Latest UK Episode Discussion (2006-2017 Seasons)

[Red Ranger 1]

I loved Heath in the scene where he was giving Kyle and Tamara advice about the festival.("If my wife's happy, I get special cuddles."/"So why didn't you help us from the start?"/"I don't care that much.")So, Tamara is now in the know about the not-so-secret secret, although Brax isn't.His decision to cut his brothers off is slightly high-handed, although that's Brax all over:Visiting him every few weeks won't mean putting their lives on hold.Doing it to Ricky is perhaps more understandable, if again high-handed.I'm not surprised that the brothers insisted Ricky stay, she's still having their nephew/niece plus she's an old friend of at least two of them, and the three of them make a good team.Telling that she went straight to Nate though.

Talking of Nate, I actually felt very sorry for him when she had Irene acting like a mad woman and trying to force him to stay for fairly spurious reasons, although Alf's gentle approach paid far more dividends.The interplay between John and Tamara was rather amusing, although he was kidding himself thinking he could hide the festival from Jett.I'm kind of disappointed by the fact that John and Marilyn finally getting together has been so low key(we haven't even seen them kiss!)and I'm hoping we'll get those moments further down the line.

Really not sure about Phoebe, who isn't the person Kyle stayed with in Melbourne, can't remember her name without looking it up, seem to remember it was a boy name.(Okay, looked it up: Mackenzie. Actually, Phoebe looks a bit like Belle from some angles, especially in the last scene.)It's annoying that she's been thrown into the mix just as Kyle and Tamara were getting on and she seems a bit two-dimensional so far:The way she was dancing wildly and throwing clothes about when John and Tamara first saw her was a bit OTT, but if she sticks around rather than just being a short-term plot device then presumably she'll get a bit more depth at some point.

[Brian]

Another good episode today, with everyone pitching in (and being dragged in some cases) to help out at the festival. Except John that is, with his cheap comment about 2 sets of hooligans. Im glad we haven't seen him kissing Marilyn - she deserves better, so does Jett, if he doesn't stop moaning. I wonder how many MRH kids he won't let on his bus? At least they won't have different coloured shirts on. So how will we be able to tell the difference?

Then there are your Tamara/Kyle/Phoebe comments. Why is it annoying to have Phoebe turning up Red? Gives a bit of extra sparkle into the proceedings. Yes, H&Alover, you did see the mighty mouse turn into the green-eyed monster. Serves her right if she is jealous. She can't expect to keep playing the two brothers off indefinitely. She could just go back home. Why is she staying in Summer Bay anyway? Kyle and Tamara can still be friends with Phoebe there, 630si,because that what Tamara is telling everyone. It will be very interesting to see how that love triangle develops, if it does at all. Having said all that, I still thought that Kyle and Tamara made a great couple when they were together.

Perhaps Summer Bay advertises what a great place it is to live. "Come on all you kids! Leave your troubles at home and see how we help you to forget everything" They don't even have a backpackers' hostel though - just a free beach to kip on!

[c120701]

What an awful cover of that Lior song, also an awful choice of song for a festival like that.

[630si]

I guess Summer Bay is a small low key town, if you're a kid on the run, no one will look for you there. And small town folk are very hospitable. As long as you don't know a Braxton and try to rent a caravan from Mr Stewart lol.

[haaf14]

Brian, maybe inevitable was the wrong word but surprised no because Kyle did mention to Brax that 10 years was a long time to wait.

I liked the comment from yesterday episode when Kyle said 3 Braxtons and a baby.

[630si]

Hands up who switched to 5*?!

*hangs head in shame *

[Red Ranger 1]

I get that they're trying to build up to a big climax but it felt like there was a bit too much going on here, with six different plotlines going on.It's nice to see Alf and Roo a bit more relaxed around Josh and Maddy, even if Roo did get Spencer to keep an eye on her, which he seems to be overdoing a lot.Josh shrugging off Matt's jibes was a moment to appreciate.Sasha's failed attempts to put up a tent were slightly amusing.Phoebe still seems to be there solely to cause tension between Kyle and Tamara.

