Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[H&Alover]

The mind can do funny things, Alf acted very strangely when he had his brain tumour, seems like John is having blackouts or lapses of memory too as he was acting totally normally when hunting for the missing and looking for that hut. Another person we saw neither hind nor hair of, until later was Leah, yet Zac was at the festival, where was she hiding? With all the trauma she has suffered with fires Evie did brilliantly getting everyone to leave in  a calm and ordered manner. So far as we know to date no-one has been seriously hurt.  Billie and VJ have got smoke inhalation as I guess, the gang in the hut will have. What has happened to Olivia and Mason and Marilyn for that matter? 

 It's not that surprising that he managed to carry Billie as far as he did, amazing what your body can do when your life is not to mention the lives of those you love is on the line, all that adrenalin pumping through it can make you able to do things you would normally find impossible. It was more of a fluke he just happened to come across the road block with police cars and handy ambulance.  I knew VJ promising Billie she could have a natural birth would backfire on them, it looks like circumstances are going to overtake them and she'll have no choice but to change her mind, thank god Ash made it. 

Good to see Alf in his looking after the towns folk mode, they were all lucky the fire moved away from the bay. Kat did a good job, small footnote, did McCarthy say the other day 'they were only small fires?  I'd hardly call the one at the garage a small fire with all that combustible stuff around!  

I posted the other day they would be rushed off their feet at ND, but it may not be as busy as I thought, only Billie and Justin so far. Tori must have worked out where she and Justin were she must have directed the ambulance there.   As is  per usual for any medical person, she was ignoring her head injury, to concentrate on Justin, until Nate ordered her to get it looked at, was he remembering Hannah?  I think he was just trying to comfort her, it was her that seemed awkward, maybe still feeling guilty about lying about Mason. She was trying to get hold of Brody to warn him about Ranea. 

So guess who turns up as the new surgeon - Riley - her old flame, the one she was trying to avoid at the conference!  Just as much a shock to him as her as of course he knew her as Tess who just disappeared without them resolving their problems, didn't he cheat on her?

[Slade]

Regarding the Home and Away special - Revenge:

I really, really enjoyed the Heath and Bianca scenes at the beginning.  They seemed like a proper couple - happy and genuinely in love, in complete contrast to what we've seen in the daily episodes.  I liked the way they were together on the plane, they way they were at the cabin and their scenes the next day when they were enjoying their afternoon together.  Admittedly you could say they were happier because they left all their responsibilities and issues e.g. employment back at the bay.  I never doubted Heath's commitment but personally I can see that Bianca loves Heath.  All the happiness I guess was effectively the calm before the storm.  When Gunno kidnapped Bianca my worry at first was that she would end up blaming him for getting them in this mess.  With regards to the helicopter pilot we understand from the cops later on in that episode that Gunno beat him senseless.  What I don't understand was why Gunno didn't just kill him after he served his usefulness as he gave the cops a description of Gunno which ultimately led the police to find them.  I find it difficult to determine what happened.  I assume Gunno can't fly a helicopter so must have forced the pilot to do it then somehow got Bianca an board then flew off with her before Heath could stop them.  Unless Gunno can pilot a helicopter in which case he could have landed kidnapped Bianca, tied her up then taken off again.

One thing I liked about the episode is that it featured other regular H & A characters.  I really enjoyed the scenes with Irene and Darcy.  I've enjoyed those far more than I've enjoyed the scenes with say Irene and Olivia.  It felt like they had a real relationship and you can see how much Irene cares for Darcy and sees her as one of her own.  One thing I also really liked was Darcy's concern for Bianca.  She clearly cares deeply about her.  At first she seemed constantly worried that whilst she wasn't there to keep an eye on them that Heath would mess things up and she couldn't sleep when she heard that Bianca was missing.  I also liked the interaction with Darcy and Ash when he offered to give her surfing lessons and Darcy said she learned from the best i.e. the River Boys.  I don't suppose Billie will mind Ash giving Darcy her surfing board as she's not going to be using it anytime soon.

I also liked the fact that Nate was involved.  I know a lot of people think he's pretty much a waste of space and despite being a massive Sophie fan he has really grown on me as a character.  I was very surprised Ash told him and Irene about Heath letting go of Gunno basically telling them he tried to kill him but I'm glad they all fully understood the situation and I would like to think they could see he had no choice (I was even more surprised Heath fessed up to the cops but I guess he was doing it to save Bianca and it shows how much he loves his wife).  I was a bit surprised Nate was prepared to go off with Ash given that he's focused on Tori.  I think Ash went there for Heath and Nate went there for Bianca.  I know they had other matters which were more important but I'm very surprised the subject of Billie's rape didn't come up given they must have spent quite a bit of time in the car together.

