Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

Midway through that episode I was almost effing and blinding.  It was just Ben's whole attitude - Everything is somebody else's fault or the assault on Brody wasn't such a big deal.  And he had the arrogance and audacity to expect the police to just forget about it and genuinely couldn't understand why they kept him locked up for so long.  But Maggie annoyed me even more, simply because she really should know better.  The way she told Kat to basically let them speak to Brody without going through the official channels.  Although she wanted to do everything officially when Coco attacked Jen and she suspended both of them from school.  Then Maggie's and Ziggy's self satisfied victorious expressions made my blood boil when Brody said he wasn't going to make a statement.  But luckily Ben just couldn't keep his mouth shut, which ultimately prompted McCarthy to charge him.  Good.  This will really make him think twice about things in future as he can't afford to get into trouble anymore.  I do actually agree that there's an argument Brody has a duty to give a statement now because of Ben's previous violent tendencies.  I didn't really think much of Ben's apology to Brody although I do acknowledge the fact he actually did it.  And I don't blame him for thinking Brody is not right for Ziggy.  Although I think the other way round now i.e. Ziggy isn't right for Brody.  I'd rather he just found someone else eventually TBH.

Find very little likeable about Ryder (His attitude towards Alf, stealing from him and the way he spoke to John)  and I actually really hope he's not Alf's grandson but I think the fact that Alf insists that he isn't probably means he is.  I will say I do admire that he had the guts to approach Coco when she was with Ziggy and talk her into spending a little bit of time with him.  She's didn't seem overly pleased that someone thought she was attractive.  Probably because her confidence is so low at the moment.

So we get a glimpse of a preview with Mick.  Now that looks promising....

[H&Alover]

A natural conclusion that the Astoni's thought it was Brody who had lodged the complaint against Ben, the victim doesn't  have to be the one to bring charges. Brody was prepared to let it go, he said he may have done the same thing, dad sees his daughter well out of it shouting at a guy, who you don't like, to leave her alone. She was in no state to tell Ben what had really happened so just as well Olivia was there. Ben's attitude at the station was way out of order so McCarthy had no choice but to sling him in the cell to calm down. Coco was the only one to come out of it well. Ben nearly got away with it what with Brody not wanting to press charges, but the they dug up his past assault, though if that was back when he was 18, which is what 20 years ago, would that have a bearing to what has just happened? Half hearted apology from Ben to Brody, OK thanks for not pressing charges but still stay away from my daughter!    Even without him being in recovery he is better off without her, too much hard work. I was wondering if Marco would showing his face now he's had a mention. Would it be  a long shot to assume Ben's given name is Benito? 

Ziggy finally confessed to her part in her mother's attack and both Ben & Maggie took it calmly and heard Ziggy out. I didn't think Maggie would hate Ziggy but just be very disappointed in her for not having faith enough in them both not to say anything at the time.  That's the trouble with confessions like that the longer you leave it the worse it is to say anything.

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

22 hours ago, CaptainHulk said:

It would be a bit stretch if Owen did have another kid (though he supposedly had a daughter who was whited out of continuity, Ric's once mentioned and never mentioned again Sister). I think Ric is alluded to from time to time in the ongoing list of people Alf visits during his annual breaks.

There's a few sources (at least one of which I wrote) that claim Ric was said to have a sister but Channel 5 repeated what seemed to be the relevant episode and Matilda actually said Wazza had a sister, so might be some Chinese whispers going on there.I don't think Ric's been alluded to since 2008 and seemed to be completely forgotten last year when Alf talked as though Bryce was his only grandson.

So, seems the police have a long-standing record of Beckett Reid, which makes my undercover theory seem unlikely.It does strike me that a person that no-one's ever seen would be the perfect identity to assume, although that would require Novak not knowing what Beckett looks like either.I do unfortunately have to acknowledge the alternative explanation that Dylan was actually trying to save Kat when he confronted Robbo/Beckett, although we do have to factor in that Robbo's photo of Kat came from Dylan's stalker collage.Why exactly were Alf and Robbo already standing around at the caravan park when the SWAT team turned up?Murray is fast shaking up to be a bit of a breakout character with his idiosyncrasies and snarking at Kat.

Mick continues to string Irene along, clearly having no intention to move on or leave her and Luc alone, but his cover is well and truly blown as he runs into the girl he once tried to kidnap.Not really a surprise that Olivia dismissed Ziggy's crimes, given how blasé she was about everything Hunter did.I actually quite enjoyed Maggie giving Ziggy the cold shoulder and hope she keeps it up, although they'll probably go "What's a brain injury between friends?" and play happy families before too long.

I didn't hate Luc calling Tori Mama, even though I'm not even close to seeing her as a mother figure to her.In an ideal world, she'd be calling Billie that, but that's not going to happen, and so I think I'd be more annoyed if she called Ash Dada.I was however distinctly uneasy about Ash and Tori skipping off to have a shower together when they were meant to be minding Luc.

