Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

Regarding the Home and Away special - All or nothing:

 

Well I didn't think it was as good as Revenge but I still thought it was worth watching.  We had the same regular characters from the previous episode and there were certain parts I quite liked at the beginning - when Gunno realised that Bianca and Heath came to visit Kyle in prison, when Heath and Bianca realised that Gunno had been transferred there and when they realised he initiated the prison riot which forced them all on lock down.

 

I have to give credit where credit's due and despite the chaos and mayhem that ensued Gunno was pretty smart about it and relatively organised given he had such a small window of opportunity.

 

I've been very critical of Kyle in the past but he was definitely the hero for me.  He went out of his way to help the prison guard when virtually all of the other prisoners left him to die and undoubtedly saved his life.

 

I found it funny that Nate and Ash were back in the bay only to find out about the prison break then to get on Nate's bike then ride out of town again to go and help Heath and Bianca.

 

Not too much Irene and Darcy although Darcy was astute enough to figure out Irene was lying to her when she first saw the what was happening at the prison on the news.

 

Unlike the previous episode it wasn't plain sailing with Heath and Bianca.  When Ash was about to get them out of the jail Heath decided to go back in to rescue Kyle.  That I don't have an issue with but as was demonstrated it did seem like he was ready to throw in the towel with his wife.  Almost resigned to the fact that something should happen to him because he wasn't worthy of her.  It was quite ironic actually because when Heath was struggling to get Kyle out after Kyle got shot and Kyle was also on the verge of giving up because Isla stopped visiting him Heath encouraged him to keep going  If he hadn't gone back for Kyle then Kyle probably would have been dead but it was still reckless given that irrespective of whether he felt he deserved Bianca there is still Darcy and Harley to think of.

 

I actually don't understand how Heath got Kyle out of the Jail as the secret route in and out that Ash used required you to jump across part of the building and Heath wouldn't have been able to get Kyle to do that as he could barely walk.  I also don't understand how Gunno could have shot Kyle at such close range without killing him.  Not only that but according to Nate the bullet missed all his vital organs.

 

I thought it was fitting that the final showdown was between Ash and Gunno as he was the one who Gunno originally had an issue with.  And I thought it was interesting that Ash thought Gunno went after the Braxtons because he didn't have an the guts to face him.  Not that I agreed with that of course.  I just put it down to inconsistent writing.  So I assume it's all over although they didn't actually show Gunno's dead body but I suspect it would have been pretty gruesome given that the back of his head probably would have been rammed into one of the coat hangers.  I was surprised that the prison Guard was prepared to cover for Ash and claimed that he killed Gunno during the struggle instead but I assumed the was gratitude for Kyle.  I wasn't sure whether he met Ash before but seemed aware that he served time so just assumed he figured it out from the conversation with Gunno.  I wonder how this is going to affect Ash killing someone.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

I was glad Isla came to visit Kyle and I liked the fact they declared their love for one another.  I also liked the way he woke up in the Ambulance and saw her for the first time and couldn't believe it.  I do still find it hard to believe given that they were dating for less than a month they fell in love in the first place and the love is still there but I hope Isla will be in for the long haul even though I'm not particularly optimistic.  No mention of her kids but I would assume they are still with their dad.  I hope the prison guard sticks to his word and tries to get Kyle a more lenient sentence although it's a long shot.

 

So confirmed, Bianca actually is pregnant.  It will be interesting to see how this affects her and Heath's relationship.

[c120701]

As much as I hate the Marilyn burn story, because I care about her & hate to see her like that, it's nice to have a story that's so character driven - there's no one else this story would work so well with. Maz isn't by any means a superficial person, but she is someone who cares about her appearance, the way she looks is a big part of who she is, especially as a beautician, so the burns will have a huge impact on her.

[Red Ranger 1]

So, we get a full look at what's happened to Marilyn, more or less.It does seem like the burns to her face are reasonably superficial and it's the ones to the arm and the chest that are more serious.Really not sure how she could have got burned in such specific places without dying of either catching fire or smoke inhalation: I'm guessing she got hit by small bits of burning debris.Guess we just have to run with it. Slightly worrying moment when John was playing with the lighter and had the same expression as when he lit the fire, as if he was slipping back.I understand John's reason for trying to downplay the burns with Marilyn but he should have been honest.I would query his claim that he's never seen her helpless before: Not even when she was in a coma after being electrocuted?

