Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Miranda]

I hate the whole thing to be honest. I don't think any of them have any chemistry and I particularly don't like how everyone has conveniently forgotten that Charlie's last relationship was with a woman! Ideally I'd like Joey to come back to be with Charlie, for Angelo to leave, for Martha to be single for a good while yet and Hugo...well, maybe a new character could be brought in for him. I don't think he and May would work as a couple, but then I'm not sure what sort of person he would work with. I do think May might work with Miles though, they're both quite happy go lucky types.

Yes, that is weird that no one seems to remember Joey. I think what you say is more likely what would happen in real life i.e. Martha would not be ready for another relationship, Charlie and Joey would be together etc. Also, Angelo would never have come back in the first place would he? Its too unlikely.

May and Miles- now that would set the cat among the pigeons! Maybe if that happened, Kirsty would get together with Hugo!! Now I think of it, their deviousness would suit each other...

[Slade]

^^I think Hugo’s ok now but there is still something about him that bugs me. Methinks he’s dodgy.

Firstly I’m surprised Charlie was so ok with Xavier after he slashed Angelo’s tyres. I was expecting her to get annoyed. Perhaps she would have felt differently if he’d slept with Ruby on her birthday. She generally seems a lot calmer as of late as she’s had plenty of opportunities to lose it and she hasn’t. I don’t think anybody’s forgotten about Joey, Miles made the “temporary lesbian” remark the other day at Rachel and Tony’s dinner party. And you can tell Charlie still thinks of her. When Angelo was asking if there was someone else before (suspecting Hugo) she seemed too embarrassed to tell him about her, although she seems less embarrassed about having a relationship with another woman than having a relationship with the guy who killed Jack. I’m glad she told Angelo to do the right thing by May first before coming back to him to discuss progressing their relationship. I do think she feels sorry for her and part of the reason for that is because May is so nice to her whenever she sees her so her conscience kicks in. I actually think if Angelo wasn’t in the picture those two would be friends.

I think Angelo’s made a mistake asking May to move in as when (as opposed to if) she gets hurt he’s going to kick her out as well. Regarding the fine he gave Xavier tailend of last week for driving without a license I actually think he was very luck to get just that. I don’t really blame Angelo for being suspicious of Hugo what bothers me at time is his smugness. So at times I don’t get him. There are scenes when I really like him such as when May cuddled him about 10 times (after he asked her to move in) and he cracked a line (sorry can’t quite remember what he said) and other times when again he’s with Hugo he does come across as quite unpleasant.

I didn’t really like the way Martha acted towards Hugo when she suspected that he was seeing Charlie. It was sort of like the - I don’t want you but nobody else can have you - sort of thing. I did crack a smile firstly when Martha dropped Xavier off and saw Charlie with Hugo and just went into her room without saying hello to them and Charlie suspected that she was off with her. And then after Martha’s jealousy when they saw each other at the bar and Charlie asked her she was ok and you could clearly tell she wasn’t happy with her. I also found Charlie’s reaction funny when she initially thought she had been rumbled re Angelo. I’m not sure whether Martha was actually following Hugo or if she just happened to be in the area at the same time but I think because she was so upset, it compelled her to give into her feelings and I was actually pleased when she kissed him and wouldn’t mind seeing things progress between them.

Who's the more foolish - the fool, or the fool who follows him? Xavier and Jai are now both as bad as each other. Even my brother guessed that Xavier was going to shoot him. Sad thing is Martha will probably cop the flack for this.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, despite a few moments of uncertainty, Martha didn't change her mind, which I was glad to see. Taking it slow I don't have a problem with, just stop all this blowing hot and cold.When she sat in his lap and kissed him, I thought they looked pretty cute together.Rachel's difficulty walking in their scene together at the hospital was a nice moment.

