Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[H&Alover]

At least Maddy didn't catch Josh and Evelyn holding hands and she wouldn't have known where Josh had been if Oscar, quite innocently, hadn't told her, though Josh could have answered her calls. It did make more sense for him to turn up at the farm as they all know, more or less, what had been happening. Whereas Alf is the only one with any idea at the caravan park and there would have been a lot of explaining to do. Andy had become a kind of role model to Oscar and it was down to Hannah that he rated him so highly and he had always been good to him. I don't blame Zac at all for not wanting to move back, there would be too much tension. Good point made by Slade where is Andy going to get the money he owes the dealers from? Sad in a way because when Andy is with Hannah he is a better person, he just keeps mucking it up.

I'm with you Red, about the tranquiliser gun for Roo! It does seem she is overcompensating and trying to keep herself busy. I reckon even Marilyn will crack eventually, all she and John want is a quiet affair, as they have both been married twice before.

[Red Ranger 1]

When given far too much time to think about it, I find myself wondering when that episode's meant to take place:I got the impression in the previous episode that Maddy confronted Josh and Evelyn at the end of the school day, but here she goes back to school at the start.So...either that episode took place over a smaller time frame than it appeared or this episode starts the next day.Doesn't really matter, just something to keep me awake at night.Either way, Maddy now knows and Josh is...not single for very long, it seems.I'd have preferred him to choose Maddy, but maybe she's better off without him given the dramas surrounding his family and the fact his head got turned as soon as another girl was nice to him a couple of times.There seemed to be a touch of self-interest in Oscar encouraging Josh to go after Evelyn rather than Maddy, as we're reminded he had a crush on her a while back.In fact, with Spencer also being supportive, Maddy may not be short of options now Josh has moved on.

Fair play to Oscar for apologising to Zac.Part of me would have liked Zac to be a bit more hurt by his actions but I can understand him wanting to put it behind them.Glad that Evelyn isn't ready to forgive Hannah for breaking up their family, especially as she's still trying to convince a frustrated Leah that what Andy did wasn't that bad.

I can kind of see Heath's point of view and at least he's willing to keep fighting for Darcy.The bit of him visiting Rocco's grave was bursting with the sadness of what could have been:Rocco could have been two by now and he and Harley could have grown up together, instead they'll never know each other.Connie continues to be pretty unreasonable and determined to cast Heath in a bad light:She won't let him see Darcy, yet she thinks he's the bad guy for moving away from the daughter he can't see anyway?Even being given a glimpse of how Heath and Darcy interact with each other wasn't enough to break through the wall.I am glad though that Brax stuck up for Heath, and the affection they have for each other really shone through in the packing scene.Given that Heath was pretty much at the bottom of Brax's priorities when they first appeared, to the point that he almost seemed to view him solely in terms of what Heath could do for him, it's nice to see he's there for him now.If this is Heath gone, I hope we get decent scenes with Casey and Kyle and the promo seems to suggest we will.

[Slade]

I'm glad Evelyn gave Hannah the cold shoulder although I suspect it won't last for very long. I got the impression during her conversation with Leah that if it wasn't for the fact that she had a responsibility to Oscar and Evelyn, Hannah would have been prepared to give Andy another go when she was trying to justify why Andy had resorted to drug dealing. I suppose if Heath was doing it and he changed for the better there's still hope for Andy. I definitely agree with Leah's point that some people can't be saved and that applies in everyday life but I still don't think Andy is completely beyond redemption. I'm assuming he hasn't been sacked from the Gym and it's going to be awkward with Spencer working there too and Oscar going to train.

Well Maddie's certainly showing she's entertainment value at the moment. I was smiling during the scene when she went to confront Evelyn towards the end of the episode and laughed when she stormed off...again. She's a past master at doing that. I'm glad Josh at least told her that he cheated on her. But I still think he should officially break up with Maddie before starting anything with Evelyn. For all we know Maddie could decide to forgive him and still think there's a chance to salvage the relationship now that everything's out in the open. I was wondering if we would start to see Spencer develop feelings for Maddie but judging by the conversation he had with Oscar at the gym, Oscar's like for Maddie has resurfaced. For a split second when Oscar told Josh to "go after her", I thought he was referring to Maddie.

