Archers thread #142: Kill Jill? Is Ambridge heading for a Tarantino-style bloodbath on Stir Up Sunday? 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, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that , 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/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-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.)

Well, things have taken a turn for the better in the last few days! The SWs have re-discovered their form and the actors and directors have risen to the challenge. I won't say much more than that for fear of jinxing things. Over to you!

(Thanks to @JanglyBeads for the thread title idea!)

Brokefailed needs Aunty Shula right now. I hope the mackems are appreciating her.
I picture the supermarket on the bypass as an Iceland or Asda, or not one of the main ones. Definitely not a Waitrose.

Does Iceland do ‘big’ supermarkets? I assumed they were always relatively small.

The one on the bypass that Ruth has so often referred to with dismissive fury is either a Tesco or a Morrisons!

I miss the caustic wit of Archer women in the Underwoods’ cafe queue almost as much as I miss Christmas shopping with my own mother. Now we do it all on her iPad.

Oh - or maybe a Sainsbury’s?

I've no idea. The one near me is small, but I was imagining a largish supermarket that was mainly frozen food. Peet-zahs and ooven chips.
The Asda nearest me is huge. Tesco are and Sainsbury's are both big. There isn't a Morrison's

I was going to say no, because the Ruari/Julianne sitch is transactional, Ruari is motivated by money and is selling his services.
Then I thought, maybe George's plan is to blackmail Fallon....

Blackmail the wife of a Policeman - now there’s a plan that won’t work!!

It does seem a shame that, given 17 years to construct a personality for George, the SWs seem to be stumbling through an ad hoc conglomeration of unattractive qualities. Stupid, greedy, dishonest, unkind, spiteful, delusional … Why? Emma is supposed to be supremely attractive and hard working, despite a lack of advanced education. Will has always been humble and hardworking; he got some measure of revenge over Ed by keeping the inherited house to himself and not sharing the income - but he doesn’t generally go out of his way to cheat people. If he’s supposed to have inherited the worst Grundy traits - Eddie at least has always been kind. George seems inexplicable and hard to believe in as a character.

Wasn't Jill very snobby about Jolene when Jolene and Kenton wed?

My impression is that Kenton and Jolene have been the "outsiders" of the Archers for some time. David is routinely disparaging of his brother Kenton. I think Jill saw a lot more of David (obviously) but also Shula and Elizabeth than she did of Kenton. Plus Jill is an active grandmother, but Kenton's only child is on the other side of the world, so Kenton and Jolene didn't have the "parents of the beloved grandchildren" role.

I think Jolene is enjoying what she sees as a reversal of fortunes.

This is a ridiculous episode. There’s no reason at all why Fallon would need to immediately coax George into singing through giving him a private lesson. It’s so very unlikely.

... especially in the middle of a meeting to the discuss the practicalities of the choir. Which were then all abandoned in favour of giving the singing thing a bit of a go. How weird!

I guess we're supposed to infer that Jolene's big Christmas plan will also be some sort of choir. It remains to be seen whether there will be some (no doubt hilarious) Rogers family tension and competition for a while before they all club together for a jolly Christmas singalong, or whether we'll skip the bunfight and go straight to the happy ending. Where's the crystal ball emoji got to?

I'm catching up, sorry. Who is/was Jill making all the cakes and puddings for; Leonard?

Is Wayne still in the kitchen and/or has Jill just locked him in the larder for eternity.

Who is/was Jill making all the cakes and puddings for?

Kenton and Jolene
Shula (She’ll probably ask one of the family to drive her to Newcastle.)
Dan (By post, if he doesn’t come home?)
Maybe Jim and Alistair by extension.
Elizabeth, Lily, Freddie
Pip & Rosie
Josh
Christine at The Laurels
Invisible Carol
Possibly Tom, Natasha and twins if she concludes Pat won’t have time or isn’t as good a baker.

Who have I forgotten?

@TottersBlankly , might you have forgotten Jenny and Brine, or Stella in the boong-gal-oh?

Jenny can make her own. (And if she can’t, Ian can.)

Stella might be seen as too close to The Enemy. (Pip and Josh might also go hungry for the same reason, but I doubt Jill would want to deprive Rosie of cake.)

Complicated with Elizabeth though … Is Vince also Enemy, or Enemy’s Enemy and in line for two dozen mince pies??

Maybe JD will think it is not good for Brine to have christmas cake and mince pies. I can't see Ian doing a cake when he's probably dreaming up yuletide pizzas. Turkey, cranberry and sprouts with pigs in blankets or something.

Yes the only thing missing from George is the twirling moustaches - he is an utterly cardboard character at the moment, making the worst of every situation. All despite having two parents who are fundamentally honest and hardworking even if not the most academically qualified.

(Just noticed I said ‘inherited house’ - obviously I meant the inherited money with which he bought the house on The Green.)

My teen DD is a fan of Franco Manca pizza chain (fine by me). For Christmas they are serving these pizzas

• Roast topside of beef, creamy potato base, tenderstem broccoli,

mozzarella, taleggio D.O.P. cheese, Yorkshire pudding & beef gravy

• Porchetta, apple sauce, Brussels sprouts, mozzarella,

Colston Bassett Stilton, Yorkshire pudding & beef gravy

• Lightly spiced butternut squash base, wilted spinach, traditional halloumi

cheese, mozzarella, pomegranate, toasted hazelnuts & balsamic glaze

Anything Ian comes up with will seem amateur.

Well what a massive surprise. The actor who plays George is a good singer! It’s all a ridiculous contrivance to lead to a standalone show of the the cast singing carols. I hate it when you can see the scenery being moved in the background. Here he is

And he’s Scottish too!

Maybe my suggestion above was right then and he will be the star of the carol concert.

What I can’t understand is why they didn’t slip in one line from one of the grampers saying ‘George you used to have a lovely voice’ or something like that. It was written in the most ridiculous way

Ah i guess that's why we didn't hear him singing badly as that is something that's hard for gpod singers to do.

To be fair, she doesn't have our insight Into exactly what happened and she may well have got that impression from such limited information as she did have.