Archers thread #114: Bull banished, Bali beaches beckon, bickering bullshitters burgeon

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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 Gavin to stay around, 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 for all thread title suggestions! I've gone with a B theme which with a bit of luck will seem odd and irrelevant by the end of this thread. Here's hoping, anyway.

Haven't caught up with tonight's episode yet, so off to do that shortly.

*on speed

From Kernow27 on Twitter:

Perfect summary.

As for "the devil you know" - its all very well but when the devil is Hannah I'd rather take my chances.

All Emma ever wanted was a secure roof over her kids' heads and she was prepared to work all the hours sent to provide it

Let's not forget that she was also prepared to turn a blind eye to her husband's involvement in something very obviously dodgy, and indeed she encouraged him to continue even when it was getting very dangerous.

What she said was "everyone does it."

Freddy did sound like he was on something.

I am not a gym user (shudder) but my husband goes sometimes to use weights and has told me in the past about the importance of having a spotter when using some of the big heavy stuff (impressive technical grasp, there, eh? ). It was all being portrayed as a big laugh there but Freddie could have done himself or someone else serious harm by messing about with heavy weights. What a prat. I don't have a lot of time for him - sorry, Spar!

Also, what's behind Lee's sudden revelation that he's too hard up to go out for a meal? I know he's got child support to pay but he has two jobs. Are NHS physiotherapists so underpaid that the rent on a modest flat in Borchester would wipe them out?

Well I hope Freddie isn’t going near any illicit substances! It sounded more as if he was desperately trying to keep ‘in’ with Johnny - who has clearly moved on. If it was just an instance of cringey immaturity I won’t complain. But it would be a shame if they’re about to inflict a character transplant on Freddie to make him generally loud and irritating instead of just woefully needy and eager to be liked.

The Lee thing was interesting! Given how much discussion there’s been here about the class/culture gap between him and Helen. I wonder if the restaurant she suggested was not only too expensive but also outside his comfort zone in terms of formality, stuffiness etc. Curious to see how they’ll develop this theme.

Thank you to Kirsty and Freddie for confirming that a subscription to the Grey Gables gym is eye-wateringly expensive (and Helen would have had no staff discount when she paid for Lee’s). Now he’s too poor to go for an Italian in Borchester - I suppose it highlight’s the difference in spending power between someone who still lives with their parents and a man who has to pay for his own accommodation and also that of his estranged kids.

No idea where that rogue apostrophe came from - need to preview before I send.

No idea where that rogue apostrophe came from blush - need to preview before I send.

Ha! I’ve just had to write exactly the same on another thread. Where, naturally, I was protesting about someone’s vocabulary.

Actually the whole living with your parents/grandparents/relatives thing that everyone does in Ambridge was a bit of a theme in that episode with Kate talking about loving her own space (ie moving out of Peggy’s) in the same breath as Jakob - who literally loves his own space because he chooses to live alone.

SurpriseSparDay

I do like the two-hander dialogues that are popping up a bit more now - imho they are done quite well and sound like very natural chat between friends and partners.

I’m thinking here Helen and Kirsty, Kirsty and Philip and Kate and Jakob. H&K are clearly old friends who get on really well. K&P feel like a couple who do love each other but are perhaps not “in love” in a thunderbolts way and are still feeling their way a bit around sharing a house and family dynamics. Kate and Jakob are awesome. The fact he won’t let her get away with stuff and tells her how it is as she blithely tries to steamroller him in her usual way I enjoy very much!

All this contrasts to the dull “funny” plot / drivel around renaming the Bull, or manufactured angst around Brookfield-as-wedding-venue.

Something that is bothering me: did we ever find out who torched Rex’s henhouse?

I was glad to hear Jacob had no problem telling Kate she needed to go back, oh, and clean up her mess in the microwave.

LillianGish great point about Helen and Lee and their disparate incomes. I wonder what Helen actually earns in take-home pay? We never hear about how the business is doing, just bits about cheeses being successful.

Anyone have an idea how much profit there is in small-scale cheese making?

I don't really believe in Kate and Jakob's relationship. I know they say opposites attract, but they seem to have absolutely NOTHING in common. Jakob has a serious work ethic, Kate flits about doing bits of nothing. Jakob likes a tidy, clean, peaceful home, Kate causes havoc wherever she goes. I'm guessing Kate will be pregnant within 6 months and she will be doing her earth mother bit while Jakob will researching latest birthing techniques. Jakob will want to raise a child with love and boundaries while Kate will want to raise a feral wildchild.

I am not looking forward to this storyline .

Anyone have an idea how much profit there is in small-scale cheese making?
We know that largeish-scale fruit drinks don't produce as much profit as Natasha's aspirations would like.

The Freddie thing didn't ring true to me. Why was he behaving as if he had never seen a gym before in his life? I bet there was one at the Cathedral School and at the SF college. I'm still entirely unconvinced as to why a young farmer like Jonneh needs to go to the gym.

I'm wondering why we haven't heard any more about Natasha's clearly signalled spending problems.

As for Kate and Jakob. They don't seem a very convincing couple, but I'm glad he stands up to her and doesn't let her get away with everything. Like how he kept coming back to the address used for deliveries even when she tried to change the subject. But she still gets away with not moving straight back in at home, even though there doesn't appear to be any proper reason why she couldn't use the old mattress while waiting for a new one. I wish he'd pull her up more.and he definitely should have made her unclog the plug hole.

I was glad to hear Jacob had no problem telling Kate she needed to go back, oh, and clean up her mess in the microwave.

My first thought was that Jakob had been posting on AIBU, Motoko His comments were straight out of the textbook. I wonder if Kate will ever be financially independent excluding inheritances.

he definitely should have made her unclog the plug hole. But he did make her clean the microwave

Yeah, some of the posters on AIBU could do with taking a leaf out of Jakob's book!

are the scriptwriter reading the cf aibu threads?

But he did make her clean the microwave

That's what I meant, MereDint: he clearly doesn't have a problem standing up to her, so he should do it consistently and make sure she gets called out on every instance of her CF behaviour. We didn't get any resolution on whether he's still going to pick her up or make her drive herself to his house. And we didn't get a 100% clear answer on when she's planning on choosing a mattress. He cleaned the bathroom himself, even turning down her offer to 'do it later'. He cooked her a meal which was different from the one he had planned for himself (although we don't know what he was planning on having with his steak). He has obviously sussed her CF-ness, since he did pull her up on the microwave, came back to the postal address, and at least attempt to make his point about the bed and moving back to Peggy's. So now that he's on to her, he needs to make sure that he doesn't give any ground. If she doesn't move out of his place soon, she should at the very least be made to pull her weight.

will kate announce at the naming ceremony that she's pregnant?

I hope Kate isn’t pregnant - she seems to have forgotten about the 2 children she has in SA. Also she is 42, and the last time the SW had an older pregnancy storyline they ducked out of the resulting issues (Vicky and Bethany). Kate blithely birthing yet another child would make me shout at the radio.