So, who thinks Jai and Xavier's actions are going to come back and bite them?Yeah, me too.Jai does seem marginally more sensible than Xavier, given his suggestion that they hand the gun in anonymously rather than leaving it hidden where any passing nutcase(and let's face it, Summer Bay's got a lot of those...)can find it.Hopefully the others will listen to him.Annie's diatribe to them near the end was spot on:They keep doing stupid things, covering it up and making it even worse and they never learn their lesson.Shame it happened just as she and Jai were getting on better, their scene together in the surf club was rather cute.Ruby, typically, was angry with Xavier for about thirty seconds then just shrugged her shoulders.What is it with the girls in this town?

Nice that Irene's backpedalled from her condemnatory attitude last week and seemed quite sympathetic towards Claudia.I thought Geoff was going to be cold towards her after that first scene where he seemed to be ignoring her but he also seems to have rediscovered his chivalrous streak and seemed quite concerned for her, I like that they were able to talk about things calmly.Lachie quite clearly would be a lousy father even if he could walk and a lousy boyfriend.(But why were Aden and Clint in the recap?I've noticed that a lot recently, including things that have nothing to do with the episode.)

[claire_louise]

May and Miles- now that would set the cat among the pigeons! Maybe if that happened, Kirsty would get together with Hugo!! Now I think of it, their deviousness would suit each other...

The more I think about it the more I think they'd make a good couple. I'm going off the idea of Leah and Miles now, I think she might be a bit too serious for him. Although he could bring out her fun side, which would be good to see. But May seems like a really bubbly, optimistic person and they're bound to have things in common what with both being teachers. Kirsty and Miles just don't work for me - obviously I'm biased as I'm a diehard KK fan but I'd actually prefer to see Kirsty with Hugo! Or someone a bit younger and with less responsibilities, at least.

I don’t think anybody’s forgotten about Joey, Miles made the “temporary lesbian” remark the other day at Rachel and Tony’s dinner party. And you can tell Charlie still thinks of her.

All the more reason for her not to get into another relationship so soon? It's not that Angelo is a man, I actually don't mind her liking men again as long as the Joey thing isn't just wiped under the carpet, but I honestly don't see any chemistry between them. When they got together initially they were essentially using each other for comfort, there was never any real feeling there apart from friendship, so I just don't buy it that all of a sudden they can't bear to be apart. I do think there's a certain chemistry between Charlie and Hugo at the moment though...I wonder if the writers are as confused as we are?!

[H&Alover]

I'm glad the various couples got themselves sorted out at last! I'm with you Slade as regards Joey, normally of course Angelo would have been brought up to date on the latest gossip by his fellow workers, but as they are only talking to him when they have to obviously they haven't let him in on the secret. I think Charlie and Hugo suit being friends, it was only a one night stand between them after all and there's never been a real connection between them.

Perhaps Ruby could join the police when she grows up, she certainly put two and two quick enough as regards Xavier, Jai and the missing gun and her interrogation method wasn't half bad either, Xavier caved and confessed pretty fast. Jai's talk of handing the gun in anonymously is a good idea (I think) just hope they remember to wipe their prints off first. Though knowing the Yabby Creek police that is one thing they won't have to worry about! It did flash through my mind that Trey finds the gun (no I don't know why he would be out at Martha's farm) and uses it on the people on his hit list. He's going to use it on the trek (first time we have heard about that!), but then I realised it would be hard to hide.

With all the trouble that Lou's business is in is making me wonder about Donna being behind the murder, if she had known how bad things were she would have been more than happy for Irene to have it.

So we are finally seeing Lachie's true treatment towards Claudia, it's mental (and as far as we know, but haven't seen) physical abuse. She is of course in denial about it, she's had four years to perfect the excuses she's making for him. He's had four years to wear her down. No excuse for her lying to Geoff but know we can understand why she did it and thinking Geoff would be a better father.

[Red Ranger 1]

I agree that Joey hasn't been forgotten:In addition to Miles' "temporary lesbian" comment, we had Ruby asking Charlie "Aren't you into girls now?" and Martha asking Hugo "What if Joey or some other woman comes along?"And she was obviously who Charlie was thinking of when she told Angelo she was sort of seeing someone else.

