Archers thread #183: The Scorekeeper's Apprentice. 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 like to share a hot tub with Mucky Mick, 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.)

Credit for the title goes to @TottersBlankly who suggested it and @BeatriceBatchelor who coined this lovely phrase. (It's led me to take a look at the Wikipedia page for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I had not known before that the animation in Fantasia that goes with the Dukas symphonic tone poem is more or less unadulterated Goethe, and the story goes back to ancient times. You learn something every day.)

At the end of the last thread, there was an apocalyptic tone as we were all bemoaning the lack of continuity and farming storylines (especially lambing, which used to be a big theme at this time of year). Are there any reasons to be cheerful? (Not just Part 3 - another reference for the older listeners here. ) Over to you!

Why on earth is Clarrie continuing to work there? She must be so institutionalised.

What was the point of putting Susan and Clarrie through the stress of being interviewed?
And for Helen to get tearful in front of Clarrie as she made her redundant was annoying.
I'm going have to finally accept that TA is no longer as it was.

But the interview was 🌟stunning🌟

yeah, joy, mick and Rochelle should be firmly in the crappy afternoon play box

although if Joy is one elaborate scam artist and was behind the booking week nonsense and that’s how she made her money - I may not hate them quite as much

TottersBlankly
So … Joy went away and apparently had enough money to continue paying bills and providing money for food for Rochelle in their home, whilst also having the expense of living somewhere else herself during that time?

Whilst being totally skint because the wage-earner was no longer there, as reported previously.

Do you think the sw ever sit down and go through the story arcs? Cos one of them in the room must have said ‘hang on, does any of this actually make sense?’

I now want to know what the soil type is in the area where Rochelle could dig a hole with her bare hands that was large enough and deep enough to bury a big decomposing dog. I was moving a few plants around today using a nice pointy trowel and was constantly having to go round stones and rocks.

She'd be a very useful gardener if she's still able to dig like that. I wonder has she got great big hands, like moles have. On one level I'd be happy for all three of them to vanish never to return, but a mutant mole-woman would be a little bit interesting.

I once had a friend who showed me a big hole she had dug in her garden and told me she had dug it with her bare hands. I was surprised and asked why she didn’t use a spade. She was surprised because she had and thought that the expression just meant she had done it herself. Made me wonder what else she had told people she had made with her bare hands

Edit to add she was planting a shrub not burying a large dog

There’s no doubt the helpful lad would have run home for a spade … And anyway, if Joy had a garden she’d have had some gardening tools. And even if they were all locked up in the shed - again, that’s what a handy, helpful lad is for; breaking into your parent’s shed.

But the thought of a 15 year old waking up to no cereal or toast or milk, and having no money to buy them - that may give me the odd moment of worry over the next few days. I do hope a SW will eventually offer some clarification …

I guess Joy can’t cope with what she did and what impact it had on her daughter. At least Rochelle left her kids with a loving father.

I got the impression Rochelle’s kids were quite young (bairns wouldn’t apply to teens surely) and she is mid 40s? I would have imagined her to be younger and to have been quite young when she had her kids.

also how old is Rex?

you mean she didn't use her bare hands and that was a lie? Okay, she can go, she's as dull as her mother and Mick.

I think every time Rochelle opens her gob it’s a lie, and the same goes for her blethering mother.
’It was the summer Elvis died’ was funny, though, as was Mick’s patent disappointment that he couldn’t write Rochelle off as a Grade A nutter on the strength of it after all.

There still hasn't been any explanation as to why Rochelle doesn't live with, and rarely sees, her own children. There's got to still be more to this story, unfortunately, because the sooner all 3 of them disappear forever, the better.

I would imagine she has either inherited her mother’s mental health condition and/or is worried about doing the same to her kids as her mum did to her.

I would imagine she has a lot of trauma from that summer as she was probably taken advantage of rather a lot. Not sure they needed to bring poor elvis into it. She could have said she was manipulated and raped for food and then drugs introduced etc etc.

bit dark for the archers?

Posted by mistake on the spoilers thread. I'm just catching up. I enjoyed that. A Lynda and Khalil free episode (I can't bear Lynda's so sympathetic voice)

I would have liked Clarrie to just take the money and go. Helen was supremely awful- let's make everything about Helen's feelings

I think the manipulation of sex in return for helping her out is more subtle than sex for food or drugs. All are horrible but the latter 2 are unambiguously exploitative. The other I can imagine a 15 year old blaming herself - "he was a nice guy/he was helping me out/ I gave him the wrong signals"

Poor Constanza dying because of Joy and Rochelle’s half-baked storyline.

Helen shouldn't have got tearful, but it was very much Helen - "I'm smashing up your income, but it's all about me and very upsetting for me."

Hopefully the robot hoover will make a bid for freedom from Home Farm and trundle off down the road behind them.

Did Fagash cough up for a replacement after Khalil's failure to repair it?

and now Elvis, who Rochelle had to bury half decomposed and then felt obliged to sleep with the lad who helped her bury him..WTH!!

You forgot the heatwave. Elvis was decomposing in a heatwave. That episode really did stink.

Well who is lying, and why did Joy go instead of telling Rochelle to eff off.
Was Rex romantically interested in Rochelle or did he just fancy her a bit. I think Rochelle went a bit over the top about Rex.
I think she is the liar, if your mum was that bad you would never want anything to do with her. What happened when Joy came back did they live happy ever after. It all makes no sense.
I could have shook Carrie when she said she would stay and work out her notice, and I think Susan should leave as well. She didn't need the money. Helen is a selfish, self centred piece of work. I hope the dairy and the shop close down permanently.

Tony repaired it, I think.

I thought it broke because Brian stood on it? I really don’t think it would be easily fixed as they tend to be plastic casing

Does anyone have one of those robot vacuums that mop as well? I'm seriously considering getting one.