2024 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[atrus]

On the catchup trail again. Small point, but watching a load of episodes in quick succession does just hammer home how intrusive the some of the 'triumphal' musical choices are these days. It feels like we can't go two scenes without getting a burst of inanity, often threatening to drown out the dialogue. At least in sad scenes they usually choose more sedate songs to accompany, but we don't need a life-affirming anthem blaring out every time a minor spat is resolved. I know the days of proper underscore are long behind us, but we could dial it back a notch, I feel.

Very glad that Perri has avoided jail, but was less convinced by the sudden appearance of Dead Mum - of course, we can't have teens in the Bay long-term so we need some silly contrivance to get Perri out of dodge, so that he's no longer an encumbrance to Tane and Harper and they can get on with sucking each other's faces. I found Kaia's choices difficult to get on board with, really. Okay, in the moment Carl made the threat she had no choice to leave, but did she really think that having said such a thing, Carl was going to be lovely and kind to Perri for the rest of his life? I might've taken a few hours to process but then been straight to the police, and wouldn't have rested until Perri was well away from him. Easy to say maybe, but I just find her taking no action back then too hard to believe when she's apparently so pro-having Perri in her life here and now. Regardless, it's a happy-ish ending for Perri after a tumultuous few months and so I'll take it. Pity he didn't get to say goodbye to Theo because he wasn't in it on Friday.

Having been perpetually mardy and snarky more or less since she arrived, Abigail has a personality transplant after a session and a half with Counsellor Tim and is suddenly pouring her heart out to Eden about how wonderful she is - purely so we'll feel sorry for her when she inevitably finds out that Eden is bedding the counsellor and is hurt and upset about it. I find it hard to care about any of this, really. Eden had accrued quite a few sympathy points with me following her split from Cash but it seems she's never more than a few months away from a poor life choice; and up until circa last week Abi (Abby? I forget which) hadn't done much to accrue any sympathy points at all. I still find Levi deeply annoying and while it's true that Tim is eminently punchable, the fact that Levi succumbed to doing it nonetheless counts against him.

So, Roo returns and finds out she's just missed the 'bashing on Bree' bandwagon, but chases it down the road at full pelt anyway and hops aboard. Bree does seem to be taking some genuine steps to change things now but a lot of it feels like too little, too late, and again I'm struggling to care all that much either way. Not much of any interest going on with anybody else, but I'll take Justin and Leah no longer bickering as a win. Alf being a pain in the bum to everyone around him until he's browbeaten into compliance is a storyline as old as the hills, but at least it features Alf, I guess. Dana continues to be more or less the only consistently likeable/interesting character to have been introduced in the last five years and I quite liked her latest spat with John.

Edited February 9 by atrus

[H&Alover]

It was all a misunderstanding then Dana not being  able to drive the buggy,  she didn't read the emails about the induction.  She did some grovelling apologies to him but as been said he does have  feelings which  a lot of people forget, and he  as he said he did  look on her as  a daughter.  Hope they can  repair their friendship.   Like the scenes of him teaching her , OK she probably knows how to drive but his teaching her as a novice learner was amusing.

Maybe OCD isn't the worst mental problem you may have, but not everyone would feel comfortable about  admitting they have it.  You'd feel everyone would be watching you to see if they can spot the signs.

The  tai'aha  scene was lovely and Harper explaining to Kaia it was something Tane had shown him so Perri could learn something about his heritage.   That was one speedy turn around for Perri , one moment he was walking  off from the dinner he, Kaia, Harper and Tane were having , then the next day he was running after her saying he'd be OK with going back to NZ with her.   That completely threw Tana but he hid his disappointment well, wishing him luck.   Btw wouldn't Perri be needing a new passport  and seeing as Kaia was supposed to be leaving that day will she be hanging around until he gets it?  How long would it take for him to get  a new one?   Would his stay in Juvvie be  a problem?  No goodbye to Theo then?  

Great minds think alike Red,  I thought Tane's move on Harper was a rebound from Perri going.  Harper, is naturally wary of his sudden turn around.  He could, of course, be genuine and has changed his feelings towards her, but she's got the baby to think of.  

We needed some light relief and Leah provided it with her letting Justin think he'd  'found' her rings.    Still at least the trap got a good clean. 

[Medea Fleecestealer]

Don't you just love it when people who supposedly met and married the love of their life only to lose them can even think about getting together with someone else less than a year after their death.   Happens time and time again in H&A.  

[pembie]

  On 10/02/2025 at 17:48, Medea Fleecestealer said:

Don't you just love it when people who supposedly met and married the love of their life only to lose them can even think about getting together with someone else less than a year after their death.   Happens time and time again in H&A.  

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Yep very silly but you can have a quick nap throughout their scenes and wake up to exictment of Leah losing her rings so it’s win win really 

[Foellfan]

  On 10/02/2025 at 17:48, Medea Fleecestealer said:

Don't you just love it when people who supposedly met and married the love of their life only to lose them can even think about getting together with someone else less than a year after their death.   Happens time and time again in H&A.  

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Happens in real life too, hehe!

[Slade]

I did feel sorry for Perri's mum but I completely got where Perri was coming from and sympathised with his resentment towards her.  I would probably feel the same as him actually.  I thought the scenes between them were quite touching and emotional and whilst I wasn't too interested in his character, I am glad he decided to give her a chance and they left together.  Hopefully they will both be happy now.

