Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[atrus]

Binged the week, and not the best one I've seen recently - the highlight being the VJ, Skye and Billie stuff which was mostly dealt with in a single episode.

I've come to like Evie more than I used to - and liked her eventual decision to let Zac help Tank, even if she flew off the handle at first - but I can't tolerate her as a couple with Josh, and I can't tolerate Josh full stop, so not particularly happy about them getting engaged aged 18, or however old the teens are supposed to be this week. Matt and Maddy seemed to think it a fantastic idea for some reason, leaping up for congratulatory hugs rather than asking them what the hell they were playing at. The parallel between Josh's attack on Tank and Andy's on Jake Pirovic wasn't lost on me either, and it strikes me that Josh has been increasingly smirky/unpleasant recently and doing the whole H&A hypermasculine thing that really gets on my nerves. Especially since we already have half a dozen characters like that - why would we want another one? It also leaves me suspecting he's about to get sucked back into the Braxtons Plus storyline fold of crime and mayhem, the prospect of which I'm far from relishing.

Leah's being dead set against letting Zac help Tank just seemed very out-of-character and designed exclusively to provide an artificial roadblock that will no doubt be talked out and overcome next week anyway - so why bother? I'm willing to give Tank a shot at redemption, myself, although I am slightly concerned that they seem to have done the same as they did with Billie and brought him back with all prior character flaws magically corrected. Well, possibly I'm a little cynical about the penal system, but that's not my understanding of how a spell in jail works. Frequently quite the contrary.

Ricky and Nate - yeah. I do take the point about no-one in H&A ever taking their husband's name, and it's definitely far removed from the statistical facts on this matter, so in that sense it's of questionable realism. I'm also inclined to agree that it's likely to be a (possibly deliberate, possibly subconscious) authorial agenda at play, rather than credits update laziness. But in my heart I don't really mind, because I instinctively agree with Ricky; it shouldn't be expected that she should take Nate's name if she doesn't want to, and nor should he assume that it's something that should be up for discussion/compromise when she's already told him as much. Especially when he wouldn't even dignify the suggestion that he change his name with a response other than a grunt and a smirk. (Again it brings me back to the very by-the-numbers way that men tend to be depicted on this show. ) Well, why not? I'm not much of a stickler for tradition in that regard, as I feel there's a built-in patriarchy to it that society would ultimately get on quite well without, just like we'd get on quite well without the 'Miss/Mrs' differentiation. And if people want to be traditional, fine, but if they don't, good for them. Crucially, though, I do feel like it's in-character behaviour for Ricky, who's always been fierce about her own identity/independence.

Not interested in Olivia being pregnant. It felt like we'd been here a million times before, which of course we have. But it felt more rushed/less thought through than usual. Irene's reaction in particular annoyed me - already pestering Olivia about telling Hunter, even after she'd said she would, and ranting on about Hunter's paternal 'rights' before there's even been a discussion about whether Olivia actually wants a baby aged sixteen or however old she is. I'm sort of hoping that the teens will come to a joint decision not to have a child, which would be eminently sensible given their age - but usually it doesn't turn out that way in soap, with one or the other party usually implausibly keen to become a teenage parent. More generally, it seems to be non-stop drama with Olivia and Hunter at the moment, and I'd be happy if they let the characters rest for a while and put somebody else in the spotlight - like VJ and Skye, for example. Personally I feel like they'd make a really sweet couple and would much prefer that than some kind of Billie/VJ hook-up (which I'm sure Leah would have something to say about, and fair enough too). I'd be more keen on Billie and Oscar actually, which we seemed to be getting a few hints of this week.

The Isla/Kyle storyline continues to be ridiculous, to the degree that I found myself wishing he'd go on the run with her so that we don't have to keep revisiting it. Can't get too excited about Kat/Carter either; being beaten by him isn't warning enough for her that he's not quite right, but finding out that he has a creepy photo collection of her is?

[CaptainHulk]

I'm trying to remember who the last female was to take their Hubby's name on this show.

Gina?

[Red Ranger 1]

On ‎04‎/‎06‎/‎2016 at 5:17 PM, Angelica said:

I disagree, Red, with the comparisons to Apex who I feel had a lot more substance to their relationship, and had at least overcame several obstacles such as Dexter's brain injury as a couple. This is comparison to Evie/Josh where Evie got together with Tank soon after her breakup with Josh and claimed that she had never felt the way about anyone as she had felt about Tank.

Well...kind of, but they also broke up because Dexter thought April was being over-protective, similar to Josh pushing Evie away during his brain injury, at which point he went out and dated a random nurse.And the previous time they broke up, April soon lost her virginity to Heath and declared her love to him.I know they had their fans but I was never one of them and I always felt April was a stronger character before she hooked up with Dex.Sorry, old argument.

