2020 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[English Invader]

On 21/08/2020 at 23:50, Red Ranger 1 said:

So, right on the back of Colby giving Bella another lecture to stay away from the Paratas, we get another reminder that he is the family she should be staying clear of.Amber gives him the same greeting Willow did when he showed up, and for pretty much the same reason.He tries and makes out it's not as simple as him leaving her brother to die but, actually, yeah, it is exactly that simple.He might justify it in his head by saying he had to look for Bella, but given that he was no further along eight or so years later, that's a feeble excuse at best.Sadly, if she's sticking around, I suspect she'll fall in line with regards Saint Colby like Willow and Dean have.

I think Colby's time is up on H&A.  Amber has the potential to be a very loose cannon.  She is the only person in that group who doesn't know that Colby killed Ross and has plenty of reason to want to see Colby in jail.  If Willow's tongue becomes loose during one of her and Amber's drinking sessions, I can see things getting very messy very quickly.

[H&Alover]

At least Dean got the introduction of Amber and Ziggy - odd note old girlfriend's name starts with an A, latest girlfriend's name begins with a Z - out of the way.  OK Ziggy would want to know about her, but why the "You've never mentioned her before" he must have had lots of girls, did she want a list of names and addresses?  We know she was dating Jarrod, another bad guy,  when we first saw her, bet  he wasn't the only one, Dean doesn't ask how many guys she knew before they even knew each other existed.  Amber knew Dean before and after he went to jail then when as he admitted to Ziggy he wasn't in  a good place.  

Colby was what 16/17 when the accident happened and we've heard from Dean he told Colby to go.  Why didn't Amber tell the cops about Colby back then, did Dean persuade her not to?  Amber clearly hasn't been in the neighbourhood for the past 10 years, rather like Colby,  as she didn't know  Bella had been found.  It was hard to tell if Bella remembered Amber.  Amber wouldn't have known when she clocked him one he was a cop - his face when he saw her - but now she does is she straight off to the cop shop?  Do you know something we don't English Invader about Willow and Amber? 

To Amber's day job,  certainly a different approach, but no two patients are the same, must have notes on John, either that or a very good reader of people. I did like how she dismissed Marilyn, John is her patient after all not Marilyn.  I think John has met his match there, she managed to wear him down to get him to the gym and it was as I suspected he has lost his confidence about being out and about and having to meet people for the first time since his stroke.  It was cheering to see him walk in the surf club too. Of course Amber is only there to help him get well  physically, he may well need help to help  him recover mentally too.  He really didn't stop griping did he, but that is what John likes doing.    Giving Amber comes from that thar Mangrove River he didn't go into his usual gotta be a bad 'un then mode, did ask in  a round about way if she had been a River Girl.  Yet when it came to Dean old prejudice  creeping back in.    Course could have been John winding Dean up. May have just been me but was there a little touch of jealousy when Maz found out Amber had returned and had even taken John out on her own and they were getting on?  She had been reluctant to citing her inability to cope with John and his wheelchair on her own, but Amber does have training to lift and manoeuvre people who have had strokes and other disabilities. 

Was great to see Bella and Ryder together.   I guess Dean's money has been released to pay for her courses, hadn't it been put on hold as it her courses were deferred when she went into therapy? 

I think Gemma had an alibi  for the time of the break in.  Also from the description Leah gave Gemma was the wrong height. 

[English Invader]

6 hours ago, H&Alover said:

Do you know something we don't English Invader about Willow and Amber?

 

Spoiler

No, but they went out on the booze together in Friday's episode and it doesn't take a genius to realise that people say things when they're drunk that they wouldn't say when they're sober.  If their drinking becomes a regular thing, Willow may end up compromising herself; especially since it's already been revealed that Amber is the hard drinker of the two.

 

Edited August 23, 2020 by Dan F
Spoiler tag added

[Dan F]

@English Invader Not at Channel 5 pace they didn't

[Slade]

Starting to look like you'll be hard pressed to find someone that doesn't want to take a pop at Colby.  Liked the way Ryder was there as a third person when Dean was 'catching up' with Amber at Salt and the next day when Amber decked Colby.  Although if he's aspiring to be a confidant he probably shouldn't have told Bella about Amber right after Colby told him not to.

I thought Amber was a bit rude with Leah when she ushered her out of John's but I can see why she did it.  She seemed a bit better with John in that episode although I wouldn't have minded her almost heavy handed approach this time as John just reminded me why I don't like him i.e. Dean going out of his way to bring him home and John went out of his way not to acknowledge it out of spite.

[UK_fan]

I can't stand this Amber girl.  She just seems rude, unlikeable and I can't be bothered when the Producers eventually go for the redemption/redeeming arcs like they go for with most characters who come in really brash, full of attitude.

Give me the likes of Ziggy, Willow, Bella, Jasmine anyday!

[English Invader]

2 hours ago, UK_fan said:

I can't stand this Amber girl.  She just seems rude, unlikeable and I can't be bothered when the Producers eventually go for the redemption/redeeming arcs like they go for with most characters who come in really brash, full of attitude.

