Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Brian]

Thanks Red and H&Alover, but I can't find Landmark Sex 101 on Google. What and where is it? Am I missing out on my education?

[Slade]

Btw I did notice she is back to that bloody bouncing up and down, PLEASE STOP IT!

Yes Maddy's skipping has resurfaced...

Whilst the writing has been inconsistent, I'm glad Maddy and Oscar are over. Their 'relationship' was very one sided for me, with Oscar basically having to make all the concessions and Maddy only wanting to become an item once she became dependent on him. Unlike Maddy though at least Oscar was actually honest once his feelings had changed and cared enough about her not to string her along. Assuming we put the writing aside you could argue that it's karma, poetic justice or ironic that virtually all his existence in the show over the last few months has been centred around this one character, trying to get her to fall in love and hoping that her platonic feelings would change. Maddy treated him quite badly at times but finally gave him what he wanted and he decided that his heart wasn't in it anyway. Alf's comment to Maddy about Oscar annoyed me as he completely ignored how she treated him before, that her love for him was the cancer talking and he agreed to be there as her friend.

Once again I quite liked the scenes with Hannah/Andy but obviously this isn't going to last much longer as she will probably be walking in a couple of weeks.

I believe with Sasha and Matt it's a case of Matt just doesn't feel the same way about her anymore so he doesn't want her throwing everything away for a relationship he isn't committed to now.

[H&Alover]

I'm the opposite Slade Matt is committed, he knows deep down she does want to do the original course and could end up resenting him if she doesn't do it, he's more insightful than he appears. Psychic is right she does come across very intense at times without thinking things through.

Maybe not candles in the balloons, but little battery powered lights. Yes you're right it was Casey who was the virgin. Wonder how Zac, Hannah, Oscar & Denny will take the news about Evie and Josh, though she must be 17 by now so they were hardly doing anything illegal. Although their relationship has been on and off he has never pressurised her in to having sex, so good for him.

Wonder what the hold up with Ricky being allowed to visit Brax was all about, seems the visit doesn't go well going by the trailer. She still seems a bit prickly with Ash but is accepting he is still around.

I liked the talk between John and Denny and him saying although he had moved on a part of his heart will always belong to Gina and Marilyn accepted that. Hopefully Ash will be as understanding. His walking away after the kiss was odd, unless he still feels under obligation to the promise he made to Brax to stay away from her, though Deny is an adult and can make her own decision as to when and with whom she choses to be with.

VJ and Jett seem very determined to carry on with the boxing, but John and Zac are right before they even think of getting into the ring they have to train properly, Methinks as does Red John and Zac could be celebrating a little too early.

:offtopic:How long to we have to suffer that drongo doing that annoying bingo ad?

[Angelica]

I agree - I think Matt is commited to Sasha. But he knows how much the course means to her, and how she will resent him for it in the future. The problem is that Sasha gets these ideas in her head, and doesn't think things through. As Chris pointed out, the distance between them is not just geographical - these two are heading for a break up regardless.

[Red Ranger 1]

Ricky was a total cow in this episode, with her attitude towards Ash and Denny.I'm not even sure she particularly cares about the fact Brax told Ash to stay away from Denny, it was just another excuse for her to rant at him because he's an easy target to blame for the fact her life's self-destructed.I was really hoping Kyle would give her an ear-bashing when he went to the house, and I really hope Denny gives her one when she finds out, although she'll probably just have a go at Ash for caring about Brax and Ricky's feelings more than her.I was glad to see Kyle stepping up and being the voice of reason in Braxton affairs though.And yeah, he would have told Brax to shut up: He took a chance on Tamara when Brax told him to stay away from her because of Casey.Oscar's involvement didn't really sit right with me and sadly it seems I am starting to dislike him because of his actions last week: Having him tell Denny not to give up when he's just given up on a relationship with the person that he like "like" liked is awkward juxtaposition, especially following on from Evelyn's smug "You did the right thing."

I suppose you should give points for effort as the show desperately tries to make characters likable.Problem is you can't just flick a switch and turn selfish characters into quirky ones.We've taken a bit too long to catch up with Josh and Evelyn and there's been at least one day in between, so Evelyn tittering about "the first time" when this must be at least night two (and she's changed her clothes to prove it) fell slightly flat.Then we have to put up with her gushing about her "amazing" relationship with "If I hadn't stuck by Josh, if I had just walked away...", which is begging for someone to say "You didn't and you did."Even the scene of Oscar playing protective brother with Josh felt like a scene that had been written for Dexter, and it doesn't help that with Josh having cheated on both Maddy and Evelyn he's kind of got reason to worry.