I loved the initial dialogue between Bianca and Gunno.

Bianca: "This obsession with the Braxtons is getting unhealthy."

Gunno: "A man's got to have a hobby."

Bianca: "Are you sure you're not overcompensating for something."

I also like how Gunno has gone for the shaven head and thick beard look.

It seemed as though Gunno changed his plan.  Initially he was trying to frame Heath for Bianca's murder even though he said he didn't have a problem with Bianca I'm not sure whether he would have killed her or what he would have done if the police had taken Heath to jail but it obviously changed when Ash showed up.  So after going from Ash to Brax to Heath he goes full circle and decides that he does want revenge on Ash after all.

Enjoyed the final showdown with Bianca and Ash and I liked the way Nate jumped in and stopped Gunno from shooting Bianca.  At first I thought he was doing well against Gunno but suspected Gunno would be too strong for him.  I thought it was beautiful how Bianca was the one who delivered the final blow which took Gunno out.  I knew she had quite a fierce right hook from the time she decked Heath at their wedding.

I'm glad Heath appreciated Ash's and Nate's efforts.  As far as I'm concerned any good Nate has done has overridden anything the way he's acted towards certain people.  One thing that has surprised me is that the cops have let Heath go without any charges.

I started off thinking that they've let Gunno live again but then I realised that he's been transferred to the same jail as Kyle and Heath and Bianca just happen to be going to visit Kyle at the same time.  Gunno seemed to have a hero's reception and no doubt will continue his revenge on his next target i.e. Kyle.

And it seems as though Bianca may be having a pregnancy test so that should be interesting...

Overall I would say for a one off I really enjoyed that.  One of the reasons being it had either characters I liked or that I think are good.  Really looking forward to the next part with Kyle.

[c120701]

I understand that Irene's scared because Mick held her hostage, but I just feel she'd be a bit more sympathetic that he did so because of an illness he couldn't control, like all the awful things she did when she was drunk and wanted her other kids to forgive HER for. I guess it's different when the shoe is on the other foot.

[c120701]

Lots of 4th wall glimpses of the Beach House - first in the normal episode, we saw a window on the 4th wall of the kitchen which I don't remember seeing before when we've seen that wall.

In All or Nothing we also got a glimpse of the 4th wall of the main living room, behind the TV which showed what appeared to be another set of double doors, suggesting that the 4th wall is similar to the front wall of double doors.

[c120701]

Oh and so now Ash is a killer, albeit accidental.

[Red Ranger 1]

Meanwhile, back in regular Home and Away...

Well, all the people in the shack live to nearly die another day.I loved how a tree fell on Hunter just as he was being an a***hole: Instant karma.And I loved how Brody told him to shut up whining as well.Still no word on those who were missing before.Matt and Evelyn's talk of showers seems to confirm that their relationship has progressed more than we've seen on screen.Billie insisting on a natural birth was pretty irrational although I could understand the reasoning: She had the baby forced into her, she didn't want her cut out as well.Everyone seemed rather blasé about the fact she can't breathe, with Nate shrugging it off with "She'll be okay tomorrow."The medical profession seem as bad as law enforcement at the moment with their cavalier attitude to patients, repeatedly sending John home when he's clearly not right...and Mick for that matter.Still, some nice byplay: Loved VJ's needling of Leah when Ash liked the name Luc.So...can whatever Ash did in the specials be fit into the 20 hours or so he seemed to be absent from Summer Bay?

So I guess Leah has no idea what Mick looks like either.His behaviour here reminded me of his first meeting with Irene:Rational on the surface but with a crazed intensity underneath it.I don't have any sympathy for him and I think it's letting him off the hook to say he had no control over his actions...and I don't think Irene would claim she wasn't responsible for her own actions either.He's simply evil and knows just how to play the system to get away with things: He's let out on condition he stays away from Irene and the Bay, then heads straight there.

Riley's increasing bewilderment at meeting up with ex after seven years to find she has a new name and a 13-year-old sister was quite amusing.Still, incompetence continues to be the word of the day:Where were all those hospital security people Kat said would keep an eye on the Morgans?It's not like Turner even seemed to be hiding.

[Slade]

14 hours ago, c120701 said:

I understand that Irene's scared because Mick held her hostage, but I just feel she'd be a bit more sympathetic that he did so because of an illness he couldn't control, like all the awful things she did when she was drunk and wanted her other kids to forgive HER for. I guess it's different when the shoe is on the other foot.

I was disappointed with Irene actually.  When she said she had forgiven Mick she was clearly lying.  And I felt a bit sorry for him not because he should be absolved of the rapes but just because watching that scene it did seem as though he was genuinely sorry for what he did to her.

