UK Episode Discussion

[Slade]

Now that's the Paul we all know and love. Back to lying, scheming, manipulating and messing with people's lives. I loved how he saw when Terese and Brad were having problems and he flew Ezra up purely to cause even more trouble. He definitely didn't intend for Ezra to try and force himself on Terese and I'm not sure that he wanted Gary as far as to bash Ezra and put him in hospital but once again I liked the way he paid Gary off to save his own skin. And he's still mayor, for now anyway.

Really like how Paige appears to be fully accepted by both the Turner's and Willis's. I enjoy seeing her in scenes where she's having chats or giving advice to Josh and Imogen and other scenes where she's mucking around with Bailey and bonding with Amber. I found it hilarious the way Bailey, Paige and Amber were teasing Matt and Lauren about being their landlords as they each owned a share in the house.

Not only do I not feel sorry for Daniel about Amber wanting a break (which in this case is code speak for she wants out) but even though I don't particularly like Amber and Josh I hope they get back together purely to rub his nose in it. It always annoyed me how he stole Amber off Josh in the first place under the guise of pretending to be simply a friend with a connection so I was over the moon when Amber told Daniel she wanted space. In saying that I do actually think Daniel and Imogen would make a good couple and I think the writers have been toying with it for months anyway.

Once again Sonia's going way above and beyond, going out of her way to help the woman who hounded her and made her life a misery. Not only that but she guilt tripped Brennan into letting her stay at his. Toadie's not going to be happy when he gets back.

Wouldn't wish a heart attack on anyone but part of me wished Sheila hadn't made it because as a person I find her so unlikeable and hate having to sit through her scenes.

[Red Ranger 1]

I found the whole situation with Gary very frustrating.The show's hugely inconsistent in that main characters commit serious crimes and get off with no jail time and often no punishment, while a sympathetic guest character gets packed off to jail without trial for a comparable crime.And we're back to Paul's actions having no consequences, with the police once more starting to investigate and then just giving up despite there being a mountain of evidence against him.Even Daniel getting annoyed doesn't seem to have lasted long;he's still sleeping at the bar but they're back on friendly terms.

I'm hoping that Daniel and Amber's break doesn't last long, although I do appreciate the idea of Amber wanting to have some time to herself after jumping from relationship to relationship.I really don't mind that they cheated on Josh, because Josh is a jerk, and after a brief period when he had to act nice to try and convince us it was okay for him to get off with community service for giving Chris a brain injury he's now as unpleasant as ever.Imogen isn't much better with the way she's hanging around Daniel like a bad smell: Problem is she's such a Mary Sue I wouldn't be surprised if he abruptly falls in love with her.I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the show's invested too much in Daniel and Amber to break them up.It's a relief that Daniel really does seem to have no interest in Imogen, he didn't seem to feel anything at all when she kissed him.

I'm finding Erin a very interesting character.There are times when she seems temporary and others when her storyline feels like it could run for a while.Sonya might be biting off more than she can chew but I like that she and Karl are trying to help her.I can understand Toadie being wary but Susan is annoyingly judgemental.

I did think when the season ended with Sheila having a heart attack that there might be more tension if it was someone I wanted to survive.

Good to see Lucy back, I was expecting her earlier.

[Slade]

I'm finding Amber and Daniel pretty much vomit inducing. I'm so sick of them throwing this whole Romeo/Juliet true love thing in our faces and them harping on about their blasted wedding. With the exception of Lou just about everyone can see them getting married is a mistake. I was almost cheering Harold on when he was honest about the fact that he didn't think they should be getting married and quite amused at Daniel's dismay and Amber's total dejection when she overheard. Paul seems to be taking a different approach, appearing to support them to their faces but scheming behind their backs. I am really enjoying the fact that he's planning to sabotage the wedding although even if Naomi keeps quiet and he succeeds by keeping Amber away it will only be a temporary set back as far as I'm concerned. He will need to think of a long term or permanent solution. Another thing I find quite frustrating with this storyline is the fact that Imogen won't move on. She's still in love with Daniel despite her best friend getting married. And I found myself agreeing with Naomi in that she should just tell Daniel how she feels, if only to get things out in the open. Although I am wondering if something is going to happen with Daniel at some point, else why bother dragging this particular part of the storyline out.