I did also think with Perri going, Tane just wanted some booty call from Harper and once again I think he's out of order.

I'm not keen on Tim. I find him quite smug but I wasn't happy with Levi thumping him. I know it's his sisters, but as mentioned Levi was being a little bit hypocritical.

I'm assuming at some point Abi's going to have to decide between Theo and Mail.  Part of me hopes it's Mali if only to wind Levi up.

I thought Dana was OK the week before last week and I didn't mind her and Bree getting on.  I was shaking my at her last week and her attitude for me sums up something you see more of now.  Things didn't go her way and a male was involved, so it's sexism/misogyny by default.  I'm glad John is giving her cold shoulder.  She deserves it.

I can't really blame Roo for wanting to have a go at Bree.  I am glad Remi defended her like that though.

[Red Ranger 1]

I kind of want John and Dana to make up, because I do like their friendship, but I wasn't keen on Xander piling in with a "Get over it", even if John's response of rostering them apart was a bit much.No wonder Alf was thrown; John was being even more grumpy than him rather than being his usual smiling punchbag. I guess we'll see if Alf's intervention worked out.

I was scratching my head at Remi and Bree being drafted in as confidantes for Tane and Harper.At least Bree sensibly handed the baton over to Dana, but with Cash not in the episode, Tane's a bit short of friends.I guess Tane and Remi had a bit of a connection through Felicity and Lyrik, but I really am struggling to remember Bree and Harper having a conversation except for when Bree gave her an ultrasound. Anyway, they're soon back to their own problems. If I was Remi, I'd have made more sure Bree actually does see a counsellor this time, rather than shrugging it off in a "Storyline's over" manner.

It felt like even the writers have given up paying attention to Tane and Harper.As far as I can remember, Harper has always gone along with Tane's "just friends" stance, meaning despite his claims to the contrary, he basically just tried to have sex with someone he doesn't even know has been practising writing "Harper Parata" on her pencil case (or would have done if anyone in this show ever used their married name). Harper then says she's been honest with him about how she feels, leaving me thinking I'd forgotten something, only to promptly admit to Dana that she hasn't. Anyway, that scenes with the photos painfully underlined the fact Tane doesn't love her: Felicity's dead, his family are either dead or in other countries, the baby's all he's got left and he's desperately trying to solidify his position with the woman who happens to be carrying it in a painfully unromantic "Let's give it a go" fashion.

[H&Alover]

  On 10/02/2025 at 18:19, Foellfan said:

Happens in real life too, hehe!

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There is no law saying how long you have to have lost a partner before you are 'allowed' to fall in love with someone else.  Some people never do but others do and what's with the he he? 

Not just us thinking it was  a rebound reaction by Tane.   Maybe, both needed a different opinion about their feelings and what they should do.  We know Dana's opinion on the whole you should tell him how you feel, if he hasn't already guessed even if she hasn't said anything to him directly.   OK then they had 'the talk', fair enough there are no guarantees in any relationship, after all he thought he and Flick would be a  forever  couple until the baby issue got in the way, but if I was Harper I'd be wary of his 'let's see how it goes' proposal.  If was just her no prob but there is the little lad to think about.  As they are now, they are doing OK but if they got together  and it went bad he'd be stuck in the middle of any arguments as to his care etc.

Well I trust Bree to go to her counsellor, she wants to get better.  It won't be overnight so it will take time.   I do know what Remi's parents want to talk to him about but I'm saying nuffin.    

It seems Alf is back on track stepping in as he is to arbitrate  between John and Dana.   Alf can just about cope with John being his usual oafish self, according to him anyway, but having him grumpy too was too much.   

Big prob with Abbey/Abi and Mali getting together as already been said he is her boss.   

It seems from what we heard of Tane's end of the conversation with Perri there wasn't any problem with him getting  a new passport. HEY HO. 

Edited February 11 by H&Alover

[CaptainHulk]

  On 11/02/2025 at 13:52, H&Alover said:

 what's with the he he? 

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Maybe a Michael Jackson influence?

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf’s intervention didn’t really have the desired effect with John and Dana but Roo seemed to have better luck. I guess offering John free food was a definite advantage, probably coupled with part of him actually wanting to make up with Dana. I think it had gone on long enough and I liked the reaffirmation of the fact that the show’s elder statesmen have become surrogate parents to the younger characters.

So Tane and Harper have decided to do the “relationship thing”. At the moment it feels like it’s got disaster written all over it, and I guess it remains to be seen whether it’s Tane or the show that’s desperate for him to be in a prominent couple again and has just grabbed onto the nearest available candidate. At best, it feels like a case of “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”

I’m glad that even Alf and Roo, who tend to indulge her a bit too much at times, thought Marilyn was making a mountain out of a molehill. (Roo’s still playing catch-up, of course, which was a nice touch.) I’m not sure why Marilyn was looking so triumphant at the end: Yes, Leah told the truth and it wasn’t a disaster, but nothing’s really changed aside from Marilyn’s conscience being clear.

I get where Levi’s coming from, thinking about how Abby (yes, H&Alover, it’s the one you didn’t include!) was just a short time ago. But he really needs to stop pushing the issue and give Abigail the room to make her own decisions, even if it means her making a mistake. I’d have thought him going into a panic about her going out early only to find it was nothing to worry about would have been a wake-up call, but he’s still pushing, and I’m not sure Mackenzie going down to double team her really helped.