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One Flue Over The Shepherd's Hut - Discuss The Archers Here

961 replies

PseudoBadger · 19/04/2016 09:18

I do hope Lynda has a carbon monoxide monitor in there...

OP posts:
EasyToEatTiger · 27/04/2016 10:16

I am tired of hanging onto cliff edges while SOC swans around all puffed up and self-satisfied. I am feeling used and abused by TA. Must find something better to do at 7pm weekday evenings!

Gumpendorf · 27/04/2016 10:20

She's still guilty of having stabbed him in the heat of an argument. His violence towards her has been minimal in comparison to that

His physical violence maybe although he raped her twice, but what this SL does show is the impact of mental abuse/violence is as great.

I've just remembered Helen was obsessing last night about the music Rob played. He mentioned it was playing the night SOK was conceived.

Gumpendorf · 27/04/2016 10:26

R4, that's spot on. This sort of SL doesn't fit with 5min chunks. It's not TA. The Lillian/Justin storyline may seem fluff but it would have been important before R/H took over. Last night, it got short attention in this household because we wanted to hear from Helen. Go away, SOC and take your ego with you.

Toomuchtea · 27/04/2016 11:13

Another thing that has suddenly occurred - where is Pat's erstwhile best friend, Kathy, in all this?

I was contemplating a long post on what I think about everything else that's going on in the Hellin/Knob storyline, but I feel pretty much as hopeless about it as H does about her situation. I do rather resent having my emotions deliberately exploited in this way by by TA.

Gherkinsmummy · 27/04/2016 11:38

Listening to A Girl Called Jack. The child actor is horrendous! There must be a special place they get them from.

Gumpendorf · 27/04/2016 12:52

I'm not sure if this has been reported and I hope it's in the right thread. William Troughton (Tom) is in Clyborne Park at Richmond til end of week and then touring. So we are unlikely to hear much of Tom as his sister's fate is decided.

BertrandRussell · 27/04/2016 13:05

Oh, I'm sure they'll find another actor son of an actor to replace him....

TeaPleaseLouise · 27/04/2016 13:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AugustaFinkNottle · 27/04/2016 13:08

WH was quite interesting. They were talking about a counselling scheme for abusers (not just male ones). They said around 20% of the people who use the scheme self-refer, but they are mainly do so for physical abuse as they realise they have crossed a line and may not realise that they are also using emotional abuse. A lot of the people they deal with them are referred by social services with an implied threat that if they don't play ball they won't see their children again. They recognised the danger that, in discussions groups, they will justify themselves and seek to reinforce each other, and will stop that or, in the final analysis, chuck any saboteurs out.

Clearly Rob would never refer himself to something like that, but it would be fun if he were made to go by SS - he would hate it so much, and would find it near-unbearable to acknowledge what he has been doing, or that the likes of Helen and Jess could possibly be anything other than insane harpies.

Abraid2 · 27/04/2016 13:17

Good point, Toomuch

And Cathy would certainly have some insights into abuse...

AugustaFinkNottle · 27/04/2016 13:30

I suspect that what would have happened at an early stage after Helen was remanded would be that her solicitor would go to see her and try to get the full story out of her. Given her obsession with Henry, I'm sure he'd have pointed out that her best option would be to provide her lawyers with all the reasons why he couldn't be with Rob and, of course, why she stabbed him. If she felt unable to talk about it, I'm pretty sure that he'd have strongly advised her to write things down as and when she felt able to, but again advising that she had no option unless she fancies staying in prison for several years. It's just so annoyingly artificial that we're led to believe that Anna is the first lawyer who has advised Helen or indeed had anything substantial to do with her.

Come to think of it, Helen must surely be a party to her parents' Family Court proceedings. How come she doesn't seem to have a representative for those purposes? Or at the very least she should have been given an opportunity to provide a statement saying what she wants?

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 27/04/2016 14:08

Why isn't Anna picking up on Helen repeatedly saying Henry is not safe? As confused as Helen is about practically everything else, she's being really really clear about this and asking 'do you understand?'. So why isn't Anna asking her why he isn't, what makes her say that, what kind of danger does she think Henry is in?

Thymeout · 27/04/2016 14:08

When H was interviewed by the police, Dominic advised her to reply with 'No comment' on the grounds she was too traumatised. The police countered with the fact she had been psychologically assessed and judged fit to be questioned.

I'm sure he would have asked her what happened, but whether she was incoherent or mute is anyone's guess. She may well have deteriorated in prison. When she said that Rob had given her the knife, she then diluted the impact of this by adding that he must have done because she couldn't remember picking one up herself.

Once she admits to not remembering something as crucial as how she came to be holding the knife, any evidence she gives is worthless.

