Archers thread #174: God it's lame! But it still limps on. 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 think Ben-meets-Zainab is on a par with Elizabeth-meets-Darcy, 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.)

Thanks to @Bruisername for the title inspiration. She said God it's lame and that seemed to strike a chord with many, for some reason.

I am terrified of wasps and live in fear of encountering a hornet, so that was a tricky episode. I hope that's the last we're going to hear of them, except for confirmation that they've been nuked. [shudder]

So what do we reckon - custodial or suspended sentence for George? Will Clarrie return from Great Yarmouth or will she realise that actually life as a carer for her (presumably disabled) sister is easier than the endless and thankless drudgery at Grange Farm? Will any more tables collapse at the Village Hall?

Over to you!

Will George and Gang man be in the same prison?

Thank you, @LillianGish and @Bruisername! That explains some odd remarks.

They presumably wouldn't cross paths if they were, given that George is in a separate unit.

That wasn’t my memory of the Harry plot

Nor anyone else's @MereDintofPandiculation , but too late for me to delete. I did repent and reconsider!

I was glad that the judge mentioned the attempt to implicate Harry in his sentencing remarks. For all that Emmur keeps wailing that her little one is being blamed for one bad decision, the fact is that it was a whole series of bad decisions - he sat back for weeks saying nothing knowing that Alice had been arrested and charged, he repeatedly refused to hand himself in when strongly advised to do so, he ran away rather than own up, he was desperate to stop Alice getting help to remember what happened, he made a determined attempt to implicate Harry - in fact, left to himself he would have let Alice get a criminal record and possibly go to prison. It's no thanks to him that Emma and Will didn't end up in the dock also.

Sorry, @DeanElderberry, I was working from oldest first, and hadn’t seen everyone else.

then he automatically would not have been able to have been convicted for perverting the course of justice? I went through the same thought - yes, he still would have been convicted because he was trying to frame vodka-filled Alice for drunken driving

I would class it as a c2 offence as the underlying offence was not serious and the innocent party was not sent down as a result of the perversion so between 6 months and 1 year. But had he not been done in by his mother, she would have been. I came to the conclusion of 2 years

Emma is having a bad time. But she needs to realise George is having a worse one. Greeting his phone call with “why didn’t you phone me yesterday?”! Really!

Has George actually got a driving ban as well

Yes, banned for a year.

Greeting his phone call with “why didn’t you phone me yesterday?”! I actually quite liked that - it showed her disconnection from what George is going through (despite trying to imagine every horror) and I felt it really brought home how very unsatisfactory such a phone call would be. What should she say? What can you say in such a brief window? She wanted to hear his voice - she hadn’t seen him since he was taken down, she was literally beside herself. He has very much reverted to being her little boy (in her mind) while he (in an adult prison) is very much being treated as a man and he has to shift into that role. Very hard to listen to.

Will the driving ban kick in from the date of his release? it's a bit toothless if he's banned while behind bars.

Emma is having a bad time. But she needs to realise George is having a worse one. Greeting his phone call with “why didn’t you phone me yesterday?”! Really!
She did it for the same reason people who have momentarily lost a small child often first tell them off for wandering then shower them with kisses.

There used to be a wonderful older {I was in my 20's then} A&E Triage Nurse in our local {city} hospital.

She was pretty good at assessing stuff. I trusted her years of experience over the young doctors.

Seconded. She also smoked for decades, so should be at heightened risk of COPD, heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. If she lives to be 100 I will be very annoyed indeed. Nasty woman.

Gosh, if only I had the confidence in the SWs for that to be George's life once released! Unfortunately, I don't.

Thanks for this. That must have been a really difficult time for you and everyone close to your ex. Interesting that even open prison is tough because of the other prisoners.

There was a BBC drama called Time three years ago with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. I forget what Sean Bean had done to end up in prison, but he'd never been in trouble with the law before and was totally out of his element. I found it pretty chilling. The idea of having to live with violent unpredictable people with no possibility of escape is my worst nightmare.

I hope Emma isn't stupid enough to try to smuggle a mobile phone to George so she can keep in touch with him. If you search for 'Beat the boss mobile phone' on Amazon you will find a good selection of very tiny mobiles specifically designed to be smuggled in after being secreted in your rectum.

@Sussurations what a wonderful redemption sex that would be indeed!

*arc!!!!!

That’s quite the spelling error!!

Just don't have @Godesstobe 's secret phone and @JanglyBeads redemptive sex in the same 2 minute scene please TA scriptwiters thank you.

Dear god only knows what kind of yoghurt-saturated tea towel, half coconut shell, wall of doorbells sound effects they'd use.

It was drunken driving.

It absolutely was not. For all his many and serious failings the one thing he didn’t do was drink.

Sorry @CaptainMyCaptain I realise you were replying the the second part of @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g post.

“Emma is intelligent, capable and tough but constantly self-sabotages with her fixed beliefs about life (aka chip on her shoulder) and it’s really affecting her ‘life chances’ now. She needs to change.”
@Sussurations

Definitely agree with that.

Not sure how realistic I find her scripting though, as after catching up on back episodes from recent years, I find she can be massively change from being the sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful and sensitive person to be massively self centred, self pitying, jealous, underhand and mean.