Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

Miranda: -

I think we'll have to disagree there RR, and fight a duel at dawn laugh.gif I never really thought Charlotte Best was one of the best actresses. Nothing against the girl but she and Romeo didn't have any chemistry whatsoever. They were a totally unbelievable couple. I suppose actually I fast forwarded through their scenes cos they were so boring.

I think Samara Weaving is much better. She just didn't get a word in around Romeo's complaining speeches.

So - you comparing a 10X speed Charlotte Best with a silent Samara ?

I think I'll have to call your critical methodology into question there Miranda.

I'm presuming Miranda started off watching the scenes with Romeo and Annie, tried giving them a chance then just got fed up. Also Annie had been on the show since the end of 2007 so that presumably Miranda based Charlotte's acting ability on that rather than just her scenes with Romeo at the end. Additionally Samara Weaving already featured on another soap - Out Of The Blue - so again enough time to form a opinion about Samara's acting ability. It's a shame Red Ranger never watched OOTB, I would have loved to have know his thoughts about it and some of the characters.

Regarding Thursday's episode I was surprised Rachel took the job just like that and was expecting a continuation on Friday.

Mixed feelings about Bianca after that episode. At times she seems to have a serious chip on her shoulder and does come across a bit of a b*tch. i.e. the way she reacted to having the chocolates delivered from her ex then threw a tantrum when Xavier and John were helping themselves - even though she didn't want them (Ah yes it was the principle). I thought it was a bit rude the way she told Gina she could do better than John and I really liked the dressing down April gave her on the beach about her behaviour, attitude and self-centeredness. However it's not just one sided and John has a serious case of foot-in-mouth and still the words 'tact' and 'John Palmer' don't go in the same sentence. Firstly there was the way he was talking about her to Gina and Alf (which provoked her to be rude in the first place) then later on when Bianca was trying to make an effort he was deliberately trying to bait her - and it worked. I was a bit disappointed with Gina the way she just asked Bianca to move out like that. I mean Bianca and John have had a disagreement twice and that was it. Although she did admit earlier on in the episode that John won't change so I suppose she just figured there was no point prolonging this (even though think she hasn't really given it a chance). April's the one I feel a bit sorry for because she was extremely apprehensive during the episode almost like treading on eggshells. I find I'm really enjoying the scenes with her and Xavier, really like them as a couple and look forward to seeing more of them. It would be a shame if April and Bianca did have to move out because one of the conditions for the truce between Xavier and John was that Gina let April and Bianca stay (if my memory serves me correctly) and I think Xavier and John have been getting on ok so it would be a shame if that were to end. Besides I actually think it's far more interesting keeping all of them in the house together like that.

For me personally Dexter has gotten beyond annoying. The way he tried to muscle in on his Sid's date was a perfect example. When he first returned to the bay with Indy and Sid I quite liked him but now the constant sarcasm and dry sense of humour has become extremely tedious rather quickly and it's not like Miles, where Miles is often quite humorous. I'm really failing to see the point of his character at the moment and don't think he interacts with enough of the younger cast members sufficiently and when he does I can't take him seriously. I said I liked this Dexter at the beginning but bring back the old Dexter now all is forgiven!

[Miranda]

Yes Slade, as you know I did love Out of the Blue. I have a big soft spot for all the OOTB actors, many of whom have been in H&A recently. It was such a shame OOTB finished, it was brilliant

It has been a particularly emotional and landmark week in my life, it doesn't help that its 9/11 today, so I am a bit touchy as well at the moment, so if I start seeing arguments everywhere, that is why.

Back to H&A:

I thought John was exceptionally tactless yesterday. You shouldn't open other people's parcels, you should leave them alone, and at least be polite enough to apologise if they catch you eating their chocolates! He made a hash of apologising to Bianca, touching her shoulder when she didn't want him to, offering her money.... dear oh dear, John!

But Bianca is very difficult to get on with, I'm not surprised she and John fell out. I can see why Gina took his side, but she could have tried to mediate better. I expect she has enough on her plate and doesn't want a troubled home life to come back to every night. I wonder what the heck Bianca's ex did to her though!

