Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Red Ranger 1]

Objectively, trying to ignore the fact I really don't like her, Gina handled things as well as she could with Richard and with Jett.I'm still not sure she's up to being a foster parent but having taken Jett on it would do even more damage to send him back now.She nearly lost him again by taking that photograph and John's left picking up the pieces again.Jett's tantrum outside Richard's house reminds me why I have a great deal of difficulty sympathising with him, you get an odd moment, like when he was asking Gina what Richard was like, where he's quite likeable but he's soon back to acting like a brat.Man, I miss Xavier.He told it how it was.Richard standing there shouting "Hey!Come back!" as an injured thirteen-year-old scampers away from him prompted a "You're not even trying to catch him, are you?"

I'm glad April made an effort with Bianca and Heath, I didn't like her being at odds with them.Shame that after spending last week convincing April it was a good thing, Irene's suddenly developed a case of amnesia and decided she disapproves of him again.While Bianca and Heath do seem comfortable around each other, it's a nice touch that Heath isn't comfortable around her family.He couldn't handle that side of things with April(and I'm convinced he wanted it to work)so it would be unrealistic for him to suddenly be fine with it.Just rolled my eyes at another Dexter/April bedroom scene.Can they really not think of anything better to do with Dex than worrying about being caught having sex with his girlfriend while her de facto foster mother's in the house?

Not sure if Harvey's made the right decision in telling Melissa about Lottie himself.It might be putting a bit too much pressure on her but it might have come better from Lottie.At least he had the sense not to let Roo gang up on her.

[H&Alover]

I think the problem with Gina not wanting Jett to get in touch with his dad is it's too soon after Xav has left, she likes having someone to mother and dare I say Jett is a Xav substitute. In the future she could be a good foster mum, but she's all over the place at the moment. For someone who had trouble in the past dealing with a teenager, John just seems to get it right with Jett. Richard himself, does on the surface seem an OK guy. It would have been a huge shock to find out he is a potential father. As he told Gina he has no job and probably has a tough enough time looking after himself, though as we saw from the trailer, they do meet. He probably worked out who Jett was after he had run off, hence his visit to the bay. Do I sense a DNA test coming up very soon?

Talking of fathers, I think Heath felt really out of place at Irene's, fair enough everyone was making a fuss of Bianca, but he was ignored, no wonder he made an excuse to leave.

Had to smile at Dex's attempt to hid under the bed, like Irene was fooled any.

Did like Dex and Sid's chat about staying over and it was obviously seeing that that decided Jett to seek his dad out anyway.

I think Harvey is the only one who should tell Mel about Lottie's decision, she wasn't happy about doing it. Alf was very wise again when they were all fretting about how to tell Mel that just to wait until she was and take it from there, because you can't plan how to tell someone something like that that will have such a big impact in their life.

[Red Ranger 1]

Wow, I wasn't expecting the Richard storyline to go like that.While it's obvious that Jett's going to continue living with John and Gina for the foreseeable, I thought he might be someone who popped in from time to time to try and build a relationship rather than disappearing that quickly.Unless he comes back?I was impressed with the canny way that John realised Richard turned up because he was worried about Jett, less so with the way he virtually scared him off with his remarks about what a nightmare Jett can be.I was actually expecting Jett to accuse him of that when he turned up on his own but instead he was more sad than angry.I wish we saw more of that vulnerable side of him, it makes him more likeable.Gina also impressed me with the way she's started putting Jett first.

I have to admit I was slightly frustrated with Irene's attitude towards Heath.He's not going to turn into a perfect boyfriend overnight and I wish she'd spoken to him when she saw him on the wharf and given him a nudge in the right direction, rather than shooting him frosty looks and going to tell Bianca.She does earn points for trying to back out of taking Bianca to the hospital instead of him and leaving them alone when he turned up.Hopefully the show will continue to portray this realistically rather than turning it into a fairytale romance.I was expecting Marilyn and/or Heath to find something dodgy in Danny's caravan rather than the letters.Since Brax confirmed they're authentic, I wonder why Danny held onto them.Sentiment or is he canny enough to realise they might be a useful weapon against Brax?

[Slade]

Since H &A was off air for several weeks my anger towards Ruby had diminished slightly so I wasn't as annoyed at her last week even the way she was towards Indy. I was pretty satisfied with stuff with her, Romeo and Indy and I'm glad Romeo finished with her. Initially I wanted him and Indy to get back together but part of me thinks she deserves better although I suppose a temporary reunion to rub in Ruby's face would be good.

