Archers thread #164: AmbridgEnders! An Everyday Story of Soapy Folk. 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 like to have your fortune told by Bartleby, 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.)

Thread thrown together in great haste in advance of tonight's episode. Who's in the Am? Is it George's fault? Is this the end for Alice? Over to you!

Placemarking! Thanks for the new thread.

I think Joy was a red herring and it was Brian who crashed and went into the river. George saying "no no no" as he watched the car teetering.

doom de doom de doom de DOOM

I still maintain it’s George and Alice.

George had drifted into the middle of the road because he was trying to stop Alice opening the doors, swerved to avoid the oncoming car (which also swerved, which we heard), went over the grass onto the riverbank (as the picture in the last thread showed there being a riverbank down to the water before you get to the bridge - George said to Alice that they just needed to get over the bridge for them to stop for her to be sick, so they hadn’t reached the bridge yet) and their car slowly dropped over the edge.

The “No, no, no” was as he felt the car teeter - the creaking was too close at hand to be the other car if we are “with” George from a listening POV, presumably it would be on the other side of the road?

Hmmmm, well we will find out tomorrow. Can’t wait!!

thanks for new thread!!

Excellent @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g!

There was so much careful exposition in the shop, with George not being able to afford beer and settling for fruit cider … Which Google tells me is 4%. Though that’s not significantly weaker than beer. But perhaps when he got to his party he found the cider so disgusting he only had a few sips? I dunno - there was surely some purpose to that dialogue with Joy.

It would be dreadfully unfair if poor George Grundy (!) was deemed culpable while Alice Aldridge was in her car at the tail end of a large bottle of vodka.

Alternative theory lifted from TwiX - Alice got the door open and the car remains teetering when George sees Alice fall from the car into the water. Does he risk getting out of the car (and have it fall into the water too, potentially killing Alice if it lands on her) or stay put, not only incriminating himself as being in the driving seat (and possibly over the limit) but losing the chance to get Alice out of the water?

There was definitely another car

There was another car, George gave an umph! sound which I think was the collision. There was rushing noise sound, then all the “teetering”, then a very clean sploosh, which sounded more like someone jumping in than a car landing in shallow water.

Wouldnt be a cliff hanger if we could work out what happened, would it?

They’ve done well (potentially, they could still mess it up) with Alice drunk in charge of a stationary vehicle. The lawyer Brian pays for will be able to argue that the fact she’d put the keys in the glove pocket shows she had no intention of actually driving the car.

Looking at the upcoming episode list, the next couple of weeks are going to be quite dramatic.

Is this another SATTC thing?

Yes, but how did the car get to wherever George found it? Also, how did George get there? I missed that detail.

<Proffers formal invitation to the Spoilers thread>

It’s OK, I’m not posting spoilers! 🙂

I think Alice is out of it (in every sense) having undone her seatbelt and opened the door, I think she fell out of the moving car and is anywhere between fine and dead (probably injured but with no memory). And I think George was in the car which swerved to avoid the other and ended up in the water, he’s still in it. Horrible ending and reminded me of those poor boys last year whose car ended up in the river in Wales.

Together was on his way back from the party (at mollys?) when he came across auntie Alice

so somewhere between the party and his house

Where’s a map when you need it!!

I’m not sure where it was parked, but presumably Alice drove there while sober to hide herself away so she could drink. George came across her when he was on his way home, hence his call to Eddie (I think?) that he was going to be late back.

So he was on foot?

Thanks for new thread Gasp0de On tenterhooks here!

I think he was phoning Will.

Yes

Presumably the argument will be that Sober Alice drove to a secluded spot to get to know her vodka better. Perhaps we are to be persuaded that she was going to remain there until all the alcohol was out of her system? Or that she planned for Drunk Alice to call an Uber?

Thanks.

Yes the glove box position for keys must have great significance, it was an odd bit of dialogue.