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?

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads and @DadDadDad for being our resident statistician and keeping the ball rolling when Pseudo stepped back a bit.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like to be Susan's best friend or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3439443-keep-it-to-yourself-the-archers-spoilers-thread-4, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

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.

“Even if Shula felt a duty of confidentiality towards Jim (she’s not a priest yet for goodness sake, but seems to have delusions of grandeur) I’m sure she would feel she could share her concerns with Al.”

But she actually told Jim she wouldn’t tell anyone. Nothing to do with delusions of grandeur or priestliness..

I don’t think she shouldn’t be blabbing it around the village, but telling Alistair is not the same thing at all. He may actually be able to rack his brains and shed light on what’s happening - Jim’s his dad after all. Al is the reason Shula is getting involved (indeed he’s the reason she helped organise the party in the first place). She doesn’t really know Jim - they always kept each other at arm’s length. I can’t help feeling there’s some confidentiality of the confessional thing going on here adding more grist to Shula’s ordination mill (I know there’s no confessional in the C of E, but you take my point). After this she will see her way more clearly towards her new vocation.

Fair enough. I just think if you tell someone you’re not going to share a confidence, you don’t share it.

But I think i’m alone in my view that Shula is playing a blinder on this one......

I just think if you tell someone you’re not going to share a confidence, you don’t share it.
Agreed, but she shouldn't have given the promise in the first place. It's one thing if someone says "I'll tell if you promise not to blab" but it's another if someone blabs and then says, "oops, don't tell."

Actually, Bertrand, I agree. As others suggested on the last thread, I think there is much to admire about Shula's persistence in the face of Jim's hostility. She could easily say "ex-FIL, not my problem" but she's the one who's twigged this is more serious than being hacked off about a party. Of course, she has that "do-gooder" tone to how she goes about it.

It still leaves me puzzled that's she's not following up on the Howard line of enquiry. She needs to find her inner Susan.

You are not alone Bert - I agree she is doing a great job. I just think Al (or Fiona) might have some useful input.

It still leaves me puzzled that's she's not following up on the Howard line of enquiry. Yes - she should be saying to Al: "It's not the party that's upset him, it's the man in the wheelchair Harold something or other. He wasn't even invited. Who is he? etc etc" Someone who was at that party must know he is - he must have found out about it somewhere or how would heave got there? Someone know something and Al (or Fiona) is more likely to have the answer than Shula.

he must have found out about it somewhere
Even more curious when you consider that it was supposed to be a secret/surprise.

Didn’t someone say that Howard came with an old neighbour? Or did I make that up?

I suspect that Jim didn't actually go to wherever everyone thought he went, when he left Ambridge after the party.

I can't imagine he would have been in the mood for a few jolly days sightseeing.

Is it Howard or Harold?

Harold!!

The scene at Bridge Farm was great for highlighting what a brat Tom is, but also Natasha's confidence that she'll be able to 'talk him round'. She has all the power in the relationship, and Tom's tantrum demonstrated how scared he is of upsetting her.

I hope they let her show that she IS a good businesswoman, and not just marrying into the First Family for money.

Bloody Saint Shula and her interfering and hand-wringing is as annoying in this storyline as she always is.

WheresThatCatGoneNow - thanks! Unfortunately, I've now got the mind's eye-worm of the opening sequence to that classic TV serial of the Eighties, "Howard's Way". So I'm kindly sharing it with those of you old enough to remember it. My pleasure, no need to thank me.
I'm sorry, I forgot to thank Gasp0de for starting the new thread, great title!
Still happily giggling to myself about "The Archers - we listen so you don't have to"!

I must say, I thought Natasha was protecting her own assets last night. So to speak. That was why she wasn't bothered about the post-nup. Also, surely this post-nup affects others, not just Tom and Natasha, so I think it's a reasonable thing to do (a bit like what Phil did that caused all that havoc at Brookfield all those years ago) for the sake of the family farm and Tony and Pat's successors, who are not only Tom.

You're welcome, TukTukTaker!

Now I've got Howard's Way on the brain

Odds on Shula and Al getting back together?

Amazing, powerful acting from Jim. My money is on childhood sexual abuse. Long buried. The story has never been done on TA to my knowledge.

Ooh, I've just had a thought (my apologies if this has already been posited here and I've accidentally pinched someone else's idea) - with all that anti-church stuff Jim was ranting, might it be a possibility that Harold was a vicar who seduced Jim's wife and fathered a child with her? Or maybe he raped her and Alistair was the result and she committed suicide from the shame/guilt of it all a few years later?

FWIW I think Jim probably picked up a hefty reference book and used it to smash the keyboard.

Shula's behaviour really reminds my of my earnestly religious in-laws. Their hearts are in the right place, and they are always on the look out for fallen souls, but they invariably cause complete chaos in their wake.

If Shula wants Alistair to get involved she should simply say "look, there was somebody at the party....." and then get on the phone to Fiona.

Presumably Alistair has a passport and/or a need to produce his birth certificate as an adult. Wouldn't he have noticed if Jim wasn't listed as his father?

I think Harold must have done something TO Jim, from the sound of Jim's voice. Excellent acting anyway.

My money is on childhood sexual abuse. Long buried. The story has never been done on TA to my knowledge.

Yes ... The only other event that might provoke such strength of emotion would be the death of a child - so I speculated briefly on the likelihood of there having been a child that died prior to Alistair and Fiona being born. But, as everyone has noted, the language they’ve put into Jim’s mouth does strongly suggest some actual evil done to him.

Methinks that Tom doth protest too much. He's also deep in that large river in Egypt! Covering up for his insecure marriage.

Ref. Jim; the script writers are doing what they've been instructed to do by the 'drama' loving producers/director. They're prolonging the drama by making Shula not ask Al the relevant questions. Cynical moi?

Oh sorry thanks for the new thread gaspode

And Lilian Of course.

Sorry for calling him Howard - my mistake! If it's any consolation I've now got the Howard's Way theme music in my head, so I think that's punishment enough - I never even watched it... (wasn't there a version of the theme with words that made it into the charts? "Always there..." or something... ).