[Slade]

Damn.  I was hoping that Mick would put the frightners on Maggie.  Although Olivia appears to have scuppered that.  Still it looks as though he genuinely wanted to help Maggie.  Whilst she is far preferable to Ben and Maggie I still find it hard to actually like Ziggy as a person.  Even the conversation with Olivia and her apparently being nice didn't seem genuine.  Surprised she wasn't annoyed at Olivia for reporting Ben to McCarthy.

Good to see Tori in a swimming cossie again.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, it was nice to see Ben direct his temper towards someone that actually deserved it for once.I have very little sympathy for Irene, who's brought a sociopath back into their lives out of some deluded attempt to assuage her guilt complex over something that isn't even her fault only to discover that, shock horror, she can't trust him let alone control him.Mick's still being treated more kindly than he deserves but I get that the important thing is to get him away from Luc.And he did get read the riot act by Alf.I appreciated VJ focusing on Luc while everyone else was making plans for Mick.

Mason not going to Beth's funeral...well, that's fine and probably for the best if he wasn't up to it, and it feels like he's ready to find closure in his own way.In which case, "Beth"'s sudden appearance might well not be the best thing for him.I'm going to reserve judgement but at the moment it feels like it's only happened because Blake and Meg did that, except theirs was better.Justin did a good job of being the supportive brother and Mason and Raffy's small bit of screen-time together reminded me of how much I've missed their interaction lately.

Ziggy's crime gets brushed aside far too easily but that's par for the course these days.

[H&Alover]

Has Robbo/Beckett Reid recovered his memory thanks to that thump on the head Novak gave him, he's certainly acting differently.  Funny how Kat found records of Beckett but when Robbo looked his name up  it was like he didn't exist, still no photo of him so that will be a shock when, if they find one.  Once again Kat took her work home only for Robbo to go poking around in the files not that he found anything.  Novak obviously didn't used his own name when renting the van hence the cops having to dust the van for prints  which I was surprised they found, he is a professional after all,  but I guess he did leave in a hurry and didn't take them long to match his prints either. The fact the cops said there were hundreds of prints did make me think how often they do a deep clean of the vans? Good luck with finding him though, unless he's been told not to return without finishing the job plus getting rid of Beckett. Novak did say he and Beckett served and worked together. I still like to think he, Robbo,  was the one who changed his mind about the job, hence his beaten up and stranded, he is very keen on keeping Kat safe, I don't think her saying she isn't going to testify will be enough for those in power. Whoever it is has gone to a lot of trouble keeping Novak out of jail so he could do their dirty work and maybe hide Beckett's identity.

Mick may be a psycho but he looks harmless, slight build so he doesn't come across as dangerous, amiable so not a real surprise Maggie was OK with him changing her wheel.  Still a risk inviting a stranger into your house even if you didn't know he was a rapist and was on parole from a mental health facility. I don't think he would have done anything and just made his way back to the motel or into town.  Although Ben was justified in man handling him this time, it seemed Maggie, Olivia and Ziggy had it all under control anyway. Granted Mick shouldn't be in the area but what is there to stop him reporting Ben for assaulting him?  I've said before Irene is blaming herself for something that was not her fault, she said last night she wished she hadn't given him up, but she didn't he was taken away from her and she didn't even know what sex the baby was. As no harm has come to Luc everyone, even Ash, were ready to forgive Irene, she doesn't need to feel anymore guilt. Small aside I did notice Mick was taking his meds. You certainly don't argue with Mr Stewart and being sent to the opposite side of the country is as far as you could be sent.  Until he moves on though how is he going to be monitored to make sure he stays where he is?

As for Alf's own little problem - Ryan - another grandson - courtesy of Quinn - what was that comment about Quinn being American and Ryan not having an American accent - what has that to do with the price of fish? Mystery there, of course, as to why Ryan doesn't want her contacted. Anyone who clicked their fingers at me to get my attention would either get ignored or a mouthful! Roo seems to have taken him under her wing so it means he'll be sticking around.

Sad to see Mason so down, he and Beth may have not known each other long but I reckon their love was genuine.  Although VJ has mentioned him in passing still no scenes of them together which I think would help Mason. Billie's prognosis that she didn't have long to live came out of the blue and they didn't have long to prepare for it, if you ever can, but Mason knew as soon as he rumbled Beth's fib, there may not be a happy ending. Old cliché I know but everyone deals with a death of a loved one in their own way.  I think Mason believed that bird was a sign from Beth then 'seeing' her, is comforting him, others may not see it as healthy but for now they should let him grieve in his own way. I think she'll be the one to say goodbye, they were denied that, and let him go rather than the other way round.

Aren't the first words out of a babies mouth mama/dada, saying uncle would be a real tongue twister!  To Luc Ash is the male figure she sees everyday so he is dada! If Kat had still been around would she have been mama? Plenty of time for them to explain who they are later. Going off on a tangent how do babies know which is dada and which one mama, surely they are just shapes, do they recognise sexes?

