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Quelle surprise! Rob hasn't FOTTFSOF and is in fact hiding in the bushes at Henwee's school. Discuss the latest unlikely Archers events here.

975 replies

PseudoBadger · 02/02/2017 08:35

What do we want?
Realistic storylines!
When do we want them?
As soon as the writers see this!

OP posts:
peaceloveandbiscuits · 05/02/2017 11:08

I think it was actually Jeez or Sheesh now. It doesn't even matter, I just felt invested.

Gruach · 05/02/2017 11:08

Was definitely "Jeez!" anyway!

TheAntiBoop · 05/02/2017 11:26

Shit seems more likely but I can see why they avoided

I used to listen to the archers with the kids in the room but had to stop during the soc era as ds was getting upset at some scenes and there was occasional bad language which I of course couldn't predict

EBearhug · 05/02/2017 11:42

In my head, the tree was mostly across the road, but not entirely, and Rob got stuck in mud trying to go round the end of it on the verge.

A map may not help. There was a paper on mapping Ambridge at last year's Academic Archers conference on mapping Ambridge, which discussed how not everything is set in stone, because some features don't appear on any maps (Berrow Farm is an example) and other features have moved over the years, between different versions of the maps, either those published as maps, or featured in the many books on the Archers. He did say it helps with people's sense of place and imagining the storyline, and also how feasible some storyline are - this storyline is a very good example, would people have met as they have, if they were all going to and from the places we were told they were?

EBearhug · 05/02/2017 11:43

Please excuse my slightly confused and repetitive sentence structure there.

ppeatfruit · 05/02/2017 11:53

Yes EBear I have just heard the film and it was a huge branch , Josh said it needed a chainsaw to remove it. Knob must've got stuck in the mud trying to get round it. His car skidded to be facing Bridge Farm because Helen blocked him in deliberately to prevent him (from going anywhere) and stuck her hand on the horn.

lottiegarbanzo · 05/02/2017 12:10

Much 'dramatic licence' with Rob's conversation with Henry, I think. Helen could easily have been in and out of the house in that time. Were I doing what Rob was doing, I'd have said 'so sorry Henry, I can only take Jack this time, please don't try to follow.. I do love you (as seat removal takes longer than planned).. byee'.

I can only guess this was not a newborn car seat (mostly last to near 1 as I recall), undone with one seatbelt click, but the next type, with much isofix and seatbelt confusion.

As for Rob loving Henry really... I've always sort of thought that too but, it wasn't the case when he took the cabin-bed ladder away and prevented Helen from going to him when crying, early on, that was awful. Plus the boarding school plan and many other instances when Henry was in the way of Rob's plans ad wishes. I do think he feels real affection for him, has some connection and could have been a good father (and all the rest) if whatever went horribly wrong to/with him hadn't happened.

That's the thing with personality disorders isn't it, they're mostly triggered as a result of trauma, neglect etc. Perhaps people have innate potential (no idea) but, the little I know is they are (also) made. So Rob is not 'evil' he has some shreds of a decent person, pushed aside by his warped personality.

TheAntiBoop · 05/02/2017 13:00

I think rob was facing the branch and he got stuck in the mud trying to reverse (he said something to Jack about having to find another way). Helen then pulled in behind him. Pat and Kirsty then ended up the other side of the branch as they were heading to BF

I'm confused by josh who was on his way to BF (to look at the trailer?) so would also have been going in the opposite direction as knob. But wasn't.

If they don't call the police they will be on tenterhooks the whole time. Helen may think he's gone for good but I think if she was being rationally she would realise that he is not thinking rationally

AuldHeathen · 05/02/2017 13:25

Maybe Josh did get round the branch, much as Knob was trying to do.Possibly Josh had a better vehicle - but the mud was all churned up afterwards so when Knob reached it he got stuck

I need details of the physical kicking Knob was given, please. Did hear film and have tried LA but internet is rubbish here. So was it Helen and Henry or just Henry?

ppeatfruit · 05/02/2017 13:41

lottie Rob's idea of love is warped, he does love Henry in his own warped fashion, I mean he said he loved Helen too didn't he? A person who has been bought up in a heavily controlled way, equates that with love. They don't know , or ignore, the fact there are other ways to love someone. That love can be given freely.

Mootsie · 05/02/2017 13:48

I've been scratching my head about the position of the tree as well.

Josh was driving to Bridge Farm and had to turn round because of the fallen large branch. That makes sense.

Rob was speeding away from Bridge Farm and nearly hit Tom before Tom saw the tree so must have been driving in the opposite direction. He was then stopped in his tracks by the same tree but Tom was on the other side of it. Confused

Rob tries to turn round but would have had to find a side road or he would have gone straight back to Bridge Farm and probably collided with Helen who was driving off in a panic from Bridge Farm so was presumably behind Rob on the same road because she was able to catch up with him thanks to the fallen tree branch.

Kirsty and Pat, heading for Bridge Farm, then spot Rob's car and stop when they realise something's happening so they must have been on the other side of the tree - where Josh had to turn round.

