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...

I'd like Russ to get his comeuppance slowly, and agonisingly, over years. Decades of disappointment and humiliation. His wife despising him, his children ignoring him, his parents cutting him out of any inheritance, poorly attended shows, bad reviews, eventually dismissive ex-friends, mounting debts, fading hopes.

Just desserts ...

Quater I do think that it takes 2, Lily DID say she wanted to go away with him, it may have been a rebellion but she's not a fool.

That sounds like a lot of pain for Lily too, Quater.

I'm optimistic on Lily's account. Once the rose coloured glasses fall off she'll be stronger and wiser.

It’s a shame Peggy is funding the Laurels. I thought we were going to get a bed-blocking storyline there.

Yes, but stuck with him as the father of her children?!

Don't fret, it may never happen!

She could be back next week - wokless and free and ready to take over from poor, broken Geraldine.

Usually I need the compare and contrasts pointing out to me - but tonight was easy. Though I fear Fallon may have been taking lessons at the Pip Archer School of Articulation.

Am I alone in rather hoping the Fallon/Harrison board game would turn out to be some quasi-sexual role play?:o

On listening again to some previous eps, I was mistaken in thinking that there was an assumption that Christine would be going elsewhere after the Laurels, but now I'm not so sure. Certainly there'll be much pearl-clutching when it comes out that Peggy is funding Christine's care.

that Fallon board game thing was WEIRD AF

and all the 'oh haha Christine is rolling in it she'll be FINE' conversations are making me cringe. I wonder if paying for the Laurels is going to be what stops Peggy bailing Jenny out.

is Justin being set up as a baddy? I didn't like how he talked to Lilian. then pretending to Brine and JD that he'd sacked the deal off out of the kindness of his heart. Hmm. all this with him being a bit of a nob and everyone getting beaten over the head with reminded about auntie cardboard's financial woes is making me wonder if Matt could be due to come back on the scene, to reimburse Christine and look like a lovable wideboy who's still not over his pusscat....

you have to admit, that would be a hell of a christmas drama. come on work with me people, please tell me I can dream.

They are certainly labouring the point that everyone thinks Christine loaded.

Justin IS a baddy. He’ll throw Lil out at some stage and she’ll remember she is not his wife and does not have a home.

One of my problems with Justin Is that his character is very loosely defined according to the requirements of the plot. He veers between ruthless business tycoon and aimiable old buffer in the same way that his business holdings grow and shrink according to the whim of the SW (as pointed out by a pp during the portaloo incident). I also think he diminishes the character of Lillian who was more interesting and better defined when single or when she was with Old Matt (ie Matt before Ambridge Extra which transformed him into the pantomime villain he became latterly).

Justin really is a baddy and always has been. All that bollocks about the wedding-and wanting Lillian to sign over stuff to Damara......

Lillian is always diminished by the men in her life, it's what the scriptwriters do to her for some reason. I much prefer Lillian without Matt.

I thought the Board game thing was weird but then I don't live almost next door to my mum who I get on well with!

I did note that Lilian didn't get so upset about Justin renegeing on the number of cheaper houses he's building, as she was about his Ms belcher's plans to gut Home Farm.

“Lillian is always diminished by the men in her life, it's what the scriptwriters do to her for some reason.”

Yep. TASWAMA.

Not in my opinion Bert It's generational thing. Also a personality thing , there are men who are dominated by their partners, male or female.

"Justin IS a baddy. He’ll throw Lil out at some stage and she’ll remember she is not his wife and does not have a home."

I just gasped at this - I had almost forgotten about the wedding that wasn't really. He totally will won't he? oooooaaaaahhhhhhhh noooooooooooooaaaahhhh

and yyyyyyyy to the total inconsistency of this - when he and lil were still a clandestine thing, the story was that he had properly fallen hard for her, had always shagged around on miranda but never got attached enough to his various sidepieces to get divorced. then she was all wanting the shirt off his back (and fair play to her tbf) and he was just letting her get on with it so he could be free to marry Lillian, like a proper lovestruck buffoon.

I wonder if Linda is going to do a Christmas carol hence the little chat with Jim

ohhhhh YES

when she was pitching the roles to L&J - the go getter businessman was obvs Scrooge

I do like it when they show Lynda's wily/emotionally intelligent side rather than just having her in juggernaut mode all the time.

God, Tom is such a fun-sucker ...

How could Hannah turn down an offer like that though, I know I couldn't have resisted throwing my knickers at him

How is their marriage not a marriage? I must have missed that part of the prog.

As for Freddie, I'm not sure what the moral of this story line is - tell lots of R4 listeners that selling drugs is a bad idea! As for conditions in prison, you only have to listen to news to hear how nightmarish it is in their for inmates and staff. I can't really see how it's all going to resolve itself. I like tidy storylines!

I caught Sundays episode a second time on Monday and did wonder if they’re hinting at Lizzy’s demise? Lots of “I’ll get him out of there if it’s the last thing I do” type sentiments. Will the stress kill her off?