Give me the likes of Ziggy, Willow, Bella, Jasmine anyday!

And Bella and Jasmine have never been rude and unlikeable?

I like Amber.  She has already proved her worth in the community by the way she's helping John Palmer.  And Amber is completely WYSIWYG which Jasmine certainly hasn't been of late.

[Red Ranger 1]

On ‎23‎/‎08‎/‎2020 at 14:28, H&Alover said:

Colby was what 16/17 when the accident happened and we've heard from Dean he told Colby to go. 

The timescale's probably messed up, but I think Colby must have been at least 18 since the younger Dean seemed to be about to leave school. I'm pretty sure Dean was unconscious when Colby left him: When Colby turned up, Dean was bitter about Colby abandoning him first to hospital and then to jail. (I'm pretty sure Bella referred to Amber by name as soon as she got a good look at her, by the way.)

Talking of confusing timescales, Willow's comments seemed to suggest Amber's family left town shortly after Jai's death but we know she was still around when Dean got out of jail and it's said they last saw Amber five years ago so...shortly after that? I am definitely liking Amber.I don't see why there's a need for a "redemption arc": What exactly has she done that needs redeeming? She hates Colby, but she has good reason to. Otherwise, she's doing a pretty good job with John and it already seems to have become a more equal and understanding relationship.John seems to be accepting her firm but mostly fair approach, while he seemed to try and get her and Willow to make up purely for her sake.As for Colby...this all feels a bit too little, too late after his actions were largely glossed over when he first turned up. "He's been punished,"insists Willow. Er…when? I don't think he's even said Jai's name until last week. It's like someone's suddenly gone "You know how Colby got one of his friends killed trying to stop Ross leaving with Bella? Do you think maybe he should feel bad about it?"

There really is no pleasing Marilyn. She made it clear she didn't want John around, said she felt trapped, complained about him going through carers and now he's struck up a repartee with Amber, she's looking sad that she isn't needed any more...

[pembie]

I didn't really like today's episode with Amber and Willow at the bar and I find Tane Ari and Mac quite boring Willow doesn't really play a good drunk so not a very good episode for me 

[H&Alover]

We know Colby is 10 years older than Bella and wasn't she six when Ross took off with her and her mum?  She was 16 when she was found making it 10 years as has been established at the time.  Are TPTB messing with our memories yet again?   I'm pretty sure Dean did tell Colby to go as finding Bella was more important, it has been mentioned before another friend died at the scene, but I can't remember if his name has been said out loud.  Dean took the blame for the crash hence his time in jail.  

Dean did say he'd met up with Amber after he'd left jail and maybe that is when they slept together, Amber did tell Ziggy she felt guilty doing that as he was Willow's ex.  Seemed to have taken a  while for Willow to discover Amber was in town.  Not the warm reunion she was expecting though, was she, Amber, aware of Willow's friendship with Colby?  Willow shouldn't beat herself up about losing touch with Amber if Amber didn't want to be found she didn't want to be found. 

I think Willow is feeling a little bit left out, Dean has Ziggy, Colby has work and Bella.  She lost touch with Amber, lost Alex, no mention of how she's getting on btw, now she feels responsible for Jasmine going off the radar. 

Naturally it came as a shock to Amber to realise Colby was a cop - going back in time here  but why didn't she turn him at the time of Jai's death?  Oh hang on I think Dean asked her not to.  Nothing to stop her now, an old case I know but Colby still payed his part in it, was he just a passenger or the driver? If he was a minor would charging him with anything have any relevance?   Give him his due, he didn't try and duck out of any blame just told Amber to not hate Willow and Dean.  Dean survived the crash and although his life then didn't turn out as it should have, he's in a very good  place now.  In fact it may be a better place than if he had gone onto be a pro football player - one of life's imponderables.  Amber, however lost her brother which is a lot harder to come to terms with.  Very reasonable argument from Dean about how he'd come to forgive Colby, stopped hating him and let it go.  Amber hating him hasn't served Amber well.  

John is definitely feeling better what  with him cooking up his little ruse to get Willow and Amber talking, even if it didn't work.    Amber and John really have hit it off, it's lovely, if a little bit odd,  she can confide in him so easily and her being a Mango River girl too.  She does listen to him and he has been talking sense, a stand-in Alf like he was before when Alf went AWOL.   How long was he supposed have been gone anyway? Had to   laugh when Dean turned up at John's again and Amber asked if she and Dean could talk alone and he went out muttering away under his breath.

Did I mishear or did Amber say she had five other patients in the bay?   She's doing wonders with John much to Marilyn's chargrin, got everything sorted, meal ready, washing hung out.   A little touch of the green eyed monster, feeling pushed out and not sure how to feel about it.  He's not ready to be left completely alone but doesn't need her 24/7, but I don't think she does know what to do with herself.  It's been a long time since she can do what she wants, not that John would have stopped her doing anything.  There was an interview with Emily Symons in a TV mag and she suggested maybe Marilyn could set up her salon again.