😱 Archers thread #130: The Fall of the House of Aldridge. 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 look forward to Shula's first sermon, or other unusual things.

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/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-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.)

I went for the obvious thread title this time. Poor Ruairi! We've had a good go on the last thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/a4289334--Archers-thread-129-Casey-Macy-Lily-Alice-Decent-types-or-full-of-malice-Discuss-The-Archers-here?msgid=109858475#109858475 at trying to work out where he's going and what he might be studying, as the SWs have not seen fit to tell us.

Whither now for Alice? Will Jennifer talk to Peggy soon? Good hint from Lilian the other day that at Peggy's age it's not wise to leave feuds bubbling on.

It's been a long time since we last heard from a certain Archer whose name I am not going to mention in case it acts as a summoning charm. Long may she remain unheard in the dairy or out in the fields, or better still somewhere near a sinkhole. That was a storyline that looked promising years ago and wasn't exploited as it could have been. Pah.

Over to you!

My friend is a midwife. The Covid stuff was pretty realistic. Not able to touch or change your mask for a full shift meant you couldn't even take a sip of water. The fear, the getting on with it, and then the aftermath of getting on with it (also recent discussion with my nurse db), lots off sick now, the never being fully staffed in good times let alone now. And everyone leaving.

But how has Chris got a baby and yet doesn't realise that a midwife isn't going to know about baby stuff from a professional viewpoint. That was odd. And Amy's delivery...dire. I think I might audition myself if this carries on (cannot act for toffee).

Also I'd like to moan generally and at length about the Justin and Lillian SL. How will we spend this money? That bloody exchange- how about setting up a consultancy? What in? hadn't got that far.....argghhhhhhh

And yet another bloody Grundy scheme. As my ds says 'oh lord, deliver me from this burden'

[quote WhoppingBigBackside]@Edmontine, yes, they are, but I took the Grundys to be Eddie and Clarrieluv. Emma's a Horrobin too.[/quote]
She’s half-Carter, so several steps above pure Horrobin!

And she's an Aldridge DSIL.

i don't think that it is unusual that Chris thought that Amy knew all about babies.

@WhoppingBigBackside

And she's an Aldridge DSIL.

i don't think that it is unusual that Chris thought that Amy knew all about babies.

True. You wouldn't expect a midwife to know much about being a farrier.

I think many people wouldn't know the difference between a blacksmith and a farrier. Would the average person even know that there are farriers?

Many people might think that a midwife is a nurse who looks after births and babies, I suppose.

Is she going to neatly slot into the Mother of Martha slot to Alice’s chagrin?

I dont know about neatly, but my thinking was immediately along those lines too.

They sounded like they weren't in the same room, maybe not even the same country, it was so wooden.

If we're going to have Amy 'for a while' I hope she, err, finds her inner thespian. Perhaps she should visit Lynda.

Ooh finally caught up again.

Echo everyone's thoughts about the tasteless "oh what can we do with all our lovely money" guff.
It reminded me of when Jeff Bezos said the only thing he could think to do with his ill gotten gains was go to space. Like nowhere in his head does paying a fair wage or any taxes even crop up for a moment.

I found Amy's chat pretty hopeless tbh. 'Some' of her team got sick - the two midwives I know has Covid storm through their whole respective teams pretty early on.

What I hated most was the 'I'm a midwife I'm all about beginnings not endings, life not death.' So she's never helped a woman through miscarriage, still birth or watched one die in childbirth. I do not believe this. She's a medical professional and is the child of a vicar. This is not her first exposure to death. Of course she's bound to feel traumatised by it, but no way is her job all beginnings no endings.

@suzyscat thanks that was the bit that got to me too. Midwifery isn't all playing with fluffy newborns a lot of it is attempting to preserve the lives of women and their children. Midwifes I know get very cross about the idea that you should go into the profession because you love tineeee baybeeees.

Or when people refer to paramedics as 'ambulance drivers'

Oh the other thing that annoyed me, although I'm hoping it was intentional, was the bit when Amy said "you know best, you're the parent." Really hoping that that is a huge awakening for Chris. When he packed his folks off to GG it felt more like he was babysitting for them. In fairness father's working full time and not doing the night feeds is bog standard but one does wonder if it does much parenting at all. Especially how much he wanted a baby.

BOOP for Neil, Susan and Shula [lasagne]

At least Susan now knows it’s not her imagination. I was convinced by @Prestissimo’s well-argued post a few pages back that said Neil was oblivious to any question of there being a problem. But I’m not so sure now.

While there’s not been any physical infidelity, it’s now clear to Susan that Neil has been supporting Shula when his own wife needed him most. She has sounded sad for weeks so I am quite glad she is starting to get angry. She’s clearly been suffering Neil’s version of lasagne for years - must have been such a relief to finally say how disgusting it is.

Oh and Shula is such a horrible hypocrite - acting like Pollyanna when she has been mooning after Neil for months.

