Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[H&Alover]

Thanks for that Red. One of those continuity blips I guess.

Agree Brax has no right to expect Casey to lie to keep Ricky out of jail and do it behind her back so Casey thinks she put Brax up to do it on her behalf. She seems to be prepared to do her time.

Loved the sister brother banter between Indi and Dex, sorting out the household chores, whose going to be doing what, but first PARTY!!! True there was no need for Dex to actually OK it with Indi about April moving in (again) but nice that he did and Indi was Ok with it, and as she said they can gang up on Dex, he is outnumbered now.

Casey is really getting into a bad place, his secret drinking isn't anymore, nice that Indi cares enough about him to put him to bed, ah that kiss, he looked like he regretted straight away, going to awkward in the gym tomorrow.

Naturally Sally feels as Pippa is her daughter her getting treatment for her is her problem, but she doesn't have to do it all alone. Maybe she felt Alf suggesting the house being sold was decided behind her back, even though it must have been at the back of her mind. It's good to see she's worked out, as much as she can, the cost involved, not just the hospital, treatment and after care, but living accommodations and other costs. Wonder how much the house and park would go for? That was a nice little scene with Alf and Sally on the stairs, but why was she there, it looked like she had been using the bathroom?

[Red Ranger 1]

Didn't find Brax as annoying as I thought I would, I was expecting him to be leaning on Kyle and Tamara to give pro-Ricky speeches like he did with Casey but instead, rightly, he just told them to tell the truth.Kyle was out of line taking it out on Ricky but Brax threatening him was both unlikeable and pointless:It didn't have any effect on Kyle and nearly drove Ricky away.I can understand Tamara being scared of things changing if her memory returns but she has sat on it for a bit too long.

Seemed a waste to only have Sally in half a scene, although given that she wasn't credited I'm guessing that scene wasn't meant to be in the episode anyway.Which, um, is even worse.Not sure if the comments about Irene looking tired are going anywhere or if it's just a way of pointing out the Diner's short staffed, it'd be nice if we did see the effect all this is having on her.I wondered for a while if dragging Leah and VJ into Sally and Pippa's storyline was a way of getting current characters involved for audience members who may not remember the oldies but given that that plotline's been dropped as quickly as it appeared, it appears that not only was it factually inaccurate(or at the very least misleading), it was also pointless.

Glad that Indi and Casey put the kiss behind them quickly.And Casey's claim he'd have kissed Dexter in the same circumstances is bound to please the slash fans.I assume we're meant to see his hooking up with a hot blonde as self-destructive but, hey, good on him, frankly.

[Slade]

Have to admit, I almost applauded Brax when he threatened to throw Kyle of the balcony for the way he spoke to Ricki.

Tamara's memory's still slowly coming back. Good. Hopefully it will just be a matter of time. I really want Casey to get over her then if her memory returns then we'll see what will happen. That attractive girl he met at the gym's a start. Talk about lucky.

Perhaps I misread the situation with Casey and Indy. Initially I thought she was attracted then in today's episode I thought she was jealous of the girl in the gym but I think she's genuinely trying to be there as a friend because she can empathise with him.

Well I guess it's no surprise that VJ doesn't have the gene given that Leah isn't related to Pippa.

Seriously why was Sally even in that episode. Could that scene have not waited until tomorrow?

[Red Ranger 1]

So, looks like Pippa's been aged up if she's in high school.I had a feeling they wouldn't be able to resist the urge to stick her in Summer Bay High uniform(and the photo of Sally was a nice touch), they did the same thing with Tamara Simpson when Sophie came back.It does sort of make sense given she was originally two years younger than VJ, although whether that was still the case in 2008 is anyone's guess.(I've heard it suggested VJ was aged up as early as 2007, when Felix Dean took on the role.)Nice to get a chat between Sally and Irene, shame that a well-written scene was ruined by the end of Irene giving her highly questionable advice.I can understand Sally not wanting to burst Pippa's bubble and I sympathise but coming up with a hard and fast rule about not telling until they go to the clinic, which is months away, is not the right decision, she needs to trust her instincts.At least she was smart enough to let Bianca and the teachers know.

