Badly done Helen, badly done - you're as stuffed as a Grundy turkey. Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

New thread in time for Friday's episode...

Yes, OK, I stand corrected on the "she's not really pregnant" theory.
She is.
But plenty of time for things to go awry.
Jeez, Knob, he is a controlling b*ard isn't he ?
Horrible.

It could be...horror of horrors... a girl!!

Hellin I am so disappointed in you.

Did anyone else feel the poignancy of the line from Kirsty to Helen: "Call me when you are free?"

Will Hel ever be free?

I shuddered when he told her he would be showing Pat & Tony the scan

I don't think Adam will hire the brethren, but it will go to Ed. Ed is long overdue his proper good luck.

I am LOVING SOK

Just done catch-up. I got one right and one wrong: Susan to play whatsername but Helen is actually pregnant.

Helen is pathetic. Let's hope Kirsty can save her from her feebleness.

Helen's not pathetic! There but for fortune go you or me.

Oh poor Helen. She's not pathetic at all, she's trapped.

Really hope Kirsty can help her. I feel really horrible saying this but I was kind of hoping there would be a big problem with the baby / pregnancy.

She is pathetic. Rob said she couldn't come to the building site. She didn't answer back. Rob said I'm taking Henry with me and we're going to bond over something & exclude you. She didn't answer back. Rod said I'm going to show your parents the scan and you won't even be there. She didn't answer back.
It takes two to tango.

Would a 12 week scan show little horns, a tail and a pitchfork?

Rod said I'm going to show your parents the scan and you won't even be there. She didn't answer back.

She did. She said I want to come and see the shop too.
I want to be there when they see the scan.
I'd like to hear all about the hunting.

And each time he fobbed her off. Admittedly she could have gone, "No, no you will not exclude me". And old Hellin might have done. But she knows what he might do if she fights him. And also possibly, I hope, she wanted to go and meet Kirsty because K is the only person that she knows hasn't been taken in by him.

Admittedly I'd have expected the sl to have shown a bit more overt nastiness and EA from him at home by now to show why she has had the fight knocked out of her because usually it takes a fair bit of being made to feel scared and stupid to have someone know there is no point answering back. H seems to have arrived at that conclusion very quickly and missed out part of the journey on the way.

"takes two to tango" in domestic abuse eh?

Nice victim blaming there.

I agree Duck.
Please don't criticise those in an EA or DV situation until you have walked a mile in their shoes.

So why doesn't he'll find out the sex of the baby now so we don't have the 'reveal' and robs reaction at the birth.

I don't think I can bear this sl going on much longer tbh. It is starting to take over.

She did try to argue back but he just steamrollered over her.

Sorry R4 but the "it takes two to tango" comment is horrible.

The worst bit was when he said that Hel had had the joy of showing scan shot to get parents with Henry, and she started to say that actually her dad had not wanted to see them. He didn't let her finish that sentence. Horrible.

Yes, it's nice to have an evening on one's own sometimes without the children, but not if you haven't been asked if that's what you want.

You know, I don't think I have ever heard the expression "it takes two to tango" in a context that didn't make it a horrible thing to say. It's like "no smoke without fire"

I was on tenterhooks listening to last night's episode- I really thought it was all going to come tumbling out.

*her parents

". H seems to have arrived at that conclusion very quickly and missed out part of the journey on the way."

Are you forgetting the rape?

And I bet most of us would pause if our partner said "Don't be selfish......"

scary - give it time. When the episode ended I shouted "CRACK" at the radio and you could almost hear the CA rubbing his hands as he described Kirsty as Rob's nemesis. So maybe the unravelling is beginning.

I think it can also just be totally exhausting having to try and assert your needs and wants all the time. Especially when you can't predict the kind of crazy and underhand comebacks that Knob comes out with - the faux kindness e.g. you go and do your shopping, we both thought you'd want a night to yourself when he means 'I want you out of the way' - I think it's very difficult to battle that on the spot.

If she did say e.g. "Well I want to see the builders so I'm going and that's that" I'm sure he would find another way to thwart it, or not let her speak when they got there. And if she arranged to see the builders by herself and then he got wind of it there would be a whole lot more, "badly done" type nonsense I imagine.

But yes, thank goodness she has at last let a very small crack show, and to Kirsty, who is our best hope for seeing behind the facade and getting Helen to let more out and start facing up to her situation.

can you not imagine what it must feel like to be bullied and intimidated by a partner?

Look what happens to Helen when she contradicts Rob: he insults her, he restricts her freedom, he rapes her.

The same part bothered me, Dadx3, it was then I shouted at the radio "just listen to her!"

He is clearly gunning for custody and totally sidelining Helen from her own family.

And her ED is going to rear its head again.

I can't help but feel incredibly sorry for her.