2019 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[baywatcher]

Oh Willow. What are we going to do with you??  Glad she made it up with Dean though.  I enjoyed the banter between her, Dean & Colby.

Leah was talking complete sense to Tori.

Robbo did take the news very well. Still, as he said, Jasmine thought he had gone for good and it was a nothing kiss anyway (although imo Colby & Jasmine make a better couple).

[Red Ranger 1]

Again, I was left wondering if Colby actually understands how normal people think.I guess he finally got the message that, if Dean says he doesn't want to be with Willow, maybe she shouldn't try and force him to change his mind.And then he completely fails to take a hint and derails Robbo and Jasmine's chat to rabbit on about something neither of them really cares about.Still, the way things went later, the talk was probably doomed anyway, and Tori's interference didn't go much better.I'm hoping there's a proper explanation for Jasmine's behaviour at the end, because it seems a bit of an extreme reaction to not wanting to talk to Robbo.

[baywatcher]

Poor Jett. My heart really went out to him. Beautiful scenes with the Palmer's.

Good to see Lustin again.  How long before people realise who Leah was talking about in her blog?

Jasmine's reaction was a bit extreme (but then Robbo would have that effect on me too).

[H&Alover]

I know Colby wanted Willow and Dean to resolve their current dispute but I'm pretty sure he didn't intend for her to do her version of the Queen of Sheba when he suggested she fight for him.  He  did admit his part in it when Dean was ranting on about it so he got his share of Dean's anger. Dean & Willow had another talk and finally I think she's got the message, be sad if Dean never meets anyone he'd want to be with he'd make a great boyfriend/husband to the right lady. I think Willow has always loved Dean like he has her just not 'in love' with each other. Great they all forgave each other and then Dean & Willow joined forces to tease Colby about that kiss.  Dean seems to be the only one Ziggy listens to even more so than her parents and I liked their little chat on the beach.  Did I spot something different in the way he looked at Ziggy when she told him Brody and Simone were leaving town - or was that just me?

Well as Leah has in the past been the one to stick her nose into other people's relationships she would be the perfect person to warn Tori off interfering with Jas and Robbo, she does know of what she advises. Anyway Jasmine decided on her own accord to speak to Robbo then got all freaky and that was without Colby showing her that photo!  Freaked out even more when he went round to Irene's and said he knew about it wasn't bothered.  We know from the preview it was a panic attack, Robbo must have phoned Tori, whose bump is showing nicely. Laughed at Dean's comment about Colby still having his teeth after he had told Robbo about it. 

Another great lightbulb moment from Ryder about why Bella did what she did and it was down to impressing Raffy to show her she was on her side.  How handy Roo heard it all so was able to report back to Colby and Maggie.  Fair enough  Raffy never suggested or hinted to Bella she should show she is on 'her' side, but I don't think she appreciates how vulnerable Bella is and did it, as Ryder said to her, to show her she was on her side and didn't want to lose her as a friend. It was  a turn around from Raffy still being sniffy in the Diner to her and Ryder helping Bella scrub off the covered up graffiti, maybe Ryder had a few wise words to Raffy.  I noticed the fact that Bella broke into the school was brushed under the carpet, though that was down, I suppose, to Maggie's discretion.

I agree Simone was crushed by the fact it was Bella who had done it, Raffy she could have accepted and understood, whatever else we may think of Simone she was good to and for Bella, brought her out of her shell and seems back into learning.  Will they be replacing her, there's still Raffy who needs extra help.   Her breaking down in her van was quite sad. Simone was very respectful to Maggie as was Maggie towards Simone and Simone acknowledged how professional Maggie had been towards her, that handshake may have been a tad awkward but they were both ladies - if that isn't sexist or old fashioned in any way - and acted as such. In another life they would have probably been very good friends.

