Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[H&Alover]

Wasn't any trouble at the ceremony itself. but it was after the revelation that Aden's war hero grandfather had abused both him and Larry (Aden's father) as children, so it was a difficult time for them..

​​That's right I knew there was something related to it.

[Slade]

I mentioned a while back that Phoebe must be a nightmare to live with.  So I was laughing when Ricky had enough of her after only one day.  It is starting to get repetitive Ricky blowing off at Ash anytime he keeps something concerning Brax from her though.  Although I accept she must be in a pretty volatile state at the moment.

I started off thinking - not Evelyn looking out for Matt again - but it got a lot better once Leah got involved.  I liked the way Leah put her foot down and demanded to know the truth about him from Irene and Josh about his drinking.  And I liked the way she comforted Matt afterwards.

I'm undecided whether Evelyn should tell Josh about Matt kissing her.  I don't really care about Matt but objectively if she wants to support him and he's starting to become dependent on alcohol then a bust up with Josh could potentially end up with him losing two friends and could set him back even more.  On the other hand if she doesn't tell him then it could cause problems with her and Josh's relationship.  I know there was a thing going on with Evelyn and Matt a while back so could understand that she still wants to help him as a friend but didn't actually think he and Josh were that pally.

[Red Ranger 1]

It was probably the right time for Ash to be honest with Ricky, even though I can see pros and cons either way.She was jumping to the wrong conclusion but also worried about Brax getting into trouble.Ricky pays the price for her mother hen thing as she's stuck with Phoebe as "roomie".I actually smiled at Phoebe demolishing the flat with good intentions.I'm not sure if Phoebe and Kyle have sorted things or just papered over the cracks.They do both seem to want different things.And I hate to admit it, but in the past Phoebe is the one who's made the most compromises: Staying in Summer Bay and at the Braxton house, despite being uncomfortable with their life and Kyle's broken promises about their own place. Whenever Kyle backs down (such as over Neive) it seems either it gets forgotten about or the storyline renders it irrelevent.So, was Ricky in labour at the end or just a false alarm?

I did like the stuff between Leah and Matt here, which seems quite tender and motherly.Part of me does still think though "Matt, your high school girlfriend moved away.There are worse things that can happen and some of them have happened to you, so get over it."He wasn't this bad when his sister was taken into care, so I hope the storyline ends soon, despite the usual soap rule that if someone, especially a teenager, gets drunk a few times they're automatically an alcoholic, as Irene's comments suggest.Evelyn is walking a knife edge between the inevitability that Josh will find out eventually and needing to stop him going off on one when he finds out: I was worried for a bit that Evelyn had misjudged Matt and he was just going to blurt it out in the Diner.It struck me that this is probably the first time Josh is more comfortable with his life than Matt is.Evelyn telling Alf she thinks visiting a war memorial is a waste of time, even if it's honest, seems thoughtless if not insensitive.

[Angelica]

I loved Leah's and Matt's scene - it really was a good idea to move Matt into Leah's household. I have been surprised we haven't seen more Zac/Matt scenes though. While I do agree, Red, that Matt's reaction seems a bit extreme for what is essentially a high school relationship break up, I can appreciate that Matt has always been pretty isolated, and that in some ways he was a lot more dependent on Sasha than she was on him. She significantly changed his world and I guess he is struggling to figure out who he is without her.

I think this spells the beginning of the end for Phoebe and Kyle - as was displayed with the Matt/Sasha break up, it doesn't matter how much you love each other if you want different things from life. It does make me wonder what that means for Phoebe's character though. She has sacrificed a lot to maintain a relationship with Kyle, so I wonder if she would leave the bay to pursue her music career if they broke up.

I'm sure the Matt/Evie kiss will come out - probably at a time when Josh and Evie are at their happiest. Usually is the way for soaps.

Thought Evie was extremely insensitive with her war memorial remark to Alf.

[Brian]

I also admire Evelyn for sticking by Matt and I'm pleased that her efforts have produced fruit and the says he's going to turn himself around. Josh needs to be involved as well, so he says a male friend as well to hang out with. Should Evie tell Josh about the kiss? Probably not necessary, but these things have a habit of coming out later and Matt did ask Evie about it. Maybe he still likes her and that could prove awkward! But as I have said before, perhaps it is time for Josh to move on - but who to? No spare teenage girls around at the moment, unless they bring one in. A schoolgirl Josh  works with?

Phoebe is making all the advances to try to smooth things out with Kyle, but Kyle is being very insensitive pushing the marriage - and now babies - idea with her. Luckily they have agreed not to talk about it again for a while and I hope that means that they can get back together again. However if she goes back to live in chez Braxton, she will be right on top of Ricky giving birth and will be the only female around to help her. And Phoebe not liking children!!!     

[H&Alover]

I do think Evie should tell Josh about the kiss, the longer she leaves it the worse it will look, especially if Matt  blurts it out while he is drunk or Josh overhears Matt and Evie talking about it, which is the usual way people get found out. She'd have to pick the time she tells him and stress Matt was drunk at the time. It was nice to see Leah being so good with Matt, though it didn't get him to pour the booze away.  There was no need for her to feel guilty about not being there for him and he wasn't blaming her. Bit silly of Roo and Irene trying to 'protect' her.

