Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Slade]

Something that I forgot to mention but presumably the car's a write-off now. Was Dex actually even insured to drive it? Not sure how it works in Australia but over here, legally he would have to have insurance to be able to drive the car. I'm assuming that Indy wouldn't have been able to afford it for herself so either Sid would have paid for it or like the UK simply put Indy under his insurance. Which means that if Dex isn't insured then Sid will have to fork out and buy Indy another car although I would imagine when he finds out what happened that will be the last thing he's worried about.

[Blaxland 89]

Something that I forgot to mention but presumably the car's a write-off now. Was Dex actually even insured to drive it? Not sure how it works in Australia but over here, legally he would have to have insurance to be able to drive the car. I'm assuming that Indy wouldn't have been able to afford it for herself so either Sid would have paid for it or like the UK simply put Indy under his insurance. Which means that if Dex isn't insured then Sid will have to fork out and buy Indy another car although I would imagine when he finds out what happened that will be the last thing he's worried about.

good point

[Red Ranger 1]

^I know some policies have a clause where anyone who the car owner, which in this case was presumably Indi, gives permission to drive the vehicle is covered by the insurance, so if that's the case here Dex would be covered.

[H&Alover]

^I know some policies have a clause where anyone who the car owner, which in this case was presumably Indi, gives permission to drive the vehicle is covered by the insurance, so if that's the case here Dex would be covered.

I was wondering the same thing, but would the any other driver clause be applicable so soon seeing as Indi is a such a new driver? Anyway the crash, brilliantly done and I actually found the lack of 'dramaitc music' a nice change, made it more of a shock. I spotted the allusion to Dex speaking to April on his mobile and he mentioned he was on hands free which although it didn't have any bearing on the crash itself did make the point about not using a non hands free mobile. He certainly wasn't speeding and once he discovered the problem with the brakes he had both hands on the wheel. Yes there were enough signs there when they were going on about their future and all they had planned so you just knew something was going to happen to one of them. Once the police check the car over they are going to discover the severed brake fluid line and then it'll just be a matter of finding out who may have wanted to harm Indi/Dex, beacuse as far as they woud know it could have been either of them who was intended to get hurt. I think what put the idea in Ruby's head was when Romeo said he'd have to see Indi every day and she saw this as a mad idea that if she was 'out of the way' he wouldn't have to. It was Leah going on about how like Charlie Ruby was and that she (Charlie) would have been proud of her which finally made her conscience kick in, indeed Charlie would have been ashamed of Ruby and very disappointed in her. This may seem very shallow but I'd like to see the picture that Dex bought April, something French maybe?

I liked the way everyone rallied round and helped them move in and they shuffled them out so they could 'unpack'.

My that motel room sees a lot of action, has Liam kept a reserve booking on it so it can be used as and when?

Funny you should mention Nic Red, I've been thinking about all the people who have left the bay and are never heard of/referred to again as if they had never existed and Nic and Angelo were two of them. I'll open a new thread

[Red Ranger 1]

Another thing that stuck in my mind yesterday was April and Dexter's presentation about how they'd be within easy bus reach of their places of education.Apparently they dropped that idea, given Dexter's complaints about how far it was to the bus stop.

So, today.Hmm.I think I know what they were trying to do but.It just made me think that once upon a time I'd be hoping the character pulled through but in this case I really didn't care whether Dexter makes it or not.Ironically, Ruby's message may have done some good after all, since Indi and Liam might not have gone looking for Dex if they hadn't heard it.(Is it me or was there a bit in yesterday's promo, of Liam finding Dex in the car, that didn't make it into the episode?)Always nice to see Nurse Julie and I did care about Sid and Sasha.It was a good idea of Liam to call Bianca and get her to go and tell April, although it's telling how relationships on the show get forgotten that I didn't remember until after the episode was over that Liam's still technically April's brother-in-law.(They certainly didn't act like they'd been close.) April wasn't as annoying as she might have been and the stuff with her and Bianca was good but her hanging around the house showing off her cleavage didn't really strike the poignant note it was presumably supposed to and my reaction to Dexter flatlining in the middle of her cloud cuckooland speech was more "Ha, take that" than sympathy.

