Sack the Sock - put a sock in it or pull your socks up - frankly we're a bit sick of it. The Archers is shit, discuss it here.

[PseudoBadger]

I have it on good authority that this is the thread that people enjoy more than the programme it's about

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I'm tickled that More or Less worked out the height of LH!

Jill sounded as though she's having cold feet about living with St Shula and feels the need to insist on not being a bother to anyone. I feel very sorry for her.

Helen showed that she is very competent and I get the feeling that she's not going to let her business go down the pan for anyone. I have some hope for her at last.
I've feared that he would leave her and she would spiral down into depression again but it's far, far better if she fights back to defend what's hers and LTB of her own volition.

Ambridge Orgasmics? That's brilliant.

I think we got a flash of the old dogmatic Helen last night. Long may that continue.

I wanted PC Plot to die in a big fire and be the hero. There is still time.

Love the idea of Emmur getting the job at The Bull but I odd feel very sorry for Bert and Freda. No-one really seems to give a toss about their home or livelihood.

I am worrying about Bert and Freda too. It would be interesting to know the legal implications of a tied cottage re the proposed Brookfield Sale: if B and F are tied will JE have to honour it, or buy them out? Bert could end up doing vair nicely out of it, or alternatively living rough outside St Stephens with Freda in a tent.

The latter might give Alan back his voice. Although going by previous form he'd probably just camp out with them!

Agree that no one is very nice about or to bert and Freda.

I don't think sock likes old people much

Do you think older people nd the hae of hearing are finding the new identikit voices hard?

Yes I can see that now, to raise awareness of the homeless plight in Ambridge, which might become a growing and pressing concern given the potential candidates:
Jill and or Carol or both
Ed and Emmur -if Will gets mardy
Jazzer - if Jim gets mardy
Bert and Freda - see above
The Grundys - if Hazel finally follows that plot line through and evicted them
Rob - if and when Hellin sees the light
The Dopeys - if the sale goes through but they are gazumped at Prudhoe (see Homes and Gardens thread)

Alan will have his work cut out......
It had better be a big tent

BOOP for today - Hurrah for Helen. Hopefully she will give Tina the boot and get back involved in the shop. Or at least put someone trustworthy in charge.

I am worried for Helen. Her showing assertiveness (wanting to be more hands on with the shop) could be a real flash point with Rob. From his view she'll need a bloody good reminder who's in charge now :(

I was confused about the bok choy and mizuna.....was the problem that Tina accepted a much bigger order than the shop had requested, and therefore paid extra money for stock that just went off and couldn't be sold? The money went to Bridge farm though, so not a massive disaster in the grand scheme of things is it? Do we/are we meant to suspect that Rob had a hand in the over-delivering?

I loved Tina's reference to someone saying "afterwards" that she had to take risks - so we're suspecting that Rob popped round to the shop unbeknownst to Helen, to instruct Tina to throw caution to the wind?

Is DV on the horizon, remember the Jess party.

I must admit I read this thread more than I listen these days.

I remember the silent characters though agree Jean-Paul did speak. William Grundy tried to sell him snails and he gave Clarrie some cookery lessons didn't he?

Have a soft spot for Shane (obv ) and remember the scene where Shane was going overboard with Christmas decorations in the wine bar using several feet of fabric and a stapler. Nelson was talking to someone and the 'tacktacktacktack' was getting on his nerves so he shot out a "Shane!" through gritted teeth. Silence. Then slowly 'tack.....tack.....tack'.

So little and so funny.

This fragement is wonderfully open to misinterpretation:

plus H's reluctance to have another baby, and Rob's plans for the herd

Has Rob done a number on Tina?
'My wife has a lot of problems. She's a bit unstable. Don't bother her with any shop matters, disregard any instructions you get from her and contact me if you need advice.'
He picked her (Tina) and I doubt if it was because of her business acumen.

But enochroot Knob would have to be very sure he's got Hell under the thumb if he was doing that. She seems to be growing a pair now maybe (with new Tom's help) his scheming will be shown up as the crap it is!!

I'm quite sure Rob has been responsible for anything that has gone wrong at the shop. And not through incompetence. He will have been deliberately undermining and wrecking the sustainability of the whole enterprise. Probably simply to cut Helen off from any sort of life at all. But possibly so that, when his own job goes belly-up he can swoop in and take over.

He has to be so cunning. Sucking up to Pat, not antagonising Tom, de-skilling and confusing and isolating Helen, pretending to love Henry until he has an heir of his own. All with the goal of becoming King of Bridge Farm and Owner of a surrendered wife.

I think he is sure ppeat.
So far he has got his own way and swept aside her resistance. He's taken her hunting albeit reluctantly, got her to dress as he wants, convinced her Jess is nuts, appoint a manager, give up work, drop Emma as a friend.

It would only go wrong for him if she confides in Tom. He's warned her off from doing that but that's the one she might disobey.

Well she didn't reply the way he wanted about trying for a baby. And she went into the shop despite him telling her not to. She is showing signs of resistance which he needs to wear down.

She is certainly starting to rebel a bit. She mentioned marriage in connection with the baby and he mocked her conventionality.
She gave Tony as the reason for not wanting a baby straight away so T had better not let Rob make him a cuppa when he gets home.

That is he was sure up until the last couple of episodes when she has shown some mettle.

It is really possible that in this case the SW really do know their subject. In EA the abused don't usually just capitulate (they have no need to grow a pair...they are instead being slowly removed). They are often strong minded independent individuals - a challenge- and they need to be ground down gradually.
The real nastiness often starts when they are pregnant. Hence the baby and the gradually making her more and more dependent.

So it really is well done and hopefully will continue to progress slowly and suddenly. A la boiling a frog.

Those of you wanting PC Plot to die a heroic death - maybe, but in about 15-20 years time when Sgt Plot is a village stalwart. That's the proper pacing for TA, isn't it?

Listening to Knob scoff at H's comments on getting married first made me really sad for her (1st time in ages, if ever). She's created this perfect world and she wants it to be exactly as she imagined - which is why she has had to change so much. We all know someone like that (some of us are that person ahem)