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 -->

Madcats - I mentioned it upthread. I also have issues with George Clooney becoming a dad at 56 but he's not in the Archers - yet.

Then again, I know a woman who became a mother at 54 with the help of a donor egg.

All that comparing scans between Ruth and Toby ... how old's Pip? I have a 27 year old DC, and we got a single scan and none of the audio effects. Could Ruth really have remembered blood swishing noises from her Pip scan?

Also - we had to have really full bladders to get a good pic - there was none of this checking weight and health and making sure everything was OK, the staff were aware that the slightest thing could have caused a flooded floor, it was in, scan, "OK, the loo's on the left". Have things changed?

Nice (brief) TA interview with Noli actress.

I lik That her favourite relationships were with Peggy and Brian

I shall miss Kate and Noluthando. Kate because she is so entertaining in her awfulness, and everyone sees right through her; and Noluthando because she challenges Kate and is a believable character. Also they can both act.
Cf Pip who is awful but not entertainingly so, and is considered wonderful by those around her, and is not acted well.

I don't think we had sound effects for scans when I was expecting, but you could certainly pick up the sound of the heartbeat and blood swishing by other means.

That business of Peggy wanting Noluthando to have something to remember her by, and being silent about the chances of getting to South Africa, was all a bit ominous.

I shall miss Kate and Noluthando.

Me too! I love a bit of challenging characterisation. Too many people seem to expect their soap characters to be bland and anodyne.

Bash I had scans (last one 30 years ago quite a few before) And I only remember that sound of the blood rushing. Every time I wasn't offered any pix though!

JeNeSuis I agree. Also some people don't seem to think they should be allowed to change their minds!

I'll miss them too, and really hope they'll be back before too long. In the actress interview, she talks about being nervous and learning a lot. Well she was fabulous and I'd really like her back asap.

I agree with the conversation with Peggy sounding ominous. I also suspect she has done something like given Christine a lifetime interest in the cottage.

I don't think it's ominous that Peggy wants to give Noluthando something to remember her by - it's realistic. Peggy is 93. She doesn't know when Noluthando will be back in Ambridge, but it could be years away.

Visiting Noluthando in South Africa isn't realistic - where would she stay? Would Kate's ex-husband really want to host his ex-wife's nonogenarian grandmother? She wouldn't want to be a lone traveller in a hotel in her nineties. I can't imagine her wanting to travel with Kate, or Kate wanting to travel with her. A visit to South Africa is just wishful thinking on Noluthando's part.

Has anyone mentioned that Shula is acting wierd and guilty? I've thought it was her that run down Matt for ages. But I may have missed some obvious info about her not being able to leave the ball. Anyone?

I don't understand what they are doing with Shula. She got frisky when DocLocke was reintroduced. She stressed about putting on the ball but didn't get herself an organising committee. She fell out with staff and clients. She was weird after the ball. She had 'my husband doesn't understand me' conversations with Philip the builder. She was very underwhelmed by the prospect of her Lapland holiday and has hardly mentioned it since.
She has been troubled and/or prickly all year.

Jog Alastair made a comment to Shula that he hadn't been able to find her for ages at the ball and she got quite defensive and said she'd been there all night but had been very busy and that was why he couldn't find her. I've had my suspicions too, and so have some other posters.

Yes when Lil was talking about her 'non' honeymoon and asked Shules about Norway , her reply was very unenthusiastic\guilty sounding. (She's got the ,however many years, anniversary itch)

I don't think it's necessarily ominous with regard to Peggy, but realistic. Peggy is not going to go to S.A., it is a strong possibility she won't see Noli again. I thought those scenes were lovely and I am not usually a big Peggy fan.
I assume Shula is having an affair.

With the changing one's mind thing, for me it's not so much the fact that several people recently have changed their mind on big issues, clearly that is realistic. It's more the poor writing which has made it seem as though they've suddenly done it almost on a whim. Toby about the pregnancy was the worst: he was 100% dead set against it, listened to Kenton for 2 minutes saying he wished he'd never given up his daughter, and suddenly was the most enthusiastic expectant dad ever. I could understand if he had gradually softened to the idea through a series of conversations, seeing a scan picture etc. But it just seemed so unrealistic to have a complete volte-face in the space of a couple of minutes.

Toby's not going to change his mind again is he? All that 'sound of the blood' stuff was WEIRD!

I know it's realistic about Peggy not going to South Africa, but the point is that when the SWs deliberately put in a bit of dialogue about something like that, alarm bells ring.

On another topic, when Ruth was going on about her scan with Pip and how David said that was going to become someone who called them Mum and Dad, was anyone else thinking - Little did they know that she was also going to become someone who would be thoroughly selfish and who would spend a lifetime walking away from awkwardness declaring she can't cope with it. There was also a marked absence of discussion from Ruth about the wonder of the Josh and Ben scans. Poor kids, also-rans even as foetuses.

And we had Peggy asking to take someone's arm about two weeks ago. I know we're all in a state of wonderment that Peggy is doing as well as she is at that age, but if a SW has her taking someone's arm, it's significant.

Either that, or it's designed to get us all worried, only to have her swallow some magic rejuvenating keffir and swan off to SA after all, so that the editor can go on to R4 and swank about how cleverly he misled the listeners.

I had "heard" Toby coming around to the idea over several episodes, he just was feeling that he "wouldn't be allowed" to be involved. Kenton just encouraged him to go for it. I don't know what that fuss about blood rushing was.

Maybe like the Dr that Martin Clunes plays he has a " blood rush noise" phobia!!

Pip was all 'I'm pregnant and having an abortion' then 'I'm pregnant and I'm having the baby ' and making it clear that it was nothing to do with Toby. He was trying to accept her decision.