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!

Only three times. Once stopped him from being sent to prison in Australia, once got him out of hock with the British fraud squad, and I forget what the third was but it led to Phil vowing they wouldn't compromise the farm for him again.

AmEx would explain why I don't remember any of it, though I think I had big chunks of rather absent-minded listening through my parent-minding years.

Which is why I need to be filled in on how and when Will turned from Mr Keep-the-Rules into the present Scofflaw.

My criminal judge friend says Will and Emmur are more at risk from a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice charge re the attempt to frame Harry than assisting an offender re not telling on George…

I didn't listen to AmEx so that would explain why I didn't remember that visit at all.

I've never paid a lot of attention to Will, Dean, so can't really help. I find him extremely dull. It's his voice, unfortunately. Ed's voice is much more attractive.

so true

[Polishes fingernails]

No, Meriel’s visit wasn’t in Ambridge Extra, it was in the main programme.

There was some totally separate Am Ex storyline that took place in Australia or New Zealand I think. Possibly involved Jolene too.

I think the actor has made Will's voice so stereotypically yokel and sing-song that it is difficult to put any variation or emotion into it.

I think Will was written as the boring (though potentially violent) good one for a long time, and suddenly making him not-so-good isn't enough on its own to undo the decades of boringness.

I wish Emma would lose her temper and tell Chris, Ed, Will, Harrison, George to stop having a go at her.

I fear she is going to crack under all the guilt, blame and pressure these men are putting on her.

I don’t think Will has been having a go. He has been supportive

i don’t think this is going to lead to them getting together as has been mooted upthread though

ed needs to step up and get over his bruised ego and recognise that this is the time his wife really needs him

... except that he keeps on undermining her decision to have called the police. You're right that he has generally been on side, but he has had a go, both to her face and behind her back, about her calling the police without asking/ telling him, and while he was away.

I'm less optimistic than you about Ed's ability to step up and support Emma. I think he might go the other way: the longer he reflects on what happened, the more he hardens in his resentment.

Oh I don’t think Ed will step up - he should but he won’t!

also, Will has said he wishes she had spoken to him first and I would like to think that’s because he would have supported her rather than tried to convince her otherwise. They were both on the same page when it came to wanting him to turn himself in asap

And a BOOP for the scenes between Riuari, Brian and Alice.

Remind me who was being lectured by Eddie on “the code of the Grundies” a few months back?

Brad I think, but I can’t remember why.

Just checking in... the last thread moved quickly!

It was a joke. Eddie was teasing him that because he was dating Mia he had to respect the Grundy Way. But Brad didn't realise it was tongue in cheek and responded very earnestly.

It doesn’t help that, in addition to sounding as thick as two short planks, Will still, even now the cat's out of the bag, keeps chuckling indulgently as though it’s all a silly old misunderstanding and they'll have it cleared up in two ticks, not to worry.

No one deserves to have Lily inflicted on them, least of all Ruari who's generally one of the nicer and more interesting characters.

Didn't Mia have a crush on him? Before she took up with Brad the Bore?

Ruari? Yes.

Indeed it did. This one's motoring along too.

Ruairi is destined to be with Paul.

Will just seems to be in a state of denial about the seriousness of George’s situation. Both he and Emma keep earnestly telling people “but we begged George to go to the police” as if that makes it all better.

He'll probably helpfully tell her that if only she had confided in him he would have advised her to go straight to the police, therefore the entire mess is her fault and Will's.