2019 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[H&Alover]

Jasmine did try and keep Des and Fitz there as long as she could.

After all the stunts Karen had pulled in the past no surprise he didn't believe it was her meds that cause her to faint, she even admitted to Ben she had 'fainted' to stop him going out when he was young.  That was one heck of a lot of possible side effects she could have - how handy Alex was there to explain it all to Ziggy - also as Alex said Karen's got to readjust to being back in the real world after six months of being in a controlled environment.  I'm glad she stopped to listen to Dean and he explained how it felt when she did what she did and if he should call an ambulance and  a lovely  hug between them. She'd mucked up his life for 25 years so he has done well to turn his life around at last.  He was lucky in a way he had Colby and Willow to be there for him.   We didn't see her but Mack was, according to Dean, willing to give her another chance but she's got a job with an old mate - well she said she has. I think she'd decided she wanted Dean not to have to worry about her and get herself together on her own.  Hope we do see her again, she's a breath of fresh air. Ziggy was very understanding about cancelling her date but she had Maggie to look out for.  Ziggy has grown up a lot over the past year, thinking about others instead of herself.  I wondered what had happened to Dean after Karen had sent him off to see Ziggy.  John seemed to take his 'apology' well.

Raffy's goodbye was a tad rushed, glad they managed to squeeze in the farewell to Mason, wouldn't have seemed right if they hadn't.  Odd she didn't say a goodbye to Bella even if she still didn't know about Tommy and the court case.  Roo seemed to have tempered her nagging Ryder about studying after she found out he'd had a surfing lesson then spent time with Raffy but understood how he must have been feeling.   Marilyn kept her tears at bay until Raffy had left so letting her go with a smile.  Wasn't Melbourne the place where the earlier trial was going to be which Justin turned down?  I think differently Red, it would have been very un Raffy like not to 'say' something to Marilyn and John.  She wanted to express her gratitude and she was very rebellious when she first moved in yet they didn't give up on her and she knew she could always go back there when there was bother at home which there was quite a lot of.  Will TPTB be leaving Bella as the only regular teenage girl or bring in someone new?

 

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, I'm glad Irene said what we were all thinking: This is basically all Leah's fault. If she'd respected Irene's wishes in the first place instead of thinking she knew best, then she wouldn't be worrying about the Diner now.And despite agreeing to let Irene take the lead this time, it seems she still hasn't learned her lesson and is soon back being dogmatic instead of doing anything practical.It seems rather simplistic to call this Tommy "winning": Chances are he's going to jail and won't get much of a chance to spend his compensation money.It does feel as though the show's pulled back a bit: Before we were told that if Irene was found guilty, all her assets would be immediately frozen pending the outcome of the lawsuit.Somehow that hasn't happened.

It's hard to get behind Dean and Ziggy's baby talk.They've only been going out a few months and Ziggy doesn't exactly want a baby in the near future anyway, as she made clear when she was with Brody.So it's hard to see this as the urgent issue they're making it out to be, although I guess there's sense in Dean checking if it's a deal breaker now it's come up.Coco on the end of the phone again, at least she was named this time.When Ben said at the start that he was going to put off telling his family about the developments, I feared it was going to backfire on him, so I'm glad he actually did tell them by the end of the episode.

I did like Alf's chat with Ryder but it was sensible to have Justin check the car out.I also rather liked the way that Dean actually did stop and give Ryder some straight-talking advice.Scene outside the caravan park house, if we're still looking out for that!

[H&Alover]

Leah, we all told you so, but would you listen - NO!   Now Irene can't sell her half to Leah as not only Irene's solicitor but Tommy's as well are bound to  be aware of Irene's assets so blocking any sale, didn't Irene say her   assets would be/have been frozen?  Before when Irene first proposed the idea it was just a possibility but now it's official Tommy is suing.  No use Leah exclaiming Irene can't sell her home, she wouldn't have to if you'd listened. Is he really asking for $1 million!?  Would his civil case be before or after his trial?  Good for Justin talking Leah into getting advice herself.  Like you said Red, after agreeing to back off she invites herself along to Irene's support group, don't see that ending well.   In fact if the trailer is anything to go by it doesn't with Teresa losing it and stirring it up again. 

May seem very premature Dean & Ziggy discussing babies if Karen hadn't joked about grandkids they wouldn't even be talking about it.  Dean had obviously done his homework so was able to tell Ziggy why he had been so off with her, which he had been, but Mack wisely, told him to get his act together and tell her why.  There's no proof Dean has inherited Karen's condition and wouldn't he have shown some signs by now?  There is a possibility and I know this is getting way, way ahead of everything, but it could skip a generation. He has his mad moments but nothing like Karen. Before she was diagnosed as a RB a wife/partner and kids would have been the furthest thing from his mind, but now he's got a serious girlfriend the though must have entered his head, he wouldn't have asked Mack about her thoughts about kids.  Ziggy was right, after she got over the shock there are other ways to have kids, fostering, adopting. 

