2021 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[H&Alover]

Good news that the tribunal went in Logan's favour.   

I get she probably is paying all the rent and any other outgoings on the flat but Mac should have run it by Bella before asking Logan to move in, it is her home too.  She's the one who will have to put up with them snogging all over the place.

Very emotive the Martha/Roo storyline - no-one is 'forcing' anyone to do anything Martha!   Would you have objected if it had been Alf or Kieran if they had been able to donate?  It is standard practice nowadays to talk it over such a big decision with a psychologist but it brought up a lot of buried emotions for Roo. She did seem on edge before she opened up, it certainly stunned the psychologist as I don't think she was expecting that revelation.   The 'old' Marilyn definitely wouldn't have come out with that remark.  Alf's left in the dark of course unless Roo opens up to him.  

Well I could have told Ziggy it was a bad idea to tell Dean she'd won his board back so it's there for him when he wants it.  I'd have, as she did later, asked Justin to hold onto it, hiding it at the garage, then when, hopefully, Dean does get back to surfing and wishes he had his favourite board she can produce it - ta da!   Btw what was it Dean and Logan were doing?  He does have his moments John and I guess as Alf is otherwise engaged he's the only other elder stateman to ask advice from. Very similar comment he said to both Ziggy and Dean though about that is what happens when you get together with a strong willed man/woman.   

Neat challenge btw and OK Ziggy did have a slight advantage on Theo, but after his initial hissy fit he did accept Ziggy was better than him.   it raises a good few dollars.  

Yep OK it was sprung on Nik he'd be a lone life guard and he hasn't been in the job that long but no-one could have foreseen that guy collapsing and after his initial freezing - his words, he went into autopilot - again his words - and did what had to be done very successfully.   I think I can see it from Nik's pov with John just standing by and not doing anything.  But John would have stepped in if it had looked like Nik needed help which he didn't, but if he'd stepped in earlier it would have looked like he didn't trust Nik - a no win situation for him.  Nik needs to have belief in himself - John and Bella do. I hope Bella had stopped photographing the poor guy, it wouldn't have been in the best of taste.   

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Matthew didn't come across as badly as I thought he might when I saw the promo.It was pretty insensitive of him to talk about him and Mia "briefly seeing each other" given her feelings on the subject, but maybe he thought saying "We had sex the night we met and never saw each other again" would have been even more insensitive.It didn't seem like he wanted to be there any more than Ari and Mia wanted him there, it was Chloe doing all the pushing.She, of course, doesn't know just how deep the bad feeling runs. (Oh, and how often do people eat in Summer Bay?! Chloe and Matthew went for lunch and seemed to go straight from there to dinner!)

Jasmine's description of Felicity as a hurricane that's funny and drinks a lot was pretty accurate.At least she got her to text Cash.Getting drunk with randoms isn't the smartest move and I'd have thought Felicity would be a bit more careful after, as she put it, her last drinking buddy tried to murder her, but Jasmine and Tane do seem to be keeping her on a bit of a leash.Dumping her on Tane at the gym wasn't the wisest move though.

Nikau was being a brat, not helped by John not being in the episode to actually talk to, although the programme makers did their best to solve that one.Looks like Marilyn's off again and she only just came back!

[H&Alover]

I don't know if Matthew is playing games or not. His offering to finance Chloe in her career maybe a dad making up for lost time or another way of coming between Chloe and Mia.  He so far hadn't made much reference to that night but Bella asked a very normal question as to how Mia and Matthew met and he partly answered truthfully - at a party - but then decided to embellish it, did he do it to get a reaction from Mia?  Chloe was the one behind it all but as you said Red, she doesn't a clue what is behind her mum's attitude against Matthew.

For all the meals people sit down to in the bay, they never seem to eat anything - the same seems to happen in all soaps - plates of food are put in front of people but then nothing. Not the same thing with drinking though.

Wow Felicity has certainly gone into a spiral  which Cash had warned Jasmine and Tane about, if she is like that when they are around, God knows what she was like when she was on her own.  A handful both for Tane and Jasmine, it was unfair of Jas to chicken out, Tane was working and she was disturbing the other clients which is not  a good look. 