April was seriously getting on my nerves regarding her jealousy over the fact that IMO Heath never felt about her the way he does about Bianca. I said this before I think but she was a weak substitute. I love the fact that Dex called her out about it and really loved the scene where Dex was offloading to Sasha whilst April was simultaneously moaning to Irene.

One of the highlights for me last week was the stuff with Lottie and Sasha. I actually really like their friendship. And Sasha surprisingly I felt gave good advice about Lottie's decision to stay. For the short time she's been here, Lottie has gone out of her way to put other people before herself so I think it's only right she should stay in the bay if that makes her happy (irrespective of what it will do to Melissa) and I was glad Alf advised her to do that. My favorite scene with Lottie and Sasha was when they were talking about Sasha's pursuit of Casey and likened it to stalking. I loved the way Dex was listening and jumped into the conversation too. Personally I wouldn't mind being stalked by Sasha.

I actually like that Alf and Harvey are getting on now - see what a positive effect Lottie has on people. I'm glad she wants to stay in the bay and I don't like Melissa one bit but I can she where she is coming from. She's been looking after Lottie all of her life, Harvey hasn't seen them in years then Lottie spends a few months rebuilding the relationship with her father and all of a sudden she doesn't want to live with her mother anymore. I think a lot of people would be devastated. I actually thought Harvey handled Melissa very well. In saying that can't Melissa come to a compromise and simply stay in the bay. Can't she go back to the hospital to work.

I often find it very hard to have any sympathy for Jett but his reaction upon finding out about the letter was understandable. I loved the way John was going out of his way to try and get Richard more involved in Jett's life. He obviously wants shot of Jett ASAP.

I still don't think Danny should have been released from jail but have to admit like some of the posts I am enjoying the stuff with him and Brax. Can't believe he would have his own son bashed. I also have to be honest and say I found some of the posts in this thread regarding Danny quite amusing. It would appear that whilst not all posters, a few are firmly in Danny's corner purely out of their dislike towards Brax, irrespective of how bad a person he is. Again I don't want to think of what he will do to Cheryl if he ever catches up with her. I was a bit puzzled by today's episode. Obviously Brax has been trying to raise money to pay off Danny, I assume that was he was talking about earlier on in the episode and he was acting like he's completely run out of options. There was just something about the way he was talking with Casey that made me wonder whether he was thinking about doing something illegal such as a robbery. Can't he go back to cage fighting again like when he needed to raise the cash for Leah.

Again found it amusing when Natalie went up to Brax in a bikini and asked him out. Likewise, with Marilyn's pursuit of Danny. I genuinely don't understand the infatuation there. Is it the badboy thing. I have to say if both of them are stupid enough to go out with Danny and Brax knowing what they are like there's an argument that they deserve everything they get.

[Red Ranger 1]

I continue to be curious as to why Danny kept the letters:Are we to take his statement they were his only link with his family at face value?Or did he know Brax hid them from Heath and Casey, despite acting otherwise?I do accept that Danny tracking down Cheryl is not a very appealing prospect but I still quite enjoy seeming him yanking Brax's chain.Still, despite acknowledging that they're not so different, Casey seems to be leaning back into Brax's corner by the end, not that that'll probably do him much good.Actually rather like Marilyn's friendship with Danny even if he is mostly if not entirely using her.Don't mind Natalie hanging around Brax as much as I thought I would, which I think is a sign that I've given up on Natalie more than anything else.She's obviously decided to put on blinkers where Brax is concerned just because he's slightly better than Danny.Even though she seemed to treat it as a joke, his comment about robbing banks was probably at least half serious.Not sure if he's exhausted all the legal avenues(he could try selling the restaurant for a start, which might leave the family hard up but so would ending up in jail)but going back to cage fighting would be pretty suicidal after all the warnings Sid gave him.

For a bit there it looked like Melissa might have changed but...no, she hasn't.I'm not sure she really has the right to play the martyr, it seemed like she was quite happy to cut Harvey out of Lottie's life.The way she tried to bully Lottie into going away with her did underline firstly why Lottie prefers where she is and secondly why going back to live with her is a bad idea.I'm not entirely won over by Harvey(Roo seems to have a different definition of "charming" than I do)but he's definitely the lesser of two evils here.What happened to Marilyn, by the way?She seemed to be at the house for Danny's visit but not at any other time.

