Archers thread #173: The Fall of the House of Grundy? 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 wish we were hearing more of Pip, 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.)

I chose the thread title to echo one I used three years ago, which is here if anyone fancies a trip down Memory Lane: www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4320618--Archers-thread-130-The-Fall-of-the-House-of-Aldridge-Discuss-The-Archers-here. That was the thread where I caused all sorts of confusion at the start by not starting it before the old thread filled up, but others stepped in, fortunately.

At that point I see Ruairi was heading off to London to start his degree, which he has now finished, with none of us any the wiser about what he studied or where. Perhaps this will finally be mentioned now he's graduating.

And now, over to you!

Auntie Rosie is Clarrie's sister Rosie, who lives (or always used to live) in Yarmouth. Last we heard, she had a husband; maybe he could look after her.

Sticking to the important thing, I'm pretty sure Delia did an apple pie with cheese in the pastry

I thought the number of times Ed mentioned Emma might go to prison made it sound as if he was almost relishing the situation.

Funny you should say that: he might just have worked out that he is in the clear and she isn't, on this one.

So Carries off to great Yarmouth

bridge farm are very dependent on the Grundy/Carters

at least Pat is being nice to Susan. and Tom was surprisingly kind to Emma

I was surprised Adam was being so nice to Will!! But he’s so immature. What a complicated workplace and so unprofessional!!

have we had a lot more actors per episode lately?

also, I thought Emma had quit and was only helping in terum occasionally

Nah, I'm unconvinced by the meeting tomorrow.

ETA I mean, that Fallon would agree. But Tom is desperate, isn't he.

Heh, Adam was nice until he knew.

I'm amazed news doesn't travel faster in that place.

Yes - the CA definitely made it sound like it’s not going to be positive!

Gosh, that was an unexpected intervention from Tom. (I guess he’s thankful that it’s not his sister this time who’s been teetering on the edge of a whole heap of trouble.)

So has all the gradual drawing together of disparate Houses at Bridge Farm, over years, been leading to this implosion?

Please let it send Adam back to Home Farm. It’s been so unsettling having a presumptive heir hovering on someone else’s farm, neither in nor out.

Wow, was that the true Tom Archer I hear?

Well, I suppose Tom's magnanimity is done out of self interest but it was still kind.

I was torn. On the one hand, it was nice of him to offer to mediate (although it remains to be seen what Fallon and Emma would be like together day to day with no one else there), on the other hand, I would be quite annoyed at my boss popping over to my home when I had called in sick. That seemed like really overstepping the mark, and just reinforced how desperate he was. He'll have to be magnanimous because otherwise he'll have no one but Fallon and Adam left, and poor Natasha wouldn't cope with doing a day's work on top of updating her drinks' website or whatever it is she usually does.

Did Tom claim to have just happened to see Emma with the Texels when he was going past? I ask because he wasn't. Nobody goes past Grange Farm: the only thing beyond it is the river, with a ford to the island in the middle of it but no way off that island to the other side.

Tom wasn’t being kind. If he wasn’t desperate he wouldn’t give a toss about Emma or offer to mediate (what a joke) at this meeting. I wonder if Fallon really agreed or if she was railroaded into it. I can’t wait to hear the idea he has come up that will solve Emma’s dilemma. It will be something awful.

He’s an extremely self-centred individual Alice is his cousin and I have not heard him express a single word of concern about her.

Emma and Will are getting closer because Ed is pushing her away/the secret of George gave them a bond.

I can see the storyline going that they come close and then stop themselves.

I don’t think Adam is being ridiculous. Alice is his sister and he has been so worried about her. I wouldn’t be able to work with someone who had done that to my sister and think it’s ridiculous to suppose he would react any other way.

Scarydinosaurs
I don’t think Adam is being ridiculous. Alice is his sister and he has been so worried about her. I wouldn’t be able to work with someone who had done that to my sister and think it’s ridiculous to suppose he would react any other way.

Perhaps, given that there are four people at Bridge Farm (Emma, Will, Susan and presumably Clarrie) with whom he won't work and one (Fallon) with whom he will, he should seek other employment less objectionable to him than eighty per cent to that workforce are.

But … but … I thought the whole point was that Emma was only occasionally at the Terum now, and that most of her time is spent on the tree surgery business. there was a hoo-ha as I recall when she gave her notice in.

They must have some other, silent, staff surely?

Tom seems to have exchanged personality with Robert Snell. Are there dark forces at work in Ambridge?

They must have some other, silent, staff surely?

I'm pretty sure Chelsea is the only other staff member. Because anytime one of the three of them is off, it's one of the other two who covers. Like the other day Chelsea opened up so that Fallon could talk to Alice. And that's why Natasha got so stressed about them being short staffed. Although I hope hardly anyone goes there anyway so they don't need anyone to run it.

I’m sure it’s against employment law to turn up at your employee’s house when they’ve called in sick! Poor Emma. How are they going to cope if she goes to prison? (although I’m sure she won’t, George will)

Tom Archer is right up there with Hazel Woolley and Vlad the Impaler as my preferred mediator at a difficult and emotional meeting.

Susan is being excellent at the moment, that actress deserves a medal.

I wonder if Fallon is actually going to give Emma an earful as Tom looks on and panics. Or maybe Emma will tell Fallon that Harrison wouldn't let her speak to Fallon, and it will all come out about him attacking George.

I can't predict Fallon's reaction. She was much less vengeful about Alice than others even when everyone thought she caused the accident through driving whilst very drunk. She could recognise that George was considerably less at fault when it came to the accident itself. On the other hand, she won't be happy about what he did to her friend and that it could have destroyed their friendship, and there is the Marthurrr factor.

I’d like to think Tom would be so irritating, pompous and self-serving - i.e., his usual self - that both women turn and rend him, differences temporarily forgotten. (Only temporarily, mind. Emma must be Shunned.)

I don’t really think toms motive matters. He handled it in a kind way. He didn’t have to

agree that it’s a bit odd Chelsea isn’t working in the terum given she was Emma’s replacement

Are they preparing us for the fall of Bridge Farm? In that Adam will leave (it was always a ridiculous placement anyway, and how the hell do Adam and Ian afford their lives as a farm hand and sometime pizza man?) Clarrie will be stuck looking after Rosie, Fallon will quit for the vegan cafe, no George. It means they won't have enough staff to support all their enterprises and the sawsage king and his juice queen are going to have problems on their hands.... No one to serve in cafe, no one to make cheese, no one other than exhausted Tony to milk the cows...
And where the hell is Helen in all this, because I haven't heard her helping at all.