So relieved the nightmare of last week is over

Neil has mentionitis of Shula, he sounds besotted and it’s unbelievable he doesn’t recognise this himself. He is so wrapped up in his feelings for Shula that he doesn’t even realise how inappropriate it is to talk about her the way he does to Susan.

Shula admits her feelings and I am pretty sure she knows how Neil feels.

I think this will head into a full blown affair, possibly after a separation of Susan and Neil. He will go straight to Shula should Susan put her foot down.

Oh and yes to a pp, I also think they are putting Jakob on the ASD spectrum. Rather heavy handedly.

Now curious about how Neil has managed to make a nasty lasagne. My mum, who is a brilliant and confident cook of standard Scottish/British traditional foods, has made us lasagne a few times. She used a tin of white sauce (I don't know why, she can make a perfectly good white sauce for cauliflower cheese) and a jar of Dolmio for the ragu. It was OK but not great, especially as she served it to us with boiled potatoes and some other boiled vegetable. Hmm.

Anyway. Yes, Susan has realised that Neil and Shula are teetering on the brink of an emotional affair, as they say on the Relationships board - at a minimum. Poor woman.

Much better episode last night, but so tiresome to hear Ben lying to Beth from the off. Why not come right out with it, Ben, and say 'Well, actually, I disagree, Beth, I don't think you need to leave a long gap between one relationship and the next one. I was going out with someone else until I met you and realised I wasn't really that into her - couldn't have been, if I felt such a strong attraction to you. So I finished with her and asked you out, and here we are!' As it is, we all know that eventually she'll find out. Yawn.

I’m hoping Shula realises how destructive an affair with Neil would be and decides to go on a pilgrimage or do missionary work somewhere far, far away.

Lasagne is an odd choice of meal for someone with a broken arm. Time consuming to make, and a bit tricky to plate up with only one hand. Maybe meatballs was just a bit too obvious.

mentionitis

Hah! Haven’t heard it called this before - going to adopt this phrase immediately! Very well-diagnosed @Badgercity

Yes he really does think the sun shines out of Shula’s bum - has he always?

I feel really sad for Susan. While she’s not self consciously applying for sainthood like Shula - and can be very selfish and self aggrandising - actually she does a lot of good day to day and works like a Trojan to look after her family. She’s been a completely loyal wife to Neil and they have a solid marriage. Up to now he’s thought most of her foibles were charming or tactfully ignored them. Now suddenly he’s not interested in anything about her except how to escape ASAP to someone else’s house.

I LOVED Susan’s relentless inquisition last night. Do you think the point of the focus on Shula not asking him round was to place the blame where it belongs, ie on Neil and not the “other woman”?

@EBearhug

And yet, we're still all here listening...

I’m listening only so that I can contribute to these threads

Why don’t susan and neil just talk to each other? The way Susan is just pussyfooting around it will mean they do break up and he will go to Shula. I don’t Neil is consciously looking for an affair, just aware that things aren’t going well in his marriage. If one of them sat the other down for an honest talk, Neil would have to face up to the situation he’s in and decide what he wanted.

One of the great things about the Neil/Susan/Shula storyline is that it has deep roots. Susan having suspicions would just seem like nonsense were the subject of his mentionitis anyone but Shula - someone with whom he has a history. I don't remember the details of their dalliance, but I would imagine that at the time Neil was too far beneath Shula in the Ambridge pecking order to have been a real contender. Since then - and with no small amount of pushing and prodding from Susan - Neil's social stature has grown enormously until he is now a pillar of the community very much on an equal footing with that other saintly pillar Saint Smugula. And Shula by her own admission is now looking at Neil and thinking that in fact he would have been a good bet. Susan's fears are not without foundation. Also in the back of her mind will be the fact that hers and Neil's was a shotgun wedding - which now that an old flame is back in the picture might be starting to play on her mind. I don't believe Neil is thinking along those lines - he's just looking for a bit of respite from the parenting a newborn scenario Susan has roped them both into. However it's easy to see how unless he and Susan sit down and talk about it - hints and huffs are no good Susan you need to call a spade a spade with Neil - he and Saint Smugula will be thrown closer and closer together.

Susan is doing what a woman in her position probably would do. She's probably trying to not give Neil ideas.
She needs to set boundaries.

@Badgercity

Oh and yes to a pp, I also think they are putting Jakob on the ASD spectrum. Rather heavy handedly.

Jakob first appeared on 1st April 2019, which happened to be the first day of Autism Awareness Week that year. When Keri Davies was asked about this on Twitter, his reply made it clear that Jakob was supposed to be autistic.

That we are still wondering whether he is or not may be a reflection on the uneven quality of the writing, I feel. Or perhaps on his having been written by twelve or so quite different people with quite different ideas of what constitutes autism. (Which since autism is extremely variable is realistic in its way.)