Phoenix Mall, also named Centre City Plaza, usually referred to as The Mall, was a shopping mall in Sector 10 of the city. It was the home of the Mall Rats after the virus, and the old shops were used as bedrooms for the inhabitants.
Protected by a grille and alarm system, it initially served as a secure central shelter from hostile tribes like the Locos and Demon Dogz, in addition to being a source for food and water, containing large amounts of canned food and a water tank on the roof.
Being the place where Zoot died, the mall was occupied by The Chosen and used as their base when they took control of the city, but the Mall Rats got the mall back after defeating them. They continued to stay there through the reign of the Technos, until they were forced to leave the city because of a new virus. They have since returned when the new virus was discovered to be gone.
Centre City Plaza Building[]
The mall was located on level two and three of a large building called the Centre City Plaza, which in addition to the mall housed a car park going over several floors. The car park had many different areas. The mall was usually entered through a corridor from level two of the car park, which led to the ground floor of the mall. There was also an entrance from level three of the car park, leading to the upper floor of the mall.
At the front of the building was a person entrance with sliding doors, which was presumably sealed off as it was never used by the Mall Rats, and a vehicle entrance to the car park. The back of the building had a zig-zag stairway going all the way to the roof and two metal ports which were used as entrances: one was likely an old goods delivery entrance, the other going below ground, to the lower levels of the car park including the basement.
Another side of the building was surrounded by grass and trees, where a playground with a swing set was eventually placed. A manhole served as the entrance to the sewers inside the mall. There were at least two levels of roof accessible from the plaza. The lowest roof, which was directly above the main mall, had two solar cell panels and a water tank. The tallest roof of the plaza was much higher up, and had a view over the city.
Mall Interior[]
The interior of the mall had two accessible floors which were accessed from level two and three of the car park. The mall used to have more levels, but they burnt in a fire before the Mall Rats moved in, so they were inaccessible. [1]
Ground floor[]
The main entrance to the mall that the Mall Rats used was through a corridor from level 2 of the car park, which could be closed off with a grille controlled from a winch by the café on the top floor. Beyond this were more grilles which could be lowered to create a cage, like when Lex, Ryan and Zandra were first trapped.
Within the grille area was a Boutique, an antique shop called Baroque Antiques, a headwear shop called Headspace and a fabric shop called Penny's Fabrics. Penny's was originally boarded up with planks until they knocked a hole in the wall, joining it with Headspace.
Beyond the grille area, in the center of the floor, stood a fountain with a phoenix statue and overhanging lights, surrounded by an open space, with a large double staircase leading to the top floor directly in front of it. Surrounding the phoenix were the boarded up Jewelry shop and the C.D. shop Mainline Music on one side, and Rossini's Shoes and the pet shop Furry Friends on the other.
In the corner to the left of the staircase, was the instrument shop Huzzo's and the electronics shop Morse Booth in the corner. Behind the staircase was the magazine shop, which was joined with the electronics shop, and the New Ways Superette.
In another large area on the ground floor, there was a market area with several market stalls, storage rooms, entrances to the sewers and a service lift/cage. This area was mainly used for the Mall Rats' Trading Market and the Chosen's shrine to Zoot. Along one side was a red brick wall with large green doors, some of which led to the sewers. On the opposite side were the shops Xo's Green Grocery, a fruit and vegetables shop, and The Meat Shop. At the end of the market area was a lift shaft surrounded by a staircase - both of which led to the service area on the top floor. In the back were two sliding doors which were boarded up, and a spiral staircase which led to Leslie's Pharmacy on the top floor.
Layout changes[]
After the Mall Rats defeated The Technos under Ram's reign, the ground floor was majorly renovated. The walls between Baroque Antiques, the Jewellery shop and Mainline Music were taken down to make room for a new café and kitchen. Rossini's Shoes was moved next to the new café, where the entrance to the market area used to be, leaving the market area and sewers inaccessible.