On ‎05‎/‎06‎/‎2016 at 9:28 PM, atrus said:

And if people want to be traditional, fine, but if they don't, good for them. Crucially, though, I do feel like it's in-character behaviour for Ricky, who's always been fierce about her own identity/independence.

I wouldn't mind so much if someone actually paid attention to the characters when recycling this storyline but when the view of the world presented is so completely one-sided it's bordering on objectionable.Yes, it's in character for Ricky to take that stance.But when they give the exact same lines ("X X is my identity!") to Marilyn, an ultra-traditionalist who's taken two other husbands' names and is the sort of person to express horror at someone else defying tradition, and it's completely out of character, I'm left feeling that everything's being sacrificed to service someone's viewpoint.If they're going to go down that track, then they might as well drop weddings entirely, since they're equally a tradition that many people choose to do without, but of course they're a ratings grab so instead we get weddings that don't really mean anything, compounded by the characters carrying on calling themselves Miss Sharpe or whatever as if it didn't happen.

But the wedding did happen, although I think I need to keep reminding myself of that fact.I guess it was the A-plot, and it served as a backdrop for other stuff, but...well, for a start, did Nate, Zac and Chris forget their jackets and everyone was too polite to say anything? It might seem strange given they were in waistcoats but they looked too informal.The whole thing felt a bit flat, even if Ricky running along in her wedding dress while Kyle followed her with a pram was a brilliantly funny image.

The Kat/Dylan stuff was the best thing on offer.I agree that Kat getting back with Carter was desperately contrived, but now that we've got it, we are getting a compelling insight into their past relationship and how it messed Kat up so much.We're seeing someone who's usually pretty strong so scared of Carter's reaction that she can't bring herself to end the relationship or refuse his requests, while he keeps up a constant stream of subtle threats and control to make sure he keeps tabs on her.It was a bit daft of Ash to confront him when both Kat and Billie asked him not to but at least he had the sense not to mention Kat, even if Carter wasn't overtly unpleasant to Billie.

The Kyle stuff continues to be deeply stupid with the result that his farewell to Baby Casey, which could have been an emotional moment, was undermined by the fact that he's abandoning his family for the sake of "some chick", as Phoebe accurately put it.(Mention of Cheryl reminds me that Kyle promised to look after her when Brax went to jail.Guess she's fending for herself now then.Or does Ricky have to step in?)And Kyle telling Casey he'd be better off following his namesake...We get that Casey was a lovely bloke but he was also another idiot who made decisions by asking himself what Brax would do and paid the price.

And yay, Billie's a regular! Okay, that's two hits and two misses in the last four additions.Not too bad a ratio.

[CaptainHulk]

TBF, Kyle's family consists of:

• His Nephew
• Psuedo-Sister-in-law
• Stepbrother's Half-Brother
• Stepbrother's Half-Brother's Half Brother 
• Brother's mate

[H&Alover]

On ‎06‎/‎06‎/‎2016 at 1:31 PM, CaptainHulk said:

I'm trying to remember who the last female was to take their Hubby's name on this show.

Gina?

As mentioned in an earlier post Gina was the last female to change her surname.

[H&Alover]

Leah become a Patterson and Baker and as you said Red Marilyn became Bryant  then Fisher but both have decided not to this time round, Leah staying with Baker and Marilyn sticking with her maiden name. It is a personal choice. Kyle did bring up the point it may be confusing with there being three surnames about, Casey a Braxton, Ricky a Sharpe and Casey's stepdad Cooper.

A re-cycle of Bianca and Liam's wedding with the bride nearly being a no show and the groom being worried he'd been stood up. I felt for poor little Casey being jiggled about in his push chair, wonder he wasn't sick again!  It was nice to see that location being chosen again for the service, everyone scrubbed up well and Hannah and Phoebe's dresses were lovely and they can be worn again as they weren't too bridesmaidy.

I think Kyle, apart from taking the wrap for Isla was as he said to Phoebe was to make amends for all the things he had got away with in the past. I liked his little 'talk' with Casey and his name sake was/had been the most straight of the Braxton clan. Good that Phoebe and Kyle could talk as old friends rather than old lovers. She seemed to have caught the eye of the photographer and the attraction looked mutual.