Telling that Maggie said she'd forgiven Ziggy but hadn't forgotten, not so much her hating Ziggy more what she did  and keeping quiet all those years. She was a minor,15, when it happened so what punishment could the cops give her, good behaviour bond, community service?

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, I'm glad I reserved judgement because I found the Mason/Beth stuff here beautiful.After her odd appearance in the previous episode, Beth was very much herself in the opening scene, being fun-loving and irreverent but then switching to serious when she tells him she misses him.Orpheus Pledger gets a lot of criticism for his acting and sometimes I agree, but I think he hit it out of the park in that final scene with Beth, showing the mix of the release of getting to say goodbye tinged with sadness that she's gone.And it was a better send-off for Beth than lying in a hospital bed getting convulsions.The bird motif just about managed to stay on the right side of subtle, even if there's slight confusion about what it represents.(If it's Beth, who's that standing in front of him?Maybe it's some sort of animal guide that's bringing her there and taking her away? Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this?)Because really, Home and Away does do this sort of thing well.And then the Mason/Raffy scenes actually manage to match it for beauty.While Justin inevitably plays the down-to-earth bloke who just thinks it's weird, I love how open Raffy was to the idea of Mason seeing Beth and understood how, real or not, it's important that he goes through this.And the unashamed way she knows she's the best person to help him.

Are we actually meant to be rooting for Scarlett and Caleb?Because, um, why? I mean, he's not the thug that his off-screen actions suggested, but he still comes across as a bit of a jerk.Maybe if the story was being told from his point of view his attitude towards Justin would seem more acceptable, but as it is Justin's the guy we know and this baboon's sneering at him when we haven't really seen anything to justify his superiority. (Incidentally, was that the first mention of him being a lawyer as well?Helps explain how he tracked Scarlett down.)Justin removing himself from the situation so completely felt something frustrating.Tania Nolan's doing her best to sell this by having Scarlett smile fondly at Caleb all the time but at the moment he just feels like another Riley.

Meanwhile, in a storyline that feels as though someone realised a bit late in the day that Lynne McGranger wasn't rostered on for the pay-off episode, we have Marilyn for some unexplained reason trying to make sure that John loses the bet.It's fairly disloyal on her part and not particularly fair on Brody either, who seems to have been put through two weeks of hell because no-one wants to admit John's right.So I was quite satisfied when he paid up himself to get everyone off his back.

[c120701]

I still don’t get Marilyn talking about the diner as if she owns the place. I know she’s invested in it, but she hasn’t invested in it.

[CaptainHulk]

(Caught up with Today's and Yesterday's)

Oh Mickey what a pity you don't understand... Everybody wants to bury you face down in the sand... 

That's an understatement based on Ben and Ash's reactions!

Loved Alf going all Corleone at the flat.

If Alan Dale didn't make it in the U.S., I'd recommend he play Mick's Probation Officer who would talk sense into him (They were great together on Neighbours and the Jim/Todd dynamic strengthened once Bev left)   

I still say its time Nathan paid a visit to see his dear Ma and "persuade" his half-sibling to leave.

Beth the ghost... Nice touch but I can't help that she should have made a couple ghostly noises "Woooooo" with some cliched hand gestures then said "Just messin' with you, Mase". 

 That'd been in line with her character.

Hunter, Veej. You'd better PASS this year, those Uniforms are starting to look like if they flexed hard enough they'd rip (No doubt some doubt the female fans would be salivating)

I

[H&Alover]

Couldn't agree more  with your first paragraph Red, the scenes with Beth and Mason were beautifully done.  I loved how Raffy was with him, accepting he 'saw' Beth without question, telling Justin that people worked through their grief in different ways. It did help him accept she had gone and they got to say a proper goodbye so he can draw a line under it and move on.  Justin did spoil it by 'popping his head round the door' despite Raffy telling him not to. It seems like Mason will be taking time out to complete her bucket list so the first Morgan to fly the nest.

Justin has been patient with Scarlett and her indecision who she wants to be with, he kept away from her while she was in hospital as Caleb was there all the time. He, Caleb, is the one who is suffocating her fussing around.  I'm glad Justin finally spoke up that although he has strong feelings for her she he was walking away.  He did tell her it was Caleb she asked for at the cabin.  Caleb and Scarlett have  a lot of history. most of it good I would imagine before Max died, maybe they do need to give themselves another shot, they are still married, she was unsure, when  if she would divorce Caleb. Wasn't able to define from the trailer what decision was made and if she is staying or going.

Brody was stuck between a rock and a hard place with having to stick to the Diners tried and tested menu, but now he's been 'released' from the bet he knew nothing about he can introduce subtle changes.  He needn't go completely mad and do Salt type menus, the Diner isn't that type of eatery.

Ryder is back and we get more of his back story.

Probably just me but the actor who plays Caleb kept reminding me of Joe Duttine who plays Tim Metcalfe in Corrie.