Simone, really, doesn't have a choice but to leave but it's a big decision for Brody to suddenly decide he's going with her, I don't imagine she's going to be going to the other side of the country!  I'm glad he was man enough to go and tell Ziggy first and face to face and no dithering this time, he owed it to her.  Ziggy accused him of hating her but I don't think that was the case at all,  it was because he cared he put it off for so long. Ziggy acted all cool but I'm sure there must be conflicting feelings there - relieved she won't be bumping into him & Simone at any time but then on the other hand knowing she won't be seeing him at all.  Now all he's got t o do is to tell the rest of the Morgan's - that'll go down well.  Who owns Salt btw - has Brody got any shares in it, lost track with all the buying it, selling it, buying it back again.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but when John & Ben were talking about the alterations wasn't it said they couldn't put a ramp at the front of the house, yet when we saw Jett arrive back home he wheeled through the front door.  

Lustin again

[Red Ranger 1]

Hmm. Well, it seems there actually is a deeper reason for Jasmine's behaviour.I thought at first that her comment about "over the years" was a fluffed line but then Robbo referred to it, so obviously it means something. And I find myself wondering about the fact we've never seen any of Jasmine's family, not even when she was in a coma when they were simply said to be overseas.So it seems she might have some abandonment issues that Robbo disappearing triggered.It seemed like she didn't quite get the point, she acted as though Robbo was asking for permission to leave rather than asking what she wanted.While still a bit harsh, Irene did at least backtrack a bit in her attitude towards Robbo.

I thought the same, H&Alover, about Jett suddenly coming in the front door! He's clearly in a world of pain and not just the physical, it seems less a case of him being responsible and more a case of him feeling he should be responsible.John and Marilyn have their work cut out.

[Slade]

Have to admit, I found it really funny when Dean was winding Colby up about him kissing Jasmine in the photo although Robbo was actually pretty cool about it.

Didn't like it when Justin told Tori she doesn't owe Robbo/Jasmine anything.  Whilst I think she has no obligation to help them, let's face it this whole mess is her fault.

John made a good point about Simone .

[D.B]

Hi guys, look's like I have a lot to catch up on. Sorry for the delay, I had exams. 

To start, I have been enjoying Dean and Ziggy together, but I'm still out on them being a couple, as their friendship is a good thing right now. Willow being jealous was kind of annoying and I was left thinking when she said that she always felt like her and Dean would end together, then what about Justin? I think we all know by now that Willow and Dean just don't work as a couple. She hasn't really been reacting to any of this well, and while I do think that in this case he meant well, Colby's advice wasn't helping. If Dean doesn't want him and Willow to be together, then Colby should respect that, and know better than suggest that Willow "fights for him", which wouldn't and didn't end well. That said, Dean's reaction to Willow naked in his bed, while very uncomfortable, was some-what funny. But at least after a long conversation, the two are on the same page now, and hopefully this is the last we see of Willow's jealousy. It is very sad to Ziggy return to her wild reckless behaviour that she had when she first arrived at the Bay, and Ben was right in trying to get her to calm down a bit. From personal experience, I did feel sorry for Ziggy being accused of something she didn't do by Maggie, but  on the other hand, it wasn't hard to see where Maggie was coming from; she hates Simone, has been drinking and acting recklessly, and this would seem like something she would do in her state. But still, I felt more sorry for Ziggy, especially after her outburst at Salt. 

And I might as well talk about the graffiti. I felt Raffy was really unreasonable for the most part through this story, yes she does have a right to hate Simone, but there's no reason whatsoever to exclude Bella just because she likes working with Simone. The one time I felt she wasn't unreasonable was when she was angry at Bella for lying to her about where she was, but given her previous attitude, she didn't really give Bella much of a choice. I was really disappointed that Bella gave in easily to the peer pressure that Raffy was doing, and that she decided to go to such extremes as to use graffiti on Simone's door, though it does leave the question: how the hell did Bella have the keys to get into the school? The only possible suggestion that I can see is that maybe as Senior Constable, Colby would have keys to such public places and she just stole them when he fell asleep? Speaking of, while I did enjoy him being a big brother towards Bella, I gagged at the bit when he made her admit responsibility because... yeah, to prevent another argument, just look at my previous comments on Colby and responsibility. I was really impressed by Maggie's professionalism throughout this whole thing, while not liking Simone, is accepting that the graffiti was a step over the line, and I enjoyed Ryder's maturity as well with his defending of Bella to Raffy, and his disagreement with the graffiti. 

