Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[H&Alover]

Yeh!!  I was right about Lara and she seemed to be the brains of the pair (her & Spike).  Of course she would know Mason as Mason it's usually only the surname that is changed and that is when WP is doing it's job properly.

That took me by surprise that Josh was in on the get away.  Agreed it's not the punishment (and in Josh's case it was a just sentence) either of them deserved but neither have they 'got away' with their various killings, (Oscar and Hannah's deaths and Maddy's injury was and I repeat was an accident and Andy didn't cause it on his own) that would have been if evidence had been fixed and they had both been found not guilty. End of a 'normal' life for either of them. The judge (corrupt or not) accepted the defence's plea that Charlotte's killing was manslaughter the extra time added on was him not coming forward earlier even though he had now finally confessed and maybe even wasting police time thrown in for good measure. Kat and the local cops can't be blamed they wouldn't have reason to suspect the prison guard was bent, he would have been an unknown quantity to them.  I'm taking it Hunter doesn't know yet.

It must have taken a lot for Ash to accept what Justin had said about Andy was right. I suppose with his family history Justin would know what he talking about.

Ash is a real dilemma about the cash Andy left, he uses it to save the garage and has to come up with a real convincing reason as to where it came from and risks the truth coming out and getting charged with being an accessory after the fact or hands it in and loses the garage. Kat made him feel even worse by saying he was a good guy and he is loyal to his mates when they don't always deserve it.

Onto the Morgan's, well several people made both smart and stupid moves in equal measure.  Spike/Tim showed good sense in wearing scrubs and a mask to slip into that room and inject Nate with just enough ketamine to knock him and not kill him, so must have knowledge of what that drug can do then he slips into stupid mode by taking his mask off as he walks out in front of a CCTV camera. How come none of the medical staff noticed that red needle mark on Nate's arm and it took  Tori turning up to spot it!  Then Tori and Justin made smart and stupid moves.  Smart in her spraying Spike's eyes, Justin knocking him but then not tying him up!  Sorry Buddy, lovely dog that you are you're not much good as a guard dog, letting a strange man into your house without as a bark. I can see why they didn't call the cops, not wanting a cop car outside the housed drawing more attention to yourselves. I'm guessing this book Spike is so desperate to get hold of contains names of contacts, dealer and suppliers, Justin may have said they didn't know what he was talking about and meant it, but perhaps they have it without knowing they have.

On a lighter side and the opening of Salt (it's going to take a while to get used to that name), of course Brody would have no idea Phoebe is a proper singer not just a local who sings a bit. There is a definite spark between her and Brody despite her denying it to Kat. Phoebe of course is also a loser in what Andy has done it's her name on the licence so she must have been getting some of the profits. 

After weeks/months of being all wise why did Chris suddenly throw a strop over Salt, so yes the menu will be different to pizzas and Italian meals but there is plenty of room in the bay for two eateries.  I don't suppose Salt will be doing any more takeaway pizzas, but they don't serve breakfast or cakes to eat in or takeaway, The Diner doesn't serve alcohol. Unless it was just for the taster meals I'm with Chris on one thing I hate food served on boards or slates, what is wrong with ordinary proper plates whatever shape/colour they are.

Lastly John and Maz get the name of their new foster child - Jordan!

I'll certainly miss all your comments Red, even if we haven't always agreed, but then that is what forums are for, I hope you'll keep reading and dip your toe in from time to time.

 

[christine king]

2 hours ago, H&Alover said:

Yeh!!  I was right about Lara and she seemed to be the brains of the pair (her & Spike).  Of course she would know Mason as Mason it's usually only the surname that is changed and that is when WP is doing it's job properly.

I swear Lara said that Mason's real name was Jason not Mason.

[H&Alover]

20 hours ago, christine king said:

I swear Lara said that Mason's real name was Jason not Mason.

I think she meant it as a joke as in Jason Bourne!

Not much fall out from their new move, apart from Mason grabbing his mobile, dumb idea, Brody soon got talked round by Tori.  I did get the feeling (again) that Justin may know more about this book than I originally thought he did.  Probably as he said their dad had it as some kind of insurance against The Syndicate.  I'm guessing the reason they have to keep moving on is because the police/authorities don't have anything concrete on this Syndicate and this book has that proof.

Don't get too excited Chris I have a sense Brody will be back.

Red, your favourite person is back in the fore again,  Olivia is still nagging him to 'open up' and he keeps telling her he is OK with it all, even Andy & Josh doing a runner - oh yeah.  Irene didn't help matters one moment she's telling Olivia to keep talking to hunter then she does a 360 degree turn and tell her to back off and he'll talk when he's ready because you can't make people talk about things they have to want to do it when they feel ready.  Irene seems chipper at the moment and if asked will say 'I'm fine'!

Roo what on earth were you thinking of by looking at Alf's personal papers like that, if he had done that to you you'd be fuming!   Something, apart from Duncan not bothering to contact Alf when he had his breakdown last year and also this time round when he had his heart attack and stroke has turned Alf against him, though cutting him out of the will is a tad drastic. I guess we know what this means guys and gals.

