Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[TheBoss]

I give it to Olivia when she gets angry she gets FURIOUS. When the pre credits "next time" segment ended with Olivia screaming at that Tabitha that she was a psycho, the Irish voice over woman during the credits just said "Well, that told her". Got a big laugh out of me

 

So the resolution to a girl with some serious mental health issues and feelings of abandonment/worthlessness/loneliness is to send her away not to get help, but to a boarding school???Is that the end of Tabitha then?

 

I seriously, seriously cringed at the zoom in on McCarthy after his (rather aggressive and sanctimonious) confrontation with Ash as if to say "Damn it, he's right, what was I thinking?". It was hardly the most eloquent or articulate case either, just "THIS IS BULL!!SHE'S A GOOD COP!!!" Well I guess you could say she was until she compromised everything, and Ashs behaviour gets validated.

 

Found myself fast forwarding through most of the Morgan Decker stuff, their seperate stories actually seem more interesting than the witness protection stuff

 

Something I havn't mentioned yet but after the rather galling transformation of VJ from a small child to a musclebound 6 footer and his subsequent unlikability during a period where he seemd to have a large chip on his shoulder, I think Matt Little has proved himself since to be a very talented and charismatic actor.

 

 

[Slade]

What I quite liked was initially Matt's face when he suspected that Ellie was behind the fire then when he knew for sure after finding the cigarette lighter in her bag.  I do appreciate he was in a very difficult position  and I'm not sure what I would have done but I thought it was a bold move reporting her to Zac because anything could have happened.  Have to say she was extremely fortunate to only get suspended from school for a week (I guess that explains why she was so relieved and not annoyed with Matt for dobbing her in).  She could have potentially put people's lives at risk.  So she turns pyromaniac just because she got a bad mark on her assignment.  I'm not sure whether it's because she's a lot younger but there is clear inconsistency  IMO with the punishment handed out in two successive episodes given that whilst what Tabitha did was disgusting there was no chance of her killing anyone but she gets expelled.  Perhaps Zac was thinking of Hunter hence his leniency towards Ellie.  I was almost shocked at Irene's sudden change in attitude.  She's never liked Tabitha and even in the last episode if not for her sick sister she would have thrown her out the Diner for sure.  This would have been perfectly understandable even though there's an argument for it being unprofessional.  And all of a sudden she's talking about how hard she's had it and how good Tabitha is with her sister and how she can't stop thinking about her.  She's worked all this out just from watching them together for an hour or so.  Why wasn't she like this before?  Although I do think her saying this helped Matt do the right thing regarding Ellie.

I think Justin was right to apologise to Phoebe for being wrong about Hope.  I agreed with Phoebe in that the apology started off pretty well then he completely blew it checking that Phoebe wasn't going to throw Hope out of the farmhouse.  So I guess to Phoebe it seemed like he was apologising more for Hope's sake and not because he was sorry.  It was mentioned in the episode that Phoebe think she's always right (Yup).  She was right about Hope trying to con John no argument there but it's just the way she comes across that instantly puts people of believing her.  However I don't think she was upset so much about Justin not believing her.  It was because he took Hopes side i.e. more jealousy.  And that just about sums her up regarding this - Completely and totally self-centered.  I've been trying to avoid saying that because I have been giving her the benefit of the doubt and do think she's been OK as of late but she's starting to grate again.  What does she want exactly?  She doesn't want to be with Justin but she doesn't want Hope to either.

So Evelyn has to give up her study time to help Billie get the rugrats stuff into her room.  And why should she have to move out of the Summer Bay house because of Billie's lies and deception?    So not fair.  Similarly what I also think is not fair was the way everyone pressurised VJ into working at the Surf Club to give John and Marilyn time together rather than letting him spend the time studying for his HSC.  Not one person said anything in his defense.  Where was Leah?  She just remained silent.  And more to the point Billie the so called love of his life endorsed it.  The chat Phoebe had with Billie was interesting.  Firstly Billie's reaction when Phoebe told her that Hope tried to scam John.  I guess she knows all about deception.  Also given that she seems to be taking over Evelyn's room it was ironic that she mentioned Hope moved into her old room.

