Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

Go green keep-it-clean!

Go green keep-it-clean!

Go green keep-it-clean!

 

They should have dressed up in cheerleader outfits and used the pom poms.

 

I'm all for keeping things greener where possible and practical and support her right to voice her opinion but the main issue I have with the manner in which Coco conducted herself is that it feels like she's effectively blackmailed them into submission.  She and her cohorts were putting customers off going to the Diner so Irene and Marilyn had no choice but to negotiate with them.  And I can't help thinking it basically means that if she wants to she can keep making more demands when it suits her (That's the precedence that has been set).  And if Irene (and Leah) are their tenants then Maggie should have probably done more to dissuade Coco.  Then we have Roo who seems to support them - Well I guess it's not her Diner is it?  So she's not going to lose any money.  I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume this is not just because Ryder's involved.  I do actually believe Coco is serious about saving the environment but wonder if this is a flavour of the month sort of thing.  Ryder's only doing it because to impress Coco.  Then we have Raffy (who I feel believes in it to an extent but is also supporting her friend) telling Ryder to be himself.  Ah yes be yourself, the advice that has gotten a lot of guys absolutely nowhere with some girls and what a lot of guys do by default anyway.  Although in this particularly case I think Coco's likes Ryder such that all he has to do is not be a d**k and a romance is probably inevitable.

 

It was different before because Kat always had the luxury of Robbo's amnesia but now she knows his true identity he's effectively a time bomb.  And from her perspective if his memory comes back, she's probably dead.  He's a lot more formidable than Novak was and Ash for that matter.  So unfortunately for her sake (and her baby's) the police have to be involved now.

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, Robbo's coming across as increasingly deranged.He couldn't even come across a decent excuse for killing Novak except "I was protecting you", which could probably have been achieved by letting the police know where he was when he had him locked in a car boot.Then he resorts to the old trick of keeping Kat a prisoner and menacing her until she agrees to come with him and love him forever, which oddly enough never seems to work.It's hard to work out what he was trying to achieve by kidnapping Tori but to be honest I doubt he was even thinking that clearly: He realised he needed to get away, she was there, so he took her with him because it was the best way to escape unopposed.He's probably got no idea what to do with her.

Curiously, Olivia's guilt seems to have completely disappeared and she seems to be quite willing to carry on dating Hunter and working with Axel without the former knowing exactly what happened with the latter.(Of course, Hunter's still coming across as the creepier of the two.)Irene seems less willing to just brush it all under the carpet and remains the biggest stumbling block to Olivia keeping calm and carrying on.I wasn't really that interested in Ziggy's meltdowns but the increasing nuance of Ben continues to get my attention: It seems like someone finally worked out the character wasn't working and decided to retool him, and it's tempting to wonder at what point the audience backlash occurred.He has a moment of naughtiness when he enjoys Ziggy avoiding Jarrod, and yet he can't help feeling sympathy for him when he sees him living on the breadline in the faint hope of winning Ziggy back, while simultaneously being the most approving of Brody he's been in a while, albeit when neither Brody nor Ziggy is there.

[atrus]

Hi, everyone. Unusual for me to check in on a Monday, but thought it had been long enough!

The Kat/Robbo saga turned a corner and actually got me paying attention for a change, although not always necessarily for the right reasons. The show was especially hacking me off by continuing to imply that the big mean old City detective was being nasty and cruel to Kat by not letting her be involved in the investigation around Novak's death because her boyfriend was the chief suspect - as if the cop was inflicting some kind of enormous injustice rather than, erm, following the very sensible policy of every police force in the developed world. Meanwhile, I had been a Tori/Ash fan up until the last couple of weeks, but their bickering had become repetitive and one-note - and the initial fun of their relationship has been entirely sucked dry - so not too bothered about the split in the event.  Putting aside the lack of realism around the H&A policing landscape, Ash and Kat do make a good investigatory pairing, although I was repeatedly frustrated to see Kat treating it like a game on several occasions and frequently showing precious little concern that the person of interest was someone she was in a relationship and living with - right up until the Beckett Reid reveal, when the penny finally appeared to drop that she was in it up to her neck. Even then, though, she failed to do anything remotely sensible about it, and instead headed straight home for a one-on-one with him; well, look how well that turned out. As for what Robbo will do next, I have no idea but I don't imagine he'll hurt Tori - not that that justifies him kidnapping her in the first place, of course.

I'm now wondering if I was wrong about Ryder's terrible traumatic past; we learned since my last post that his sleeping problems have been present since an incredibly young age, and so perhaps it is simply just the show's primary justification for the wholesale contracting-out of his parenting to Roo and Alf. We continued to get a lot of Roo-knows-best directed at Quinn which quickly became tiresome, and I could see why she exploded when she overheard Roo and Alf talking about Ryder staying with them. Nonetheless, the substance of Roo's argument - that Ryder would benefit from some stability in his life when Quinn is off on work trips - does seem like a fair point. Just as long as Roo is prepared to dole out discipline as willingly as she's prepared to dole out sweet forgiveness, because he definitely needs it. I thought his goodbye scenes with Quinn were actually very moving, and I hope that if he is sticking around permanently, that she'll be back for visits along the way. As for Coco and her green campaign, I'm getting heavy notes of April Scott at her self-righteous worst here - albeit Coco probably isn't nearly as well informed. I don't disagree with many of the points she makes (and I take a pretty dim view of Irene's blasé attitude towards recycling), but I do get the feeling Coco's being spurred on more by the sense of enjoyment she gets out of rebelling against adults than concern for the state of the planet. I think Raffy would be a more natural choice for a genuine eco-warrior, although in this instance, she and Ryder just seemed to be agreeing with everything Coco said because it suited the plot. And in Ryder's case, probably because he has designs on Coco, too.

