Discuss The Archers here. There's hut construction, new teen arrivals, pastured eggs, pining Pip and other fun Spring-like stories to choose from.

[PseudoBadger]

Maybe if we don't look directly at the other storyline it will disappear?

He's convinced her that he hit her in self-defence because she was about to attack him. That's his MO - there's a kernel of truth in what he says, but he blows it right up and makes Helen believe the exaggerated version.

I think it's unlikely as Hellin has had quite an ordinary upbringing (I may be well wrong here). In my own experience, it took about 3 years under a clinical psychologist before he said I behaved like someone who had been abused. Needless to say I didn't know at the time what he was talking about. That was another thing.... They're not going to drag the story on and on and on and on are they? It is going to be awful for Hellin when the scales fall off her addled brain. Why would anyone lie about her behaviour? About her child? Like so many other things in TA, it is probably of no consequence!

I don't think he wants to keep Henry - maybe if the baby had been a girl, yes, but Henry will be shunted off to boarding school and farmed out to other people during as much of the holidays as possible. He'll keep Henry away from Helen but that's as far as he wants to go.

Ursula will pay for Henry to go to boarding school and a nanny to look after SOK once he's removed them from Archer influence. Then they can be his to control while he does the hard-done-by routine on his next victim. he doesn't give a damn about Helen now because he's convinced himself that she's flawed.

What he wants and what Arsula want though are not always the same..initially. So when she gets wind of this then she'll be offering to bring up her grandchild..the blood one.

Easy Pschiatrists are far better qualified than psychologists. But this is still bollocks.

In real land referral would have been made via GP and involved midwives /hv and other relevant professionals, so more likely that a picture is put together.

still feeling physically sick after listening to tonight's episode!

ColdTea, I think she was due to see the psychiatrist anyway as a follow-up appointment after her collapse. I suspect that Knob very deliberately timed the escalation of her alleged abuse of Henry to fit in with that.

With you there Grumpy.

On another note, did anyone clock Rex's mention of Toby's difficult ex? Surely something to do with Brighton?

I also don't get the juxtaposition of the absurdly funny scene of asking Linda Snell how much she weighs with the deep darkness of Rob's abusive behaviour. too much.

Oh more bullshit

Got an appointment fast didn't they?

I too think H would have been referred because of her ED and collapse as urgent by the MW as it was an obstetric psych (sure they exist but never heard of one). Anyway someone looking for post partum psychosis, so they would be monitoring her carefully anyway because of the ED.

They don't seem to be monitoring her that much

In RL would there be an interdisciplinary meeting where perinatal psychiatrist talks with midwife? Not that RL necessarily means anything in Ambridge these days.

Also feeling sick about this episode. On my list of worst things you can do to someone, making them doubt their sanity is top. And knowing that even if it's all uncovered now (which it won't be), the damage can't easily be undone. Still, at least the damaging would be over.

Delurking to say I think this is a major miscalculation by Rob but not surprising given he thinks he is the most intelligent person in the universe.

Psych's main priority will be healthy mum and healthy baby and keeping them together, making sensible decisions about birth etc. Not surprised antidepressants were offered.

While Rob thinks psych will see Helen is a nutter and get her away from SOK and let him send Henwee to boarding school. This is not what psych will want to do at all.

Unlikely they will have picked up on abuse on first visit but equally if Helen sat there saying 'it's all my fault' they would probably interpret a lot of what she said as being illness talking rather than the literal truth. And they would be used to patients being in complex family situations so they would be looking out for this.

Follow up visit would be very interesting especially if she just sits there saying 'Rob says, Rob says, Rob says...' and never offers her own opinion.

Not fair to say psychologists are less qualified than psychiatrists - they are both highly qualified but do different roles.

Wait... the obvious? Pat & Tony are mostly retired. I can't imagine Tony letting Henry blithely go off to boarding school when Henwee could live with P&T who don't have to both work FT. Not going to comment on Patbot, but Tony dotes on his grandchildren.

"his mind that the baby would almost always stay with the mum, even if she was hospitalised."

Even in Archers World?!

end of the day henwee would go where the man with parental rights sends him. I'm not sure knob will care much about what tony will say although if his motives are to have the farm then that might tip his boarding school idea over.

I have no idea what the hell knobs endgame is? Hellin locked up? why? he needs someone to bully. Move onto next woman and forget the farm? take SOK with him? He wont get henwee no matter what. Give SOK to ursilla to destroy?

No bloody idea! Nothing makes any sense and in rl abusive situations the knob just wants to keep the little woman subjugated and give everyone the impression he walks on water.

Def Archers SW not thought this ending through

Well, its going somewhere and I get the sense its being ratcheted up to get to a conclusion - so maybe a few shortcuts along the way. It can't go on like this for much longer (surely!).

It all sounds like utter bollocks. Please, please let Easter weekend be the finale! not gonna bet on it

Rob will like the idea of AD's because if H takes them after delivery she won't want to breastfeed (not sure if it's recommended clinically) and that will be a bonus for R.

I am hoping it is the finale at Easter too (wasn't that said by SOC at some point?) because it is all getting too much for me.

I may well have being too optimistic, but I had a teeny tiny impression that Helen was being a little bit reserved about what the psychiatrist said. Maybe there were one or two questions which might have got a bit too close to home?

Given the requirement for midwives to look out for possible abuse, is it possible that obstetric psychiatrists are also supposed to be doing that?

So pleased I'm currently sworn off - I would not have wanted to hear all that tonight. Definitely not a KLAXON episode then?