2018 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[CaptainHulk]

You know if they made good on Ryder's pier plan that would have made a way better episode!  H&A's been a snoozer this week.

 

[c120701]

I’m actually really enjoying the show this week. There’s been great character interaction, the houses seem like family units, the only crime related story has been retribution and I’m even liking character types I wouldn’t normally like such as Dean or Robbo. Hunter has been a lot more likable since being separated from Olivia. There’s also been a decent mix of stories between the younger & older characters. 

[CaptainHulk]

Just feels a bit tepid to me, is all.

Maybe next week the writers roll a 6.

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week: Five!

I do wonder if the writers actually know what they're saying sometimes with Irene's bleating about "Poor Hunter has terrible luck, he just can't catch a trick." This is the same Hunter who should be in jail about three or four times over and yet is somehow still around? My sympathy for poor ickle Hunter continues to be non-existent.Not only has he got away with enough to probably deserve this, but he was the one that was pushing for a relationship with Christina and thinking he knew best while people who are older and more intelligent than him were warning him of the possible consequences if it went wrong, and now they're here he's playing the victim and, as usual, has all the bleeding hearts rallying around him like he's an innocent little lamb.It'd be nice if he actually had to face some consequences to his actions for once.

Meanwhile, I continue to wonder why exactly Raffy is turning down family dinners in order to parent John and Marilyn`. Surely the show isn't still trying to make out that she's better off with them than with the Morgans? I don't want John and Marilyn to split up so I'm glad that they sorted things and that they've come up with a decent compromise on the fostering (not rushing into having another go but not saying no completely either). But this living arrangement is purely plot-driven and really needs to be ditched.We did at least get some decent stuff with Ryder, and with Ben and Maggie.So who exactly is running the school at the moment?Even Roo's left town.

[pembie]

I thought John and Marilyn should have said yes to frostering another child Ok Ty's gone but isn't that the job of a froster parent help whoever needs it?

[CaptainHulk]

On 14/09/2018 at 23:53, Red Ranger 1 said:

Alf's episode count this week: Five!

I do wonder if the writers actually know what they're saying sometimes with Irene's bleating about "Poor Hunter has terrible luck, he just can't catch a trick." This is the same Hunter who should be in jail about three or four times over and yet is somehow still around? My sympathy for poor ickle Hunter continues to be non-existent.Not only has he got away with enough to probably deserve this, but he was the one that was pushing for a relationship with Christina and thinking he knew best while people who are older and more intelligent than him were warning him of the possible consequences if it went wrong, and now they're here he's playing the victim and, as usual, has all the bleeding hearts rallying around him like he's an innocent little lamb.It'd be nice if he

Don't you mean BLEATING Hearts?

Ok, That was terrible! 

[H&Alover]

Tori, understandably is feeling frustrated that Dempsey has managed to fall pregnant so easily, OK she's a lot younger, when she,  an otherwise healthy woman, is having to go the IVF route.  Also perhaps if Dempsey is considering a termination that would rub salt in the wound.  Be good to see her tell Raffy at some point.  To me it seemed it was Mason that was coming on strong and over riding Dempsey, at least he backed off at the end and let her have time to herself to think about it.  She will be the one carrying the baby after all and all that entails. 

Raffy did refer to John & Maz as her family not once but twice.  She was a latecomer to the Morgan's, a couple of years now,  so perhaps she doesn't feel as close to them as she would have if she known them longer and with John & Marilyn there is just her.    She hasn't had the chance to explain to them how much Ty going affected her, they've both been caught up in how they feel. Great how Coco and Ryder rallied round with their suggestions and the dinner one was a good one.  It wasn't going the way she had planned they were still squabbling and just going round and round in circles, in fact it took Maggie's call to alert them to Raffy's sliding grades to bring them to their senses. Good decision, finally made, not saying no to fostering, just putting on hold for the moment.  Would be fair on a vulnerable foster child going to a home where there would be an atmosphere if one of the fosterers wasn't ready which John isn't.  I wonder if Marilyn's eagerness to jump straight back in is because she wants to plug the gap Ty has left, not a good reason to foster.   Nice mention of him btw.  Surprises all round, not least for Ryder, that his grades were better than Coco's and Raffy's and typical of him he didn't let them forget it.

