You can find episode synopses in the Episode Guide section, but let's start off with a series synopsis and in depth look into the characters, shall we?

We'll go in a little deeper into the show than the official synopsis and character descriptions do, so get some snacks and enjoy.

The series creates more backstory for the Bartons themselves and introduces new characters like Skinner, Vince, the Snollers and of course Anita.

It deals with everyday events that a typical suburban family goes through, never touching on heavy subjects like divorce or death (not counting frogs), and not too far removed from the kind of "adventures" that children would experience everyday, in their everyday lives and everyday friendships.

So no villains, big mysteries or ominous events looming on the horizon.

Press at the time heralded the series as "ABC's 'Neighbours' for kids", although Jenifer Hooks did not agree with that assessment at all. She was interviewed in the 21 May 1987 edition of Green Guide, and told Pamela Bone that Bartons would be much more refined than a soap, with a lot less fighting in it.^{03 06}

Although there is no episode spanning story arc, some themes do recur. Some episodes story lines originate in an earlier episode, giving coherence to the series. For example, the battle for Elly's tree starts out as the plot of the first episode and is revisited in the last episode (creating a bookend that gives the series closure). Some story lines start off as a small scene or remark in one episode and grow into an episode or subplot of an episode. For example, Miss India telling Elly she'd love to visit India in Mr Snoller's Black Bag results in the plot of Position Vacant. Vince and Susan's feelings for each other are hinted at in The Barton League of Bird Lovers and turn into a major plot point in Half-time. Susan's character grows from a shy girl who supposedly has no friends to a member of the League, the Girl Guides and Vince's girlfriend; all shown through subplots in a number of episodes.

Elly absolutely loves teasing Anita about her interest for boys and her latest crush. She doesn't understand why her best friend finds boys interesting. Boys are annoyances that have to be dealt with quickly, so Elly can resume what she was doing, and not be pondered on for too long. Let alone talk about their bodies, as Anita seems to enjoy doing. No, Elly reckons there must be something wrong with Anita.

In my opinion, the realism with which Elly is depicted, both by the writers and by her actress Olivia Harkin, is one of the aspects that makes The Bartons stand out from other series of the time (and still today).

Paul Barton (Matt Day) is Elly's fourteen year old brother and the only character besides Elly that gets his own in depth story line in the series. Even though he often sides with Anthony in teasing Elly, he's probably the closest to her of the entire family. He's soft-mannered, enjoys joining Elly's clubs, reading books and he strongly dislikes sports.

Paul feels a lot of social pressure to act like other boys his age do, especially in the areas of sports and girls. He fails at both, and this makes him "suspected" (of being gay) by other boys (especially Anthony). This being the eighties that is frowned upon.

The show doesn't shy away from the struggle some boys go through in this aspect; appearance to other boys becoming more important and letting go of your personality in favour of one that's forced on you by peer pressure.

Sure, some boys roll into that social role naturally, but there's herds of them that don't. And unusually for '80s TV, Paul is one of them. And while he does succumb for about 20 minutes in the episode Suspected, he doesn't back off and quickly goes back to his own self. Bartons shows that even when you don't act like you're apparently supposed too, you can still have lots of cool friends and girls will still notice you.

Elly's father Robert Barton (Frankie J. Holden) works as an assistant manager at the local branch of a bank. Caught up in his job, he isn't very close to his children (with the possible exception of Anthony). His will is law, and he expects his children to fall in line, and is not afraid to (threaten to) use physical punishment to get them to do that.

Elly and Robert have a special kind of 'friendship', one that only fathers and daughters can have, but there is a large and ever increasing gap between their understanding of the world. Robert seems to understand his daughter's opinions less and less because of it.

Mum Clare Barton (Jennifer Jarman-Walker) became a stay-at-home-mum when her children were born.

She's inititially happy with the situation, as raising four kids really is a full time job. Even more so when one of those children is Elly Barton.

She wants to rejoin the workforce as the series progresses. The fire brigade is her biggest hobby, and although the series doesn't explain why that is, she has a very good reason.

Clare tries to force Elly into being more feminine, like painting her room pink against Elly's will and buying her dresses Elly doesn't want to wear, but secretly has already given up on it.

If Elly has a nemesis, Mister Laurie Jensen (Robert Essex) is it. He's annoyed with kids and is disliked by most people in the neighbourhood.

Mr. Jensen especially dislikes Elly, because of her spying on his property from her tree, and wants her tree cut down. He thinks of himself as an accomplished gardner, but in reality knows very little about plants and trees (judging by the way he prunes various plants throughout the series).

He is shown to have a softer side, even helping Elly out in an episode or two, but all amiability is out the window again by the time the series ends. Yet, in his final shot in the series , he's seen smiling in his own way after Elly tells him they're not moving. So maybe he secretly doesn't dislike Elly after all, or maybe Elly has proven herself in his eyes over the course of the series.

Anita McPherson (Rosemary Smith) is Elly's best friend. She's by far the most developed character after Elly and Paul.

Just weeks before we meet her in the series, Anita starts to go "boy crazy" (in Elly's words, as mentioned in the book) and develops a crush on Vince Capaletti, the local football team's captain. She fantasises about marrying him and takes every opportunity to change the subject matter to Vince when talking to Elly (again, more so in the book than on the television series).

Other than being a Guide, Anita likes embroidery, wearing dresses, have her hair done and experiments with make-up. In short; she's in some ways the complete opposite of Elly.

When Elly's not around, she initially prefers to hang out with the younger kids in the neighbourhood, with her younger sisters (see further down) acting as a gateway. Later this changes to Susan, who's also a Guide.

She's prone to nosebleeds, which is used as a plot device in two episodes.