Archers thread #148: Unseasonably, it's panto time in Ambridge. He's behind you, Pat! BANG. 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, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. 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 you think George Grundy isn't a psychopath, 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.)

Will Rob return, or are they playing with us? Will Pat run amok with her shotgun and wipe out half the village? (We can but hope ...) Will Oliver come to his senses and turf the Grundy clan out of Grange Farm? So many questions, so much time.

Over to you!

Yes, very clunky. I hate it when you see the cogs turning.

what happened there?
why did Helen freak out?

I think he touched her, getting smoochy but, despite her saying how unworried she is about Rob, it caught a nerve.

I assume she had a flashback, as a sexual assault survivor. I thought that was really well done.

It actually made me feel sorry for Helen, and that doesn't often happen.

Yup and that explains her weird comment yesterday re the biscuits - "He won't notice one, will he?" She's subconsciously equating Lee with Rob, expecting him to act the same.

Ah, here you all are. I thought it had gone quiet.

I have a dim memory of Rob saying something similar to Helen just before the first time we realised he was a rapist as well as abusing her emotionally and financially. Poor Helen. Poor Lee, too. Not going to be easy getting Helen through this. I'm increasingly of the opinion that Rob won't re-appear. The mere threat of it has been enough to set Helen back years and years.

Did it cross anyone else's mind that Rob had disguised himself as John Cleese?

Yes @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g I'm thinking he won't reappear now - they'll wait til Lee and Helen are married and everything seems utterly settled, in a year or two.

I assumed it was just her reverting to eating difficulties as a reaction to stress.

Thats a good point.

I interpreted the biscuit reference slightly differently. I’m sure I will explain this poorly.

My feeling was that it was a throwaway comment, intended to show that Helen was confident that Lee would not react poorly to such a trivial thing. Thus marking out Lee as different to Rob.

But isn’t that a thing one wouldn’t bother to express, @Voltefarce?

I’m glad others agree that the most affecting story will not involve Rob actually appearing! The mere mention of his being on British soil is already enough to put a strain on Helen and Lee’s relationship.

And I think I fell asleep imagining Pat shooting some random farm visitor through the viewing window - and wondering how long it would take to clear every single piece of shattered glass from the dairy; how long they’d need to close, how much money they’d lose, whether they would have to be inspected … ()

I think it is something that might be expressed. If I’m pinching one of my husband’s chocolates, I might say he won’t mind if I have one (because I know he won’t). But I’m not sure I know the full Helen history. I think I started listening about the time of the Rob storyline.

She's had a tough life in some ways. Her older brother died in a farm accident when she was still at Cheese College. Her first serious boyfriend Greg became severely depressed and took his own life. She has had an eating disorder. Then along came Rob. She doesn't help herself at times but she is a troubled person.

Here you go, @Voltefarce. Useful links included!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3XtJ9HZNYzrBYThlKd0RyRb/helen-archer

All true @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
And EDs have a habit of hanging around for decades waiting to pounce.

As a character however I find her faux chirpy, arch way of speaking very annoying!

Thanks!

Yes supposedly hilarious episode was thrown in so oddly out of the blue, I am also thinking it might turn out to be Rob. The only thing was I got the impression that Helen had actually spoken to him directly and you would have thought that she might have recognised him even under a disguise, or that he would have thought it was too risky to speak directly to her.

yes!

I don't get the John Cleese reference. What did I miss?

The chap looking through the cheese window was like John Cleese, apparently.

If Susan and Clarrie start doing impressions or laughing at visitors, assuming those standing in the cheese- watching hide can't hear them, isn't it likely that there will be an hilarious moment when one of them insults Adil for instance, thinking the microphone is off? Or if Rob arrives he could trap them in there, like a panic room!

Ah thanks.