Episode 7921 of the Australian television soap opera Neighbours was broadcast on Eleven and Channel 5 on 3 September 2018. The episode was directed by Chris Adshead and written by Libby Butler. The plot focuses on the wedding of popular couple Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) and David Tanaka (Takaya Honda). It is Australia's first televised fictional same-sex wedding since the country voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage on 9 December 2017. The episode also sees the beginning of a relationship between David's brother Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano) and Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou).
Initial plans for the wedding began in 2016 when Honda joined the cast. He was informed that his character would have a relationship with Aaron, which would lead to their marriage. Producers and script writers planned for an engagement and wedding between the couple before same-sex marriage was legal in Australia. After same-sex marriage was legalised, the actors and viewers began calling for a same-sex wedding storyline. Both Honda and Wilson were keen for their characters to marry and they wanted Neighbours to be the first to show a legal same-sex marriage on Australian television. However, the serial's executive producer Jason Herbison wanted David and Aaron to face relationship challenges like the serial's other couples before marrying.
Confirmation of the wedding plot was announced on 30 May 2018, with production on the episode at the show's set in Nunawading already underway. The ceremony scenes were filmed in one day, with the reception scenes filmed during the following week. The day of the shoot was "pretty cold and miserable" and the bad weather meant that the cast and crew had to work as quick as possible. There was also a large media presence on set and Honda and Wilson would carry out interviews in between filming. Producers introduced comedian and actress Magda Szubanski as Jemima Davies-Smythe as the celebrant who marries David and Aaron. They contacted Szubanski's agent about the role after her prominent involvement in the campaign for marriage equality, and Szubanski accepted immediately. She improvised some lines during filming and continued to appear in the show after the episode aired.
To promote the episode, Neighbours released a trailer, featuring specially-filmed clips. They also released a promotional video and a countdown to the wedding on its official YouTube channel and website. Episode 7921 was well received by critics. Luke Dennehy of TV Week praised the writers and producers for marrying two of their most popular characters, and called the episode "an Australian television moment of history". A Mediaweek reporter called it an iconic episode of Neighbours, while News.com.au's Maria Bervanakis said it was "the biggest wedding since Scott and Charlene in 1987." Gary Nunn of The Guardian felt the episode would leave LGBTQI+ viewers feeling represented and called Szubanski's appearance "a stroke of genius". Bridget McManus of The Sydney Morning Herald also praised Szubanski's performance, saying it was clear she would steal the show. In November 2018, the wedding was nominated for the inaugural Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network Award.
Plot At Number 24 Ramsay Street, Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) is getting ready for his wedding to David Tanaka (Takaya Honda). He tells his family that the day will likely be a disaster, as they have no celebrant and his back is sore. At Lassiters Hotel, David is getting ready with his father Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and his brother Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano) reads out a card from their mother. At Number 28, Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) return from Echuca, where Karl was hoping to find his half-sister. Susan finishes writing her celebrant's speech, unaware that Aaron and David believe she has pulled out. Aaron drops off the cake decoration at The Waterhole pub, where chef Gary Canning (Damien Richardson) tries to dodge a woman (Magda Szubanski) giving him cooking advice. Aaron turns down his sister Chloe's (April Rose Pengilly) offer to act as the celebrant, as he and David would have to marry at a registry office later on. They return home where the family take a picture, before getting into a waiting limo. However, Aaron slips and hurts his back, leaving him unable to walk properly. At the hotel, Leo tells manager Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) there have been complaints about a group in one of the rooms, which she promises to deal with.
At the Pavilion, David is surprised to see Susan, but they soon work out that Aaron misunderstood a text message cancelling a meeting. David explains that they have a replacement – the woman from the pub. Aaron arrives in a wheelchair, but he manages to walk down the aisle. The celebrant starts off using Susan's speech, but soon ad-libs. Aaron and David recite their own vows and exchange rings, before the celebrant declares them to be married. As the guests leave to take photos, David checks Aaron is okay. Paul orders Leo to return to the hotel, as the guests from earlier have trashed their room and the police are involved. Susan complains to Karl about the celebrant, then accidentally breaks the front grill off the celebrant's car when she leans on it. Karl offers to pay for the damage and hands the celebrant his card. She recognises his name and reveals that she is his sister, Jemima Davies-Smythe. Leo gets to the hotel room just as the police are leaving. Terese makes a start on tidying up and Leo decides to help out. They both reach for a champagne bottle, which leads to them kissing. Terese then locks the door and they start taking off their clothes.
