Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Red Ranger 1]

Been away for a week and only just caught up.Alf's episode count last week:Four.Roo was also in four while Natalie and Ricky were only in one each.

Casey and Kyle's scenes out in the bush were actually pretty good and it feels like they have come to some sort of new understanding.I do have to ask though:Is it actually possible to lock your keys in the car, especially these days?It's one of these things that seems to happen a lot on television but I've never known it in real life.Also kind of handy that whoever it was that gave Casey and Kyle a lift back to town dropped them off at the caravan park right in front of Brax and Tamara, rather than them heading for somewhere more obvious like the surf club or the Braxton house.Brax gets points for being prepared to have Kyle back and his big brother act with Tamara.Casey's arguably lucky to keep his job after taking off with the company car during work hours but Indi was obviously on edge when she spoke to him.He does seem rather protective/supportive of her and nice that his words convinced her to make up with Sid.Incidentally, John and Heath seem to know that something's gone on so exactly what do the residents of Summer Bay think's happened?People must have noticed Romeo isn't around by now.

Hardly unexpected that Heath isn't on Darcy's birth certificate, even he didn't know he was her father until a couple of years ago.Zac earns more credit by literally letting Heath use him as a punchbag, I wasn't sure about him at first but I think it's just Natalie that drags him down, he's okay on his own.Heath's decision to back off for Darcy's sake is commendable but somewhat disappointing.

I think I also more or less figured out Chris wanted Spencer to go home for his own sake.At least he seems to have given up the manipulation and just become intrusive.It is good to see Spencer and Maddy back on good terms and the Maddy/Roo scene in today's episode was rather sweet.I know a lot of fans have found Spencer and Maddy's reason for leaving home unsatisfying but to me it's scenes like these that are the important things in this storyline not the back story.As a man once said,"Us kids want Narnia, not the wardrobe."

The Sasha/Rosie stuff continues to impress.I was kind of up and down about April's involvement:At times she felt intrusive, being lumped in with a couple of schoolgirls because she's pretty redundant when she's not hanging around Dexter, but the subtle use of her experience of Bianca's rape justified her involvement a bit and I'm pleased that she spoke with just fondness of her first time with Heath given some of her comments in the past.But then she spoils it all with a whiney "Dexter's my soulmate" speech and that utterly horrible scene in the Diner where she makes a completely unnecessary speech about how she's giving him permission to date anyone else that was pretty much the definition of embarrassing.(Is she expecting a round of applause?)Dexter and Steph seemed to get back on again surprisingly quickly.Not sure why Dexter found their liaison so awkward given he was having sex with April in every square acre of the farm last year.Was it the fact they were meant to be working or the fact other people were about?They seem to have been pretty active elsewhere judging by Sasha's comments.

And yes, Gina's death.Pretty doom laden and I can't remember the last time I've found an episode ending so tense.Actually think it would have worked better without the ghostly visions, although I agree with H&Alover that they were probably intended to make her stop driving.If you managed to avoid spoilers, the promo at the end of Friday's episode was nicely ambiguous, making the shot of the body on the stretcher at the start of Monday all the more gut-wrenching.The cutting to Bianca/Heath and Spencer/Maddy all happy was slightly jarring but worked with the way the news slowly made its way around town.Nice reference back to Bianca burying herself when Rocco died and a subtle reference to Byron when Marilyn talks of treasuring the short time you have with someone.I agree the sudden new location for the Braxton/Palmer house exteriors did take the audience out of the episode by making them wonder where they were meant to be though.

On a shallow note, is that Bianca's first bikini scene?She's always worn swimsuits in the past.First one for Maddy too I think.

[Slade]

The situation with Jett is quite tragic considering what happened with his mother although for some reason I find it hard to feel sorry for him. Did feel sorry for John though especially when he broke down. My question would be now what? They had serious reservations about him looking after Jett given that he suffered a heart attack previously.

