Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

Hello Slade, long time no see!

Interesting subject you bring up about a teacher with a student over 16. Perhaps you'd have an interesting opinion about my book (see my signature). A good opportunity to promote it

Hi Miranda, I'm still around. I spend more time lurking these days although I was posting fairly frequently at one point when they were showing the old episodes during the summer break on Fiver.

I'll have to take a look at your book when I have the chance, congratulations by the way, great achievement.

I found it quite funny when Tony made a remark to Rachel about Daniel practically packing her in his suitcase. I thought he was being a bit immature the way he was acting when they were having dinner at Angelo's restaurant. To me it still didn't seem right firstly when Tony was joking with him and being friendly then when Angelo was sitting right at the head of the table and Tony was next to him and it was like nothing ever happened between them. Although in the world of soapland for the sake of storylines we have to move on I suppose.

Leah didn't seem too bothered about the restaurant itself as indicated by her "healthy competition remark". She's obviously too hung up over Elijah although she was ok at the start of the dinner. I actually quite liked Charlie helping out in her spare time and Miles's jokes about the name of the restaurant and the amount of food Angelo gave them were good. I have to agree with previous comments in that I don't particularly like the new design and the fact that there's also an upstairs now.

Again Bianca was quite firm with Ruby but I still didn't have a problem because as I mentioned yesterday I don't think diplomacy will work. Still it seemed to have a detrimental effect because it appears to have contributed to driving Ruby to drink and she appears to have taken a leaf out of Nicole's book. I thought that part was a bit silly although I was pleased there was some Charlie/Ruby interaction earlier on.

I'm actually glad Bianca's so concerned about Liam, it indicates that she probably likes him a lot more than she's letting on (spending her evening contemplating whether to call him or not). I wouldn't mind seeing those two together. Liam's going to end up in so much trouble I can just see it. I feel a bit sorry for him because you could argue he's handled things badly up till now but I think he was just trying to do right by Ruby and although I think he probably should have just called Charlie and come clean, he is simply trying to make the best of a bad situation. Funny that Liam called Nicole as mentioned before she was hung up over Sid and she used to go out with Liam. Incidentally that's a nice place Liam's got.

I'm glad Miles's attitude towards Sid has improved from when he first returned but I still found it annoying when Nicole refused to believe Sid's word over Penn's. I do agree with previous comments and what Sid mentioned about Penn being unhinged. It's interesting the conversation Sid had with Alf about Nicole. To her he can do no wrong but to other people the guy's a pathological liar. Well that's how I see him anyway.

[Miranda]

Thanks Slade

I am actually starting to feel sorry for Ruby. She seems to be stuck in a time warp: still obsessed with herself and boys she can't have whereas the others seem to be moving on. I know Nicole is obsessed with Penn but she isn't obsessed with herself.

I agree Tony was being immature, he'd almost certainly drunk too much. Angelo's restaurant is really cold and unfriendly as well as downstairs. If I lived there, I'd avoid it and go to Noah's Bar or Leah's Diner. I suppose the writers needed more places where characters could interact, so added the ground floor bar and Angelo's

[Red Ranger 1]

Back to not liking Bianca at the start of the episode, after seeming to be a bit softer at the end of the previous episode she was back to being right but harsh.I did like her scene with Irene though.It's reached the stage where Liam really needs to stop thinking he can deal with this on his own.Not mentioning that Ruby kissed him is one thing, not mentioning that she turned up at his house drunk in her underwear is another thing entirely.Even if he doesn't make it official, he should have called Irene or Charlie and let them know what was going on, instead of getting Nicole to come along and sort her out, especially when she brought the extremely untrustworthy Penn with her.I wonder if he even realised what having a drunk student in his front room wearing one of his shirts looked like.He seems to be in the same situation as Sid last year, where technically he's not doing anything wrong but he isn't really doing anything right either.When Nicole told him to have a chat to Ruby when she sobers up, I was screaming "Don't be stupid!Stay right away from her!"Did he push Ruby into the pool on purpose?I thought so at first but his behaviour afterwards suggested otherwise.Although frankly it would have been a more sensible decision than inviting her in.The fact that he was singing a song he wrote for Ruby adds a curious subtext to the whole thing.

Good to see some Charlie/Ruby interaction and good too that Angelo clocked she was feeling unhappy.Interesting that Ruby's reasons for not telling Charlie everything seemed to be that she's worried she'll be disappointed in her rather than fear that Charlie will overreact(which she probably will).Did Charlie realise Ruby wasn't telling her the whole truth?Liked the little bits with her and Angelo, I'm hoping this more relaxed relationship between them continues.

I think that's actually the first time we've seen Tony being friendly towards Angelo since Jack's death. (Well, when he wasn't trying to kill him, anyway.)I actually didn't mind, a lot of water's passed under the bridge since then.He really didn't do himself any favours with his behaviour, the drink probably didn't help but he seemed to be a bit sulky and making little digs before that.Not sure about Rachel's comment that Tony didn't know what to do with himself:Maybe for about a week.What was presumably meant to be Rachel's college photo seemed to show her at exactly the same age she is now and older than when we first met her.Okay, Rachel had her back to him, but did Daniel really not see Tony come back in at the end?Loved the way Miles looked totally embarrassed and tried to leave with Leah.

Sid's assessment of Nicole, that she's bright but still somewhat naive, helps to solve the apparent dichotomy in her character.I think Noah's and the rest of the surf club is gone for good, that place where Alf was working seems to have taken its place.

[H&Alover]

Oh Ruby, Ruby what are you doing??? Was going round to Liam's and singing along to 'your' song going to make you feel any better? In answer to your question Red I think it was an accident, she was drunk after all and that door opened straight onto the pool. I suppose he was singing the song because he, in a way, has also lost out as in making a comeback and I think he was fond of Ruby. Good call asking Nicole to come and get her, not so good having Penn along, who knowing him will use it to his advantage should the fancy take him. Ruby could hardly tell Charlie the truth could she

(although judging by the trailers I saw last night she finds out anyway).

