2020 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[D.B]

On 15/10/2020 at 19:39, Red Ranger 1 said:

So. I know people think I'm getting at Colby but good grief, I struggle to think what anyone could find likable about him.Even his friends seem to be having a hard time remembering at the moment.It feels like he's turned this investigation into a personal battle between himself and Angelo, and is treating Taylor like a tool to get one over on Angelo with: Angelo messed with his sister, so he's going to mess with his wife. (I accept Angelo's treating it as personal as well, but I don't think he's lost perspective to the same degree.)

 

On 14/10/2020 at 19:17, Red Ranger 1 said:

Good lord, even Alf has started calling Angelo "Rosetta" now.Irene really needs to choose her friends more carefully.I really hope that one day the folk of Summer Bay realise that they've been siding with the bad guy. Thorne (see how he likes it) seems to have pretty much given up any pretense of civility and shown how rotten to the core he is.Angelo might be a poor husband, but Taylor letting Colby use her for the sake of a cheap bit of revenge is definitely not trading up.Thorne finally has a moment of clarity and realises that behaving like the bad guy has made Angelo realise he actually is the bad guy, then just decides to carry on.And he actually called him a snake? Presumably he thinks that putting a block on someone's passport to stop them attending a family member's memorial isn't being a snake.(He behaved exactly the same way towards Alf that Angelo behaved towards Irene to get information on Nikau, yet Alf didn't call him out on it and neither did anyone else really.)Ethics aside, Willow's plan to provide Angelo with contradictory evidence was a good one.But Colby is clearly past saving, and it's at the point where Willow, Dean and Bella just need to give up on him and make sure he doesn't drag them all down with him.

I haven't been watching much of what's happening this year, but I've seen enough of Thorne (too much for my likening) for me to completely agree with everything you've just said, Red. Any chance of any redeeming part of him has gone out of the window in recent months (though then again, given what he did, it was already a very low chance). I don't think you're "getting at Colby" at all, the way he's been behaving this year (and for the majority of last year as well), especially towards Taylor, has been infuriating to watch. The sooner he gets caught, and the sooner Bella, Dean and Willow realise how far he's gone and drop him like a hot potato, the better. 

Edited October 25, 2020 by D.B

[Red Ranger 1]

At the risk of dragging this out, Colby is being manipulative with Taylor, or at the very least lying to her, and the fact she hasn't noticed and thinks his interest in her is without an agenda doesn't change that. His attitude towards her can be best underlined by the way he tried to sneak a look at her phone while she was sleeping, then encouraged her to look at Angelo's text just because he wanted to know what it said.It doesn't matter that he doesn't have any reason to resent Angelo's behaviour towards Bella, he does anyway.

Alf's episode count this week:Five!

And...today, with Ziggy receiving her induction into the ever-growing "I know Colby's a murderer" club. Dean kind of was on a hiding to nothing.It's debatable whether the choice he made was the right one: Yes, Ziggy now knows the reason for his behaviour, but he's been keeping this from her throughout their whole relationship, and if she keeps quiet then she's another one looking at an accessory charge. (At this point, I'm forced to reflect just what blabbermouths this lot are: Has Dean now told Willow, Karen and Ziggy, and Bella told Nikau?) Amber remains in the dark and just gets a talking to from Willow: I have to respect her being a loyal friend to Dean if nothing else.

Elsewhere...surgery time for Justin.Nice that Brody and Raffy got mentions, and I liked that Tori calmed him down by getting him to look after Grace. It does seem like the tension between him and Jasmine has entirely gone now: Maybe being in a hospital bed does that to you. Meanwhile, Ryder's attentiveness towards Roo and Owen was a bit inappropriate but amusing nonetheless.

[H&Alover]

I still maintain Taylor has a mind of her own and she had the choice of meeting up with Colby again or not.  Her phone was lying there on the  bedside table and we were able to see it was Angelo ringing her. Colby would hardly have been able to answer it would he?  But he does seem to have lost all reason regards Angelo.  Is it just Angelo or would he have been the same if it had been a different detective? Up to Ross's body being found they - Colby, Dean, Willow and Bella -  had been able to put it behind them and move on.

Willow has been in on the secret for quite a while now,  Dean  told  Willow just before  he told Karen and he got hooked on those dodgy sleeping pills so yes the people in on the secret is growing. I don't think any of the original group know about Nik knowing though. I agree that was a very risky choice in Dean telling Ziggy.  He risked/risks losing her either way.  Ziggy is now an accessory anyway now she knows. 