And Heath and Bianca's storyline from last year has disappeared off into the ether of subscription/digital only episodes, reminding me of that issue of Transformers that ends with Goldbug about to be pulverised by Galvatron, then you get a caption saying "Continued in this year's annual" and next issue the storyline's disappeared and he's chasing car thieves with Blaster... Still, nice to see a bit of them touching base with Irene and, wrong as it may be, I really would love to see Mick turn up while Heath's there.Was that meant to be the downstairs bedroom that Bianca and Heath were in?It suddenly occurs to me that Olivia's been sleeping upstairs and we haven't seen that room since Chris left.I also find myself doing a headcount of how many people are living with Irene and going "...So is Darcy sharing with Irene and Harley sharing with Nate?!" (Incidentally, we haven't seen Ash since Tuesday, so I guess he could have only nipped back briefly before going to appear in the special, but Nate's been in every episode and Bianca and Heath returned still only about 24 hours after Ash left the first time round...oh, I give up.) But yes, the big news: Bianca's pregnant again. I loved Heath's reaction to Darcy threatening to live with Bianca, this is why I can't dislike him no matter what he does.I can understand Bianca having mixed feelings after what happened to Rocco, she and Heath nearly broke up because she couldn't handle being around Harley, but I'm pleased that she seemed to view it as happy news when they told Darcy.

I was dreading Phoebe singing but actually it worked quite well, someone finally seems to have come up with a song that suits Isabella's voice.I don't particularly care about her and Justin but I don't really mind them either.I can see Justin having difficulties rearranging things with Ava - Nina only agreed to the meeting because of assurances that things were safe now, Justin getting stabbed won't exactly convince her - but I hope things work out for him.

[Slade]

7 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

And Heath and Bianca's storyline from last year has disappeared off into the ether of subscription/digital only episodes, reminding me of that issue of Transformers that ends with Goldbug about to be pulverised by Galvatron, then you get a caption saying "Continued in this year's annual" and next issue the storyline's disappeared and he's chasing car thieves with Blaster...

They've re-released some of the classic 80s comics in a series of hardbacks which I'm probably going to buy (but keep forgetting).  Transformers was one of the few Marvel comics where the UK releases were better than the US.

 

7 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

(Incidentally, we haven't seen Ash since Tuesday, so I guess he could have only nipped back briefly before going to appear in the special, but Nate's been in every episode and Bianca and Heath returned still only about 24 hours after Ash left the first time round...oh, I give up.)

I struggle to keep track of timelines in general with soaps and certainly in the case of Home and Away am completely oblivious to when the episodes occur on weekends if at all.  I didn't realise Nate had been in every episode this week so far and if the specials were at the tail end of last week (And I think they happened over perhaps a 3-4 day period) that's quite surprising.  I'm not sure where Darcy has been over the last couple of episodes as she came and welcomed Heath and Bianca back and there was no mention of her going to stay with Cheryl so assume she's been with Irene all this time.  Where was she when Mick paid Irene a visit and when the police came there later on that day?  Presumably she is on school holidays.

I was actually laughing when Heath wanted to go and find Mick although interestingly Bianca raised the question if Irene thought Mick was genuine so I suspect it may be possible for her to change her mind as she does seemed to have acknowledged that  he is trying to fix things although I don't think it will be anytime soon.  If Ash finds out about Billie he can team up with Heath and they can both seek Mick out.

I suspect John will be absolutely distraught when he finds out it wasn't that he left Marilyn to get burned but he caused her to get burned.  I did feel sorry for her when she was being treated by Nate and crying out in pain.

I assume Phoebe has gotten over Justin not telling her she loves him back.  So are they going to try and make a go of it this time?  I liked Justin's reaction upon hearing he was in a hypoglycemic coma.

