Helen is drowning in the Cow Pat of Destiny. Please SWs - when will it be curtains for Rob?

[PseudoBadger]

Come on Kirsty!

I was so caught up in Helen & Kirsty's meeting last night that I tuned out for the Josh storyline. Forced to listen again.

There is absolutely no way Rob would have contemplated changing his name. The little woman obviously has to take his name, she isn't allowed any identity of her own.

I thought that too squeaver

What could he be putting in all those cups of tea he keeps offering her to make her so tired & sleepy? I'm a bit reluctant to Google "how to drug your pregnant wife successfully"!

I am probably almost certainly, admit it over-thinking this, but did anyone else think Rob pushed Helen back down (physically) when she suggested getting up? He says sit back down, it's not all right, and there's then an oof, and the noise of a chair. I think.

And whilst I'm on the subject of over-thinking, Helen appeared to be getting her phone out of a drawer before she rang Kirsty. Why would you do that? I leave my phone in hundreds of equally stupid places, but never ever a drawer. Has H tumbled to the fact that Rob must have read her texts?

I hope she's set a phone lock.

I thought the cups of tea were just part of the trying to feed her up strategy. She'd probably tired from not eating properly. And also nowhere near as tired as Rob claims she is. But you might be right, I wouldn't put it past him to be drugging her (I can't remember what actually happened, but I was quite suspicious that he was messing with her contraceptive pill from when he was so keen on having a child and she wasn't).

I thought so Toomuch; I even went so far as replaying it to DD to get a second opinion. She didn't agree tho.

I hope Helen has at least learnt to keep deleting her texts and phone history.

I also wonder if Helen really understands what is happening. I don't think she can admit it to herself. Her conversation with Kirsty was all about her apologising for how she had behaved to Kirsty in the past saying she didn't want to lose another friend. She doesn't seem to have cottoned on that it is Knob who is driving everyone away - she thinks it is her fault (probably because Knob has made her feel as if everything is her fault). Kirsty points out that it was slightly odd to go outside to make a phone call - Helen is obviously aware that she has done this, but in her mind she has rationalised this as normal behaviour. Knob seems to have persuaded her that she was being unreasonable to take Henwee out of school (some posters on here even thought that was unreasonable), but that's not the reason she gives Kirsty - she tells her she wasn't feeling well. It will be interesting to see what will happen if Knob confronts Kirsty about the invitation. I think Kirsty is on the case now. Thoughtlessmess for you and your sister.

But while the listeners realise that Rob read her texts and that it is clearly preposterous that he just happened to be passing the school when Helen's car was there, has Helen had those thoughts? Does she know that Rob deliberately followed her to school, or does she suspect and is trying to suppress that thought?

Or what Lilian just said while I was typing my post...

According to twitter - 100k new listeners to the archers. Can't see them stopping the Rob/Helen storyline anytime soon.

Whatever she thinks about the turning up at school business, I think she's absolutely certain he's controlling who she sees and is restricting what she does. The moment she was free to, after he'd told her about the taxi arrangement, she was on the phone to Kirsty like a parched woman in the desert seeing an oasis.

I think keeping the phone in the drawer is part of this: she knows he wants to control that too. But the thing is, if he finds her phone and looks through it and finds out there is a lock on it, there will be some spurious request to use the phone in Helen's presence, which she will be unable to say no to (Silly me, darling - I've left my phone at the shop. You don't mind if I use yours, do you?) Once he finds there's a lock on it, she will drown in a welter of passive-aggressive don't you trust me, darling? You really are thinking the silliest things etc etc etc. Far better to have a secret phone. Hopefully that's what she's keeping in the drawer.

Is that a net 100k new listeners. Or have we gained 100k EE-style listeners at the expense of losing 200k TA-style listeners.

At least 90k are people listening again I bet

Supposedly 100K new listeners. No word on how many old listeners they lost.

I think she knows and doesn't. She hides things from him then lies about hiding them to other people. She is deliverately pleasing him - mauve dress.

I knew something was wrong too but I assumed it was half my fault for being so 'argumentative'.

^^ and y he definitely does have her thinking that there is something wrong with the way she is and that that is what is causing her loose friends and get in a muddle. Half of her is saying "I am incapable" and the other half is saying "ffs I am a grown women" pray the other half starts winning soon!

Marking my place. I think we're in for the long haul with this story line. He's going to be around in some form right up to the delivery. Maybe she'll go into early labour?

Josh & someone (?Hayley) took over Betty's hens, or at least Josh negotiated a shrewd business deal with Mike about eggs. Anyway, I liked that story line about farming business.

Meh, screw the phone in the drawer or sneaking off with Henwee. Helen needs to drop her pride, admit to pervious delusions & chuck the Plonker-Knob out on his ear.

Id it not Josh Hayley and Neil? Pretty sure he had some kind of business discussion with Neil or was it Moike?

< runs into thread. skids on Cowpat of Destiny and goes arse over tip>

Thanks Pseudo

The Scripties are ratcheting up the pressure now but Hellin still can't admit to herself that her lovely domestic idyll is anything but.

When she does...

... I've read many times that these men are at their most dangerous when the abused partner tries to flee.

And pshaw! to the Birdbotherers and their eggy adventures.

Small, I also thought it was all my fault, as that was what I was told. It took reading ExH's diary (which he wanted me to do - it's a long and complicated story) to realise that he was an utter, utter knob. It was the benefit of a sound, literary education as did it: I always read stuff with an analytical eye and any character study would have been short and to the point - this chap is an arse. What are you doing, thinking you can work this out?

The Rob actor is brilliant but I am not really sure I can face listening any more, it is so grim

I don't think Rob thinks she's ready to leave (nor do we) - but I think she'll definitely be on a tighter rein, possibly without realising. She was so relieved he seemed okay about the charity shop purchases.

And it would be more like real life to go on for years.