Either she miraculously snaps out of it and has perfect recall, or they will have to go for 'balance of her mind was disturbed' - if that is even a valid defence in this case.

But I really don't trust the scriptwriters to come up with a credible storyline, after some of the things they've done in the past.

SaffyRosie · 27/04/2016 14:18

I can't understand why the solicitor doesn't tell Hellin that if she wants to keep Henry away from Knob and also to not go to jail she needs to get a grip and tell everything. Not more ofthis "oh! it's all so confusing, I can't remember". Well she better hurry up and bloody remember otherwise she is going away for a long time.

The script writing is shit. It is so unrealistic, the dialogue are nothing like what real people would say.

Rubbish, I just want to machine gun them all.

Rant over ......

AugustaFinkNottle · 27/04/2016 14:35

To be fair, as explained above, it may well be that she can't remember everything in all the circumstances. However, it's ludicrous that they've apparently left it this late even to get her to start trying.

Girlwhowearsglasses · 27/04/2016 14:39

Why in gods name didn't Anna include references to coercive control and pick up of him handing eve the knife when she said the bit about 'if he was violent towards you'

Nobody is asking the right questions.

If I was pat I'd be getting all the info I could about what rob has done to people, not lest by contacting Jess and asking if she has any thoughts

Bloody ridiculous

lottiegarbanzo · 27/04/2016 14:42

Yes, Cathy would have insight into being hoodwinked by someone who seemed nice but turned out to be an evil abuser - which ought to get Pat thinking about whether Helen was raped.

I can understand that Helen's mind would go into shutdown and everything seem exhausting and circular.

I do not understand Pat's two week+ ineffectual flap. Were I her, I'd have gone into stress-driven obsessive mode, slept little, drunk a lot of coffee and written long lists which I'd have turned into a 'signs things were not right' spreadsheet. I would also have demanded that Kirsty contribute; sat her down and fed her biscuits and the occasional sandwich until every instance of Helen's odd behaviour, worrying comments and Rob's unpleasantness had been noted and dated. Same for the rest of the family.

Then I'd call on every acquaintance of Helen's, talk things through (probs record our discussion) and ask them to fill in their own column / draft it for them and ask them to check and amend.

As well as gathering evidence, this would serve the purpose of finding out who was 'with us' on this matter and getting word out about how Helen had been abused and it was not her fault.

They'd all think I was overwrought and a pain in the bum and it would probably drive them towards requesting to make a statement to the police, so they could tell me they'd done it and I'd go away but it would get them thinking.

ppeatfruit · 27/04/2016 15:39

Everyseek The barrister did ask Hell that at the first interview. If she is mentally unfit to plead\ be tried, how will it turn out for her, better or worse?

upto11 · 27/04/2016 15:44

De-lurking to say ARGHHHHHHHHHH. I currently have no-one to say this to in real life as my sister has fallen in love, rendering my fellow rant-about-the-Archers buddy next to useless. Helen and lawyer women are driving me BONKERS.

I cannot stand to listen to woe-is-me Helen anymore. I KNOW she's had an awful time and Rob is of course a twat of the biggest proportions, but strap a pair on Helen if you want to help yourself and the precious Henry, otherwise you're going down.

And WHY OH WHY is the lawyer, supposedly with great reputation blah blah, being so fucking useless (note: I am not a lawyer, so maybe she's not useless, but it seems so to me).

Rant over (for now).

PseudoBadger · 27/04/2016 15:49

Where is Kirsty?

OP posts:
HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom · 27/04/2016 16:40

And seconding the 'where is Kathy?' call, too Confused

AugustaFinkNottle · 27/04/2016 16:58

To be found unfit to plead, it would have to be demonstrated that Helen is unable either to comprehend what is going on in the trial in order to make a proper defence; to comprehend the evidence; or to give proper instructions to her legal representatives. There has to be a psychiatric evaluation before any finding is made. I doubt that Helen meets those criteria - the fact that she says she can't remember things and has to be pushed into trying to remember anything doesn't make her mentally unfit; and much of it seems to result from the fact that she has to be dragged away from obsessing about Henry.

I strongly suspect that any moment now light is going to dawn and she will realise that Henry is stuffed unless she gets her act together. Here's hoping, anyway.

Toomuchtea · 27/04/2016 17:27

Fingers crossed, Augusta. I want to call you Gussie. I have to keep fighting the temptation.

If only Rob had been a newt fancier, how different this SL would have been.

AugustaFinkNottle · 27/04/2016 17:28

Feel free to go for Gussie, Toomuch.

Toomuchtea · 27/04/2016 17:44

I am honoured.