Salene is most known for her maternal instincts, looking
after the younger kids, and especially Brady. She is not a leader
like Amber or Bray, though in Season 4 leadership is forced on her.
She is athletic, physically powerful, and in Season 3 she brings the
horse Apollo back into riding condition, then rides off into the sunset
to find Ryan. She returns in season 4 without finding him. Salene
sometimes comes across as a girl who doesn't know what she wants.
She wants Bray from the very beginning, but when she can't have him
she settles for Ryan. But he is always second best, and though he
loves her, her love for him, if it ever existed, turns to contempt.
She tells us that her parents constantly called her 'stupid'. So she
grew up believing she was less than adequate. Her negative outlook
often comes out as sarcastic comments. In Season 1, and into Season
2, she suffers bouts of Bulimia. Sad as it may seem, she most often
finds fulfillment in everyday chores, like washing dishes. |
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We first meet Salene in a children's play area.
She has taken responsibility for younger kids Paul, Patsy and
Cloe. Cloe has run off again, apparently oblivious to the dangers
lying round every street corner. Fortunately she is picked up
by Dal and Amber. Cloe then takes her rescuers back to meet
Salene and her friends.
Salene has no plans, where to stay or how to survive. She tells
Amber she was letting the kids play one last time before....
We can only guess what she meant. |
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Amber and Salene discuss survival - a place to stay
- when trouble arrives in the form of Lex and his friends, demanding
food. Then the Locos arrive and then the Demon Dogz ready for a fight.
Amber, Salene, and their group escape and find the Mall first. Lex
and his friends soon follow, still demanding their food, but Jack,
the Mall's unseen resident, drops the grille on Lex, trapping him
there until they decide what to do about him. |
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Jack introduces himself and shows everyone round
the Mall. With the exception of Jack, who is so attached to
his workshop that he even has his bed in there, everyone else
will sleep in the bedding/furniture store, at least for the
first night. That's Amber, Salene, Paul, Patsy, Cloe and Dal.
Salene is thrilled to find "real feather pillows."
Trudy too will sleep here, and Zandra, though it's not long
before most decide to move out to find privacy in their own
rooms. Salene alone will choose to stay with Cloe and Patsy
in the Furniture store, until she moves in with Ryan. |
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When Bray brings Trudy to the Mall, it's Salene
who looks after her, taking her to the Café for a hot
meal, then making her comfortable while she sleeps.
She explains to Patsy and Paul that food is scarce, and they
must all share, and now that Trudy is here that will mean a
bit less.
Salene tends to Trudy's every need, and when her baby is born,
she looks after her too, feeding, cleaning, bathing. |
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Zandra quite likes looking after the baby too,
though she leaves the more unpleasant jobs for Salene. A friendly
rivalry develops, usually centered on whose turn is it to look
after her.
On the other hand Trudy feels threatened by Salene's constant
presence, believing she is trying to steal Bray from her. She's
not far off the mark, Salene does want Bray and takes every
opportunity to be near him. At Jack's trial Trudy is upset to
see Salene sitting next to Bray.
In the end Trudy won't allow Salene near the baby, and tries
to stop her seeing Bray. |
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Ep.13: To take Salene's mind of things Amber
suggests she might give the kids piano lessons. She takes up the idea,
but her mind is elsewhere - like on Bray.
The piano lessons come to an end when Ryan takes some of the wires
inside the piano for Jack and Dal's water system project. Salene is
furious, pummeling Ryan for being so stupid. |
Having sidelined Salene, Trudy hopes to coerce
Bray into moving in with her. She takes every opportunity to
rub salt into the wound. On one occasion she brings Brady in
for Paul and Patsy to say "Nighty-nite". Trudy makes
a point of telling Brady (who can't speak yet) that her uncle
Bray is coming to see her tonight. It's all
meant for Salene, as is Trudy's smug gaze in her direction.
Bray does indeed pass the night in Trudy's room, but sitting
in a chair with a book. In the morning Trudy greets Salene in
a tone of voice that implies she had a good time! |
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At every opportunity, Trudy curtails any contact
between Bray and Salene. A favorite reason is that the kids
need her. Zandra encourages Salene to give Bray some 'smoldering
looks'!
In EP.15 Salene volunteers to go with Bray and Ryan to
fetch water from the stream. She takes the opportunity to talk
about Trudy. Bray confides that Trudy is driving him nuts!