They must have had to clamber over/through branches to get to the same side as Helen and Rob in order to grab Henry and Jack.

Helen then tells Rob to sod off NOW.

Why didn't Rob say, 'No chance. Not unless you can shift this bloody tree and get Kirsty's car out of the way?'

Am I worrying too much about this? Grin

Mootsie · 05/02/2017 13:51

Hang on.....I've got that wrong. I think Josh had already turned round when he was nearly hit by Rob so Rob must have been going towards Bridge Farm and not away from it.

GAH!

TheAntiBoop · 05/02/2017 14:29

No josh said the idiot speeding was going to have to turn around just like he did. And rob must have been going away from BF otherwise Helen couldn't have blocked him in

I know the josh bit was only there to tell us about the tree and speeding rob but it's really irritating me!!

R4 · 05/02/2017 14:41

I heard the beginning of the film this morning and two things have occurred to me:

Remember when Shula was having trouble with her horse? It was fine when Shula was talking to the incredibly rude and uncommunicative Pip. The horse only started misbehaving when Ruth turned up. Wise animal!

We all focused on Anisha asking for the quarter of a million pounds investment bur she also commented on late collection of fees. Alistair should have said to her "whatever overdue debts you collect, I'll match in asset funding". That would have put the ball right back in her court.

ppeatfruit · 05/02/2017 15:03

R4 Shula runs a livery stables doesn't she? So she'd have to exercise horses that are not her own , they might have been badly treated by their owners , or their previous owners. Therefore making the horse badly behaved.

theredjellybean · 05/02/2017 15:20

though my nerves couldn't stand it really, i had sort of hoped that Rob hung around a bit and 'wooed' helen back and the abuse all started again...as that would be so much more realistic of what actually happens to women in abusive and coercive relationships..

i am also disappointed in the dumbing down of Rob , he was clever beyond belief at getting Helen exactly where he wanted her before, ( and jess before her ) and now he cannot organise to kidnap Jack and meekly hands him over when faced by a bunch of women ( who he will see as his inferiors) it just didn't make sense to me...

peaceloveandbiscuits · 05/02/2017 15:23

"That's the thing with personality disorders isn't it, they're mostly triggered as a result of trauma, neglect etc. Perhaps people have innate potential (no idea) but, the little I know is they are (also) made. So Rob is not 'evil' he has some shreds of a decent person, pushed aside by his warped personality."
^
^
As a PD sufferer myself, I just have to point out that the symptoms of Rob's PD are not indicative of all PDs. We're not all evil and dangerous!

lottiegarbanzo · 05/02/2017 16:07

No of course. I know, so imagine others do, (though that assumption may be incorrect), that there are many types of personality disorder and that the Rob type is quite extreme.

My point was just that PDs are, well I want to say 'made not born', though I don't know enough to say there's no innate element. Therefore Rob had the potential to be a decent bloke and i think shreds of that character shine through - but then he doesn't know what to do with them / has very definite but peculiar ideas that override them.

I think many people see 'evil' as innate. That's a whole discussion in itself!

officerhinrika · 05/02/2017 16:37

There could of course be a side lane which allows you to go around the long way. Didn't Josh mention Sawyers?

R4 · 05/02/2017 16:44

I've just seen Lucas Madikane in The Chase! He introduced himself as an actor in TA, not he used to be ...

mummytime · 05/02/2017 16:48

I thought Rob drove out of Bridge farm and turn to the "normal" exit route, not knowing that road was blocked. Josh came from the "unusual" way as he had driven around the houses to get home.

Rob got to the point the road was blocked and then had to do a 17 point turn to go back, but in the process Helen caught up with him and blocked the Road. Pat and Kirsty tried to come home the normal way, but got blocked by the branch. But could see over it to Helen, and it probably wasn't that big a branch, just too big to just physically move out of the way - or could be dangerous to try to move as it would then crash down.
But I'm not sure how Rob would get out, unless Helen took Jack and let him go.

Rob obviously has some "human" traits left, as otherwise he couldn't manipulate people so well.

ErrolTheDragon · 05/02/2017 16:55

I think if Kirsty had been the same side as Helen, she might have called the police and stayed with Pat in her car blocking Rob in till they arrived, but as it was, the priority was, reasonably enough, to get the boys safe home. Thinking about it, I seem to remember Pat saying 'granny's here' to henry, so he may have run over to her and if she had him then she might have been occupied comforting him rather than getting on

peaceloveandbiscuits · 05/02/2017 17:15

Yeah Pat said to Kirsty to take Henry when Helen asked her to get Jack.

Shallishanti · 05/02/2017 18:19

yeah, I'm struggling with the idea that Rob handed Jack back, they got into Helen's car, then presumably Helen will have had to do the 17 point turn in order to get back to BF while Rob sat quietly in his care waiting for her to go so he could leave.
Really hope that tonight we hear he has been arrested.

TheAntiBoop · 05/02/2017 18:40

Well he had to get unstuck from the mud. Do you think he had to awkwardly sit around and wait for the aa?

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