I've found the corruption storyline with Matt and Dimato fascinating. Once again Matt shows that he's not fit to be a police officer. Although I find myself very sympathetic towards him this time. Working two jobs was obviously taking its toll, he wasn't thinking clearly, was swallowed up by weakness and succumbed to the bribe. Even though he's just a kid, I still find myself annoyed at Bailey for losing the money or should I say allowing it to get stolen. Matt has been extremely fortunate again. Objectively speaking he should be looking at a prison cell. I was very surprised Brennan was prepared to cut him some slack and basically allow himself to become an accessory to a crime but Brennan's obviously starting to become pretty obsessed with Dimato and I am looking forward to seeing his reaction when he realises his younger brother is in league with Dimato too. One thing that has annoyed me immensely about the whole corruption storyline is Lauren. She comes across completely and utterly self-righteous, ignoring all her own faults and the fact that Matt probably loves her more than she loves him, she cheated (and the only reason Matt found out was because Lou accidentally blurted it out when he was recovering from his injury in the hospital). I do accept her point about his pride i.e. not wanting their kids to be their landlords though. Another thing that's really annoyed me about her is the fact that she confided in Brad of all people. And told him everything. Matt is going to hit the roof when presumably he finds out. A far better candidate for Lauren to tell would have been Lou. Although maybe she is reluctant because of what I just mentioned.

Now that were coming up to the 30th anniversary it's been good to see some old faces. Quite enjoyed the stuff with Hilary and Paul. Yes Hilary. I remember her and Matt pretty well. I've also enjoyed seeing the interaction during the hallucinations with Harold and Madge. I pretty much loath Sheila and would rather she disappeared from our screens altogether but have to admit she isn't anywhere near as bad when she's tied up with Harold some I'm quite happy for something to happen with those two as long as he can get over the whole nobody else compares to Madge thing.

I don't think Nick is a pleasant or likeable person at all but in a weird sort of way I kind of like the friendship with Paul (if you could even call it that). And I was interested to see how far he could actually get with Georgia with regards to the bet they've made. Her overhearing Nick boasting about how close he was has effectively killed that off presumably. So the fallout should be interesting.

As I mentioned with Imogen above another person that is finding it hard to move on is Paige. And I'm not particularly keen on how it's affecting her chances with her and Tyler. I actually wouldn't have minded Tyler and Imogen getting things on but Daniel seems to have ruined any chances of that so Paige and Tyler it is.

[Red Ranger 1]

I actually really like Daniel and Amber as a couple, partly because they're better than the alternatives, partly because I think they're actually quite sweet, so I was disappointed that the wedding didn't happen.I'm hoping the misunderstanding gets cleared up quickly and this is just a delay to get them married further down the track.But it was pretty dumb of the show to advertise a wedding for the 30th anniversary and instead give us a couple of idiots climbing down a well instead of going to the wedding and getting stuck down there.I'm glad Daniel rebuffed Imogen again because I really don't think they're suited and if they were paired up one of them would have to be changed beyond recognition to fit in with the other.As it stands, Imogen would be presenting Daniel with a schedule for his day while he asked her if she'd noticed the pretty cloud above them.

I'm not really sold on Mark and Naomi, I think it's making Naomi less interesting and doing the impossible by making Mark less interesting.He's pretty much a blank slate of a character anyway, and putting him back in the police smells of desperation, but making him the stiff, uptight straight man at least gave him something to hang his character on.Having him deliver flirty, innunendo-laden dialogue just makes him even more generic.Part of me would rather see him back with Paige, but then I'd rather see her with Tyler, but then I'd rather see him with Imogen...Sometimes it's hard to know who to ship.

I'm not too happy on the way Matt's character has been treated.The corruption story was working fine up until a week or two ago.It was a believable progression of how one small step over the line with the best of intentions can lead you on the road to hell, as Matt's desperation to provide for his family leads to him taking a legitimate job from someone he knows is a criminal, only to find he has to turn a blind eye to his crimes to protect his new source of income until he ends up accepting bribes.But then we're treated to constant self-righteous rants from Lauren, who's no saint, and then in what seems to be a moment of complete character assassination he cops off with Kyle's mum.At least with the episodes surrounding the wedding he seems back to normal.