There must be more to Tony's reaction about Rachel going to America then just uprooting themselves. It's not as if Harry is of school age so moving would be disruptive. Tony may have more of a struggle finding a job whereas Rachel has one ready and waiting, which I can understand. If the boot was on the other foot how would Rachel be reacting?

I thought there would be more people at the 'opening', it seemed a lot of effort for just five people! :confused: I thought Sid and Marilyn were going? Good observation by Charlie that Angelo is likely to get a lot of couples who have had a row (e.g. Rachel & Tony) before coming out, it doesn't mean his food isn't any good. I'm guessing Angelo is going for the haute cuisine look judging by Miles' remark.

First time we have seen Bianca unsure of herself and her little talk with Irene. Though I wonder if Irene would have been so laid back if she had known why Bianca wanted to speak to Liam?

Apart from the outside night scenes, had Miles forgot to pay the leccy bill? It was so gloomy I could hardly see what was going on!

[Miranda]

RIP Noahs and the Surf Club

I think Tony doesn't want to leave Jack behind. But has he forgotten he's got a live son in America i.e. Lucas? Jack can be wherever Tony is.

The stupid thing about the Nicole/ Sid situation is that Nic apparently hasn't noticed that he is now going out with Marilyn, and very lovey dovey with her. Does Nic really think he still fancies her, and Marilyn is irrelevant? She really needs to use her brain, not let Penn hypnotise her.

Yes, I agree that Penn is going to use the Liam/ Ruby situation to his advantage. I just dread to think what he'll do, just for the fun of it

I can't believe Ruby was worrying about Charlie's reaction because she'd messed up her love life. She must have forgotten the mess Charlie has made of her own love life in the past....

[Miranda]

I wish Indi and Romeo would just get on with it, his tongue was hanging out when she was talking about taking her top off while they were on the phone A much better couple than Romeo and Annie.

I felt sorry for Rachel and Tony. That is what marriage is about: compromising in those sort of situations. But how? Its a deadlock. Been there, done that...

[Slade]

As the show was off air for several weeks I can't remember the last time Charlie was at work but she seemed to be with Angelo most of the time over the last couple of episodes, helping out with the restaurant and bar. I have to say it looked great. It's amazing he managed to get it finished on time and was able to raise the funds for it. I'm quite enjoying the Charlie/Angelo stuff. And I liked Alf's excitement too. I wonder if Bianca cancelling her reservation was because Liam ignored her calls yesterday.

I'm glad Dexter was only in one scene and would have preferred it if he wasn't in it at all TBH. It was good to see Indi again but I can't say the same for Romeo. I just don't like the guy and find him extremely boring. A few of his scenes are reminiscent of Aden i.e. looking good with his shirt off.

I can't believe I'm going to say this but I felt really bad for Rachel. That's an opportunity of a lifetime and under normal circumstances she would be an idiot to turn it down. The thing is I can see Tony's point of view too, especially when he mentioned Jack and wanting to be close to Gina. It's a very difficult situation and I honestly don't know who is in the right or what they should do.

[Red Ranger 1]

Tony started the episode even more smug and childish than last episode in his scene with Rachel on the beach.I did find myself on his side during his confrontation with Daniel, even though he made some valid points.I really liked that scene of Tony and Rachel at home with Tony being honest and open about why exactly he wants to stay, I can certainly understand why he'd find uprooting himself daunting when just about everything he knows and loves is in Summer Bay:Lucas might be in America but America's a big place.(And the USA is pretty big too...)I'm glad Rachel took time out to process it and I can understand her feeling torn:She knows how much staying means to Tony but she knows how much going means to her as well.Miles' advice to Tony was reminiscent of the terrible advice he was giving Elijah near the end, saying you shouldn't sacrifice your happiness for the person you love.Some people might argue that's exactly what you should do...

There've been quite a few false dawns over the past six months so I should probably be more cautious.But in the last episode before the break and now this one, Romeo, who's been one of the show's dullest and most irritating characters for a while, actually seems to be getting his spark back: He's working a lot better now that it's obvious he's interested in Indigo rather than moping around all the time.They do work well as a couple:He and Annie were good to start with, before they actually got together, but by the end her leaving, twice, was a mercy killing.I loved that little scene of them chatting on the phone while watching the same movie and then virtually having phone sex.(She wasn't wearing anything under that top, was she..?)I didn't even mind Dexter, his exchanges with Romeo were quite amusing.

I think Charlie was in uniform yesterday?She popped by to chat with Angelo and Ruby in her lunch break?Liked the little scene of Miles, Charlie and Angelo sitting exhausted on the couch and watching Tony and Rachel argue, it was rather sweet.

[Miranda]

you shouldn't sacrifice your happiness for the person you love.Some people might argue that's exactly what you should do...

Aha, the dilemma. Sacrifice your happiness for the person you love and feel bitter towards them forever? Or do what makes you happy and lose the person you love forever? Life is full of questions.

I think 'Indi' is just a much better actress than 'Annie', she has better chemistry with Romeo and forces him to act instead of just saying his lines.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, I'm not going to slate Charlotte Best's acting, I thought she was very good but she was given some very poor scripts and a less than capable leading man near the end.I think it's more a case of the writers playing to Luke Mitchell's strengths and realising what he can and can't do than the quality of the other actor in the scene:Up until these last couple of episodes, his scenes with Indi, where he was moaning about his mother and making dreary "Annie broke my heart so I never want to date another girl again" speeches, were as bad as anything when he was with Annie.