Archers thread #156: Fireworks in Ambridge! Helen gave Lee a rocket, but Grey Gables is a damp squib. Is the writing on the (church) wall?Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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Thanks to @OverArmour for the title suggestion, which I have tweaked a bit. I was strongly tempted by Less GGP (Grey Gables Peril) More GPP (Guinea Pig Plot), which was a plaintive cry from @PuppyPerson some days ago, but if Poppy has found new homes for the baby guinea pigs that may be the last we hear of them for some time, sadly.

Surely in the life of the next thread we must hear more from or of Rob, or Ron as some on this thread prefer to call him? <taps foot> Will Kirsty snap and tell Helen a few home truths? Will Pat's shotgun finally be brought into play? We can only hope ...

Also, will we ever find out who owns the other 60% of Grey Gables? Why is Adil AWOL (to use the other bit of OverArmour's title idea!)? Why aren't we hearing from Roy? Will GG ever re-open and will Emma get her Big Chance at last?

So many questions! Over to you.

I’d like Kirsty to get together with Lee so Helen can have the same tantrum that Alice did when she abruptly dumped Chris but didn’t want him to be happy with Amy Franks. Hopefully Kirsty would be less spineless than Amy and tell her to stop being a dog in the manger, as Helen can’t stand to see anyone happy - she’s the mood hoover of Ambridge!

Helen sounded like someone on the Relationships board with her daft "I love him but I'm not in with him any more."

She realises how much he means to her sons but she's willing to break up her family because she doesn't get the feelz for Lee any more.

Helen sounded as though she made her decision a while ago and has spent the intervening time getting used to and preparing herself with a life without Lee. All well and good, but now she's all brusque with anyone who "didin't see it coming" and expects that everyone knew (telepathically? by osmosis?) that this was on the cards and they should just jolly well be on her side and put it all firmly in the past.

She is, and always has been, so utterly and thoroughly selfish and unlikable. Which is why it's a masterstroke to give her such a tragic story. (I feel sorry that anyone goes through what she want through, but she is still horrible)

@PaperRhino ,🎩

unmarketable cheese that tastes of resentment and bitter tears.

Wonderful!

Though surely Helen could re-package her misery for menopause retreats. She’s 44, so could promote it with a narrative of her own peri-menopausal ‘journey’ to self-revelation. Now that middle aged women are the new group to align one’s business to, she could be onto a winner. She should talk to Kate …

Unless Spiritual Home is a wholly vegan enclave?

Oh, I would expect nothing less @TottersBlanklyIntoBimboCore

Did anyone else think Mia could be at risk of radicalisation? I didn't like the way she reacted by throwing snaps at people who disagreed with her, isn't that often the logic of the kind of extremists who do horrible things " to give them a scare"?

I didn't like the way she reacted by throwing snaps at people who disagreed with her

I agree. I thought she was horrible this episode, and I'm surprised Alice and Will didn't react more strongly the first time she threw them.

I’m prepared to allow Mia a period of youthful shouty activism. In ten years time she’ll be in the 21st c equivalent of a power suit, learning how to navigate a world that doesn’t bend to her will.

I agree - she tried something and she realised it was counterproductive and unkind. She'll learn from that I'm sure.

My gran used to always complain about me being political as a teenager (not party political just opinionated/activisty) and I said then - and weirdly still think this now - that actually so many changes wouldn't happen without the passion of young people who haven't got cynical yet/don't feel the need to "see every side". I think they help to power up and enthuse older people with more experience who share the same goals (but are obviously more practical), and the whole thing can work really beautifully together in campaigns etc.

Mia is annoying, but I love Will so much! He's so calm and wise, so unlike the rest of his family!

I am taking this opportunity to recalibrate my views on Will. Thank you @PuppyPerson I have always preferred him to his brother but never seen him as a romantic hero in his own right. Happy to conduct a reassessment and see him differently. May be I also need to make him more handsome and less weasel-like in my head. He has always had Byronic curls which I find very appealing so that’s a good starting point…

I strangely quite like Mia.

She is, and always has been, so utterly and thoroughly selfish and unlikable. Which is why it's a masterstroke to give her such a tragic story. This is so true. She is very much a flawed heroine. And just when you’re starting to warm to her and think she might be becoming more reasonable she behaves entirely in character and does something to confirm how thoroughly unpleasant and selfish she can be. Interesting to hear how Ian (supposedly her best friend) reacted to her announcement - carefully biting his tongue, afraid to say what he really thought. We didn’t hear Pat and Tony, but could well imagine their pussyfooting. I’m looking forward to Henry’s reaction - I think he is too young to be able to water down his true feelings or to have learned to tiptoe around his mother’s dogged independence.

Henry will hopefully tell Helen a few home truths. She’ll probably try to position the break-up as a joint decision when they tell the boys so she isn’t cast as the villain but I suspect he’ll see through that.

It will be interesting to watch how their relationship develops as Henry gets older.

@Eastie77Returns This! I thought it was interesting that she was very firm with Lee that they must BOTH tell the boys. I mean of course they should do it together. But it felt like the beginning of a piece of spin (which Henry is now too wise to fall for)

If Lee has any sense he'll start talking before she can get a word in.

I used to find him rather snipey and grudging but adversity seems to have mellowed him.

Alas, Helen will have been preparing for this ‘talk’ with the boys for weeks now so doubt Lee will get a chance to jump in as she delivers her crafted speech.

He’s not the sharpest and will probably be bamboozled into going along with whatever she comes out with.

this is why I was interested- I have come across various people describing themselves as queer who are definitely not gay men and it strikes me as quite offensive appropriation, when you think about a young Ian being taunted with it, or worse

Hang on, he lost his fiancée? I have very clear memories of him saying that his wife had died. Are they changing the story? Or is my memory faulty?

And this explanation from his sister is no explanation at all. It doesn't explain why he messed everything up for months and why there were no proper checks and balances. It just comes down to he was stressed and couldn't cope. We know that. But why was it all so amateurish and badly done on all sides?!

It was wife for sure

and sorry but it’s no excuse for the amateurish nature of the partners. It should never have been left in one man’s hands like that

So the whole gg sl is a pile of stinky pants basically.

and we are going to get adil back and fixed by Lynda and Oliver showing him love

Was definitely ‘wife’ last time she was spoken of by Adil. Wasn’t he commiserating with Brian, after Jenny’s death? (I may be misremembering.)

You aren’t!

That was a truly crap episode.

Yes - definitely had the convo with Brian and referred to wife and talked about the accident

if she is 15 years older then how old is he supposed to be? She doesn’t sound that old.

this is all so cringe and ridiculous. His Paddingtonness makes it even worse.

the fireworks sl is a bit of an odd way to introduce the eco friendly bonfire night. And how did they decide this and get the funding so quickly? Scene tonight sounded like an advert for silent fireworks