Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Psychic Wombat]

Ha, maybe the contaminated land explains the behavior of most of the characters in Summer Bay!

I think Miles is heading for some kind of breakdown brought on by Kirsty leaving him, he's been on a downward spiral ever since. Maybe Marilyn will save him if she doesn't die...when a character returns to the bay they have to die - it's the rule... e.g. Chloe

I used to like Charley as a character but the way she's messed Angelo about has lost my sympathy. In fact both and her and Martha are being a PITA! I'm not surprised Liam is backing off. Ok, I'm sure there are fine laudable explanations for their behavior (not sure what Charleys is) but it doesn't excuse it.

The whole Annie/Romeo thing makes me cringe definately one for the sheilas! Go back to Japan Annie!

[H&Alover]

Who was that phone call from that Miles took when he was talking to Romeo?

I think it was meant to be from Angelo, who he was with at the Diner when we next saw him?Thanks to everyone who cleared up what "remission" means.

Had a big smile on my face during Tony and John's verbal sparring, it's beginning to feel a bit like the sort of not-quite-friends-not-quite-enemies relationship that Aden and Geoff had last year and I'm rather enjoying it.The mental image of those two boxing is rather amusing...

Thanks Red. I liked those scenes between John and Tony as well, they actually came across as friendly, probably to do with the fact they aren't working together any more. The thought of them having a boxing match does rather boggle the mind somewhat. When Tony suggested geting Xavier into boxing I thought he just meant thumping a punch bag, not actually getting into tournaments. It had to happen that Gina would call by and catch Tony and Xavier sparring!!

I had a double take when Xavier told Ruby she was the smartest person he knew he obviously doesn't get out much! Must admit though it was a clever idea of hers to ask Colleen the best place to hide 'secret papers'.

Liam did the right thing in breaking off that kiss from Martha, she obviously is not as O.K. as she keeps telling people she is.

At least he is now convinced that Xavier isn't into drugs.

[Red Ranger 1]

I can see Gina's point about the sparring session:Tony should have spoken to her before actually doing something with Xavier.(Although...he's not old enough to box but he's old enough to move out?)But I do find her very unlikeable a lot of the time and it's hard to agree with her when she's got that whole self-righteous "If you disagree with me you're wrong" attitude.I'm glad that Rachel pulled her up on her "Hugo's bad" litany, shame she didn't listen:It's ironic that the one person in town who can see the good in John Palmer won't give her own son a second chance.Her offer to Xavier was exactly what any sensible parent would have done in the first place.Except now he's stuck doing the boxing.It's curious how your opinions change, Ruby was just about on the right side of bearable in that episode but I think that 12-18 months ago I'd have found her chirpiness endearing.Instead I found her inability to take things seriously rather wearing.Tony and Liam finally seem to have noticed that Martha's on the edge of a breakdown, her cheery behaviour is past forced and into desperate.Her obsession with getting back with Liam when it's obviously completely the wrong move for both of them was rather worrying.

Well, Marilyn seems to have found her place in the scheme of things:Alf and Miles tolerate her then roll their eyes when she isn't looking.Miles actually looked pained when she made the comment about putting a carrot out for Rabbit.Curious that he seemed adamant that she hadn't been dreaming about her.(Rabbit's expression when Alf said Miles "didn't have much opposition", presumably because from his perspective he's playing himself, was brilliant.)When I first saw that sketch, I thought Miles had drawn Rabbit with devil's horns.I think they were meant to be rabbit ears but it looked seriously freaky either way.

[H&Alover]

Although boxing is a violent sport I didn't see Gina's argument that other forms of self defence like Ju-jitsu and karate weren't. If a person is struck in the right (or wrong place depending on how you look at it) they are going to get hurt. She is only seeing the negative side, boxing taught well can also be good exercise and a way of getting rid of aggression, we've seen Aden using a punch bag for that very purpose, stopping him knocking seven bells of hell out of someone. I also found Ruby irritating the way she kept thumping Xavier, I felt like hitting myself!! Pity her idea for Xavier to get out of boxing didn't work, as Gina made the suggestion I had weeks ago that if Xavier came home although she would still see John he wouldn't come round the house.