[H&Alover]

I agree with you c120701, Marilyn isn't a vain woman, but she does like to look good and as you said her being a beautician means her looks are a big part of her job.  It did look like her face (and hair) mainly escaped any major damage, maybe she covered her face with her arm which is why it took the brunt of the burns  along with her chest.  It worried me when we saw John fiddling with the lighter and he had a strange look on his face.  He should have been more honest with her, it would have been devastating but she could handle it, his worry is probably doubled because he knows it's down to him.  He can't blame himself for getting separated from her and making sure she was OK, she's an adult was could look after herself. She needs a little alone time to take in what's happened. Another thing about time lines -  Alf and Leah were bringing over fresh clothes for him and Marilyn weren't they - so how long was it taking them because just before Nate sent John home he was still wearing  the shirt and trousers from the night before.  I'm puzzled quite how Kat decides (in tonight's episode) it wasn't just arson by a local but attempted murder, it wasn't meant for anyone specific so who was/were  the intended victim(s)? You can bet your bottom Australian dollar once it gets out there will be a certain person in the frame and rent a mob will be back with pitchforks (I was going to say complete with flaming torches) but that would be in bad taste.

That was a bit weird with Ash coming back in response to VJ's call then disappearing again leaving Billie plugged into a ventilator.

I like the idea of Ash & Heath teaming up to sort out Mick!  A slightly twisted version of Batman & Robin.

Glad Brody took it upon himself to let Phoebe know about Justin, her initial 'don't want to know about him' changed immediately he told her he'd been stabbed!  Nice secen of her strokig n his head while he was asleep.  Loved how he was phoning her later, looked up and saw her, looking all soft and soppy, it was a nice song and actually I think it was more fitting she just sung it for him.  We have been here before with Justin and Phoebe but please let it be for real this time. Ah yes Justin  leaving that voice mail message for Nina about 'it wasn't his fault' he missed the meeting, him being stabbed and all.  Well maybe this time, now Ranae is in Super Max (I think that's want they said and not T-K Max) and once she and Ava are back from New Zealand they can arrange another meeting.

Darcy had been staying with Cheryl as mentioned by Heath & Bianca before they went away.  It's going to be pretty crowded at the Beach House with Irene, Heath, Bianca, Olivia, Darcy, Harley and Nate, though I suppose Harley would be in with Heath and Bianca.  I did notice a coupe of hints about what they had been up to while away for how ever long it was and the news that she is pregnant is lovely, I do love the interaction between Heath and Darcy, she is a true Braxton, won't take any s**t from him or anyone. Hope Bianca is as pleased about the pregnancy as she was making out.  She didn't only go through the trauma of losing Rocco she had post partum psychosis so that's got to be a worry that'd come back.

[Red Ranger 1]

On ‎17‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 8:28 AM, Slade said:

They've re-released some of the classic 80s comics in a series of hardbacks which I'm probably going to buy (but keep forgetting).  Transformers was one of the few Marvel comics where the UK releases were better than the US.

I've actually got all of them in various formats (original issues, old Collected Comics, Titan reprints) by now.They didn't repeat the trick with the annual after that first one, which didn't go down too well, but you do need to have read one of the annuals to understand Time Wars.

Alf's episode count this week:Five, for the second week running. Nate was also in all five, John, Justin and Brody were all in four (although for some reason Justin wasn't credited on Wednesday and Brody wasn't credited on Thursday).Raffy was only in one, although she was credited on Wednesday for no appearance.

Well, Emily Symons is doing a good job with Marilyn's trauma.I suspect this is just set-up, although it does seem a bit of a cheat to have the most serious burns in places that won't spoil her looks that much.It gives Alf something to get his teeth into as well.Kat pronouncing the case attempted murder (which we get to hear three times in various promos and it doesn't sound convincing in any of them) was ridiculously melodramatic.Leaving aside the fact that we know the arsonist led people to safety, as H&Alover says, who exactly were they intending to murder?The people at the festival?The fire was started far enough away from them that no-one noticed it until Kat rang to tell them to evacuate and it seemed to be largely coincidence that the wind blew the fire in that direction.At the risk of being a broken record, how is Hunter setting fire to a house with people in not attempted murder and this is? Hopefully that was just a lame attempt at a cliffhanger for the end of the week and it'll be forgotten henceforth.