I'm of  a different opinion about Nik, he probably feels like a real idiot for reacting the way he did and of course being a bloke doesn't want to back down, but Bella was the grown up there talking him round, if John had thought the guy was in real danger he would have stepped in and if John didn't have faith in him he wouldn't have been ringing, texting him all day. 

Does Marilyn taking off to see Jett and Raffy mean they will be introduced to the new outspoken Marilyn - I think someone ought to warn them!  

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week:Four. Cash didn't appear, although we know where he is.

Again, I thought from the promo that Matthew was going to do a Grant Bledcoe and lose any nuance, and again it didn't happen.He continues to stick to his stance that he saw it as consensual and he may well be genuine.And yet it still feels as though we're meant to be siding with Mia, even though she's the one resorting to threats and blackmail, and he's the one who just seems to want to get to know his daughter while she insists on judging him on one night 20 years ago.Sorry, but I haven't seen anything to suggest he's the irredeemable character the storyline seems to think he is.

Otherwise...more of Felicity being a bit of a mess, although she reined it in a bit.Her scenes at the Parata house and with Jasmine were rather sweet and Tane managed to pull her back from the edge.

[pembie]

Predicting that Dean will help Nik save someone drowning on the beach As for Nik being John’s best ever life saver I can’t see how haha 

I don’t know about Flick struggling for most part I thought she was acting like a fruit loop lol

So Martha wants to die really what does Alf see in her silly woman

Was it rape between Matthew and Mia or just drunken sex I’m unsure Matthew seems to want to know Chloe without anything  behind it 

 

Never the less what a cheerful week 

[H&Alover]

Flick may well be out of control but not that much that on one level she knew to shelter at the Parata's to keep safe.  I'm guessing she hasn't had anywhere like that before.  She was lucky Jas and Tane were willing to forgive her behaviour from the night before. Rather touching Flick showed Tane her album and talked about her family. Not giving anything anything away as it was in the preview but it seems Cash shows her things he's been keeping from her.

That is the BIG debate pembie was it drunken sex or what would now be called - in the eyes of the law - date rape.  I don't think but then I'm no legal expert it would have been recognised as  a crime 20 years ago early 2000's, just one of those things that happened when one or both parties had had too much to drink.  Don't forget at one time a wife being raped by her husband wasn't considered a crime. Matthew believes or so he is leading us to think Mia was in agreement even though she wasn't able to say yes or no so took her silence as consent.  As no-one else was present it's a question of who do you believe, it's her word against his.  Did the woman/girl have a rep of sleeping with a boy/man she hardly knew, did the man/boy have a rep of sleeping with any woman/girl he saw as easy pickings?

Matthew does come across as seeming genuine but then he is a barrister so is good with words and putting his spin on things. 

I'm not belittling what happened to Irene or Bianca or any other real life victim of rape but if Mia was out of it I'm thinking it wasn't a violent rape, Matthew had sex with her. I'm sorry if I've phrased that wrong or offended anyone. 

No surprise Mia reacted so badly over Chloe's news, but even if it had been a different story behind her conception, Chloe is an adult and can go and live with Matthew if she wants. it's an amazing offer, again a genuine offer from a dad making up for lost time or because he knows it's something neither Ari or Mia could afford to do?  I was reminded of Irene's story as she had a son who was conceived by rape - violent rape in her case - and how Mick turned out but that was different circumstances with his upbringing, he wasn't loved like Chloe is.  Shame that wasn't able to be explored between them in some way.   Seems Ari has a surprise in mind for Mia and how long has he had that ring? 

What were Logan and Dean doing with those boards the other day? 

 

 

[Slade]

I found Irene telling a still-drunk-from-the-night-before Felicity she would rather swallow a hammer than spend time with her quite amusing.

I'm not keen on Jasmine but I do think Felicity was out of line and given how she was with those guys she just met there is a concern how she acts when she's wasted.  If this is a one-off with her father that's fine otherwise it indicates a wider issue, which is amplified by the fact that she isn't working at the moment so has a lot of free time on her hands.  Tane is actually being quite patient with her.