The returns for the 30th anniversary have been quite fun.Janelle wasn't one that particularly excited me but her tactlessness and winding up Sheila were actually quite fun.Hilary annoying Paul like old times.Lucas and Vanessa still happy.Nina was okay except they teased the idea of her finally breaking up with Jack before implying (but not definitively stating) they got back together.Sky had a nice cameo and the issue of who she ended up with remains open.Tom made the most of a small role.Guy was literally unrecognisable and had about two lines.And Des...It almost didn't matter what he did (luckily since his storyline was pants), the point is that Paul Keane was back on the show, looking in pretty good shape after everything he’d been through, which is something to celebrate in itself. As for Harold, I’ve actually got no problem with him viewing Madge as the one true love of his life and I think the show was acknowledging that they made a mistake in 2011 by acting as if Harold marrying just anyone was automatically a happy ending. He’s not on death’s door but he’s not a young man either: Spending time with his granddaughter and great-grandchildren seems a happier outcome than finding another wife just to avoid being alone.

Oh, and now we’ve got Nick convincing Paul he’s got leukaemia. Is it wrong that I’m quite enjoying that? After doing more than anyone to wreck Daniel and Amber’s happiness, he’s got a truckload of karma heading his way…

[Slade]

I am sorry to see Matt go. I didn't like him at first but he turned out to be one of the few characters I genuinely had time for. I thought he was a good dad and until the very end for the most part tried to be a good husband. He felt he was in an impossible situation with no way out so made some bad choices. I was quite annoyed that he died saving Brad's life because I think for the most part Brad is pretty much useless as a character anyway and I was annoyed at the way Lauren took the moral highground with him. I'm assuming they're are going to use this as an excuse for Lauren and Brad to get closer leaving the possibility of an affair which I really wouldn't be happy about although I have found it quite amusing the way Terese was looks concerned anytime Brad spends time with Lauren supporting her. I think Brad and Terese are right trying to keep what happened with Matt and Kyle's mum from Lauren. I don't see any good from telling her at this current time although I suspect she'll probably find out eventually anyway.

I started off being actually quite annoyed with Danni but she did the right thing at the end. It's unfortunate that she's probably going to jail for a long time as she clearly isn't a bad person but someone died so there has to be repercussions.

I initially didn't mind Nick convincing Paul that he had leukaemia but I don't like the way he's tried to wreck Georgia's career even though Georgia should have stayed away from him and not tried to expose his secret. Regardless with Karl now believing that Paul is dying it will only be a matter of time before before the truth is revealed and when that happens Nick is going to pay! In saying that it's led to some scenes with Paul and Naomi which I've actually quite enjoyed. It's certainly made her go up in my estimation and this has gone way above simply a job and a salary for her. And her kissing him would suggest that perhaps she's falling for him which is a stark contrast to when he propositioned her a while back.

I'm kind of glad Chris has gone. Whilst I didn't dislike him I don't think he was an interesting character at all and didn't particularly enjoy watching him or his relationship with Nate.

I used to really like Paige but I've gone off her now. Don't think the character has much depth anymore and it kind of feels she's just playing a support role now. I had a hard time getting my head around her being upset about Matt because she never really liked him anyway. It feels to me a lot of the time she overemphasises everything, (her actions, personality etc). I don't like her blind support for Amber and the way she's tried to intimidate her other siblings such as Imogen and Josh. And it's actually reaching the point where I'm starting to quite dislike her.

So Amber slept with Josh and could be having his child. Now that sounds promising. If anything it's karma for Daniel stealing Josh off Amber in the first place. And how beautiful Daniel was stuck down in a well not knowing whether he was going to make it and all he could think about was the love of his life and she cheated on him. Can't wait to see how he takes it when he finds out, assuming that he does of course.

[Red Ranger 1]

I was very disappointed that Matt was killed off and especially with the way the show tried to character assassinate him as much as possible before he died.I'd have preferred Brad to be killed, but I'm glad that Matt at least got to die a hero.A shame that he gets besmirched posthumously by Brennan's self-righteous crusade against Dimato, and I'm fully expecting Lauren to find out about his dalliance with Sharon at some point.And now Brad's hanging around Lauren, Josh is pretty much hanging around Amber and Bailey's being a brat.I believe in Paige's reaction: She liked Matt a lot by the end and recognised him as the sort of father she wished she'd had.As for Paige's other behaviour, I'm up and down with it.I actually liked her pushing Imogen in the pool and it's a shame the show insisted on giving Imogen the last smirk: She does need to stay away from Daniel, and thankfully she is and is back to hanging out with Tyler.(But then that's a problem at the moment, two characters spend a bit of time together as an embryonic couple then it suddenly stops.Daniel/Amber are about the only proper young couple, except maybe Naomi/Brennan.)I'm glad Paige supported Amber but I think she's given her very bad advice telling her to lie to Daniel, and her rant at Josh was a stupid idea when they're trying to keep it on the downlow and stop him getting suspicious.I'm really not impressed with Josh though: I might be being hypocritical here, given I took the opposite viewpoint in a similar HA storyline (involving another Josh!), but I do think that if Josh had been a true friend then he wouldn't have slept with Amber when she was vulnerable.I really hate this whole paternity confusion, I just want Amber and Daniel to be happy instead of Josh sticking his oar in because he can't face the fact that Amber doesn't want him.