So Sasha's going to fight for Matt.She's probably right about him still loving her, but is he right that she'll eventually end up resenting him?He certainly didn't seem too happy about her plans.

[CaptainHulk]

Yeah that Big Brother scene smelled of Dexter.

[kmp1963]

Yeah that Big Brother scene smelled of Dexter.

Except Charles would have had us rolling on the floor laughing.

[atrus]

Just watched another double-bill; and although I'm far from at the stage of caring whether Ash and Denny get together, it did irritate me that Brax was hanging over the situation like a dark cloud, despite being in jail. Neither did I like how Ricky seemed to accept that Brax had the god-given right to dictate others' relationships from behind bars, when normally her reaction to his 'I'm the boss' routine is more nuanced.

Perhaps Brax could give some lessons in dictating others' love-lives to Oscar, who was hilarious trying to go all Dad on Evie like that. I agree that the writers appear to be trying to get him to out-Dex Dex, but at least it's an attempt to try and bring some personality to the teen table. Likewise, I even started to enjoy some of the Josh/Evie stuff, before remembering myself and reverting to grumpy cynicism.

The scene with Sasha randomly confiding in Ash, and him not knowing who she was, was very amusing too; being able to self-lampoon in that regard is one of H&A's saving graces, as it demonstrates an awareness of the genre and its limitations which passes many soaps/their writers by.

Chris's throwaway lines were amusing as ever; and I loved Marilyn refusing to see VJ and Jett as men, much to their embarrassment. But it's not just Marilyn being sentimental - I fail to see why on earth anyone would want to watch them punch each other's lights out, when they're supposed to be best friends. But maybe I just don't get boxing.

So Matt and Sasha's long goodbye continues, with Matt resorting to a noble-sacrifice/cruel-to-be-kind strategy to safeguard Sasha's future. His performance was so convincing that Sasha really had to blast out the big guns, in the form of the old 'look me in the eye' routine - which we all know is the H&A equivalent of being strapped to a table and forcibly polygraphed. But it's a testament to the acting skills of the pair of them that this storyline still feels like it's worth investing in, despite its meandering.

[Slade]

I thought the writing with Oscar was pretty inconsistent again. He was a strong proponent of Evelyn and Josh getting back together previously. Even after Josh cheated on her telling him to go for it. Then they sleep together like he and Maddy did and he decides to get all protective. I know it was probably a reaction but it still didn't ring true for me.

Ricky was utterly unlikeable yesterday biting both Denny's and Ash's heads off just because of her own problems.

Finding it hard to get my head around the Matt storyline. Would a teenage boy like Matt be so selfless he would give up the love of his life just to do the right thing by her?

[H&Alover]

I'm with you all over the Ricky/Brax./Ash/Denny situation. Yes Ash promised Brax he'd back off from Denny but that was a good few months ago now when she was a touch more vulnerable. Denny is a grown up woman in her 20's not a teenager and she is perfectly able to decide all by herself whether or not she is ready for a new relationship. She wasn't happy at the time and she'd be furious now. Btw how long is Ash supposed to keep this 'promise' a year, two, twenty? What no-one seemed to have listened to is Denny kissed him. I have to say I was disappointed in Ricky as well, I get she was angry as she didn't know about the promise, Brax not telling her things again! Her initial concern was Denny getting sucked into another relationship with a guy who had a criminal past, then blasting Ash for going back on his word after 'all Brax is doing for him' as in serving 20 years inside. I suppose she was having a go at him because Brax wasn't around, though it doesn't look like he is going to escape lightly. Could we put most of her blowing up at everyone down to hormones as she is seven and a half months pregnant?

Kyle was the voice of reason again, he really talks a lot of sense and gives good advice.

I'm going against the grain and say I liked the scenes with Oscar, Josh and Evie. Evie didn't need to say anything when she got home, her face said it for her. Oscar telling Josh if he hurt Evie he'd kill him albeit slowly because as he said he knew his limits. I thought she'd flip out when she heard but like me she thought it was sweet. Difference between Josh sleeping with Maddy and Hosh sleeping with Evie is Maddy isn't his sister. Had she really been away from the farmhouse for two nights?

I think you are underestimating Matt Slade, just because he is a teenager doesn't mean he can't be selfless, there are plenty of grown men who could learn a lot from him. Trouble is knowing how stubborn Sasha can be he's on a hiding to nothing, her 'look me in the eye' challenge was something he just couldn't win. He was very convincing when she tackled him at Leah's, but oddly it was Evie that got Sasha to go for the final push.