One good thing about the fire is that the smoke inhalation pacified Phoebe to the point where she was fairly active in the episode but unusually quiet.  Perhaps John should continue playing the role of  the pyromaniac more frequently.

VJ is playing the role of the father very well.  However he is not the baby's father and whilst it's very understandable and I'm not necessarily blaming him I'm disappointed that he's basically choosing a bit of skirt over his own mother.  Especially one that is lying and manipulative.  He's taken to the role almost immediately posing for photographs and holding the baby whilst she's sleeping but I genuinely believe if Billie had decided that she wanted to give the baby up for adoption he would have stood by her without any shadow of a doubt.  And by not saying something when the truth comes it's going to be more hurtful for Leah and her parents.  I really wish this would come out.  It's a perfect opportunity now that Mick is back.  Although it might be better if they play happy families for a few weeks, let Leah get closer to the baby and then the truth comes out as it would probably make a more dramatic storyline.  As I said before I'm hoping that they will steal that storyline from Sunset Beach i.e. give the baby a rare genetic disorder that only the baby's father can cure.

Nate was extremely professional with the way he helped deliver the baby.  Once Billie starts breathing on her own and wakes up he's no longer bound to keep quiet because of the stress she had previously that was affecting her pregnancy but there's still patient confidentiality and even though he didn't care when he was going to expose her before I think he's calmed down a lot now so will remain quiet.

You know seeing the way Renae is going after Justin, I find I'm admiring her dedication and determination.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, hospital security continue to not be worth much at all: No guard on Justin, no security checks, apparently no-one knew Turner could come there given that Riley casually stopped for a chat with her... Not that Turner showed much more nous by spending all that time in Justin's room and then leaving before the interesting stuff started.And then, with Kat ironically being the most competent person in the episode, this supposedly dangerous criminal again proves she's useless without the muscle by being taken down by two small town cops and an unarmed chef.And then the episode tries and makes out she had a justified grievance! Not only is it far too late in the day after weeks of making her a panto villain but it doesn't fit in with what we've been told before: That Justin tried to convince Koby to go to the police and he wouldn't, that Decker went undercover to try and get information from him but he wouldn't talk, that the records he kept of the syndicate lay undiscovered for seven years.But hey, I'm glad that Brody made it clear he didn't give a fig about her hard life; he's obviously in the same mould as Justin when it comes to not giving her what she wants.She's wasted her life on a pointless revenge and is probably going to die in jail like her father, assuming they remember to lock the door this time.(Hopefully Kat's "I promise she won't get out this time" is for real.)Loved Tori telling Nate to mind his own as well.Her comment to Riley about her parents being murdered just before she disappeared raises the question of how Nina missed that.Oh, forgot to mention: Justin says he missed his meeting with Ava.Guess it was meant to be the first tomorrow, since it's still the same day as the second time he said "tomorrow".

Mick continues to be spectacularly creepy, effectively holding Irene prisoner again.She's lucky someone turned up this time because he doesn't seem to have changed at all: He's still got this fantasy in his head about what their life together is going to be like and he still gets frustrated when she doesn't follow the script.His following Leah was rather worrying: He did, after all, follow Billie and rape her at random just because he saw her and liked the look of her.Leah's lucky she had a car close at hand because she was rightly freaked out by him.

Brody was unnecessarily harsh towards Mason, you'd have thought he'd have been at least a bit pleased to see him.At first I thought his and Olivia's "We went swimming" showed a bit of tunnel vision, but given that Irene and Leah were wandering around the Bay without a clue anyone was in danger, I guess the bushfire wasn't all that noticeable unless you were right on top of it.Irene once again changes her mind when the plot requires it: After weeks of telling Olivia to stay away, she suddenly forgets what a tit Saint Hunter is and sends her off to his bedside because he got a small cut.Oh, and Heath and Bianca come back and we're told they had "a hell of a trip".I hope those of us who can't be bothered with the specials get more than that, but the cynic in me suspects that that would mean Australian viewers don't have to pay a subscription to Presto/Foxtel/whatever to see what happened so probably not.

Alf and John's amateur expedition to look for Marilyn on their own was rather sweet, especially Alf turning up with all the equipment.There's a nasty twist in the tale but it might have been more effective if we'd actually seen what state Marilyn was in instead of just Alf crouching over her body double.