Poor Martha is definitely beginning to unravel, did you spot her comment to Tony about Liam not wanting to get back with her (she said it twice in fact), erm, they weren't actually together were they?

She has a heart to heart with Alf tonight (I think) and of course he can't tell her the truth about Hugo.

I couldn't understand why Marilyn kept saying that Rabbit/Amber seemed familiar to her, she hasn't actually 'seen' her and I don't think there is anyway she could have known her before.:confused: I was expecting Marilyn to find the sketch Miles did of Amber recently but that drawing we saw looked like it was done after he first meet her. We all know Marilyn isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but even she clicked when Miles said there was no way she could know Rabbit.

Colleen seems to have taken Elijah's advice to heart she was actually civil to Marilyn!

BTW if as some of us suspect Marilyn has come back for other reasons then she is letting on, what is it the TPTB have against characters whose name begins with M? Just a thought.

[Miranda]

I completely agree with you H&Alover about boxing. It is a safer way for boys to release anger and frustration. Otherwise, they will just fight behind the bike sheds or wherever and probably really hurt each other, with no one around to referee the fight or stop it before real damage is done. That is the whole point of boxing: its a preventative measure. Boys fight. That's life.

Yes, Martha is falling apart. Unsurprising after the last year or so that she has had. And now she's stuck out on the farm alone, that is not good for someone in her state of mind. Liam is trying his best to help her, but he is like a kid, hardly grown up, and not the right person to help. I'm glad Xavier has been brought back from the farm, otherwise a really weird and horrible situation could develop there for him and Martha. There's no way he could cope with Martha's moods, Liam can only just manage.

I also think Miles is falling apart. Again, not surprising after the last year or so. Rabbit is definitely Amber, I'm sure. How we were fooled into thinking he had somehow 'got over' losing her and his wife, I dont' know.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, confirmation that only Miles can see Rabbit.And then a second confirmation, just in case we weren't paying attention the first time.(Although from the angle Alf was looking, wouldn't the bin have been in the way anyway?)Course, that doesn't explain why the part of the van she was cleaning she was actually clean:Would have loved it if we'd seen the sponge floating in the air... Anyway, most important thing of all, it's pretty clear that Miles knows that only he can see Rabbit.The way he repeats what she says, the way he quickly covered when he spoke to her in front of Elijah and the fact that he didn't think it at all odd that she was standing next to him while he was giving a lesson.And the way he said that he might have put the drawing on the fridge, as if he knows he's been doing the things Rabbit does.It almost feels like we're meant to find Rabbit sinister(with the way she tells Elijah she'll "look after" Miles for instance), but I don't, she's just too cute for that.I wouldn't mind having an invisible girl telling me what to say sometimes...So... although Miles seems a lot more stressed at the moment, is it really as simple as him losing his mind?I'm thinking about Marilyn's dreams, where she tells her that Miles isn't mad and points to him in a straightjacket and says it's "their" fault.Was she saying that people will think Miles is mad, when they see him talking to her, but it's actually more complicated than that?(After all, hallucinations don't usually tell the future...)

Leah's reaction to Elijah telling her not to embarrass him was understandable but a bit paranoid, it was obviously a joke that came out wrong.Has VJ had a growth spurt?He was almost as tall as Leah here.Martha once again closes Liam down when he tries to get her to confront the real reason she's been behaving oddly.Although Angelo only seemed to be in that episode to remind Alf about Hugo, I did quite like the banter between him and Martha.

Annie's doing something stupid to impress a guy.Yawn.(A guy who "takes the credit for other people's love poems"...writers, you really didn't need to bring that one up.)I smiled when she shut the window on him but, sigh, then she went and opened it again...

