SOC reveals he's a quitter whilst Keri sews up plot holes on Twitter about the wicked wife-sitter! Discuss the Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Not long until our thread's 3 year birthday!

Yes Olivia! That would be fab and I'm sure it would get plenty of use on the relationship board elsewhere too

Another BOOP: we had a birthday meal for a grown-up that didn't involve birthday cake and blowing out candles like they were a five y.o.
Jill please take note.

What, I wonder, should Helen have done to stop the tears. Stuck a bit of Scotch egg or placenta in her tear ducts? The first time she'd been near her birth family for days/weeks or even been allowed out without her MIL. Being a bit of a leaky teapot myself, i can quite see how the tears came when her brother asked her how things were. Even though I know Helen is annoying. I do hope Tom does something now, esp with Kirsty in the vicinity.

The HB idea is silly, but there are people like Ursula who talk about their HBs as if that´s what everyone should do, when in fact each case is different. In birth advocacy groups, they are really dangerous people to have about as they often know only what happened to them, not the overall picture including up to date research and stuff. This SL is pissing me off, like so much of TA, but I am holding out for Knob and Ma to be prosecuted for being at a HB without professional support. The whole thing can then unravel. Maybe they will have the baby die. there would still be enough material to have the fallout for years e.g. Helen recovering from the whole sorry experience Henry too, Pat feeling huge guilt that she didn't notice, etc.

Helen has an eating disorder- no other mental health condition? People don't get sectioned for eating disorders unless they are at imminent risk of death.

The Archers: An everyday story of cuntery, folks.

Helen is and always has been a piece of work; that's what makes it surprisingly complex and interesting (given that everything else about the SL is batshit insane) that she's the victim of emotional abuse. I think her tears tonight were genuine and ungovernable though.

BTW the knowledge about the risk of induction in VBAC has been out there for decades. sadly, isn't always heeded by obs, with some catastrophic results. I believe the risk, of uterine rupture, was worse with the old styleee prostaglandin gels as they could soften the scar. But the risk IS still there. Much better in a VBAC if labour starts spontaneously.I was having my babies and VBACs, well it was VBAC after the first two! in the 90s, and this was known then.

Maybe we could have a red face with a pointy finger emoticon for Knob. It could double up as the PM!

I don't know why you're all worrying about the home birth. Rob came to Ambridge as a cattle farmer. He must have experience of donning shoulder-length disposable gloves and getting deep into a cow to help her with a difficult birth. A human can't be so difficult - and you won't even have those sharp little hooves to get in the way. He'll be able to sort out any problems better than trained medics.

I think Helen´s past makes Pat writing her off as ´´forgetful in pregnancy´´ and so missing the signs of abuse quite plausible. H always was a bit flaky and her mother did kind of baby her, so it´s not surprising that she´s not aware now. Apart form her own personality transplant of course. i wonder if, when SOc leaves, everyone will jump about the office and change the SLs he left behind. Will the BBC budget run to a change of ending, I ask myself hopefully.

Pah, he said he was a farmer, did he do any actual work. And was his CV a fake or not.This baby might not have hooves, but it will have pointy little horns. Anyway, animals do die in childbirth, it´s just we tend to worry more about humans. and humans have evolved less well than farm animals for the birthing malarkey. it´s to do with the walking on hind legs shtick, i believe. Not to mention the lying around on sofas, and giving birth horizontal and in the human equivalent of mega dairies.......

I'm watching season 2 of game of thrones. Helen sounds like Sansa 'I am loyal to my beloved Joffrey' Stark.

I've got a nasty feeling that SOC has arranged things so the story comes to a climax before he leaves.

But that might not be a bad thing Augusta, I'd rather the end was is sight, I don't think I could manage much longer

\link{\perhaps Rob will get Lilly in to help}

I've got a nasty feeling that SOC has arranged things so the story comes to a climax before he leaves.

Well, yes. Inevitably. Absolutely.

Perhaps you could write a stiff letter of complaint Augusta?

I don't mind the storyline getting concluded soon, what concerns me is that SOC will make it some massively dramatic crisis around the birth. I'd rather Rob got brought down by Tom and Kirsty realising what is going on, and by all his other nastinesses coming to light, preferably resulting in him being arrested and thoroughly humiliated.

When is SOC leaving? I've forgotten.

Omg that 3 year old!!! Wow

Late Spring. Probably on the GADD.

Anyway, here's the TA/EE mash-up.

Indeed, Vince - call the kidwife! Or maybe she's a (very) junior doctor.

What an amazing little girl! And her Mum was so just so calm and matter of fact.
Let's send her in to kick Rob's ass, save Henwee from boarding school and get this baby out safely.

I don't think Rob is planning to have her sectioned. I think he just does things because he wants her easy to convince that she needs him so she won't leave no matter what arsehattery he pulls.

Lots of abusers have long and very unhappy marriages

Rob is in it for the long term. He wants the farm. His main obstacle is tom, then johnny.

I do sincerely hope that rob is driven out before too long.

(Maybe it should be a pitchfork emoticon).

Olivia - a pitchfork emoticon must be possible (and easier to get past everyone that a big shiny knob)

Boke at the kiss between Rob and Pat.

So deliberately giving Henry chocolate to make him hyper and presumably extra to drink to wet the bed as well.

Forcing her to have a home-birth, the bit where she was repeating what he was saying like an automaton - chilling. Making her believe she's not coping. Putting Jonny in his place.

But hopefully some glimmers of hope - Tom definitely catching on and possibly the fog lifting from Pats eyes. Bit at the end was very good.