Thread #106: Jim’s in a jam, Peggy’s made a pickle and Lexi is blooming - sounds like the entries are lining up for this year’s flower and produce show, but who will be on the organising committee?

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Thanks to LillianGish for the title of this thread.

Holding episode tonight, I thought - not much progress on any current storyline. I was a touch surprised Natasha wasn't offended by the postnup idea but I suspect she's biding her time.

I was thinking about Peggy's summary ditching of Emma in favour of Kate as cleaner. One the one hand, a rich seam of comedy passed unmined as Kate proved to be as useless as we anticipated. On the other, while Emma has got double time, it confirms Peggy as piece of work. Capricious and high-handed.

To be clear - I was not questioning Phoebe’s exam results process. (And I cant imagine that my experience at another place, more than thirty years ago, is of any relevance.)

I am questioning the SWs inexplicable decision to bring her back to Ambridge with, as she reported, “no job, no internship”.

And last night it looked as if she’s about to be recruited by Adam to manage his Ambridge Charitable Trust bid.

I am praying there will be a credible explanation for this editorial decision soon. She’s had three years of PPE at Oxford - and her only work experience during the entirety of that period seems to have been fruit picking on her grandparents farm. This is simply unacceptable writing.

Even if they whip something out from the depths of their sleeeves - an astonishing, global business plan with huge financial backing already in place, or a billion dollar book deal, or whatever - I’m not going to believe them, because they haven’t shown her doing anything that might constitute preparation for a high flying future. Or even a middling future.

Guess she’s about to become an Influencer ...

The Phoebe thing is weird. Considering that most of her family are in a fairly precarious position at the moment, if you were her wouldn't you have sorted a job (any job!)?
Where is she living?

Phoebe was living with Roy. (And Lexi.) And Kirsty. Wouldn’t be surprised if the addition of Philip to the domestic mix is a step too far for her comfort. But, of course there’s no Home Farm to go back to!

In the face of my earlier fulminations - and based on her nervousness regarding her results - my best guess is that she’s going back to Oxford for a postgrad degree. (Possibly involving a stay in South Africa with her half siblings?)

But even so she should have been hoovering up relevant work experience for the past three years.

Oxford graduation ceremonies for 2019/20 start on 13th July this year, so you'd think Phoebe would have her results already. If Jenny, at least, doesn't make a huge fuss about going to see her get her degree, I'll eat my fascinator.

I'm pleased Emma decided to charge Peggy double time, the house must be thick in dust and cat hairs!
I liked the way Jim felt the need to thoroughly clean his kitchen, and when he over did it how kind Alistair and Jazzer were.

The Phoebe thing is plain weird.

Why on earth didn't they magic her up a job or at least an internship/work experience (probably back at Christmas). They ought to have sent her over to Brussels/Strasbourg or DEFRA this summer so she could pop back from time to time to spout agri-facts and annoy Brian. She doesn't even appear to have any holiday plans.

Where is/can she live - with Peggy and Kate?

Whilst there might be a strong storyline for Jim (though I can't say I am a fan of these sensational/soap plots), the rest seems really odd.

“The Phoebe thing is plain weird”
TASWAMA

Maybe Feebs wants a rest (fed up with all the pressure and stress etc.) Give her a break fgs.

Maybe she’d been planning on going into the politics part of PPE but right now (being sane) is having a rethink?

I don’t have a problem with her not having a job to go straight into. I do have a problem with her not apparently doing anything with her long summer vacs except come home and fruit pick.

Honestly ppeat that just isn’t good enough.

I don’t think they’ve had another Ambridge resident attend Oxford / Cambridge - and Phoebe, although the grandchild of wealth, comes from an academically distinctly average family. And is female. And her parents are far from rich or priviliedged in any way. It will be beyond disheartening, in fact it would be outrageous, if we find they have nothing more planned for her than loitering around Ambridge picking up odd jobs.

So? As I said give her a break, were you not a teenager once? Quater It's her life.

Nah ... It’s a radio soap and the writers ought to be giving hope to other young women from vaguely ordinary rural backgrounds. It’s just wrong.

As for me ... For all sorts of complicated reasons I graduated from not-Oxford with nothing in place. Took a few months but eventually got myself together, did a couple of short term City paralegal things and then proceeded, bumpily, to the Bar.

IMO it's nice to have a rest and make decisions when ready. As you did. Rural or not.

She can by all means have a holiday, and maybe a couple of weeks helping Adam sex up his Soil Academy before starting postgrad, further training or a Proper Job in about September.

I'll suspend judgement on the SWs till she's got her results, which surely must be soon. If she does have plans they might well be dependent on her degree classification (especially funded postgrad).

What's odd about Phoebe is that nobody seems to have asked her what her intentions are, from September, unless I missed it? As Errol says, she might be dependent on her degree results to make her decision.

Adam's soil academy sounds interesting but I guess if too many people pour cold water on it, his name will be mud.

(Sorry, couldn't resist).

Nice one, DDD

I must admit that I don't quite understand the concept behind the Soil Academy. Adam can tell everyone what he has done in his 'slowly permeable non-calcareous and calcareous reddish clayey soils over mudstone' but how does that translate to other soil types? How does he demonstrate 'before' and 'after' on those? How does he go beyond Ambridge the county?

Agree about Phoebe’s prospects... they didn’t need to take up a lot of air time explaining in detail what they might be, she could have said, “It depends if I get my 2:1” or similar and even that would have seemed a bit more realistic.

DDD

My best guess is that she’s going back to Oxford for a postgrad degree This is my feeling too Quater - possibly a law conversion course because Ambridge needs another legal expert since Usha has gone to ground. While I do think it's fine and not at all unusual for Phoebe to have a holiday after her finals, I found her complete vagueness about doing anything at all a bit hard to believe. It feels like another storyline that has not been properly followed through. She got to Oxford with lots of whooping and then the SWs just kind of forgot about her, didn't bother to organise any internships or work experience (which let's face it would have been pretty simple since it would all have taken place off air) and now she's back and it's as if she's never been away. Not even any talk of where she might live - which with Philip moving in and the Aldridge's having moved out is also rather unbelievable.

Surely, she has her own bedroom at Roy's? That's where she stays during holidays, and Philip moving in won't make any difference, because he's sharing Kirstie's room.

“As I said give her a break, were you not a teenager once?”
She’s 21.