Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[630si]

Well blinkin Eck Johns at it again! His memory lacking again and slipping into these trances / blackouts are sure to catch up with him soon. I'm very happy for Marilyn having her dressing removed and getting out of the house. I just hope she's safe with John!!! Anything could happen there at the moment. 

I agree Red, Hunter should be applauded for taking the high road and being an adult about the whole thing. And Mason not flying off the handle help the situation remain at a simmer and not boil over. Irene needs to hurry back and talk some sense into Olivia.

im not sure what to say about Tori and Riley's date other than I was just waiting the whole time for Nate to go past in his canoe and double take them! Hahaa.

[atrus]

I've caught up and I'm not happy. I just can't believe the writers have gone and dispatched Billie with a ridiculous terminal-cancer-from-nowhere diagnosis, after everything they've flung at her over her time on the show. There's a horrible feeling remaining that this is somehow karma for how she behaved when she first arrived, because why else would you punish a character continually with rape, baby kidnappings, all manner of life-threatening catastrophes and now sudden death from cancer at 24? I'm trying to separate my feelings about the fantastic acting from Tessa and Matt over the last couple of weeks, culminating in that heart-wrenching Blake-and-Meg moment on the beach, from the fact that I think this exit storyline for Billie has been incredibly trite and emotionally manipulative, and done their characters an absolute disservice. To say nothing of it affording Ash yet another opportunity to run around town shrieking and punching anything that moves. From the first symptoms of Billie's 'cold' I was just raging at the TV screen because I knew exactly where it would be going. I feel so strongly about it that I'm starting to think it's time for another break from this show.

Everything else really paled in comparison, with the infinitely tedious love triangle between Nate, Tori and Dr O'Smarmy - I mean, even I would choose Nate over him in a heartbeat - taking up far more screen time than it should. The Olivia/Hunter/Mason one is becoming equally tedious, and although I like Mason a lot, it's obvious where Olivia's feelings lie so I feel she should just put him out of his misery. And the Zac/Leah stuff seems to be leading inexorably towards him doing the dirty, with as much pseudo-justification as the writers can manage to rake up for him in the meantime. Which leads me to believe he's probably on the way out, like all Leah's husbands. As for John, either he's become incredibly manipulative, or he simply doesn't remember his fire-starting at all. I'm guessing the latter. Not that it matters really, because either way none of it is remotely believable.

Matt and Evie were the only real light among all the angst - they're pretty much the only characters at the moment who feel like they're consistently written as human beings rather than plot-puppets - and I'm ashamed to say that I laughed out loud at the rather dark joke about Maddy's amputation. But it seems a departure for them is already in motion courtesy of their holiday in Greece whose duration lengthens curiously with each mention, and now Evie's job offer on top of it. Sad to say that Matt is really one of the few characters I particularly care about on the show now, and if he's leaving it might just be the last nail in the coffin in my viewership for the time being. But at least my disappointment if he is going will be tempered by the fact that it's looking like it might be a happy ending for him. And gosh does Evie deserve a break too. (Though given her run of luck so far, I'm fully expecting some villainous type to rock up, hit her with a safe and bury her in the woods before she has a chance to escape the Bay of Dismay.)

[Slade]

On 06/04/2017 at 9:37 PM, 630si said:

Justin was very selfless today. Let's not forget it's only a fortnight or so since he and out of whiteness protection, got stabbed last week as a result and has missed out on his daughter. With Nina being stubborn he still tries to put Pheobe first. Pheobe being Pheobe got it out of him though and I'm almost certain she will be spearheading a reunion in the coming episodes. 

I think this comes back to Phoebe being high maintenance.  Doesn't matter what happens it's all about her.  You only have to look at the amount of effort Justin went to on Thursday (paying Raffy and Ellie to clean the house and getting Brody to cook for her) to see.  For me personally it feels like there's constant pressure to please her and even the way she reacted when Justin didn't tell her about Nina's texts almost like walking on eggshells.

 

On 07/04/2017 at 7:28 PM, Red Ranger 1 said:

I'd like to applaud Hunter's decision that they should stay away from each other but I doubt it'll last

 

Because of Tori's indecisiveness regarding Nate and Riley I now find her quite annoying.  She seemed to be making a hell of a lot of effort just for a casual date.  I wouldn't be surprised if Riley gets her in the sack relatively quickly although she might change her mind again.  Part of me is hoping that they go out just so he cheats on her.

At times I find Phoebe absolutely insufferable.  I know Tori didn't mind and actually quite enjoyed spending time with her back at the farm house but she annoyed me when Tori and Raffy were talking about Riley and Phoebe eavesdropped, sat down invited herself into the conversation and started offering her 'expert' advice.  She then had the audacity to claim that who Tori went out with was none of Justin's business.  Like it's any of hers.  There was also the way she decided to contact Nina without asking Justin first which will no doubt backfire.

