🎭 Archers thread 125: Ambridge Mysteries! The Case Of The Missing Pandemic. Where Is Pat? What Is Lynda Snell's Kompromat? Follow the clues and discuss The Archers 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’d love to be in the Mysteries, 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 for thread title ideas to @Roysnewshirt and @Witchwife. Apologies if I’ve forgotten anyone else.

Do we think the Mysteries replace the usual fun storylines around giving things up for Lent? Light relief while we wait to see if the SWs go for realism and tragedy when Alice’s baby is born, or bottle out (as it were) and go for everything being fine? Will Jazzer and Tracy get back together again? (No bookie in the land would take money for that, of course they will.)

Over to you!

home birth not homme birth obviously.

I noticed.

I found the Alan incident, carrying on against the mother's wishes, driving her away, quite disturbing. I suppose it was in the NICU, not by Alice's bedside, so not driving her out of her own bed but still.

I'm not religious and remember being quite discomfited by the uninvited appearance of a hospital chaplain person, when I was in for a few days once. She was perfectly nice but I experienced her approach as a demand that I declare my emotional state, so my need or not for her services. Then felt obliged to make small talk until she got the message and went away. (She was far too sweet for bluntness). It felt really jarring, demanding and intrusive.

I'd have been apoplectic (but also too weak to have done very much about it), if she'd been sent deliberately by another person.

the Archers does seem to have turned into "an Everyday Story of Ecumenical Folk" recently
Some seem to have forgotten that we are in the middle of Lent. I think that the SW are allowed to mention Christianity a bit more than usual in the lead up to (preparation for) their most important festival of the year.

@EllyB21

Did anyone else notice that, although Chris asked for a blessing, Alan didn’t actually give Martha one (just a prayer)? I realise that’s incredibly pedantic (and that Alice’s resistance, plus a presumably illegal entrance to a post labour ward under C19 regs, may have put him off), but it would have been quite a simple thing to get right.

Yes, I did. It irritated me a fair bit, too; Chris asked him to bless the baby, not go on at length about everyone else in the entire hospital.

"Dear God, I ask your blessing on this child" doesn't take up so much air-time, though, and they have to fill the episodes somehow.

Barbara doesn't, which I assume is because of the different rhythm from the extra syllable. Barbara has 3 syllables? Seriously?

I'm not religious and remember being quite discomfited by the uninvited appearance of a hospital chaplain person I found a priest on my lawn once. I made a bit of small talk, and eventually he wandered off with an unsatisfied air. Realised afterwards he was under the misapprehension I was a Catholic. (All the previous owners were).

Bar-ba-ra.

@CaptainMyCaptain

Bar-ba-ra.

Bar-bra😂😂😂

I am Northern😁

Sorry I don’t want to be a dick but can people stop wishing the child dies? Its pretty unpleasant for readers who have experienced stillbirth or neonatal death. Thanks.

I say Barbra too.
I'd struggle to get it to 3 syllables.

Barbara has tow syllables for me too.

Two, even

Now this ridiculous secrecy over the play is quite stupidly artificial. We really don't need this 'hilarity' on top of everything else.

Wow. An episode where people actually said what they were thinking. And other people listened to them, didn't talk over them. Wonders will never cease.

And Chris, you're right - it will be Alice's fault if Martha has been harmed.

Unlikely to be his or the hospital's!

DeusEx

Oh, I don't think Chris is devoid of blame at all. Hell-bent on a baybee (what DO they put in the Ambridge water). Any half-rational person would have at least discussed termination in those circumstances, surely?
Well, Alice, I suggest you discharge yourself and head for the nearest pub and leave Daddy to it. Careful what you wish for, Chris. Oh, and if you find you are serially infested by Alan and allied god+botherers, you have only yourself to blame for being an incontinent blabbermouth.

He had sex with his wife; I don't think there is any suggestion of rape, is there, so consensual sex in marriage. I don't think that is blameworthy, myself.

So her having been a bottle-a-day girl while lying about it to him and everyone else makes it his fault that the baby she carried might not be perfectly healthy?

Get away with you.

I think Alice was too far gone for an abortion by the time Chris understood the seriousness of her alcoholism. She considered an abortion when she discovered she was pregnant, but when she told Chris about the pregnancy she was pretending she was stopping drinking.

She wasn't too far into her pregnancy but Chris wanted the baby.

Given the extent of Alice's drinking was worse than a bottle a day, persevering with the pregnancy wasn't a great idea.

Chris didn't listen to Alice when she was telling his she was preg.

He knew something was wrong. She sounded really worried and wanted him to listen to her explain why it was a bad idea and she should terminate. But he ignored her tone and demeanour completely, leapt straight into 'we're having a baby' excitement and never looked back.

It was one of those awful Archers 'talking over the other person and never listening to them ever', moments.

@KirstenBlest

She wasn't too far into her pregnancy but Chris wanted the baby.

Given the extent of Alice's drinking was worse than a bottle a day, persevering with the pregnancy wasn't a great idea.

Oh it definitely wasn't a good idea to continue, and I thought an abortion storyline would have been much better overall and could still have raised awareness of FAS.

Deus

@lottiegarbanzo

Chris didn't listen to Alice when she was telling his she was preg.

He knew something was wrong. She sounded really worried and wanted him to listen to her explain why it was a bad idea and she should terminate. But he ignored her tone and demeanour completely, leapt straight into 'we're having a baby' excitement and never looked back.

It was one of those awful Archers 'talking over the other person and never listening to them ever', moments.

I agree, but she didn't tell him about the seriousness of her problem or that she couldn't stop for quite a while.

They were playing happy families at the 12 week scan, it wasn't until the locking Alice in the bathroom episode that it became clear. I can't remember how far gone she was then, not past the legal limit for an abortion but in practical and emotional terms it would have been difficult at that stage.

I really don't think this will play out satisfactorily. The Bethany story shows the difficulty of running the FAS storyline. Which means writing Martha out somehow.........