The cut-through wall between Penny's Fabrics and Headspace was removed, extending the size of the latter. Furry Friends was merged with the old Rossini's Shoes. Morse Booth, Magazines and the Superette were completely removed, leaving only a wall behind. In conclusion, this reduced the amount of rooms on the ground floor from 14 to 5 plus a café, but the rooms left behind were much larger and more spacious.
Upper floor[]
The upper floor was separated into two main areas, and also held the service area and mall management areas.
The first area, which contained most of the shops, was directly above the phoenix fountain area on the first floor, and encircled by a balcony going in front of the shops. The large staircase from the first floor led directly to the Food Court and Milano, the café which was used as the main gathering space for the Mall Rats. On the opposite side of the food court was the fast food place Uncle Harry's Takeaways.
Along the balcony were the candy shop Velvit, the interior shop Home Design and Living Space, the large furniture and bed shop which was used as a common sleeping space. Along the opposite side of the balcony were an unknown, boarded up shop, the art shop Smart Art, the leather shop Skins and the lingerie shop Exposure. Behind the furniture shop and the lingerie shop, locate above the grille area on the first floor, there was a corridor which led to the service and mall management areas on the left, and an exit to level 3 of the car park on the right.
The other area of the top floor was located directly above the market area on the first floor. It was separate from the main area, and could only be accessed from the spiral staircase on the ground floor or the service area. This area contained only Leslie's Pharmacy and the hardware shop, which was used as Tai-San's laboratory when making the antidote. A bridge going from the balcony outside these two shops led to the service area.
The service area was a large area full of shelves stacked with boxes. It was usually where people went for privacy or when they had something to hide, such as Jack's secret food stash or Ryan's storage of cash. There was a cage in the service area which was used to imprison unwelcome guests or Mall Rats awaiting trial, for example. The water filtration system for the water from the water tank on the roof was also set up in the service area.
Going to the left in the exit from the main mall, there was a mall management area nearby the service area. This area was usually not used by the Mall Rats, but the Chosen used it when they seized the mall. They used it for the Guardian's and Supreme Mother's respective quarters, an office, a torture room and a hospital wing.
Sewers[]
The sewers were assessed by a green door near the open space where the trading market was located. It has a range of tunnels that housed many rats. Jack and Dal help set an alarm system if anyone entered using the sewers. It is often used a getaway when the Mall Rats could not escape using the main entrance.
Basement[]
Below the mall was a basement located on ground level, as the mall interior was located on level 2 and 3 of the building. During the reign of The Chosen, the Rebels used it to enter the mall. It housed a new cage during Mega's reign over the city.
History[]
Background[]
Located in Sector 10, the central commercial part of the city, the mall was a shopping centre for the wealthy. The car park used to be full of top of the range vehicles, symbols of their owners' wealth, status and importance.[2]
After the virus, there was a fire in the mall which destroyed the floors above the second floor, leaving them inaccessible.[1] Tmall was looted by tribes or strays in need of food and supplies, though a surprising amount of food was left in the mall. Graffiti on the walls indicates that the Demon Dogz, and possibly other tribes, had visited or inhabited the mall. At some point, Jack settled down in the mall and made Morse Booth, the electrical shop, his personal room, where he slept and worked on various inventions.
Series 1[]
The group that would eventually become the Mall Rats ended up in the mall in search of sanctuary. The shops in the mall were used as rooms for the tribe. Cloe, Patsy, Paul, Bob the dog, Salene, Amber and Dal initially slept in Living Space, the furniture and bedding shop on the upper floor, which was the biggest room in the mall. It would later continue to be occupied by the younger kids, while the older ones moved to separate shops. Lex and Ryan moved into the Boutique next to the entrance on the ground floor, as they were supposed to be keeping the mall secure, while Zandra moved into the lingerie shop Exposure on the upper floor.
When Bray arrived with Trudy, she gave birth to Brady in Living Space before they moved next door to Home Design with the new born Brady. Bray eventually found his own room in the head wear shop Headspace on the ground floor, next to the entrance opposite of Lex and Ryan. When Tai-San came to the mall, she moved into Leslie's Pharmacy, located in a small and reclusive space above the market area, where she could meditate in peace. When Sasha arrived for a few days, he made himself at home in the music shop Huzzo's.
