💥 Archers thread #119: Has the Bull reopened? Will Ambridge pull through? We’ve all dozed off and haven't a clue. Moan about the monologues here!

[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 think we should have monologues all the time from now on, 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/3853783--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-5-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, 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 PPE on the last thread for the title suggestion, which I tweaked a bit.

As for the current state of affairs: here's how it could have been done. www.youtube.com/channel/UCvRSVdfQWAjNhNu1AtABYjw Nigel Pargetter returns, albeit in spectral form. I loved these.

I don't love the current set up. Very, very hit and miss for me - but I am too much of an addict to give it up. Looking for a silver lining, maybe the rather clunky trot through the Aldridge family tree last night was helpful to newer listeners. It is rather convoluted. In 12.5 minutes they managed to explain that Adam and Debbie are Jennifer's children by different fathers, that Debbie's father Roger Travers-Macy adopted Adam, that after he and Jenny divorced she married Brian and that he (secretly) loves Adam and not nearly so secretly adores Debbie. I don't think they explicitly stated that Kate and Alice are Brian's children with Jenny, but they did manage to squeeze in a mention of Siobhan and Ruairi, and explain that Xander is Adam's son by a surrogate and has no genetic connection to either Brian or Xander's other father Ian. Phew!

She knew exactly what she was doing when she was talking to Emma - and was then left utterly crestfallen when she herself was dropped

I didn't hear it like that. It seemed more that Natasha had assumed Emma was a key part of Fallon's business and didn't realise Fallon has kept Emma in the dark about the finances and her job situation.

Being dropped 15 mins before a booking is pretty rude, I'd be annoyed as well but its not a comparable situation to someone losing a job.

Natasha had also jumped the gun on the decision. For all she knows Fallon might have found another way. I hope F discovers that N spilled the beans,

I hope F discovers that N spilled the beans

There shouldn't be any beans to spill. Emma is Fallon's only employee and they run the business together. If Fallon isn't being open and honest with Emma she has only herself to blame when Emma hears rumours from others. Fallon should be talking to Emma about mitigations before Natasha (who she knows has no say in the decision).

The difference there is that Natasha lost half a day preparing for a presentation; Emma will be losing most of her livelihood.

C8 but Fallon was still trying to save Emms's job at that time by negotiating an extention to the rent reduction.

I also hope Helen burns for this. Emma is her friend and I don't believe things are that tight at the farm.

I thought Bridge Farm were sitting on a pile of money from the land sale that they were going to spend on building a cheese making school, eco-barn visitor centre or something, but then shelved that project. Not strapped for cash.

Natasha has form for being extremely tactless.

Natasha came across as so self-obsessed and vain that she’d not given a thought to how unprofessional and insensitive it was to talk to Emma like that. Another example of TASWAMA: another successful woman portrayed as an air head.

That said, given that they used the classic soap opera trope of people talking at cross purposes, I liked how they set it up by having Natasha lose her connection right at the moment Emma said “I don’t know what you are talking about”. Quite clever and realistic I thought.

Goodness!

Bravo to the writers. That was the best monologue episode I've heard. Absorbing. Surprising. (And what's the 21st century word for "racy"?)

For once they were mostly talking about things important enough to prompt a soliloquy.

BOOP!

Better than the “magic time” cringorama from a few months ago.

Oh my! I felt quite the voyeur this evening. Extraordinary...

Yes, apart from the obvious, they actually made use of the monologue format to show the (authentic seeming) differences between Linda’s beliefs about herself and others‘ totally different perceptions of her. Doesn’t sound like L&R’s night will be plain sailing though?

And Emma got a genuinely Magical Shag™️. Solving all her problems and leaving her a New Woman!

If I want soft porn there's plenty on the net....

I wouldn't know, Asking - I'll have to take your word for it ...

It was lovely that Emma took her cue from a woman twice her age. And (compared to the usual poor efforts at drama they've been serving up) pretty amazing to hear both Emma and Robert singing Lynda's praise while she herself felt entirely differently.

Doesn’t sound like L&R’s night will be plain sailing though?

I'm hoping it won't carry over to tomorrow's episode, Sparkling.

@PerditaProvokesEnmity

Doesn’t sound like L&R’s night will be plain sailing though?

