2019 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

I think Justin told Leah to phone Brody on Monday, and we heard Mason on the phone to him yesterday.I hope he's clued in Raffy.

Ziggy being annoying again, as she decides that not only is she going to interfere with the surf business, she's going to arrange time off for Dean from his paying job as well.Mackenzie should have spoken to Dean about it, but at least she was able to give him the shifts back.The frustrating thing is that the episode somehow seemed to end up painting Ziggy as the one in the right, despite Ben and Dean giving her a telling off, and she ended it a bit too smug.I was disappointed that, after that build-up, we didn't actually get to see Ben's therapy session and he's suddenly back to running surfing lessons.(And I felt rather sorry for those students, having three instructors over the course of the lesson!)

I'm not in favour of Colby and Mackenzie by any means, although for the opposite reason to here: I think she should run a mile.As she says, nothing's changed.As for Bella's reaction...my first instinct is to say that it's their choice, and it is, but at the same time Colby has taken on the responsibility of her, and this past year has really not been a good one for her psychologically and left her with a lot of trust and abandonment issues, while surrounded by a bunch of very poor role models whose attitude is "Do as I say, not as I do." So I think Colby does need to start thinking about what's best for her, but at the same time giving her what she wants just because she blows up isn't going to help.

Willow and Alex...to be honest, it felt like filler, but it was well-acted at least.

[H&Alover]

I wondered who Mason was on the phone to, they don't always make it clear.  Would have thought Ziggy would have learnt from the last wigging she got from Dean but no she goes behind his back again treating him like a kid.  Yes it would have made his life easier but he needs the money he gets from the shifts.    At least Ben made her see sense and he'd only had one session with his therapist!  Despite his misgivings it did do him some good and he's made another appointment. Hardly stretching himself helping Dean out and he was a lot better teacher than Colby who barked orders at them!  It did him good too focusing on something else and it was something he had done in the past, he seemed dead chuffed that one of them had even got in the water. Ben would be the best one to ask about a business plan, he'd know about surfing lessons being weather reliant so income not being able to be set in stone.

The reason why Mac broke up with hasn't changed, he is still  a cop and it doesn't matter him saying he's only a small town cop but this is Summer Bay and bad things happen even in normal towns, the bay gest more than it's fair share. They could still be friends if they could handle that.  Bella tried her damnedest to keep them apart from Colby slipped his invisible leash and got to Salt anyway.  Surely it's better they split now rather than further down the line.

Willow & Alex well wasn't the air between them virtually cracking with electricity!  At least Alex isn't being rushed off her feet looking after Tori as she's in the city.

Seems to be fighting over Grace already - not giving anything  away as it was seen on the trailer but Jason wants custody of her - Robbo is her dad - unless Justin is back on his "It's all your fault" - meaning - Robbo bandwagon?

[Red Ranger 1]

Episode count this week: For the second week running, Roo is nowhere to be seen even though she's meant to be in town.

Once again, I can only conclude that Bella is what Colby's made her. This whole "us against the world" attitude is one that he, along with Dean and Willow, has fostered in her.Useful for him when it involves her keeping quiet about him being a murderer, not so useful when he wants to hang out with someone who's not in on the secret.Bella is perfectly correct in one way: They will never be a normal family, and they are too broken. This isn't going to be fixed with a few nights of pizza and movie, and yet again the uncomfortable truth is that the best thing Colby could do for her is turn himself in and let her grow up with someone who isn't her father's murderer.She needs fewer people like Colby in her life and more people like Ryder. But once again, I can also conclude that the people making the show don't see it like that and are trying to portray Colby as the good guy.

Like Leah, I can see both sides with Justin and Robbo, although my sympathies lie more with Justin.I think both of them are going too far.Justin shouldn't be trying to take Grace off Robbo, but he sees it as protecting Tori's interest when Robbo seems (at least to him) to be pretending she doesn't exist.Robbo shouldn't be cutting the Morgans out of Grace's life, but it's clear that his overprotective/controlling tendencies have cut in again and he doesn't want to let her out of his sight.Justin storming into the flat demanding Grace didn't help, but Robbo's almost murderous response shows he's still not the most stable person.Ideally, the two of them should be working together to look after Grace and make sure she knows all her family.I hope they come to that conclusion soon, because I'm getting disturbing flashbacks of sitting through what seemed like month after month after month of VJ and Ash fighting over Luc.

[CaptainHulk]

Colby's no surf instructor, that's for sure. It was like putting Marilyn in charge of an Abattoir

Showdown at the old Summer Bay Corall... I'm guessing Robbo would be faster on the draw and would most likely dig Chilli more  

The lighter side of Summer Bay bought to you by CaptainHulk.

They script it, I rip it!

[UK_fan]

Team Robbo!

[pembie]

Robbos action story was entertaining but slightly silly I'm surprised he never advertised where he was on Leah's blog even though the end with Victor was crap I still don't really know who he was even though that's not the end I doubt And now we are back to this slow baby stuff  meh that's my problem with Robbo everything is just so slow with him. Anyway his way to intense for a kid. 

[H&Alover]

Roo did get a mention from Ryder via a text/call reminding him to bring some milk home.   Felt  a bit sorry for him, he'd finally done his last HSC and had no-one to celebrate the fact with.   He did try and cheer up Mac up a bit bless him by part explaining Bella's troubled past. 

Colby is trying to be protective of Bella and she wants to save him from being hurt but Chelsea was a different matter she is a cop so knew the danger he'd could be putting himself in, she would be doing the same. It was the fact he'd actually killed someone that finished them. The problem isn't going to go away Mac is still going to be worried whenever Colby goes on duty never mind his protestation it's not  a big city, we the viewers know how dangerous it can be.

