Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[CaptainHulk]

4 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

To be as fair as possible, the show has been giving Ash and Tori as many scenes together as possible the last couple of weeks so it's not completely out of nowhere.At the moment, it's basically just on the level of Tori suddenly fancying Ash and struggling to ignore it.It happens.Nice that Leah picked up on it straightaway and didn't think it was a big deal.But as someone pointed out when Nate leaving was first mooted, Ash is pretty much the only male in Tori's age range that she's not related to...

I actually thought Alf was a bit too aggressive towards Brody for all the attempt to portray Brody as the one in the wrong.But it is in character for Alf: He might have mellowed over the years but he's still got a temper, can still having a simplistic view of things at times and is never going to be quick to forgive someone hurting someone he's fond of like Scarlett.Brody's following speech to Justin, about knowing on one level just how messed up his life is yet not being able to beat the addiction, was the most honest thing he's said in a while and hammers home the dangers of getting hooked.He continues to be a magnet for attractive blondes though.There is a danger of undercutting the anti-drug message by having it become a plot device for Brody to meet attractive women though (Lena, Scarlett, now Ziggy).It's verging on the level of "Don't get into strange cars or you'll meet the Autobots and have a cool adventure."

Ash is continuing to annoy me a bit, and despite his comments to Kat here he still hasn't apologised to VJ for treating him like a bad father.I think VJ would have handled things as well as Ash: He's shown his ability to keep a cool head in a crisis, saving Luc's life before she was even born by getting Billie out of the bush fire and into hospital when she was in labour.Yet Ash still doesn't want him to have Luc, which let's face it has always been his attitude, even when Billie was around.You'd think Irene's announcement would make him realise that VJ being Luc's father isn't that bad a thing after all, but the promo suggests the exact opposite.It makes you wonder what all his "You'll always be a big part of her life" pronouncements really mean. "But not that big a part" seems to be the unspoken addition.Nice episode for Olivia after she was rather annoying last time round, giving good advice to Irene and being a friend to VJ.

To be fair, The Autobots coming to SB would be the LEAST implausible thing at the minute. Meh, you could have The Ferals show up and nobody'd bat an eyelid (Cornelia "Morag" Frances actually did guest on that show).

And is Ash's hair beginning to annoy anyone else (moreso?)

Maybe Olivia's maturing and exhibiting some of Chloe's good nature? Feh. I wouldn't put the house on her staying like this.

Brody forgot The Number One rule of Summer Bay: Don't F*** with Alf Stewart. He is pretty much the sherrif round these parts!  "This Flamin' Town ain't big enough for the both of us, Now get on your bike or you'll be in more strife than a crippled grasshopper in field fulla crows!" (Hey, it was either that or tasteless dungeon jokes)

[H&Alover]

Well I do like H&A's script writers sense of humour as heard in Alf's comments to Justin about Brody - 'if he doesn't keep his nose clean he can stay out of this joint'  Or something like that. Brody certainly wouldn't have expected Alf to retaliate as he did, but he's an ex soldier after all and can look after himself.  Brody was bloody lucky not to get pulled in thanks to Alf not pressing charges, it wouldn't have just cost him his freedom, it would have lost him and the others Salt.  I think that speech he gave to Justin was heart felt, he wants to change and be as he was but accepts the drug has got too strong a hold.  While it was  a great idea fro him to go to NA, shame it didn't last long enough for him to get up and give his story, distracted as he was by Ziggy (yes where do they get these names?) is it too much to hope it's a nickname and duck out, lying to Justin all went well. Funny how they are all blonde too. Though having said that he wasn't too out of it to notice Tori's giddy mood when she came home, both he and Justin putting down to a new man.  Pembie I think you are forgetting Duncan and her replay with Riley.

She by her own admission later on was acting like a lovestruck teenager, getting all embarrassed when Kat came up to Ash and kissed him on the beach. Leah didn't take long to spot it, but then she got the hots for Brax so would know the signs, she saw past the bad boy image Brax had, I think he had been mentoring VJ and she helped him through his cage boxing phase. Brax was on his own at the time, unlike Ash who is with Kat, he doesn't see her in that way at all so as Leah said it's fine just to look (or should that be lust) as long as you don't touch.

Nice to see both VJ and Ash in a scene together albeit briefly and how do we know Ash hasn't apologised to VJ off screen, they must have talked when they were changing shifts, everyone was blaming everyone else and it wasn't anyone's fault. A tense time for all when she was taken off the ventilator, I'm guessing as Ash has custody of her is the reason why he was the only allowed in when she came off it. I suppose after the time her breathing has been done for her her brain had to retrain itself to breathe for itself same as with an adult who had been through the same thing, I guess, now she just needs to wake up.

