Archers thread #165: Bridge over troubled waters! 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 believe Rochelle exists, 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5071889-the-archers-spoilers-thread-9-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.)

This thread may well fill up as fast as the last one, so let's just get stuck in!

Sober Alice is equal parts dull, snobbish and unpleasant. Drunk Alice is still unpleasant and snobbish but more interesting than Sober Alice.

I wouldn't miss her if she throws herself into the Am.

I feel sorry for Harrison. He is grieving his unexpected child, but Fallon understandably doesn't want to talk, but has also banned him from talking to his family, and of course his friends are local.

I also feel sorry for George. He was trying to do a good thing, and was clearly also very brave. But he screwed up trying to drive a higher spec car than he was used to when possibly over the limit, and of course then covering it up.

No winners in this.

I think Alice is quite fortunate because, when the truth comes out, she will be able to feel that the accident and its consequences were George's fault not hers. She'll be able to keep telling herself that she would never have driven drunk. IRL she would almost certainly have driven drunk at some point - quite possibly with Martha in the car - and would have put people's lives at risk as a result.

She’s also fortunate that even if she were to go to prison she will still have her own home, a job provided by family and an ex who won’t make contact difficult

I've just posted on the Spoilers thread a really good interview with the Harrison actor.
It's not got any actual spoilers but lots of insights and he's very funny.

As soon as he knew that he might be on his way to becoming a Dad, everything else ceased to matter. He hasn't really thought about Fallon's feelings at all, and that's a red flag.

He's prioritised Fallon's feelings over his own, bottled up his emotions and settled for a compromised life because he adores his wife. He had a glimmer of hope that he was going to be a dad - which he desperately wanted - and now that's gone he feels anger and despair.

If Fallon doesn't change her mind, I hope he leaves her and has a family with someone else whilst remaining in Ambridge.

All of this is very dramatic and soap-y but I am missing cheese banter and talk of herbal lays.

And outbreaks of Portnoy's complaint among the Herefords.

It must be a relief for Fallon. A miscarriage is a good result for a woman who does not want a baby.

I don't think this is universally true. I had an early miscarriage when I hadn't wanted a baby (but, being Catholic, would not have terminated). I felt very conflicted about it, definitely not unalloyed relief.

For Fallon in particular, I agree with multiple pp that it would be nice to have a happy, child free by choice, woman character. And that Harrison and her should have a serious think about their relationship's future.

The SWs have already done the pregnant by accident then loved it then miscarriage storyline with Wren, we don't need a similar arc for Fallon. Let her have mixed feelings about the situation if that's how it works out, but don't make her change her mind about her life plans, especially not under pressure from Harrison.

@Fink - good point about Wren - I had forgotten this
Where is Kirsty?

Where is Kirsty?

After being absent for months she was used as a plot device in one measly episode where she had to act clueless so we could see how wonderful Mick is.

Mick's getting on my wick.

I quite liked that Kirsty-Mick episode.

Fallon and Harrison with the ‘coil pregnancy’ storyline is painful. The COIL would have caused the miscarriage - it’s v v likely to be the reason, not the accident.

I want George to be caught. He’s a prick.

I want someone to tell Harrison that it wasn't the accident that caused the pregnancy
I haven't fully rtft yet so someone else has probably mentioned this but of course it also explains all the saucy shenanigans at grey gables and the dreadful suitcase episode.

Sorry I mean that caused the miscarriage

I presumed you meant GG stay was when conception took placement that caused the miscarriage?

Grr autocorrect

• not that caused

Might not have been the GG night. It's not the only occasion recently that Fallon and Harrison have clearly been having marital relations. At least this storyline may put a stop to hints of that being aired. I don't need sex on TA.

<still scarred by the shower scene>

At least Susan seems to be sparing Neil (and us) the chilli con carne innuendo these days...

Gosh, Susan … She must be lying in bed with the phrase How are the mighty fallen chasing round and round her head. Her beautiful, fun loving, posh daughter in law, in fact the whole of the House of Aldridge (née Archer,) slain in its high places. Surely she must struggle to comprehend the reversal of fortune that has overtaken them since the day her son arrived home with Alice as his bride?

Susan will fall out with Chris if she starts criticising Alice. Chris seems to be taking it all with superhuman calm for some reason.

The poster who was told that there was no heart beat then sent home and her daughter is 12 now, well Im glad for you but you saying that has made me think maybe they made a mistake where I was concerned and it has really upset me.

I was quite expecting him to fly off the handle and try and stop Alice from ever seeing her again. I think it’s the Undoing of George though, Chris will be one of the people who encourages Alice not to believe that she drove the car.

Others may have answered this but yes, from my own experience:

—HCG levels (the pregnancy hormone that’s picked up in a blood test) can remain high enough to for a test to read as positive after foetal demise.
—There’s also a thing called a ‘chemical pregnancy’ where the embryo tries and fails to implant and this produces some HCG. Often this is a low amount and they will know it likely won’t be a successful pregnancy, but ‘normal’ HCG levels vary so much from one woman to the next that this can appear to produce a positive result.

Basically, all the blood test tells you is that there’s HCG present and a ‘positive’ result is a somewhat arbitrary threshold that may or may not result in an ongoing pregnancy.

Putting aside the awful handling of the pregnancy storyline, there's been some absolutely brilliant characterisation this week. I can't help but feeling that if Alice pulls through this, it'll be entirely down to her having Fallon and Chris on her side (and Kate too).