That hug between Kyle and Tamara at the restaurant was way cute.Both their positions are understandable:Neither wants things to change but Tamara can't promise they won't. Found Bianca telling Kyle that he can't complain if Tamara goes back to Casey very annoying, he's the one who's been there for Tamara and risked everything for her, he doesn't deserve to get cast aside.(Okay, neither did Casey, but you can't rewind the clock.)Somewhat disappointed Tamara's going back to school, her going back in the first place was a weird decision and the amnesia was the perfect excuse to draw a line under it.

I can see that Maddy suddenly wanting to be friends with Spencer after not wanting anything to do with him when he was with Sasha is a bit hypocritical but I actually hope they do become friends again, if friends is all Maddy is after and I think it is.For once, Roo and Harvey handled the situation well.Loved the big sisterly relationship Maddy had with Pippa. Also good to see her going for a run, it suggests she hasn't given up the training which I was worried she had.(And John said something last episode about starting to do it again so maybe..?)

[H&Alover]

Tam getting her memory back regards the kidnapping won't be good for the prosecution, in fact it's going to go in Ricky's favour, though the prosecution are going to argue that what she is remembering isn't reliable. I thought Tam was very honest with Kyle, even though it wasn't what he wanted to hear, she can't promise things won't change. She did switch very quickly from Casey to Kyle, maybe she has that sort of personality, Casey would have been there for Tam if things had been different. How come Brax didn't give Kyle and Tam the same treatment that he gave Casey?

I looked up Pippa's condition and if I read it right, it's generic so could have only come via Sally's egg or Finn's sperm, unless TPTB decided to rewrite history and it was Leah's egg and Finn's sperm. Good luck with keeping it a secret from Pippa btw. Both Alf and Irene are right, let Pippa enjoy herself while she is still fit enough to do so, but the other hand the longer she leaves it the harder it will be for Sally. I always thought SBH covered all ages (which does make the High bit of a misnomer), I don't think Sally had much choice but to tell Bianca about what was wrong with Pippa, the teachers will need to know what to do if she had a collapse or something. The trying on of the uniform was funny, how many times have girls had arguments about the length of the dresses over the years, it did look better when it was that bit shorter.

Loved Casey sneaking out of the farmhouse and the glass of water and alka seltzer left for him (by Indi)? His look of (sham) innocence when Indi asked him what he remembered from the night before was rather sweet and his attempts at avoiding her, though that didn't last long. Funnily Slade I thought the same as you that Indi was jealous of that blonde girl, unless she's concerned that Casey will just get used by her. Is she going to get a name or is she just a passing through character who will remain nameless?

Have Maddy and Spencer finally got themselves sorted out and are just friends? Please let's hope so, it's getting so tiring, speaking, not speaking, sniping at ach other. Loved the remarks between Roo and Harvey - "We'll have to co-ordinate on what to say".

[Red Ranger 1]

Summer Bay High has always been, well, a high school with the younger characters going to a separate primary school:Sally went there in the early years, VJ went there up until a couple of years ago. In the very early episodes, it was shown to be across the road from the high school but anyone's guess if it's still there.Casey's fling was called Peyton according to the credits, although with her only being there for the night we probably won't see her again.

