Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[H&Alover]

Difference between Wally & Hunter and VJ & Luc is VJ was there before and after she was born and therefore able to connect and she is a water babe like him, whereas Wally has only just found out about Hunter after 18 years.  It's not written in stone that a father/son or mother/daughter for that matter have to have shared interests but Wally and Hunter didn't have anything in common.  As much as a surprise/shock it must have been for Wally to hear Hunter didn't like him in the end it turned out to be for the best, he was struggling just as much as Hunter to try and find something they both liked. They both came to the most logical conclusion they could by deciding to call it a day, I did smile when Wally said to Hunter at last it was something they both agreed on. If in the future they want to get back in contact it'll be because they want too not because they feel they should because of shared genes. Maybe Wally, aside from the problem with Claire, he wasn't cut out to be a dad, unlike Zac and I did like Hunter saying to Olivia he had a 'dad' Zac.  I'm not sure why Leah felt she had to stick her nose in, yes she was concerned how Hunter would take it, but he made a grown up and mature decision and she should have respected that and not had a go at Wally.

While we are talking of people sticking their noses in Roo and John are doing the same thing with Raffy, yes brilliant if she is talented which would explain her being bored in class, but arbitrarily deciding to test her out and pushing her up a year against her will is wrong.  Roo is meant to be her tutor no problem with that but she is overstepping the mark by bringing in last years test papers. I think Marilyn had the right idea Maggie should be involved.  Glad I'm not the only one wondering why Tori, Justin and Brody aren't being consulted they are her family and would want what is the best for her, hopefully taking her wishes into account and not doing what John and Roo are doing overriding her. There has to be an alternative that will suit everyone. The reason why Raffy moved to Marilyn and John's has passed, Brody is in recovery, Zannis is in prison so that threat has gone, though it can get pretty hectic at the Morgan house.

The way I see it Beth is  a long term patient seeing as she was very au faux with fixing herself up to the oxygen machine.  She certainly has some sort of lung condition though it would be sad if her illness is terminal seeing as Mason is or will be falling for her big time, besides could we take another young death? Be interesting to see how he reacts when he finds out the truth, will he think she's been mocking (or to use the modern phrase) pranking him or realise what I think is the reason, that he can get well with patience whereas for her it's not so easy. I did giggle when Olivia went to great pains to tell Beth she and Mason were friends, just friends nothing else.  Btw I think the reason he had his hissy fit the other day is because he knows it was his fault that has set him back.  Another thing did Olivia get Mason in his chair by herself or did she get help?

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week:Four. Irene was in one.

Well, it was good to see Justin finally involved with Raffy's business and taking the leading role, and I'm glad that he asked "Why didn't you tell us about this?" I have some sympathy for Roo: She overstepped the mark but she simply got carried away in her enthusiasm and thought she was helping, and I'm not sure she deserved to have Maggie slap her down quite so much.Anyway, a few words from Scarlett have Raffy thinking it might not be so bad after all.And given that Coco doesn't really know anyone in that year, it could do them both some good.

I'm still not keen on the idea of VJ and Coco as a couple but I do like them as friends and, as Maggie said, he managed to put a smile on her face when she was feeling very down, even if it's unlikely to be a complete cure.I'm glad he seems to have thought better of his decision not to hang out with her anymore since they sparked well off each other.

[Slade]

I'm surprised Maggie was OK with VJ giving Coco surfing lessons.  Not sure Ben would have allowed it.  Also she didn't question when Coco told her VJ came round just to tell her Raffy moved up in class.  Again Ben definitely would have said something.  VJ could have called or texted her.  Putting the bulimia aside I did really like the scenes with VJ and Coco.  At times she seemed happy around him.  And I liked the concern he showed for her in that episode and that he actually did care enough about her to check up on her later on.  I also loved the way her face lit up when she thought she looked fat but VJ told her she looked great and it raised her mood afterwards.

Whilst I agreed with Maggie pointing out to Roo she made a bad call with Raffy and the subsequent reprimanding, she annoyed me when she told her to rethink her career as a teacher.  She was actually more bothered at the fact that Roo didn't clear it with her first than she was about how it affected Raffy.  I don't particularly like the way Roo went about this but I thought she was genuinely trying to help the girl.  And Maggie even acknowledged moving up a year was a good idea to Raffy later on in that episode.  So I guess this comes down to her egotism.  Like Ben she has to be the one in control of any situation.  Surely this whole Raffy is academically gifted thing isn't a plot device just to get her and Coco in the same class.