Production Conception and development The episode features the wedding between Aaron Brennan (Wilson) and David Tanaka (Honda), making it the first same-sex wedding in the show and the first fictionalized legal same-sex wedding on Australian television. Planning for the wedding began when Honda joined the cast in 2016. He was informed in a script meeting that his character would have a relationship with Aaron, which would lead to their eventual marriage. Producers and script writers planned the engagement and wedding between the pair before marriage equality was legal in Australia. The following year, Australia voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage and the Act came into effect on 9 December 2017. Coincidentally, Neighbours aired a failed proposal scene between the characters in January 2018, which had been filmed months before the referendum. A line in which David mentions the proposal is symbolic as they cannot legally marry was cut from the final script, following the outcome of the vote.
With the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia, Neighbours viewers and actors began calling for a same-sex wedding storyline. Honda stated "Whether that's a David and Aaron wedding, or whether it's somebody else. I'm really hoping Neighbours gets the opportunity. Neighbours have worked really hard to ensure they reflect the wider community so I think it's a really important step. Hopefully we get to do it soon!" Honda later told Johnathon Hughes of the Radio Times that as a result of the vote, a potential wedding between David and Aaron would be the first legal same-sex marriage on Australian television, an accolade he felt the show deserved due to the work that had been put into their storyline and other LGBT plots. The serial's executive producer Jason Herbison initially wanted David and Aaron to face relationship challenges like the serial's other couples before marrying.
On 18 May 2018, the show aired another proposal between the characters, which resulted in their engagement. Wilson commented that it was "a long time coming" and joked that the writers had finally run out of ideas to keep the characters apart. Wilson was really keen for Aaron and David to become the first couple to have a legal same-sex marriage, before fellow soap opera Home and Away or another Australian drama beat them to it. He believed that the episode would still be special, but being the first production to do it would be "even bigger." He admitted that he often went to the writing department to ask them to marry Aaron and David, saying "I think I started throwing that out about a year ago or even more. I feel like I've got a lot of ownership over this, so I want it to be perfect. I'm starting to feel like a bit of a groomzilla."
At the end of May, it was confirmed that David and Aaron would marry. Talking with Will Stroude of Attitude, Honda explained that for some people same-sex marriage needed to be legalised for the plot to air, as it could be "painful" to watch the wedding go ahead "without it being given the legitimacy of being legalised by society." Herbison described the episode as being "very meaningful" to everyone on the production team. Honda was keen to see viewer reaction to the episode, knowing that he and Wilson had put a lot of work into making their character's relationship "truthful", while Wilson was confident that fans would enjoy it. Honda also pointed out that the wedding is "proudly mixed-race" as David, like Honda, is of Japanese heritage. Honda said it was significant, but not something that had been brought up, whereas in the past it would have been "a huge deal".
Honda called the episode "a huge ball of positivity" and said there would be some dramatic moments before David and Aaron get to say their vows, but it would be beautiful. Two such moments occur just before the ceremony, as Aaron aggravates a back injury and has to use a wheelchair. Unable to walk down the aisle, he has to be supported by his siblings. The couple are also forced to find a new celebrant. Honda explained that the moment the couple are married has "a realistic seriousness of the occasion" and is "given the weight it requires and deserves." Following "an unusual ceremony", the pair are pronounced husband and husband. Wilson hoped the wedding would eventually lead to the couple having children.
The episode also sees the beginning of a relationship between Terese Willis (Elmaloglou) and David's brother Leo Tanaka (Kano). As they deal with a trashed hotel room, the "sexual tension between the couple is too explosive to ignore" and they have sex, making Leo late for the wedding reception. Elmaloglou commented that it was not premeditated, but "one thing just leads to another..." Elmaloglou admitted that she was surprised by the development, as it was the last thing she was expecting. She was worried about how she and Kano would look on-screen, as their body types are so different and she had to stand on a box for their kissing scenes. Kano was nervous about viewer reaction to the age gap between the pair and Leo's betrayal of Paul, who has feelings for Terese.
Szubanski's casting
Comedian and actress Magda Szubanski was cast in the role of Jemima Davies-Smythe, the celebrant who marries David and Aaron. Producers contacted Szubanski's agent about the role, after her prominent involvement in the "Yes" campaign for marriage equality. Szubanski accepted immediately, believing it to be "a fabulous, moving and hilarious idea." She added, "I thought it was just one of the best offers I've had for a long time. I thought it was both hilarious and historic so when they asked me I just jumped at it. I think it's gold." Szubanski recalled watching the wedding of Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue) in 1987 when she was in her twenties. She told Bridget McManus of The Sydney Morning Herald that she and other gay people loved Neighbours, but they did not think there would ever be gay characters or a same-sex marriage. She said, "It didn't even occur to you that something like that would happen in your lifetime. If there had been, I would be completely different, honestly."