I'm not as frustrated by the nonsense that's being talked about the surrogacy as I was when it first came up but it grates massively.I don't think the fact that Sally didn't give birth to Pippa has been mentioned since 2004, it was a complete non-issue, and yet the amateurs writing this storyline seem to have grabbed on it as the character's defining trait and are clearly under the delusion that Sally isn't Pippa's biological mother.So we get lines like VJ saying Pippa's his half-sister when she's nothing of the sort:Flynn and Sally are Pippa's parents, Leah just provided the womb.At the moment, we can write it off as VJ not checking his facts(like the writers)and Sally and Leah being idiots and thinking two unrelated children could have the same genetic defect(has Sally bothered warning Pippa's actual blood relatives, like Miles and Ashley, they could be carriers?), with Pippa's comments on the subject being vague enough to fit in with established continuity.(Mind you, she didn't seem to have a clue about the surrogacy when she turned up, so presumably Sally's filled her in since then.)But it's frustrating that what should be a good, emotive storyline is being ruined by the writers introducing a load of unnecessary continuity and getting it wrong.Don't blame Jett and VJ for assuming Pippa knew what was going on, Sally should have told her as soon as she was diagnosed, even Alf seemed to think so.Not sure why they got involved though.At first it seemed like they were worried VJ might have what she's got but that seemed to get dropped quickly in favour of them getting oddly involved in the life of a girl they don't know.

Sasha came back?Did she have to?So, we've lost Sid, we've lost Rosie, but April, Dexter and Sasha are still taking up screen time with their shallow antics.Natalie disappearing in a puff of irrelevancy and Sally and Pippa coming back(as guest stars, so probably not for good)seems like a poor trade.It's frustrating that we get a load of scenes of Spencer and Maddy relaxed and enjoying themselves, Maddy back in training, them having the close relationship that two people with their history should have...and then Sasha comes back and ruins it all.Not because she misses her family but because she can't live without some boy she's been dating for about a month.Which is as shallow and selfish as it sounds and having shallow and selfish April and Dexter make a show of indulging her when they clearly just want to ditch her so they can have sex underlines that the wrong Walker left.Maddy was out of line having a go at her, Spencer can fight his own battles and it's not up to her if he takes Sasha back or not.(She seemed jealous...because she wants him for herself or because she's worried he'll go back to spending all his time with Sasha?)But Sasha can't expect Spencer to just take her back in his arms.Harvey made a big deal about Spencer going to find Maddy after his and Sasha's first time but Sasha leaving town after Spencer's first time ever trumps that.

Nice scene between Indi and Heath, I'm not sure she's shown that much interest in him before.While I liked Heath's flippant attitude, I can understand Bianca not wanting him to go with her:It's an important event for her and the way Heath was acting he'd probably turn up with a dismissive attitude and make fun of the whole thing.

So looks like Irene's attempt at a storyline was leading up to John working at the Diner.Roo's response about how John serving people would be ridiculous is rather odd.She does realise that's exactly what he does at the gelato bar, right?

[Slade]

Oh so Sasha's back then. Really pleased about that. Firstly because she's hot but more importantly it puts Maddie out of shape. Maddie really thought she had Spencer all to herself and she was obviously trying to get back with him. Her expression when she saw Sasha with Spencer was delightful. Why should she automatically feel she has the right to have him? Then she had the nerve to storm round to Sasha's and have a go at her, because she doesn't want Sasha messing Spencer around, more like she sees Sasha as a threat. Couldn't believe Maddie called Sasha self-absorbed. My jaw almost dropped. Three words - pot, kettle black. I really wish Sasha had given as good as she got though and hated the self-pity act afterwards. When Maddie got on her high horse Sasha should have delivered one of Ruby's lines - "I had him first". Yes Maddie Sasha took his virginity - not you. If I were Sasha I wouldn't worry to much about Spencer. He's annoyed now but if she gives it a bit of time and plays her cards right she'll be back in there. He might be peeved at the moment and his pride might be hurt but he's still at the stage where he hasn't gotten over her and is susceptible to her charms so there's hope yet.

I could have seriously throttled VJ and Jett. Snooping, letting themselves into Bianca's office without permission then accessing confidential information. I suppose they were trying to help but they were still being nosy. And poor Pippa. Felt so sorry for her. Part of me really wants to blame Sally for not telling her first but objectively what can she do? She's in a lose-lose situation. She tells Pippa she's dying, Pippa's going to be miserable. She doesn't tell Pippa she's dying then she's not being honest or fair to Pippa. Man I hate this storyline.