Whilst I don't like Brax normally trying to pressurise and intimidate people, I didn't have a problem with him doing it with Connie today. I think Heath's making the right decision going to live with Bianca. A fresh start and stability for Harley would be a good thing. With Bianca presumably on a half decent salary, who knows he can be a stay at home dad/house husband.

[Brian]

Red, I think you're being a bit hard on Josh. What a life that boy has had (or hasn't) amd he's only, what 16/17?

His father was a criminal and he thought that he had walked out on him and he was expecting birthday and Christmas cards from him every year and then he finds out, years later, that he was murdereed by Brax, years before. His mother shoots him, although unintensionally and he nearly dies, but spends weeks in hsopital recovering. His mother is mow in prison for somke years. His only family is his elder brother Andy, also a criminal, whon tries to help him. he didn't report the crash with Casey's car, becuase Andy told him notnto9

Sorry, my last post got imterrupted. Continuing about Josh. H ends up sleeping on the beach, sometimes at Brax,s, sometimes sneaking into Alf,s house. He gets to go back to school, althou8gh he finds it hard and studies all the hours he can just so he can pass his HSC and prove to himself and others that he can do something good, although he is regarded as a Mangrove River no-hoper. How does he manage to study in a caravan? How does he appear in a clean white shirt each morning? He has one bright spot in his life - a beautiful girl friend, but she only wants to be a princess and show off what she has achieved with her no-hoper and not help him with any of his studies. He doesn;t have a job and must rely completely on what Andy gives him, although we never see him give him anything regularrly. Where does he get money from for his food, phone, clothes, condoms, gifts for his girlfriend and all the other things a teenage boy wants? He has no experience and noone to ask about how to treat a girlfriend and make up with her when things go wrong. Now once again Andy lets him down badly and he has taken a beating for him and all Andy can do is say sorry, when he asks him. Do you blame him for finding solace with a like minded girl? Giev him a break, folks!!!!!!!!!

[haaf14]

The Josh and Maddy saga may have finally been finished. It seems their relationship went round in circles. One incident after another with both of them to cause a problem with their relationship. Give it a few months there will probably be another relationship change with Josh finding another girlfriend as the writers I feel are trying to make Josh into Casey 2.0.

I was glad Heath had the opportunity to say goodbye to Darcy although Connie was being unreasonable to Heath. Any chance Connie got to have a dig at Heath then she would which I thought was low. It was nice to see Heath with Harley visiting the grave of Rocco which had raw emotions attached to it to say their final goodbye's.

[H&Alover]

Maddy has been far too up and down with Josh and she keeps promising to be a better girlfriend which lasts of all 10 minutes. He, or anyone, can only put up with it for so long. He stands a much better chance with Evelyn and yes I think Oscar would be a better bet for Maddy than going backwards and her starting up again with Spencer.

Hannah was definitely wavering about her resolution about having finished with Andy for good.

Brax did do his big brother thing with Connie but wasn't aggressive with her, just tried to make her see how Darcy would feel about her stopping seeing her father. Understandably she didn't take the news Heath and Harley were moving to the city well. That was a very poignant moment when Heath took Harley to say goodbye to Rocco.

Looks like it will be quite an emotional episode tonight.

[Red Ranger 1]

I have to disagree, Brian.Sure, Josh has had a hard life, but that's the excuse Hannah made for Andy and Leah rightly rolled her eyes.It doesn't mean they can do the wrong thing and hurt people.It seems like we're being expected to ignore everything Maddy's done for Josh (or not, since it has been pointed out by others) and view their relationship as a rollercoaster of her treating him badly and him putting up with it, and that somehow Evelyn's better for him.Maddy supported and defended Josh, even when he continually took Andy's side over hers.Go back a few months and Maddy is the one encouraging and supporting Josh, telling him he can do well at exams and helping him study, while Evelyn convinces him to cheat at a test and basically sets him up to get into trouble so she can humiliate Zac, using him as little more than a pawn.And then suddenly, out of nowhere, Josh starts lying to Maddy about how hard he's finding study while simultaneously making mean comments about her to Sasha and Evelyn whenever she tries to help him or spend time with him.And we're meant to think it's okay for him to cheat on her with another girl, who I wouldn't call "likeminded" at all?Well, if he really thinks he'd be better off with Evelyn than Maddy,then I guess he's got what he deserves.I just hope Maddy realises she's better off without him, if he's that fickle.

