Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Shibs]

Thursday

John/Jamie/Gina/Colleen/Jett – Go detective John. Glad that he confronted Jamie about the phone and spooked him a little bit. It not often we see John lose his temper to the degree of physically grabbing someone but I’m glad he did on this occasion as I can’t see Jamie listening any other way! Can’t believe that Jamie would even think about going into their house again and steal the phone, but alas he did. Also liked Gina’s clever ploy in the Diner, letting Colleen talk to Jamie could’ve been a bigger disaster than it was. Jett playing pool with Kyle was sweet, it seems both are feeling a bit lost at the moment so it was nice to see them hang out.

Heath/Jamie – This bromance has build up quite quickly, and it is a bit odd considering how much Heath hates Adam. Heath backing Jamie over the phone did bother me a bit, but from what we saw in the preview I think he’ll soon regret that. As for the fishing trip, Jamie does not look like the type to go fishing, should’ve used a better excuse, but I guess it worked on Heath, and that’s all that mattered!!!

Adam/Liam – Adam is just a nasty piece of work, Liam needs to stay clear, but I guess he had no choice when he just turned up at the house. Adam really needs to let this Bianca thing go, but I guess it his trump card at the moment. I think he has to be the best villain in 2012. He does the job brilliantly!

Kyle/Brax/Natalie – Will Brax and Natalie ever get a break?!? I really like them together, but it seems that whenever they are happy someone needs to spoil it for them. First we had Heath and his fishing rods and then we had Kyle who wanted to have a chat. I do feel sorry for Kyle though he seemed so lost and trying to figure out where he belonged in the episode. I hope he gets his answer soon, and that Brax and Natalie can finally be together.

April/Dex – Well done April for getting into med school. Must say her actions on Wednesday were a bit annoying, when she mashed Dex’s food up, but I really like them as a couple and I’m glad he was honest with her about the whole thing. Him picking her up and giving her a twirl was sweet.

Friday,

Heath/Jamie – Random from the word go. The fishing trip was just weird but I guess with everything going on, Heath didn’t really have time to figure anything out or question Jamie’s decision to go fishing. Jamie has such bad timing and knocking Heath out after he finally decided to contact Bianca was just wrong. I do feel sorry for Jamie in the sense that Adam is the one pushing the whole thing with him only being used by his dad in case he gets caught, but then again with stealing Jett’s phone and stalking Leah it is hard to sympathise with him! Hope Heath will be OK, although it is a big big ocean out there for him to drift off unconscious!

Brax/Adam/John – I think John was spot on about what he said to Brax about trouble following him and that the Bay was a much quieter place place before they arrived. Glad that Brax finally listened to someone and confronted Adam about his presence in the Bay. His ‘my town’ comment sounded like something out of a western movie but I doubt Adam listened to anything he said, he doesn’t seem like someone that would back down so easily to me!

Brax/Natalie – Come on people, why can’t Brax just be happy. I really liked his relationship with Natalie but once again Brax’s past comes to haunt him and his future falls apart. I liked the camera shots that were used in Leah’s house when he arrived to talk to Natalie and left. They mirrored exactly the shot we were given when Brax, Casey and Ruby entered the room after Charlie was shot and found her lying on the floor. Great bit of camera work. Please let 2013 be the year that he finds a bit of happiness and they reunite

Montage – Really liked the montage at the end with clips of where all storylines have reached. Nice way to end a season and Heath floating away on a little boat was a great cliff-hanger!

Roll on the 2013 season!!

[Red Ranger 1]

The first thing we see in the 2013 season is Romeo and Indi frolicking in the sea, followed by April and Dexter making crass jokes about anatomy lessons.Not the most promising start if, like me, you're at a loss as to why these two couples are together.I guess it served a purpose in that it provided Bianca with a glimpse of what she gave up and may now have lost for good, although Romeo and Indi spend three of their four scenes either half naked, clambering all over each other or both, so they're pretty one-note.Dexter's seizures haven't really been followed up on, making it look like a one-off, and him and April ending up at uni together after all feels a bit of a pat outcome.

