2021 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

In case there's any confusion, we saw characters going into Salt while Mackenzie was out of town and it was mentioned her staff had been told she was taking a couple of days off.So I think it was only closed for that afternoon.

Anyway.Ryder and Chloe were definitely chancing their luck and have now got Alf on their case.I'm surprised Bella had the clout to get them on the guest list but there you go.Also surprised at her saying she has work in the morning: Like, when? She has TAFE, I guess, and I'm now wondering if Ryder still goes there or if he finished his course and I've forgotten. Or did she mean she'd be shadowing Emmett again? Bella's behaviour with Nikau was curious, hiding her own concerns and feeling out whether he was enjoying it or not.

Drunk Jasmine continues to be amusing.It was quite nice to see her hanging out with Tori and Christian, although her conversation topic went down like a lead balloon where Tori was concerned.Christian seems to have embraced the whole living for the moment thing a bit too much, but he did talk about behavioural changes.

[H&Alover]

Who decided to open up again after Mac had thrown everyone out and keep the place running? It's been more than a couple of days since that happened - hasn't it? 

Ryder and Chloe are sailing close to the wind by risking Alf's wrath.  I'm guessing he is still counting Alf's as his home and not bunking down at the Parata's, if so he should be chipping in his share towards costs. Ari and Mia won't put up with Chloe not contributing either, pretty sure Mia would have brought her up better than that. Once he started earning Nik had to put something in the family pot. 

From what I could gather it was an open invitation to the after shoot party and anyone could be asked, no-one seemed bothered and so many other random people there I doubt anyone would have noticed two more.  It made Bella feel better having people she could actually talk to.   Liked the light hearted critique Chloe and Ryder were giving the cocktails.  Not such a good idea of sending Roo  a selfie of themselves which Alf also saw. 

I think Bella was referring to working  with Emmett, I thought I heard him say 'see you tomorrow'. 

I like seeing Jasmine drunk, but too drunk,  too, she is funny and her chasing Christian into the sea was a good fun moment.  Certainly a change from when she first met him and was wary of him becoming Grace's 'dad' and Robbo being forgotten.  He's proved himself in that regard and it was nice to see Jasmine and Grace together as well. 

Oh did we all miss something as Jasmine said she went back to Marilyn and finished the Tarot reading?

Fair enough Tori isn't into the after effects of the out of life experience  that Christian is having and the whole Tarot thing, but she did come across as very dismissive of both.  Actually seeing as she was in a coma for six weeks I would have thought she'd be more open to the idea. 

Is Christian still off work, btw, he did go through  a traumatic ordeal - as in dying for a couple of moments - and the hospital's HR Department would have to ensure he is completely well to return to duty, but as he is a neurosurgeon pretty vital that he is.  Physically he is, but mentally/emotionally? 

Nice bum Christian!   Yes I know terribly sexist, but he does.  Beach was deserted so he wasn't going to upset anyone. 

Not giving anything away as it was in the trailer, but just when we/Justin thought/hoped Leah had reined it in turns out we were all wrong. 

[Red Ranger 1]

I don't know who else would have a key to Salt, but I presume Mackenzie rang whatever staff she has left and told them to look after the place at some point before she decamped to the motel. We didn't actually see Jasmine's full tarot session but we did see her go back to Marilyn and say she wanted to conclude it.

Alf's episode count this block:Five!

Today. Ooh, where to start? Ziggy was a bit annoying at times but she's been worse; Tane definitely seems to have hardened in his attitude towards Mackenzie as well. Ryder and Chloe had a decent idea in theory but they seem to have missed out the practical side of things.

Christian almost seems brain damaged with the way he's shifting from idea to idea and unable to keep focus but then Tori can be a bit staid at times. His analogy between Leah and Lewis was somewhat dubious: It's certainly true that Lewis went off the deep end because he'd been holding onto his hatred until he exploded, but it's also true that it happened because he became obsessed with punishing the person he blamed for his troubles instead of coming to terms with them, which is pretty much what's happening to Leah.And she remains determined to drag John along on her crusade with her, so she really did deserve that response.

[H&Alover]

I do vaguely  remember  Jasmine returning to Marilyn  now. 

Wasn't sure what to make of Ziggy's reaction to finding out Mac was at Dean's.  Was she angry at him for not telling her and that she had to find out from Irene.  Angry that she had been worrying about Mac being God knows where when in fact she had been and is safe.  At least she had a good outlet for her anger by with the punches she was throwing.   

Very good idea but quite an important part of Ryder and Chloe's  whole idea to 'forget' about, the cost of the whole thing.  They thought Roo was being boring but the practical side does have to be thought about.   Buying buying van, though Ziggy has said she could hep there, having work done on it,  insurance on van, even most of the time it would be static, stock, where's the booze coming from, glasses etc, insurance for accidental breakages.  Are they buying the stock or is it sale or return?    Getting permission for setting up the business in Surf Club car park.  

Only someone who has experienced what Christian has gone through could really understand his new perspective on life.  Tori certainly can't, but she can be very tunnel visioned at times, but even if she can't grasp the idea, she should be accepting of Christian's feelings that he believes it and not just dismiss it.   He isn't doing anything dangerous, he's still as loving, though his attempt of being interested in the Wedding plans fell short. 

