Orange Is The New Black in Ambridge. Just ask Helen. But will anyone in The Archers ever ask her WHY?

[PseudoBadger]

I reckon this thread will see us through the Euros, both footy and referendum. Await the clunky topical inserts here.

What's happening again? Has she got Rob sussed or is there something else relating to Anna we don't know about?

Anna was rubbish! And yes, why on earth not check up the boarding school thing? And now it turns out Anna's just another flaky woman with a flaky woman ED. which I am NOT saying is a flaky woman thing,I'm saying taswamts (if I've remembered the acronym correctly)

What was the conclusion? (not listening...)

I really don't need a whole Anna backstory giving some reason why she's going to balls up this defence. The focus needs to be on Helen coming to terms with and proving Rob's coercive control, not Anna having funny turns when she's supposed to be SHL. Grrrrrr

I've been irritated by the Helen rob storyline in the Archers for so long now that I can't enjoy it until it's over.
That episode was bloody irritating

I thought Rob had unsettled her - had she seen him be abusive to someone else, or to her, before? - but I don't think that was it. Very glad Jack is staying with Helen. Wish she hadn't crumpled though under the pressure.

Oh seek do you think it's an ED? I hadn't picked up on that. FGS, every woman with some sort of emotional disorder. Next thing you know Pat will be having nervous fits and need smelling salts. It's ridiculous!

Mystic Bore predicts the Anna backstory:

Anna lost a case against a creepy controlling man in the past, with Tragic Consequences that have haunted her ever since. It was this that spurred her to become a SHL fighting for women ever since.

She fears it is happening again and fears the same Tragic Consequences.

The wording was interesting 'it's happening again' - suggests it's a thing (out of her control) rather than a person or realisation?

Cross post Bore your theory makes sense!

At the very end Anna said 'I think it could be happening again... and this time... oh god, mum... I've got to stop it!' What did she mean?

Too many 'ever sinces', but you get the gist...

However, given the number of storylines left hanging, whatever it is will probably never be mentioned again. We'll be on Pseudo's 934th consecutive thread in 2020 still wondering what the Anna Tregorran mystery actually was.

FFS. Another flaky, unstable, wittering female character. Pull yourself together.

And yes, for the love of the sweet baby Jesus can someone call the school and find out what was going on.

Or go over to The Good Wife and hire Kalinda to do some background research on the Titcheners.

Yes! Kalinda would be such an incredible addition to this storyline!

I thought she was supposed to be a Shit Hot Lawyer. She seems to me to be merely a Shit Lawyer.
The coercive control message seems to be getting lost in all the numerous complications and subplots. SOC's Public Information service is failing woefully.

Interesting point about researching the school story. I suppose Helen might know which school Rob went to which makes that an obvious place to start looking, but I don't know whether the school can dish out the information about the inquiry without a court order. Or could they do so on the basis that it concerned Henry and Helen is entitled to information about him?

I was unsure whether, when Anna said it was happening again, she might have meant abuse against Henry. I was really irritated with her being so nervous at the start. Surely you don't make QC without being able to get over nerves, no matter how important or personally significant the case is to you?

Oh, and when Rob said he was fine to look after a new baby, I really wanted to hear someone asking what precisely his experience in looking after tiny babies was. There could also have been a great line of cross-examination about him losing it with Henry when he threw away the rabbit, and wasn't the truth that he wanted to send him to boarding school because actually he doesn't really want him for himself at all, only as a way to get back against Helen.

My impression was that whatever is happening to Anna is separate to the case - her nerves at the beginning were totally unbelievable for someone so apparently reputable but then speaking to Pat and Tony at the end of the hearing she sounded practically blasé about the whole thing! If her concern was about Henry being abused surely they would have shown her being a bit impassioned or at least alluding to it during her speeches?

And July yes absolutely about tiny babies - presumably Rob has zero experience of this! And it's not exactly something that comes with an instruction manual. Also, hamming up his injuries should have been used against him to suggest he wasn't physically capable.

The school was willing to accede to Rob's request that it should communicate only with him and exclude the boy's mother. That struck me at the time as extremely dodgy.

Sorry Judy not July!

Exasperated by that. The point of that episode was what exactly? Where was the evidence from CAFCASS? Was Rob's application for Jack all or nothing? Did he not ask for access even if he couldn't have residence? Surely not having access will prejudice any application after the trial. Yes full residence says things about Rob's need for total control but his lawyer would prepare/advise alternative applications.

Now we have a SL around Helen's barrister to complicate matters.

Incidentally, Charlotte Martin who is a research psychologist in RL has replied to s/o on Twitter saying Rob's 'behaviour suggests narcissistic personality disorder with attachment issues'

Well that episode was a total let down.

I'm not going to listen to LA