Will Lynda agree that the Grundys are fungis? And is Peggy finally realising that Helen is faaahmly? Await the Ambridge Fairy on The Archers thread.

[PseudoBadger]

"Get outta my village" screams Peggy Mitchell

[enochroot]

She's not the mother she thinks she is.

I agree and I remember that when she was living with Henry in the flat she was really stressed before she moved back in with her parents. She has never coped well on her own.
She was also ready to use Henry as a pawn when she was telling Pat to accept Rob and potentially separating him from loving grandparents.
I'm taking the glass half full view that she's going to emerge from this in the end as a totally different person!

[R4]

she's going to emerge from this in the end as a totally different person!

Yes, I was getting that hint last night. I think that she has realised that "you never know what you've got til it's gone".

[BertrandRussell]

And the script writers have made it impossible not to victim blame....

[enochroot]

Yes, I almost added an apology because criticism of Helen does sound like victim blaming though nothing excuses Rob's cynical exploitation of her.

[Vango]

I'm taking the R4 view "you never know what you've got til it's gone". I don't blame Helen at all.

Although Helen should never have become involved with Rob, I can understand why she did. Mainly because of who she is and everything that had happened to her, relationship wise, in her past. I can see why she was so keen to close her ears, to Kirsty's advice at least. And her stubbornness, single-mindedness and selfishness is what led her to threaten Pat/Tony when they objected to her plans.

BUT.....I don't think she's a bad mother. I fully believe that Henry's always been the centre of her universe even if she has made some mistakes from time to time. He liked Rob from the start which gave Helen the confidence to pursue her dream and that was good enough for her.

What surprised me most the other day was the Emma/Pat/Tony exchange. Weren't Emma and Helen good friends for a time (until Rob finally made that friendship so uncomfortable that the playdates/visits stopped)? Couldn't Emma at least have ASKED after Helen? I found that bit of writing very unrealistic.

[BYOSnowman]

So Tom goes to Canada and comes back to prison and poor old Helen has to go to prison to effect her change

[NotdeadyetBOING]

Totally agree about it being v. weird Emmur not showing any interest in Helen. Frankly, also find it odd that she didn't confront her about why the joint playdates etc. had dried up.

[Vango]

Helen's not going to go to prison. Sean's legacy will be 'The Big Trial'. Everyone will get involved. The bookies will be taking bets. There will be questions in parliament. It'll be all over the national press (Coronation Street all over again). Followed by Helen's prosecution of Rob under the new law. More campaigning/awareness raising.

Poor predictable Sean. He tried to get things going with the 'Big Road' storyline. Rural communities affected by developers etc. But no-one was really that interested and the sacrifice of key characters wouldn't have worked anyway. So dropped like a hot potato. Funny how David and Justin have never talked about it.

I know. Maybe they should think about the possibility of a high speed rail link on Adam's herbal ley? Or on Kate's designated Yurt Field? Or at the back of Lynda's garden? Must get the map out.

[BYOSnowman]

What a lot of writers don't seem to get is that the more crazy they are the more predictable and dull it is

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Thanks for new thread psycho 🐏

I listened last night for the first time in ages and found Hellin very irritating. Anna is starting to find her irritating too by the sounds of it! I find it odd that Anna is playing Hellin's therapist rather than her barrister.

I did think the drug thing was over stated so there will be something there. They could test a strand of Hellin's hair for drugs but it would be restricted by the limits of the test.

[Vango]

Sean's wound me up to such a pitch that I couldn't care less about any of the sub-plots at the moment: Lynda/Bert's garden wars, Josh/Pip's business rivalry, Open Farm Sunday, George's theft of the Lent Money, Jazzer's housing/job woes, Oliver & Caroline's imminent return, Lillian's antics etc. Rob's comeuppance is all that matters to me and I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate on anything else or hang on until then.

Those 'everyday' events have kept me tuned in for years. The sort of stuff that makes The Archers different to every other TV 'soap'.

[PrincessFiorimonde]

Thanks for the new thread, Pseudo.
Aiming to catch up later.

[LillianGish]

although no doubt SOC will insert some kind of past incident involving Freeder and Dexy's midnight runners that explains it all

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

I'm really sorry Psuedo but my phone autocorrected your name to Psycho and I didn't even notice

[AugustaFinkNottle]

I think it was the business of the drugs test that irritated me most about yesterday's episode, though to be fair it was absolutely in character for Helen. Her attitude seemed to be that of COURSE she shouldn't be drugs tested, a naice middle class lady like her.

[ppeatfruit]

CBT (ASFAIK) therapy concentrates on particular occurrences in ones' past that can be like Hell's sweet trauma. Some people find their whole subsequent lives affected by something as random.

I had a friend whose son's life is blighted by something similar.

[LillianGish]

But Hellin's subsequent life wasn't affected as a result - if it had been we might have expected her to be someone who always tries to do the right thing (or to find herself being inexplicably blamed for things that weren't her fault). That has not been the case at all (see my previous posts). If it was Jess who had stabbed Knob I'd happily accept some random memory being dragged up from a past we know nothing about, but we know Helen, we know what she's like. It's no use SOC making things up about her and thinking we won't notice - he didn't invent Hellin, she already existed when he became editor.

[KingscoteStaff]

Oh no - mushroom allergy!

[BertrandRussell]

Adam's new inamorato as I live and breathe!

[WipsGlitter]

Marking

[MovingOnUpMovingOnOut]

Is it safe to listen?

[Gruach]

He sounds exactly like the last one ...

[Gruach]

Oh, yes. KLAXON!

[BYOSnowman]

Not another gay man to tempt Adam?

And do all gay men find every other gay man attractive? Or is Adam just totally irresistible? And why do all these gay men work for Justin when there seems to be a suggestion he may not approve - does Justin have a really bad gaydar?

[BertrandRussell]

I think he might be a different colour, , though...........