2019 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[H&Alover]

Raffy was bound to take the news badly, especially with her HSC's coning up, bad timing but I'm relieved they didn't keep it from her, Justin was so supportive doing his big brother thing.   I was a bit confused though when Maggie was talking to Ryder it seemed he still had his to come whereas Raffy was sitting hers.  Wise words from him, without knowing it, about having to work things through on your own, echoing Ben's problem, which Maggie seemed to have taken on board by not nagging Ben so much.  I'm thinking if Tori had been there in person she may have had more clout than Justin talking to her colleague.  

I was thinking that message Robbo got was left in his car when he paid his flying visit to the bay, the bodyguard would have been stood down so no-one to keep an eye out for strangers,  If it was left while at the motel the guards aren't doing  a very good job and was that red car following his car just a red herring, though it did slow down when it passed him.  The snake symbol is a very old one and it could mean infinity and the cycle of birth and death.  Meaning perhaps they are warning Robbo it's not over, whatever 'it' is.  Lance hasn't had time to try and trace it to see if any gangs use it, but having said that Robbo's tattoos were made up so that was why when he first arrived in the bay the Yabbie Creek cops couldn't find them.  Now not being au fax with motel rooms and their phones that one seemed very large, with lots of options, wouldn't they just be a simple phone to dial out or have the reception desk to put calls through?  Were they able to track it when Jasmine made her call to the Diner? That call seemed that They knew his extension or was it a direct line, not much good his looking out of the window, hardly likely they'd be sitting outside in the car park.  His waiting at the wharf reminded me of the Robbo we first knew all moody and tense, subtle hiding of the tracker as he would have worked out They were watching  him, though we know They're not stupid and will search him and find it. 

Further point about Robbo finding the drawing and warning, either Robbo had left his window open when he was in the bay, twit, or They managed to break into his car without leaving any signs.

Blast from the past when that guy asked about Dylan Carter!   The last time we saw him he was holding a gun on Robbo at a marina and it was supposed he died when he and Robbo fought on the boat.

[Red Ranger 1]

I think this is one of those occasions where those of us with only the barest grasp of the Australian school system just have to do our best to keep up.So there's something called the HSC trials, which sounds like a mock exam but if it counts towards the final mark then it must be something else (modular exams?), and they last a week and the proper HSC is at the end of the year which I guess would be a couple of months away?

Justin and Mason's role reversal seems well and truly complete, with Mason being the one wanting to play by the rules and Justin being the one who wants to help Raffy by any means possible, legal or otherwise.I'll forgive him snapping at Leah, which seemed to be more being angry with himself than anything else, and I hope she doesn't take it to heart.Mason's way of helping Raffy was smart but unfortunately she was too stressed out for it to work.She's got everyone rallying around her but she's lost her crutch and she's got no confidence.

I can't tell if the show is trying to correct past mistakes or reinforcing failure.We've had a revisit of Irene's historical abuse, which was handled a lot better than the first time round but required everyone to have been walking around with their eyes shut in 2016.And now we're dragging up the saga of Robbo's family and the investigation that got them killed and there's a feeling that this should have been resolved last year instead of them adding even more confusing elements to an already convoluted and contradictory tale.Maybe at some point this will all get tied together with the loose ends from two years ago and the loose ends that they've just unpicked now, but somehow I don't have faith in them, especially with the rather undramatic reveal of a bunch of people that Robbo doesn't know and neither do we (except that one of them was a volunteer helping with the plane crash search in 2016 and the other was a loan shark who had Aden beaten up in 2009...there's typecasting for you), inexplicably wanting to track down the long-forgotten Dylan Carter, and deciding that the best way to do it is to threaten Robbo and then dump him in a boat in the middle of nowhere.They think that's going to lead to him finding Dylan Carter how?

[baywatcher]

I'm finding all the Robbo stuff even more tedious than the never-ending Brexit crap we are having to live through. It's starting to spoil episodes that would otherwise be enjoyable.