[c120701]

I agree about VJ being pressured. That said, I did really like the scene with Maz popping around to Summer Bay House & pretty much hanging around the door as they were at the table. I could just imagine Pippa & the kids sat there and her inviting Maz to stay for dinner as Alf did.

How exactly did Caroline get her "medicine" into the country?

[H&Alover]

If Caroline's medicine was in the original containers which they were she wouldn't have had a problem bringing them in. Poor little Bryce realises how important they are to his mum which is probably why he wanted to find them.  Caroline thinks he hasn't picked up on it, but he's a bright lad and knows mummy is better once she has taken them.  Nate, of course, won't say anything, he can't all he can do is try and persuade Caroline to tell Duncan, Alf or Roo. Roo has also noticed Caroline's shaky hand so knows something isn't right. I can understand why Caroline didn't want her ex's girlfriend treating her too close to home. Mason was reading too much into Nate handing those bottles to Caroline as if he would have handed over anything dodgy in full view of anyone walking by.

What were the school thinking of letting Tabby collect her things on a school day in front of all the other kids, Olivia was bound to appear and see her, unfair on both of them!  Did seem kind of odd to suddenly see Juliet but she seemed a lovely girl and loves Tabby.  I imagine the parents have kept it from her why Tabby is being sent away.  An awkward moment when Tabby and Olivia hugged goodbye but decent of Olivia to do it out of kindness for Juliet.  Irene has said a couple of times Olivia should be more understanding over Tabby as she had been through a lot and was very troubled.

Raffy didn't mean to be unkind to Ellie when she teased her about her assignment, she wouldn't have any idea Ellie is dyslectic.  Btw she hadn't had bad results she burnt it before handing it in because she was afraid she would get a bad mark. Evie if she had had the chance would have guided her through it.  Good instincts on Matt's part picking up on how Elllie was behaving on hearing about how much damage had been done and they thought it must have been Tabby as it was her locker where the fire started.  He has been there, in a way, when the school in Mango River burnt down and he was in the frame but was started by Montgomery.  Hard decision for him to make, keep quiet and let Tabby get blamed when this time she was innocent or turn in Ellie and risk losing her trust.  Thankfully he did do the right thing and Ellie was grateful as she was already feeling bad enough about it. I guess, maybe, her admitting  it was why she got off so lightly.  The week off may be a good thing too, it'll give her a chance to study with Evie.

I thought Evie volunteered to move out so she could get some peace and it was because Caroline and Bryce were moving in.

Justin did a very good job in apologising to Phoebe, he did appear to side with Hope who he hardly knows over Phoebe who had no reason to lie about something like that, thankfully Brody was able to 'knock their heads' together.  Loved Phoebe's 'denial' she wasn't jealous of Justin's siding with Hope, and he's put Hope straight on the fact he is not interested in her.

I think I know why John is missing Chris so much, though initially he denied it, John himself has been thought of as a bit of a fool in the past and not taken seriously, especially by Alf.  Perhaps he, Chris, reminded John of himself when younger. Is that the end of John's health scare, forgot he was a bit of a hypo.

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week:Three. Roo was in four but only appeared briefly without dialogue on Wednesday.

So, the ending of the Olivia and Tabitha storylines weren't as bad as I thought they'd be but still.The show clearly has no interest in exploring Olivia's abuse properly so we get a pat "ending" after which she's literally jumping back into Hunter's arms two episodes after freaking out at him touching her.Whilst I appreciate the sentiment, having Olivia loudly announce "I was abused by Kirk Shephard" like it instantly solves everything was simplistic bordering on irresponsible.In real life, that would be the start of a long legal battle to prove it.In Home and Away, it'll either never be mentioned again or get a throwaway comment, I imagine.In fact, the whole thing came across as a cheap plot device to have Kat do a Jack and go back to being a police officer despite being shown to be so corrupt it's impossible to take her seriously in the role.I appreciate the use of her history with Dylan to help Olivia but that doesn't mean she's suited to upholding the law.Didn't help that it seemed to be down to a rant from Ash that made McCarthy forget that he was right the first time.Oh well, maybe she'll get shot like useless police officers who don't know when to quit usually do.

