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Discuss your favourite podcast, radio show or The Archers episode.

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Original poster

As the Archers threads age like a fine wine, or a cheese, come and join us - it's nearly time for the Ambridge Flower and Produce show

978 replies

PseudoBadger · 22/09/2016 18:56

Hopefully we can go back to an ordinary tale of country folk?

Spoilers are frowned upon.... There's a thread for that.

OP posts:

TheAntiBoop · 03/10/2016 09:57

Justin doesn't have any grounds to get rid of him so has to wait for him to screw up. Which shouldn't take long at this rate!!

Jess mentioned they moved around a lot when in Canada which I guess is due to him being crap at his job/letting his nasty side out in public

R4 · 03/10/2016 10:07

I agree that Rob's ending is a bit too sudden and easy; I think that I would have preferred a more subtle approach (like the original EA). We could have the yokels snubbing him - though he would take no notice - but then there would be the upper class ones who would simply avoid him - and he would tie himself in knots trying to decide if he was being cold shouldered or if he was imagining it.
The trouble is that this SL relies on Rob having someone to confide in and confer with. He isn't the sort to show his weaknesses and he has no friends.

But I am enjoying the SW undoing all SOC's work.

EBearhug · 03/10/2016 10:08

Justin doesn't have any grounds to get rid of him so has to wait for him to screw up. Which shouldn't take long at this rate!!

Employees of less than two years have virtually no rights - Justin doesn't need an excuse. But I'd have thought having a go at almost everyone in the village, which shows an inability to maintain good relationships would probably be enough.

R4 · 03/10/2016 10:11

Justin doesn't have any grounds to get rid of him so has to wait for him to screw up.

You don't need reasons. You don't get job security these days until you have been there 2 years.
Hot shot business magnates don't wait for it to go wrong - they spot trouble long before that. The question is: is Justin a HSBM?

xmasadsboohiss · 03/10/2016 10:14

Absolutely agree that Rob's downfall is all too quick and dramatic. He's a devious sod who's managed to abuse two women (that we know of) without detection. I don't think he'd suddenly start being publicly abusive to all and sundry now. I think he'd drip feed poison about Helen until some of it stuck. Am thinking that the next dramatic meeting will be between Helen and Rob. She's not over him for whatever reason so it's not going to be a clean break.

DadDadDad · 03/10/2016 10:31

Yes, there's certainly a visceral pleasure in booing a pantomime villain and watching him get his comeuppance. When the cricketers did the slow hand-clapping, I thought "that's for you, SOC".

But a grown-up drama could be more subtle.

We could have Brian advising Adam that it's a business relationship and in order to maintain good standing with Justin, he needs to not rock the boat with Rob...

We could have Harrison saying that Rob has not been convicted of anything, so to be fair (and as an officer of the law) he can't kick Rob out of the team. We'd get Johnny's reaction, and then maybe Rob encouraging Johnny to sledge during their next match, and this time, Johnny stands up to him...

TheAntiBoop · 03/10/2016 10:36

Rather convenient the way a friendly cricket match with their arch enemies was slotted in to highlight more of robs downfall

I really hope we are moving back to character based drama though!!

enochroot · 03/10/2016 10:46

We've been longing for Comeuppance. It's happening. Shouldn't complain really!
The new SOC-free team is dragging it back on course but that won't be entirely smooth. I'm rather hoping the Frairbrethren will be considered surplus to requirements.

PinkSwimGoggles · 03/10/2016 10:55

I love the chat about linguistic differences.
'bag of shite' is an endearing term for a baby (really!) where I grew up in northern europe!

TheAntiBoop · 03/10/2016 11:01

If we could lose one fairbrethren to a farming accident and the other to scurvy, well that would be super.

If the plan is for them to become longstanding characters they will need to work a lot harder on giving them a personality. And perhaps think about recasting pip.

RockNRollNerd · 03/10/2016 11:21

I think the fairly fast comeuppance is actually quite plausible. I would imagine a number of villagers must have been horrified at what came out in court and felt guilty at not having sided with Helen in the first place. Once the scales fell from their eyes they will have done an about turn so fast they'd be dizzy.

I quite like the way that we don't know what Kaz is awaiting trial for (is she on remand or has she been convicted?) It let's us see the person rather than just the label of their (alleged) crime.

enochroot · 03/10/2016 11:39

Rob's current behaviour is confirming the verdict of the court which helps Helen's standing as far as any doubters might be concerned.
That psych report will be interesting.

