Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in Joe Grundy's hat. Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

Ho ho ho! Will this thread last until Christmas?

She tried to slam the door! And told him to get his foot out.

She should g et a peephole and/or a chain.

And a dog. Why doesn't BF have a dog?

I suppose he would have sneered in the past when told Johnny was upstairs but this time it seems to have had the effect of making him back off a bit. He had his foot in the door FFS. I don't feel one iota of sympathy for him.

Sorry to go kind of off topic - but why no topical references to the new bird flu threat?

Apparently lots of backyard hen keepers don't know about the precautions they should be taking.

Read the psychologist's court report every night, Helen. Never forget that he raped you multiple times. Listen to Jess.

She doesn't seem to want to think too much about the psych report, does she? Every time Pat mentions it, Helen shies away. I think she's horrified that she was so taken in by someone whose strategies and personality were so visible to an objective observer. And can't bear to think that she exposed Henry to him. So, being Helen, she ignores the painful reality and its implications. Which is that Rob won't ever back off unless he's forced to do so. And that he will keep working on her weaknesses. Christ, are we really going to have to shout at the radio all over again? Bet you anything she arranges for him to see Jack on Christmas day.

I think Helen didn't say anything to Johnny because he's hardly more than a boy, whereas she is - at last - a grown woman

I hope that's the case. And Johnny's own emotions are on a roller- coaster at the moment without having to get involved in Helen's problems.

Getting very cross listening to Ruth shouting at David about Pip deciding not to be there at Christmas. "She's done nothing wrong" FFS! Apart from letting her boyfriend set up an illegal still on their property without bothering to check his obvious lies about it being OK, and then not making sure he got rid of it immediately once they found out? Apart from assuming she could just take things without asking in order to feed him? Apart from moving him into their property to spite Jill, without asking for permission? Apart from encouraging him to set it up at Hollowtree when she knew her father wouldn't like it?

And all that stuff about the sanctity of the family being together at Christmas - why doesn't David point out that it wasn't bothering her so much last year?

I'm pretty sure that Rob is lying about talking to Alan making him feel differently, and he's just decided to use Alan's attempts as a convenient lie to get over the little problem that he raped Helen repeatedly, did his best to get her imprisoned and her children away from her, and has been going around for months saying she's a lying, insane bitch. I really hope she sends his presents back.

Ruth was a total idiot. I wouldn't want Pip round for Christmas, being a bitch to everyone. As for Helen - why was she giving Johnny relationship advice ? I agree with Cromwell - I can see Helen letting Rob see the boys on Christmas Day

Yes, Ruth is being ridiculous, and unfair with the your mother line - yeah, his mother who is doubtless going to cook xmas dinner for everyone because Ruth can't even make a batch of mince pies (not that theres any particular reason she should be able to, thats not the point)

If she lets Henry see rob at Xmas I hope ss come down on her like a tonne of bricks. It's one thing perpetuating her own abuse but I couldn't bear it if she lets him anywhere near Henry at all and Jack outside contact

What happened with Amber?

I assume it is completely intentional on the SWs' part that Rob turned up on Helen's doorstep just after she found out that he's been doing the same to Jess. She will presumably put two and two together and realise that he's just desperate to reassert control over both of them.

she won't realise unless she makes some attempt to learn about patterns of abusive behaviour, and no one seems to have pointed her in that direction

She didn't say anything to Johnny and she didn't say anything when he threatened her outside the court. On both occasions he waited until she was alone so there were no witnesses so he could deny everything as usual. I can't believe she didn't report both of these incidents - this exactly the sort of evidence she needed (and didn't have) for the court case. In court he was positively threatening. He wasn't threatening this time - more wheedling - but I would have thought the fact he waited until Pat and Tony had gone out and put his foot in the door would have been enough, especially knowing he's been doing the same to Jess. Agree she sounded strong, I'm glad she felt able to stand up to him, but standing up to him in the past didn't get her very far did it?

The whole thing about it taking 7 attempts to leave an abusive partner. I don't think that can work now she's stabbed him. I think it would have been believable if she had gone back to home farm a few times and returned and maybe then had stab night. But soc was in too much of a hurry.

Or bridge farm that should say!!

I clearly need to catch up as I have lost my place on threads I'm on.

Yeah, I heard Knob's apology and thought of all these situations he has manipulated in the past. It's also a tad creepy that he was loitering enough to see PatnTone going away before he knocked the door. i know he said he'd tried the tea room and it was shut. But, really, it's over a week to Christmas and it's now the weekend. There was no rush to hand in the presents on Friday evening or whenever that was supposed to be.

On presents I imagine there's no reason why he can't give Jack a present, as he does have contact with him. It's Henry he's to have no contact with.

Are we sure Johnny heard nothing? i wasn't sure especially as non-listening child chose that moment to get very excited about Rob being on TA.

Oh I see Lilian already made that point about Knob waiting till he thought Helen was alone. But anyway I'm not so sure I like the idea of Helen listening to Jess. look what happened last time. However, it's realistic Jess being ahead of Helen - she's been away from Rob for longer and was with him longer, and she's a lone mother with small child. She's also a social worker so will have seen this before. In that case though, why hasn't she applied for an injunction for Knob and his evil parents?

An idea for new name for 'helenluvsrob', what about robluvsrob?

WRT bird flu, we've mentioned it before, but the geese and turkeys have been slaughtered. And I though Posh eggs was no more? Josh is in charge of a he hens now. We could get someone moaning about him having to keep them inside. Or a comment about Lucky...

I hope Helen has stopped to wonder how Rob just happened to be at the shop at the time Pat, Tony and Henry went out, and just happened to have the presents with him.

A rattle isn't a great toy for a 7 month old, is it? Another indication of how little attention Rob has paid to Jack in reality.

I'm sure we know that Rob isn't hVing some kind of epiphany and regretting his behaviour. We've heard his rants to Alan and we've heard Alan saying that Rob shows no remorse. We've also heard Rob telling his mother that he hates Helen and her family. That's how TA works (at least in SOC's absence) - we as listeners are in the know before the characters. So this is definitely Rob being manipulative. He's so good at it though. I hope he does keep pushing and that Helen eventually realises that she will have no peace, and agrees to pursue the coercive control complaint. She should be writing these current incidents down though.

'All I ever wanted was a beautiful wife and family' - yeuchhhhh

Even if that wasn't Rob-theRapist talking, it hardly sounds lie a man interested in a woman as herself rather than an accessory to himself.

lie = like.

Also, therapist = the Rapist, goddammit.