[Psychic Wombat]

You wouldn't see the sponge floating in the air, when we see Rabbit we're seeing through Miles's eyes, he see's the sponge in Rabbits hand it doesn't mean the sponge is there. Thankfully Miles appears to realise he's got a problem, could be another side effect from the contaminated land...?

Well, confirmation that only Miles can see Rabbit.And then a second confirmation, just in case we weren't paying attention the first time.(Although from the angle Alf was looking, wouldn't the bin have been in the way anyway?)Course, that doesn't explain why the part of the van she was cleaning she was actually clean:Would have loved it if we'd seen the sponge floating in the air... Anyway, most important thing of all, it's pretty clear that Miles knows that only he can see Rabbit.The way he repeats what she says, the way he quickly covered when he spoke to her in front of Elijah and the fact that he didn't think it at all odd that she was standing next to him while he was giving a lesson.And the way he said that he might have put the drawing on the fridge, as if he knows he's been doing the things Rabbit does.It almost feels like we're meant to find Rabbit sinister(with the way she tells Elijah she'll "look after" Miles for instance), but I don't, she's just too cute for that.I wouldn't mind having an invisible girl telling me what to say sometimes...So... although Miles seems a lot more stressed at the moment, is it really as simple as him losing his mind?I'm thinking about Marilyn's dreams, where she tells her that Miles isn't mad and points to him in a straightjacket and says it's "their" fault.Was she saying that people will think Miles is mad, when they see him talking to her, but it's actually more complicated than that?(After all, hallucinations don't usually tell the future...)

Leah's reaction to Elijah telling her not to embarrass him was understandable but a bit paranoid, it was obviously a joke that came out wrong.Has VJ had a growth spurt?He was almost as tall as Leah here.Martha once again closes Liam down when he tries to get her to confront the real reason she's been behaving oddly.Although Angelo only seemed to be in that episode to remind Alf about Hugo, I did quite like the banter between him and Martha.

Poor Leah, I hope one day they'll find a suitable partner for her, just can't see it working between Elijah. I always thought Tony and Leah would make a good couple, much better than his current 'I want a baby NOW...er, I don't like babies I prefer work' Rachel.

Annie's doing something stupid to impress a guy.Yawn.(A guy who "takes the credit for other people's love poems"...writers, you really didn't need to bring that one up.)I smiled when she shut the window on him but, sigh, then she went and opened it again...

[H&Alover]

Although we have kind of known for a while that Rabbit wasn't real as long as we could see her she seemed real. When we actually saw him talking to an empty space it sent a shiver down my back as it was finally confirmed he has been imagining her! She was more involved in his life yesterday, especially when she turned up at school. Thank goodness for Marilyn, she may be ditzy most of the time and not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but all credit to her she stood her ground against Alf saying she was wrong and must have been dreaming and that there was nothing wrong with Miles. Her saying she must have seen that drawing of Rabbit/Amber on the fridge when she first arrived answered my question on yesterdays post.

The way Martha was saying that Miles hadn't fully grieved over Ollie and Kirsty leaving and the loss of their baby she could have been talking about herself not grieving over losing Hugo (though she wouldn't or can't admit that yet). The way she was playing with the ring on that chain does seem to indicate she is not far from some sort of collapse.

Liked the scene on the beach between Elijah and VJ, I think that is the first time we have seen him actually talk about Vinnie. It does seem that Elijah has to tell Leah the truth sooner rather than later though. As for his growth spurt (VJ's that is not Elijah's) I wouldn't have thought is that unusual for a boy his age. Lads in soaps do seem to suddenly shoot up more than girls.

Not sure about the scenes between Romeo and Annie unless it was put in to allievate the more dramatic goings on in other places.

Since when did the caravan park get so big, I'm sure it hasn't always been that size.