At the risk of being unpopular, I did feel sorry for Simone this week, especially when she found out that it was Bella, one of the very few in the Bay who she could actually work with, though I rolled my eyes at the bit when she said that she couldn't deal with it, well yeah, maybe she should have thought of that before she slept with a married man. Still though I felt more sorry for her than I did with Brody throughout, who continues to be self-absorbed and condescending of anyone else's opinions that don't agree with his. I found his failure to get a house because of his drug use and Mason's entire unsympathetic view hilarious, as well as Simone's reaction when she found out when Maggie gave her a good review. Karma, eh? Meanwhile, while I do get how Brody was able to keep his drug history a secret to Simone (even though it just shows how deranged this whole relationship is), how did she not know about the Witness Protection? Remember when that made headline news two years ago? Either Simone was out of the country at the time and never heard about it, or else Summer Bay has a different paper than to the rest of Australia. The only time I did agree with Brody was when he commented on how Tori was in no place to judge about secrets, and as to her claim that it cost her, it cost her what, precisely? She got what she wanted, only had to deal with Jasmine's anger for at least three weeks at best, and now even has Robbo on board as a co-parent with no consequences for herself. I was kind of hoping that Simone would walk away from Brody and leave him with nothing, but in any case, looks like they plan to get off my screen very soon. When that happens, I'll pop out the champagne. 

More awkward stuff with Justin and Leah. I did like Roo prompting the two on, though it looks like that Justin is again hoping for more in this relationship. I actually like where they are, so I hope that not much romantic feelings would get in the way, though in the last episode, they weren't exactly being subtle together. As for Colby and Jasmine's kiss, I'm glad that it was just a drunken thing and neither were looking for more, I'm glad that they talked through it like adults. I am aware that not a long time ago I did like the idea of them being a couple, but that was before I saw how badly the two together were, also by now I think that Jasmine can do better than Colby. I really liked how mature Robbo was when it was revealed, and I do give Colby credit for admitting it. 

Now, the Jett storyline is by far the most riveting storyline so far. While I was really nervous at the idea of Jett being interviewed by the army and might have possibly got the blame for the incident, I do understand that it's just normal procedure for them and it is important, Jett was the commanding officer, they do need his story on what happened to reduce the likelihood of another situation. I liked how sympathetic the officers were towards Jett's situation. I felt so much for Jett in these last few episodes, it must be so hard for him dealing with all that guilt and responsibility. I loved how he wanted to go to the funeral of his comrade, really shows how much he cares, but God, that last line yesterday "It should have been me in that coffin"- the pain and guilt he must feel must be indescribable if he feels like that, I feel so sorry for him and for John and Marilyn to hear that. Some really great acting from Will MacDonald. 

The Robbo-Jasmine storyline is very interesting as well. While I think Robbo should have known better than go AWOL and just expect everyone to be happy with his return, I did feel sorry for him, because he's suffering from this as well, and everyone just seemed to forgot that, particularly Irene, whose remarks against Robbo I feel are mostly undeserved. He wants to make things right with Jasmine, she ought to give him that. I did like that Tori wanted to help the two, knowing that she is responsible, and I like how she was there for Jasmine. Jasmine's behaviour was alarming, from acting all bothered with Colby at the surf club, then running away from Robbo when he got too close and then acting distant the next day. She looked like she was in a different time and place during her conversation with Robbo, that combined with her panic attack seems to suggest abandonment issues.  I really feel for her, and I look forward to see where they go with this. 