Olivia was very kind with her words to VJ, but she was just repeating what had been said before but I guess it doesn't dispel the guilt that VJ felt about not spotting it right away, though even if Billie had been alive it wouldn't have made any difference.  They could have rushed Luc straight to a doctor or called in Nate but by the  time she been seen she would have stopped crying and nothing would have been found.  To make up for her blundering earlier she also gave Irene very good advice, she had to tell the others about Mick wanting access as hard as it was  for her. I'm not even sure how Aussie law works or how something like would be possible, he's in a secure hospital facility, supposedly, so how could he possibly be eligible  to ask in the first place.  I get he has a solicitor/lawyer, to ensure he is treated as he should be.  I'm going on the supposition he does have his lucid days and can behave normally and think rationally.  Ash's idea to apply to adopt Luc will also hit a snag, because as Mick is living and is Luc's birth father despite of how she was conceived he can refuse.   It's going to be one very complex legal case which shouldn't happen, but the law is the law as wrong as it seems to us.

[pembie]

Brody I don't like you anymore even if you do like Ziggy

Tori has a crush on Ash because of the time she's been spending with him What five minutes surfing

[Red Ranger 1]

19 hours ago, CaptainHulk said:

To be fair, The Autobots coming to SB would be the LEAST implausible thing at the minute. Meh, you could have The Ferals show up and nobody'd bat an eyelid (Cornelia "Morag" Frances actually did guest on that show).

Hey, Isabel "Tasha" Lucas played a Decepticon in Revenge of the Fallen! Still remember reading the cast list and trying to get my head around that one...

I was once more left yelling at the set at the show's desperation to push Ash into their "muscly man with baby" role and push VJ to the sidelines.A few weeks ago, Leah was rightly accusing Ash of scheming to take a baby away from her grieving father.Now, she teams up with him to do it again, for reasons that fail me beyond a half-hearted "You're doing it for the wrong reasons."What, because he loves her and wants to protect her?We're given a lot of nonsense about how Ash has stepped up and is devoted to Luc as though VJ somehow isn't.Where was Ash when VJ was by Billie's side every step of the way?Off playing Cowboys and Indians with Simmo or Gunno or whoever else, that's where.Are they really so desperate to make Ash seem like the best guardian for Luc that they have to give us Mick as an alternative?Because yes, he's a better option than a psychotic rapist, but that final scene shows just how fragile his set-up is.So, what, is he going to bring up Luc as a single parent with no family and leave Justin to run the garage on his own?

Well, the Astonis, as may have been noticed, have been moved straight in as main cast.It was getting a bit sparse, I suppose, with six main characters having left this year.It's a shame they couldn't have made them a bit more likable.And also not expect us to be surprised at Ben being Ziggy's dad when the credits and promo pretty much gave it away.(Ziggy.Named after either the Scouse lad from Grange Hill or the computer from Quantum Leap, I suppose.Whereas Coco seems to have been named after either a clown or a cartoon monkey.)The publicity has identified them as the first nuclear family introduced since the Sutherlands in 2000: I believe that those two and the new Nashes in 1998 are the only ones.It would perhaps be overstating the case to point out they're an exact fit for the new family in Neighbours: Larrikin dad, uptight mum and two grumpy teenage girls. But still.Ben covers up his daughter committing a fairly serious crime, destroys his other girl's phone just because and picks a row with VJ...just because.Maggie drags them all off to see a family member no-one seems to like and seems pretty draconian, especially towards Coco.And no-one seems quite sure if they like each other or not: The parents go from cracking jokes to full-on lecture mode, the girls switch from friendly sibling banter to pure venom and back.And Ziggy gets the obligatory bikini scene in really early.Hopefully they'll settle down.

Anything else? Oh yes, Brody's storylines continues to develop fairly well.He's trying but he still doesn't seem quite himself.It's hard to imagine him giggling like a teenager over Ziggy a few months ago.

[CaptainHulk]

I once misread Deception Bay as Decepticon Bay but that's another story...

Don't quite know what to think of the Astonis.

And yeah, I see the Nabes parallels;

They could probably pass for the Rebecchi family's Neighbours back in Burke lol.

Must confess, missed a good chunk of the ep, will rewatch later.

[Slade]

On 31/07/2017 at 11:33 PM, pembie said:

While I think Tori is quite dull I don't think she's fickle she's only been with Nate So Ash is like only the second guy so far

She really liked Nate then after a conversation with Kat (and finding out about her, Ricky and Sophie) without even properly discussing it with him came to the conclusion that he had commitment issues so decided that she didn't like him.  She then liked Duncan, dated him for a bit but decided that she liked Nate again.  Riley came along and she liked him and when that didn't work out i.e. she found out what he was really like wanted to be with Nate yet again.  And despite being in love with Nate, less than two weeks after he finished with her decides that she now likes Ash.  If that isn't fickle then I don't know what is.

I'm surprised Leah would be encouraging Tori's feelings towards Ash given that he's going out with Kat and her husband cheated on her.  Although Tori said it was a few weeks since she and Nate broke up - it hasn't even been two yet.  I wouldn't mind seeing something happen with Tori and Ash purely for the sake of the storyline.