Another awkward scene at the beginning with Justin finishing surfing and Scarlett showing up although no Ben this time.  If it hadn't been for the fact that Ben had taken Ziggy to the city, I would have said the stuff with Brody and Zannis means Justin's lost his surfing buddy.  I think Scarlett should exercise caution with regards to starting anything with Justin.  His attitude towards her when they've been getting closer indicates that he's not that serious.

[H&Alover]

Roo did keep  pressing the point she overstepped the mark and she isn't a qualified teacher.  I'm not sure if she feels Raffy is her protogee as she has been tutoring her and would like to take some of the credit for spotting her talent.  Maybe Maggie feels Roo could get too involved with a pupil to the detriment of the others.  Most of the episode revolved round everyone looking for Raffy and yes at last Justin, at least, gets filled in on what has been going on. Justin may not be academically gifted, but Tori and Mason are doctors and Brody has his cooking skills so obviously brains run in the family, we already know she's smarter in other ways.  I think the reason why John, Marilyn and Roo didn't tell Justin about Raffy is they have enough on their plate at the moment with Mason.

Scarlett does seem to be the person people can turn to and talk to without being judged and told what to do. She listened to Raffy and just told her her experiences.  It will be a big step and be scary but Raffy has been through a lot in the past few years so should be able to handle it.  There is always the choice of dropping back if she does find it too much and she'll have Coco as a study buddy. Of course as yet we don't know if it is all subjects she's gifted in.  Justin was thankful and his and Scarlett's lingering looks indicated they would be meeting up later. I can understand Justin wanting to be careful for it not to be a rebound relationship he thinks too much of Scarlett to do that to her so I'm glad that had that conversation in Salt that although he wasn't totally sure of his feelings he would like to take it to the next stage. As long as she is aware I think Scarlett is old enough to take the risk, he's not declaring undying love or proposing marriage.

Some nice, though tad awkward with Jenny hanging about, scenes between VJ and Coco, He was impressed with her surfing.  He doesn't know she is sensitive about her eating or feels she's fat, which she certainly isn't, she's got a good little figure, but she's 16 and at that age you are touchy about any light hearted comment. Wondered where Ben & Ziggy were. I did like he called around in person to apologise though of course she didn't tell Maggie that was the reason as she would have wanted to know what he was apologising for.  As it was in the trailer so not a spoiler Mason discovers Beth is a patient and awaiting a transplant.

[Red Ranger 1]

So, Ben continues to rub everyone up the wrong way, including me, and occasionally act like a thug.Seriously, I don't remember Rhys Sutherland ever being this bad.Certainly not at the start.I was very disappointed that Alf, in his usual one scene cameo, stopped Justin having a go at him because it really was needed.Instead, it turned into another excuse for Ben to threaten everyone, while continuing to make absurd references to "your boy" as if Brody is Justin's 10-year-old son rather than his 25-year-old brother.That said, Brody should have backed off from Ziggy when she was distressed, especially when she'd already made it clear that she wanted him to stay away...not that that resolve lasted long.It's hard to be that bothered about the kiss, since they seem to randomly kiss quite a lot to the point of it seeming like a friends with benefits arrangement more than anything else.It does feel like her trying to distract herself more than anything else, which isn't really the right way to handle it.

I did like a lot of the character interaction though.Justin was brilliantly goofy in his interaction with Scarlett ("Two slip ups?") and I liked the way Brody was teasing Tori with his comments about her playing with her hair. I was less keen on the way Justin forced Ash and Tori together.For a start, why would he do that?Is he secretly shipping them?It was clearly not what Tori wanted so he doesn't even have the excuse of being an over-protective brother like he did the last time he interfered.I wasn't keen on Irene trying to get Ash and Luc to move in with her either, which bordered on creepy grounds that I was hoping we'd left in the past: Is she still determined to get Luc living with her one way or another?