Fiderer · 03/10/2016 11:55

enochroot Can you remind me of what the judge said about Rob? Lowfield is still down.
Tvm

FrancisCrawford · 03/10/2016 12:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 03/10/2016 12:45

I think the fairly fast comeuppance is actually quite plausible

I agree. Rob has been found out and he has no way of dealing with it.

EBearhug · 03/10/2016 13:10

We could have Harrison saying that Rob has not been convicted of anything, so to be fair (and as an officer of the law) he can't kick Rob out of the team.

I can imagine him arguing that in a cricket club meeting, but I think he would have recognised that if he insisted on keeping Rob, he'd lose most of the rest of the team, and better to have 10 mediocre players than just one good one. In any case, I wouldn't have thought Rob would be medically fit until next season - he'did need to have his stomach out and be fully recovered. There's quite a lot of upward stretching when bowling and fielding, and possibly batting, sometimes with twisting, which is all going to put a lot of strain on a stomach wound that isn't fully healed. And it's not long since he stopped using his stick (I don't just mean as a sympathy prop,) so he must have lost some aerobic fitness. And that's without the risk of being hit by a ball - and cricket balls can hurt.

I'd be surprised if he were their best player at the moment, and if I were captain, I would want a medical note from the doctor to say he's fit to play, just for health and safety reasons, even if he were my favourite team mate of all time and most popular player ever.

Actually, I'd probably care more then, for his own welfare, not just potential insurance consequences for the club if he were injured while not recovered.

I think Rob is quite plausible - he's always been very nasty and personal when people haven't slotted neatly into his world view - it's just in the past, he was more subtle and tended only to really go for it in 1 to 1 situations with no witnesses. Now things are unravelling, he's being less careful, lashing out like a cornered animal.

Putthetulipsthere · 03/10/2016 13:21

Rob's downfall has been swift, but as we have put up with three years of massive plot holes ( like the Great Move North, the motorway, Stefan), I don't really mind a few inaccuracies re timing of cricket and meetings with Myson.

I think they are showing Rob as true to character. He simply can't believe that the villagers are unanimously against him and so it makes sense that he would sound mad. I really hope we hear the meeting between him and the pyschiatrist - the way things are going, that should be very satisfying to listen to!

Surely the next blow for Rob will be Oliver telling him to resign from the hunt. I missed TA for months while Helen was in prison, but I'm assuming he's still acting Master?

And I agree with PP that he will expect Shula to provide him with a horse. then maybe she will finally pick up the courage to confront him about the hunt sab.

JasperDamerel · 03/10/2016 13:21

What I quite like about Rob's comeuppance is that he is bewildered because he doesn't think that he has done anything wrong.

He is used to Bruce and Ursula as models of family life. He sees normal, respectful interactions between men and women (and patents and children) not as normal behaviour but as a sort of etiquette issue. Yes, he's been caught out, but it's not as though he did anything really wrong - surely all proper men act that way behind closed doors and anyone who doesn't is clearly a bit effete. It's the relationship equivalent of eating with his fingers when nobody else is around. He thinks that most of his peers are like him or want to be like him.

trevortrevorslatterfry · 03/10/2016 13:25

On the photo prints - why didn't Helen print them before the visit .

It's a bit dickish to say Oh I have nice photos of your kids but not bring them - she only needed to print them out on paper at home! Surely Bridge Farm has a printer of some sort

trevortrevorslatterfry · 03/10/2016 13:28

Massive BOOP for Rob's downfall though. The slow handclap was a bit much IMO (sorry DDD) but the rest is ace. Yay for Emmur!

JasperDamerel · 03/10/2016 13:28

She stopped off see Kaz's kids on the way from Bridge Farm to the MBU. I suppose she could have stopped off at a Boots on the way to print them off, but she'd already spent a big chunk of time on the visit and getting there.

DadDadDad · 03/10/2016 13:30

Because, trevor, she visited the children en route, so hasn't had a chance to get to a printer.

trevortrevorslatterfry · 03/10/2016 13:33

Bah that will teach me not to listen in the shower! I missed that .

Thanks for setting me straight jasper and DDD

JasperDamerel · 03/10/2016 13:41

Although if Kaz and her mum and children live between Ambridge and the MBU, her accent is surprising. Or else the prison is a lot further south than I imagined.

ppeatfruit · 03/10/2016 13:42

A good ep. nice to have Roy back properly , did anyone else notice that he AND Kate took Feebs to Oxford?

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