Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Red Ranger 1]

Thanks, Dan, I was about to say that.So...looking very unlikely that VJ could be the father, since the following episode when she found out she was pregnant seemed to be set the same day they slept together, although I'd love it if that was a twist.

Today! Well, after her brief alliance with the locals last week, Tanya is back to being very unpleasant.She clearly enjoyed telling Alf and Roo that Maddy's thinking of going to live with her and obviously considers it a done deal.Even though an awful lot of Oz pace fans seem to be insisting that Roo caused the accident and Andy should be in the clear, I think it's pretty clear by now that she isn't criminally responsible for what happened:There's nothing to suggest that the unlicensed canisters caused the accident.It's just a case of her blaming herself.While Tanya's lawsuit seems ridiculously premature, there might be a case to answer: While Roo isn't criminally responsible (ie she didn't personally cause the explosion), she may well be legally responsible in that she was in charge of the event and didn't prevent the accident happening. But I can't see Maddy going along with it and I think Tanya may have just torpedoed any chance she had of convincing Maddy to live with her.Maddy instantly forgiving Roo and wanting to support her felt very in character and again demonstrated the bond between them.I'm slightly confused by Josh and Evelyn being so coupley as if the previous episode never happened: Are we to assume Evie's accepted Josh supporting her and Andy separately?After one cringy scene of Matt The Perfect Boyfriend, he and Roo really needed to stop mollycoddling Maddy and let her do things for herself.It was no wonder that she finally snapped, shame she ended up kicking her friends out as a result instead of letting them help her through it.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Skye and Tank "getting closer" but I actually really liked their scenes on the beach.They've got chemistry and Tank does seem to be trying to do it right.John is being unreasonable, in my opinion, and quite deluded in thinking that Skye's going to stop seeing him just because he orders her too.I thought Alf might be the voice of reason but then he starts spouting the same nonsense about how Tank must be manipulating her, so it's left to Greg to go "How is that a bad thing?" I liked his chat with Tank at the Diner.Skye telling Tank she wants to sleep with him...No, that didn't feel right.Even though she seemed willing to do it a few scenes earlier, it felt like she's mainly doing it to rebel against John, so I rather hope she changes her mind.

[CaptainHulk]

Well, I'll say today's has been the least annoying episode this week. Partially because all the annoying people have done their dash for the week.

 

[Brian]

Still not certain about the Billie's baby's father. We don't know for sure the supposed time interval between episodes. What 10 days? Only a DNA test will tell for sure, if that ever happens?????? It should be high drama watching that one unfold!

Agree Red about Evie and Josh. Nice to see them lovey-dovey, but, as you say, has she made up with him so quickly over Andy?  Not happy with Sky being "ready". What is she trying to prove? 

[H&Alover]

Evelyn was on the hypocritical side by not understanding why Josh had forgiven Andy causing the accident, this is the same girl that urged Oscar to keep quiet about the fact he was driving the car that knocked over Tamara and left her for dead and was willing to let Zac take the blame. I know she didn't die but could have and there was the chance she could have gone blind.

Is it down to Tanya to sue Roo for the accident, surely as Maddy is an adult it's her choice. She's already told Roo she doesn't blame her, it was a combination of things, no one person was responsible and yes Red Roo isn't criminally responsible but maybe legally, if Andy and Tank hadn't fought it's likely no-one would have been any the wiser. I'm pretty sure Tanya dropping the news that Maddy was thinking of going back to the city with her wasn't an accident.

What was happening with Maddy, Roo and Matt running around after her and her blowing her top happened to Josh so of all people he could understand as he did the same thing.  Naturally they want to help but they need to back off a bit.

Josh has done something a lot worse than Andy, even if Charlotte's death could be pleaded down to manslaughter or self defence.  Andy, accidently, caused the death of two innocent  people and maimed another one Maddy for life. He did manage to talk Evie round from her plan to leave as he knows full well he can't and it would have been so easy for him to go along with her plan, after all it is only Kat that knows what he has done.

I'm with you Red Skye deciding to sleep with Tank was a knee jerk reaction to John telling her stay away from him so totally the wrong reason to do the deed. I thought Alf gave John the right heads up initially that looking after a teenage girl is so different from looking after a teenage boy. I hope they are being careful, don't want a repeat of Evie having to get the morning after pill and it was touched upon it would be Skye's first time.

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week: Four. Otherwise, pretty sparse for everyone, with only Roo, Phoebe and Ash managing three episodes.