I spotted that - Coco got named, not just darling or lovey!!!  Ben was right imo  not telling Maggie and Ziggy 'till he had talked it over with his solicitor so he had more facts to hand, at last they are moving forward, slowly, but moving, the AFP got the Indonesian  guy to talk, Ben is still distant with Maggie but his other problem, which hasn't been talked about, hasn't been resolved, she took the fact he went off on his own better this time.

What's the betting Alf is the one who has bought 'Ryder's' car?   All very well viewing a car, or anything in  a catalogue or on line but not the same as seeing it in the flesh,  seems that never occurred to Ryder he took it at face value, he could have been sold a pup.  He's done bloody well saving up $3000, I guess he lives there rent free but does contribute something to his upkeep.  Yeh, verandah of house, it is still standing! 

Update, although brief, on Raffy she arrived in Melbourne OK.

 

[CaptainHulk]

Yellow is deffo Ada/Leah's colour!

[Red Ranger 1]

Channel 5 getting scissor happy again: The shot of Teresa arriving at the wharf at the end was very very obviously cropped, to the point that you could barely see her, in order to hide the blood on her jumper (which we saw in the promo a few moments later, although not as clear).

Leah continues to fail to notice that everything she does makes things worse.She expressed concern about the call to arms last week, then she goes and does the exact same thing, failing to realise that if you indulge in rabble rousing, you get a rabble.Her Nuremberg Rally on the internet was almost identical to Teresa's ranting from a few scenes earlier, and Justin didn't help by telling her it was fine.Teresa did sadly have a few good points to make about the difficulty in getting a rape conviction, but it was surrounded by so much paranoia it was hard to tell.In this case, there's a wealth of evidence against Tommy.It seems likely that the delay in the trial is mostly down to him still being in hospital as recently as a couple of weeks ago, although that does require a lot of artistic license. (When Colby went to see him, he seemed nearly fully recovered and in better shape than he was at the trial.What's more, he was handcuffed to the bed, under police guard, and told he'd be charged and brought in front of a magistrate as soon as he left the hospital.What happened to all that?) Anyway, looks like it could be a moot point now.You could tell from Teresa's expression when they were on the beach that she thought Irene was sending her some sort of coded message.An unfortunate choice of words perhaps.

Ryder was a bit of a brat towards Alf when he thought he'd lost out on the car, although I guess he did feel bad and apologise later.It's a nice thing for Alf to do, but hopefully he'll give Ryder a bit of responsibility and get him to spend his savings on the upkeep.It was nice seeing Ryder and Bella together again, they bring out the best in each other sometimes.(No reaction from Bella to Raffy going though.Has she been told?)

A surprise that Karen went back to the hospital: She might have saved people trouble by saying that in the first place.Dean's worries of treating his own children like Karen treated him are understandable, and no amount of logic or statistics will help.It does feel like a non-issue though.As Ziggy indicated, she'd probably be quite happy not having children.

[c120701]

Watching 1988 on Amazon Prime has made me wish Ailsa was still around for a reaction to Teresa’s actions and her not showing remorse for killing an abuser.

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, after the cut yesterday, they then show the whole thing in the recap!

It's a very unsatisfying ending but I think it's meant to be.Irene and Leah are left devastated by how things have worked out.Bella kind of got her day in court when she faced down Tommy at Irene's trial, but she's never seen Tommy brought to justice and punished, and she's taking the wrong lesson from it: Teresa is a stark sign of what she could end up becoming if she doesn't get some better influences in her life.Teresa never managed to come to terms with what happened to her as a teenager and it's dictated her from then on: She thinks every case is like hers, and "he said"/"she said" trials often fail, but with a witness and the computer evidence, Tommy would probably have gone down, and it was all for nothing.Irene realises that but for the grace of God that could be her up on a murder charge.And Leah...has anything she's done made things better? Irene was found guilty, and it's doubtful that her actions influenced the judge.Leah's been stirring people up against Tommy for weeks, even when she could see it was going too far: Teresa is right when she said it didn't matter if she saw the latest video or not, because she's heard Leah say similar things many times.It's a shame if that's the end of her blog (the show really does like to stop Leah doing anything other than working in the Diner!) but she needs to have a long think about what she's been advocating.

I'm glad the show didn't try and make out that this was different to Colby murdering Ross, because as Bella said, the main difference is Colby got away with it because he knows how to play the system.(Which is exactly what Teresa said about Tommy, but I admit that's a bit of a strained parallel.)When Teresa said he'd have done it himself if he'd had the chance, you could tell he knew she was right.Mackenzie, the normal person involved, tries to tell Bella that this was the wrong thing to do, but she's had Colby and Willow, and to a lesser extent Dean, telling her the opposite for months: Colby trying to say otherwise now is unconvincing, and Bella's clearly just saying what she needs to in order to end the conversation.The only way he'll really show her it was wrong is if he confesses and admits he belongs in the cell next to Teresa.