Anyway...Okay, unfortunately John Palmer has well and truly crossed the line.I did have some worries when Trey first mentioned John training him and putting him on a diet but I hope I was wrong.But from his angry outburst about Trey not being normal, it's pretty clear that he's been trying to turn him into the sort of son he wants, as we see here with him practically trying to force him to join the surf club, getting him the drink he thinks he should have and insisting he hang out with the other kids.Not surprised at him effectively trying to bribe the school into letting him go on the trek but I was disappointed that Martin seemed to consider it, although in the end it didn't sway him.Ruby's headstrong and single-minded enough to start a petition against Trey but I was surprised at Annie:I can buy her moaning to Ruby about it but I didn't think she'd go as far as trying to ban him simply because he'd spoil their fun.What happened to "turn the other cheek"?Nicole's motives seemed a bit more ambivalent:Given that she only signed the petitition when they asked her if she wanted a repeat of the assembly and her evasive response to Martin's question, I'm thinking that she actually wants Trey left out for his own benefit.As Miles said, sending him off with a bunch of kids who are going to be harrassing him isn't going to do much for his self-esteem.

Disappointed that this seems to be the end for Claudia, I felt there was more mileage in her storyline and her relationship with Geoff, who despite a bit of monochromatic thinking seems to have backed down from his "get out of my life" attitude.On the plus side, she got the happiest ending we've seen for a character in a long while(and probably the happiest we're going to see for a while as yet...):You really get the feeling that her experiences with Geoff and the others have taught her some valuable lessons about the sort of person she wants to be and wants to be with, giving her the courage to stand up to Lachie and forge a new life on her own terms.I'd still have liked a fuller explanation for how she knows Geoff isn't the father but I guess we'll have to take her word for it.Nice silent cameo from Nurse Julie at the hospital, I was wondering where she'd got to.

So Aden finally finds the line he's not prepared to cross for the sake of a "stupid ring".Not that it did him much good as he finds himself in even further over his head.Him and Geoff being friendly I could buy but Geoff was practically acting as his counsellor here with his "I'm here for you" spiel...at least until he realised what Aden actually wanted him to do.Did Aden really think someone as straight-laced as Geoff would get involved with match fixing?If anyone finds out what he's up to, he really is going to be in trouble.Belle's appearance was so random it might as well not have been there:Her flirtation with Aden was even more forced than usual but if they want us to be wondering what's going on with her we need more than a ten second chat with Rachel, an out of context scene of crying, her writing what could easily be her diary and hiding it and her disappearing for a week in the middle of it all.Then again, I gave up on Belle a long time ago so maybe her fans are interested.

Attention, Nerd Squad:See if you can spot the completely irrelevant bits in the recap.Today we were treated to scenes of Jai and Xavier, neither of whom were seen or mentioned in the actual episode.At least it was actually from yesterday rather than a random scene from last week.

[Miranda]

Yes, Kirsty and Hugo! Perhaps if we say it often enough, the writers will get the vibes and write it for us

[Miranda]

Attention, Nerd Squad:See if you can spot the completely irrelevant bits in the recap.Today we were treated to scenes of Jai and Xavier, neither of whom were seen or mentioned in the actual episode.At least it was actually from yesterday rather than a random scene from last week.

Aye aye sir! Do you want to be Chief Nerd, Head Nerd, or Captin Nerd? Or another title?

[H&Alover]

Something I never thought I would see - Aden asking Geoff for help - so OK it was for him helping to fix the match, but even so!! Aden has now been asked to nobble Geoff, which considering we now have the new and improved Aden he is not going to do is he. As to Belle writing a diary, could that be something Rachel has asked her to do?

Well done Claudia for finally standing up to Lachie, not really sure if it is a good idea for her to want him involved in their childs life. It did seem a quick turnaround though, one day she is defending him to Geoff and Irene the next she's dumped him! You're right Red it was probably being with Geoff and the others that finally opened her eyes to how she should be treated. It does make you wonder what her home life was like that she thought being with Lachie would be better. I wish we had seen her parents just the once to see how bad they were.