Not sure about his advice to Leah though about carrying on looking for Susie as 'it's for her' just when she was ready to let it go.  But the advice was for her, not dragging John back into it.   He had made his feelings very clear, he wanted nothing more to do with it, but no she rides rough shod all over them, cons - no other word for it - him into having lunch with her and up pops Stephen, all casual like.  Totally on his side and under the circumstances he was very restrained with what he said to Leah.  I was definitely back into wanting to slap her mode. She's risked losing John's friendship, if she hasn't already and wait until Justin and Irene find out, not to mention Roo and Alf.  I'm not blaming Stephen as I don't think he was aware of the situation. 

[Slade]

Laughed when Leah said it wasn't about the money re Susie.  It's absolutely about the money.

At least Sienna owns the fact she 'owns' Nick.

I suppose drunk Jasmine is better than crazy Jasmine.

I would have preferred if Tori got her kit off rather than Christian.  I actually found her really annoying and ended up supporting Christian yesterday.  If that had been one of her patients she would have been far more sympathetic.  I can understand her being annoyed about the skinny dipping but I didn't agree with how she was towards him re the Tarot readings from Marilyn.  As I mentioned last week, I think it's nonsense but Christian almost died so doing something like this is a way of coping.  And re her having a go at him for convincing Leah to continue the pursuit of Susie - Does Tori really think Leah was actually going to give up?  Even if Christian hadn't spoken to her she still would have at best stopped temporarily then continued.  I'm actually glad she's continuing with the pursuit.  I don't like the way she's been acting towards Justin but the police aren't going to do anything so it's down to her.

I did think Ryder was turning into a bum but Alf's 'bludger' remark is so much better.

Ziggy's reaction to Irene telling her Mackenzie was staying with Dean was absolutely wonderful.  There is no escape.  She's bound to bump into Mackenzie eventually.

[Red Ranger 1]

I should have added yesterday that a key difference between the two vendettas is that Susie actually is a criminal who's hurt people while Christian was simply a convenient scapegoat to give Lewis someone to blame. Nevertheless, for all Christian's attempt to invert the comparison, Leah and Stephen's determination to track Susie down and make her suffer like they have does seem to be leading them down a similar track (they're probably not planning to tie her up and give her a lethal injection, but Lewis took a while to get there as well) and John and Justin's attempts to move on seem a lot more healthy. It could just be dead end after dead end, chasing shadows and getting more and more bitter.

Tori was pretty obnoxious here, more interested in mocking Christian than supporting him, although she calmed down once he decided to keep quiet. Not sure about the victim returning to the scene of the crime, but there is something to be said for facing your fears head on.

It turns out Salt isn't running smoothly without Mackenzie or Ryder there after all, although Dean didn't seem to get around to telling her that. Not sure how long they can keep it up.

[H&Alover]

One question Tori - if it was the other way round wouldn't you want Christian to be supportive of you even though he didn't share your believe  of what happened to you?  Seems  him and Justin have both made compromises with their respective ladies to make life easier.   After his initial  blasting of Christian admitting  advising Leah to carry on 'the good fight' Justin calmed down enough for them both to go for a drink. 

To each their own Slade re the skinny dipping.

I think Christian's point was Lewis let his fixation with him fester which led to his actions, and in that respect Leah suppressing her fixation with Susie could build into something bad. 

How can the police do anything when Leah hasn't let them into what she has dug up about Susie, the Yabby Creek cops would have contacts in other parts of the country, though she is one slippery customer and doesn't seem to hang around long enough for anyone to keep tabs on her. 

That bone you were talking about Red that Leah is like a dog with, hope it was a big one as I wanted to hit her over the head with it last night, John made it perfectly clear about his feelings on the whole Susie thing and walks out of Salt leaving her and Stephen to it.  Does Leah get the very loud message - no she bloody doesn't, she chases after him still trying to get him to change his mind.  For him it's just about the money, but was very personal. It's going to be a while until they are back on friendly terms.  No surprise that when John told Irene she as just as incensed.   John was effectively single at the time she came along so  a little bit lonely and vulnerable so ripe for the picking, once she had side lined Marilyn even more.  

Has John and Marilyn's divorce progressed any further?

I don't think Susie split Stephen and his wife by getting romantically involved with him, more likely she persuaded him to make decisions his wife wasn't happy about and once it was proved she had been right, it finished their marriage - only my thoughts about it. 

Maybe not  the best idea of Leah taking Stephen home to carry on the research - though he seems a decent enough guy - blind and deaf to everything else going on around her, Stephen, at least, seemed more aware he could have been in the way.  It was Leah's 'let's carry on a bit longer' all the time that got wearing.  Justin had wisely took himself off and was more polite towards Stephen when he got back.  

That was the first time Christian had been back in the hospital since it happened so would be traumatic, he hadn't been that physically hurt as such it was more emotionally and mentally at least this time he was in control when he returned to that old ward, though the flashbacks were unnerving. He does need to get that sorted, can't have him freezing in the middle of an op. 

