2018 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

23 hours ago, D.B said:

Well, in fairness, you can't deny that Robbo is still trying to do what's best for Kat,  even though it was her own idea,and also Robbo admitted himself that he was an "acting participant",so let's give him some credit, he does show responsibility for his actions.

Well, in private yes, but he seems to be happy to let his lawyer make out that it doesn't count somehow.

Incidentally, I share the confusion about Ash's status: It sounds like they're now expecting the dialysis to sort him out completely without need for a transplant.

Anyway, today.And Justin found himself very bereft of allies, with Raffy and Ava snarking and death glaring him and even Brody telling him to get over it.Which, to be fair, he did and he apologised to Willow, who understood that being a bit overprotective as a dad doesn't make you a bad person (despite Dean doing his best to make out it does) although I'm slightly confused by her suddenly pointing to a neglected childhood when she seems to get on well with her own dad.That said, I think she has indicated he was somewhat out of his depth in the past.Ava's said to be nine here, which I don't think entirely ties in with the timeline of the Morgans' history, although it is coming from Willow who might not know exactly how old she is.I continue to be frustrated at Raffy "visiting" what should be her home: Get her back there, for pete's sake!

I can kind of understand Maggie's point of view, she still has a family to support even with cancer.It looks like it's catching up on her anyway.It was interesting to see Baz continually provoking Ben, who not too long ago probably would have punched him but is doing his best to keep his temper in check.It was amusing that Ziggy's fully aware of the surprise party and Brody knows that she knows but isn't going to tell her.Mason's fumbling attempts to ask out Jasmine were kind of sweet in their way and I do hope it works out for him, despite her getting the wrong end of the stick.

[atrus]

Sad that it appears there's more bad news in store for Maggie, especially in an episode where I otherwise enjoyed all the Astoni scenes. They've definitely come of age as a fun, authentic family unit - and even Ben, who I've struggled to warm to, is swallowing his male pride and doing his best to help them pull together, to the extent of sitting through an entire job interview being goaded by the Neighbours hot air balloon saboteur without decking him.

But, Ziggy - Arial Black on a CV? Really?

I could still see both sides of the Justin/Willow fall-out, so I was glad that they seemed to have resolved things, and that this was used as an opportunity to shine more (but not too much more) light on Willow's troubled backstory too.

[Pierced Musie]

I'm loving the Astoni family dynamic more and more. Every time Ben and Ziggy spend time together it feels like a natural father/daughter dynamic, especially when she is taking the mick. My only hope is that no long lost children appear because that just taints it.

But I have to say wow, Ben in a suit just makes me think of the character Rohan played over 10 years ago. Considering it was only a few episodes I always remembered that character and wished he had stayed. Never thought the actor would appear as a complete opposite character. 

 

Oh and standout performance by Buddy. That dawg has star quality 

[pembie]

12 minutes ago, Pierced Musie said:

I'm loving the Astoni family dynamic more and more. Every time Ben and Ziggy spend time together it feels like a natural father/daughter dynamic, especially when she is taking the mick. My only hope is that no long lost children appear because that just taints it.

But I have to say wow, Ben in a suit just makes me think of the character Rohan played over 10 years ago. Considering it was only a few episodes I always remembered that character and wished he had stayed. Never thought the actor would appear as a complete opposite character. 

 

Oh and standout performance by Buddy. That dawg has star quality 

I liked post because of your comment about Buddy I'm not fussed that you like Ben in his suit haha

[630si]

2 hours ago, Pierced Musie said:

I'm loving the Astoni family dynamic more and more. Every time Ben and Ziggy spend time together it feels like a natural father/daughter dynamic, especially when she is taking the mick. My only hope is that no long lost children appear because that just taints it.

But I have to say wow, Ben in a suit just makes me think of the character Rohan played over 10 years ago. Considering it was only a few episodes I always remembered that character and wished he had stayed. Never thought the actor would appear as a complete opposite character. 

 

Oh and standout performance by Buddy. That dawg has star quality 

I agree Ben has grown on my also in recent times.

[H&Alover]

I've always liked Ben and thought there was more to him than his overprotectiveness as a dad and brashness towards others when he first arrived.  How he managed to keep his cool when being 'interviewed' by Barry I'll never know, I wanted to punch him.   He was so snide and condescending I wonder how he manages to hire any staff. At least the way he behaved showed it wasn't Dean playing the disgruntled ex employee role with his comments to Ziggy.  Maggie wasn't very complimentary about him either.

Wow Ziggy finally has her 20th birthday!!!! Fun how the family thought they were hiding the 'surprise' party from her and but as she's not daft, she knew all about it  but played along anyway.  Chuckled at Coco's pre birthday gift of anti-ageing cream.  Bit of a shock for Maggie finding that lump, side effect of the chemo affecting her lymph nodes or secondary cancer?  Trouble with net you can find all sorts of things out but that is so general not specific to an individual.  Obviously once she gets the party out of the way she can go and checked out. 