They  - the top docs - soon move fast when they make a decision don't they?  At least in one way Justin hasn't had long to fret about it.   Had to smile at Tori getting all flustered when Christian  came round when she just finished feeding Grace and covering up. It was nice to get  a mention of Brody and Raffy.  Is Christian going to be a new love interest for Tori, she does seem to like him, she hasn't had one since Ash. Is the actor who plays him really called Ditch? 

Owen and Roo seem to do better with a casual relationship rather than a formal one as in proper dates.  Maybe Ryder is feeling a bit pushed out now Roo and Owen are getting closer? 

[CaptainHulk]

Ryder needs to get himself some!

[Red Ranger 1]

I got the impression Ryder was perfectly happy with Roo and Owen getting close.And no, I don't think anyone has a clue that Bella told Nikau: Willow even took Bella away from him to discuss it last week.

So, Willow dusts off her "Ross was a bad man so it's perfectly fine that Colby murdered him" lecture, only to find that it doesn't work as well as it did on a messed-up teenager who already had a warped sense of right and wrong.Ziggy's far from being a straight arrow, but she's still too middle-class to be fine with the Mangrove Grove ex-pats covering up a murder and thinking they have the right to choose who deserves to live and who doesn't.I wasn't impressed with Willow's attitude towards Amber either, since she did just seem to be being a friend to Dean:It was like Willow doesn't want anyone else in the club.It's hard to tell whether Amber would take it better than Ziggy: She was practically popping champagne when she heard Ross was dead, but I doubt she'd be happy about Dean sticking his neck out for Worst Best Friend Ever Colby yet again.

Meanwhile...Justin's no worse off but it's not clear if he's actually any better.I mean, some of the tumour's gone, but enough to make a difference? It appears this miracle surgery that Tori was pushing for and getting Ava to push for isn't the magic solution she claimed it was.I do however on the whole think she made the right choice not to put Justin in immediate risk by continuing the surgery:That wasn't what he signed up for and he needs to make the decision himself when he wakes up.Good material for Leah and Jasmine.

[H&Alover]

Not that I'm excusing any of their behaviour but Willow and Dean did know what Ross was like and what he put Colby, Bella and Michelle   through and not just them but anyone who crossed his path and him. Even Amber remembered what he was like.  He wouldn't have hesitated to kill someone and very nearly did.   Ziggy comes from a different world and hasn't always been an angel but Dean's old world is an alien one to her. He, Colby and Willow grew up around violence so was quite 'normal'.   As regards keeping Amber in the dark if she didn't have Jai I'd say she could take it but she has him to think of, does it really need  passing on to the next generation?   

Btw would Colby be behaving so OTT if it had been any other detective sent to investigate or is it just Angelo's attitude towards him?

 

I think it was the knowledge Willow knew about it all that hurt Ziggy, the 'family' sticking together and her being excluded. Did I hear her right and she said it had been hidden from her for a year and a half, but wasn't Ross only killed a year ago?  Having checked it happened in Feb last year so I'm assuming we are now in August Aussie time?  Anyway as Dean got together with her after Ross' murder was he meant to say 'before we get any closer I have something to tell you, I witnessed a murder and am an accessory as I helped bury the body, do you still want to go out with me?"  I think it was a given no-one outside the 'family' would have said anything and they would have just hoped Ross' body was never found so no-one would have needed to know.

If Dean and Ziggy are finished will she stay at the house on her own until it's sold/rented? 

Bad knee jerk reaction there Dean pouncing on Amber when you know how she feels about you and to  give her credit she has backed off. Not even she would want to be the rebound.  It's been said a couple of times Dean maybe should have known about Jai five years ago but would he have been able to cope with the news back then? He wasn't the same guy we know now, more mature, businessman,  responsible - murder and hiding a body aside.  He would have got together again with the River Boys after he came out of prison and a couple of years later he was hunting Robbo down so not the best daddy material.  

It was just  like Christian said you really don't know what is going on until you open the bonne - sorry Justin.  Even with all the high tech ultra sounds and detailed x rays and photos available now, it wasn't until Justin was opened up it was discovered it was more complicated than originally thought, due to the cavernoma working it's way around Justin's spinal cord and being worse than they all thought.  Without that complication it would have been 'miracle' surgery.  As a surgeon, however good I was, I wouldn't have wanted to make that choice if there hadn't been a next of kin. He had a good team, the anaesthetist wasn't scared of warning him not to dither about.  All her swotting up didn't do Tori a lot of good when it came down to it.  In a way it's good Tori is a doctor as she was more able to make an informed decision than if she had been an ordinary mortal and have to have it explained to her which would have delayed the op continuing or not.  Good choice in the end, even if there is the chance it could grow back  a whole lot riskier than Christian carrying on and Justin ending up paralysed which everyone knew he didn't want.  Down to Christian I guess to break the news to Justin when he wakes up.  