Yes, Dex was extremely rude. If I was Sid, I'd have said 'no, I'm having a night out with my girlfriend Marilyn' and make Dex go away. I think its weird Dex fancies Marilyn, I thought it was just a passing fancy but it seems he is obsessed!

[idris]

Slade -

I'm presuming Miranda started off watching the scenes with Romeo and Annie, tried giving them a chance then just got fed up. Also Annie had been on the show since the end of 2007 so that presumably Miranda based Charlotte's acting ability on that rather than just her scenes with Romeo at the end. Additionally Samara Weaving already featured on another soap - Out Of The Blue - so again enough time to form a opinion about Samara's acting ability. It's a shame Red Ranger never watched OOTB, I would have loved to have know his thoughts about it and some of the characters.

No offense Slade, but it was pretty clear that Miranda was boosting Samara's stock by having a pop at 'Annie'. There was no need to do that in that way, or her subsequent off-hand comments to me. Everyone's entitled to their opinions about the actors, but there's a drip, drip effect from such negative, and in this case, unnecessary (in the sense that it would surely have been better to spend all her time praising Samara) comments.

If Miranda can't be bothered to explain herself, I'm not sure why you felt it necessary defend her by presuming what her 'methodology' was.

[Red Ranger 1]

Okay, I think this argument has run on a bit long.Personally I think Charlotte and Samara are both capable actors and I don't feel the need to insult one in order to praise the other.Nor do I feel the need to blame either of them for failings in Romeo's character and/or Luke's acting, which has been equally good and equally bad with both of them.

Alf's episode count this week:Five.Leah and Miles were both in four.Where has this madness come from?!

Found a lot of the characters in that episode very unlikeable.In fact, at the moment I'm finding it hard to find anything likeable about Bianca at all.Even her sisterly relationship with April, which was the best thing about her, seems to have gone south and it actually feels like she's getting in the way of April, who's a much better character.In fact without her I actually rather like the dynamic at the Austin house:The scene of Xavier, April and John eating chocolates was rather sweet until Bianca came in and ruined it.(And she did tell them to do what they liked with the parcel...)On the other hand, John didn't really come across any better, deliberately winding Bianca up, even when she seemed to be making an effort, after Gina had told him to leave it alone.Whilst I wouldn't want to live with Bianca either, I was very disappointed with the way Gina threw her out of the house for something that was basically John's fault, another black mark against her character.Xavier and April continue to make a cute couple, I liked the scene of them in the corridor at the start and wish we'd had more of it.

I actually found Leah quite annoying in that episode:Colleen actually made some good points about her neglecting VJ, even if it is par for the course with HA parents.She's still his mother and he's been pretty supportive when he had every right to be annoyed with her for putting him through this again. Isn't this what VJ feared would happen when Leah and Elijah first got together, that it'd all go wrong and he'd be dumped with relatives while she wallowed in self-pity?Irene came across as pretty patronising in the scene where Leah was insisting she didn't regret making a clean break.Even though it was played as though she was putting on an act, she was actually right that she did the right thing.As someone who was never sold on Leah and Elijah as a couple, I'd rather forget about it than have to sit through all the aftermath.

I agree that Dexter is fast becomg unbearable.He actually came across as quite smarmy in his scenes with Marilyn and Sid, so the fact that Marilyn still seems to find him charming is a bit puzzling. I wouldn't go so far as saying I'd want the old Dexter back but then I didn't really think they needed him back at all, Sid and Indigo work perfectly fine without him.I was hoping this "crush" storyline was going to add some meat to a rather two-dimensional character but unfortunately it seems just as destructive as Ruby's.Plus side, it is making me appreciate Sid and Marilyn more...

[Miranda]

Well, I'm totally bemused by all this. RR1 is right, this 'argument' has gone on long enough. I didn't think I'd 'insulted' actors, or 'boosted someone's stock', or whatever. I've just posted comments on an internet message board about a soap, that's all I did TRY to explain how I feel, but it seems it was not acceptable. Life moves fast, I pop in and out of message boards leaving a quick comment here and there.

Anyway.... moving on....

