Archers thread #171: Harvest's nearly over – but will George ever reap what he has sown? 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 have been delighted with a hand-painted squirrel tray for your 40th, as shown below, 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/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.)

All I have to say about current storylines for now is that I want the George Alice crash stuff to come to a resolution, sooner rather than later, and I also want to hear very little indeed of Alistair, Denise and Paul maundering on. More of Jakob would be very welcome. His brother can come back any time too.

I now declare this thread open for business!

Spoiler

I'd say it was safe for work, but the Fallon/Harrison bit wasn't at all interesting. Cringe. It was either drawing a line (thank god) on all the lost sperm trauma, or else (I prefer to think, because it would be more entertaining) heralding unparalleled angst in the relationship, leading to its demise. (And, with luck, Harrison's.)

The bit worth listening to is where Clive toddles into the shop where he did the armed robbery. Joy doesn't know him or the history, but she rises wonderfully to the occasion when she finds out. Kate is magnificent too. Clive may start to feel unwelcome, and it's all so unfaaaair!

@Madcats , It was both. No. No.

Cross-posted,

There's supposedly a rule that the appearance of a gun in a drama means it must be fired.

Similarly, Sexy time for no apparent reason MUST ALWAYS BE PUNISHED

@Lalgarh ,

@BeatriceBatchelor , wasn't poking fun at you, just taking advantage of my smartarse username to crack a joke.

Sexy time signpost: Susan's chilli or Harrison's tofu? You vote.

Here's Jan Raven;

I know!!

https://www.radiotimes.com/audio/jan-ravens-dead-ringers-interview/

Me neither!

Can you imagine being in a relationship like Fallon And Harrison?, it seems as though they are always on the verge of a row, they both seem to be walking on eggshells, (regardless of the boring sex stuff), that would do my head in.
Kate and Joy were good, love the way Joy turned and threw Uncle Clive out of the shop, hope he dosnt retaliate by setting the shop on fire with Susan in it and George saves his Nanna and realises his Uncle Clive is a bastard. If Uncle Clive is going to be recognised every where he goes he wont last long in Ambridge, fingers crossed.

My teens would die of embarrassment, but there weren't any squelchy sound effects.

It featured Fallon very frankly saying she wanted sex, then a discussion about why they hadn't had any for a while (not graphic, based around contraception). Then a later scene which is safe for children - they reveal that they heard Clive et al arguing while they were DTD but didnt stop to investigate, and Harrison jokes that Fallon only wants him to provide food and sex (he may not have used the word again).

It depends how old your children are.

Gold medal for Joy! Agree with PP, Kate has been almost bearable recently.

Nice to hear Cloyve having his arse handed to him by two women.

No university here, Oxbridge or otherwise. Dropped out of A levels when I got pregnant but Made Something of Myself later in life - I could've given Emma some good advice when she had her non mid life crisis.

The Fallon and Harrison scene was excruciating - they sound like a couple who have only just met rather than husband and wife. I get that the SWs are trying to signal things are still awkward between them, but it was all just too stilted for words. What I took away from it was that they were both going through the motions in a kind of fake it till you make it kind of intimacy and now Fallon knows Harrison had contemplated breaking up, the seeds of doubt have been sown in her mind. She had been thinking of booking a holiday, now she's wondering if it's worth the effort.

On AIBU at the moment there’s a thread about DC and partner ostentatiously being “all over each other” while sharing the family living room. Radio Sex is similar. You don’t know where to put your eyes/ears.

Maybe just to tell us the Harrison/Fallon marriage has survived?

Checkov, no less. He gave it in various versions at different times, eg "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there."

I don’t think he was implying he was thinking of breaking up, more that the marriage wouldn’t survive. And I didn’t get the “she's wondering if it's worth the effort” vibe either.

I don’t think he was implying he was thinking of breaking up, more that the marriage wouldn’t survive. What is the difference? And I didn’t get the “she's wondering if it's worth the effort” vibe either - poorly worded I agree. I meant I don't think the idea had crossed Fallon's mind until that point, but now the idea has been planted...

I thought for a moment that a poster was saying that Chekhov had used the term 'sexy time'

@MereDintofPandiculation , me neither.

Well I just listened to the shop bits. There was a lot of Fallon to fast forward

I’m finding the Clive bits a little bizarre tbh. given his crimes in ambridge is he really so thick? It does feel a-bit like they are trying to give us a potted history

the holiday chat was also odd. If they want heat then Cyprus at that time of year is hot. The last bit about her never considering the marriage would fail I do feel she may have been having an epiphany because whilst he may not have wanted to he thought it was possible whereas she didn’t

The last bit about her never considering the marriage would fail I do feel she may have been having an epiphany - me too. Well put.

This is EXACTLY what my mind flashed to as well.

(Another non-Oxbridge grad here, btw)

It would be quite difficult for it not to have crossed her mind, really, what with Harrison's behaviour, the split up, the lack of support for her career, the lack of sex etc etc

Clive’s zen veneer has truly cracked hasn’t it. That shrieking in the shop was quite disturbing. I think he will make the big reveal about George in The Bull in front of everyone, mic drop and leave.

I’m finding the Clive bits a little bizarre tbh. given his crimes in ambridge is he really so thick?

People like Cloyve are life's grifters. They genuinely seem to believe that they can charm and lie their way into/out of whatever they want. Someone like him would easily think that a load of middle-class-gullible types (as he would see them) would be taken in with his new lentil-driven persona and be taken in by the idea that he's genuinely changed, thus laying them open to manipulation.

Have we had any indication as to what this "near death experience" was?

But from what she said it isn’t crossed her mind at all. So hopefully him saying it crossed his will plant the seed

although I do think whoever wrote that scene hadn’t been listening properly because I’m sure she made some comment a about them wanting different things and it not surviving to her mum

I think he was more worried that Fallon might get fed up (of his misery) and initiate the break-up.

I’m finding the Clive bits a little bizarre tbh. given his crimes in ambridge is he really so thick? It does feel a-bit like they are trying to give us a potted history

I agree. I know he's not the brightest, but surely he can't seriously expect the whole village to welcome him after his previous activities? There's a case for saying he just wants to convince people like George, but that doesn't square with his reaction to being chucked out of the shop when George wasn't there to witness what happened.