The Archers #96: Is that a rat I smell or the whiff of Snell? In Chaucer’s famous Tale of Two Torsos, Brian’s ‘still got it’ and Poldark is searching for scything opportunities in Susan’s kitchen.

[NotdeadyetBOING]

Welcome..... I'd concocted a longer title with all sorts of references to bitch stitching and pasta bakes, but was thwarted by the pesky character limit

Pretty words from Russ last night but did you notice the music in the background when Lily was talking to Jill and wangling a Christmas Day invitation for Russ - Fairytale of New York (I could have been someone / Well so could anyone / You took my dreams from me ...)

I noticed the music but wasn't sure of the meaning - certainly foreshadowing some kind of discord.

Of course Russ would rather not have Christmas with his parents. Anything but.

He's happy to draw nice sketches of the house and dream of himself in it as a member of the family.

I was nearly shouting at Lily (from the train's quiet carriage) when she basically apologised to Russ for him having ruined his relationship with his parents. And did he apologise in return? No, he was so gracious and forgiving in accepting her grovelling.

With the music, I'm being pathetic and playing Whamageddon, so I'm just glad we didn't get hit with that.

Fink I failed at Whamageddon on 1st Dec!

I've got to brave a large shopping centre tomorrow. It may well be my downfall!

I learnt about Whamageddon a few weeks ago (for those who can't be arsed to google, basically you "lose" if you hear "Last Christmas" being played), and thought that will be easy to win given my listening habits. Then I was in Tesco a few days later and it dawned on me that in the background the fatal track was being played...

(Other supermarkets playing cheesy Christmas selections are available).

OF COURSE its Saint Delia's tilly who else's ?? I'm frightened to think about the age of my pot of mincemeat )

I was quite enjoying Lily telling Russ to get real, I thought it was a healthy antidote to the Knob storyline. And then she went and spoilt it by apologising.

It was utterly ridiculous of Russ to suggest Lily could catch up on her course better by coming back to Manchester when the term is about to end.

I wonder how long it's going to take Russ to work out that something's actually wrong with Elizabeth beyond flu. It's like a game of 'how self-absorbed are you?'. I think, given how self-absorbed he is, it might take him quite a while.

Lily mentioned the doctor: the professionals haven't spotted that the "flu" seems to be going on for an extraordinary length of time so it seems a little unfair to expect Russ (who only arrived on Wed) to notice. But I would expect a bit more "what can I do to help?" instead of going off sketching (or is that a pointed message that now he has his Muse back ...)
When Lily was asking about an extra place at the Xmas table, Jill sounded surprised by the idea of a bf and as if she was expecting someone else. Who? I can't figure it out.

I think Jill thinks Lily is gay, linked to the hilarious misunderstanding that Lily allowed Elizabeth to believe when she was still hiding Russ. What I can't remember is how Jill knows this.

Ah, that makes sense.
It was indeed hilarious.

I didn't know that Jill did know that. I thought perhaps she'd been going to say that she thought it would be nice if it were just family, at least people who were known to the family, but then stopped herself.

I may be wrong as I can't work out how Jill would know. Lizzie told jenny I think because of Ian.

Sainsbury’s was where I fell in Whamaggedon. Supermarkets are shattering Christmas dreams

I am winning so far with Whammageddon. You watch, I'll get hit with it tomorrow! :o

Going back to the Natasha-and-poptarts storyline, is she going to turn out to have some kind of eating disorder? “Just picks at her food”... And didn’t Helen have one too? Maybe they can then bond over their shared difficulty with eating?! (Odd for two ladies who make their living out of making food...)

I wonder that Ruby but also wonder if it's a signal of how awful and unauthentic she is. Very much not a Jill or a Jenny or even a Clarrie or a Nic.

the professionals haven't spotted that the "flu" seems to be going on for an extraordinary length of time so it seems a little unfair to expect Russ to

yes R4 although Lilzzie is hiding and Lily is lying to protect her, although I'm not sure protect is the right word here.

Does anyone else think that les Soeurs Heureuse is a ridiculous name for a restaurant?

True Cara Especially considering that when they did appear, ( it seems a while ago now , didn't Jill throw something at one of them?) they seemed to be anything but a happy couple of sisters.

I was also playing Whammaggeddon. Panto intermission caught me out last Saturday. Boo, hiss.

I don't think Lily will return to university. Elizabeth is going to have a full blown breakdown (on Christmas Day?) and she'll have to take over. It doesn't make sense to send her away from a story point of view because she's a character with lots of potential dramatic interactions (Russ, Kenton, Freddie). I think she will end up with the other Fairbrother. The good one. The Fairfather will like that very much I think and it will give them a reason to involve the unctuous Anthony Head more often (hooray!).

If Lily does end up with Rex, maybe the family will be happy that she's with someone only around 15 years older than her (do we know how old Rex is exactly?) rather than around 25 years. She'll be moving in the right direction!

Personally, I think the only way it would happen is if the SW:
a) forget how old Rex is supposed to be
and
b) cement their status as misogynists (or 'mysticum busts' as my autocorrect wanted me to say) by putting a young, intelligent, previously (before Russ) ambitious woman with an older Tim nice but dim who has already shown his true colours when he gave up on a happy, loving relationship in order to live in a village where he has neither a stable job, nor real roots (apart from a flighty brother), nor a home of his own, nor any discernable reason to stay.

It would be so cringey (for want of a better word!) for an 19 year old to bring her 40 year old boyfriend to a family get together. My nieces/nephews who are late teens/early 20s would be mortified!

Yep I will be interested to hear Jills sighs, Rosies first Christmas is going to be fun.