And then we have Robbo doing the same thing, attacking someone who's injured and helpless in the name of protecting others.Even if we're not mean to think he's right, it's clear that, as with Colby, we're meant to view him as a positive character.The show sends out some very odd messages at times.

12 hours ago, c120701 said:

Watching 1988 on Amazon Prime has made me wish Ailsa was still around for a reaction to Teresa’s actions and her not showing remorse for killing an abuser.

It's interesting to think back to her reaction when Max Richards murdered the man he thought had raped Chloe. Alf thought it was the same as Ailsa killing her father and defended him, but Ailsa knew there was a world of difference between killing someone in self-defence and killing them out of revenge and thought he belonged in jail.

[CaptainHulk]

11 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

And then we have Robbo doing the same thing, attacking someone who's injured and helpless in the name of protecting others.Even if we're not mean to think he's right, it's clear that, as with Colby, we're meant to view him as a positive character.The show sends out some very odd messages at times.

Notice how we had Paul leaning on Josh in Corrie in a similar fashion later that day? (Not that that POS didn't deserve it)

[H&Alover]

Yes all we saw, as she was shot from neck up, was the blood on her chin which didn't explain Irene's horrified look, I'm guessing Teresa drove there from the rehab centre which had crappy security if Teresa was able to stab Tommy multiple times even if was outside in the yard.  Seemed like he hadn't changed as he denied trying anything with Bella not that I think even if he had done that wouldn't have stopped Teresa, her course had been long set.  I think Teresa really thinks/thought she was doing what Irene wanted as Irene herself couldn't do anything but by that she meant stirring up trouble against him because that would prejudice his trial against her.  I don't think either Leah, who does get carried away when she's on one of her missions, or Irene realised the extent of Teresa's problems and just how unstable she was.  There would have been other women at the group and they haven't reacted as violently as Teresa, turned up waving banners and shouting outside when Irene was on trial yes, but that is as far as it went.  It turned out Teresa was gang raped - poor cow - and they got away with it, the he/they said/she said is different when there are no other witnesses and let's be honest women have been known to cry 'rape' when there has been no such thing, either because they changed their mind after or the bloke turned them down.   Yes a lot of rape trials end in the accused's favour but there are others that  don't. Bella did have a witness in Irene so if his trial had happened , it wouldn't have been just his word.  The only point where it could have fell down was the photos, none of them were provocative, just usual normal photos of a 16 year old so could have been  argued by a good defence lawyer it wasn't grooming.  Plus of course none of the other files he has could have produced In court only after when he would have been found guilty. Bella, despite her saying she was glad he was dead has been denied her chance of justice which would have been more satisfying.  If he had been found guilty he would not have had a good time inside.    Leah has made the right choice stepping back, she means well but gets too involved.  Irene should in way  blame herself though of course she will.

I'm not arguing Colby did kill Ross but that wasn't planned Teresa killing Tommy was pre meditated and blindingly obvious remark that Colby would have done the same -  any father brother, sister or mother would.   Colby getting away with killing Ross because he knew the system had nothing to do with it, they would have come down harder on him than  they would a civilian, he did want to confess but was talked out of it by Dean, Willow and Bella. They do both have to live with what Colby did and what she has condoned.

Well done Karen, brave move going back into rehab but at least this time it was voluntary, I'm not surprised she didn't say anything  Dean wouldn't have wanted her to go back in, but she's made a grown up decision probably for the first time in her life, he ought to be very proud of her.  I hope she doesn't get too toned down just able to relate to situations and people better.  Like that Ben told Dean Karen hadn't wanted to be a burden to Dean and had given him good advice.   Googling any symptoms is not a good idea especially with such a wide range that Karen has, every case is different but Dean is right to be cautious.

The only light moment was when Ryder finally twigged that Alf had bought the car for him, the look on his face was a picture.  OK he threw a wobbly when he thought he had lost out and blamed Alf for not lending him the money but as he knew the truth Alf let it go. A great big hug and an apology.  Handy he knows someone who owns a garage who can fix it up and help him keep it in good nick. Will he be giving the $3000 he'd saved up to Alf? 

Did we blink and miss something as the first we saw of the beefy bloke Robbo had got was when we saw him at the station?  How amazing, not, that Lenny was in NDH, of all the hospitals in Australia it had to be there.  Lenny may not know where Des & Fitz took Jasmine, they may have had to have a change of plan. Colby was on the ball by putting tow and two together when he saw the info on the police pc and knew what Robbo would do.

[c120701]

I posted this in the 5Star thread on Wednesday, but just for the timing:

Today’s episode, Alf told Palmer that his juice would “kill a brown dog” and then I’m just watching episode 43 and he uses the same phrase to Frank about some of the stock at the bottle shop.