken some poetic license given we only said farewell to Australia’s longest running soap, with teary cameos from everyone from Kylie Minogue to Margot Robbie, in July last year.

So no wonder it felt like we never left as Susan gives another one of her long monologues in the opening credits as the camera pans around the cul-de-sac with flashbacks of Charlene and Scott, Lou at his Watering Hole and nary a mention of Craig McLachlan’s mulleted Henry.

Ryan Moloney as Toadie Rebecchi.

There are many familiar faces still living in the ‘burb. Paul Robinson keeps doing moody looks over the lake at Lassiters as the intrigue ramps up about who is getting hitched.

Harold is his ol’ dottery self, pulling a scene stealing moment which is almost as good as when he almost dropped his hose, sadly no pun intended, in last year’s finale after seeing the ghost of his dead wife Madge.

But the best storyline belongs to the much hyped new US recruit, Mischa Barton, the siren from Noughties cult drama The O.C.

The intrigue ramps up about who is getting hitched.

Imported to hopefully bring in some US audience by new saviours, international broadcasters Amazon Freevee and Prime Video, Barton brings some spice with a steamy elevator scene straight out of the Grey’s Anatomy playbook.

Later we cut, with flattering angles from the camera, to Barton in a black silk robe in between the bedsheets with her shirtless bellhop. What would Harold say? All of a sudden Neighbours is getting steamy.

The pillow talk reveals Barton is some glamorous fly-in from New Hampshire who decides to stay in Erinsborough after a work conference, again a somewhat unbelievable plot line.

Turns out the hotty she was pashing in the elevator, is the former sex worker son of Plain Jane Superbrain who is in a fluster about getting to London to meet Mike, played by the wonderful Guy Pearce who is almost grimacing at being back via zoom scenes, but too nice to say no.

Jane, played by original cast member Annie Davis, then delivers the only other pearler from the show’s first episode, as she looks lovingly at her Lassiters bell hop son pleased about his new found career passion and “not that escorting.”

Back to the wedding intrigue. Well, stand by for plenty of slow motion walking as Terese, played by Rebekah Elmaloglou, pops down the aisle to marry none other than … Toadie!

Toadie and Terese get married.

Who would have thought the former rat tailed Toadie was such a pants man?

The last time we saw him he was marrying someone else.

It’s hard to keep up but Australia’s longest running soap has never made apologies for that. The return might be schmaltzy and lukewarm, but like the daggy uncle it’s still nice to have them around.