Meanwhile, after seemingly endless trailers of Olivia yelling abuse at Tabitha while ironically sounding like a complete psycho herself, she did seem to leave on a fairly positive note or at least without everyone hating her.But it does underline that the show and characters think some messed up teenagers are worth helping and some aren't.I found Tabitha a more interesting and likable character than either Hunter or Olivia, and while I'm glad she didn't get an over the top police or school punishment like I feared she would, shunting her off to boarding school because her storyline's over was disappointing.Then we get the odd dog leg of her being accused of the fire and then cleared off screen.It sticks in the throat a bit to hear Irene's hypocritical fretting about "poor Tabitha" after weeks of trying to get rid of her because she's getting in the way of Hunter and Olivia's reunion.

Not sure what to make of Hope, she's fairly selfish although I think she does care about Raffy and she's obviously mixed up in dodgy stuff but she's not completely unlikable.Looks like I could be right about Raffy being brought in as a friend for Ellie, providing they get past the bad first impression.Sole remaining "boy from Mangrove River" Matt shows a dodgy moral compass again but at least he did the right thing in the end.

I was going to say that the farmhouse seemed to be full already with Phoebe, Kat, Hope and Raffy there, then I remember that at one point we had Zac, Hannah, Evelyn, Oscar and Denny there all apparently with their own room, so guess there must be a fifth one somewhere.Given that it's not that long since Leah and Zac were hassling VJ to forget about his responsibilities as a father and concentrate on his school work, I'm surprised they were so ready for him to work at the juice bar when he was meant to be studying, when even he didn't seem keen.John's accident seemed slightly pointless but nice to get mentions of Xavier, Jett and Shandi.

So, it's now clear something's up with Caroline but we don't know what, but it seems the marijuana is medicinal.Roo, as she often does, realises something's up but grabs completely the wrong end of the stick.I'm torn between wanting to give Ash a shake for being an idiot and appreciating that in his own dumb way he's trying to do the right thing.Liked the chats between him and Billie and the information about their mother.

[Slade]

3 hours ago, H&Alover said:

I thought Evie volunteered to move out so she could get some peace and it was because Caroline and Bryce were moving in.

It started in the episode with Evelyn being expected to help Billie move her unborn baby's stuff into her room whilst she was studying.  Then she found it hard to concentrate and realised things were only going to get worse so thought it was best to move out.  Caroline and Bryce moved into a caravan and they were supposed to be leaving anyway.

Still on the subject of studying VJ working the shift and longer than he should have due to John hitting his head looks to have certainly taken its toll as he got very little study time in.

Good to know Xavier is still in contact with John. I actually found John rather funny as a hospital patient, Googling his symptoms thinking he could be at death's door.  I also really enjoyed the way Tori was laughing about it assuring him he was going to be fine.  Seriously, why was Mason in that episode?  He didn't really serve much purpose.  Oh that's right he told Nate about Tori and Duncan breaking up (not that it even started) and he got suss about Caroline because of all the medications Nate was giving her.  Well at least I don't have to see him and Evelyn anymore.

I actually quite like Caroline.  I found it really funny when she got out the weed.  I was hoping to get a scene of her getting out the Rizla, rolling up, lighting it, taking a drag then smoking the rest of the joint.  One thing I do like about her is how good she is with Bryce.  I also like the quite like how she's getting on with Alf now who seems to have completely turned a corner even sticking up for the way Caroline reacted too Roo when she claimed to lose her passport.  Funny how Roo and Mason both got suspicious of her (Again assuming that she's terminally ill which is a shame).  I quite like the way Nate was with her i.e. sympathetic but at the same time refusing to break the law by obtaining the alternative medications she requested.  I am however concerned that he won't keep quiet about her condition.  He was in this situation a while back when Jess was terminally ill and she didn't want Heath to find out and he went and told Ricky because he wanted to get into her good books.

Obviously now you would expect something is far more likely to happen with Nate and Tori.  His face almost lit up when Mason told him about his sister's breakup.