[H&Alover]

I liked those Jett and Richard scenes, nice bit of bonding, though it is very soon for Richard to take him on full time. Seems Gina and John have been reading my mind regarding DNA. I was thinking along the same lines about Jett staying with John & Gina and Richard visiting, which despite of what he said to John, I can see that happening. It would be more realistic for it to happen that way. Nice of John to offer to see if he could set Richard up with a job. I did feel for Jett when John came back on his own, his remark about everyone leaving him was very sad. bTW his wound seemed to have healed up pretty quick!

On completely different angle on parents and their children we have Harvey, Melissa and Lottie. It seems (to me at least) Mel isn't fully as well as she likes to think she is. Once again as she had in the past she accused Harvey of turning Lottie against her, which despite his faults, he has never done that, he's stuck up for her when even Lottie has moaned about her. He fully realises that Mel has brought her up mostly on her own (though wasn't she with her mum and a new bloke somewhere along the line)? Mel can't seem to realise Lottie is old enough to make her own mind up and that it is her decision to stay with Harvey. I'd be very wary of living with someone as unstable as Mel seems to be. The city isn't that far away for heavens sake, they can visit each other anytime.

It does seem odd Danny had kept those letters, was he planning on 'using' them when he had finally got out of jail? (see

[H&Alover]

I liked those Jett and Richard scenes, nice bit of bonding, though it is very soon for Richard to take him on full time. Seems Gina and John have been reading my mind regarding DNA. I was thinking along the same lines about Jett staying with John & Gina and Richard visiting, which despite of what he said to John, I can see that happening. It would be more realistic for it to happen that way. Nice of John to offer to see if he could set Richard up with a job. I did feel for Jett when John came back on his own, his remark about everyone leaving him was very sad. bTW his wound seemed to have healed up pretty quick!

On completely different angle on parents and their children we have Harvey, Melissa and Lottie. It seems (to me at least) Mel isn't fully as well as she likes to think she is. Once again as she had in the past she accused Harvey of turning Lottie against her, which despite his faults, he has never done that, he's stuck up for her when even Lottie has moaned about her. He fully realises that Mel has brought her up mostly on her own (though wasn't she with her mum and a new bloke somewhere along the line)? Mel can't seem to realise Lottie is old enough to make her own mind up and that it is her decision to stay with Harvey. I'd be very wary of living with someone as unstable as Mel seems to be. The city isn't that far away for heavens sake, they can visit each other anytime.

It does seem odd Danny had kept those letters, was he planning on 'using' them when he had finally got out of jail? (see line of the week for my laugh out loud moment). It was a pretty uncomfortable dinner the Braxton's had and Danny's not so subtle hints about settling the score with 'a woman' which obviously has caused Casey to rethink his feelings about his dad , seeing as it didn't need a genius to work out he meant Cheryl.

[Red Ranger 1]

It's starting to seem like Lottie's stuck between two bad parents:Melissa seems more concerned with beating Harvey than what Lottie wants, while Harvey seems more concerned with keeping his latest skeleton in the closet than what's best for her.It's getting to the point where I want her to wash her hands of them both and move in with Irene.Glad that Roo found out what was going on quickly, I thought they'd drag this out forever.We've still only got the vaguest of explanations for what Melissa was doing when Ben drowned, is she really as blameless as she makes out?

I can't muster the energy to be surprised or annoyed that Brax is up to something dodgy again, it's just what he does and it'll obviously be forgotten about once the storyline's over.Sounds like some sort of smuggling job, probably drugs if Casey's right.You'd think that after Brax has once more got physical with Casey for saying something he doesn't like and barked at Natalie for getting in his way that they'd stop putting him on a pedestal but no doubt they'll be back thinking he's the good guy in all this eventually(Casey's right, he's never going to listen to either of them).Interesting to see Danny still putting on his softer face with Casey and leaving him unsure who to believe, he's obviously not willing to give up yet.

