Archers thread #190: Carry on, Cleo! Best new character for ages. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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Charlotte Smith must have been delighted to get back to Countryfile and Farming Today. What a pile of piffle tonight. Ah well.

When is George expected back? It can't be long now, surely. It occurs to me that I can't recall whether he's ever spoken on air to Ruairi. As their actors are currently the best (IMO) amongst the younger members of the cast, I hope they will cross swords in some way.

And finally, I can't mention Carry on Cleo without squeezing in one of the best lines ever written (Denis Norden and Frank Muir have the credit): Infamy, infamy! They've all got it in for me! Currently, Lily probably feels this way.

https://youtube.com/shorts/eRnd48yTC5A?si=N05njp3uLfpSjAmI

Over to you!

Brad and Amber up a tree….

also what on earth was up with Adam at the end? Did that really warrant being the closing of the episode?

I haven’t heard it yet but I want to claim full credit for calling some future Brad Amber temptation or affair on the last thread. She’s a secret shy kid after all.

D you think that nice Mr Appleby from the knacker’s yard could be persuaded to stop off at Brookfield on his way home?

Adam threatening George with Untold Horrors made me laugh aloud. I have a vision of George holding him at arm's length with one hand and telling him not to make a fool of himself, George doesn't want to hurt him.

I thought I heard mention of lamb too.

I thought the compare and contrast between Appleby and Ruairi was quite good, both of them swift, effective, and unsentimental in dispatching their respective poor old beasts. Honey sandwiches versus holiday with Miranda.

Poor old Adam hasn't a clue what's happening under his nose.

Ruairi was excellent and I have great hopes of him turning into a charming villain, one that we can all get behind as he manipulates the situation and wreaks havoc among the smug Macy/Aldridge children. Because apart from the escapee, Debbie, they all act like children.

Yes when Adam asked Ed how it had gone I thought for a minute he was going to ask for Appleby‘s number to take care of Brian.

How quickly do we think Adam and Ruairi are going to fuck things up? I’m going to assume that at some point Adam will be elbowed out and Stella will take his place.

Absolutely baffled how 2 weeks ago the farm was in big trouble financially and there were mounds of paperwork and now hey presto Adam and R are skipping round the farm talking crops and there’s nothing whatever for Brian to do. In fact they’re wondering why he’s still there, about 3 days after agreeing to retire. I assumed there would be a slow handover like in a sane world.

I'm still confused: are we supposed to think more highly of Amber for being in floods of tears over a pony she doesn't know and self-flagellating for being too weak, or are we supposed to think that it's quite horrible she made it a whole drama about herself and her tender feelings, when the people who actually knew the pony ended up feeling like they needed to comfort her? I know what I think...

Oh Adam - bless! He can't do menacing.

I don’t think we were meant to be confused about the ridiculous drama-llama-ing, @Trivium4all!

I do think it’s a shame Brad has been taken in by it.

A friend's ancient horse was shot so his body could be used to feed the large predators at the local zoo. That sensible plan could not have happened with an injected euthaniser. Did no one explain to Amber that it's a captive bolt?

<------ Sane world : Ambridge ----->

I wonder whether Ruairi did actually pick up some useful tips about ruthless but effective management during his mysterious studies.

The ‘inflection point’ in Home Farm management?

Indeed …

I hope Adam capitalises on the limited time he has left before he receives a captive bolt to the head …

i think Adam is very, painfully so, aware. He and Ruairi had a conversation about it a few days ago. Did Adam call Ruairi the "golden child" or did i dream that?

And it was very very clear with Brian's "speaking truth to power" that he favours His One True Born Son. And if i were Adam i would only be making sure that Home Farm (and therefore his share) is very very profitable while also making an exit plan.

But did Stella really take the job, or is she a future spanner in the works of Adam's future at Home Farm? because 3 heads really would be one too many.

Loved the way the Bartleby dispatch was handled. Very very well done by the writers there. So now George has a longer stretch, possibly, will Amber turn to Brad who will suddenly wake up and smell the coffee and back off (please please do that, Brad)

But did Stella really take the job, or is she a future spanner in the works of Adam's future at Home Farm? because 3 heads really would be one too many.

I think she did; I think she just won't last long because of Cleo.

Just as with the Fallon / Chris / behbeh possibility, Brad / Amber is a horrible thought but so, so rich with ongoing story potential. Just imagine Tracy backing Brad and thus being at odds with her niece for ever. And Susan still caught in the middle for ever …

Why do they need all the "farm managers" to pay someone else to drive a tractor?

Jeremy Clarkson's farm is much bigger and his managers actually work on the farm most of the time.

I suspect that (whatever they pretended to George) Susan, Emma and Ed might be secretly thrilled if Brad took Amber off their hands, and Neil would be delighted. Who knows what Will would think, if indeed he does think.

But surely Brad is not an idiot? If they're going to rewrite him for ridiculous plot purposes, that would be a mistake.

But she’d hardly be removed from the family if she were to become a Horrobin …

Posted on wrong thread but is Brad still at uni? He is so inconsistently written

As I replied (on The Wrong Thread) ... They haven't mentioned Brad dropping out, but to be realistic they've probably forgotten that he's even at university.

I don't think Amber is Brad's type - he's just being nice to her because he's a nice person and trying to do the right thing by George. I do think she's falling for him and let's remember she doesn't really know George - most of their relationship is in her head. I think that once he actually gets out she will almost certainly realise she prefers Brad.

its all very odd

C&P from other thread:

Someone, possibly George, asked him if he would have time to attend upon Bartleby given his uni study - and Brad replied that he could miss one lecture and catch up online.

I agree we don’t know Amber much - but they’ve laid the groundwork on the closeness between George and Brad over years. A serious split between them - where kind, sweet Brad betrays the more overtly dominant and less sweet George would have ramifications for half the village for decades to come.