Undecided about Mason and Olivia.Mason's right that Olivia was trying too hard, but Olivia did seem sincere and there was a genuine "Aww, you're adorable" look on her face when Mason was looking after Harley.I wouldn't say they've got great chemistry, although I've seen worse, but I do like her more with him than Hunter.(Loved her defensive "I am nice!")

Bianca's happiness about the pregnancy didn't last long.On the one hand, she did say to Heath a long time ago that she didn't want to go through another pregnancy and he accepted it.But there's a bit of difference between that and actually terminating a pregnancy.Bianca does seem to be coming up with excuses because she's afraid and I'm hoping she changes her mind.I'm not sure Heath could forgive her if she got rid of his child.Not sure Darcy could either.

[c120701]

On the attempted murder thing, a quick Google found this...

"Deaths Caused by Arson

Arson is an inherently dangerous act, as fires have the potential to cause injury or even death. Under a legal principle known as the "felony murder rule," many states' criminal laws say that an arsonist who starts a fire that causes a person's death can be found guilty of murder, even if the death was not intentional.

For example, assume that Meg sets fire to grassland in a national park, seeking to protest government land use policies. The fire spreads further than Meg anticipated and kills a homeless man who was sleeping several hundred yards away from where Meg started the fire. Though Meg was unaware of the man's presence and she certainly had no intention of killing him, she can be found guilty of murder because the man's death was the result of the inherently dangerous felony (arson) that she committed."

[Red Ranger 1]

Okay, that's murder but where does attempted murder come into it? If Meg's fire had burned the homeless man non-fatally, or if the homeless man had woken up as the fire approached him and ran off, could she be found guilty of attempted murder? And again, how is this different to what Hunter did, in which he also deliberately started a fire that (knowingly or otherwise) put the people nearby in danger and badly injured one of them?

[Slade]

On 17/03/2017 at 2:46 PM, H&Alover said:

Darcy had been staying with Cheryl as mentioned by Heath & Bianca before they went away.

You'll understand my confusion once you've watched the actual specials.

 

On 17/03/2017 at 11:57 PM, Red Ranger 1 said:

I've actually got all of them in various formats (original issues, old Collected Comics, Titan reprints) by now.They didn't repeat the trick with the annual after that first one, which didn't go down too well, but you do need to have read one of the annuals to understand Time Wars.

All 342 of them?  I've got a lot of old issues but nowhere near that number.  I went to numerous comic shops/conventions a few years ago but couldn't find them anywhere although you can get some of them off eBay (which I didn't realise before) so I might just do that.  I checked Wikipedia and it does seem as though the UK used some of the US storylines although not Target 2006 and Time Wars arguably two of the best series out of the whole collection.

I can see exactly why Darcy is so happy about the pregnancy.  She's been extremely worried about Bianca calling it a day with Heath to the point where every argument they had was Heath's fault and when she wasn't getting regular updates when they were away she assumed Heath was messing things up.  If Bianca is having a baby in a way it potentially could strengthen their marriage but more importantly for Darcy it gives her some sort of blood tie to Bianca so she can't just up and leave and find a new family if she's fed up.  So in a way Darcy has security now or so she thinks.  Have to say I'm disappointed Bianca wants an abortion.  Hope she doesn't go through with it.

I don't blame Mason for getting suspicious with Olivia.  She came across as quite fake when she seemed to be acting affectionate towards him, lying half naked and going out of her way to declare that he is her boyfriend.  I can understand why she did it but I still can't help thinking that Hunter has some hold over her, not that I'm complaining of course.

I suspected what happened with Gunno would affect Ash so I assume that's the main driver for wanting to get back with Kat.  I wonder if Heath and Nate know about it.

Quite excited at the prospect of next week, as judging by the preview I may have gotten my wish....

[H&Alover]

2 hours ago, Slade said:

You'll understand my confusion once you've watched the actual specials.

 

 

I've seen them now so yes I can see why you're confused, maybe Darcy was sharing with Olivia?  She may have just been out when Mick called round.