[H&Alover]

Thanks for the explanation Red, though then Roo did say about HSC trials.  That was a complete role reversal there between Mason and Justin, I get Justin feels it's his job/duty to do all he can for Raffy, but he hasn't a clue of what it is he can do.  Not surprised Mason flipped out and recalled  the fact when he did it he had the whole family tearing strips off him.  Plus if Justin did manage to get hold of some cannabis and he got caught he'd be behind bars, which not only would it not be helping Raffy, Nina would stop Justin seeing Ava. I'll let Justin snapping at Leah go,  he's more angry at himself, she just happened to be there. Another thing against Justin's mad idea is Mason knew what he was doing and it took him  a while for him to get Raffy's dosage right, Justin hasn't a clue even where to start, do they still have the equipment in the garage and was he going to use Mason's contact? Small aside how come Raffy said she had taken her last pill the night before, was she restricted to how many she was given at any one time, then went to the hospital or wherever it was to pick up her next batch?  If so why leave it so late? Mason was super there, of course any drug in your system won't disappear overnight and for a while it did calm her down, because her stressing she'll fit will cause her to fit, but when she opened her paper her mind just went blank. It seems the teachers trust the pupils to sit the exam unsupervised and I guess Ryder wasn't taking biology.   Very strange term - misadventure - usually used in verdicts in coroners courts - that Raffy's grades though the year can go towards her final mark, I'm sure it's been done before.

I knew They would find that tracker device, They are professionals, surely there must have a been a better place to hide it, sewn into his shirt maybe.  I reckon there has to be be two gangs.  Victor - head heavy - knows Robbo/Ryan's history, but not he was undercover or his undercover name - Beckett Reid didn't get mentioned at all.  They also know what Robbo has been up to while he's been in the bay, Victor didn't believe Robbo had amnesia. They reckon Dylan Carter is alive, I hadn't forgotten him, do they have proof of that, but don't know where he is, so someone else, whoever they are, has him and think Robbo knows who it is.  Not that that lot were the real baddies, they were just the front, the real bad guys just sit back and control it all from a distance. It did seemed Victor and co didn't know about the fight, the cops finding  not only his blood but Dylan's too on the boat, we only know this because of Alf, Justin and Scarlett finding it and towing it back to the bay.  There is one more loose end, who  that girl was the cops found in the abandoned house, she'd died from a diabetic coma.   I did scratch my head at the end  when after Victor told Robbo he had a week to find Dylan, the others then beat him up and dump him in an open boat to float down river which could take days to get to wherever there are people. 

[Red Ranger 1]

Whilst it wasn't particularly helpful, I don't blame Jasmine for losing her temper over Robbo being sent into the lion's den.He seems to be assuming an awful lot about his own invulnerability, almost to suicidal levels. Even with Alf showing an amazing ability to turn up at the right time, Robbo didn't do the sensible thing and get himself checked over and treated, instead thinking it was more sensible to stagger to the motel and collapse in front of everyone...

Leah got through to Justin eventually although it took some doing.The pedant in me feels obliged to question why, when this is what Mason was planning to do months ago, the idea of campaigning for access to medicinal cannabis has suddenly turned up again and is being presented as Leah's idea.(Possible explanation:Mason didn't mention it to anyone but Tori and never got around to doing anything about it.)

So it seems her girls' afternoon the other weekend wasn't the cure-all for Bella after all.It's possibly made her less jumpy, but she's still not ready to face people, even if it's only in her mind that she's the main topic of conversation and most people probably don't know.Colby was unnecessarily stubborn but did at least pursue the point well once Irene convinced him of its validity.Bella doesn't feel she's suffered enough to stand with people like Irene but they're not going to make her feel like she shouldn't be there.

[CaptainHulk]

The trials are nothing new. Far back as Bobby-era she did them and she and Din got into its as he thought she cheated.

TBF, nobody expected that Girlie Day to fix things magically.

"Action Men" on Soaps don't think logically, saw that enough with Roman back in the day nor did Nate on Neighbours.

[Red Ranger 1]

I couldn't help thinking that I'd rather be watching Irene and Bella at the support group than much of the stuff on offer here, notably Dean and Colby's awkwardness, which seems like another attempt to drag things out. I would have thought the fact that Dean influenced Colby's decision to break up with Mackenzie was implicit from the break-up conversation but maybe she didn't know exactly what was said? Colby's belated "Avengers is on!" was at least mildly amusing.

Not much progression with Robbo's storyline, except for recapping what we already know, which isn't much.I can understand Jasmine not wanting Robbo to get involved but it's a bit late for that and he needs to do something.