Bianca's "Who are you?" on meeting Kyle for the first time was the comic highlight of the episode, while Brax and Kyle's mini-row, in which Kyle repeats Natalie and Adam's comment about "Stop sorting out your brothers' problems", was just a bit weird, almost as if someone realised things had got a bit cosy a bit quickly and wanted to shoehorn in some conflict.Jamie becomes the latest character to call Brax out on his behaviour, pointing out that not only has he given Adam a free rein and refused to trust Heath's opinion, but he's basically treating Jamie the same way Adam does.I guess the difference is Brax is trying to save someone's life but I don't suppose that makes much difference to Jamie, especially with the implication that Brax will be dishing out some backstreet justice if they don't find Heath and maybe even if they do.Kyle surprisingly slips into Heath's role of playing good cop.I hope Jamie does get the same second chance that Kyle has got(as Slade pointed out, what Kyle did is arguably worse)but I suspect that he'll be packed off like any other non-regular who does something the regulars routinely get away with.

[H&Alover]

Kyle was in the right place at the right time again! He just happened to come in and hear Brax telling Bianca Heath didn't go on the trip as told to Liam by Jamie so was able to say oh yes he did, he and Jamie were stocking up on beer (and a few sarnies). I'd been wondering how he would explain his coming back without him. Then finding out instead of a group it was just the two of them. I'd forgotten Bianca hadn't met Kyle, but she had been otherwise engaged. That was a lovely moment when she got Heath's call. She can't have been out of it as much as she looked if she remembered Adam offering to get rid of the 'complication' out of her life.

Brax and Kyle made a good team going after Jamie, Kyle's tatics worked a lot better than Brax's through his words to Jamie about how they had both been promised a lot by their respective fathers but been let down time and time again. Jamie is caught between a rock and a hard place, risking the revenge of Brax if anything happens to Heath and his dads if he helps Brax. Heath must be a lot sronger than we thought to get himself loose from his bindings.

As an aside Shibs, I've been thinking about Brax's remark about it being 'my town' could be taken as an ordinary remark any member of Summer Bay may use, Alf I'm pretty sure has used it in the past.

Did seem a strange way to start the new season, but perhaps TPTB wanted to keep viewers guessing. Dex only had a slight wobble last time, but doesn't mean it's the end of him having seizures. Romeo and Indi did seem to hit the nail on the head about Dex although being glad for April was worried he'd be left behind, good that he decided to talk to her about it and her solution was very sensible. I'm sure he can sort something out with the uni. In one way he will be able to empathise with patients with brain injuries and be living proof it isn't nessecarily the end of their hopes and dreams.

[Red Ranger 1]

Given that the first shot of the episode is Brax torturing Jamie seemingly just for something to do, it's very hard to see him as the hero of the piece and even more hard to take his attempt to take the moral high ground with Adam seriously:As Adam points out, Brax will let his family get away with anything and is willing to turn a blind eye to Kyle's own murder attempt.(I'd suggest that Brax puts his family first but then he was claiming the moral high ground with Danny as well so...attempting to work out the psychology is just deeply troubling.)Brax sending Adam on his way with a "Don't do it again" also seemed a bit of an anti-climax, although even Brax doesn't seem to think it will end there.Once again, aside from a brief lapse into making threats in a scary voice, Kyle actually comes across as the more well-balanced.I actually feel sorry for Jamie still, can't help thinking that Brax handing him back to Adam is out of the frying pan into the fire, he's unlikely to be happy about Jamie's failure.(Just how much time elapses between Brax calling Adam and him actually turning up anyway?Enough time for it to get dark.)Glad Heath's safe and sound, although can't help agreeing with Sid's assertion that this was basically just an ordinary day for the Braxtons and there'll probably be something else along shortly.The Braxtons' ability to lose their shirts is legendary:Brax's manages to disintegrate in the half a second the camera cuts to Jamie and Kyle, Heath's lost his somewhere along the way and even Casey goes barechested for no good reason.(Okay, other than "He was hot.")

Hard to care about Casey's storyline so far which just chucks every prison cliche going into the mix.Why is there always a prison bully in these storylines?Art imitating life, I guess, but still.Zac hasn't made much of an impression yet and I'm not sure he's actually helping Casey:He gets him to hit him so people don't see him as a teacher's pet then spends the rest of the episode chatting to him in a corridor with people walking past all the time.Not sure about the education aspect of it either:Only being in there a couple of days a week doesn't preclude him taking a course but then it doesn't preclude him taking one on the outside either.As for the Sid and Sasha stuff...Sid's probably got a point when he tells Sasha she needs to move on but I wish he didn't, Casey and Sasha is another one of those potentially great long term couples that the show seems determined to throw away by making it a fling.There was a nice subtle reference to the fact Sid's had to let go of Lisa though.