Laudably enough, the Olivia story has taken a complete swerve from where I expected it to go - visions of Axel tying her up in an abandoned cabin and chasing her through the bush had sprung to mind - and now I find myself in the position of sympathising with the guest antagonist character more than I do with her. Perhaps there's still a rug-pull to come with him and he's secretly planning to use and abuse her before cutting her career dead again, but the sense I get so far is that his affection is genuine - and after all, he's not the one who's in a relationship and who has any particular obligation to do the right thing by Hunter. I sympathise with Olivia to a degree and I'm not sure it's necessary for her to end her relationship with the fashion firm in order to make things right, as Irene keeps hectoring her to do; telling Hunter the truth and reinforcing boundaries with Axel would be sufficient. You could even argue, as Olivia is, that Hunter might be best off not knowing if she's 100% convinced it was a one-off - but I'm certainly getting the impression from her ongoing behaviour towards Axel that there are complicated feelings on her part. Therefore however much of a jerk Hunter's been in the past, including recently, I don't really think it's right for her to keep it from him. That said, I don't feel like Ziggy's a particularly realistic choice as the voice of conscience - the kind of moralising she's been exhibiting is far more natural coming from Irene.

Speaking of Ziggy, not much to say on her love triangle story other than that Ben has redeemed himself a bit further by eventually telling Jarrod straight, rather than letting him hang around for no good reason. While I didn't think there was any need to string him along, I was also getting an unfortunate sense of 'wouldn't take no for an answer even if it was properly expressed' from Jarrod, so I won't be upset if this proves to mark the end of his campaign for Ziggy's heart.

Jennifer seems like a complex character, and thus I wasn't displeased to have her back in the mix. She's clearly quite volatile and troubled, and we know that her bulimia (or whatever it is) remains unresolved. At first I wasn't quite clear what her motivation was for claiming Mason tried it on, and I wondered if perhaps she just said it out of embarrassment because Hunter walked in on them. Later scenes have suggested she's probably trying to hook Hunter instead - but then, she couldn't have known he would walk in when he did, which further reinforces the ambiguity around her and her motivations.

[630si]

Well, Robbo and Kats confrontation was compelling.im not sure why Tori didn’t just get kat out of the flat with the hospital alibi. I’m sure Robbo wouldn’t have let her stay in pain like that. Mind you, Beckett probably would. Anyhow, it’s about time Kat was fully in the picture but I fear she’s letting her heart rule her head. 

Olivia and Paris gate is a bit insane and I also noticed her guilt had subsided quickly. But I feel for hunter that little bit more every time he mentions he’s proposing to her and you know that nothing g but misery is coming for him. I love Olivia but now I hope she goes to Paris and stays there.

[H&Alover]

As Leah & Irene pay rent to Ben & Maggie wouldn't that make them their landlord/lady? 

Robbo did leave out the pertinent fact that although he did indeed  kill Novak it was a him or him situation, could so easily have been Robbo dead and Kat back in danger. The problem with just leaving Novak in the boot and ringing the cops would have been Novak telling the cops who he really was. Of course he had to reveal he had known he was Beckett Reid since the cabin, because Novak told him he was, but as he explained to Kat the name meant nothing, so sudden recognition, just a name.  Didn't know what he'd done previously, why he was where he was. I don't think Kat would be in danger from Robbo it was when he was Beckett Reid that he changed his mind about killing her. I have the feeling he's scared of finding out about his past life, the bay knows him as a good guy and I think that is who he wants to be from now on. If I remember correctly all that the various agencies  knew about Beckett Reid, was he was Novak's partner didn't even know what he looked like.  If he handed himself in just how likely is it Shepherd or his bosses will believe he still can't remember what happened before he was found.  He's got a secret place he and Kat can go to does he, that's interesting. I know we saw Ash sitting on the pier looking at the flat, but was he aware Kat was in there or think she was at the cop shop like she said? All of Ash's attempts to keep Tori out of came to nought didn't it. as she went to Kat's in response to her call.  If, as I now suspect, Kat's' pains' were an attempt to get Robbo take her to hospital (and safety) they convinced me. By the way she was running after the car it certainly didn't look like she was in danger. Of course Kat is in trouble big time going by the tongue lashing she gets from McCarthy.

Oh Slade - Ryder in a cheerleader outfit now that would have been a sight!