I think Olivia is being slightly out of line.  She obviously still has feelings for Hunter and failed to disclose to Mason that he was one of the people working with her at the Diner.  I thought Mason was very reasonable in that episode.  Can't help thinking there will be an 'I told you so' from Justin at some point.

[H&Alover]

I think like Zac not mentioning seeing Sam Olivia was damned if she did or damned if she didn't not mentioning Hunter was one of the gang helping her at The Diner.  Until the end when she made the move on Hunter it was just friends helping out.  To give him due Mason didn't lose his cool and Hunter kept his temper and  just told him to ask Olivia what was going on. He does to appear to have moved on, it's Olivia who can't make up her mind. If it had been a mutual break up they could be friends, but she dumped him so he's now made the decision to stay away from her as much as he can. Irene's tried talking sense to Olivia before but hasn't made any difference due to her keep changing her mind as to what Olivia should do. Still no news on her btw, what is she up to in Aukland that no-one can get hold of her?

No surprise Justin wasn't involved in Tori's 'date' with Riley, they were all trying to keep it from him, he's not Riley's biggest fan. A picnic on the beach did seem a lot more romantic than a drink at Salt, especially with Brody going OTT on the menu!  He's a clever one is Riley, reminding Tori of the good times they had, but like you atrus I'd chose Nate any day!

Justin was trying to help Phoebe because she was upset about Billie's death, mind you don't Kat or Evie do any housework, food shopping?  The way I saw it Phoebe wanted to know what had upset Justin, not be shielded from it.  Though you could be right Slade that her interfering, with the best of intentions, will backfire.  

I was thinking all the way through Friday's episode John would forget about delivering Marilyn's letter to VJ what with her asking him several times not to.  But as it turned out he forgot Marilyn was having her rehab and needed picking  up, he was rubbing his head when he was talking to Alf.   He's certainly not manipulative, he genuinely has forgotten he set the fires,  something happened though that set him splashing the petrol about at the bait shop, but gets disturbed by Alf.  We never did hear the result of Kat checking the number of canisters at the Surf Club and if they come up short. I posted a few weeks back that John would get caught either because (a) he leaves a clue, (b) he gets caught in the act or (c) he confesses, well if I read it right it's (a). Also from the trailer spider lady gets her wish.

 

[Angelica]

I think it seems that John is genuinely forgetting that he is creating these fires. However while I can buy his condition might change his personality, make him moodier and more likely to do things out of character, I am not sure I can buy that it would cause him to turn into a pyromaniac or that he wouldn't  get some flashbacks of what he has done. I imagine that if the town can forgive Hunter for burning Leah;s house down, they can forgive John if they believe there was a medical condition that may have prompted him to do so. However, will his marriage with Marilyn survive?

I am disappointed that Tori, who seemed such a promising character at the beginning, is following the trend of all the other female characters in the show who exist only to have men fight over them. Wasn't she only a few episodes ago, accusing Nathan of projecting his Ricky insecurities on their relationship, only for Tori to prove him wrong. I still don't understand why, in the 8 years they have been apart, Riley hasn't managed to move on to the point that he is so persistent now. It is really hard to care about a relationship where most of the lead up happened off screen 8 years ago.I am not really feeling any connection now. 

Talking of dull love triangles, Olivia just needs to stops sending mixed messages. She clearly still wants Hunter so she needs to just end things with Mason (not necessarily to get back to Hunter - but so that she can have some time ON HER OWN to figure out what she wants). Olivia can partly be excused for her ridiculousness as she is a teenager, However, Tori should know better - especially given how scathing she has been of Brody and Mason for diving quickly into relationships. 

[H&Alover]

The brain is a funny and complex machine Angelica, who knows how it behaves when a wire in it shorts.  He did get  a tad moody with people accusing them of forgetting things when it was him.  Out of all the townies, Alf is the only one to really understand as he had his own brain tumour so he'd know that John had no control over what he did, where others may not be ready to believe it and reckon he was trying to get out of what has happened. Be interesting to see how Maz does deal with it, she is normally a forgiving person but it's not just hurt her physically but also psychologically. Leah, VJ, Ash may have a harder time accepting it was because John was ill.

I think the reason Riley wants Tori back is because she finished with him then (though  not under her control) disappeared, he's not used to being dumped, he is usually the dumper. I don't reckon he's been acting like a monk in the last eight years and has had plenty of relationships, it's just this one with Tori is unfinished business in his eyes,  I still don't trust him.

Trouble with Liv is she keeps saying she wants to be on her own, a decision she keeps for all of five seconds and then drifts back to Mason or Hunter.  I mentioned the 'excuse' she is a teenager as opposed to Tori who is an adult so ought to know better.