I know I shouldn't but I found it funny when Chloe told Mia Matthew was coming round for dinner and I couldn't stop smiling through the dinner itself - Chloe's excitement, oblivious to why there was so much tension, Nikau asking how Chloe and Matthew met, Matthew giving his spin on things, Mia absolutely disgusted before going to the other room and Bella saying the Taco's looked nice.  I do feel Mia has to tell Chloe the truth now.  I said at first I didn't think Chloe would believe it, especially how Matthew has been with her but presumably if she doesn't, it won't take her long to come round.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, Mia told Chloe her version of events and we even got the R word: I'm not sure how significant it is that it was Chloe that used it rather than Mia. I don't know. It makes sense that Chloe's first loyalty would be to Mia, but the whole thing seemed a bit pat, with Chloe accepting it all in a matter of hours and them having a big love-in together. (Of course, this is a conversation VJ's probably going to have to have with Luc one day.)I'm not sure how in-character it is for Bella to suddenly be acting like Chloe's bestie either, and Chloe didn't really seem to be following her line of reasoning. (Bella left out the "How did he die?"/"My brother shot him" bit as well.) Nikau's back working as a lifeguard but still being a brat.It was unfortunate that John put his foot down at the moment that Nikau had a decent excuse for not being in the right headspace, but Nikau can't pull the "You're not my friend, you're my boss" thing and then throw a tantrum when John actually acts like his boss.

I guess Felicity should have been careful what she wished for: She wanted Cash to investigate their father's death and now he has. Her first visit to the beach house was a hoot, with the thudding silence after Jasmine claimed to have a "cool vibe".

[H&Alover]

Two big revelations last night -  Mia - finally after us all telling her it was the right thing to do - telling Chloe THE truth and I noticed the R word was mentioned.  Rather  old fashioned, for these days, to use the term "he took advantage of me" but Chloe is pretty street savvy. We don't really know how long Bella, Nik and Chloe were out talking about it and it looked like Chloe didn't go home, spent the night at Bella's(?) as it was the next day when Chloe met up with Mia and Ari outside the Diner and Chloe and Mia reconciled.  Even Mia seemed surprised it was Bella who had talked Chloe round. Not quite the same stories with their prospective dads but both of them - the dads - weren't  good guys, Matthew raped Mia and Ross killed Michelle and at least for good or bad Ross was in Bella's life.   Chloe's just getting to know Matthew now she finds this about him.  Be interesting to hear how he explains his side. 

I believe Billie and VJ had discussed what they were going to tell Luc when she was old enough. 

Second of the night's big revelations was Cash deciding Flick needed to know the whole and gory truth about their father's death.  And it seemed from the very brief look we got and Flick's reaction it was gory.  No investigating needed all the paperwork  he showed her was from when it happened, which he's had all this time.  A shotgun/rifle was used and Cash as we knew found him when he was 12 and also as we know Flick is younger than him so understandable he didn't say anything back then to protect her.  Thing is with Flick it just built in her mind it was something more probably because he didn't talk about it, but when does a mother/father/brother/sister decide if the ones they are keeping a secret from  are old enough?    I wonder how it will go from here now she knows, has their relationship been damaged or will be it stronger?  To be honest Jas seemed a bit superfluous in those scenes. 

Tane has been a good friend to her, he's been better than Jasmine and he's the one that's kept her in the bay, will she turn to him now she knows what she knows?  

Ah yes John and Nik .  John obviously thinks a lot of Nik but can't play it both ways.  I still think John did the right thing by not stepping in - but then what do I know.  Bella's getting fed up with it.  Good call not to include the photo of the guy on the sand, bit too intrusive. 

Seems Bella finds out it's no longer a twosome in the flat - oops.

This week is season finale week in Aus. 

 

[Slade]

I was a little surprised Chloe didn't really question what Mia told her.  I guess it was an emotional moment for both of them but I just couldn't feel it.  I also couldn't feel Chloe and Bella bonding either as Chloe's always been quite unpleasant to her.  I'm actually more interested to know what happens with Chloe and Matthew now.  Whether she will try and avoid him or if the opportunity presents itself, she confronts him and he tries and talk his way out of it.

Looks as though Felicity's going to spiral out of control even further now.

Felt a bit sorry for John the way Nikau was acting towards him.  Even Tane didn't agree with it.