2018 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Slade]

2 hours ago, English Invader said:

Personally, I think Ash is to blame.  He escalated the situation and forced Kat and Robbo to go off on the run at a time when she was too emotionally charged to drive safely.  If he had kept his nose out of it, Robbo might have been able to break things to Kat a bit more gently and they would have left the Bay under much less dramatic circumstances.

Yes you could argue that Ash is indirectly responsible for Kat dying and losing his baby.  Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

Continuing on the subject of Ash being indirectly responsible I initially though McCarthy had a point about the River Boys i.e. they were a nuisance and strictly speaking hadn't committed any crimes but then they started hassling customers in gym being aggressive and intimidating.  And they actually decided to beat Mason up just because he was doing his job.  I was glad the new cop jumped in to help him out as he pointed out it wasn't a fair fight and I was glad the two River Boys got carted off.  It's a shame they didn't bash their heads in.

Hunter breaking up with Olivia is the right thing.  Regardless of whether she loves him or not the two things to note are that 1) she cannot be trusted 2) she only went back to Hunter as the fallback option i.e. that was better than being on her own.  So whilst I understand he might have been tempted to go back with her it would have been pretty stupid if he did.  I have to admit Irene's shocked/mortified reaction when Hunter told her about Olivia and Axel made me laugh.  I do think he was a bit unfair to her as she was in a pretty impossible position.  I think her loyalties lie more to Olivia than they do to him so her not telling him is perfectly understandable.  Well I'm glad Lea is still trying to look out for Hunter I didn't like the way he dismissed her just before he went to speak to Irene.

Found Ryder quite annoying the way he was acting in Roo's and Maggie's classes and I wish Jen didn't keep encouraging him (although in comparison to how she was before this is a vast improvement).  Even though I get she was worried about her mother I found Coco quite annoying as well.

[H&Alover]

Sorry but I'm on Hunter's side, he gave Olivia the best  opportunity to admit what had happened, then once she had she still tried to wriggle out of it.  It's too late now but even if it had been awkward she should have told him right away, he may have been hurt and angry but they could have worked their way through it.  The longer she didn't the harder it got so she decided not telling him was the best option. I'm guessing one of the reasons she didn't was saving her career and Hunter would definitely not been OK about her still seeing Axel, even if it was only professionally. She did admit she was drunk and was scared about losing her contract bad move.  he also said she has slept with Axel since they broke up. To turn the whole thing on it's head how would she have felt if it had been Hunter who had slept with someone who was 'helping' his career? I have to admit I was worried when Irene found her sitting in the bath, still no lock on the door I noticed, I thought she may have cut herself.  Hunter was quite rightly annoyed at Irene knowing but not saying anything as anyone would be. It was more Olivia being deluded rather than Irene expecting Hunter to still live there, just how was Irene supposed to 'force' him to stay?  Not been mentioned at all but if she has walked away from her job has she broken the terms of her contract and can they claim money off her?  Unless of course she changes her mind, again, and goes to Paris after all.  For now Hunter is bunking down at the bait shop but I dare say Alf will offer him  a place to stay at the caravan park, if the River Boys haven't taken all the vans that is. Hunter did have enough of his mum lying to him and thought he could trust Olivia and Irene now they have both lied to him.

Ryder was also insensitive over Coco worrying about Maggie but switched to caring mode when it was explained to him, though he and Raffy had spoken to Coco the night before so knew about Maggie. I wish TPTB would decide to get his problem sorted so we can all understand what is going on with him. What was Jen up to trying to flirt with Ryder who didn't want to know. Ryder told Roo what she wanted to hear, though if Maggie and Roo talk she'll soon find out what really went down.   Not looking good for Maggie going by the trailer. She's trying to be brave but the look on her face when Ben hugged her showed she's more worried than she's making out. The waiting to know either way must be the worst time for anyone and their families. Raffy really is the sort of girl you'd want as a friend.

Can two people be a mob?  Up to that point the River Boys hadn't caused any serious problems so McCarthy was right in telling John and Alf there wasn't a lot they could do, even stretched in just keeping an eye on them, neat mention of them waiting for a replacement senior officer btw.  Of course then two of them start hassling the locals showing Robbo's picture around, Mason did really well the way he handled them, and of course he was telling the truth when he told them the last time he saw Robbo was before the crash.  Actually I can't see Dean being too happy at the way they went about the whole thing, Brax wouldn't have been. Mason may have been able to handle one River Boy but two was just being cowardly on their part. Colby - who is certainly easy on the eye - turned up in the nick of time which made it a lot more fairer fight. Was it just coincidence McCarthy and the other cops turned up when they did? I'm supposing as Colby wasn't on duty the RB he was fighting wouldn't be charged with assaulting a police officer.  Something else I don't think Dean would be happy about.

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Alf's episode count this week:Five, although he only appeared in Hunter's proposal video on Wednesday.Irene and Robbo were both in four, although on Wednesday Irene also only appeared in the proposal video and Robbo was only seen briefly without dialogue or credit.