The mall was later invaded for the first time. Firstly, by Top Hat who invaded with his Tribe Circus and took over, using the women of the Tribe as slaves. The Locos later invaded when Lex made a deal with Ebony to save the Mall Rats who were trapped in the grille by Tribe Circus.
Series 2[]
When the Mall Rats distributed the antidote and used their power to try and rebuild society, it became a central point in the city. It was used as distribution center, court room and meeting place for the tribe leaders.
The Mall Rats opened the Mall up for a market to be integrated, a test trial as they worked to try and get the tribes to work with each other rather than feud constantly. It was partly successful but after The Chosen's invasion it didn't continue, although traders were constantly seen in the city after this.
Lex briefly moved into Zandra's old room, but later moved into the Jewelry store. Newcomer Danni moved into the art shop on the second floor. Newcomers Alice and Ellie moved into the superette on the lower level. Ebony moved into Rossini's Shoes on the ground floor and created a Militia to protect the Mall. Tai San used the hardware shop as the laboratory where she produced the antidote, but it was damaged when KC accidentally caused an explosion. The lab however, was able to be repaired.
Series 3[]
The Mall would become the base of operations for The Chosen. Walls were painted blue. Zoot posters, red hands, graffiti and banners were pasted all over the Mall. Items were placed in boxes marked "property of the chosen." They also erected a shrine to Zoot in the market area and sealed off the sewers. A hospital wing was also seen for the first time, which housed Salene when she suffered a miscarriage. Its exact location was unclear, but it was likely on the 2nd floor near the management rooms.
The management rooms located on the second floor were used for the first time. The Guardian made one of it his personal room. One of them was also used as a restricted room that housed The Chosen's plans which Cloe and May discovered while spying. Lex and Tai San later made one of them as their personal room. Alice and Ned were able to cut a hole in the basement to allow the Rebels to enter the Mall to disarm The Guardian's bomb, and were able to defeat The Chosen.
After The Chosen were defeated, Amber and Bray moved into the leather shop on the 2nd floor. May moved into Zandra's old room, Exposure. Pride moved into the Velvit shop and decorated it in nature style. Luke moved into the Art Shop. On the ground floor, Alice and Ned moved together into Headspace while Andy and Tally moved into Penny's Fabrics.
Series 4[]
The Mall suffered another invasion by the Technos who kidnapped Alice, Tai San and May for their slave quota.
On the 2nd floor, Cloe moves into Zandra's old room, Exposure. After Ebony moves to the hotel, Dee moves into the Shoe Shop on the lower floor. Patch moved into Jack's electronic shop on the ground floor. Mouse, Charlie and Sammy moved into Living Space.
As city leader, Salene makes an office in the antique shop on the ground floor.
The Mall Rats also briefly housed a temporary hospital below the staircase on the ground floor, but it no longer operated after the Technos were overthrown.
Series 5[]
After the Mall Rats defeated The Technos under Ram's reign, the café was moved downstairs nearer the exits to help with quick getaways and there were some changes to the floor plan. The walls between Baroque Antiques, the Jewellery shop and Mainline Music were taken down to make room for a new café and kitchen. Rossini's Shoes was moved next to the new café, where the entrance to the market area used to be, leaving the market area and sewers inaccessible.
The cut-through wall between Penny's Fabrics and Headspace was removed, extending the size of the latter. Furry Friends was merged with the old Rossini's Shoes. Morse Booth, Magazines and the Superette were completely removed, leaving only a wall behind. In conclusion, this reduced the amount of rooms on the ground floor from 14 to 5 plus a café, but the rooms left behind were much larger and more spacious. Amber and Baby Bray moved into Headspace. Trudy and Brady moved into Furry Friends. Gel, Sammy and Mouse moved into Huzzo's. Computers were placed in the space behind the stairs.