Lots of family members fail to visit their loved ones when they have been seriously hurt/ill.  Leah's mum and dad have been conspicuously absent whenever she has been in hospital.

John what were you on when the DoC's lady who also happens to be the Community Service dragon brought Jordan (wonder what his crime is) round.  All this trying to 'get down with the kids' talk not surprising Jordon made a bolt for his bedroom then the shower. So unnecessary he (John) didn't come over overbearing when Skye first turned up, he was his usual normal self and that is all he needs to be now.  Of course he is a CS mate with Hunter (which as we saw doesn't last long) who was able to reassure him John is actually a good guy. 

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week: Three. Roo was in four, and was credited on Monday for no appearance.

[c120701]

No mention of Quinn from Roo, so was she in the will? What about Ric & Martha?

[Angelica]

My problem with the Morgans witness protection storyline is that a) we know this will quickly be resolved even though they have apparently been running for years and b) if I was in WP, I wouldn't be applying for director of emergency medicine or trying to start a new restaurant - both of which would guarantee your picture and new location would be on the internet. I still struggle to like anyone other than Tori, and I think it is a pity that we are having such a mass exodus of old characters just to bring in new unlikeable characters.

Talking of unlikeable, Jordan is another new character who doesn't seem to be bringing anything positive to the table,  Hunter continues to remind us of how unstable and unbalanced he can be, and Olivia continues to have one rule for Hunter and one rule for everyone else she considers psychotic. 

While Leah may be treating VJ as a child, he is behaving childish especially when he was actively avoiding the diner to avoid bumping into Leah. 

 

[Slade]

On 27/08/2016 at 8:57 AM, Angelica said:

if I was in WP, I wouldn't be applying for director of emergency medicine or trying to start a new restaurant - both of which would guarantee your picture and new location would be on the internet. I still struggle to like anyone other than Tori, and I think it is a pity that we are having such a mass exodus of old characters just to bring in new unlikeable characters.

I think the writing has been quite lazy regarding this storyline.  I also don't like any of them to be honest and wish it was just Tori.

Well Mason continues to prove what a liability he is taking his phone because he doesn't want to lose contact with Lara and obviously she and the guy she was working with will catch up with them pretty quickly.

I can actually understand Alf wanting to cut Duncan out of his will.  Alf had a heart attack and a stroke and Duncan didn't visit him when he was in hospital (Wherever Duncan is surely it's just a few hours at most).  I can also understand Roo wanting to get involved.  I think Leah was right to warn her initially and I was OK with Roo confronting Alf about it but I don't like the fact she's gone to Duncan behind Alf's back.  If I was in Alf's position even if Duncan turns up anything he does will seem disingenuous because his sister had to ask him first.

So Danica works within fostering and community service.  Not sure it was appropriate her bringing Jordan to John and Marilyn given that he had to see her the next morning.  I really didn't like Jordan inviting all his community service friends round to Billie's and then there was the issue of him hitting Hunter at the party.  I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt for now because the way Hunter was I do think there is a chance Hunter would have decked him first.  I'll also let slide that he hasn't seen the BTTF trilogy.

Olivia really is like a dog with a bone (although she doesn't look bad in a bikini).  The problem is she doesn't listen or just seems to ignore what she's told.  Previously Hunter just wanted things to get back to normal although he was slightly below the belt when he had a pop at her for being abused on Thursday.  But given his drunken outburst on Friday he's obviously been suppressing everything and given his attitude towards Zac regarding his schoolwork it does seem like she was right.  And I'd add to that that Olivia seems to be the only teen that is making sense at the moment.  I think Friday's episode goes to show Hunter shouldn't be drinking full stop.

I didn't like VJ's attitude towards Leah at the beginning on Friday and I do think Billie was right to talk to Leah about it however I don't think VJ deserved to be blamed for the party as that was Jordan's fault (although I accept Billie doesn't know that).  Also it's her fault she's even in this situation anyway and she's getting a taste of things to come.  Couldn't believe her hypocrisy twice in the one episode.  Firstly when she said Kat and Phoebe didn't sign up to live with a couple and a kid.  Did VJ sign up to having to look after a kid that isn't his?  Then when she said the party was his mess and he would have to live with it.  Well lying to VJ, Leah and Irene is her mess and I'm sure she will have to live with it at some point.

[H&Alover]

On ‎27‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 0:13 AM, c120701 said:

No mention of Quinn from Roo, so was she in the will? What about Ric & Martha?

I'm guessing as she didn't mention them they are in the will and Duncan is his son.  Alf accepted Duncan lives in the States but he could, as Alf said, at least picked up the phone. It could be Roo was thinking Alf had made a knee jerk reaction and also due to his stroke isn't thinking that clearly.  There's got to be more than just the fact Duncan didn't visit/ring otherwise it'd be an overreaction on Alf's part. I noticed they mentioned Alf giving a speech at Duncan's Wedding just to remind us they had patched up their differences at some point in the past.