I have to admit I did feel a bit sorry for Montgomery here.It's pretty obvious that that small amount of power she gained from belittling pupils was the only thing she had going for her and now she's been left with nothing.Of course, any sympathy pretty much evaporated at the end as she gets pushed even further over the edge.The way we didn't see her contact was weird:Is he going to turn up again at some point or was it just to add mystery?And was there any reason for them to be meeting near the festival, except as an excuse for a tracking shot?

I felt a slight thrill of fear when Ethan turned up:After playing second fiddle to Murray for so long, he's suddenly got a subtle menace about him, whilst still seeming pretty spaced out.Hannah was once more very heavy-handed and she's lucky she didn't turn Evelyn against her again.Ethan turning up with what seemed to be a bunch of heavies near the end was very unsettling.

[haaf14]

At the end of the episode what Montomery has got it just doesn't bode well.

As for Ethan he just had that sinister look, like he has something planned.

I just hope Ricky and the Baby are all alright.

It was funnu how Jett did all that work at thr Surf Club for nothing

[H&Alover]

Alarm bells were definitely ringing for me when Ethan showed up at the Festival!! He is pushing It with Oscar and Evie and interesting to hear he is still in contact with some of the ex cult members.

I knew the boys wouldn't let Ricky move out and Heath stepping up to the plate again after Brax's bombshell was another reminder of how far he's come. I had to chuckle at his 'special cuddles' comment. There was no need to blame Nate seeing as she didn't even get to tell Brax she was pregnant! Glad to hear he is staying. Great bod btw!!

Wow that Festival is something isn't it, no piddling little affair and taking place at the park where the Braxton's had their cannabis farm and Stu was killed, didn't think we'd see that place again. No mistake, Tam is jealous of Pheobe, though whether anything went on between Kyle and her isn't clear. Nice to see Kyle playing and enjoying himself. Matt showing up in his hoody please how stereotypical could you get!!!

Exactly Red, John taking down the posters in the surf club was silly, they were all over the place!!! Besides he couldn't have avoided hearing about it. Loved seeing Jett trying to stop him from dancing. So Roo has asked Spencer, on the QT, to keep an eye on Maddy and Josh, what's he going to do sit outside the tent all night!!! That will go down well with Sash.

You have to hand it to Monty, she had some guts facing up to Heath like she did. She must have a very lonely life if the school is all she had. Though her actions following that are extreme to say the least. Just how does she know who to contact to get a bomb?

May be nothing but glad that Heath and Bianca were there for Ricky.

Punch up tonight and nothing to do with the Mango River & Summer Bay kids!!!!

[Red Ranger 1]

Far more than last year's finale, there is an odd feeling of watching a 90 minute episode cut in three:If this was a normal week, I suspect the Kyle/Tamara stuff wouldn't have dragged on into the opening minutes of the episode and the Ricky storyline wouldn't have popped in and out of the last two episodes without really going anywhere.That said, the Ethan storyline took a day off(which wasn't a bad thing)and a couple of other storylines felt like this was their last word for the year, so maybe I'm overanalysing.

So, Maddy finally loses her V-plates, as Matt so delicately put it.After failed attempts with Spencer and Casey, I did wonder if the show was building to something and maybe it still is:She almost had to steel herself to go through with it with Josh and didn't seem wholly overjoyed the next morning...then again, she's grinning her head off a few moments later when Josh sweeps her off her feet so maybe that's me overanalysing again.Glad we had that chat between Maddy and Evelyn to clear the air, it's the sort of thing the show would often gloss over.So Spencer seemingly overheard Josh belatedly telling Matt to pull his head in, hopefully he'll change his opinion of him now.Love that John and Marilyn had their little moment in the car park:That's the sort of thing we've been missing.And Chris was his usual brilliant self.Did he get lucky with Phoebe, as sort of seemed to be implied?

Oh-and Montgomery.Oddly, despite having gone way over the edge, I'm still finding her oddly and jarringly sympathetic.As with the Angie Russell storyline a decade back, you get the feeling it's succeeding partly because of the actress insisting on adding a level of humanity that isn't necessarily there in the script.Instead of playing it with panto villain relish, her planting the bomb is mechanical, with her expression dead behind the eyes.And her interaction with Leah and Matt, which could have been played in the same superior manner as pre-suspension, are played in a subdued, almost defeated manner.It's a smart move.