I liked both the specials. The trip all down to Brax and Ricky, well I'm guessing mainly Ricky. Beautiful scenery and the cabin was lovely, loved the bath out in the open.  They were in such a great place, able to talk about their problems away from everyone else. Was that car that followed them from the airport Gunno and how did he know where they would be?   I think he forced Barry to take him to where Bianca and Heath were, got her aboard, back to the heli station then took her off in a car, dumping Barry on the way, leaving that note on the door to throw people off.  Gunno slipped up badly by not doing as good a job as he thought on Barry, once he got to safety of course he would be able to give a very good description to the cops. I did like that lady cop, a real no nonsense approach, she doesn't know Heath like we do so it was no good either Ash or Nate protesting he'd never do anything  to Bianca.  Going off on a tandem a moment, Ash and Nate disappear for a couple of days to help Heath find Bianca, come back,  just in time for Billie to have the baby, then have to dash off again to rescue Heath and Bianca again! Am I right there?  Nate wouldn't be able to tell Ash anything he didn't already know.    Who would have thought Nate could be so gung ho, sneaking about, keeping a low profile, rushing Gunno the way he did, he caught him off guard initially, but once he'd recovered Nate stood no chance against Gunno, who you have to agree has made a remarkable recovery, no explanation how he got back from where he had fallen and who had helped him recover.  He certainly didn't see Kung Fu Bianca coming, shame that never it got out it would have done his street/prison no good at all if it had come out he'd been floored by a girlie!  That threat of his that it wasn't over shouldn't have just been shrugged off by any of them. Gunno is a bit unstable on just who he's decided he wants to punish, but settling back on Ash who ddi start it all, does take his attention off Heath

Soap coincidences happening again, Heath and Bianca decide to visit Kyle, just as he has been transferred to the Bone section of the prison where the grasses  are kept to keep him out of Gunno's way, then of course he sees him anyway!  Yes you have to admit Gunno was one smart cookie thinking  on his feet liked that, btw did we ever find out that the name of his mate was?  I know it's not terribly  important but it's one of those things that niggle me. Nice to see Kyle again and he seems to be just keeping his head down and getting on with it. He wasn't the only hero by saving that guard and hopefully will earn him a reduction in his sentence so was Ash, he really is one of the good guys.  He blames himself for any of the Braxton's getting flak because of what he did and an ingenious idea of breaking into a maximum security prison, though and I may be thick here wouldn't the prison haven't secured that route by now?  Anyway he gets Bianca and nearly Heath out then she persuades him to go back for Heath who had gone looking for Kyle and he does!  It was mind boggling enough to see Bianca doing that roof top to roof top jump but as you said Slade how did Heath manage to get Kyle over, I noticed we didn't get to see how that came about. I didn't realise Isla had been visiting Kyle and had stopped just recently, glad she turned up and Kyle saw her and was able to go in the ambulance with him.

So Gunno is a goner at last!  By the way he proved what a coward he is by running when Ash confronted him instead of facing him there and then.  I think we can safely take it he is gone for good this time, actually his death would have been the only way the whole thing can be finished he would never have forgotten what Ash did however long he'd been inside. Although a lot of the inmates were on his side, there must have be many who are relieved he's dead.  The guard was right, did he really want to do time for killing someone like him and it was an accident, Gunno rushed Ash, he pushed him away he backed onto the wall, which just happened to have a coat hook on it where he landed, could have so easily been the other way round. Besides as Ash has done time he'll be banged up again and there will be die hard Gunno fans who'd want to take revenge.

I did have one laugh out of it all, when that lady cop shouted through the megaphone to the rioters chucking their burning mattress over the fence "I understand you're angry", really, I'd say that was the understatement of the century!

Those were nice scenes between Darcy and Ash, him offering to give her surfing lessons, but as she said she had learnt from the best a River Boy. Irene may have thought she was doing the right thing but she was wrong to lie to Darcy, she's not only a Braxton but 15 not five.  It was hard for her but she coped with it once Irene was honest with her.

I'd forgotten Bianca had had pre-eclampsia along with the post partum psychosis and Rocco dying, no wonder she is so scared, but how would she explain an abortion to Darcy, going to be hard enough telling Heath.  Ash telling Kat he still loves her and wants to start again, obviously such a close shave it's made him look at his life again. What happened is going to affect him, he's not the type of guy who could just walk away from a thing like that and not be. Hope we get to hear how Kyle is doing.