I like and sympathise with Danni but they surely can't let her escape jail over this.

To be honest, I don't really care that Nick's struck back at Georgia.She might be technically right about him but what if she wasn't?She acted like a spiteful schoolgirl, running to the bosses going "Nick's using a treatment room and won't tell me what it's for!": What if Nick really had been treating a patient who wanted privacy and Georgia had been trampling all over it for no good reason? And then she nearly gets the Lassiters receptionist sacked by bullying him into letting her into Nick's room, which means I definitely can't see her as the good guy in all this.

[Slade]

I'm disliking Paige more and more by the minute. I hated the way she lied to Josh about how long Amber was pregnant for and even though Imogen is clearly trying to move on from Daniel and likes Tyler, she had to try and intimidate him into treating Imogen right. I've noticed that Paige actually seems quite controlling. I really hope the baby is Josh's now. And I can't wait till Daniel finds out about Amber cheating. Which she's actually done to both of them (some girlfriend she is).

I was expecting them to completely write Danni out of the show. I actually find I haven't minded her hanging around. She's not a bad person but made some bad choices and I guess that could have happened to a lot of people. I actually really enjoyed the scenes with her and Josh. It's interesting that he finds talking to her therapeutic with regards to dealing with what happened with Chris. And I guess it's allowed him to empathise with her. I actually hope this continues. If Imogen's reaction is any indication, with any luck it will wind up the Turners - Namely Lauren, Amber and Paige who are all annoying at the best of times.

Although it was completely the wrong thing to do I have to admit I found Bailey impersonating a police officer absolutely hilarious. Lauren is struggling to manage with him despite letting Brennan go through the official channels.

Baring selling off some of his assets, Nick actually appears to have done Paul a favour making him (and everybody else) believe he has leukaemia. Not only has it allowed Naomi to bond and fall for him finishing with her own by boyfriend and her thinking that he's an amazing person (despite everything he's done). But also the best part about it was the way people such as Toadie, Sonia, Karl and everyone else following suit gathering around outside Lassiters holding placards asking him not to stand down as mayor supporting him.

Surely it's inevitable Nick is going to be found out. Georgia's is onto him and when this does come out he is finished. I was surprised Karl accepted Nick's story about curing Paul without questioning him though especially as he was almost onto Nick himself. The promo for next week looks interesting as with regards to Nick being exposed there is a potential spanner in the works...

[Red Ranger 1]

I wasn't particularly happy with the way the Nick storyline concluded and the way Paul just snapped back to his old self.I bet everyone's wishing they'd got rid of him as mayor now.Also not impressed that Georgia got the charges dropped and has been offered her job back(and she's still moaning and acting hard done by!):It was just coincidence that Nick turned out to be poisoning Paul and doesn't justify her breaking into his room.It felt like his final rant at his family was an attempt to mark him out as irredeemable when up until then he'd been shown as caring about them and did come across as a complex character driven to extreme measures by the suffering he'd witnessed and a narcissistic but well-meaning belief that he could end it.And Paul closing down a cancer research centre just to punish Nick really didn't sit right.

Imogen choosing more mooning over Daniel over a proper relationship with Tyler was frustrating, as was the way Paige seemed to act like it was the right choice.I should be impressed by Josh supporting Danni but I still find Josh to be a smug jerk most of the time so I just can't bring myself to like him.I'm kind of glad that Amber confessed to Daniel but I'm not looking forward to all the fall-out.While Amber definitely cheated on Josh, I don't see it as her cheating on Daniel, since she thought he'd abandoned her.

I'm torn being glad that Bailey's gone, since he was a completely redundant character and a bit annoying, and being cross that yet more misbehaviour goes unpunished.And now Paige is having to go through the wringer to hide his car stealing while he heads off to a new life oblivious to the mess he's left behind.

[Slade]

I was very, very satisfied with the events of this week.