Dean is being very discreet in what he's telling people about Mac's absence from Salt, as in nothing really, John's being a good pal too.   Let's be honest Mac wasn't in the mood or sober enough to hear about Salt and how much trouble it's in.  Dean did right in calling Tori who may be a rubbish person sometimes but is a good doctor and of course won't say anything about her home visit to anyone. 

Ziggy bumping into Mac is one thing, it was living with her that was doing her head in. 

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, with a lot of cajoling from Dean, Mackenzie roused herself enough to get Salt back on an even keel.But she was just looking for any excuse to fall off the waggon, and Jasmine seemingly gave it to her just by existing.

Leah and Stephen went from being obsessed with revenge to practically sounding like they'd joined a cult.No wonder Justin looked worried. Stephen did seem to dial Leah back a bit in the end though, enough that she agreed to a normal night out with Justin.Christian seemed to be back to his normal self but Tori didn't see what we saw with that reckless driving.

[Slade]

Ziggy bumping into Mackenzie is exactly what I'm talking about.  Ziggy living with Mac is separate to the point I was making as Ziggy had already chucked her out.  In spite of that she was going out of her way to avoid seeing Mackenzie outside her home i.e. Tane wanted grab a bite at Salt and Ziggy opted for the Dinner as she thought Mackenzie wouldn't be there.  Then when Irene told her Mackenzie was living above she was shocked.

I'm finding the stuff with Leah and Justin quite amusing.  I love the way Justin is forced to go along with it and agreed with  Stephen although Stephen did seem a little bit sus when he talked Leah out of following the lead.

I'm getting a little tired of seeing Mackenzie in self-destruct mode.  I know it's not realistic getting over what she went through right away but would like the writers to accelerate it.

[H&Alover]

Dean was doing his tough love tactic with Mac and it worked, she didn't want to go to work but had she left it any longer it was possible she wouldn't have had a business to go back to work in.  John has done a good job care taking for which Dean was thankful,  it's a unlikely friendship but  a good one. Mac did stop focusing on herself long enough to wish Dean well with his meeting with the solicitor as did John.   Most of the time she held it together and she too remained on an even keel.  Jasmine has suddenly acquired the position of Mac's  drinking buddy, before I guess it would have been Ziggy.  I did notice Mac was economical with the truth as to why she wasn't living at Ziggy's or friends anymore - "Ziggy overreacted" - no **** Sherlock - you snogged the face of her fella. 

Justin more or less made the same comment about Leah and Stephen in  that  the pair of them together was  a nightmare.  Leah was very short with Irene, still  making excuses that she was 'helping' John.  Both John and Irene were surprised at Justin's change of heart/mind, being supportive of Leah and Stephen's quest.  But yes, Stephen did rein in Leah when she wanted to go dashing off to follow that new lead.  I'm guessing as he has had three years of tracking Susie he's learnt to weed out the positive leads from the negative, so far I'm liking him.  He was shocked when Irene told him Susie had attacked and drugged her. 

I think John seemed a little disappointed that Stephen and Susie weren't romantically involved which I think made him feel more of a fool for being taken in by her.  Stephen was one half of a couple and has been suggested Susie may have tracked John via his dating app where he would have said he was separated.  He was only a part of her con though,  Leah and Justin were the main attraction, could easily have been Tori and Christian don't forget they were house hunting and knew her first. John was her way in to getting her mitts on the Surf Club finances and a singleish  guy. 

 If Susie has been doing this con for as many years as we have been led to believe and making a tidy sum each time she must she rolling in it so why is she carrying on, is she getting some weird kick from it all. 

Close call tracking Christian down, but seemingly he did his job to his usual high standards.  Plausible enough explanation he gave Tori when she pushed  him - which she is very good at - about where he was and why. It was something he felt he needed to do.  

Is Christian testing his new lease of life by seeing how far he can push it by that death defying drive?  What if he had met another car coming the other way, or a tyre had blown out?

37 minutes ago, Slade said:

Ziggy bumping into Mackenzie is exactly what I'm talking about.  Ziggy living with Mac is separate to the point I was making as Ziggy had already chucked her out.  In spite of that she was going out of her way to avoid seeing Mackenzie outside her home i.e. Tane wanted grab a bite at Salt and Ziggy opted for the Dinner as she thought Mackenzie wouldn't be there.  Then when Irene told her Mackenzie was living above she was shocked.

I'm finding the stuff with Leah and Justin quite amusing.  I love the way Justin is forced to go along with it and agreed with  Stephen although Stephen did seem a little bit sus when he talked Leah out of following the lead.

 

As everyone in the bay has discovered before now you can't avoid seeing someone you don't want to, it's too small a place.  Mac wasn't at the Diner but living upstairs and not going out anywhere so no danger of anyone seeing her. 

I'm of  a different opinion re Stephen stopping Leah galloping after this new lead as you may have read by now.   He's had more experience of tracking Susie and may have in his early days gone racing about all over the place, but now maybe he's learnt which are worth following up and which aren't.  Saves a lot of your money, time and energy.