Talking of which, seems I could have written Ricky's response to Ash finally admitting to why she wasn't allowed to see Brax! She said it word for word -"How many times do I have to say I don't need protecting". He was certainly left looking guilty when she told him she trusted him.  Kyle was just as bad in collaborating with him, he's been there before with keeping things from Ricky. Now at least it is out there and she knows it's not Brax doing his shutting her out of his life thing again. Probably the stress of finding out the truth brought on the maybe contractions. 

Does appear it could be the end or the beginning of the end for Phoebe and Kyle, their compromise about her thinking about marriage and children further down the line just sounds like they are putting off the inevitable. I wasn't aware Kyle was thinking of having a family of his own either, so you're not alone there Phoebe.  Not all women have that maternal instinct, Ricky wasn't keen on children herself until she lost her first baby.  I can't see the problem with the marriage thing though, Kyle wouldn't stop her doing what she wanted to do, he hasn't been able to before!

Not sure if it's down to hormones that made Ricky so snappy with Phoebe and her leaving the annex looking like a bombsite.

Evie probably didn't mean to be insensitive about the war memorial, she is only 17/18 and something that happened 100 years ago wouldn't mean as much to her as it would to someone Alf's age.  As an aside what do they teach kids about history in Australia these days?  There must have been things that happened 100 years  before when Alf was their age and he couldn't see or understand what all the fuss was about.

[c120701]

I'm confused by Leah - has there been a time jump? She has been in a coma for months, but has no muscle wastage and is seemingly out of hospital within days of coming around and walking around the bay with ease.

Some gorgeous shots of Summer Bay House today. 

Nice to hear some Stewart family history. Good job Alf still kept his Grandad's ashes in the safety deposit box otherwise they'd have been lost in the mudslide along with the Stewart family records. 

Evie's dismissal of Anzac day seemed very out of character, although her worry about study wasn't.

[Brian]

Good to see Kyle and Phoebe having a very honest discussion about what they want out of life, although they probably knew what is would mean for their relationship. It must have been very hard to be so honest and they both played the scene well with appropriate pauses. Where will Phoebe go now?  The caravan park I suppose, as she didn't say good bye. Will she still work in Angelos and see Kyle every day? No doubt Kyle will go over to see her and have a few more heart-to-hearts. Give them time, they'll miss each other soooo much and then.....

Good storyline with Alf, reminiscing about his time in the war. Hope he goes with the pupils and tells then about his experiences. Could be good viewing if they use the exact location.

[Red Ranger 1]

I'm sure the Matt/Evie kiss will come out - probably at a time when Josh and Evie are at their happiest. Usually is the way for soaps.

​I'm not actually expecting it to cause trouble between Josh and Evelyn, since the kiss was clearly one-sided, but I can see Josh going off on one and thumping Matt.

Denny's "Plenty of time" comment when Ash says they've only got an hour implies certain activities are continuing, which is a bit of a relief since I wondered if Denny would put them on hold after the mixed reaction first time round.It does seem like Ash is a convenient target for Ricky's frustrations - Kyle was just as culpable but didn't get the same - but at least she'd forgiven him by the end of the episode.When Ash said "He's in there for murder" in the Voice of Doom, I felt like adding "So's Brax."(Okay, Brax is innocent but he would have killed Jake and Hammer if he'd had the chance.)

So what happened to Phoebe?She and Kyle were just outside the Braxton house and she was going to move her things into the main house, yet she doesn't turn up during the subsequent Ricky/Denny/Nate scene, Ricky seems to be home all day without seeing her, yet her things are suddenly in the main house when she moves out.I suspect whether or not this is the end of Kyle and Phoebe will depend on the writers' intentions: Brax/Ricky and Heath/Bianca got past similar issues.

I'm suddenly interested in Kat's storyline, since it seems like there is a back story there: The scene with the ring suggests she was once engaged? That's a bigger than usual caravan she's got.

Slightly frustrating that Evelyn will probably never know she upset Alf.But his opening up to Roo and Marilyn, his daughter and surrogate daughter, was an emotional moment.You know, back in the 90s Alf forcing his own feelings of entitlement on teenagers who don't know how good they've got it annoyed me, but I guess age and distance grant a man respect and he does deserve consideration.

[c120701]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know, back in the 90s Alf forcing his own feelings of entitlement on teenagers who don't know how good they've got it annoyed me, but I guess age and distance grant a man respect and he does deserve consideration.

 

 Yeah, but back in the 90s, those kids really weren't entitled and whilst they were taken into good homes, they all came from bad ones and also had to work to earn any pocket money etc. Now, with the exception of Spencer & Maddie who are entitled, even those who come from troubled homes or who are orphans still have the latest phones, laptops, new clothes (no second hand uniforms here!), often without a part-time job.

Remember when people used to live in the Caravan Park and were forever in and out of the main house? It'd be nice to see that again, paying rent or interacting with the house's residents. It seems like the exterior returning has substituted the interior set at times. We rarely get scenes going from the outside to inside, which is what we've been looking forward to getting again since talk of a replica was mentioned and then the return of the original location.