But the thing that really didn't ring true was Liam and Indi keeping quiet about the phone message, to the extent of Liam deflecting Sasha's queries on the subject.I presume they wanted the episode to focus on the characters' reactions to the accident rather than the police investigation but it felt like we were only seeing half of a story.And then Romeo still throws a jealous tantrum about who Indi's spending time with while her brother's fighting for his life.He really is self-absorbed.I wasn't happy with the way his chat with Ruby on the beach seemed to exist mainly to let him off the hook.While it's good Ruby's taking responsibility, frankly Romeo did do this to her or at least gave her a pretty big shove in that direction.

Judging by the promo, I have a feeling that, aside from one surprising element, I'm not going to be too happy with tomorrow's episode.But maybe it won't be as bad as I think.

[izzyhoyland]

Love Dex. This has been my favourite storyline in many years. I guess it's cos I adore his character but I was gripped from beginning to end. To have something like this happen to a pretty happy, genuine, uncomplicated character makes the effect a lot more genuine. This has been the most interested i've been in H&A in a long time.

[James Martin]

I thought today was one of the best episodes for a long, long time. I actually got quite upset watching that. I haven't kept up with Oz pace too much, especially now I have an HD telly and would rather wait and watch in HD rather than blocky YouTube quality, however I do hope Ruby gets come sort of comeuppance for what she's done. She could have killed Indi, she might still have killed Dex (I actually don't know if he dies or not and I'm going to keep it that way, although I am aware the Aussies promoted this as a "Who won't make it" storyline...) and I don't think the revelation Ruby has caused the accident had enough gravitas tonight. I'm hoping tomorrow the cops catch up with her. She's surely looking at attempted murder of Indi, and attempted if not actual manslaughter of Dex?

[Red Ranger 1]

As I mentioned yesterday, I was worried I was going to hate that episode.I didn't.Far from it.Fortunately the most annoying aspects were the ones in the promo.I expected it to be about drumming in the point about how awful Ruby is and how much everyone hates her.Well, there was a bit of that and I was annoyed that Marilyn was only in the episode a few seconds and still managed a Colleensque judgemental comment.(Which is a shame, since her other five seconds of screentime supporting Sid was a good use of her.)But the overall impression of Ruby was of a good person who did the wrong thing and has to take responsibility for that, which is how it should be:She managed to depart the show with dignity and respect.I wish a few more characters had been worried about her, people like Alf, Irene and Roo who've known her for years and/or been close to her, rather than just saying how shocked they were.But I'm glad she managed to visit Dexter and say her apologies.(As with yesterday, it felt a bit contrived that she was able to just walk away afterwards but I'll let it slide.)And even though she still seemed to be offering absolution to people who didn't really deserve it, I think she got some of her own when Brax told her Charlie would have supported her despite what had happened and I'm glad she had Leah and Brax there.I wish they'd mentioned Morag and said she was waiting for them in the city, it's hard to imagine she'd see the closest thing she's got to a granddaughter thrown to the wolves without doing her very best to help.I can't see how Ruby could escape jail for this, she's likely to be charged with attempted murder over Indi and either manslaughter if Dex dies or causing grievious bodily harm or something similar if he doesn't(I doubt it'd be attempted manslaughter since she never meant him any harm).But I think she's gone through the worst, mentally if nothing else, and hopefully she'll make it through this a better person.It's just a shame her last scene was overshadowed by the unnecessary inclusion of Natalie:That should have been Ruby's moment, not about pushing Brax towards his next love interest now his last link with Charlie's gone.

April's tirade against Ruby wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be from the promo, I could see that it was a knee jerk reaction to discovering that the person who put her boyfriend in hospital was the one who was in there holding his hand, although when she coldly declared Ruby would be locked up forever I couldn't help wondering where she'd be if Gina had taken that attitude when she nearly killed Xavier.I did though seriously dislike the way she was barracking Sid for answers.That's what you do to the doctor in charge of the case, not Dexter's father, who's known him a lot longer than her and is at least as worried as she is.I wanted to slap her and tell her to shut up when she kept going on while he was close to tears.That said, I thought Irene was remarkably insensitive by effectively telling her she and Dex were never going to live together and she could move back home:Maybe in a few weeks if he's still unconscious and she can't cope alone or if they get definitive information on him but not the next day.She'd have served April better by suggesting she stay with them for a few days instead of being in that house on her own.Wondered if we'd find out what Dexter's present was, can't help thinking it survived the crash in much better shape than he did...