[Red Ranger 1]

In many ways a pivotal episode, in many ways treading water since we're basically waiting for the characters to catch up on things we already know, while we see yet more instances of John acting out of character as if we hadn't quite got the message yet.The show seems to be struggling to include Raffy, which will probably get worse if Ellie leaves: Here she appears just to be a bit sassy with Justin and get shouted at by John, because she's a regular and she's got to appear somewhere.I hope someone finds a solution to that soon since she's potentially a great character, but even with VJ and Hunter stuck in school she's kind of in an age group on her own and the Morgan family is a bit crowded already.Anyway, Kat finally begins to piece everything together so looks like it's coming to a head soon.

I kind of hoped Phoebe would soft pedal it a bit with Nina.Actually, the bit of the message that we saw didn't seem that bad, everyone was talking as if it was inflammatory.Even if he hasn't got a chance of winning custody or access, it feels like Justin pursuing legal options could at least make Nina sit in a room with him and talk.Of course, it seems she's going to do that anyway.I continue to be undecided about him keeping the stabbing secret, it really sounds like he hasn't got much to lose.

[H&Alover]

We didn't actually see much of the message Phoebe sent to Nina, it was just Kat's reaction to it that made it seem possibly  worse than it was. We know it started off 'you don't know me, but I know Jack' and I think it probably went to explain how much Jack/Justin missed Ava. I hope she didn't berate her for her keep away attitude.  I really thought Justin had told Nina why he couldn't meet up with her and Ava, even just saying he was in hospital would have got him out of her bad books. I'm glad Phoeb's owned up to Justin, she did do it with the best of intentions and he took it very well.  Good move taking legal advice so he knows whether it worth taking it to court. Someone, I think, Phoebe, said he ought to let Ava know somehow, he hadn't/hasn't forgotten all about her and hope she would want to get in touch when she is old enough to make that decision for herself. It would be a big thing for a nine year old to be suddenly re-introduced to the dad she last saw when she was two, hard enough for an adult to get their head around but for a child?  It couldn't hurt, could it, for him to be allowed to write to her and Nina let her have the letters when she feels she's old enough.  At least Nina has agreed to come down to the bay and meet him, Phoebe taking the proverbial step back. The question Nina put to Justin was valid, could he hand on heart swear there wouldn't be any more threats from 'them'.

So after John acting OK for the past couple of weeks or so he has reverted to rubbing his head and having mood swings.  Maybe Raffy was wrong in forgetting her litter, but John did overreact, but he had had a busy night and a close call, nearly getting caught trying to set the bait shop alight.  As Alf pointed out not only would the bait shop have gone up so would The Diner and the flat, not to mention Matt may have been in it so potentially there would have been another victim.  It certainly got Marilyn concerned as she mentioned it to Alf later.  It's as if Kat checking the petrol containers  at the Surf Club the other week never happened because she did the same thing last night and asked the same questions.  John, of course, wore heavy duty gloves when handling the containers but he had to take one off to strike the lighter or try to.  Did I get it wrong or were there two containers, one Alf saw and another one further down the beach? Decent of Murray showing Kat the results of the finger print found on the lighter seeing as she knows who it belongs to. 

Now of course things have taken another turn with John collapsing and being rushed into hospital so any questions Kat needs to ask will have to wait.

Ash is back and clashing with VJ again this time on how Billie is to be buried.  He and Billie may well have discussed them being buried next to Luke but she had the right to chance her mind, sadly only VJ was there to hear her final wish that her ashes be scattered in the sea. Maybe they can come to some sort of compromise.

 

[Slade]

Thought the scene where John had a go at Raffy was quite funny.  She greets him good morning, he demands that she pick the bottle she accidentally left, she fully complies then he has a right go at her.  I did partly agree with the part about some millennials but that doesn't apply to her. I suspect there's going to be no backlash for the fires because he's ill and so not in the right state of mind.  Will be interesting to see what McCarthy makes of this given how badly he wanted to nail someone.

Was disappointed Justin was so good about Phoebe contacting Nina behind his back.  Wish he had a right go at her.

[630si]

I do feel a bit sorry for John with his tumour and I can only imagine what small town mindedness will do to him in the coming weeks when it gets out he's the arsonist. Imagine if Colleen was still around she'd be all over this. Marilyn's hearts going to break. 

Ash is bs k and it seems Nates brief one on one has resonated with him. I really want him and VJ to get on for Lucs sake. Speaking of VJ I can already see him buckling, and how fantastic is Matt Little at the moment??!! I hope Billie's service can be a peaceful one.

Ninas warning to Justin I don't will last and I think she'll put him through his paces but there will be a happy ending eventually, especially as now we have learnt that Ava had been told the truth. I do wonder how her husband feels about the whole thing though. That has to be hard.