Ben seems to be getting worse rather than better.He asked last week what he'd do when the lawn was mowed, and it seems to have reached the point where he's run out of jobs to do so just isn't doing anything.It's hard to tell whether he should be allowed to hit rock bottom or if someone should be forcing the issue.

[H&Alover]

I guess the thing about the support group is as Irene said you don't have to say anything like you would if you went to a counsellor/therapist.  At the moment Bella does feel she is the only one it has happened to, I guess you do, online grooming is a pretty new thing usually with young people like her so she may be thinking they'll all be older.  She may be reluctant to go back to school, but she is keeping up with her school work so  that's one good thing.  I'm with Roo & Colby how would kids at school know what had  happened to her and Roo was right the longer she left it the harder it will be.  There are different types of assault, not all sexual or physical. 

Quite an ultimatum from Leah that she wouldn't stay around and watch Justin  risk going to jail, she'd seen what happened with Mason. Didn't Mason get an article on line last time and the family flipped out over it because it jeopardised his career?  It's not going to solve it overnight and Raffy and others are going to get their CBD oil back, but you have to start somewhere, though they do have to get Raffy's OK first. 

Awful to say but Ben has to really hit rock bottom before he can find his way back up, forcing the issue could do more harm than good. Must be horrible  not being able to say or do anything to help.

It just seemed to be going round and round in circles with Dean, Mac and Colby. The old "I wanted to protect you" line was uttered.  I realise Dean doesn't want Mac to get hurt should things go wrong with Colby because it would make it awkward for him, her being his sister and him being his best mate but Mac is an adult so can look after herself. How many girlfriends has Colby had - in the bay it's only been Jasmine and Chelsea, he ended it with Jasmine when she revealed he used to be a River Boy.  It was a whole different situation with Chelsea.

 He may be a tough guy but even he couldn't even row a short distance in that condition. Alf must have felt a touch of deja vous finding Robbo like that, did he tell Robbo where he found him, may have helped the Feds to try and locate where he was dumped so they could try and find the place he was taken to. Have to say it's pretty spectacular scenery wherever it is.  Alf true his word said nothing.  Robbo did act by himself so wasn't sent into the lion's den. They did leave Robbo another not, certainly smart, got his keys from his hiding place, placed the note and put the keys back.  I did worry when Scott turned up at the motel and gave Jasmine that line about he'd been reassigned and someone else was looking after Tori, made me wonder if there was another reason, but it appeared he's gone there to find out about Robbo and he was in touch with Lance.  It came as a shock  to the Feds that Dylan Carter could be alive, they like everyone else, thought  he was dead.  Jasmine certainly is no wimp, she gave Scott short shrift when he wanted to question Robbo, sending him off to get medical supplies.  I 'asked' the same question where were the guards who were supposed to be outside the door?  Are They part of the corrupt cop lot who want Carter back or a different They who want Carter for other reasons?  Maybe a silly question but would it help if Jasmine looked at the files, a fresh pair of eyes may help.

 

[Red Ranger 1]

So is this rock bottom or is there a lower part? Ben moves from the couch to the table and then back again, and feels there's not much else he can do.And the worst thing is, he's pretty much right, as they're left hoping that the feds turn up something that will save him.Either way, Maggie and Ziggy playing good cop/bad cop wasn't really the most sensible way to handle it and only served to annoy him.

While the whole situation was more than a bit silly, Mackenzie metaphorically banging Dean and Colby's heads together was effective, and she's not the first person to suggest they should just date each other.Perhaps the most interesting thing was Willow and Ziggy, both of whom have been mistrustful of Mack in the past, acting as her cheer squad.I guess she's officially part of the in-crowd now!

So Raffy's missed an exam and Ryder is worried.I assumed her trial being cancelled was public knowledge, but given Marilyn's evasiveness, it seems Ryder might not know, despite Roo knowing and despite it having been discussed quite openly in the Diner.Unless there was another reason for Raffy's absence?

[c120701]

Thinking back as I’ve been trying to piece all of the who did & didn’t know about Mick’s father/Irene’s rape, didn’t Morag know as she helped her track him down which makes me think that Alf might have been out of town. He was out of town for the Caravan Park explosion I’m sure, maybe visiting Sally.