Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Red Ranger 1]

It's extremely worrying just how calculated and believable Billie is: She doesn't let the mask slip for a moment, except for a brief scowl in the kitchen.I'm hoping Emerson is going to conduct a more in depth explanation at some point: He didn't seem to probe Billie over her behaviour in the weeks leading up to the incident, and Billie's versions of events doesn't quite tie in with what Chris saw (Billie indicates he got Nate off her when she was standing several paces away from him while he just stood there when Chris turned up).I was pleasantly surprised by Chris: I was all set for him believing Billie completely (he doesn't know Nate that well, after all) and getting ready to defend him, but instead he seems pleasingly objective.He did say he believed Billie in their last scene but I'm choosing to see that as him giving her the benefit of the doubt and treating her how he would if it was true while still having doubts.The Extended Braxtons know Nate well enough to trust him (although there seems to be some confusion as to whether Kyle is firmly on his side and Phoebe not sure or the other way round).I'm doing my best to look at Ash objectively and remember that he thinks Nate assaulted his sister but having him try to punch someone out again doesn't make me sympathise with him too much.His spat with Kat was six of one but I guess she doesn't have the luxury of speaking her mind.Emerson keeping Kat off the case makes sense in real life but given how many of the Summer Bay police force have questioned family and friends in the past...

Meanwhile, Ricky is looking for ways to stay away from Casey by the looks of things.When she made that "What's more important?" comment to Phoebe and Kyle, I wished one of them asked her if Nate was more important than her son.

[atrus]

Well, this is the first time I've paid proper attention to a Nate storyline, so it must be unusually interesting. Just when I thought Billie had reached her depths, she goes and breaks out the 'explicit mobile communication', whatever that might be. Since I can't believe at this stage that Nate did send her a smutty text, I take it that this part of her plan was achieved when she sneaked into Leah's house the other day? Glad they brought Emerson in to grill Nate anyway, rather than go down the implausible route of having Kat do it (again); clearly she's not an impartial observer.

I suppose I should be sympathetic to Ricky given that she just (thinks she) lost her partner, but there's a niggling part of me that just thinks she ought to be relieved to have Brax out of her life. As for Baby Casey reminding her of Brax, I'm not sure how as, when the credits whizzed by tonight, I noticed there were four of them! I know they often use twins for babies on TV, but do they really need four?!

[Red Ranger 1]

However, liked the Matt/Maddy scene (though it probably emphasised that they have more chemistry with each other than their actual partners).

I think Matt and Maddy have good "matey" chemistry but I'm not sure it would translate to a romantic relationship.It's ironic given that he's copping off with someone twice his age that I don't think Matt's even mature enough for Maddy given the growing up she's done this year: Evelyn or Phoebe, maybe.

I did have the thought maybe Matt is just a means to an end and when the affair is discovered Zac will be fired for not noticing what was going on in front of his eyes, but as she would lose her job, it would be cutting her nose off to spite her face.

I'm not sure it would be enough to get Zac fired: If he knew and did nothing, maybe, but not just for not noticing.However, we have been reminded a couple of times recently that he's only acting principal (despite having done the job since the beginning of the year if not longer) so it might affect his chances of being made permanent.

[Red Ranger 1]

As for Baby Casey reminding her of Brax, I'm not sure how as, when the credits whizzed by tonight, I noticed there were four of them! I know they often use twins for babies on TV, but do they really need four?!

There's more than that, that was only the ones in the episode.(After a quick check, there seem to have been nine so far.)It's been standard practise on Home and Away for some time to have multiple babies playing a newborn/toddler, I think going back at least as far as Olivia in the late 90s(a quick check of her profile shows twelve different babies in a year or so).

[630si]

Billie has definitely worsened since Kyle. Perhaps she's just become increasingly obsessed. Especially as recently she's not been under the watchful eye of Ash so much as to when she first arrived in the bay and was gunning for Kyle. Nevertheless she's both infuriating and great to watch. It's a shame it had to be Nate, in her words he's he town hero and it would take a lot to convince most.  Chris is consistently an exception.

 

i had totally forgotten about the text messages when she snook in to Leah's last week. So I gasped with realisation at that bit. Plus earlier in be episode when Kat mentioned shed orchestrated the whole thing I was thinking "looked pretty opportunistic to me" then we were reminded of the texts. Did she use Chris and lead him on so he would be at the gym? Knowing he'd be gullible  enough to back her up???

[Slade]

Billie seems to have gone right up to sociopath level.  She seemed pretty focussed and determined and at the moment doesn't seem to care one iota that she could effectively ruin Nate's life.  All this because he wouldn't go out with her.  Didn't occur to me that Billie was short for Belinda.  I was very disappointed with Ash.  Good to see Ricky and Phoebe not falling for her crap.  Chris wasn't as bad as I thought he would be when I saw the promo and did come across as quite impartial.  I wondered what Billie was doing on Nate's phone last week so I guess we know now.  Very worrying that this wasn't a spur of the moment thing and she had planned this in advance.  Emmerson seems to be putting a lot more effort into this case than the previous ones (*cough* Pirovic).  Not that I'm complaining of course.  At the moment though, Nate's in big trouble.