Given that Brody was at a narcotics anonymous meeting and seemed in a bit of a state when he just left in the middle of the session to go to the toilet I was surprised the host didn't raise and eyebrow or question him.  Although at least the second time he went he seemed more serious (I think it was a different host but I got the impression that the sessions were only weekly even though he went back the next day).  I didn't like Alf's attitude towards him initially on Monday but felt he had a right to defend himself.  Perhaps it was a good thing Kat did intervene as it could have been embarrassing getting the stuffing knocked out of him by a 70 year old man.

It's reached the point where I'm so fed up with the storyline with Luc I just want her gone just so they can focus on something else.  I'm sick to my back teeth of VJ, Leah and to a lesser extent Ash (Had to laugh when Leah said "Getting worked up isn't helping").  I do think Mick wanting access to Luc could be an interesting twist.  Although the way I'm feeling I wouldn't mind seeing that just to wind VJ and Leah up.  The ideal scenario would be if a third party came along and adopted Luc so she could leave the bay for good.  Then Ash can go back to fixing cars and VJ can maybe try and actually enjoy his youth.

The new family for me seemed like a breath of fresh air in comparison to everything else i.e. the Morgans and Leah/VJ/Ash/Luc.  I quite liked the dynamic between them.  And three attractive females is also good.  My first thought when I saw Ziggy in the scene with Brody on Monday is that she looks a bit like Ricky.  Although she is going to be a real handful.  I'm not sure what to make of Coco.  I didn't like hearing that she bullied someone even though she said it was in retaliation.  I really liked the scene where her dad destroyed her phone and the various reactions to that.  I wonder if the parents where former hippies hence the unusual names for their kids.  Hopefully collectively they'll function a lot better than the Morgans.  I'm interesting in seeing the 'grandmother'.

[630si]

I'm also very much on the fence with the new family. I don't think I'm warming to the names and it's all just a little.... what's the word..... put it this way I think the way they were introduced was just a little odd. 

Think they should've stuck to the old faithful "He's got a deep dark secret and she's running from someone" etc etc...

i agree with the pace of Brody and his battle in loving how it's developing on. Good on him from trying NA and I can sympathise with him wanting a bit of normality. His explanation of that to Justin was very heartfelt as has been mentioned and you could see the realisation on Justin's face straight away that he actually didn't know what it was like. P.s. I hate Justin's controlling grip on the whole thing it drives me insane.

With the whole Irene thing, I was a little WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING VISITING MICK DARL?" But then when I thought about it it's a good job she did because it would've been a hell of a womp when the solicitor rocked up one day in announced. (Im also struggling to see how he'd ever be granted access anyway so don't know why they are all panicking so much) but I'm glad Irene told the others, I don't think I could handle that rift opening up again

[CaptainHulk]

6 hours ago, 630si said:

Think they should've stuck to the old faithful "He's got a deep dark secret and she's running from someone" etc etc...

Trouble is that's been done some many times on Home and Away it loses its sting.

[Red Ranger 1]

I think the new family have potential.Having them come to the bay for a swim and never leave is a bit, well, soap opera, but other than that they're relatively normal.I warmed towards Maggie a bit here, she seems to have more of a sense of humour.Ben, despite being portrayed as a good old salt of the earth type who's quickly on good terms with Alf, is a bit too blinkered in his desire to cover up Ziggy's wrongdoing, trying to fob Kat off with platitudes.Ziggy is the hardest to like, thinking she can cruise through life doing whatever she wants and getting whatever she wants, with the odd bit of vulnerability (I want to think her apology was genuine) not really enough to endear her.Coco is the one hardest to get a read on: I think they're trying to portray her as a rather introverted person who spends all her time chatting to people online but has a hard time relating to them in person.Which I can kind of empathise with, but I don't really get why she was the one most keen to leave Summer Bay (unless she was looking forward to wrapping her grandmother round her finger!).Oh well, nice to see Mr Bojangles again, after Alf mentioning him to Scarlett last week!

Forgot to mention, I was glad to see Luc's name is back to Patterson on the hospital board...like it should be.I am really starting to dislike Ash again.He is not Luc's father, and he seems to be using Mick as an excuse to cut VJ out for good, aided by a sudden 180 from Leah on the grounds that "We need a united front." Ash being the lesser of two evils (or is it three with Irene?) does not equal "This is the right thing" and it's hard not to feel like he's made Mick's job easier by ripping Luc away from the family she was born into and trying to make out that VJ (and by extent Billie) isn't her parent.Which falls down flat when the pretend mother he has lined up won't play ball.I really didn't like the way both Ash and Kat hid her doubts about the adoption from Leah...except then she finds out off screen from Tori and doesn't react at all!

Meanwhile, no instant fix for John, or is there? Wasn't expecting to see Bede again but he may have just what John needs...

[c120701]

I'm not sure I quite believe Ziggy as the daughter of Ben & Maggie, there was one scene in her second episode where she was dressed younger, but otherwise she looks more like she could be Maggie's mother.