I suppose the Morgan's have to live some semblance of an normal life wherever they are, I'd be very interested to know how it is they keep being found, you don't think Decker has anything to do with it or is that stretching it too far?

Jordan did start off being likeable and even had us feeling sorry for him by collapsing while on Community Service duty.  Danica actually admitted she had been rather hard on him!   Certainly two sides of the coin there DoCs which helps kids and the Community Service Officer where, she at least, seems to be coming down hard on them.

Olivia really doesn't know when to back off does she, thinks just because talking helped her it works the same with everyone else. Though I have to admit he has been too calm about the whole thing, I'd much rather he trashed his van/took it out on the punch bag or wore himself by going running or exercising.

It wasn't VJ's fault the rest of the kids turning up, that was down to Jordan.  He'd invited Olivia and Hunter who in turn invited Jordan his new friend which Billie, Kat and Phoebe would have been OK with. Jordan only moved in on Olivia because of what Hunter said (or rather didn't) when he asked him earlier that day if Olivia was his girlfriend and he didn't say either way. To be fair to Hunter he didn't throw the first punch but his retaliation was something just waiting to happen. Billie did the right thing by ringing Zac and he did the right thing by telling Leah to stay put. Not going to look good for Hunter, Jordan and the rest when the cops turn up.  As I'm not into Billie bashing I think she is handling as  best she can, unfortunately this was more evidence of their age difference. She did try and get Leah and VJ talking but by conning him into the meet at Salt (who's cooking now Brody has gone) wasn't a wise move, so many people try that trick, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[atrus]

Caught up again! I didn't realise about witness protection programmes only changing surnames, although it strikes me that the number of families in Australia comprising four adult siblings named Justin, Brody, Tori and Mason must be pretty small - so in that case I can see why they keep getting found by the evil drug barons. Mason certainly isn't helping matters by insisting on compromising them at every turn, but equally it's clear that their current situation isn't sustainable. Actually I sympathised with Brody deciding he wanted to stay in the Bay - if the witness protection is really as lax as it appears to be, they'd arguably be better just to inform the local police force of their real identities and rely on their protection, rather than packing up and moving on every few months. Nobody can live like that indefinitely.

It's interesting to hear Duncan get a mention after so long, and it sounds as if the groundwork is being laid for some kind of return. To be honest I was surprised Alf was cutting him out of the will; we know Alf's a stubborn sort, but effectively disowning his son doesn't seem like a particularly Alfish thing to do - so I shared Roo's concern, even though I disapproved of her initial snooping. The justification that Duncan didn't come to visit him in hospital doesn't hold much water either, given that the same charge can be levelled at pretty much any departed character you can name over the last 28 years - it's just that for obvious reasons, they aren't customarily called out on their negligence.

I quite like Jordan so far. I don't know how old the actor is but unlike most castings in recent years, he feels more like a real teenager rather than a twenty-odd actor playing downwards - although that's probably down to the characterisation, too, being fairly quiet and sullen. I don't know why it was that Skye left so quickly after joining the regular cast, but I'm wondering if he's been brought in to take on her planned storylines? Much as he was wrong to drag a load of randoms to the gathering at the farmhouse, I didn't personally get the impression that he was trying to muscle in on Olivia - so I don't think he deserved the punch in the face he got from pyscho Hunter.

Not particularly sure that Evil Community Service Lady should also be a social worker; she was doing a real Jekyll-and-Hyde routine, not just being tough and stern with the offenders but actually neglectful. And then weirdly nice as pie in her other guise. Wonder if we're going to see more of her? My suspicion is yes.

While I didn't like how Leah has been speaking to him recently, I also felt that VJ's continued hostility towards her was a little bit uncalled-for, and clearly Billie agreed. For one reason or another, the party denouement didn't quite work. Everyone actually seemed quite responsive to Billie's request for them to leave - there was a chorus of groans, which implied they had taken note - but rather than waiting to see whether anyone would actually obey, she just went straight to call the police, on the rather oddly-reasoned grounds (given Kat is the police) that that would be better than what would happen if Kat came home to the carnage.

So yes, Hunter was being a class-A douche as usual, but it was also annoying to see Zac take on the HSC nag baton. Actually I think your mother being murdered probably counts as extenuating circumstances, even in the unforgiving eyes of The Department. I think in a real-life situation you'd expect Hunter to take some time out from school and maybe pick it up the following year. Olivia was also at her nagging worst. In particular I never find it plausible when teen characters lecture their peers on the evils of drinking; unless that's somehow justified by their background story, it doesn't ring true. And it was just a beer.

[Brian]

Hi folks again. Been cruising in Norway for the past week and watched all 5 episodes in one go yesterday!! Some treat! Is Red Ranger leaving us? If so, thanks for all your interesting comments and analyses over the years, if you are still reading this. Good luck with whatever comes next in  your life!

1. Good to read all your various comments. Here's mine, for what they're worth. I dislike Chris with his stupid plans, Olivia as an overbearing girlfriend and Kat forgetting herself into such a stupid situation as a police officer, Marilyn for keeping on at John, Roo for being an interfering daughter. then I like Mason