Robbo is taking his looking  after Grace far too seriously, he hasn't properly rested since the Victor thing finished which is contributing to his OTT behaviour.   Amazed he actually left her with Jasmine and Irene like he did. Yep Justin played the "It's your fault" card, blaming Robbo for Tori being in a coma, no-one knows what caused it and the stroke  could have happened anytime.  Robbo is Grace's dad so has every right to look after her and what was with Justin's "Tori would have wanted her to be with the Morgan's" claim - he doesn't know that!  The most sensible ones were Leah and Jasmine trying to keep them apart.  Justin was accusing Robbo of forgetting Tori by coming home, um if you are that concerned why aren't you still there?  We know the best solution would be for them to share the care for Grace but both too stubborn at the moment to think about it calmly.  Another talk on the phone to Brody so he's in the loop.

 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

"Why is it always about Robbo?"Justin says during this episode: It's obvious from the recap that there's basically only going to be one storyline today, which is frustrating if it's one you're not that invested in.I don't agree with criticising Justin for not being at the hospital: They're not going to let him be at Tori's side 24/7, he has Ava to look after and (at least in his mind) Grace to look out for, and there's not much he can do there anyway. But I think he had even less of a point here than he did on Friday, although I still have a lot of sympathy for him.I felt like Mason avoided the question a bit: No-one could have predicted or preventing Tori's stroke, but who knows what difference it would have made if she'd been in hospital to receive immediate emergency treatment rather than in the middle of nowhere? (Not that her being there was entirely Robbo's fault, of course.)

Perhaps the biggest problem is than whenever Justin's around, Robbo's acting like a nutcase, so it's perhaps not surprising that he doesn't trust him.I was undecided about Mason going against Justin's wishes and taking Ava to see Grace, which could have backfired, but it's interesting that Robbo welcomed there in a calm and friendly manner because that's how they approached him.When Justin came barging in making demands for the second time in as many episodes, Robbo acted the same way.I can't help thinking that Robbo could have defused the situation slightly by just letting Justin see Grace, but paranoia and macho pride got in the way and he seems to have regressed somewhat by the end.I think it possibly doesn't help that we kind of missed the start of this: Justin and Robbo were more-or-less civil to each other start of last week, and it'd be interesting to know just what made things so bad before they came back to the Bay and just how cavalier Robbo was about making all the decisions.

[H&Alover]

Both are playing at being stags and locking antlers while the does - sorry had to keep up the deer analogy - were trying to get them both to see sense with no avail. Oh no Robbo didn't answer Justin's call at first ring, but that is because he was getting some much needed sleep and had his phone on silent so it didn't wake Grace - she is adorable btw.  Lovely scene with him asleep and his hand touching her. Fair enough if Tori had been OK and come home with Grace she would have been at the Morgan's, but she and Robbo had signed an agreement they shared  Grace's upbringing, to me it's natural she'd be with her dad, he's not alone, he's got Jasmine when he lets her in to help. I don't know if it was meant to be funny but it made me smile when Robbo asked for the cot Justin replied "What the one you made for Tori?" and Robbo answered "No the one I made for Grace".  They seemed to have found one from somewhere though.  You are right there Red as was Mason the stroke could have happened anywhere, anytime, but valuable time was lost getting her to hospital - maybe.

Justin and to a certain extent Leah were fobbing off Ava again when she was asking why she couldn't see her cousin.  She is a lot wiser than any of them - well maybe apart from Mason - give her credit for.  They had to have a "Go feed Buddy"  line, I'm sure I saw Ava's eyes roll.  Anyways up Mason made the right decision as it turned out, It may have been that Ava was there that tempered Robbo's mood and the fact Mason wasn't in anyway accusing him of anything, just there to see Grace.  The dispute - which is putting it mildly - wasn't mentioned just an uncle and cousin visiting their niece and cousin.  I hope Mason mentions their visit  to Justin we don't want any more secret whispering.  

[Red Ranger 1]

Mason back having to be the voice of reason again because there aren't any other Morgans around to take the opposite road to Justin, although at least he had Leah there to help with the final push.It was still Justin that had to make the first move but at least Robbo was receptive once he took a calm approach.Of course, it seems communication isn't Robbo's strong point, as he makes assumptions about what Jasmine wants, when even Colby's noticed the pained looks she has when he dismisses her.

There seems to have been some rather dodgy editing lately, with scenes being shown in what's clearly not the intended order and characters teleporting from place to place: Last week, there was an episode where Maggie seemed to be jumping back and forth between dealing with Blake and dealing with Ben.Here it was even more egregious: Colby goes to the surf club and agrees to a game of pool with Bella, then he's at the flat with Robbo and leaves him alone with Justin, then he and Bella are finishing their game of pool, and it's obvious the flat scene was meant to come before the two surf club scenes.I wasn't entirely happy with what Willow said to him: There's nothing wrong with putting Bella before his love life, but Willow was right that he shouldn't let Bella think it's over for good with Mackenzie if he's planning to start things up again once she's back on track.Ultimately, Colby ends up doing the worst of both worlds: Having spent precisely one day putting Bella first (Alex mentions their encounter was "yesterday"), he decides to carry on seeing Mackenzie in secret.

With her and Alex having avoided the subject of the kiss until now, Willow decides for a re-run and gets turned down.Nice to get a bit of back story for Alex.I've no idea what Irene's expression was trying to convey at the end though. It was probably unintentional, but given the show's track record it was hard not to interpret it as "We don't have that sort of behaviour round here, girlie." She looked more disapproving than shocked.