I'm hoping it won't carry over to tomorrow's episode, Sparkling.

I guess it will be their hand-wringing post-mortems.

Well, I'm an optimist and what I hope to hear is Lynda and/or Robert reflecting or preferably just hinting that everything was great. Robert worships the ground Lynda treads on. They are my favourite couple on TA by a substantial margin. Agree with everyone else that that was a particularly successful monologue. I'd give a lot of the credit to Carole Boyd, who is marvellous.

C8 but Fallon was still trying to save Emms's job at that time by negotiating an extention to the rent reduction

Oh sure but she has kept Emma in the dark about the risk to her job and the apparently poor state of the business.

The two of them are friends and operate as partners, Emma contributes ideas and innovations not just labour. She is currently working long hours doing new products and deliveries to keep the business busy. I can easily beliieve that Natasha assumes Fallon is open with Emma about the business because its more her own style.

If I were Emma and sacked I'd be pretty unhappy that my partner and coworker had not been more open about the state of the business.

I also hope Helen burns for this. Emma is her friend and I don't believe things are that tight at the farm

Of all the farming families the Bridge Farm Archers have consistently tried to think of the ethical thing even when it cost them money. So I'd be inclined to believe that wouldn't happen if not necessary.

Unlike Brookfield/Home Farm who operate a firm 'me first' policy (although Brian is at least honest enough to say he only cares about Home Farm money, David usually does performance hand wringing before only caring about the money).

Another example of TASWAMA: another successful woman portrayed as an air head

Yes. Natasha has built up one successful business from nothing which is how Tom met her. She has drive and passion which she has brought into the family business. She has bent over backward to fit into the village and contribute to the village.

But she is routinely dismissed as vain, self absorbed and spending money on shoes and make up.

I'm struggling to recall when successful male characters joined TA and had their spending habits scrutinised to the same extent. I do remember Lynda being subject to some pretty snooty and sexist comments for generally not knowing her place. Usually by the same queen bees who can't get enough of male incomers

I’m afraid I don’t buy the line about Fallon and Emma being partners. They are not partners. Fallon does all the book-keeping and has all the stress and worry about keeping the business afloat, while Emma, though she is clearly dedicated and works hard, leaves her work behind when she closes the tea-shop door.

Fallon isn’t obliged to keep Emma on if things are tight simply because they are friends. And Helen isn’t obliged to keep the rent low, because it will mean her tenant will have to fire her friend. I don’t usually do an Alan Sugar, but I agree with the SWs bringing in a (rare) touch of business reality into the storyline. This may be Ambridge but the tea shop’s books need to balance if Fallon’s business is to survive.

In a small village, the line between business and personal is perhaps more likely to become blurred, but at the end of the day the tea shop is not a job creation scheme.

Lynda’s sudden confidence and the continuity announcement after don’t bode well to me, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g. I have a horrible feeling they might take this opportunity to introduce the topic of erectile dysfunction...

Totally agree, @C8H10N4O2, it’s pathetic.

Maybe this is the time for Emma to become a partner in the business. She has no capital to contribute so she would be a junior partner, but if she is truly committed to the business and making this her career, she might be willing to take the risk of leaving behind her employee status, guaranteed salary, sick pay, pension contributions (probably minimal, but there should have been some, shouldn't there?) and work for a share of the profits. Huge risk given that there might not be any this year, of course, and she might not feel able to do that, or Ed might talk her out of it. Their finances are already precarious because of his own self-employed status.

I’m afraid I don’t buy the line about Fallon and Emma being partners

No she isn't a business partner but I'm struggling to remember how much Fallon has invested in the business in terms of assets/business loans. It seemed at the time to be "lets set up a tea shop by a random farm shop and it can survive on Jill'nPeggy's weekely capucino".

However they do work closely enough together that I'd expect Fallon to be open with Emma over the state of the business, especially knowing its a key source of income for Emma.

Fallon is not required to employ Emma out of friendship but as Emma is both her friend and a key contributor to the business she deserves more information than Fallon is sharing.

I agree that people like Emma losing their jobs is a realistic story line. Women will be the primary victims of job losses, partly because of sectors, partly because they are the "default carers" when caring for old and young is often unavailable.