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!

--.He may...
.genuinely think he has changed and turned his life around0..............and be 9having a rude awakening that some deeds have too bad an effect to be forgiven. It's one thing wiping the slate clean in your own mind and going on to live a blameless and worthwhile life (I'm not for a minute suggesting Clive is doing this), quite another to expect the people you have damaged to participate in this.

Apols for cat additions to the post.

It's one thing wiping the slate clean in your own mind and going on to live a blameless and worthwhile life (I'm not for a minute suggesting Clive is doing this), quite another to expect the people you have damaged to participate in this.

And he's not exactly coming at this from an apologetic stance ("I know I've done wrong, I'd understand if you didn't forgive me..."), he's demanding forgiveness rather than earning it. Unsurprisingly people are telling him to sling his hook!

And it’s not like he only committed one crime and he brought quite a lot of residents to near death experiences

Clive's near-death experience seems to be a sign falling on him. He was probably in the middle of nicking it.

As much as I hate what they’re doing with this SL now, I am intrigued by where things are going with George. Misogynistic little shit - seeks Rob out - falls for his charms - realises he’s made a mistake. Petty criminal - seeks Clive out - falls for his ‘charms’ - realises he made a mistake???

What are the editor and writing team thinking? Where is it all going? Because so far George doesn’t seem able to learn from his mistakes.

What is really interesting is he clearly doesn’t see any of the men in his life as strong role models, or on his side. He called Will weak or pathetic or something regarding Emma making a fool of him. Ed apparently never loved him. Neil sacked him. He doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Chris. I think he might look up to Eddie (and Joe before him), God help him! I do find myself feeling sorry for him at times but he’s such a shit, and the way he speaks to Emma is appalling.

I hope he sticks with cricket, and Alistair takes him under his wing a bit (if he manages to avoid clink). Alistair is also deeply flawed and has made mistakes and let people down, but he’s generally accepted to be A Good Man. Brian would be another one, in a way. Or Jim!

Btw, when I said Brian, I meant to caveat it with ‘if he hadn’t thrown Alice under the bus’!

I've counted it up; Clive was first convicted for a crime he committed in Ambridge at the age of 21, and was given a six year sentence. Then he got a five year one, then a four-month one, and then a twelve year one. These were all for crimes he committed in Ambridge. So if he had served the full term for all of them that's twenty-three years four months; and he is only 51. A lot more than half his adult life, and almost half his entire life, has been spent by him being punished for crimes he committed in Ambridge.

If he had any sense he would avoid the place like the plague; he has terrible luck there. He's also a very unsuccessful criminal, and thus a terrible rôle model for any budding young villain like George.

I agree @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime - Clive needs to advise George to spread his wings and move far, far away from Ambridge, if only because the HorrobinSpawn are Doomed there.

I am slightly baffled here: when did Brian throw Alice under the bus? To me that implies saving onself at someone else's expense, like Trump refusing to pay Giuliani's legal fees to save himself the money. Brian has tried to get Alice to plead guilty, but not to save himself in any way: it's because he thinks (because her lawyer has said) that she would be less likely to get a prison sentence if she pleaded guilty.

It's one thing wiping the slate clean in your own mind and going on to live a blameless and worthwhile life (I'm not for a minute suggesting Clive is doing this), quite another to expect the people you have damaged to participate in this.

Plus it takes a bit of self-deception to believe you are living a blameless life whilst at the same time supporting your dodgy relative in keeping quiet about nearly killing several people and framing someone else.

And also blackmailing his mother by threatening to tell what her son has done to everyone she knows .

Pp was referring to males in the village who could be role models and put George on the straight and narrow. Then clarified Brian obv wouldn’t work because George had thrown Alice under the bus

I assumed the poster meant George had thrown Alice under the bus?

Thanks both, because I had clearly misread something that was obvious. Apologies to TherapistInATabard.

Sorry, this follow up post didn’t make it clear, but in my previous one I was talking about who in Ambridge could be a strong male role model for George (which he seems to need but lacks for various reasons). So, if George hadn’t thrown Alice under the bus, Brian could be someone George could look up to as someone flawed, who had made mistakes, but is generally a good man.

I’ve talked myself into wishing I’d never started that thought 😂

Aaaand I took too long typing that out. Thanks all 😊

I’m not sure Brian is the type to take someone like George under his wing.

George needs someone like his namesake ultimately (although they still didn’t let Will have a happy outcome from that)

Not sure if Clive's "I've changed. I do yoga" is an oblique reference to the booky wooky one

It’s funny because someone doing yoga does not make me think they are a good person

Listening to it now. Post coital Harrison saying "We Might Just Grow Old Together".

Aye. He's a gonner.

Still, they seemed to have been doing sexxxytime outside. Is this a prelude to some sort of do**ing storyline

It’s funny because someone doing yoga does not make me think they are a good person Though it was quite amusing hearing him say that to Kate and trying to persuade her to do some breathing exercises (hopefully she’ll realise how ridiculous she sometimes sounds though that’s unlikely as she has zero self awareness).

I hope not! We had that business with Emma and Ed in the woods. That was enough. I thought they just had the window open a bit.

Three types that fill me with horror -
yoga bunnies, vegans and political party obsessives of whichever colour. It seems to become their personality