Things To Do in Ambridge When Rob's Dead. Can The Archers get Home Deliverance for Helen?

[PseudoBadger]

But she's being persuaded that the loss of Henry is her fault - other people are providing what she cannot, and she is just about to present him with a rival for Rob'and Ursula's attention!

I mean Rob managed to manipulate her into toeing his line this time, with the phony tears, but at the back of her mind she knows things aren't right!

I think that ultimately Helen will stand up for Henry. Something will make her follow her instincts and get him out of there.

but at the back of her mind she knows things aren't right!

She may convince herself the thing that isn't right is her.

This thread is really racing along, it only started last weekend.

It's all too upsetting now - even for me.

I wonder if Helen would be thinking about Greg at all - and how desperately unhappy he must have been at the end, after she left him.

I don't think her eyes have actually begun to clear yet. I can imagine her arguing herself into talking to Rob about Ursula but - apart from the small matter of finding a new job - she doesn't seem to have developed any scepticism where he's concerned. She's still more inclined to believe him than herself.

On another note - I so want to see Stefan bursting into the coming festivities ...

My wonderful DH handed me a radio & headphones at 7pm at the rugby so I could hear Helen call Rob a bastard. I felt for her so much when he made his Henry comment, then repeatedly told her she had driven him to it. Classic abuse. He has no intention of taking her to a psychiatrist as the threat of losing Henry will make her toe the line. Chilling.

Sasha. She knows the bus timetables. She can push Knob under one of the infrequent Ambridge buses for us. I pray this happens soon. And that her Dad is nowhere near to resuscitate the bastard.

Thank God for TripleDad and his film ratings. Last night was an 18. Flagging in red for all Helrob phobes. Big time.

Disappointed to hear Lynda sucking up to Knob and praising his "flood heroism". Not much sign yet of the "Lynda saves the day" storyline so beautifully sketched out by the PP whose name I have temporarily forgotten. I live in hope.

I saw "TripleDad" and thought "oh good, another man on this thread!"before realising you meant me. It does sound like last night was an 18.

That is something I've been wondering for a while: are there any other men on this thread - maybe lurking - come on, show yourself!

Yes the suggestion she need psychiatric help was an empty threat to convince her the problem is her I think he won this time but the end is in sight!

This storyline has hopefully been positive in terms of highlighting abuse and how it escalates over time, and true to stats, physical abuse often increases during pregnancy.

Just hurry up and give Knob his comeuppance! Surely even SOC knows he can't afford to let this drag on and on!

even OH says he can't stand it anymore and he's got all the empathy/sensitivity of squidward tentacles

has the thread reached tipping point yet between listening/not listening I wonder

Hellin will forgive him, doubt herself further, become more isolated from family and more imprisoned by her MIL (where was the Arse when her son was abusing his wife?) and sink into deeper despair.

She will resurface on occasions as she did last night but eventually learn it only makes things worse.

Underneath it all she will know everything is all wrong but will either
a) surrender or,
b) find the strength to fight back for herself and her children.

Knowing hellins flaky complex character it could go either way

Either way I hope it ends soon!

Muddha I think people's in depth analysis of the episode shows most are still listening even some of the ones who say they're not

I think it will be at least Easter before there's any kind of resolution.

I agree Helen being locked in seems quite likely now.

I'm with the poster who said Helen will go into labour while Rob is out with Henry and his mother and will have the sense to call Kirsty or Tom who will get her to a hospital pronto.

If there are bruises the midwife will see them.

If it is true to abuse he should actually be a bit nicer to her now once she has apologised for making him hit her and promised to try harder

Abusers are not horrible all the time or the fact that they are total wankers would be glaringly obvious. Also if they are not nice after they hit you then it is impossible for either party to believe they won't do it again.

I am hoping but doubting that Hellin is one of the women for whom being hit is their red line. (Which is why a lot of abusers only engage in deniable violence like 'accidentally' pushing you over, hurting you whilst trying to 'calm you down').

So, the usual pattern in the cycle at this point would be to get Hellon to shoulder at least 50% of the blame. Agree to both be nicer for the time being.

In which case hopefully we can hear some other Archers stories. Even I am finding it dominates too much now.

smalllegs my ex did not follow the abuse pattern of Mr nasty Mr nice. He always justified his nastiness and made me apologise for driving him to such extremes of anger.
Rob's behaviour is recognisable to me.

buttons it was not your fault. (I am sure you know that but its worth saying).

I don't think I'd ever call mine Mr Nice
He was Mr Nasty and Mr Not-Actively-Being-Nasty-Right-Now. I mistook the absence of nastiness for nice. And yes I was somehow always made to take some of the blame too because one thing was for sure nothing was ever actually his fault.

Last night was the most Rob has ever sounded like him loud, shouty and verbally vicious.

The things he was attacking her for too were things it is hard to defend against. Ungrateful to his dm. If you say I am grateful then she gets to stay. And being a rubbish parent is every parents vulnerable spot I think. He is a pig.

I suppose Rob's nice is all the calling her darling and controlling her in the guise of looking after her. a pig and a bellend.

DDD right enough I don't think any of the many lurkers have explicitly said they were a man. It may just be you in a sea of female TA fans.

My abusive ex also never did the tears or the apologising, except the first few times, as he always felt I had pushed him into behaving not out of character.

This will be knob too if he wriggles out of this. Apologies, tears, justifiying, victim blaming, and eventually no apologies but just the blaming.

Hopefully Hellin gets out sooner. I think it will as its a drama and not real life, so has to be compressed to fit a storyline thank goodness

Yesterday was just too much.

I guess not many men listen to TA. To be honest, I've only fallen into it because I'm sometimes driving home at seven. I think I enjoy this thread more than the programme. (Is that a terrible admission? )

And the truth is that as heart-wrenching as the Rob story has been, it's been the only one that has truly gripped me, and it's clearly dominated these threads too.*

*only other story that springs to mind is Kirsty / Tom wedding, but I'm sure there have been a couple of others.

Men do listen to TA, though not as many as women. But we're also on a heavily female-dominated board, so of the fewer men than women who listen, even fewer will be on Mumsnet. (I need a Venn diagram.)