Agree with you about John Palmer as well, his initial helping Trey lose weight was probably good intentioned, but now he seems to think it gives him the right to rule the rest of Trey's life. Did Trey really want to join the life savers club or is John deciding for him? I also think Nicole only signed initially because Ruby kind of pressurised her to do it. She is obviously is having second thoughts, but is unsure how to back out of it. BTW wasn't the trek Trey's idea in the first place to honour Dan's memory (or was that John again)? Martin definitely shouldn't have been swayed by the fact that John was offering to provide a bus for the trip, that would be classed as a bribe. I couldn't see the other parents be too impressed about it.

Don't forget folks to make the most of H&A today and next week, because then it is off for August. I imagine for those who have Fiver they will be showing special episodes though those of us who don't have it will probably have some rubbish programmes on for the duration!

[Red Ranger 1]

Attention, Nerd Squad:See if you can spot the completely irrelevant bits in the recap.Today we were treated to scenes of Jai and Xavier, neither of whom were seen or mentioned in the actual episode.At least it was actually from yesterday rather than a random scene from last week.

Aye aye sir! Do you want to be Chief Nerd, Head Nerd, or Captin Nerd? Or another title?

I toyed with Nerd Chief for a couple of minutes but hey, Chief Nerd's quite cool.On the subject of which, Alf's episode count this week:Five again!What is that, four weeks running?!For the second time in three weeks, Leah only got the one.

Hard not to think of Aden getting beaten up and left unconscious on the beach as karma.Can't see Clint doing it on his own, did he have help?Presumably they couldn't afford a gang of extras:We didn't have to see the beating but seeing him cornered, confronted or followed might have made it seem less abrupt.Aden seemed to be beating himself up even more:Not really sure what he was talking about when he said he should have told Belle the truth.Does he mean he should have told her he'd blown all his savings on half a ring when he lost his job?Or that he should have confided in her about Clint's demands?Hard to see how that would have solved things.Is that the end of Clint, now he's had his literal pound of flesh in lieu of the money?Not sure about Tony telling all to Belle, he should have got Aden's side of the story first(Geoff telling her was more acceptable).Assuming Tony doesn't change his mind, kinda glad Aden's sports story is over, having him playing again when his career was supposedly over seemed a bit of a cheat.Thought there was going to be a reason for Geoff and Nicole being the ones who found Aden but then we never saw them again.And Belle with the weirdest proposal in history.She says she doesn't want a ring on her finger.She says she's happy with what's she got.And then she proposes?!Huh?!So she kind of...does want a ring on her finger(metaphorically if not literally)and does want something more?It would have been a lot more romantic and a lot more in character if she'd actually said he was enough for her and she didn't need to rush into marrying him to prove anything.I almost got the impression the proposal got added in at the last minute and they just changed the last couple of lines.

Would Miles really be reading a baby book in the surf club?Especially when they're not telling anyone they're trying?I'm wondering if the scene was meant to be at home and they couldn't be bothered to put up the set.Leah obviously wasn't convinced by Kirsty's explanation for having the pills in her bag. Colleen looked like she'd swallowed a wasp for half the episode as usual.

Nice to get some reaction from Annie to Claudia's departure although I suspect we'll never get an answer to her pondering how it went with her parents.Wondering if Nicole should have actually asked Trey if he wanted to go on the trek:He didn't seem that excited about the idea.Trey looking up how to build a bomb on the internet is slightly worrying but also a contender for this week's Silliest Moment. Firstly, why is he doing it in a public place where anyone could peer over his shoulder and see it? Secondly, would someone as controlling as John Palmer really not be bothered by him(presumably) shutting down what he was looking at when he approached him?You'd expect him to sit there going "What are you looking at?Open it up.Open it up.Open it up.Open it up..."