If Maddy's on the way out as seems to be the case, then I'm going to miss her, even if I haven't been too happy with the way she's been used this year.While Tanya's visit really does seem to have been a beat by beat replay of her last stint, it is great to see Maddy standing up to her and restating her bond with Roo.It's a shame it looks like it's going to be cut short but I'm liking the little touches of Maddy struggling with every day things, from trying to open a jar one-handed to the subtle way that she has to put the cups down in order to sort out the bag.I meant to question yesterday whether anyone told Maddy that Andy caused the accident: Alf and co made a big deal about keeping it secret from her, Zac and Evelyn, then the other two found out and she seemed to get forgotten.The implication here seemed to be that she knows, although I'd expect her to have had a stronger reaction to seeing the man who crippled her and killed her ex-boyfriend than "Yeah, whatever, I'm here to see Matt." Her sudden desire to go travelling does fit in with what she wanted to do last year before nursing caught her attention but, maybe it's my prejudices but, her wanting Matt to go with her seems very strange.One minute she's saying she doesn't want him to end up as her carer, the next this?

Despite my worries about her motives, Skye did seem genuinely happy about her first time with Tank (and confirmation that they were careful), so I'm pleased for her.And I was even more pleased by the reception she got from Olivia: I was expecting Miss Fraser Richards to go off on another rant about how psychotic he is, but for once she was actually supportive and did her best to be pleased despite her obvious concerns.(Olivia is not making me want to strangle her...that's very disconcerting.)And Greg handled it well.Shame the same can't be said for John, although I'm glad that Chris didn't seem to think it was a big deal. Where (except maybe on Neighbours) would telling a 16-year-old not to see someone get you anywhere?I do think Olivia's throwing herself into this a bit too much, her use of the L word seemed rather fast and her discussion of how she's got nowhere else to be with was slightly worrying, but I'm still wishing them luck.

[Slade]

I hated the fact Roo didn't inform Tanya about Maddy's cancer or her amputation immediately but I felt really sorry for Roo when Tanya decided to sue her.  Probably because in spite of that she had been like a mother to Maddy.  I do think the main issue here was the fact that it was Roo who was being sued rather than somebody being sued period.  I do actually think that Maddy is entitled to something.  Actually I think she is pretty much owed a substantial payout.  Strictly speaking Zac really should be taking Roo to court over Oscar.  And similarly Evelyn should be taking Roo to court over Oscar and Hannah.  Not sure how good the state funded health care is in Aus but if this had been the US Roo would be in serious trouble regardless of her relationship to all the parties involved, especially given there have been two deaths.  Anyway I'm glad Tanya has decided to drop this.  I guess Maddy's choice to stay was head versus heart.  Her loved ones are in the bay but the treatment is her best chance of recovery and probably taking up Tanya's offer of the clinic in the city.  I guess the head won.  This is disappointing as I would rather see her stick around for a little while to see her adapt properly.  I'm glad Andy apologised to her when he saw her at the garage and I'm glad she didn't blame him.  Refusing to also blame Roo and just looking for a way to move forward with her life.  I like her attitude!

I really wanted John to come home and catch Tank and Skye purely to see his reaction for entertainment purposes.  So when Chris told John in the Diner later on and used the tonsil hockey line I found that really funny.  I think the argument Skye had with John afterwards  and the conversation she had with Olivia before really outlined her head space.  Oscar's death has affected her to some extent so she feels she has nobody (even though she has Olivia).  She developed strong feelings for Tank pretty quickly and so unsurprising that she's apparently in love with him already (maybe she's affected by the same thing VJ is).  I do genuine believe Tank was in the right place at the right time and if it had been someone else she probably would have been in love with them.  It definitely would have happened with Oscar if he reciprocated her earlier feelings towards him.  She's obviously not in a great place so Tank is a form of escape.  I think this was indicated by the fact when John told her to go to her room and she compared him to her mother.  So she's still obviously affected by what has happened with her.  John is in a very difficult position.  He has to show her some discipline and set boundaries and whilst he has clear and valid concerns perhaps he should allow her to see Tank.  At least if it's out in the open and she brings him back to the house John can keep an eye on them not to mention other people like Greg and anybody else who sees them in public places.  Speaking of which, if they really wanted to keep their relationship under wraps then why on earth would they be copping off in the beach in plain sight?

[CaptainHulk]

John can't be seen to be a soft touch. Yes we know Skye escaped her crazy psychobitch of a mother but she is taking the **** in some ways. Palmer would hardly lock her up. And even if he did, Sir Tank the Brave would march over in a second kick the door in a sweep Skye off to his "Castle" (I am in a jolly ****-ripping mood today )

And plus if he'd caught them going for it, He'd be in Northern Districts ICU after having a heart attack!

I see they're pushing the Innuendo again. Skye saying  felt something, no doubt the same think Evie felt!  (Then again Neighbours did a similar thing w/ the Brennans talking about how Tossing (Rings) was all in the Wrist last week )

So basically Maddy's going back to the city but on her terms. Basically "I'm going to the city for treatment but I'm not living with you, Mum"

There was a part of me wondering if Matt was gonna slam that hood down on Andy. It just felt so sinister with him stood there. 

As for Old Man Snelgrove, Nice shirt he was wearing. Reminds me of those Lonsdale jobs in Sports Direct.

