Who let the cows out? Moo, moo, moo moo! Will Pip be caught out, and will Matt or Justin bowl a maiden over? Discuss The Archers here

[PseudoBadger]

'Ello pusscat!
I am eagerly anticipating Pip's downfall.

It was quite satisfying to hear Pip told Ruth was disappointed in her after she'd begged to be told how Ruth felt despite her obvious reluctance to say anything. She clearly thought she'd be able to win get mother round like she'd done with David. So now I guess she knows whether there's nothing worse than not knowing!

But think how awful it would feel to say it!

I think this one might divide us into people with adult children and people without.

Is anyone here (probably with young children) familiar with Ben and Holly. Peggy and Anissa reminded me of Mrs witch and Nanny Plum

I thought that Tom had a real nerve telling David that he should have stayed away tonight - presumably the party? Cheeky sod.

Tom is back to being his old obnoxious self again.

I've been waiting for Pip and Ruth to have that conversation, but hated the way it was done. "I'll meet you on the terrace in ten minutes" "Are you sure you want to hear it?" Ridiculously over theatrical and contrived. Ruth at her absolute worst - I think I'm going to have to move to New Zealand and I don't know when I'm coming back - in terms of delivery. She needed to say those things to Pip and it was all true, but would have preferred it if she had just blurted it out in the cowshed during early morning milking when there was as no one else around rather than waiting until they were at a family party for a carefully staged set piece. Was that intended to add import to her words, to carefully signal (as if we needed it) that the tide has turned for Pip? I also found Pip's reaction very stilted - and she is continuing to lie. The reason she lied about the cows getting out was because Toby told her to and the reason she continued to lie about it was because he advised her to brazen it out.

This Pip and Ruth thing is ridiculous! I see Gruach put it much more succinctly.

"I'll meet you on the terrace in ten minutes" Are you sure you want to hear it?" Ridiculously over theatrical and contrived.

Absolutely. I had the distinct feeling that the SW had ended up on the wrong soap, writing a scene for an entirely different type of story.

Those photos of the actor that plays Justin Eliott remind me of how Paul Weller looks these days.

I would be terribly ashamed if I knew DD had lied in this way and I might look at myself and wonder if I should feel some responsibility .
Ruth is annoying but Pip is way beyond that. All last week we were lead to believe that she had a conscience with her halfhearted attempts to come clean and all the 'Pip has taken it really badly'talk and yet still she is acting almost as a victim with no insight or empathy whatsoever. Her lies have caused hurt to her parents , her brothers( poor silent Ben) , Clarrie and Ed, her extended family and the cows! I am furious with her.

Regarding Elizabeth's former boy-friends who Lily invited to the party.

I remember Tim Beacham, and various hi-jinx, but what about Terry Barford? Is he related to Christine Barford??

Terry Barford was George Barford's son.

Unfortunately my Archers books are in another room - so I cannot say why on earth he would be at Elizabeth's party...

Lillian, Gruach - you've hit the nail on the head. "It's serious what I have to say, but for dramatic purposes I'm going to wait ten minutes before I say it..... Oh, I'm deeply ashamed of you but I was never going to tell you, just sigh meaningfully every time I saw you. I'm only telling you because you've insisted." Weird

Yep, it was as if they were all in a (not very good) Feydeau farce..

Well, I'm hoping obnoxious Pip will be crushed and vanish, but suspect we're doomed to her strange enunciation forever. Don't mind Tom being obnoxious while David and Ruth have (aided and abetted by obnoxious Pip's lies) been so bloody-minded about not sharing the pain. So, now I suppose they will come clean, make an offer of compensation, Tom and Brian will turn the screw a bit harder, Brookfield will have to dig deep financially (HeatherPet's legacy drained) and maybe Pip will have to get a job elsewhere if the farm can't afford to pay her. In her shoes, I'd be getting a job elsewhere and sending stipends home to pay off my debt.

Lilly's going to crowdfund Toby's distilling business, so he can resist Kenton's (really rather cheeky) offer. And we're doomed to more Fairbrother storyline. Was there ever a worse innovation?

Jill is going to warble and coo annoyingly.

Shame Ifty wasn't at the party to give Lizzie a birthday kiss! And maybe fatally bowl at Pip's head!

I've just listened and I thought it was very well done. It successfully conveyed the impression that Ruth would have preferred more time to process her thoughts but that she couldn't resist Pip's demand that they talk any longer. Knowing that what she was going to say would have a long-lasting, detrimental impact on their relationship explains Ruth's reluctance. I think she also wanted Pip to understand that she wasn't just blurting out accusations in the heat of the moment - that she'd given it a lot of thought. It was a dramatic conversation. They're still in the eye of the storm. It's a terrible, terrible costly mess.

I did enjoy David and Kenton's hilarity at Elizabeth's discomfort about her exes. Proper family ribbing. :)

How long after the cows mingling did Brookfield discover the IBR? And how long after that did the IBR get discovered in the other herds? I assume in that time a few cows would have been saved if they had known?

We've all been complaining about pip and hopefully this is the pivotal moment where she becomes a better character. Problem will continue to be the fact she's a terrible actor but at least there is some progress.

As for Tom - interesting how he's reverting to type. I hope this isn't going to end in him having a breakdown (again) because of the miscarriage and he gets to blame his shitty behaviour on that. Did he really mean David shouldn't have gone to his own sisters birthday party?

I thought Tom's rude behaviour was inexcusable.

Bit sad to see the mockery of Nigel's best friend though....

Well, David did rather try and manipulate the occasion to back Tom into a corner and lever some goodwill out of him, ahead of what he knows is going to be a very difficult climbdown. Or maybe David's not that bright? He should have just steered clear and confined his interactions to polite smiles, waves and nods.

I'll meet you on the terrace in ten minutes what bollocks.
Since when has Ruth just reigned in her temper ?
I'm hoping the party continues on Sunday, and that someone has overheard them and spills the beans.
I don't think that this will necessarily destroy Ruth and Pip's relationship, but the dynamics will change.
I have an adult DD who can be very challenging that's being polite but at the minute she's struggling with some problems, and she knows I've got her back.

Just something I wanted to add (not, for once, Pip-related)...but WHY does dodgy Matt have to be involved in racing? As a racing professional myself, I know a lot of people in the industry and can count the dodgy ones on one hand - it's such a cliche rooted in some 1970's notion of dirty raincoats and shady dealings. Also, it is quite clear he knows very little (a bit like 'equine vet' Anisha) or why would he be going to the sales at Newmarket and Cheltenham? The 2yo sales at Newmarket finished earlier this week ( there are more, but not for another couple of weeks) and Cheltenham is a sale for jumps horses, which is a very European discipline, almost extinct in the USA, never mind 'up and coming' Costa Rica. If any Archers researchers are reading, I am available for proof-reading any of your racing-related quotes

I thought the scene with Pip was quite well written. It was in character for Pip to pick her aunt's 50th birthday party to be all about her.