Was Justin being over protective with Ava well yes and no. It has taken him a long while to persuade Nina to let him have proper contact with her so of course he wants things to go safely while she's with him, actually nine does work out as her right age, she was two when he 'vanished' and that was seven years ago.  Willow may be a bit casual around her but not deliberately careless and while her explanation she looked after herself a lot when she was young and survived doesn't follow other kids would be able to. I could be  misremembering things but I think she said her dad fell apart rather when her mum left when she was a kid. She didn't know Ava was going to be using Brody's knives, heck, they'd scare me, so didn't see any harm in leaving her alone in the kitchen.  True Nina may let her use knives but not unattended I bet. Can see why Justin freaked though even a professional chef could slice through their finger or hand handling them.  He was harsh with Willow and didn't give her a chance to explain or listen to Ava who was there!   He did overreact when Ava and Raffy were playing  on the sofa and she fell off, heck kids get bumps, bruises, cuts, reckon it happens all the time at home. I did notice later Dean was rather keen on painting Justin as a real bad guy maybe in the hope she'd dump him! Didn't come to pass though as she forgave him the next day after they had both cooled down and admitted they were both at fault.

Tori's decision not to ask Ash to testify on Robbo's behalf backfired as he had been subpoenaed anyway but due to the usual soap misunderstanding he thought she was there to soften him up. He probably thought all that guff she gave him about still caring was a lie. I think the hospital is hoping the dialysis will reverse the damage done to his kidney, he may drink but otherwise he is healthy so fingers crossed it works and he won't need a transplant.

Wow you can't accuse the prosecution of not doing their homework, now they've dragged up, not literally of course, Dylan and the fact his blood was found on the boat so now Robbo is facing two charges of murder!  The only thing in Robbo's favour there is it happened, whatever it is, in Robbo's 'Beckett Reid' phase which he has no memory of.

Btw Captain Hulk certainly not wrong to like Kurt - he's great - beneath that disheveled appearance there is a mind like a steel trap.

Roo was certainly on edge waiting for Martha to come back and I'm not sure if Alf was relieved or not when she did.

Unless any of us have been where Martha has been we shouldn't judge her decision of why she felt Alf and Roo would be better off if she wasn't around so in her state of mind at the time decided 'suicide' was the best option.   She wasn't feeling as she should have as  a wife and mother and didn't know why. She may have even thought she'd harm Roo in some way.  She admitted it took her years to get a diagnosis by which time she felt it was too late to come back. It may have well been the more enlightened 80's but still a lot of shame to admit you had a severe mental condition. Though initially Roo understood Martha's remark she must have had a happy childhood didn't have the desired response.  All that pent up anger and hurt came out with her telling Martha she had had a daughter at 16 who she gave up and although she reunited with doesn't now know where she is. She did omit the fact Martha is on the run from Australian police.

Yep Buddy is a star and doesn't have to say a word.

 

[Dan F]

3 hours ago, 630si said:

I agree Ben has grown on my also in recent times.

He's grown on your what now...? Sorry, couldn't resist that...

6 hours ago, Pierced Musie said:

But I have to say wow, Ben in a suit just makes me think of the character Rohan played over 10 years ago. Considering it was only a few episodes I always remembered that character and wished he had stayed. Never thought the actor would appear as a complete opposite character.

In honour of happy times....

Spoiler

 

[Pierced Musie]

37 minutes ago, Dan F said:

He's grown on your what now...? Sorry, couldn't resist that...

In honour of happy times....

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Oh Dan, you are awesome !

... I think I still have those episodes on VHS somewhere. Just need a new VCR...

[Razabaza]

I kind of like Willow now. 

Whoever cast Ava as Justin's daughter has good judgement, she does kind of look like him. However, I know she's just a child, but I find her kind of creepy, she has a very calm voice and just kind of stands and stares at people. Like one of the children from the cornfields.

[Red Ranger 1]

Nice twist that Brody managed to get Ziggy convinced that there wasn't a surprise party in time for her to be actually surprised.It was hard to know what to make of her reaction to him saying he loved her:I thought that was kind of self-evident but apparently not.Leah seems to be the go-to person for confidantes, although Ben gets filled in quickly.It was nice to see John and Marilyn joining in the happy dancing couples too.There are times when I wonder if the show's trying to compensate for the lack of same-sex couples by having people be a bit too close friends: Here, Coco is more tactile towards Raffy than her supposed boyfriend!

Talking of which, kind of, Hunter and Olivia spending all night talking was absolutely ridiculous.I know Irene is probably in favour of them getting back together but would she and everyone else really leave without even telling them they're going? And then they just shrug and go "Let's go to the Diner", as if they aren't stuck out in the sticks, the minibus they came there on hasn't inexplicably left without them and they aren't at least an hour's walk away.They'd be better off staying and helping with the tiding, at least then they'd get fed.The reference to Jennifer did feel annoyingly like someone's idea of an ending and also makes little sense: She hasn't gone anywhere, so why is everyone talking like they don't see her anymore?I guess at least there's the possibility of her reappearing further down the track...

Poor Mason.Every girl he likes ends up liking someone else.While he did change plans first, the way Jasmine binned him off annoyed me a bit and has made me like her a bit less.Especially when she then starts going stalkerish over Colby because they had one kiss.