[H&Alover]

If I may, without causing even more bother, I'd like to add my twopennth re Charlotte Best. When Annie first arrived in the Bay she was a sweet, very innocent girl and was played very well by Charlotte. I think it was only when she got involved with boys, (Jai, Dex then Romeo) she seemed to lose something. I'm not saying she should have remained boy free, it's just she seemed uncomfortable acting as a girlfriend.

Moving on.

There is definitely more to Bianca's breakup than just him cheating on her (I think she said she saw him kissing another girl?) It was a very strong reaction to receiving the parcel. She did indeed say they could do what they liked with it. Perhaps, though, it wasn't very discreet of them eating the chocolates when they knew she could come back home at any time. I don't think John and Bianca would ever get on even if they weren't living under the same roof. He has a tendency to open his mouth and put both feet in and she is a very abrasive character. At least April told her a few home truths, probably the only person who could do that and get away with it. She very nearly said 'you will lose me' but just stopped herself, but I think Bianca got the message.

I'm surprised really that Marilyn hasn't twigged that Dex has got a crush on her, he's hardly been subtle. In fact he's practically drooling over her. Sid is being a bit slow on the uptake as well.

Problem with Leah is when you are as low as she is at the moment you tend to forget about how other people are feeling (in this case VJ) and just focus on yourself. As we haven't seen VJ since Elijah left we have no idea how he is feeling. I think it comes to a kind of head next week. It certainly sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Irene that she was O.K.

[superman's girlfriend]

Can i say on the Charmarlotte argument we got Rabbit instead of Charlotte, Samara she got a different effect on Luke he was rued to her that's how they got their romance better acted from Luke while he sometimes still comes over as a little too perfect i like him so much better now he's with Indi. While Rabbit even before she arrived thought was instead of Annie Miles imaginery friend daughter excuse to fill his emptiness which was all therapeutic no medication needed also for Marilyn non who saw Rabbit predict her death, while Miles broke his leg high on the stairs, even Alf's flashback saw he's identical dad laugh his anxiety away

If I may, without causing even more bother, I'd like to add my twopennth re Charlotte Best. When Annie first arrived in the Bay she was a sweet, very innocent girl and was played very well by Charlotte. I think it was only when she got involved with boys, (Jai, Dex then Romeo) she seemed to lose something. I'm not saying she should have remained boy free, it's just she seemed uncomfortable acting as a girlfriend.

Moving on.

Everyone knew Charlotte was never the best acteress on the show, she couldn't have been much different from her character intruding herself as a tomboy she got first close with Jai, on the contrary to Annie he was a genius then there was Ruby Jai and Annie already a couple (the way to go) they were never more then friends but just not acceptable because.

Ruby felt like the third wheel on the wagon til she started her long journey with Xavier she would never be the same at the same time Jai and Annie were even more boring because of the high expectations between friends which was almost impossible,Ruby and Xavier became a really strong couple they really got the best out of each other till the bitter end. Charlie was really the best friend you could ever which for in the bay girl boy friend whatever, once.

[Red Ranger 1]

Kind of ironic that in the middle of a seemingly endless string of semi-incoherent posts about whether Charlotte was a good actress, whether Annie was ever in a convincing relationship and whether you can make Romeo interesting by having an otherwise intelligent girl inexplicably go doe-eyed over him, we actually get a reference to Annie!Wasn't sure if they were going to say her name when we got that first scene of Irene reading the letter but they got there in the end.Nice to know she's happy, all we need now is for her to mention Jai and it'll be perfect...

Oh-and we finally got to see Irene's house!Like the idea of April moving in, not so sure about the idea of Bianca moving in, I'd quite like April to ditch her since I'm finding her increasingly unbearable. I do think Irene will probably be a better influence on her than Gina though.Fair play to Gina for giving them time to move out.Not sure about John, although he admitted he was at fault and offered to let April and Bianca stay, it felt like he knew Gina would say no(although he was at least honest enough to admit he didn't really want Bianca around).April following Xavier out of the house when he "goes for a walk" was rather sweet and I like that she teased him out of his bad mood.The scene on the wharf was quite nice too, even if it did look like they were getting their shoes and Xavier's trousers wet.(I'm assuming they were meant to be barefoot but it was hard to tell...)I did actually find myself on Xavier's side for once in his confrontations with Gina, she does seem to be automatically taking John's side and doing a pretty good job of wrecking the family.Was that a hint of jealousy from April when Xavier went to talk to Ruby?