Firstly Georgia exposed Nick. Very pleased about that and that she got her job back but it was scandalous how the board refused to pay her for the earnings she lost whilst being suspended. I really liked the scene where Paul said sorry to her although he should have apologised about the bet a lot sooner than he did. As I predicted Nick has paid the ultimate price. His freedom. In a funny sort of way I actually felt sorry for him even when he had a go at all the Willis's (He was right about Brad and Josh but not Terese or Imogen who is clearly going places). Even when he poisoned Paul I felt Nick honestly believed he was doing the right thing for the greater good. One thing that annoyed me massively was Brad calling the cops. Terese should have been given a chance to talk Nick into turning himself in. Or at least she should have been given the option to call them. Brad did it purely out of his dislike for Nick. What also got me was although whilst not the same thing he was prepared to keep Lauren's secret about Matt being on the take with Dimatto. I wasn't happy with Paul closing the centre down just because Nick opened it as it could help to save a lot of lives. I do actually think this will come back and bite Georgia given that her mother has an aggressive form of cancer and is out of all options with conventional treatment and Nick said he would help her. So it will be interesting to see how Georgia reacts when this happens. Will she live to regret exposing him and taking away her mother's best chance? Continued to enjoy the stuff with Paul and Naomi. If they do decided to engage in some sort of relationship I hope he treats her right but I'm not counting on anything.

Really enjoyed Bailey giving the three witches a serve. Best thing was the look of hurt on Paige's when he called her out about not liking Matt. He was right and she knew it. I even enjoyed him sticking it to Sonia. I don't dislike her but I find her annoying sometimes the way she acts like a constant know-it-all just because she's had and alcohol addiction and counsels people.

Following on, I've really enjoyed seeing the three witches get theirs this week.

I've enjoyed the way Bailey continued to be disobedient towards Lauren and love the fact that Lou is taking her 'baby' from her. Like I said before I don't like the way Lauren treated Matt and whatever he did he was always made out to be the one in the wrong so she deserves it.

Josh getting closer to Danni has been an absolute delight (I do think he genuinely likes her but a small part of me thinks he's taking advantage of her). And I've absolutely loved how it's wound Amber up to no end. And how typical of her to make it all about her. Believing Josh is doing it purely for her benefit. Long may it continue as far as I'm concerned and I hope it rubs Lauren and Paige up the wrong way too. I really enjoyed seeing Daniel getting all wound up and confronting Josh about it. Friday was wonderful when Amber fessed up to cheating on him with Josh and the baby could actually be his. Really looking forward to seeing the inevitable fireworks.

Then there's Paige the bully and control freak. I love the fact that she is being forced to steal a car just to keep Bailey out of trouble. It serves her right. Given that she already has a criminal record if she gets caught she could land up inside. And the way I feel about her at the moment that wouldn't be the worst outcome.

I'm extremely displeased about Imogen. I honestly thought she was moving on from Daniel and she and Tyler were getting on really well and then...it's all about Daniel again. Given that Amber has told Daniel about Josh, I guess there is a possibility something could still happen between these two.

[Red Ranger 1]

I still really wish they weren't doing this "Who's the daddy?" storyline.I'm pretty much resigned to Josh being the father, since that would create the most drama, even though I really don't want him to be. I actually like Daniel and Amber together but it feels more and more as if the storyline's designed to split them up and pair them up the Willis twins, who I find incredibly smarmy and selfish.Amber really is too nice for her own good, trusting Imogen about the baby's paternity when she quickly seems to be using it as an excuse to fawn over Daniel when Amber isn't looking.(I would love it if Imogen did manage to get her claws into him only to find out he only sees her as a one night stand.)Josh's smug delight at being able to force his way back into Amber's life really marks him out as a reprehensible individual.

I don't know if Paige somehow convincing Michelle to go legit means we're finally seeing the end of this stolen car parts storyline.It seems like the show was running out of ways to have Brennan pop up at inconvenient times while Paige and Tyler were doing something dodgy.It's slightly frustrating that the show's acting as though being with Paul or Brennan are Naomi's only options when I don't actually want her with either.

And Ezra's back, although again the portrayal of what happened between him and Terese don't really ring true.Brad isn't handling things very well with Clem and neither's Susan for that matter. Personally, I'm actually quite enjoying seeing Ezra put a bomb under the likes of Paul and Sheila, and even Terese who I don't exactly dislike but who was being so smug it was kind of nice seeing her get taken down a peg or two.

We've only got one episode of it (after which she's back to being a generic nurse as if the storyline isn't happening) but I'm really not liking the way Georgia's trying to control her mother's cancer.I get that it's denial (although we're probably meant to be cheering her "inspirational speeches") but she needs to not make it about her.