[Slade]

Well I didn't hate Ben any less after watching that episode.  I didn't particularly like the way he demanded the overdue rent from Ash or how abrupt he was with Leah although that pales in comparison to how he has been before.  And also I gave him a bit of leeway with that because of what happened to Ziggy.  But I didn't like the way he shoved Brody when he tried to talk to her.  Although I did think Brody should have maybe kept his distance when he saw Ziggy.  I can't quite figure out if Ben is just constantly annoyed because of what happened to his daughter or if he is out of shape because of Nick's attempts to scupper his plans for the peer.  You can tell by his controlling nature he's obviously a person who is used to getting his own way.  I was actually very surprised he didn't have a go at Tori when she went to check up on Ziggy and she told Ben it was Brody's idea.  I was actually cheering when he blanked Justin and Justin then went to confront him towards the end of that episode.  My main regret was that they didn't get into a fight.  I wouldn't have minded seeing that.

The bright side to Ben pushing Brody was that it meant we got to see scenes with him and Scarlett.  I always like it when these two interact.  Such natural chemistry.  Brody actually made me laugh twice in that episode with his facial expressions.  Firstly when Tori was playing with her hair when she bumped into him and Ash on the beach and when he started teasing her about it as already mentioned above.  Then when Scarlett was moaning about Justin and he realised she was quite into him.  I actually liked Brody's conversation with Ash at the beginning, simply because it was good to see him have normal interaction with someone that wasn't blaming him for being a drug addict.  So after having panic attacks, feeling afraid to leave the house and being recommended for professional help, Ziggy's desire for Brody has helped her to overcome that.  I'm not sure about him meeting up with her especially now that they've kissed although I understand why he would want to see her.  Ben is going to hit the roof when he finds out.

I do think Scarlett's initial instinct of not wanting to get involved in anything with Justin is correct.  I'm not sure he's over Phoebe and despite what Brody said I'm not convinced that he just doesn't see her as a bit of booty call at the moment.  Maybe I'm being harsh.

Is Ash purposely ignoring the fact that Tori doesn't like him because he wants her to say she does just so he can feel better about himself or is he genuinely oblivious?  I raised an eyebrow when he said she had nothing to do with him and Kat splitting up (Was that a blatant lie or is he oblivious again?).  Although he and Kat had issues due to Luc they also had problems when both of them confided in Tori and Kat found out about it and the fact Tori liked Ash.  Irene's suggestion of Ash moving in was a good one.  It doesn't have to be permanent and perhaps Ash should put his personal pride to one side for the sake of Luc.  It would be worth it if only he gets to tell Ben to stick his apartment where the sun doesn't shine.

[Gerard]

2 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

I was very disappointed that Alf, in his usual one scene cameo, stopped Justin having a go at him because it really was needed.

It's funny that as soon as I saw Alf randomly appear in the Diner, I thought to myself "He's only there because he's about to break up a fight". You'd think Alf would be in it more often as there is a fight nearly every day

[H&Alover]

Oh Tori your twiddling with your  hair was such a dead give away you still have the hots  for Ash despite your denials to the contrary and I loved the way Brody teased her about it. I didn't like the way Tori was press ganged by Justin and Irene into helping Ash either she was very uncomfortable about it and he wasn't so keen either.  Justin isn't as savvy as Brody in that respect.  It maybe not have been a good idea for them to retire to the flat but anywhere would have been better than sorting out his financial problems in a public place.  I happen to think Ash is oblivious to the fact Tori is still into him, he may be a tough, ex crim guy but when it comes to women he's quite naïve.  I don't think he would have, jokingly(?) invited her to move in to help with the rent otherwise. He and Kat were on rocky ground because of her quick move in then Luc being ill  and Kat not being maternal not helping. Tori having her 'crush' on Ash didn't help matters either.  What was really awkward was both of them independently confiding in Tori and then Kat finding out and jumping, wrongly, to the conclusion Tori had told Ash things about the two of them. It must be tough finding the money for the rent whatever it is on his own, the garage can't bring that much money in especially when you're waiting for customers  to pay their bills.   Does Irene's invite for him to stay at the beach house mean Brody has moved back home?

Apart from his getting shoved by Ben Brody had a good day, teasing Tori about her hair twiddling, then giving relationship advice to Scarlett about Justin telling her he'd kept Phoebe at arms length for ages before finally getting together and for him (Justin) to be so keen on her was a good sign. I loved his smiles, haven't seen much of those for a long while. So I'm glad she gave him another chance and they've arranged a date!!!!  It doesn't have to be anything heavy, no-ones declared undying love, they can just take it steady and see where it goes.