Axel making the visit to the Paris Fashion Show a gift to Olivia not creepy in any way. He doesn't know Hunter at all does he, telling her she mustn't let Hunter stand in her way, because when he found out, courtesy of Axel he was behind it.  Olivia put Axel in his place, evident by the looks she was giving him and turning it down and telling Hunter she could go next year with him. Understandably Irene felt awkward appearing on Hunter's video knowing what she knows.  Btw how long before he gets his HSC results?

Ben is definitely swinging in Brody's favour, telling Jarrod, while giving him cash to get something to eat then leave,  that Brody has a future. He's seen how much effort Brody's making to get his life back on track - no pun intended. Ziggy's avoiding Jarrod could in his eyes be giving him false hope in that she is too scared to face him  because she still cares. Thankful though she was for Ben & Maggie lying about her not being at home, she still had a go at him over who he preferred. 

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, Robbo certainly seems to have a way with the ladies. Not sure what Tori was playing at here. She doesn’t trust Ash, despite them apparently being back on again and despite his promising to leave it to the police, so I get why she doesn’t want to give him any clues as to where Robbo might be. But why hasn’t she told Kat or McCarthy? Preferably the latter, since he’s trustworthy, reasonably competent and likely to do the right thing. I was expecting her to slip Kat the note during the night, or at least when they were alone in the flat at the end, but is she really going to just sit on the information? Wasn’t too happy about Justin again leaving Raffy out of the loop, although apparently he didn’t tell Brody and Mason either so at least it was an equal opportunities stonewall. Nice that, despite helping the forces of law and order, Alf warns John and Marilyn not to be too quick to judge him: It’s not too long since John was on the receiving end of that sort of suspicion. It’s even less time since Marilyn was dribbling over Robbo, despite them trying to make out here that she was always suspicious of him.

Justin behaved like a bit of a prize banana with Willow here. Despite his apparently thinking otherwise, it seems that the relationship isn’t any more casual for her than it is for him, or at least not as casual as she might want it to be. But he was rather patronising in his attitude towards her acting as a honeytrap-for-hire, which as jobs go is a lot better than what she used to be into. And he really didn’t have any right to punch that guy even if he was a sleaze.

[Razabaza]

Since when have the other Summer Bay residents known that Kat is pregnant? The other week her stomach was as flat as a surfboard.

[630si]

Tori holding onto Robbos address is getting me all impatient. She should’ve told the cops but then again we wouldn’t have a show with all this tension I guess. Is it just me or if anyone else finding Kats performance unbelieveable. She just doesn’t seem that bothered, even when she’s supposed to be upset and bothered? Tori is getting greener by the day looking at Kat and Ash there. 

Speaking about green, Coco the eco warrior having a go at the diner every 5 seconds is both annoying but necessary. It’s one of those storylines highlighting a real issue the world has today. Especially with the coffee shop culture we have etc. I’d ask her this though, living on a farm, she should be knee deep in compost I wouldn’t thought. !!! 

Really happy Brody got Salt back

[Posy]

2 minutes ago, 630si said:

 Especially eight he coffee shop culture we have etc. I’d ask her this though, living on a farm, she should be knee deep in compost I wouldn’t thought. !!! 

 

eight he? what does that mean?

They live in the farmhouse, they don't run it as a farm.

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Tori has been heading rapidly downhill for weeks now and she's well and truly in freefall.I almost bought her refusing to hand the note over after hearing Shepherd planning an unauthorised execution (although it did reinforce my belief that she should have handed it straight to McCarthy in the first place before the task force got involved), but her bleating to Justin made her seem like just another stupid woman thinking it's okay for someone to be a criminal if she fancies him.In fact, she seems so divorced from reality that, while I don't approve of Shepherd's attitude and find it frustrating that he's been turned "evil" in order to justify Tori covering for Robbo, I'm left wondering realistically what she thinks is going to happen.Robbo's killed at least one man, at least partly to protect his secret since if Kat was the priority he could have just turned him in, and has allegedly killed a lot more most of whom were probably innocents like Kat and her partner.He's entitled to a fair trial but he's not entitled to think he's above the law.And if they track him down and he does make a run for it (which, given his state of mind, does seem likely), given that he beat up a bunch of police just for searching his flat, it probably would come down to a straight choice between shooting him and letting him get away.

I didn't really understand the storyline with Felicity: I suspect you need either an economics degree or an annotated version.Are we meant to believe that Felicity lied about how well Salt was doing in order to push the price up?Or that she's been keeping profits for herself and lying to the directs about how much it's making?And would it really be that easy for Willow to get hold of the details?Ah well, I guess that's not the point.I guess the point is "Willow did something clever and Felicity sold Brody Salt back."(This does bring me onto the other logic problem:If Felicity's selling it back at the price she paid, and if Justin and co only had $70,000 left, where's the other $30,000 come from?)And it is good to see Willow doing something basically selfless for the Morgans.

Roo was rather annoying in her trying to get Alf to talk to Ryder, so I'm glad that he did it in such a perfunctory way and even more glad that he then did it properly when she wasn't watching on.Ryder was very annoying acting like Coco's yes-man but, while he does seem to have pretty much settled on Coco by default, his later gesture was kind of sweet, and I liked the Ziggy/Coco sibling scenes.