[c120701]

On 02/11/2016 at 6:03 AM, c120701 said:

Thanks Jeremai - that probably explains why I thought the counter looked darker - it was the wall behind!

Just noticed they've rearranged the long table too.

Alf's brown polo shirt must be one of the oldest pieces of costume on the show.

[Red Ranger 1]

Forgot to say that I felt a bit sorry for Mason being questioned by John and not knowing how to be diplomatic.Oh, and Alf calls Bryce his favourite grandson.Does Ric know?(Poor guy, really has been erased from history.Don't think he's been mentioned since near the end of 2008.)

[Brian]

hey Slade, why don't you want to see Mason and Evie together any more? I think they go well together - both getting over traumatic recent experiences in their lives and having a bit of fun together while they're coming back to normality. Pity that Mason had to spoil it by falling for her. I think that they may get back together again in the future.  And yes, I would like to see something happen between Nate and Tori - be interesting to see how they keep their romantic and doctoral lives apart. Keep her away from Duncan, who is a waste of space, wanting to keep both parts of his life going.

What will Ash do when he finds out that Kat will lose her job if she gets back with him.?. Go to the police station and beat up the sargent? Someone ought to sort him out.  

[Slade]

13 hours ago, Brian said:

hey Slade, why don't you want to see Mason and Evie together any more? I think they go well together - both getting over traumatic recent experiences in their lives and having a bit of fun together while they're coming back to normality. Pity that Mason had to spoil it by falling for her. I think that they may get back together again in the future.  And yes, I would like to see something happen between Nate and Tori - be interesting to see how they keep their romantic and doctoral lives apart. Keep her away from Duncan, who is a waste of space, wanting to keep both parts of his life going.

I never wanted them together in the first place Brian.  Can't stand Mason TBH.  Find him dull/bland (much like his character in Neighbours).  I think he offers very little and the less I see of him the better.  I really like Evelyn and do not want to see her in scenes with a character like him.  It was mentioned previously in the thread that she has much better chemistry with Matt which is something I strongly agree with.  I think it's inevitable something will happen with Nate and Tori, especially if we assume Caroline is terminally ill.  No way would Tori considering going out with Duncan again presumably when she finds out.

 

13 hours ago, Brian said:

What will Ash do when he finds out that Kat will lose her job if she gets back with him.?. Go to the police station and beat up the sargent? Someone ought to sort him out.  

My turn.  What's your issue with McCarthy?

Found Roo quite annoying in that episode, the way she played detective.  The way she was questioning Duncan about Caroline being a drunk, her suspicious nature when Caroline was talking to Ash and then questioning him about her later on.  There was also the way she was after Caroline staggered back to her van (although I'm surprised Alf just brushed it off).  And I didn't like the way she was when she found the passports in Caroline's van, questioning Bryce about it then Caroline shortly afterwards.

It appears as though I may have underestimated Nate's ability to keep quiet.  Although is allowed to do that?  I mean put fake notes in Caroline's file.  What if something happens to Caroline and Nate is not around.  I liked that he refused to tell Tori about Caroline's condition and even though he was wrong I even liked the fact the he immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion when he saw Tori talking to Duncan on the beach.  I also liked the way Nate was being there as a friend for Kat offering her advice about Ash.  He's right.  Kat should tell him about the conditions of being allowed back into the force.  So she's back to being senior constable despite being on probation.

I did really like the way Ash was with Caroline although I'm not sure about how he was keeping an eye on her initially.  It seemed as though he was being quite inquisitive.  He knew she had only one drink and when she spilled it asked if she was OK.  Then the next day he questioned her about leaving Salt in a rush and was eavesdropping on her conversation with Nate.  However the fact that he's so against drugs but was prepared to do something illegal to help someone out he barely knew really says a lot, especially regarding the whole thing with his mum.  And the dealer just happened to be the same person Andy was working on the stolen cars for.  I shouldn't be too angry with Simmo as if not for him Andy/Josh never would have gotten away.  I did find it really funny after Ash realised who he was then lost it.

Finding more attempts from Billie to match-make Kat and Ash extremely annoying although objectively I didn't mind the chat she had with Ash about Caroline.