The Archers #93: The Flower and Produce show - who's going to get their just desserts. Freddie? Ellis? Russ? Pass judgement here.

[DadDadDad]

No, that's not a jokey exaggeration, this is really the 93rd thread in a series started by PseudoBadger five years ago! In fact, post number 90,000 in the "official" count will be made on this thread.

Lovers of The Archers welcome (along with the rest of us who have a more complicated relationship with the "TA" ).

One rule we try to stick to: No mentioning of future episode plotlines published in the Radio Times etc. However, once an episode has aired, say what you like!

What is going to happen to Freddie? And are we ever going to hear from Lily again?
I also am wondering what it will take for Kenton to apologise to Fallon...

Freddie was lacking confidence and desperate to be 'in' with the cool kids.

Yes but Noli was also very lonely and unhappy as well as being younger than Freddie and in a strange country. He went into dealing for Ellis against her advice.

Honestly considering the extent of Freddie's dealing in Class As (which was for greed to pay for a fancy trip abroad, rather than simply being in the cool gang) I think an effective 6 month sentence was pretty light. I'm assuming the police were not told it nearly killed Noli.

I have no idea why the LSWs kept peddling the notion that he might get community service.

Thanks Lass I do understand now. So a farm has a loan in perpetuity, I winder what happens if the farm gets split up and sold?

Ugh, Hannah just gets worse and worse. I can only assume she's meant to be quite attractive otherwise what would Tom see in her?

That’s the thing - the fact that she chose him and he chose her reflects so badly on each of them - it can’t possibly succeed as comedy.

What does LSW stand for? I just keep thinking 'Lazy Script Writers' .

Hannah just gets more unpleasant by the day. That pisstaking of Jazzer was weird. Well not so much the pisstaking, but when he snapped at her she said 'Jazzer' is such a wounded tone. Is it just that she's one of those twats who can dish it but not take it?

is Jazzer OK?
was a bit worried about him last night
he does a physical job, surely he shouldn't be struggling that much

newt Jazzer's given up smoking, I suppose he was a 10 to 20 a day type so he would be feeling crap .

Good for him giving hatefulhann. a bit of her own medicine. MrsArthur she does sound that unpleasant person.

So a farm has a loan in perpetuity, I winder what happens if the farm gets split up and sold?

It is not really in perpetuity. Business loans will be for a fixed period , but subject to review and rxtension. It is the business which has the loan, secured and guaranteed by whoever owns the land. If the land is sold the charge has to be discharged by the loan being repaid.

Thanks Lass

Am just catching up. Tom and Hannah yuk yuk yuk.
I can see that in drama terms she would be opposed to whatever Helen suggests etc re the business and long term not good for Jonny, even though Ton N Pat support him.

If horrible Hannah is here for the long term she will be pushing Tom to assert his rights over Helen and Johnny.

Alistair was mean to join in too. I thought Jazzer was quite gracious given the circumstances.

Did anyone else pick up the point where Hannah said “sorry, what?” to Tom as though she were still preoccupied with the Jazzer exchange? It’s 7’51 into the podcast. What could it mean...?

I wondered too. I can’t remember if they’re training for a marathon or just ... running. If the former, it occurred to me that she’d been goaded into joining in with whatever it is they’re preparing for. Though she certainly didn’t sound jolly about it. Curious ...

Okay.

I don’t think a BOOP is quite right. This is really hard listening. Give that boy an Oscar.

Yes. I thought Elizabeth was well acted too, at least whilst she was in there. I thought Freddie sounded like he was coping much better than she gave him credit for.

Did Elizabeth hear the Brookfield Archers gossiping about Freddie in the kitchen when she came back from the loo?

I assumed that was going to happen and couldn't bear to hear it so I switched off just before the end!

Who was it who said he’d come out hard as nails? I can see that now.

Poor Elizabeth. Poor all of them.

Do you mean you CAN"T see it now, Quater? I think it's horrific. The punishment is supposed to be loss of liberty. It's not supposed to be dehumanising, dangerous and terrifying. And Ruth's delightedly scandalised, "Ooh, he's not as naif as we think'" (don't you think she's just loving this drama?) is completely off-beam. It's one thing to be flogging pills to people who are happy to see you because they want what you are selling, and you are securing them a good weekend (whatever you think of dance drugs, the people who take them really, really look forward to having them - even Jonneh got ripped to the tits at the IoW festival, did he not - in fact, introduced Freddeh to E, as I remember). It's another to have the shit kicked out of you in the bogs just so some other poor bit of prison-fodder can keep his place in the hierarchy. God. I hope TA take the opportunity to shine a light on this shameful little corner of our public sector and policy.

No FreezerBird or at least not that we heard. I was worried about the same!

No - I meant ‘can’! Obvious story arc - he starts off battered and terrified, but learns the ‘rules’ and finds out which of his own personal qualities can be employed to control or manipulate situations. So it could well be ‘the making of him’ - though not in the way his loving family might want.

It was the 🔮 that said this would be the making of Freddy. It did not specify exactly what it would make him into though.

I still like Hannah( although agree she was mean to Neil). Toms a wet blanket and Emma and Helen are very smug. I think Hannah’s been introduced to make other characters show a different side of themselves. Plus I think the actress delivers her lines really well.

However hate the “ farce” of will they / won’t they get caught.

I just hope someone can stop Elizabeth making things worse.
I could see Freddie eventually using his charm to establish himself a place. Maybe by his knowledge/appreciation of music (rap not Beethoven).

Admittedly she is also worried about Lily and even the Doppies suspect something now.

Does anyone follow this blog? - prison bag

It's written by the wife of a man in prison for supposedly defrauding the Inland Revenue. It makes me despair at the petty cruelties of prison life while at the same time inspiring me at the will of the inmates to survive however they can.

I hate the Freddie storyline and don't think I can bear to listen. It's so depressing. I just hope it does some good in highlighting the problems in our 'justice' system.

(Can't stand Tom 'n' Hannah either for totally different reasons!)

I thought Freddie sounded like he was functioning ok. Poor Elizabeth just can't see why his crime deserves punishment. She needs to talk to Kate again I think. His crime had consequences.

The system is terrible though and the suicide and self harm rate amongst prisoners is a national disgrace. I did a little bit of prison visiting in a women's open prison once. The way the guards generally speak to the women turned my stomach. You cease to be a person. Not all of the guards but a fair number and I was only there a couple of hours!