The Mall was abandoned by the Mall Rats when the Virus Mark II was released into the city.
The Tribe: A New Dawn[]
The Mall Rats were taken back to the Mall by Eloise and the Zootists and imprisoned in the grilles. But after defeating them, the Mall Rats were able to reclaim the Mall.
Shops and areas[]
Ground floor[]
Image | Name | Inhabitants | Function and usage |
---|---|---|---|
Boutique |
| ||
Baroque Antiques | NIL |
| |
Jewelry |
| ||
Mainline Music | NIL |
| |
Headspace |
| ||
Penny's Fabrics |
|
| |
Rossini's Shoes |
| ||
Furry Friends |
| ||
Huzzo's |
|
| |
Morse Booth |
| ||
Magazines |
| ||
New Ways Superette |
| ||
Xo's Green Grocery | NIL |
| |
The Meat Shop |
| ||
Market Area |
|
Upper floor[]
Image | Name | Inhabitants | Function |
---|---|---|---|
Food Court | NIL |
| |
Milano |
| ||
Úncle Harry's Takeaways |
| ||
Velvit |
| ||
Home Design |
| ||
Living Space |
| ||
Exposure |
| ||
Skins |
|
| |
Smart Art |
| ||
Leslie's Pharmacy |
| ||
Tool Shop | NIL |
| |
Service Area |
| ||
Mall Management |
|
Production[]
The interior set of the mall was a permanent set located in Studio A at Cloud 9 Studios building in Wellington. It was constructed over a period of five weeks by set builders who worked around the clock. The sewer set was built in Studio B – the studio for temporary structures that are demolished when filming completed.[3] At the time of production, the mall was the biggest single set for any television or film production ever made in New Zealand.[4]
Early concept maps from 1998 show that there were some changes to the mall when it was actually built: the pet shop was originally placed next to the meat shop, while the current pet shop was an electronics shop; the superette was divided into two shops: a toy shop and a flower shop; there was an escalator in the market area; a part of the bedding and furniture shop was a hairdresser; there was a shoe maker between the hardware shop and pharmacy.[3]
The studio was used for production on Atlantis High in 2001, in between production of The Tribe series 3 and 4. The sewer set was torn down and never rebuilt, while the mall set structure was kept intact, but repainted and dressed during the production. This is why the sewers and service area are not featured in The Tribe after series three.[5]
The Mall underwent immense change in Series 5.
- The 2nd floor is never shown. Instead they use old shots from earlier seasons to give the illusion that the Mall is still the same.
- The cafe was moved downstairs because it was originally located on the 2nd floor which was no longer available. As a result, the Antique, Jewelry and CD shops were combined to create the new ground cafe.
- The set for Lex and Siva's room was used interchangeably with Jack and Ellie's room. The same applies for Jay and Ebony's room with Salene and May's room.
- The Electronics store, Magazine, Supperette, Meat, Fruit and Veg stores on the ground floor were gone. This also includes the market area and sewer entrance. This section was turned into Salene and May's room as a result.
- The Pet shop and Instrument shop were merged to be Gel, Sammy and Mouse's room.
- The grilles only have one main grille now instead of 7 sections that were around the main entrance.
- The Phoenix Statue no longer has the fairy lights.
Trivia[]
- The name "Phoenix Mall" is never used in the series but it is called that on the Tribeworld website.[4]
- A portrait of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II, can be seen in the Antique Shop from Series 2 onwards.
- The Jewelry shop on the ground floor was boarded up and unused until Series 2 onwards.
- Penny's Fabrics on the ground floor was boarded up and unused until Series 3.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Tribe: Birth of the Mall Rats Chapter 64
- ↑ The Tribe: Birth of the Mall Rats — Chapter 13
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Tribe Official Podcast: Raymond Thompson (Creator of The Tribe) - NEW INTERVIEW
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tribeworld.com: "Tribe Trivia 1: Making the idea for the Tribe real, trivia about the shopping mall"
- ↑ Tribeworld.com: "Art and Design Department"