[me123456]

In My Opinion theres a difference between Kyle's and Adam's murder attempt Kyle resented Casey for shooting his dad and had no one left which is kinda understandable he would be angry. while Adams just seemed like some petty kind of game because his ego couldnt handle losing Bianca to Heath and Bullied his own son into doing it for him and don't forget the other things his done.

Brax Bullying Jamie wasnt going to work or get him to talk his used to being bullied by his dad i think Kyle picked up on that cause of his issues with his dad. and i think thats why Kyle method worked.

wish Sasha would just move on from Casey its obvious his not that in to her and he has feelings for Tamara and she could do better really Cause Casey is a mess.

speaking of Casey the poor guy trys to stay away from trouble but trouble keeps finding him.

[Red Ranger 1]

I agree that there's a difference between Adam and Kyle, I just don't think there's much of a difference between Jamie and Kyle.They were both manipulated into trying to kill someone by the actions of an abusive father and indeed Kyle seemed to take a lot more enjoyment from it and be a lot more determined than Jamie, who seemed to act out of a combination of fear of Adam and thinking he'd get to see Leah if he did it.

Man, Brax really sucks at times.Did he really drive Casey all the way home just so he could tell him he can't stay there while Kyle sits there giving him smug looks?Why not explain the situation in the car and break it to him gently?Shame that Natalie's pointing out Brax's faults seemed to be more about her being sore about him breaking up with her than actually caring about Casey and she's soon feeding Casey meaningless platitudes that somehow have him running back to Brax to say "Thank you for kicking me out of my home."As for Tamara...I never thought I'd say this but I'm with Sasha here, can she please leave?Another character that's been utterly destroyed in record time.I really hated her smug and patronising attitude towards Sasha and then she has the gall to turn up at Casey's house with her superior "Unlike Sasha, I haven't given up on you", as if practically stalking him somehow makes her the better bet than the girl who's the only person to remember his birthday(although admittedly Tamara couldn't help that)and makes what, on the face of it, seems a pretty selfless gesture to cheer him up(although I accept she's probably hoping he'll come round and want her back). Kyle seems to be back to being smug as well, although the fact that most of his interaction was with Casey and Tamara, who both hate him, probably didn't help.

Can't say I'm too pleased that Colleen's still hanging around, although at least she stayed merely annoying rather than crossing the line into nasty.Don't mind so much Morag being there since at least she's not afraid to put Colleen in her place.And Alf tuning it all out and being happy in his own little world, and Harvey leaving him to it, was mildly amusing.But personally I'd rather have seen Roo and Harvey nursing Lottie through chicken pox.Sadly, it's looking increasingly as if the on-screen visit was a one-off.

Sasha repeating Year 11?Really?Despite throwaway lines to poor remarks, I really don't see the point of it and hope she decides to press ahead.Haven't we had enough characters repeating?

[me123456]

"I agree that there's a difference between Adam and Kyle, I just don't think there's much of a difference between Jamie and Kyle.They were both manipulated into trying to kill someone by the actions of an abusive father and indeed Kyle seemed to take a lot more enjoyment from it and be a lot more determined than Jamie, who seemed to act out of a combination of fear of Adam and thinking he'd get to see Leah if he did it."

The only difference between Jamie and Kyle is Jamie had nothing against Heath thats why he didn't get any enjoyment from it. but Kyle resented Casey for shooting his dad so he wanted him to suffer. I do feel sorry for both Jamie and Kyle. The Braxtons will probally make Jamie pay as well as Adam even though Adam is the real problem here not Jamie.