That's the thing with people like Carter they are very good with drawing ex lovers, like Kat, back in by swearing they have changed, everyone else can see it, even if none of the bay folk knew him back then, but the person most involved.  Ash was great offering to help but as Kat said she knows him best and knows the right way to handle him by letting him think she is going along with his devious scheme. Carter knew full well Billie would tell Ash what he had heavily hinted at in his talk to her, naturally he'd defend his little sister, but yes he did do well in not mentioning Kat. Carter's 'affectionate' stroking Kat's cheek was so creepy.

[Homeandawayfan.]

Nice to see Ezra Hanley representing Kyle.

[atrus]

Not hugely interested in Nate and Ricky's wedding, or indeed Kyle's trial. Kat's was the only story that began to grip me in the last two episodes; no matter how foolhardy I think she's been in getting in so deep with Carter, it's not easy to watch her getting smacked around. Hopefully Ash - or better yet, Morag - will come cantering in on a white horse to save her.

[Red Ranger 1]

Kyle has gone from deeply stupid to positively suicidal. I assumed from earlier episodes that he was going to plead guilty and hope for a lighter sentence but nope, he pleads not guilty, makes no real attempt to defend himself or explain what he was doing there, and then makes absolutely certain he'll be found guilty. It really is hard to figure out his motivation: Ricky doesn't want him to do it, Phoebe doesn't, Brax probably wouldn't, even Isla doesn't (although she seemed to give up on the idea of turning herself in pretty quickly, and her sneaking around the court house seemed like pure promo fodder).Even if the local police are notoriously incompetent (especially with Emerson having given up and moved away - he deserved a better send-off), Kyle can't really assume they'll give up looking for Isla even if they do have a bit of trouble spotting her sneaking around including a court house you'd expect to be packed with officers.(Shades of Andy hanging around outside Brax's trial.)As Homeandawayfan alluded to, seeing an actor who played a quasi-rapist in Neighbours last year as Kyle's lawyer made it hard to view him as the "good guy".

I agree Kat's storyline is oddly compelling.It is a shame that she's turned into another police officer who investigates whatever she likes without telling anyone (especially given that she kept coming a cropper when she tried that with Charlotte) but otherwise her behaviour around Carter is incredibly tense.I really wanted her to stand up to him more at the end but that would be unrealistic, there's a whole culture of fear between them that she's found herself dragged back into and is having a hard time escaping.

[Slade]

She actually did it.  Ricky married Nate.  Wasn't entirely sure she would.  I do think she's made a mistake although admittedly she did seem quite happy on the day and if you hadn't seen any of the previous episodes you might be able to buy her being in love with him.  I do think this will end in tears at some point as I would expect Brax to resurface and drive off into the Sunset with Ricky and Casey.  I do wonder if Nate will bring up the subject of kids now that he's tied the knot.

I was cheering when during sentencing the judge mentioned the good behaviour bond.  I'm glad somebody remembered although judging by Kyle's reaction at the additional sentencing he certainly didn't - despite hinting his self-sacrifice was some sort of karma.  It was ridiculous after kidnapping, beating Casey and leaving him in the desert to die a slow painful death he got such a lenient sentence in the first place.  Whereas he actually should have received at the minimum a sentence comparable to that of the armed robbery.  And all this for a girl he'd been dating for less than a month.  Does he seriously think Isla will be thinking about him 3 months from now?  I'm not buying that she loves him or that he loves her.  It's funny because this all happened because he stormed off in a strop about Phoebe and Ash even though they're not together anymore.  I have to admit I find it interesting how Phoebe is now extremely concerned about Kyle although admittedly she did gatecrash his and Isla's date the other week (even though I thought that was more her sticking her nose into other people's business).  I do agree with her though that his loyalty is admirable but he says it's the right thing to do.  I guess judging by his track record he thinks that people who commit serious crimes shouldn't be punished for it.  IMO there is no way Isla should be allowed to get away with this.  She did a robbery with a loaded gun.  She could have killed someone and was quite prepared to have a shootout with the cops.  As an aside have to say I'm a little confused as to how the justice system works in Aus.  Watching Neighbours yesterday, it was the jury who made the decision of the person's guilt but here it was the judge.  Didn't think they used both.  It must be an intra-state thing.

So unsurprisingly Carter has become more obsessive and controlling and has ended up hitting Kat.  Unlike Kat actually falling back into Dylan's trap (i.e. sleeping with him a week after saying she would never get back with him) the writers have done a much better job here.  I like the way she was constantly treading on eggshells wondering when he was going to snap.  And I especially liked when he caught her in his hotel room then the moment and fear when she realised he was onto her.  Can't say I have much sympathy for him hitting her.  Part of me sees it has payback for messing with Charlotte.  I suspect Ash is going to hit the roof when he finds out, especially given how Carter tried to play mind games with Billie earlier on in the week.  He's effectively become Kat's white knight.