[Red Ranger 1]

Some stuff in that episode that I really liked and some stuff that I really hated.Positives first:Miles and Rabbit.If you think very closely about what they said, then it seems that Rabbit isn't the ghost of Amber, she just wants everyone to think she is.(Assuming that Rabbit is actually real on some level and not just a projection of Miles, which has never seemed that likely and is starting to seem less and less.)Maybe that's why she told Marilyn that's who she was in that dream?Her little Greek chorus commentary on the action and her interaction with Miles while no-one else knows what's going on had me smiling.It's odd, the way she effectively made Miles fall down the stairs for not listening to her again could have been sinister, but they put that light music on it so it didn't come across that way at all...It does seem as though we're getting more questions rather than answers and assuming we actually get answers I'm really enjoying it.It seems to be turning into one of those slightly weird storylines that only Home and Away does and does well.Sadly, and somewhat worryingly, this storyline was the most sensible and believable in the episode.

So...Romeo and Annie.Not only were their scenes together mind-numbingly dull, it's clear that they've had to destroy both their personalities to make the relationship come even close to working, which is odd because their original personalities were a lot more interesting and complemented each other a lot better.So...now we're told that not only is Romeo turning into an insecure wreck but he was always that way, it's just that setting foot in Summer Bay instantly transformed him into a wisecracking surfer dude.I'd almost believe that except he's meant to be an old friend of Jai's(remember Jai?), who didn't greet him with "Hey, your personality has completely changed since we were in care", more like "Hey, things are going to be fun now you're here, got your eye on any girls yet?"And didn't he say only a week or so ago that he's never had butterflies before?Given how many holes there are in his backstory, it would be nice to have actually heard what he told Annie.And what exactly were they doing hanging around school for hours in the middle of the night?Summer Bay High's notoriously poor security aside, didn't anyone wonder where they were?

Aden.God, I really thought he'd grown up this year.Guess I should know better by now.Lying to Rachel about speaking to his father isn't going to buy Justin time, it's just going to get them both into even more trouble.Surely Rachel has an obligation to report the DNA results to the police investigating the accident?Is she going to delay it for Aden's sake?And if she does, what about everyone else at the hospital?Either way, they'll work out Aden lied about Larry still being in prison in about ten seconds flat.(Surprised he got parole by the way;given that he seemed on death's door last time we saw him even without Aden pushing things along, I wasn't expecting him to ever leave prison.Or maybe it was on health grounds?)Then, after Justin suggests he could have killed Larry if he told him about Aden's abuse, even though he already knew about it when he was at the hospital and so must surely have found out beforehand, we're treated to the suggestion that the police somehow failed to find a body within walking distance of the crash site.Words fail me.

[idris]

Agree that Romeo's character is being revealed in mysterious,not to say unbelievable, ways. But the scenes weren't dull. How can standing in a tray of red paint with Annie the Klutz be dull ? Surreal... but not dull. Sorry, I forgot... Romeo is now a Klutz as well, so they cancel each others' klutziness out.

Would say that Annie was closer to herself in that episode - especially by not letting glib, wisecracking Romeo off the hook about discussing his past. His responses are almost always evasive when Annie tries to get serious. She was doing it for the right reason - to find out more about what makes Romeo the right one for her...or not. At least it's better than the mostly vacuous way the writers have been portraying her reactions to surfer dude up to now.

I think Annie has shown kindness and understanding towards Romeo recently, haven't seen much of it reciprocated though.

Annie and Romeo wagging off - remember that the school considers Annie a non-person, she should still be in Japan according to their records. She may just be going for a massive negligence payout when it is revealed that no school official discussed her possible return to Japan with her. If I was her solicitor....

Is Nicole deaf ? Or is she just that used to Miles shouting 'MOVE !' when she's in the house ?

One poor moment in a good episode was Marilyn humouring Miles, when she turned around to say 'Hello' to Wabbit. Too obvious and not funny.

I'm much more impressed by the new 'film' type lighting in most scenes. Being me, I've got to qualify that by saying I don't think it works too well in the Diner. Romantic restaurant rendezvous .. mais oui. Cafe/diner ? Makes me think the patron is hiding something nasty with poor lighting.