Ziggy may have acted the street wise kid but it soon became apparent she hadn't been handling the attack at all well.  Once again Scarlett happened to be in the right place at the right time, only understandable Ziggy would be having flashbacks, being kidnapped by a drugs dealer isn't something you expect to happen in a small coastal town.  I'm glad she bit the bullet and owned up to Ben how she was really feeling then trying to act all tough and bluff it out.  I know Ben has reacted badly, maybe overreacted, towards Brody,  but he's trying to protect his daughter and who's to say Justin wouldn't have behaved the same way if it had been Raffy who was in danger, in fact knowing the short fuse Justin has, he would have behaved in  the same way.  People kept saying it was Brody's  fault and to be brutally honest to some extent it was, if he hadn't fallen prey to drugs he wouldn't have got involved with Zannis etc etc. He does know the benefit of counselling so a good idea of his to ask Tori to go and see her, although she was averse initially she did agree and I did like the way Tori told Ben it was Brody's idea! It did then seem odd she decided to go off in Ben's car and meet up with Brody and seemingly get a different sort of therapy.  He did tell her though therapy does help so she should still pursue it.

Ben is obviously still under the impression Leah and Alf had something to do with the heritage listing objection when I don't think they knew anything about it. Nasty Nick has his own agenda. regards that.

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Okay, so it seems Brody and Ziggy, ahem, consummated. Twice. I really don't buy that Ziggy would brag to Irene about it: Olivia, yes, but only when she was alone.It seemed a fairly clumsy plot device for Irene to provide the negative reaction, since Ziggy's family remain oblivious.(Why did Brody hide behind a wall when they came home instead of, you know, actually leaving the house?I assumed he was going to nip out the window when he went back into Ziggy's room but then he came out again!)Still not sold on this "sex therapy" idea but I'll wish them luck for now.And yes, H&Alover, Brody only stayed at Irene's one night, he's been back home with Tori and Justin (and Buddy) since around the time of the kidnapping.

Alf and Leah continue to give Ben a lot more leeway than he deserves and I was kind of glad that their attempt to talk Nick round failed.(Mind you that's not surprising.The plan seemed to consist of Stage One:Ask him to change his mind.Stage Two:If he doesn't, insult him.)The end result, with Alf giving up a bit of his space so Ben can pursue a business idea of his own, wasn't too bad a compromise, since it means the other businesses can continue without much disruption.

Best bit of the episode was Justin and Brody laughing over Justin's plan to take Scarlett to a pub lunch, followed by Brody grimacing and saying "Oh no, you're serious." That said, it didn't seem that bad an idea (and I'm really not sure what the show's playing at making out Brody knows Scarlett better than Justin..?) and it probably would have been safer than what they ended up with...

[Slade]

I don't buy Ziggy blurting out what happened with Brody with Irene present either.  Not if there's a chance it could get back to Maggie and Ben.  In spite of that, that scene really made me laugh.  Olivia getting all excited but Irene looking absolutely mortified.  And I also liked the way she was giving Brody the evils after she took her sun glasses off when she saw him outside the bait shop.  She's absolutely right though.  He's doing everything he was told not to, lying getting involved in a relationship etc.  Irene was also quite funny later on in that episode when Brody looked like the cat that got the cream and despite advising him to finish things she immediately knew that he didn't follow her advice.  I think it was obvious when Brody tried to finish with Ziggy and they started playing the music they were going to get it on again.  I think this is a mistake on his part and they're obviously going to get found out at some point.  Hopefully Ben will catch them in bed together.  It would be worth it purely to see his reaction.

As Maggie alluded to in the episode Ben is just so immature.  The way he was looking at Leah and Alf when they came into Salt just had me shaking my head.  Part of me thought  Leah shouldn't bother wasting her time trying to convince him she wasn't in league with Nick but I can see why was going out of her way to square things.  He's her landlord so could probably make things difficult for her.  I would have preferred if Leah told him it wasn't her but she was disappointed she didn't come up with the idea although that's not her is it?  I also don't like the fact that Maggie talked (and probably manipulated) Alf into giving up some of the space in his bait shop so Ben could make and sell surfing boards - Was this actually what he wanted to do all along?  Because I would have thought they could make more money from charging rent than they could from selling surfboards.  Although I suppose there is a certain element of logic behind it, given the nature of the two businesses and that it will probably save Alf some rent.  I don't care that Ben apologised to Leah.  I still can't stand the guy.

I'm not keen on Justin but one bright side to him now dating Scarlett is that we get to see that nice bod of hers.  Such nice legs.  Will be interesting to find out what happened to Justin in today's episode.