The Archers: Discussion #84. New Year and some of us are still listening even if we don't know why.

[DadDadDad]

New posters welcome - with your fresh views and burning questions.

Old posters welcome - with your jaded views and knowledgeable answers.

But new posters feel free to be jaded, and old posters feel free to ask questions!

How is the Pip storyline going to play out and do you care?

As usual, if you want to mention the advertised storylines for future episodes, there's a separate thread for that - no spoilers here, please.

Just imagine we're all sitting round a table at The Bull -->

Lexi doesn't seem to give a damn about Roy.

Alice, Kate, Pip and Helen are all spoiled and self-obsessed. I keep forgetting that they are supposed to be adult women rather than teenagers.

Will Alice also be pregnant? Will she give up the booze?

Yes it's only her body that men are squabbling about. Horrible storyline that TA are just not skilled enough to handle.

She's been very quick to make the decision and it's all been very odd tbh

It all seems very rushed and ill thought through (sw and characters!)

I think the Lexi surrogacy is an interesting storyline. She’s not doing it for purely altruistic reasons, she’s looking for a way to spend some time with her own kids who she’s been apart from for ages. I don’t think there is any danger she won’t hand over the baby. If she wanted another baby she could have had one with Roy. Interesting that we were speculating she might be doing this so she could stay in Ambridge, but in fact she’s doing it so she can go back to Bulgaria.

I do think it's a bit unfair on poor Roy though.

I feel a bit sorry for Roy, but he needs to face facts. Lexi is a lovely, sweet person, but she is also someone hard-headed and practical enough to leave her children behind to seek her fortune elsewhere. Looked at from this point of view he shouldn’t be surprised she’s putting her own self-interest ahead of their relationship. She wanted to earn money more than she was wanted to be with her kids, but really she wants to be with her kids - now she’s found a way to potentially do both. He’s just incidental - she likes being with him while she’s in Ambridge but in a choice between him and her kids, her kids win.

It's just all very false and feels shoehorned

No reason why she can't have the baby in Bulgaria and then sell it!!!

Although doesn't she mean they pay her enough so she can go back to Bulgaria after the baby is born? It would be a bit off for Adam and Ian to not want her in the UK for medical reasons etc and why she would want to spend time with her kids when heavily pregnant rather than not.

Also, is there any particular reason she doesn't want to bring the girls over? At least in school holidays? How old are they?

Also, there's been no consideration of the health risks associated with pregnancy.

It also feels really wrong that the sl is following the path of 'rent a womb' in that her sole motivation is money. I find that morally very uncomfortable - especially as she comes from a poorer country.

i don't think this topic is a good one for the archers tbh and wish they had gone down the more 'official' route or shown adoption

Hmm. I think Lexie's motivations are mixed - part empathy for Ian and Adam's plight, part wanting to be with her children. I think she knows it will mean sacrifices, but, lets face it, it's probably better than being a picker. She has had the self-awareness to see that it needs to be a donor egg.

Isn't that part of the issue though? That's selling her body is seen as her best chance of earning a decent living?

"i don't think this topic is a good one for the archers tbh and wish they had gone down the more 'official' route or shown adoption"
I agree. I feel very uncomfortable about the way it's being handled.

And the groundswell on here that Lexi can't care very much for her children if she's leaving them to "better herself" is worrying too. And misogynist.

Not only are Ian and Adam willing to exploit Lexi as someone who is economically vulnerable they are willing to exploit her as their employee/ex-employee who may be looking to them for work in the future.
(I know Ian isn't her employer but he was the one who interviewed her for the GG post I recall)
And if she is to have someone else's egg implanted doesn't that lead to yet another level of complex medical intervention and uncertainty?
I think Ian needs to realise she just isn't as in to him as he is into her

Are her kids teenagers?

She feels very parachuted in - there's no context to how often she has left her kids or how recent it is etc etc.

In terms of leaving kids it's not unusual and has been done by Kate as well - although not for economic reasons so she was definitely judged a lot more!

Actually, my opinion of Brian has been going up recently, but I thought he was utterly despicable last night.

Re. the comment upthread that all the recent pregnancies have been unnecessarily dramatic: there have been normal pregnancies in between but because there's not much drama in them they haven't been given a lot of airtime. Emma/Keira, and Nic/Poppy were both unexceptionable as far as I can remember.

Lexie won't have the baby in Bulgaria. This is a 6 day a week soap. The SW aren't going to cover a sigh controversial SL with s silent character.

I think a more predictable arc will be for Lexie's DC being brought to Ambridge and into the story.

Nic’s pregnancy and birth with Poppy were pretty straightforward, just a bit of heaistation before they decided to try for another baby. Also I think Emma with Keira was fairly uneventful.

I’m not surprised that Roy is not keen for Lexie to be the surrogate but he’s not doing himself any favours by shouting and grumping about it. It’s a tricky one- too early in their relationship for him to say “Bring the girls over to live here with us”.

Can anyone remember why the GG job is temporary?

Cross post Fink!

That' not the case Anti Lexi talks a lot about her teenage girls who are being well looked after by her mum. They don't always want to FaceTime , Skype or whatever , or talk on the phone etc etc.

Do we know anything about the father of Lexi's children?

I don't remember her mentioning him. extincr