I'm finding Tori utterly contemptible, while having this horrible feeling that I'm somehow meant to find her admirable.She's well and truly replaced Kat as the resident "pathetic female who throws her life away on a guy that's not worth it".The cloying way she tried to act the reasonable one with Ash when she could end all this with one phone call just made me dislike her more, and now she's decided to steal stuff because she thinks she's above the law while being horribly self-righteous.I don't think Ash is to blame for Kat's death at all: He was the one in the right, providing the police with evidence relevant to an investigation, while Kat and Robbo were the ones breaking the law for selfish and cowardly reasons and they suffered the consequences.They didn't have to do anything they did that night, no-one forced them to do it, they just thought they could get away with it.Of course, Ash has well and truly stopped being in the right now and Colby was right to arrest him.He doesn't have the right to just go out and kill Robbo no matter what he's done.

Shame that all that took the attention away from the rest of the episode.I had difficulty connecting with Jasmine's storyline, which is all Tell Don't Show for the moment.It did give Colby a chance to showcase his caring cop persona, although watching those scenes I was left thinking that the show will probably find a way to ruin him like they have every other regular police officer since...well, Joel Nash probably, which is eighteen years ago now.(Okay, Xavier made it out with his reputation more or less intact but he was only a police officer for about three months.)And it led to one of those dumb bits of TV dialogue where Leah gives Colby the name of Ash's girlfriend but doesn't bother to tell him her address.Meanwhile, the cancer cluster strikes again and they've only been in town about six months as Maggie gets the perhaps inevitable diagnosis.Again, that last scene fell a bit flat for me although it does feel like the good stuff is still to come.

Re Olivia, I'm assuming that she hasn't quit her job/contract: The Paris trip was a treat from Axel rather than something she was required to do.I guess she's still going to be doing designs and orders from Summer Bay like she was before.

[630si]

Im a Tori fan but I just can’t see reason behind her decision here to lock him in the shed and suddenly harbour a wanted criminal dispite going on at Ash constantly about leaving the police to it. 

Speaking of police, the new policeman Colby looks the same age as VJ? Lol. But I’m open to seeing how he gets on.

so Maggie has cancer. I do feel very sorry for her it seems to have come out of nowhere. She’s lucky she has a large family around her for support. 

[Pierced Musie]

And the complete assassination of Ash is complete and for what? I'm saying it again....this feels so much like the assassination of Dani & Rhys Sutherland. Both had every reason to react the way they did but got thrown under the bus for other characters. Ash started out as an ex-con looking to start fresh... but that isn't exciting enough for the writers to write about. He's lost everything but should be more calm about that. Whatever. Beginning to wish Ash had been a cellmate of Jesse's & not Brax.

Was Robbo always going to be a regular character? Or are we about to get an almighty retcon to write off the whole hitman with memory lose? 

Ryder is just infuriating!

It's like watching River Boys: The baby-face years.

As it stands I'm just watching it for Buddy. That dogs face sums this show up really well.

Edited to add: I tell a lie. I really like Maggie & Ben! 

[atrus]

I'm back up to speed - and my last ounce of sympathy for Kat ran out at more or less the same moment that her nine lives did; any semblance of professionalism she's ever displayed as a police officer went straight out of the window with her decision to break Robbo free and flee town with him. The silliness of Alf compèring at the funeral while Kat's family of extras nodded and smiled just served to remind us of how little backstory this character had, defined as she was by her endless dreary relationships and dull police stories. She's been nothing but a thorn in McCarthy's side in his efforts to provide a vaguely competent police service for I don't know how long - and yet we're constantly asked to see her as a heroic figure making difficult (and invariably the wrong) choices, and valiantly battling to stay involved in cases that she has no business investigating. Well, I for one am relieved it's all over. That said, presumed replacement Colby was already getting up my nose after a mere two episodes. If I'm honest, regular police characters on this show seldom don't. 

While my heart broke for Ash at first, his subsequent behaviour has meant I've more or less written him off as a likeable character now, too. Firstly, there's the reversion to Neanderthal problem-solving strategies - namely, getting hellbent on revenge and then shrieking at, beating up and/or burning down everything that stands in his way. I'm not saying his anger isn't understandable in the circumstances - it's more just that it's annoying, and doubly so because we've seen it a thousand times from him before. But quite apart from his usual trademark knuckle-dragging routine, the worst crime on Ash's list - joy of joys - has been summoning the dreaded River Boys back to town. Well, I say 'back', and all the characters on the show say 'back' too - but I don't actually recall seeing any of these individuals previously, making their 'return' now all the less justified. Revealing Willow as the chief yahoo's ex may be in keeping with the kinds of circles we know she moves in - but for me, its really put a dampener on an otherwise very positive start for her character, and so I'm hoping the writers don't dwell on it.