As for the rest of the episode, well, I guess the Brax/Natalie scene at the end was needed to set up the next episode.Did think Harvey giving Roo the ring was massively out of place when she's got one teenager she's lived with in intensive care and another in police custody for putting him there, he should have put it off for a bit rather than somehow thinking that was a special moment.And the mention of Lottie just made me think it's a shame we won't see her reaction to Dexter's accident.I liked the John/Gina/Jett stuff though:I was surprised how pleased Jett seemed at the news but I guess he's gone all these years without a father and now he's got one.When did he start doing chores for Alf, though?

And wow.Georgina Watson.I was convinced we'd never see her again.Guess it raises all sorts of questions about where she's been the last few months and whether Emerson's still around or they were doing some sort of job swap.But it reminded me of just why we've missed her:showing compassion yet never wavering in her professionalism.And after being stuck as "Constable Watson" on the credits for years, even after her promotion, she's now listed as "Sergeant Georgina Watson".First name and new rank.Yee-haw.

[cadyctslover]

The stunt on Monday was absolutely fantastic! It was far better choreographed than I had imagined it would be. Also being as Dexter was driving, I am far more interested in how this plays out, compared to it being Casey/Romeo driving for example.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of this storyline is limited by a couple of things.

Firstly, why would Ruby actually do this? In a moment of madness in which she wasn't thinking straight, perhaps. But as has been said she had plenty of opportunities later to prevent anyone from driving it. What she has done is completely unreasonable, and she should have to face the consequences. Having said that, I think it's totally out of character for Ruby and unlike some of her other recent objectionable behaviour, I don't believe it can be justified by her recent bereavement. I don't believe it really works with Ruby's character, and actually it's really bad writing. To me it appears to be unnecessary character assassination for the sake of cheap drama.

Secondly, what speed was Dex travelling at when he crashed? He must have been going at a fair speed to flip a car like that just by turning the steering wheel, before he even left the road. Otherwise, the cheesy, soap opera cliché of cut brake lines is just so unrealistic. Modern vehicles have sensors in the brake system which would make it almost impossible to have this sort of accident. Not only would there be warning lights on the dashboard, but it would be very difficult to make a journey from the Surf Club to the site of the crash without once using the brakes and realising there was a problem. Surely anyone else who is a driver knows what I'm talking about? These are just a couple of the reasons why this storyline has been spoiled for me. If I can't believe what's going on on-screen, I don't enjoy it .

Anyway, I can already see the fallout of this event being far more interesting. Robert Mammone (Sid) is a fantastic actor, and it's nice to see him being used properly. I thought it was unusual for Marilyn to be there to comfort him however, due to their history, but it's nice to see another of the adult cast there to support him. It's just a shame Roo wasn't there to look after him .

Clearly now after what Ruby has done, there is no other route but for her to go to prison, which is a real shame. Initially, when Brax tried to help Ruby get away with it I was angry because he never takes responsibility for his actions, or that of those close to him. But, at least it's in character . Ruby did regain a little respect from me by telling him that it wasn't the right course of action, and that she should hand herself in. I hope now, that Brax and Leah will join Roo in accepting their part in Ruby's meltdown, and realise that they failed her. It was a shame that Ruby's exit was then swept under the carpet as the focus returned to Brax, and I hope we hear what she is actually sentenced with, and that Morag gets a mention.

[Red Ranger 1]

I did wonder about the fact Dexter would surely have had to have used the brakes before he got to a deserted country road.However, although I'm not a mechanic by any means, I do believe that even if you cut off the flow of brake fluid, there's still some in the system so the brakes would continue working until it was used up?If I'm talking rubbish, anyone feel free to tell me.

I am slightly annoyed that they made it all Ruby's fault.If they wanted Dexter to have a car crash, there are plenty of ways they could have done it(an animal running across the road, a burst tyre, taking his eye off the road to press a button on his "hands free" phone)without her being involved and they could have let her leave for her new life like she was going to last week.But, seeing as how that was what they chose to do, they did manage to avoid making it a complete assassination so I'm grateful for that.She'll probably continue to be mentioned in passing for a while but I'm not expecting to actually hear how the trial goes.Out of sight, out of mind.