Dean finally stopped posturing and accepted Justine's offer of a job, not charity, Justine does need an extra hand now Ash has gone. I get he (and Willow) have in the past mainly looked after themselves, but they need to learn it isn't weakness to accept a helping hand, you can still keep your independence.

Christina & Hunter - yes he's no saint and went where wise man would fear to tread, but she was the more older adult, his tutor/mentor and in a position of power so should have shut it down the moment he made the first move, though wasn't her getting rather more touchy than she should have been in the gym, so it could be she instigated it, Hunter is still a normal, healthy 18/19 year old so reacted as any other lad his age would. I thought his talk, without Leah's interference, was calm, reasonable and well thought out.  Her argument she couldn't just tell the facility he wanted a new mentor as they would wonder why didn't wash with me, she could have put up a good reason.  What was her dumping the fact she was divorcing her husband because of him have to do with the price of fish?  He had nothing  to do with that, that was her decision to cheat on Tony.  Hunter was unwise in keeping on ringing her as he's now been dropped from the scheme and he's been accused of harassment.  Give him his due he was reluctant to counter the charge, it was Leah & Alf who insisted.

Maggie has found her purpose doing what she loves, after her hobbies didn't pan out. I think she mentioned she was helping out Roo's stand in.

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

I am finding the development of the Christina storyline ever more awkward.It's rather frustrating that the show resorted to having her lie in order to paint her as the bad guy, especially since they can't seem to make their mind up whether she did anything wrong before that.Well, okay, cheating on her husband.I guess I mean professionally.(What happened to Roo's casual "Lecturer/student relationships aren't encouraged but it happens, it's no big deal" attitude?)The adults continue to rally round Hunter as if he's a sweet little cherub, with Alf actually trying to paint him as the victim in the Charlotte business (another case where he caused most of the trouble and then got away with it by pulling sad faces and blaming someone else) and Leah having the same vile judgemental attitude as she did a few weeks back, except now we're meant to be cheering her on for no good reason.Even the reveal that Hunter seduced her didn't seem to register.And at the end, when Christina gets exposed, we're apparently meant to go "Yay, three cheers for Hunter"?

I can't really blame John for mistrusting Willow.She has a point that he can't find out if she's trustworthy without trusting her, but of course the counter-argument is "What if she isn't?" I want to like her and Justin's reunion but I can't help feeling she's not really in the right head space for it.Justin and Dean's rapprochement continues, with Dean forced to acknowledge what Willow sees in him.Ziggy also seems to be doing her best to be a good friend to Dean, perhaps realising that that's what people did for her.

[D.B]

While I'm glad that John and Marilyn stopped arguing, I did roll my eyes when Raffy said that they were her family, I mean, I like the three of them, and they have some good scenes, but she already has a family, which honestly should have been around when hearing about Raffy's grades. There's no real need for John and Marilyn to be acting like her parents. Still, there was some fun banter between Ryder, Raffy and Coco. 

Speaking of rolling my eyes.... everyone acting like Hunter's cheerleaders is really getting on my nerves. Irene and Leah saying talking about Christina facing consequences and Hunter talking about her covering herself made me completely shocked and extremely annoyed at the hypocrisy of it all, since Hunter, as Red pointed out, was the one who was pushing for a relationship with Christina and ignoring Leah's advice, and also is the one who should be in jail but sadly isn't just because he pulled off a sad face! I may be sounding bitter here, but it's just how I feel,  Hunter is not, in my opinion, a sweet little angel or a victim, and I'm tired of everyone on the show acting like he is when there's clear proof shown time after time again to them that he's not worth it. That, of course, doesn't excuse Christina for lying about it just to cover herself and she was the responsible adult.Well, Hunter got away for something he was actually innocent, for once. I really want him to suffer consequences, but I guess not. 

While I want to see Willow getting another chance, because she is actually willing to change unlike others (cough*Hunter*cough), I can't really blame John for mistrusting her. While the continued friendship between Dean and Ziggy is nice, it probably won't do much for Brody's dislike of Dean, so it will be interesting to see what will happen next with the three. 

[CaptainHulk]

This Hunter thing is sucking the life out of the show.