When Gina collapsed last week, first thing I thought was a heart attack but she wasn't complaining of chest pains. I also considered the possibility of a stroke but it didn't occur to me that it was an aneurism. A friend of my brother suffered the same fate.

I see Spencer was being a pain in the backside with regards to Maddie and Spencer's relationship (Shame). I am left wondering if he likes Maddie given he was using any excuse to hang around them but backed out of spending time with his own brother.

Liked the way Heath looked out for Bianca again.

Just wanted to mention with regards to last week that although I liked the female bonding scenes with Sasha/Rosie/April, I really don't like how dependent Rosie appears to be on Sasha. On the surface she seems to be completely blowing out her foster family and effectively using Sasha as a counselor which is not good.

[Alison C]

Excellent episode yesterday with the reaction to Gina's death.

Great to see the effect on many people in the community and everyone pulling together to help John.

Good script and brilliant acting from everyone.

This is an example of an old style episode and what made me a fan of H&A from the start. I wish there would be more of these.

Back to the Braxtons today again though.

[H&Alover]

Oh God how sad was that last night. It was all done very tastefully so congratulations to whoever directed those scenes. That panning shot from the ambulance down to Gina's forgotten shoe was so poignant. Did John drive Jett back to the bay when he collpased? Hope they get an answer soon, not that it will ease their pain much at the moment. The thing that makes it more sad is John & Jett didn't get a chance to say goodbye, something Indi will be able to sympathise with. Might seem weird but it's good that they were having a good time, laughing and joking rather then there having been arguments which people always recriminate themselves for after. Poor Sid having to break the news like that.

Marilyn was a diamond by going round there and comforting both of them, she didn't patronise Jett, just tried to give him the answers to his questions the best she could without making any promises. John will need to let Molly (DOCS) know what's happened, she may be able to put the adoption on hold. I guess there won't be a problem John adopting Jett by himself. Jett is of school age so wound't need looking after at home during the day, at weekends and holidays he would be able to spend time with John or at the Beach house with Irene or at the caravan park. Gina was working so the only difference is John would be a lone parent. Must have been hard to tell Xav the news and handy that Bianca and Irene arrived at the right time. Are Brendan and Tony going to get a mention? I know Hugo won't be able to be there. Must admit to quite a few moments during those scenes. Everyone has taken the news badly, and although we didn't see him it seemed Casey did too, Gina had been very good to him. For no reason I had a sudden memory of her admitting she'd been a surfer babe and biker girl.

Loved how thoughtful Heath was and more proof of how far he's come since he and Bianca got together, that he was worried the news may send her over the edge because she was intent on letting people at the school know rather than having a cry. School was on half term or something then as she mentioned letting them know before they went back. I'm glad she appreciated it and din't have a go at him. Btw love his new tatts of Rocco and Darcy's names.

Might have seemed wrong to some but those scenes of Spencer and Maddy and Bianca and Heath looking happy was what was needed, it showed as in the real world life goes on and too much emphasis on John and Jett would have been too much. Did have to laugh that whenever Spencer and Maddy got to kissing, Chris popped up ! Once you could forgive but three times! Think Spencer had it right, he's never had to grow up and take any responsibility. Wonder if Maddy's birthday present to Spencer will come off, look what has happened to other couples mostly the girls offering such a gift.

I think Dex was uneasy beause they were supposed be working and yes they could have been sprung by anybody, having a quickie in a storage cupboard is a bit of a cliche.

So it wasn't just me who thought the houses looked different. Not shallow at all Red, I always thought the actress (Lisa Gormley) who plays Bianca said she wouldn't wear a bikini?

Rosie did seem very clingy at the beach before the girly night, but she can turn to April now which may ease her dependence on Sasha. I know we didn't see then last night but I'm guesiing they would have been told by now.

