Archers thread #191: Mulligan: stew made from odds and ends; second chance after poor shot. Both fit the bill. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

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

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Mulligan mostly makes me think of John Finnemore's Souvenir Show. This is good, and tenuously connected to a recent TA storyline

Over to you!

Why would anyone report Helen for taking her boys out of school for a couple of days? Who would be that bloody minded? Who would care? This is according to Tom. Henry's right about them being cooped up but Helen just went hmm or something similar. Why she isnt looking for her own home is beyond me.
So George is going to be in demand then. Don't think Tony will be very happy, but Pat will be.

Just waiting for the shop to go tits up financially, as a huge tranche of the village refuses to be served by George. And I wouldn't want him in effective charge of my farm while I was away. He keeps whining that he's done his time, but he's out on licence so he hasn't.

Why she isnt looking for her own home is beyond me.
Because it suits her not to.

How long since TomTasha&Twins moved in?

Just waiting for the shop to go tits up financially, as a huge tranche of the village refuses to be served by George. And I wouldn't want him in effective charge of my farm while I was away. He keeps whining that he's done his time, but he's out on licence so he hasn't.
Same here.

Neil's the only family member who stands up to George.

I am fairly sure it was after the sewage flood, so that would make it mid- to late-April this year, I think.

Aeons.

There was all that will they, won't they stuff with Tom'n'Tash trying to get money off from Kirsty, which put Kirsty's purchase of Willow Cottage or whatever it's called from Roy (handled by Brenda) at risk of falling through. I don't think that lasted all that long in the end, just felt like it did.

I thought that. Wouldn't she just tell the school she's taking them out for a few days, and pay the fine?

It sounds pretty shit so I’m not surprised Henry doesn’t want to go

its such an idiotic way to take what was already a stupid sl that I’ve stopped listening now as I don’t like being taken for an idiot

Why she isnt looking for her own home is beyond me.

aw come on. We hear from Helen once in a blue moon. There is absolutely no indication that she isn't looking. We simply haven't heard from any of that lot for ages.

That’s it - where have the little comments been about Helen not looking hard enough/seeing loads of places. It’s all so lazy

Mucky Mick kicked off in the Church. I know he is really angry at George I think he was acting a bit over the top. Wait till George is out side then have a go if you must. Just thought Joy won't want to work with him in the shop. I think if he could George should try and move away from Ambridge then Emma can have a go at everyone especially Lilian , to say they drove her son out of town.
Why didn't Helen and Tom just say to Alice, look we need cover if we are going away, we are desperate so we are going to ask George. To be fair Alice has nothing to do with Bridge Farm so it shouldn't make much difference to her. Also hasn't Mucky already got a job at GG. How will he find the time to run the farm as well.
Riddle me this?

Also just thought. Shouldn't Susan have told Joy and Jim that George is going to work in the shop. Surely she had run it past them, so Joy would have told Mucky already.

I think Susan rang round the committee and a majority, that she spoke to, had no problem with George. I don't think she rang Joy as she's not on it.

As to Mick kicking off in a church, that's one of the problems with it being a dual purpose place at the moment (and Brian and Justin had already had a fight there).

Hang on, mick isn’t a farmer?? Isn’t he a roadie/housesitter/security guard?

what a load of bollocks.

When is Phoebe’s baby due?

Sometimes the gossip mill works and sometimes it doesn't
I thought Mick was very narrow minded

Also Mick has no farming experience that I'm aware of.

George thinking everyone should be over everything so quickly and then being confronted by people who aren't over everything quickly enough for him was nicely demonstrated in the church.

A near death experience can cause PTSD that can be triggered until that person's dying day, and George just expecting everyone to be instantly cured of everything because "i've done my time" (I want to add "twelve years of it, in Azkhaban!") is quite clever

George makes sense as cover for Bridge farm. Mick not so much. But there is still not enough emphasis on "everyone going on the holiday" and Rauri (sorry, i am never ever going to spell that correctly) steamrollering people he is not related to into going when he wants is so bloody annoying.

I am Very Cross at the current stupid storylines (don't even get me started on Miranda and Home Farm)

Is anyone else worried about those people carriers on the M6…..?

The problem I have is that at the moment the people having a go about George - Mick, Lilian, Adam? - I cannot stand, so I instinctively disagree with them. In the cold light of day I get annoyed at his and Emma’s entitlement.

Did I hear correctly that HAZEL?!?!?!?!?! has been invited to Scotland?

Not particularly 😂

How is Tony not going on the holiday - Peggy's son? This is is his inheritance and he's literally been left holding the baby(ies). What happened to the stipulation that everyone has to go or noone goes? It's such a ridiculous storyline in the first place - Peggy's inheritance should have been divided three ways between Tony, Lillian and Jenny's children (which would not include Ruairi) - so can we at least have the family adhering to the requirements of the will as it stands.
What does Mick know about farming - this is not like house sitting Home Farm for the non-existent Gills? I liked the reminder last night that Helen knows what it's like to come out of prison, Pat would be there to keep an eye on George and Alice has no objection so what's the problem? Another far-fetched plot twist.
ETA Hazel should have nothing to do with the holiday - whatever money Peggy had left has nothing to do with Jick - Hazel got all of that or have the SWs forgotten?

Alice has no objection so what's the problem?

What the £&@# has it got to do with bloody Alice anyway? She has no involvement with Bridge Farm. Would TomTit expect to be consulted about potential temporary cover at the stables? And why does everyone tiptoe around dear Alush’s feelings? She’s never been particularly considerate of anyone else’s, after all.

Are you seeing a huge family wipe-out, which would mean a radical reordering of Ambridge farms...?

Although I can't stand Mick I really liked how he kicked off in the church, I thought it was realistic. Why should he be a bleeding heart liberal and be pleasant to someone who caused him and Joy to have such a terrible experience?
I think it's good that George is hearing from people like Lilian and Mick that there are long term consequences to what he did, even if he does keep moaning on about how he's "served his time". People who were affected aren't simply going to forgive and forget.

Mick as farmer though...but then he is the partner of Joy who as we know can magically turn her hand to all sorts of things and do them seemingly with no knowledge or experience. So maybe he's the same.

I thought that, when Peggy saw the light about the folly of leaving everything to Tom after Tony was injured, she promised him that her will would be much more fair. The clear implication was that he was going to benefit, along probably with Jenny and Lillian. Did I imagine all that?