[atrus]

Back up to speed with the last six episodes. After the first two or three seemed to centre around Ash and Kat getting it on, and Phoebe alternately being mildly irked with them about it and getting it on herself/playing stepmum, I must say I struggled to maintain interest.

Ricky and Nate didn't help matters; they are really trying my patience now. It's been obvious for months that they simply annoy each other - in particular, Nate seems to get right under Ricky's skin, and she never seems as if she can bear being in the same room as him. And then the roles reverse for an episode, so Nate stomps around for a while like a bear with a sore head - before it's Ricky's turn to take umbrage again. Rinse and repeat etc etc. I've given up trying to ascertain who's in the right or wrong in any of their spats because I just don't care now. They're trying to make out that all the tension is because they can't now have kids but actually, they've always been this way as far as I can remember. I wish she'd just elope with Brax. Or hey, maybe Nate could elope with Brax.

I didn't feel as if Hunter should have particularly been looking for another reason for Olivia to be off 'intimacy' since the termination - surely that's reason enough, never mind everything he already knows about her past? Nonetheless I was glad Chris stepped up to help, but I was less convinced about how eager Olivia was to accept it. And why aren't people more worried about Irene? Is she tied up in an abandoned barn somewhere, Martha Stewart-style, waiting to be rescued? I think it's time we were told.

I'm just about buying the Billie/VJ stuff although, despite what Billie's been through which is obviously horrific, I think this pregnancy is a lot for her to be putting on a teenage boy who isn't responsible for it. There is also an uncomfortable sense of 'rape storyline deployed for maximum scandal' about the whole affair. Which is a shame because I like Billie and I like VJ, and I think it's obvious they have genuine feelings for each other - but this situation clearly isn't tenable and the responsible thing would be for Billie to put an end to it before the lie goes too far. I understand she's not ready to talk about what happened to her, and fair enough, but there would be no harm in letting people believe that she had a one-night stand with someone after a night out etc. That way VJ could still choose to stay with her and support her anyway if he wished, but without having being deceived into it.

Can't believe Josh is still wandering around as a free man. When he (presumably) eventually goes down, I hope Kat goes down with him for being such a lousy law enforcer.

Not feeling Tank and Skye. Again I don't know if we've been told how old he is (I seem to recall, older enough than Evie for her guardians to be in panic about it), but the speed at which this has happened makes me uncomfortable, as does the sneaking around John's back. While he certainly seems to have changed for the better, I still can't help thinking Tank should be focusing on getting his life back on track rather than bedding impressionable teenage girls. When she came in I thought Skye was a really refreshing personality, but if they're just going to resort to the usual teen shenanigans and screeching matches with the guy who selflessly gave her a home, I'm probably going to lose interest in her character. She seemed a little more mature than that.

Well, what an unexpected development - Maddy is going to travel the world, thus sparing the writers the inconvenience of having to pen stories for a disabled character for longer than a few weeks. If she'd lost her arm a year ago and only now decided to travel, I'd be feeling more respect for the show right now. I for one hope Matt goes with her; it would be good if they had a happy ending after the tribulations of the last few months. And much as Matt is one of the better characters in the show at present in my view, he's already stayed behind to mope for extended periods after one girlfriend left town - so this would be a good opportunity to send him out on a high.

[H&Alover]

Maddy wasn't the only one 'unaware' Andy was part of the accident but is now, going by Andy's reaction to Matt turning up at the garage and Andy offering to sort the rota so they didn't have to work together.  Maddy also seemed OK when she pitched up though understandably didn't want to get into a deep and meaningful conversation with him.

Phew Tank did act responsibly and made sure his and Skye's time together was safe. I was getting concerned they would have actually gone all the way on what was suddenly a deserted beach. John has to feel doubly responsible for Skye seeing as she isn't his daughter, has it been cleared by DoCs he's her official foster father or is that still going through? No way would John even think of locking Skye in her room, he obviously forgot that is what Skye's mum used to do and just came out with the usual punishment for a disobedient teenager.  Leah has at least cottoned on to the fact banning your teenager to stop seeing someone doesn't work, you may not like it, but supporting them works much better. I don't think it matters what age Tank is, he is or was a bad boy!

Nice talk between Tank and Greg. 

So much for Roo keeping the fact Tanya was suing her a secret from Maddy, at least it didn't last long, it came tumbling out, literally, when the papers fell out of Roo's bag. It must have really stung Tanya when Maddy told her she was hurting the people she loved. I think it's a good decision for Maddy to go to the city, will she stay in the hospital/flat near by as she isn't staying at her mums. I liked how she asked Roo what she should do, but as Roo said it was Maddy's choice. Likewise it was Maddy's choice when to tell. her mum she had cancer or the accident and subsequent amputation, Roo asked her to let Tanya know but she refused. Big choice now for Matt to make, he had no such plans to travel the world like Maddy (and Oscar) did, he'd feel like he was just tagging along.

[c120701]

So... Maddy's first scene back in the park, perhaps our first scene post explosion, and not one reference to what went on.