There's a slow hand clap for Knob. Will there be one for Toby? Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Sorry for the poor title - the end of the last thread has arrived sooner than I thought and I haven't had the benefit of hearing all of the last 2 nights....

Now soc has gone I guess Kate is allowed to mention her other kids

I see Adam is trying to channel his feelings through their voice

This is great. Loving this episode.

Phoebe's rate of contact sounds about right, casting my mind back to when my son went off to university..

Well Ian is a fool

But at least he is staying I suppose

I hope they don't go back to ignoring Ian for another two years. I've enjoyed hearing from him again.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE Ian.

(And, to be fair, the news is going to really annoy Rob!)

I so wanted Ian to say,
"I've got to stay in Ambridge.....for Helen"

Haven't listened, just caught up on lowfield but my immediate reaction to the news that Ian is staying was "I bet that guarantees that rob doesn't keep the job & Charlie will be back"

Not that I dislike Charlie but I do love Ian...

I have been lurking on this thread for ages but can't work out what a soc is. Please can someone explain? Thanks

I did enjoy that episode. Lynda being lovely and sensitive and helping Kate, Neil being lovely to Susan whilst balking at paying out for her new dress and hairdo (but we know he'll pay up anyway because he's lovely), Robert being lovely, and a happy ending. One of the best aspects was realising that Rob will be totally pissed off that he hasn't managed to bust up Ian's relationship.

SOC= Sean O'Connor, ex-editor, whose departure is totally unlamented.

Adam (aka Old Git henceforth?)doesn't deserve Ian.

Isnt it strange how SOC goes and not only do many of our favourite characters emerge from hiding, but also Kate remembers she has two other children. Not surprising they're pissed with her.

Sorry if someone has already said this but I'm on holiday and a bit drunk.

I reckon that Rob going for the name change will spur Helen or Anna to report either the rapes or coercive control to the polis and will set the ball rolling for Rob either being in trial or, at the very least being investigated.

There are so many parallels between Helen being acquitted and Rob being unmasked on the one hand, and SOC's departure on the other. It does feel as if the SWs are all having a lovely time writing the scripts for Rob and others that they've wanted to write for months. I always hated the way Rob got away with his behaviour virtually every bloody time, and therefore it feels so good every time he fails to get away with it now.

I forgot to explain the parallel there - essentially it's as if we and possibly the SWs are enjoying the same sort of freedom from SOC as Helen does in relation to Rob.

Zuleika - before the stabbing, past threads here have noted the parallels of Rob's treatment of Helen and SOC's treatment of listeners - messing around with our memories and expectations with an apparent lack of awareness that he was doing so.

The SW's do seem to be enjoying a new freedom to remember so mentions of the past, silent characters, lots of gentle plots and long lost villagers found.

Phew! Finally caught up with the thread although haven't listened to last night yet. Have been rudely interrupted all week by a teething baby so I'm a bit shattered...

Anyway. I take it that last night sees some sort of reunion between Ian and Adam. I was just popping on to say that Ian hasn't always been the innocent one in that relationship. He's never cheated as far as we're aware but he was pretty vile to Adam over the Maddy I-want-a-baby episode. Actually thinking about it maybe that sudden burning desire for a baby is the basis of his rather doubtful bff status with Helen.

I too am a bit confused about why he's gone nuclear with Adam since the court case. Presumably they've been living in newly-married bliss since December, having sex etc wth ne'er a word said. I can't remember if it's on here or on ML that someone suggested he's maybe channeling all his hate for Rob and his regrets about leaving Helen in her hour of need into Adam. The idea being that if Adam hadn't strayed then Ian wouldn't have been angry with Helen and would have been around to Save Her when required (although that ignores the fact that he'd barely spoken to her in the months before that anyway. This was always more of a reported friendship than actually witnessed).

Anyway. If they're back together then as you were. Will try to actually listen now!

Oh. Before I go wanted to join the BOOPs for all the lovely villagey things we've had this week. And the excellent mental image of a simmering Rob barely disguising his contempt for the 'little girl' psychologist and her making copious notes about it all. Great stuff. And I think Ursula is well aware that he's delusioknal but is too frightened of his reaction to say anything but platitudes. A lifetime of practice I suspect.

Ian not blowing up at Adam before the trial was purely because soc didn't want to give airtime to anything else until then. Since the wedding there has been mention of them not spending much time together so I wouldn't say wedded bliss.

I don't think the maddy thing anywhere near equates to a partner who cheats on you repeatedly either

Ahhh. Ian and Adam back together

No Antiboop it doesn't equate, obviously, but Ian was quite unpleasant about the Maddy thing with some fierce emotional blackmail going on. Just pointing out that Ian hasn't always been the laid back paragon of virtue that he's sometimes portrayed as.

I've not been in an affair situation, on either side, thank goodness. But I would say that since Adam knew Ian knew he's been doing his best. He apologised, he's offered counselling for them both, he's given Ian space etc etc. Short of not having played around in the first place (obviously the action of choice) I'm not sure what else he could have done. I'm not even that big an Adam fan. Just think that Ian is being misremembered as some kind of Saint.

Anyway. It's good that they're back together (probably). As long as Adam learns to keep it in his trousers...

Ian is a saint for putting up with Ian's philandering!! Ian had a one night stand and then both an emotional and physical affair with Charlie. Then he was whiny and self pitying and his only comments were 'sorry' 'I can't live without you'

But I'm not one who sees it as a triumph of love when a couple gets back together after an affair!! If Ian just carried on as normal that would be very untrue to life!!

Didn't we have a cliffhanger a couple of weeks ago with Pat saying that the police had rung, wanting to know if Helen wanted to make a complaint about Rob? What happened about that? I think I've heard every episode since. Are we just waiting for Helen to make up her mind? Miss Pattie might be right - that the name changing might spur her on. I hope so.

Helen spoke to Kirsty and then agreed to speak with Anna once she returned from holiday. No mention since but kaz brought it up I think.

So it is another slow burn.... Think pp is right that when Helen finds out about the Gideon thing she will decide to go ahead to try and get him out of her life.

Did rob ever follow through on his threat to Jess?

From what Ian said last night it didnt sound like it will be oh, ok, just back to normal.

Just going back to Rob for a moment, I noticed while accidentally listening to the repeat yesterday lunchtime a rather telling phrase re his motivation for staying in ambridge and fighting over Jack's name. It was something like 'I'll show Helen she can't break my spirit'. Because, while she isn't in the least interested in doing any such thing, its how he works - breaking people's spirit.