[H&Alover]

I agree with you Red, why didn't Brax tell Casey about the situation at home (and why) before they got there? It wasn't until he, Brax and Heath had the talk at the hospital that he understood. Second thing Brax got wrong, is he slipping, was assuming Casey wouldn't want to do his shift at Angelo's, it was only the one, as pointed out to Tamara, but to Case it felt like another snub. Third mistake forgetting Casey's birthday!! As you said Tamara can be forgiven for that. I got the distinct feeling Jamie would have much rather stayed at the Braxtons, Adam is certain to blame him for not making sure Heath was dead. Did you notice Adam was initially ready to put the blame on Jamie? Brax did get one thing right, Adam gave up much too easily and he's got to be a lot cleverer than Adam to keep all of them out of trouble. I'm with guest and me123456, Kyle's was personal, another of Danny's kids sucked in by him, whereas Jamie was following Adam's orders/demands on the 'promise' he'd find Leah. Kyle isn't asking (or expecting) for forgiveness, just a chance to prove himself, which he did by getting Jamie to talk and find Heath.

Good point by Sid following Brax's claim Heath fell overboard by remarking on the rope burns. Of course he doesn't want Sasha getting involved with Case, I loved how he called her 'my beautiful daughter'. He wasn't much help when Indi was growing up and is trying to make up for it this time. It's not going to stop her wanting to be with him despite her telling Tamara they are now just friends, which didn't give her the green light to go after him. Is her saving his life enough basis for a relationship? She's got to stick around for Kyle's case.

Methinks the guy threatening Casey isn't one of Adam's guys, just the usual thug who always threatens the new guy. I think it's more likely to be the one who gave him the hard look as he walked by him in the passageway. Zack is a bit of a hunk, though as hard guy said he can't be there all day and the guards seemed pretty useless. It may only be two days a week, but a hell of a lot can happen in that time.

So Roo and Harvey spent their honeymoon looking after Lottie? Loving the old sparring between Colleen and Morag, poor old Alf though, until he 'pinched' the ipad. He's got four women staying in the house!!!!

[Red Ranger 1]

I'd like to say that it's nice that it seems Dexter's not going to be completely better like we all expected and there are going to be long-term ramifications of this injury...but after squirming through last scene and hurling abuse at the screen, it seems like it's not going to make much difference.I once again wanted to slap Dex with the childish way he spoke to Sid on the phone:He should have told April about the scan and gone, not get caught up in her fantasy about their perfect happy ending.Pretty much cheered their wake-up call.But then just when it looks like they're going to deal with this properly and we're going to be spared Dexter and April moving in together again...We're treated to April giving a "We shall fight them on the beaches" speech about how they're going to live happily ever after, which was presumably meant to be inspiring but personally sounds like my worst nightmare come true, and she's back to pretending she's part of his family rather than staying with her own.At which point Dexter makes a sleazy remark and they skip off to have sex.Well, of course.That's all their relationship is.

Whilst Alf finally losing his temper with Colleen and Celia was a great moment, I do think he threw the baby out with the bath water by getting rid of Morag too.Mind you, I'm not really sure why she stayed, unlike the others she's not one to outstay her welcome and it does make the "Where's Ruby?" question seem all the more obvious.(Or are we meant to assume she's in jail?It'd be ironic if she's been locked up when Casey hasn't and especially if Kyle isn't.Maybe she's on periodic detention too?)Celia staying...Well, she seems to have recovered from the rather cartoonish portrayal in her first episode and actually seemed like her old self with her fussing over Harvey(loved the way he decided to go with the flow and milk it)so I'm interested to see more.

Spencer and Maddy's debut almost slips in under the covers.There's obviously a story there but as for their characters:Spencer seems to be a bit of a bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold, which could go either way, while Maddy on first glance could turn out to be one of those quiet, sweet-natured girls who never gets any storylines.But it's probably a bit early to judge.As for Casey and Tamara, it does feel a bit like she's clinging onto him because she hasn't really got anything else in the world, which doesn't seem like a good basis for a relationship.I mentioned before that she just seems to have assumed that her parents hate her so Casey's right to want her to sort things out with them.

By the way, I notice from the credits that Spencer is played by one Andrew Morley.Given that I spent half the episode thinking he looks a lot like Bob Morley(formerly Home and Away's Drew), I'm guessing they're related.Brothers?

[Alison C]

So according to Tamara - Sasha has given up on Casey.

That might hold more water if she didn't say it about an hour after Sasha gave him a birthday cake she spent all day baking! If Casey agrees with Tamara then he doesn't deserve to be with Sasha - she is much too good for him.