But...today.I wasn't expecting them to devote a whole episode to Heath's departure but they did and he deserved it.The little reminder of how far he, and by extension the rest of the family, have come was welcome.And, even if he didn't entirely appreciate it, I'm glad Ricky stood up to Connie and told her a few home truths, just as I'm glad Phoebe stood up to Cheryl.I'm glad of Connie's last minute change of heart but...It feels like we've been waiting two years for Bianca, Heath and Darcy to be a family, yet it only happens when they're off screen.I feel slightly cheated, even though I'm glad they have got their happy ending.I seem to remember that when we saw April and Dexter sail off together, it was already rumoured that Bianca and Heath were leaving too and I thought "They'd better get a sunset ending too."I'm not too happy about some of the route we took here but they did and I'm glad.Actually, I'm probably happier about Heath getting his children to live with him. Bianca's kind of an optional extra.

I did wonder at first if Casey was not bothering about family matters again, but it seems we're back to his denial streak, as when he refused to believe Brax could go to jail.Kyle once more feels like an outsider, despite Brax doing his best to include him.Brax is perhaps left feeling that he's the one that's changed the least during his time in Summer Bay, and is the one that's going to end up alone, leading to his realisation that he wants the sort of life Heath has.I'm disappointed Denny didn't make it to the last Braxton family gathering, although Casey seems to be willing to discuss family matters with her which is an improvement.

[haaf14]

Heath as a character has definitely developed. When we first saw him he was the muscle behind Brax's criminal empire. He was also a hot head but although he still has that at times it is less frequent. During the time he was told by Teegan that he was Darcy's father he has slowly taken responsibility that has come his way. I'm glad that Connie changed her mind and I do agree with you Red that it was nice that all 3 had a happy ending.

It was also good see Phoebe standing up to Cheryl but one thing thing is for sure in a crowd full of faces there is no way you will mistake Cheryl personality.

[Psychic Wombat]

Enjoyed last nights episode, real feel good factor to it, liked the brothers on the boards in the surf. I think Phoebe is sailing a bit close to the wind - that mouth is going to get her in trouble soon. Good to see Irene included in the Braxton clan gathering. I was looking forward to seeing Heath set off on his own with his kids to the city to make a new start with Bianca, but it was spoilt somewhat by Bianca turning up ! Why did they have to do that, it makes no sense, she didn't even stay five minutes before they set off, surely they would have stayed the night to say good bye to everyone... oh well.

Josh and Evelyne make a better couple than Josh and Maddy so I'm relieved they're finally got together, it would never have been easy no matter how they broke it.

[Red Ranger 1]

I did find Phoebe rather irritating here and I spent the whole episode convinced she was going to get her own way, so I'm glad she didn't.Sure, Heath told her she could have the flat to shut her up but Brax was there before her and, whether she contributes to the rent or not, probably pays the most.(Of course, Casey was there before Brax, but he was curiously absent.)I think Brax is coming from the viewpoint of starting a family with Ricky and wanting them to have a place of their own when the baby comes, so his digging his heels in is understandable.And hey, Kyle and Phoebe have got a bigger house to themselves aside from Casey, who probably won't be there much given his reluctance to bring Denny home.

I don't know how telling it is that I completely forgot that Matt lives with Leah when listing the occupants last week.But yeah, he's now sharing with Sophie and trying desperately to keep it quiet.(Don't worry about being school captain and messing up your HSC, Nicole already did that.)I can't quite tell if we're meant to buy into Leah's fears that Sophie's manipulating Nate or what.I mean, she's pretty much already got him so I don't know why she'd bother.Her sudden discomfort when he was about to go out was oddly timed, but if it wasn't for Leah's expression of doom I doubt we'd think much of it.

Roo is back like a dog with a bone, and John really does seem to have forgotten how bad she was with her own wedding.Even Chris can see she's acting like a crazy person.So I really loved her "Just been slapped" reaction when Marilyn asks Irene to be maid of honour rather than her.(It's fair:Technically Marilyn's known Roo longer than Irene, but she's been friends with Irene longer than she has Roo.)John and Marilyn's code word chat was actually quite amusing.