[Red Ranger 1]

I'm kind of undecided about Rosie.She definitely seemed to be too dependent on Sasha last week, following her out of their room during the night and then freaking out when she woke up on the beach and couldn't see her(although that may have been partly down to being surrounded by strange people).Still, the fact she let April in is encouraging and an improvement on the way she tried to stop Sasha and Maddy becoming friends because she wanted her to herself.She may have turned a corner since the girls' night left them more positive, we'll have to see.I get that it's putting unfair pressure on Sasha but counselling isn't for everyone, some people do find it easier and more helpful to talk to someone they trust.Given that we haven't seen her foster parents it's hard to guage what sort of people they are but it does seem like Rosie hasn't really bonded with them.

Anyway, today's ep.I have to admit I'm in too minds about this whole "town in mourning" thing.I mean, I appreciate the focus on the town as a community rather than small groups of character but they've been small groups of characters for so long it's hard to really accept it.They may have worked together but was Bianca really a close friend?Did Brax really know her that well, even if he did live next door to her?But those are minor points and it means we get good material like Alf giving John a boost and John reaffirming his commitment to Jett.That said, Marilyn and Roo taking it upon themselves to organise the funeral felt incredibly presumptuous, it really wasn't their place at all and they didn't even seem to bother asking Gina's family what they wanted, just went ahead and booked it without consulting anyone.It's only the day after she died for goodness sake, why not give John an opportunity to make his own arrangements?In fact, what if he already had?They didn't bother checking.

And Xavier's back!From the moment he walked in the door, I was pleased to see him.And while there are characters I'd rather have him interact with than some of the ones here(they have April in the episode and just give her a scene with Tamara?), all the moments served a purpose, giving Indi a moment to react to another grieving family and allowing him to discuss Hugo and Martha with Roo.I wasn't sure if Hugo and Brendan would rate a mention so nice it's covered.Have to admit I didn't think about Tony until other people began mentioning him, have to see if his name comes up tomorrow.Nice to see some Xavier/Jett interaction given Xav left just as they started to get on.I kind of wish we'd had more between Xavier and Indi given that he and Romeo were pretty close.Again, it's clear that even Xavier knows something's gone on but frustratingly the scene fails to go into detail.

Nice visual comedy moment at the start when Brax and Ricky just stand staring at Casey until he leaves.Does anyone else find Ricky oddly similar to Mink?Surfer chick, right on the border of likeability, has a tendency to speak her mind whether it's appropriate or not.Much of what she's saying about Brax, that for all his moaning he'd actually be lost if he didn't have his brothers' lives to sort out, is what I've been saying for weeks so I have to agree.Curious parallel between Brax and Casey, who's putting Indi's needs first and kind of neglecting himself.I get Tamara's point that Casey perhaps need to pull back a bit but it wasn't her place to tackle Indi about it and it was a bit of a reversal of Casey trying to quit her job for her last week.Incidentally, I've been critical of April's random friendships over the past few weeks but I'm starting to appreciate them more and it was good to see her being a supportive friend to Tamara.I'd love it if she stuck to her decision to stay away from Dexter and kept in her current role but it's hard to shake the feeling that sooner or later all the good work will be undone and she'll be back in a tired pairing.Indi continues to come across as quite cold and withdrawn at times, with her dismissive attitude towards Casey's course.For all Casey's disapproving looks, pretty much the only person she relaxes around is Chris, probably because he didn't know Romeo so there's not the same expectation.

[cadyctslover]

Have the exterior locations for the Palmer/Braxton houses changed... they look really different in today's ep?

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice this. Hopefully this is temporary as it's really jarring to have both houses change completely. Plus the front door and porch of the Palmer house interior set was clearly designed to exactly match the exterior location.

It was great to see Xavier back yesterday, and I'm so glad Brendan got a mention even if we're unlikely to see him again. I was shocked to hear even a mention of Hugo, but I really enjoyed the scene Xavier and Roo shared to discuss him and Martha.

[alreetlike]

That said, Marilyn and Roo taking it upon themselves to organise the funeral felt incredibly presumptuous, it really wasn't their place at all and they didn't even seem to bother asking Gina's family what they wanted, just went ahead and booked it without consulting anyone.It's only the day after she died for goodness sake, why not give John an opportunity to make his own arrangements?In fact, what if he already had?They didn't bother checking.