Lovely to see Jasmine, she was great with Tori and Leah she wasn't over bright and cheerful, just being there for them. I did think "oops" when Leah was talking about Justin and not knowing what she'd do if anything  happened to him especially as she didn't think she'd fall in love again after Zac.  But Jasmine was OK with it which she wouldn't have been a few weeks ago. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by H&Alover

[Red Ranger 1]

I think I actually managed to dislike Willow even more in this episode.Why on earth was she siding with Colby against Dean all the time? "Are you going to put me in the ground as well?" Well, given that Colby still lashes out at people who say things he don't like, even friends and allies...if he had a gun in his hand, he might have considered it. Not sure why Colby's allowed to lay into Dean but he's not allowed to retaliate.Willow needs to wake up to what he is: Does she seriously think he's going to pay any attention to her latest attempt to tell him to end things with Taylor? Of course not, he doesn't care about her opinion.I'm not sure if there's anyone whose opinion he does care about these days.He's been literally getting away with murder for so long he thinks he can do what he likes, and the fact Angelo doesn't agree seems to be his main beef with him.Oh, and again someone leaves out a crucial piece of information: Why does Willow tell Colby that Dean and Ziggy have split up but not that she knows about the murder?

Not sure what to make of Amber here: She goes back to Dean's place and then puts a stop to things when she hears he's not got a girlfriend? Okay, maybe she was hoping that he'd ended things a while back and chosen to be with her but it was still an odd reaction! But fair play to her for wanting commitment or nothing.

Justin isn't paralysed but it feels like that's the only win anyone can claim here.Maybe he'll have less symptoms for a while, maybe it'll stay that way permanently, but the problem hasn't exactly gone away, it's just another waiting game.I guess Justin thanking Jasmine for supporting Leah was meant to be a clearing the air moment.Christian wasn't inviting that kiss but didn't seem to mind it.

[CaptainHulk]

I smell complications coming back to bite everyone involved in both storylines

[H&Alover]

I was seeing Willow's reaction completely differently, to me it looked like she was being the only sensible one amongst the three.  She got between them before it could escalate any further and really turn nasty and at least she is dragging Dean away for a few days. They all need some breathing space. One good thing though at least the doors were shut this time so no-one heard the threats.  I thought it was revealed Ziggy had dumped Dean because he had told her about what happened?  

Oh dear Taylor and Colby's planned trip had to be cancelled because Angelo had come back.  She soon dashed off to see him but didn't get the greeting she was clearly hoping for - a perfunctory kiss and he was back to looking over those photos. No wonder she comes across as open prey to Colby.   She knows what she signed up for when she married a cop, especially a detective, but when they were in the city she had her job, friends and I'm guessing family.  But now she's in a new town and hubby is effectively ignoring her so no wonder she was susceptible to a good looking guy, and he is a good looking guy,  even you have to admit that Red, giving her attention whatever his ulterior motives are. 

Taylor does have scruples -  of a kind.  I'm guessing she was up for sleeping with Dean if he was cheating on Ziggy but not if he was using her as a rebound as he'd only just been dumped. Not the first time he'd done it then as was revealed Jai was the result of the last time he'd done  that. Wonder if that was Willow they were kind of off and on too weren't they?  

Talk about double standards Dean gets flak from Willow and Colby  for something he didn't do, not for want of trying on his part, but Colby really, really feels what he doing with Taylor is OK so not the same.  Dean was reacting on his break up with Ziggy not in the cold blooded way Colby is using Taylor. 

So far so good with Justin after a bit of a wobbly start when he couldn't feel anything in his feet.  Christian questioned Tori for not telling Leah the whole truth but shouldn't that be down to him telling Justin and Leah, he did the op after all. he would be able to put it more dispassionately and just say it as it was.  They found it was more involved that they originally thought and the decision whether to remove it all and risk him dying or being paralysed or just take as much as was safe giving him back his life and mobility.   Give Christian his due he is a brilliant surgeon but not one who has a God complex, he knows how far he can push his talent.  Will Christian tell Justin Tori had the say as next of kin to stop or carry on? 

Good that Justin and Jasmine have made their peace.

Christian probably has had plenty of relatives of patients he's helped kiss him but not one who is a fellow doctor and is supposed to be a professional.    He seemed to have got over his surprise when she saw her next day with a hint he wouldn't mind a repeat.  

 

 

 

 

 

[CaptainHulk]

Tori: Christian, We need you to operate.

Christian: Sure, just let me perform surgery first, babe!

(That's totally going in a story)