When they get back to the Mall Salene apologizes to Trudy and
promises not to interfere in her relationship with Bray any
more... |
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In Ep.15 there's a party to celebrate
Tai-San bringing Cloe safely back to the Mall when she became
lost in the woods. Amid the party atmosphere Salene takes Bray
aside for a chat. Then it just sort of happens: their first
kiss. As luck would have it, Trudy finds herself in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
Trudy slaps Salene's face and demands Bray make his choice.
Bray needs space and time to think. He takes time out from the
Mall and gets captured by Ebony and the Locos.
In the meantime, Zandra makes rapid preparations for her marriage
to Lex. Just one thing bothers her, the wedding night. Salene
virtually drags Zandra into the Café to ask Trudy. After
all she is the only one with a baby. Trudy refuses to answer
any of Zandra's questions, and doesn't want to know about weddings.
Salene takes the opportunity to score a point off Trudy and
things turn nasty. Tai-San and Amber are obliged to stop a fight,
separating Trudy and Salene. <transcript>
Bray returns in time for the wedding. Unfortunately Ebony (who
allowed him to escape) follows Bray into the Mall. The ensuing
chaos while Ebony is caught and put in the cage means the wedding
has to be called off. |
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In Ep.18 Bray is about to go outside to look
for Paul. Salene wants to go with him, but it's too dangerous. They
get talking about the wonderful New World that awaits them, and ....
they kiss for the second time and as before Trudy spots them from
the balcony.
Trudy has lost all hope of winning Bray. In a flat, nothing-to-live-for
voice she simply asks him to go away and leave her alone. Amber hears
all about it from a very upset Trudy. |
Trudy-Bray-Salene
Ep.19-20 |
Ebony's stay in the cage is
short, thanks to Lex. She escapes, leaving Lex in the cage instead.
Everyone assumes she will be back to trash the Mall. Jack
and Dal get to work, setting up a communications system and
booby traps in the Sewers.
For no obvious reason Amber reprimands Salene for wasting time.
Later in the day Salene challenges her, why is she being so
short with her? Amber explains that Trudy saw her kissing Bray
again. Salene airs her grievances about Trudy, and admits she
is now in love with Bray. |
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The expected attack by Ebony and the Locos never
happens. Instead Bray has made a secret deal with Ebony. For
now the Mallrats are safe. When Bray tells Trudy about it, she
instantly suspects he had sex with her. Bray can't handle this
and takes Brady to his own room. She badly needs changing.
Salene wanders in for a chat about their relationship and the
kiss. She is now in love with him and wants to know if he wants
Trudy or her.
Not long after, Amber tackles Bray. She believes the disruption
caused by the conflict between Trudy and Salene threatens the
whole group. Trudy needs all the support he can give her right
now. |
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Forgetting that Bray took Brady to his room (or maybe
she never noticed nor cared), Trudy accuses Salene of stealing her.
Salene in turn accuses her of neglecting Brady, for where is she?
When everyone is asleep Trudy takes the bag from Dal's room. It's his
father's doctor's bag. Emptying out a pot of sleeping pills, Trudy
swallows them one by one with a glass of water. |
Salene
leaves Trudy to Die Ep.21 |
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During the night Brady cries incessantly. Salene
leaves her own bed to find out why Trudy is doing nothing about
it. She finds Trudy unconscious from an overdose of sleeping
pills. Salene takes Brady to her room, leaving Trudy to die. |
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In the morning Bray finds Trudy unconscious, together
with the pills, and raises the alarm. Salene seems as anxious
as anyone for Trudy to wake up. |
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Bray and Dal physically drag Trudy around the
Mall to make her walk. Amber makes her swallow salt water to
make her throw up. The worst is over and it is now unlikely
Trudy will die. Dal watches over her hour after hour while others
wait on the stairs for news.
Amber blames Bray for leading Trudy up the path then falling
for Salene. Bray heads for his room, followed by Salene.
Salene assumes Bray is packing his bag ready to leave the tribe.
In fact he is going out to look for Paul. She asks for a kiss
and receives a reluctant peck on the cheek. |
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Salene is increasingly troubled by a guilty conscience.
This isn't helped when Zandra becomes suspicious of her story that
she never noticed (when she went to fetch Brady) that Trudy was unconscious,
nor the pot of pills on her bed. |
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One example: Patsy and Cloe ask Zandra's advice
on boyfriends - maybe they could share one, like Trudy and Salene
share Bray? They ask Salene if Trudy might have died last night.
Then it occurs to them that if Trudy had died, Salene wouldn't
have to share. The guilt on Salene's face is telling. Zandra
has been thinking along these lines herself.
Catching Salene on her own in the Café, Zandra retells
the Story the way she sees it. In her version, Salene spotted
the pills and left Trudy to die.
Salene breaks down in tears. |
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