We love Charlie. But we want Adam and Ian to get married. What will happen in Ambridge in the pre-Christmas thread?

[PseudoBadger]

Just listened to Friday - we are 2 weeks from Christmas and David didn't even ask whether Ruth will be back by then?

Aha! I did read that piece when you linked to it, so maybe the word seeped into my unconsciousness. It's a word I do tend to like, so I was glad to be reminded of it, and it's very apposite, I must admit!

Love Nancy Banks-Smith in TG.

She still feels guilty about Tony's accident with the bull and is perhaps scared to give him more anxiety. Not all her guilt is induced by Rob but he does know how to push her guilt buttons.
Pat has fallen under his spell, Peggy has always thought he's wonderful, Tom seems to be mostly except when Rob buys the wrong cattle and Johnny wants to be a cricketer just like him.
That's a good point about the whole family being groomed but her best hope is Tony.

Well obvs H should LTB but probably SoK makes it difficult. Her DM might have been expected to step in but if not then her DF. Goodness knows what will happen to her DS when SoK is born. Only SOC knows I suppose. Knob is bound to get his comeuppance. All his smarming to JD and Brine will do him no good in the end. Plus they can't be living on Peggoi's money forever. Just waiting on mil from hell to put the tin lid on the whole thing. Anyway the Dopeys are always good for some BOOP points, aren't they?

Just sayin'.

Well when I finally got around to listening to last nights episode, two points stood out: why was Helen sick - having to get out; and just where did Dr Locke recognise Rob from - it can't be just the surgery (unless the writing is especially lame) because he should be expecting to run into patients in Ambridge.

I suppose Helen's problem is that if she does try to raise the alarm with her family it's difficult to pin down what he's done wrong. "He won't let me drive or work" gets translated in Pat's mind at least into "But it was dangerous for you to drive, it shows how much he cares"; "He won't get a job" gets much the same answer plus "Isn't he wonderful putting so much into our shop"; "He pushed me into going back hunting" leads to "But you enjoy hunting". That leaves her with the big, big issue of the rape but she may not want to admit to that, and he's messed her up so much that she probably doubts in her own mind whether it really was rape or whether she said "No" strongly enough.

mummytime, we know that DocLocke recognised Rob from when he took the paternity test. He wouldn't necessarily expect to see him in Ambridge because at the time his practice wasn't there, Rob wasn't his patient, he was in effect just some ransomer referred to him by the CSA who could have lived anywhere.

Did Rob go to Lizzie's wine tasting? Locke (what's his first name) was certainly there, seeing what was on offer

so when did dr locke return to ambridge? could he have seen rob doing something in the flood?

could rob have seen him and shula? (perhaps rob would have made more of this like he did with ian and charlie)

could dr locke have seen rob with jess? where was he living before?

how about when jess lived near her parents when rob first moved up? was he around there?

there are several possibilities re his down fall. hunt sabateur, blocking the culvert, burying scruff in the silage, the return of stefan.. or possibly debbie who employed stefan in hungary?

rob was vile to adam about the cricket, surely he will compare notes with someone at some point. same for ian and the bike race. perhaps thevideo of robs cheating at cricket will turn up on someone else's phone.

I wonder if the rapid decline in helens self confidence is linked to the need for the plot to play out at christmas.

I really don't think there's any more significance in DocLocke recognising Knob than the paternity test. Knob wouldn't have wanted it broadcast that that was when they last met.

I think so too.
I think it may also to be to emphasise to thise of us who were sceptical abd who kept saying maybe he got a ringer to go to the test, look, get over it, they've met, it was Rob, he's not the dad.

Joskar

Helen was dizzy as she hadn't eaten. Did you not notice in the cafe shop thing when someone popped in for lunch she ssaid she had eaten and she hadn't

Yeap, it was when Elizabeth visited.
Rob really is crap as he doesn't seem to have noticed what is really wrong, and is just "using" it. This could be how his house of cards collapses, as if Helen was less isolated and under Pat and Tony's care I can't believe that someone wouldn't be concerned.

So all Locke knows, if he remembers which he will, is that a cousin of his lovely friends is married to a man who recently took a CSA paternity test and went to a different practice to do it.

Was Helen aware of the other baby?

Helen knows of other baby and took knob to docs. She has had ED in past so the not eating is significant.

Helen was aware that Jess was claiming the baby was Rob's and for a while Rob flatly refused to take the test, saying he wasn't playing Jess's game, squashing Helen's sensible view that the test would put the whole thing to rest. Then Charlie was obliged to take CSa payments from his wages, and that forced Rob's hand. I think many of us assumed it would reveal that Rob had slept with Jess and create a crisis in relationship with Helen.

Maybe that's why he didn't want to do proper adoption rather than parental responsibility

Why does Adam always sound So bored? It's like it's an effort for him to speak at all. He even made his wedding vows sound tedious!

Pat knows about the test too, or she did before amnesia set in.

I think he did parental responsibility for speed but also because he knew it would involve a lot of interviews and checks, possibly by the social services department Jess works for.

big it's true. I don't like the way he speaks. Always sounds bored and / or patronising.

And why does Jill always sound as though she's been sucking helium?

Will Helen become Richard Locke's patient now? Perhaps he'll think the CSA thing is fishy enough to look at Helen carefully.

K.D on Twitter just now:

Call off #thearchers conspiracy theories re Rob and Richard. The paternity test was kosher.

I do think it's coming to something when SWs have to use some other medium to clarify the plot ...

Just been listening to the film and a few things struck me that I missed earlier due to interruptions from DP and DS!

Quite moving to hear Elgar in the background as David and Brian talked about the demise of dairy farming in the UK

I think Elizabeth must have picked up on how odd Hellin seemed at the shop...quite naturally she did seem to think it very strange that Hellin would ask her opinion about the mistletoe. Maybe Elizabeth will mention it to Richard Locke?

Also think Richard may well have known or seen Rob in another place entirely ( maybe with Jess or mystery woman??) as surely a doctor would never refer to a patient consultation in that way