Also, on a side note, on last week, Robbo mentioned having parents. Can I ask, where were they when Robbo was believed to have been a murderous hitman, and on the trial for his life?!

[H&Alover]

Robbo did look very confused with Jasmine's "over the years" remark.  Nothing like I first thought to do with David her stalker ex, more deep rooted than that, absent father perhaps?  I hope he mentions it to Tori who may tyr and help Jasmine. Robbo was very understanding when Jasmine had her melt down and he wisely called Tori rather than push it further and quietly left when Jas said she'd come out only if he wasn't there. I did ask  myself was Tori breaking any rules when she told Robbo Jasmine had had a panic attack but she wasn't treating her as a doctor just being there as a friend. There were crossed wires about Robbo going if she felt it would be better.  Tis a wonder Irene isn't dizzy with all these about turns  she does over Robbo. Jasmine was definitely over the top with her chirpy behaviour once she got back from the pier.

Robbo did say he hadn't seen his parents for years and when Robbo went undercover as Beckett Reid Ryan Shaw ceased to exist, maybe they were used to him dropping off the radar from time to time.

I may be stating the obvious but Australia is a big country so it is possible Simone was at the other side of Aus when the WP story came out, most of the folk in the bay got over it pretty quickly.

Leah & Justin's flirty, casual relationship is carrying on a pace, that last lingering hand brush was certainly on the erotic side. 

Survivor guilt kicking in with Jett methinks, probably brought up with going to the funeral and seeing the other guys. Survivor guilt can happen to anyone who's been in a situation where others have died and you, injured or not,  have lived. Very moving hearing John's account of how Jett conducted himself and held it together.  Very poignant hearing the 'they shall not grow old' verse read out and then The Last Post. He would feel responsible as the guys that died were under his command but although we know you can't control everything, Jett will need a lot of convincing of that.  I think part of the reason we feel so for Jett is because he's so young  and that must have happened so many times to young guys like him in many conflicts/wars over the years. He's going to need a lot  more help than John & Marilyn can give him, but when he is ready - you can't force someone into counselling no matter how obvious it is they need it.

[Red Ranger 1]

This week's episode counts: For some reason, Mason didn't appear at all.

It's rather frustrating seeing Ziggy revert back to, well, what she was like the last time Brody broke up with her, and I admit I lost a bit of sympathy for her when she decided to hang out with a bunch who were obviously bad news just to prove a point to Ben, Maggie and Dean.I will give her credit though for keeping her wits about her, staying sober and giving the guy a knock-back that anyone who wasn't a sleaze would have taken the hint at: No repeat of her drunkenly throwing herself at Dean here.I'm still slightly sceptical with the whole "Dean Thompson, what a guy" vibe, which feels a bit sledgehammer subtle at times.There did seem to be a bit of irony in him being dumped in the bush at the end.

John and Marilyn did a pretty good job with Jett, being there despite him being very withdrawn.It was good for them both to have a bit of a break throughout the day, but Irene was right when she said there's no magic words to make everything better.I have very mixed feelings about Jett deciding to move out.He does need to do it eventually: As willing as they are, he can't have John and Marilyn doing everything for him long term and needs to learn to be independent.But he needs to be doing it for the right reasons, not just because he wants to stop being a burden to them.

[CaptainHulk]

Lustin has kind of been a rebirth for Leah, wardrobe are giving her these cute little outfits again

 

If the returning shook up Soldier bit had been dine with anyone but Jett , I doubt it'd be nearly as powerful.

I really didn't miss Mason this week , tbh.

What happened to ol' Deano wasn't a million miles from what Brax and the boys did back in their day. Probably pantsed their victims too

And Ziggy cuts a rather nice figure in swimwear.

I think it's time Ryder got things to do on his own again, maybe have his so-called deadbeat Dad pop up (It's a thing with this show).