Archers thread #152: The Dog Days of Summer in Ambridge! Rabid rants, tearoom dogfight, Bully Dog George gets it all on camera. Is Lone wolf Rob waiting in the woods? 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'd love a son like George, 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.)

Starting this new thread a bit early, as we're near the end of the last thread and I'm out all day today. As last night's episode was a banger, I thought I'd better ensure discussion can continue seamlessly!

The original idea for a dog theme for this thread came from the death of poor Weaver. RIP. The Dog Days of summer are associated with storms and the silly season, so quite appropriate for The Archers at the moment! They may technically be over now, as it's all to do with the heliacal rising of the Dog Star, Sirius (no, me neither), but apparently the Anglo-Saxons considered they lasted into September (thank you, Wikipedia), so that will do for me.

So - what next for Helen, Henry and Jack? Surely even the Bridge Farm Archers will see that she needs professional help? After her outburst the other night they might finally grasp that Henry could do with some too. All very grim.

On the lighter side (perhaps), whither Pip and Stella?

Over to you!

I quite liked Brad earlier on in the year but now he has become an irritant.

Given that she was talking to Lynda, who is normally quite sensible, you would have thought she could have dished out the advice. It would come quite well from her given that she does have experience of working in a hotel.

I'm not sure I can cope with the prospect of a major storyline involving Pip. I'm gong to have to start listening on catch-up so that I can fast forward.

And the award for the most wooden delivery goes to "mmm", "erm" Pip Archer.

Pip, who appears to have had a personality and voice transplant and suddenly decided she’s gay, completely out of the blue.

A fair few women come out later in life, having first had heterosexual relationships.

Honestly - I really do not enjoy the thought of Pip getting romantic with a woman.

And why is it the gay characters never get to say - I just don't fancy you - when someone straight wants to jump their bones! I mean Pip was really persistant there.

Brad and Mia. I dont know if its because they are young, but they dont sound very relaxed together. They both sound very nervous all the time.
Pip and Stella. Firstly Pip is ignoring Stella and being rude to her, then shes pursuing her with a vengeance and Stella is saying No Thanks!, then 2 minutes later Stella is knocking on Pips door.
All this toing and frowing is doing my head in and to be honest, both relationships are boring. Why does Stella have to fancy Pip anyway?

Given that Brad is a very clever boy he ought to be applying for or visiting universities right now. He's just entering upper sixth and it doesn't appear to be on his radar at all. I'd like a story line where the costs and hurdles are explored - and Oliver steps in tk help someone really deserving rather than that awful Grundy boy

Mia is nothing like as clever as she thinks she is. She clearly hasn't grasped that marriage isn't about repressing people. It's a handy legal package for ensuring that people who enter into a long-term relationship have that relationship recognised in law, creating certain binding rights and responsibilities. It's not right for everybody, but those who airily write it off as just a piece of paper sometimes get a nasty shock later on when their erstwhile partner screws them over financially at the end of the relationship and there is nothing they can do about it, or when their partner dies and they get nothing, not even a say in the funeral arrangements.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g I thought that too about Mia. I'm not married but have no kids but see the value of it now as protection but definitely thought like Mia that it was oppression when I was her age. She'll grow out of it.

Yes, and how often do you hear sometimes on MN people airily bandying around the 'common-law wife' myth. DH and I were quite content being unmarried for years but we tied the knot in the end, precisely because of the legal protections Mia thinks are so dull and conventional.

I think they were using the marriage speech to underscore Mia’s teenage immaturity. I also think that she and Brad together sound very similar to how awkward I felt in my teenage relationships.

Yes we got married after living together for 15 years. Everything was in DH's name and I never really felt relaxed. I do now. WS advised by Citizen Advice to get married or I could end up with nothing. Unless the law is different now.

Was!

Yes I agree that they were highlighting Mia's immaturity. And Brad's too, with his eagerness to pretend that he agreed with Mia when he clearly hadn't ever given it much thought!

I can forgive Meer. She is only young and has lots of opinions but no clue which is fine.

I wonder what sumptuous meal Stella was being invited in to share. I imagine that Pip is as bad a cook as her mother. She was cooking something that she usually cooks to share with Rosie - may be something like macaroni cheese? That would probably be about her level.

Given that Brad is a very clever boy he ought to be applying for or visiting universities right now.

🔮

Brad being encouraged to apply to Imperial, and others in that league.

Brad deciding on Felpersham Uni because that’s where Mia is going. Or because he thinks it will be easier for his family as they can’t afford to travel often. Or because he thinks he wouldn’t ‘fit in’.

Me throwing my radio out of the window …

Fish fingers and tinned spagetti followed by tinned rice pudding.

the marriage thing - justin and lilian are not married and the house belongs to him alone...

Hang on - where has Ruairi been all Summer? What specific plan have I completely forgotten?

Thought of him because Brad might benefit from info on attending university in London - but it would take some complicated altruism on Mia’s part for her to suggest this to Brad.

I was very pleased with Stella knocking Pip back and basically saying “Don’t use me to find yourself”, so I was disappointed that Stella reconsidered so quickly. That said, it was quite nicely done in that you could see that Stella jumped immediately into the pre-planned response that she had rehearsed in her mind if approached by another woman who was new to same sex relationships, but then went out for a walk, realised how lonely she was without her dog and that Pip was already someone whose company she enjoyed.

But then Pip could easily have sacrificed the beans on toast and gone out to the pub as suggested- I felt like the “come in and eat some food” was slightly icky code for “let’s stay here because it’s closer to the bedroom”, which is exactly what Stella was wary of.

But it was Lilian’s house! Did he take that as well in all the Damara shenanigans? I know he wanted to take over her property company, but she wasn’t keen. Are the SWs more certain than I am of how it was all resolved?

the Stella thing doesn’t seem right - pip is quite a lot younger than her (and immature to boot) and the daughter of her good friend. Unless she thinks the relationship will last forever she is likely to make her stay in ambridge very difficult once they split.

pip managed to question her sexuality and come to terms with it in the space of a week it seems.

and why is pip giving Stella a primary school kids portion?

no, the house belonged to 'tiger' and he sold it to justin.

Agree. Fine to do a storyline with Pup coming out but it's being done in such a clunky way. Pip and Stella don't seem like they would be a match at all.