[Slade]

Part of me was hoping that Renae would have finished the job with Justin.  I don't particularly like him and often find him quite annoying.  With the exception of Tori and Raffy I struggle to like the Morgan's as individual characters.  And collectively they are just dreadful IMO.  I would have loved to see Renae's reaction if Justin did actually kick the bucket.  I'm glad she told them her motivation for trying to kill him as I could never understand why she seemed to have such a deep rooted hatred for Justin.  It's interesting that Renae has mentioned that their father wasn't as pure as they originally thought (not that they did anyway) as I thought something like this was mentioned previously.  Although it does seemed to have really affected Tori.  And she apologised even though Renae killed her parents so you could say Renae has already had her revenge.  It will be interesting to see if Tori starts looking into this or whether she will just drop it.  Like Mick I did feel a bit sorry for Renae when she telling them about her father.  One thing I really like is the way the actress does the evil focused/determined looks.  I initially wondered whether Riley was trying to hit on her at the beginning of that episode.

I assumed Olivia and Mason went off to sleep together during the festival but they aren't really acting like it.  I quite enjoy the fact that anytime Olivia spends any time just talking to or praising Hunter that it winds Mason up.

So where has Darcy been over the last couple of days?  I assume she must be with Cheryl although it's confusing.

I found the scene with Mick and Leah really funny.  I initially wondered if he was going to try and rape her but then I thought he doesn't have his mask but I liked the way she kept looking round at him and then when he approached her she got in her car and got out of there ASAP.  If only she knew....

[H&Alover]

Not watched the specials yet so trying to avoid any posting of what happened..  

I'm not the bit sorry for Mick, well I would be If I thought his remorse was genuine, but the deep rooted hang ups he had just couldn't be 'cured' in nine months.  Last time he saw Irene he wanted to kill her for abandoning him as a baby and blaming her for his rotten upbringing.  Her instincts about him saying the right things but knowing from the look in his eyes he's not meaning them were spot on, on an aside, despite being told he'd been banned from coming anywhere near the bay, after initially locking the doors, Irene had the back door open!   To be fair to them the police did have  a lot on their plate with the fire and manning road blocks, hunting Ranea.  Glad Brody believed Irene about Mick having been there as did the cops, but what did happen to one of the cops staying until Olivia got back from the hospital?  Seems Leah had the same 'bad' feeling about Mick when he started to follow her and she doesn't know who he is, I was half expecting him to spring on her and force himself in the car.  Surprised now they know he's about the cops haven't issued a photo of him. Of course, as yet, he has no idea he is a dad, all he knows that from their previous meeting when Leah banged into him is that she is a grandmother or so she thinks. 

Shame Riley's judgement of character isn't as good as Irene's, his appraisal of Ranea and yes I also think he was chatting her up, as it fitted her being a paediatrician as she looked a nice person and had a kind face was shall we say a little off the mark!!!  To be, slightly, fair to him he wouldn't know who was regular staff and who wasn't.  ND hospital's security has never been known for it's good record of security, Andy's' killing of  Jake being a case in point, also when Decker was in there first time round there was no one guarding him. Turner was hiding in plain sight  and I really don't mean this in  a negative way, anyone wearing an uniform/scrubs is not really looked at, people see the clothes not the person, so that is why she was able to move around so easily. I'm confused with the time line with Cody Lee, the Syndicate and Ranea's dad, was her dad an early sacrifice by Cody Lee?  She's been in the police for a long time. For someone who has been very smart so far it was a stupid move to leave Justin's car in the hospital's car park! What a come down for her arrested by two local plods! I hope this time it is prison though would be out of Yabbey Creek police hands.

No surprise really Nate would know Riley, they did meet at the conference Tori was supposed to have been at.  He is up himself rather thinking she had disappeared and not contacting him because of his cheating and going by the way he was with Ranea he hasn't changed not because of her parents being murdered and having to go into WP.  At least she did fill him in. She is still very off with Nate though her main concern is for Justin.  Nate of course doesn't know he was her ex and there is a lot of history between them, yet another love triangle in the offing methinks.

Odd how neither Irene, Leah, Olivia  or Mason knew anything about the fire the first Olivia and Mason knew about it was when they returned to Irene's and also found out about Justin. Wouldn't the helicopters flying about given them some sort of clue?  Brody didn't have a clue where Mason was so naturally he was angry. Can understand Mason's confusion about Olivia rushing off to see Hunter who was risking his life looking for her btw, after she's told him there is nothing between them and why didn't Mason answer his phone, not like they wouldn't have had a signal unlike VJ and Billie.

Talking of whom she did so well insisting  on having a natural birth and they couldn't force her to have the Caesar unless he'd passed out and then they would have had to.  Full name Lucinda, shortened to Luce Leah Patterson. Bemused Leah but pleased Ash whose disappearance I guess was explained in the specials.

No explanation of why Marilyn didn't go with the others and just seems to have wandered off into the bush, at least Alf turned up with all the right equipment to help John look for her, we certainly didn't see how badly she was injured just Alf's shocked look.

I think before Bianca and Heath went off they said Darcy was staying with Cheryl, I did notice they'd picked up Harley from Jess' mum.