So, Charlie knows.Glad she and Ruby had a proper talk about it, wasn't sure it would happen when Charlie seemed to lose the use of her legs and just stand there while Ruby walked off.Credit to Ruby for taking full responsibility.Charlie's quizzing of Liam was harsh but fair and she gave him the benefit of the doubt.But the scene between him and Ruby was frustrating, he knows she's good at hiding her crush, he knows being around him causes her to act badly and he should stay away from her, but it all it takes is a "Can't we be friends?" and he's back serenading her.The guy is so going to get himself sacked if not arrested.Hope we get a scene of Charlie and Angelo discussing things at some point, given that he's too tired to talk here.Not that interested in his storyline although I liked the banter between him and Alf, who's coming across as quite paternal towards him.When he started shouting for someone to sort out the chairs and not getting any response, I did wonder who he was supposed to be talking to.The pixies?

[Slade]

I actually quite like the idea of April and Bianca both moving into Irene’s as it makes things interesting with Ruby. I can’t recall seeing Ruby and April having a conversation. Most of the time they’ve been near each other it’s when Xavier has been talking with Ruby and April whisked him away such as yesterday when she wanted him to speak to Gina again. So it will be good seeing the dialogue between them and the inevitable awkwardness. At least they have something in common – Xavier. With Bianca there’s the stuff with Ruby and Liam so again that’s bound to come up at some point. I wonder how long it will take before Irene finds out. I think Irene will find Bianca difficult to live with at first but she knows how to handle difficult people so I would like to see Irene put Bianca in her place which is bound to happen. I’m still a bit disappointed that they moved out though simply because of what is probably going to happen with Xavier and John. I know John can come across as quite arrogant and obnoxious but I do feel he’s made an effort with Xavier and I got so fed up with Xavier’s childish attitude before I don’t exactly relish the prospect of having to sit through it again.

Charlie actually came across a lot better than I thought she would. I saw the advert for the scene where she told Liam that she knew about the kiss and I was expecting all hell to break lose. She was firm but controlled and reasonable. I have to agree about Liam though I was extremely disappointed with him and thought what he was doing was beyond stupid. Ruby isn’t going to get over him anytime soon and the best thing for her would be not to see him at all so he should stay away. I honestly believe that he thinks he’s trying to help her but it’s almost like at times he’s oblivious to how he can be perceived by other people. What if Charlie were to see them together? What would she think?

[H&Alover]

Hurrah, Ruby and Irene managed to break through the force field and get home!!! Do you think there had been something wrong with the set which stopped us seeing it for so long? Irene seemed very distracted whilst reading that letter from Annie and just didn't seem to notice Ruby was on another planet. Was Irene saying she was going to write a book about Japan?

It's true, Slade, that Irene has had to deal with a lot of difficult people before, but they have all been teenagers, not a grown woman, who can't be treated the same way and would not react well to being put in her place. Ruby didn't seem that overjoyed at April moving in, probably due to the fact Xavier will be visiting a lot, even if she is over him.

Charlie took the news about Ruby and Liam very well I thought. Naturally she was concerned but as a mother and not a cop, and was prepared to listen to his side of the story. I think if this had happened before her therapy it would have been a different story. Shame he didn't take her (and his own) advice and didn't tell Ruby to go away or walk away from her himself. I know he can't avoid her at school, but outside he can.

Poor Angelo, he is trying so hard to make his place work and as sometimes happens is doing everything himself because he thinks no-one can do it as well as he can. Alf knows what he talking about, but short of knocking Angelo over the head and taking him home, not much he or Charlie can do. He did look sweet asleep on the table. Liked the scene where Alf was manipulating his back into place. I think I'd like to hear the story about the woman in Saigon as well.