Tori has really let herself down recently too. First there was all the silliness with her having the address to Robbo's retreat and not handing it to the authorities despite the fact that the bloke had just kidnapped her; and then we have her playing fairy godmother to Robbo when he rocks up injured after the car crash. I don't doubt the righteousness of her doctorly instinct to keep an unhinged Ash from murdering Robbo - but I'm afraid that that instinct shouldn't extend to keeping the latter holed up in her own garage. Whatever I think of Ash's own behaviour, what she's done is a total betrayal, and she should have called the police the moment she found Robbo. That Justin has been roped in and is going along with it just makes it even worse. Anyway, hopefully Robbo will flee overseas somewhere and Ash will depart to track him down, so we don't have to be party to any more of it.

I was hoping Ryder might actually get a job, maybe even the clown one - but no, perennial HSC nag Roo had to drag him straight back down to earth, shamelessly using the gravity of the occasion of Kat's death to guilt-trip him into going back to school, as if the two things were in any way related. I am liking Ryder more and more as he settles in, and I'm feeling fairly on-board with the Coco romance - which does appear to be borne from genuine affection on his part, whereas at first I was worried he was just a user on that score. 

Meanwhile, in Olivia-and-Hunter-ville - meh. I'm fresh out of sympathy for Hunter, who continues to labour under the misapprehension that people should only be held to account for their behaviour if they're not him. Irene apparently shares his view: she's been irritating me for weeks with her pompous judging and hectoring of Olivia. She's meant to be a parent figure, which doesn't mean she has to support Olivia's actions - but it does mean that she shouldn't be tearing strips off her at every possible opportunity, and making sarcastic asides about her behaviour in public. Clearly the editorial line is that we should feel desperately sorry for both Olivia and Hunter and wish for them to be reunited - but I'm afraid I really don't. They've been subsisting in their own yawnsome microsoap for far too long now, and if we're to be lumbered with both characters going forward, they really need to start interacting with other people. 

Not much to say about the Maggie storyline, except that I've now come to like the Astoni family enough not to want to see them go through this. Unless we've got a surprise early exit on our hands, though, doing a cancer story so soon into Maggie's run almost certainly means that she'll be over it in a few weeks, so I'm not especially concerned.

Not sure what to make of the 'Leah runs out of storylines so befriends the random car crash survivor' saga, or where it might be going. It's a nice enough little story, though, and Jasmine has been sufficiently fleshed out to make me wonder whether she'll be joining the permanent cast.

Enjoying the new visuals in both the opening and the closing - but the new theme? Hmm. I'll grow to like it, perhaps, but it's not a patch on the previous version. It's not terrible, I suppose, but I don't like the rhythm of the piece, the bar-skipping between the two halves, or the fact that the chord sequence sounds completely off in the second half.

[pembie]

1 hour ago, Pierced Musie said:

And the complete assassination of Ash is complete and for what? I'm saying it again....this feels so much like the assassination of Dani & Rhys Sutherland. Both had every reason to react the way they did but got thrown under the bus for other characters. Ash started out as an ex-con looking to start fresh... but that isn't exciting enough for the writers to write about. He's lost everything but should be more calm about that. Whatever. Beginning to wish Ash had been a cellmate of Jesse's & not Brax.

Was Robbo always going to be a regular character? Or are we about to get an almighty retcon to write off the whole hitman with memory lose? 

Ryder is just infuriating!

It's like watching River Boys: The baby-face years.

As it stands I'm just watching it for Buddy. That dogs face sums this show up really well.

Edited to add: I tell a lie. I really like Maggie & Ben! 

Yes its quite rubbish really isnt it? with the novelty boys and Robbo I really can't get into this time around. But yes I agree thank goodness for Buddy carrying the show

[Razabaza]

I don't know why, but sometimes when Mason talks he reminds me of Will from "The Inbetweeners"

[c120701]

I think quite a few of you have hit the nail on the head, it’s very hard to like a character when their character changes to suit each storyline. After years of being on the run from criminals, I can’t believe that the Morgans aren’t distancing themselves from crime, especially Tori. 

Constantly the show has characters comprimising themselves, be it Nate, Kat, Tori... At least with Robbo, Kat was being consistent in that she did compromise herself as a Police Officer before with her involvement with Ash, although I don’t believe that she wouldn’t have wrestled with her conscience, which she didn’t. I just don’t believe that Tori would be illegally treating Robbo in her garage.

[pembie]

I can't believe that the Novetly Boys and Ash haven't found Robbo in Tori's garage. They are in soapland at the end of the day and should know there's a very high chance of said criminal returning to the one most oblivious place to hide But after saying that why oh why did Robbo return why does he have to be a main cast member Same with Dean AKA  baby Brax? I expect he is anyway.

26 minutes ago, Razabaza said:

I don't know why, but sometimes when Mason talks he reminds me of Will from "The Inbetweeners"

 Will was awesome really made me laugh. Mason isn't nerdy enough to be on the same level as Will