[H&Alover]

Setting Nate up by faking the assault and having Chris outside is bad enough but the fact she started planning it all last week is taking her obsession to a whole new level.  Just what has happened in her life before we met her to lead her to take such drastic action. We don't know much about her home life, but could she as the only girl have been overlooked by her parents and she had to play up to get any attention? Ash is only doing what any brother would do believing his sister. Chris was meant to see just what he saw, Billie and Nate standing apart which casts just enough doubt as to whom is telling the truth as Nate told Ricky until the truth comes out his career and reputation is on the line. I may be getting all CSI here, but Nate didn't touch Billie's outfit so his DNA wouldn't be on it would it? That's if the police decide to get it tested. As for the text message could there be a way to indicate it was sent by Billie, wording for example? I think that was probably H&A PTB intention 630si that we would forget what Billie was up to last week.Billie knew how to pick her victim, someone like Nate (could have been Zac), someone well respected in a responsible job, not much point in picking on someone like Andy. I was relieved to see Chris doubt Nate would do such a thing, some people you just know wouldn't do a thing like that, others you might think well maybe. He could only, as Irene said, just say what he saw in the gym.

Emerson did quite right by not allowing Kat anywhere near the case as she is personally involved, didn't stop her putting her three pennyworth in though, though Ash did goad her, he did right by sending her home. The Braxton's and Phoebe naturally do not believe Billie considering what she tried on with Kyle which was small fry compared to this. I think most of the town would be on Nate's side. I was disappointed in Kat's reaction when Emerson told her about the alleged text message.

Apart from Ricky's grief over Brax's 'death' she could also be suffering from post natal depression, not surprising after all she has been through.

I know babies have limited screen time, but nine babies playing baby Casey that's rather overdoing it. TPTB must have had a heck of a job finding that many that look alike enough to pass the eagle eyes of the viewers.

[c120701]

I can cope with having 9 actors playing a Braxton if they're all playing the same character, although it's not the first time we've had multiple actors play the same character at the same time, but usually they have different character names.

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week:Three. Denny was only in one.

I found myself constantly remembering points I meant to make but forgot (the Chekov's Gun of the text, the revelation of Billie's full name) but thankfully other people seem to have made them on.I should probably rewatch the scene to see what actually happened;not sure if Billie took advantage of Chris approaching her or targeted him as an easy mark.(She could have held onto that text for quite some time until the opportunity presented itself.)We do know that Billie was in an abusive relationship, which could be responsible for messing her up: It's possible that in some warped way she's come to associate Nate with Dean (being nice to her one minute, then turning round and rejecting and yelling at her) and is punishing him for what's happened to her in the past.

Anyway...I thought Nate was a bit harsh towards Kat and it made me lose sympathy for him a bit.I get that it would hurt that she doubted him for a moment but she's there and she's on his side and he isn't going to get anywhere taking his frustration out on an easy target.Similarly, while some of the comments made weren't helpful (John's line about "The police don't arrest people for nothing" definitely deserves a raised eyebrow, especially considering he's at a table with two people who've been wrongly imprisoned during his time in the Bay), I didn't appreciate Ricky's tantrum in Angelo's.

Not sure what to make of Ricky's storyline.Her practically forcing Casey into Ash's arms was hard to credit and her motives seem a bit vague but then that's probably the point.Nice use of Marilyn's history with Byron, shame it's made Ricky take the same solution.Bit odd that she asked Marilyn rather than Kyle to look after Casey in her absence.John and Marilyn missing Jett is to be expected, although it felt a bit by numbers in places.

And right after my headcount of Baby Caseys...today's episode went and added another two!

[atrus]

I think some people's support of Nate is justified - Ricky, for example - but it makes me uneasy how lots of people who don't know Nate particularly well (and know Billie even less) are just assuming he's innocent because he's a nice, photogenic doctor and he's lived in the Bay longer than she has. Of course, as viewers, even if we hadn't seen the encounter in question, we can practically guarantee that where a guest character is accusing a regular of sexual assault, the guest is a dirty liar. But other characters oughtn't to have that confident cast-status insight, or else they come dangerously close to stumbling into the fourth wall. That's why the Nate/Kat drama felt incredibly forced: why should Kat not be allowed a millisecond of doubt? It's not like she and Nate have been married for 20 years - they've been dating a few weeks, and even that hasn't been entirely harmonious.

I laughed out loud when Phoebe and Kyle were saying there's something wrong with Ricky, and Denny said 'Still?' as if by rights she should be well over Brax by now. Especially funny as Denny is about the only person in H&A who's mourned for a dead partner for more than a month! I wonder whether Ricky would be leaving Baby Casey with Marilyn if she knew her history with Nicole's baby? And whether that history is going to rear its head again here?