I was hoping Ruby wouldn't kick up a fuss about Leah letting Romeo stay with her but...she did.I was worried when she started sidling up to Casey at the Diner that she was planning to hook up with him again but after that scene with Brax I think it's less about her needing a boyfriend and more about her needing just one person who's on her side, rather than supporting Romeo or sitting on the fence.She seemed equally quick to accept Danny's offer of friendship but with Danny seemingly playing her and her letting Casey go on thinking she had a miscarriage this could all backfire badly.Romeo really is a sleazy waste of space:He was quite prepared to let down the guy who'd given him a chance by just not turning up for work(yeah, real husband and father material), then as soon as he realises keeping the job will help him get back in with Indi he changes his mind.If he manages to get back in her bed, that'll be a massive injustice.

[H&Alover]

Wow things are getting complicated between Sash, Casey, Indi and Romeo. Indi is not going to be happy about Sid interferring again!!! Good advice from Dex and I loved the sisterly bonding between Indi and Sasha over their respective man problems. I was glad to see Casey got realised Ruby was up to and offered to be there for her as a friend and is trying to protect her from Danny who I'm guessing is after the insurance money from Charlie? I have the feeling Romeo is worried about Ruby making a play for Casey in case she is just using him. I don't think anything will happen between Indi and Liam, she is still vulnerable after all. It was good Sash went to see Casey even though what he said wasn't what she wanted to hear.

slighty, I missed last Thursday and Fridays episodes, what was the party for, I know it was something to do with Dex?

I do wish Gina would listen to John and back off from pestering Jett about his feelings about Richard. He (John) is right he will open up to her when he is ready. It's great to see John and Jett getting on so well, if Richard does change his mind he's really going to miss him. Despite his initial doubts he's really started to bond with him. Jett obviously thinks of John as a father figure, soemthing he has never had before.

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count last week:Four.Roo and Casey were also in four, Sasha was only in one.

It's getting to the point where it feels like all April's good qualities are disappearing one by one and I just want to slap her every time I see her.She was a good friend to Casey earlier this year but she seemed pretty self-absorbed on Friday around him.Surprised she took so long to twig that Sasha likes him too.While it's a nice change to see her and Dexter do something other than make out a lot, I can't help feeling they did more harm than good, getting Sasha's hopes up when Casey has already made it clear he only sees her as a friend and then bringing them crashing down again.(The party was a pre-exam do by the way, H&Alover.)It was a bit off for Casey to invite Ruby along without telling anyone, especially since Sid was paying, but I'm not sure Dexter and April effectively trying to trick him into going on a double date with Sasha was particularly fair either.

Ruby seemed almost desperately puppyish running round after Casey and April on Friday, it seems she really is aching for someone to like her, in any way possible.Leah's handling of the issue really wasn't good at all even if she did have a point, Ruby needs a friend, not a self-appointed moral guardian giving her lectures.That said, Ruby throwing herself at Casey to prove a point to Romeo was an incredibly dumb move and she's lucky he recognised it for what it was.It kind of feels like we've come full circle, with Ruby having been discarded by Romeo and leaning heavily on Casey to try and make herself feel better while Casey has a rather romanticised view of her.Casey's playing a dangerous game trying to keep an eye on Ruby without her knowing while at the same time keeping in with Danny, to the point of pretending to be Ruby's boyfriend and encouraging Heath to forget his own doubts about their father.Heath's moment of fear after shoving Danny is interesting:Despite wanting a relationship with his father, it seems like deep down he knows how dangerous Danny is and how he could easily be on the receiving end.

Romeo's another character that seems to make me grimace every time I see him.How he's got two girls interested in him I don't know unless they can't see past his looks and the superficial charm, he just comes across as a jerk and a bit of a sleaze.I was disappointed that Sid went behind Indi's back and warned him off and glad that he seemed to realise he should be upfront with them.He's right, they shouldn't get back together and hope it doesn't go wrong this time, they need to recognise their marriage was deeply flawed.Not sure about Indi and Liam, there seems to be a mutual attraction there but I'm not sure it would work long term or it's a good idea short term.There was a moment there though when she seemed more relaxed with him than she's been in a while.

I'm glad to see John and Jett getting on well, Jett does seem to have mellowed a bit since the whole business with Richard which really did need to happen.Gina may have a point about Jett bottling things up, his reaction to John coming home late suggests he's got some serious abandonment issues, but she does need to take a step back and let Jett come to her rather than trying to force the issue.What the heck was up with Natalie's look in today's episode, by the way?With the old lady hair and clothes seemingly borrowed from Marilyn, she looked about ten years older than normal and I actually didn't recognise her at first.