This annoyed me quite a bad. I know they meant well but to just steam in and arrange everything was far too much, if someone did that for one of my loved ones so soon after they'd died, I'm fairly certain my first reaction would be for them to back the heck off (probably not in such nice terms..)

But hey ho, it's soapland.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, brief as Xavier's stay was, they certainly made the most of it.It would have been easy to stick him with the silent congregation but instead they had him front and centre, delivering a very moving eulogy.Fantastic turnout for the funeral as well:Every regular appeared in the episode bar Ricky, who's new and probably never met Gina.Nice to get a bit of Xavier/Dexter interaction(he's pretty much the only friend Dexter's ever had, after all!), the Xavier/April hug was disappointing impersonal but the way he and Sasha exchanged smiles when she led the students in was a nice touch.Surprised we got so much interaction between Xavier and Heath(the lift to the airport was a bit of a headscratcher)but given that they never really got on it kind of shows how far they've both come and the banter about Xavier being in the police was quite fun.(Is that a full constable's stripe on Xavier's shoulder?Guess he's getting on.)

Maddy playing the violin was a nice callback and looks like a subtle confirmation that Alf held onto it for her.Guessing the students co-ordinated turning up in uniform between them since the adults seemed unawares.I mentioned yesterday that Chris seemed to be the only person Indi relaxes with but actually she seems her old self around Xavier as well, even if she does seem to dodge him pretty quickly.Guess it's for the opposite reason:He's grieving as well so she knows she can't take it out on him.While I see their point, Sid and Casey trying to pressure her into going to the wake wasn't very sensible, Casey would have been better off asking to go himself.At least he and Tamara seem to understand each other's point of view better.Do we have to get Dexter/April moments shoehorned into important occasions though?Their chat at the wake was okay but that totally unnecessary wave at the cemetery just made me grimace.

[Slade]

Thinking about it, I’m disappointed Gina has gone. Whilst she wasn’t one of my favourite characters I did like the interaction with Jett and didn’t mind the family unit with John.

It was good to see Xavier again as he was one of my favourite characters at the time he left. I quite liked the scenes with Jett and John and the way they bonded together. Also liked the way he thanked Brax for hosting the wake. I'm glad that Xavier and Dex embraced but I have to be honest and was really disappointed with what I saw regarding April and especially Sasha. Xavier and April were quite serious at one point and all we see at the funeral is her hug him like all the other people - nothing special and no interaction whatsoever. Initially I thought I saw Xavier smile at Sasha and Sasha acknowledge him back and then when he was reading his speech she started crying and thought we’d see a scene with them but again nothing. You’d think it would make sense for them to talk given their history and she’d be the person who would empathise with him the most. Not sure if Rosie would have been keen on that and I was surprised she wasn’t their holding Sasha’s hand.

Actually starting to get quite annoyed with Indy. Her selfish attitude i.e. not wanting to go to the wake to support John and Jett because Romeo left her and even though I was annoyed with Casey last week (for leaving midway through his shift to seek Kyle), there’s still something I don’t like about Indy’s attitude towards him and it’s made him so conscious that he refused to go to the funeral just so he could support and not disappoint her. I was just glad Xavier was so understanding and didn’t blame either of them.

[c120701]

Where is Xavier working? I thought he was in the city, which in that case the lift to the airport is a headscratcher. Also, does that mean he got a taxi all the way from the city on the way? Or maybe the bus.

They remembered Xavier's relationships & friendships better than I did - I'd forgotten about him and April. It was great that they gave recognition to them all.

The one thing that was really odd to me was the Austin Rose, as John said that it was Gina's name, but I couldn't help thinking that it was actually Holden, Austin was her married name before Palmer. It did make me wonder if they'd forgotten the connection with Tony.

The rest though was great, I think it showed that although probably not the friend to everyone she was made out to be, she was an important member of the community and probably one of the few to interact with everybody rather than just her own little group.