[H&Alover]

VJ saying he and Pippa are half brother/sister definitely implies it was Leah's egg and Flynn's sperm, though all of us with a memory that goes that far back know it wasn't like that. There would have been some paper work to sort out after the birth but Pippa is totally Sally and Flynn's. Now Red, you are assuming they (TPTB) know what they are doing re Miles and Ashley, it would have been my first reaction if I found my child had an heredity disease. But as they seem to be going down the 'it was Leah's egg' route, it doesn't seem to matter. True what VJ and Jett did was wrong, but I'm blaming Bianca, she goes off for this talk with Zac not only leaving confidential papers on her desk but the office unlocked, very professional, I don't think!!!!! They were just being boys and they wanted to find out what was wrong with Pippa and what necessitated VJ's tests, which I'm guessing Leah still hasn't told him why he had to have them. I don't blame VJ and Jett either they obviously did think she knew and were just being caring, what with VJ being her half brother and all that. Sally certainly has some talking to do now.

Sasha certainly didn't last long in Broken Hill and although we know her real reason for coming back it must have been pretty lonely, Sid would have been working most of the time and she didn't have Dex, Indi (and April) around for company. She did assume an awful lot that she could just pick up where she left off with Spencer, I'm glad he (without Maddy telling him) decided that she couldn't just come back and he'd be fine with it. Not even sure she and Spencer even dated for a week let alone a month! Actually I think Maddy and Spencer had got just to the right stage, friends with a history, but are now able to put it behind them and move on. I didn't see Maddy's rant at Sash as that out of order, and as said before he made his own mind up about how he felt about that.

I do hope we are not seeing cracks in Heath and Bianca's relationship, her look of horror (that's too strong a word, but you know what I mean) when he helped himself to Zac's pizza started warning bells ringing. I can see why he'd feel ill at ease at that sort of do.

I suppose serving drinks at the Surf Club is slightly different from taking orders from diners and getting them right and being patient while they make their minds up, not one of John's strong point, patience. Though of course now Sash is back she will be able to take up some of the slack.

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week:Five!Roo was also in five, so that's two weeks running for both of them, and so was Sally, although she wasn't credited on Tuesday.Other special guest star Pippa was in four.Sasha was only in one.

I really don't blame Jett and VJ for telling Pippa.Yeah, the nosiness was above and beyond but she should have been told.I love Sally and she was her usual wonderful self for most of that episode but I did get momentarily annoyed with her when she evaded Pippa's questions and insisted it'd be fine.I think Pippa knows it's not as rosy a view as Sally is making out.Leah does have to hold some of the responsibility as VJ said:The whole thing could have been avoided if Leah had just said "Pippa's got an illness and doesn't know and we thought you might have it."(And again, even if the powers that be don't know Sally is Pippa's mother, has anyone got in touch with Flynn's family?Or isn't he her father anymore either?)John and Jett's chat worked well, as did Alf and Pippa.

Heath probably should have known how important the event was for Bianca and supported her, but he may well be genuine in being worried about showing her up.I think it was rather presumptuous of Zac to turn up as her date, she seemed to appreciate it but I think she'd have been okay on her own.At least she didn't let the Department bod go on thinking he was her fiancé.And it is a shame that Heath did make the effort only to find out he wasn't needed.Loved his obvious delight at ringing the Diner bell.

Irene was being a bit of a martyr sending Roo home when she's clearly run off her feet.Surprised by that scene of her home alone, I didn't think they'd bother.I seem to remember she asked April and Bianca to move in because she was lonely so it's understandable that with them gone she'd be feeling extreme empty nest syndrome.

[Brian]

I do hope we are not seeing cracks in Heath and Bianca's relationship, her look of horror (that's too strong a word, but you know what I mean) when he helped himself to Zac's pizza started warning bells ringing. I can see why he'd feel ill at ease at that sort of do.

I hope we are seeing cracks. They're never going to be right for each other. They like too many different things, as Heath pointed out today. Heath will always be a river boy at heart and Bianca is too sophisticated for that. She was beautiful in that dress - you got that right Heath. Bianca is going downhill - Italian prince, rock singer, river boy - who next?