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.

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 like George you like your steak very well done, 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.)

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!

Reading the thread it occurs to me we ought to have long given up expecting any logic or continuity - Peggy’s inheritance: fudged, Grey Gables takeover: fudged, sale of Home Farm house: fudged (to such an extent it’s about to be fudged again in another illogical transaction). No one has thought through or bothered to research the Meadow Farm situation beyond the idea that it might be fun to invent another farm to replace others that have dropped off the map over the years. Add to this the packed funeral service for a man with no name and now the invention of the never-previously mentioned Veronica to force Susan’s hand and I wonder why I continue to listen - nothing is ever concluded satisfactorily and random characters are plucked out of the air to plug holes in the plot.

Tbh I’m only half listening these days. It brings me no happiness anymore

Like the Emmerdale plane crash??

Surely we are due an inheritance tax storyline - i thought that was what Mulligan was going to be.

But Mulligan doesn’t have a farm to leave? He was a tenant.

Exactly, so the Mulligan SL can't examine the human impact of recent changes to IHT on farms - they'll need to bump off someone else to do that

i thought those changes haven’t come into effect yet anyway?

Exactly, I would expect a "displenishment sale", where random people of the surroundings are bidding on lots of fencing supplies, and some rando newcomer buys an odd lot of two ancient wheelbarrows with holes in for £8 (ask me how I know...).

At said Displenishment, I also got a bunch of kit for spraying really scary poisonous stuff, which saw some use when the council, the Fisheries people, the actual landowner, and any various other parties couldn't be arsed with the Giant Hogweed threatening to eat my land...I properly knocked it back over several years single-handedly, possibly with moderately semi-legal incursions onto the land of completely disinterested developers located countries away, e.g. Englandshire, and then a (male) newcomer finally got the council to sort it out along the course of the burn. I no longer own the place, but am still furious!

Maybe bugger off and rebuild it somewhere else?

Except he's not allowed to drive. Public transport is poor in rural areas. Why shouldn't he start again in the village he grew up in, where all his family live. Like I said, he's only 19. He didn't rape or murder anyone.

God - can't believe I'm standing up for a Grundy!

I was a decade older than George when I was cycling six miles each way to work. Never been so fit and George is supposed to be muscled up from gaol. Cousin did eight each way to his apprenticeship. Amber presumably works at the agricultural supplier on the outskirts of Borchester and could drop him at the job centre. His soon-to-be unemployed grandmother could join him.

I'm with you Beatrice!

but I guess the sw want to turn him bad so he won’t be given a chance and he won’t have the opportunity to recognise he’s been given a chance. Where is Alan?

I’m listening to the Omnibus…..

Can somebody remind me what prompted Mucky Mick to rant at the parish council and report(?) Emma shortly after he moved to Ambridge?

Goodness knows what Joy sees in the bloke!

I’m going to award a house point to the SW for inserting a reference to some of the AWOL characters (Alistair and Denise), by having them leaving The Bull.

I know we’re supposed to feel sorry for Muck, since he was caught up in the Bridge of Doom event - but I hate him more and more and feel he’s one of those people who use whatever they can (like his brief river trauma) to make themselves big and important. Throwing his weight around all over Ambridge, and poking his nose where it’s not wanted. And all the while, his not being up to a little light labour at Bridge Farm shows what a useless twerp he really is!

I’d be wishing he’d drowned, but that would only have made things worse for George.

George has served his time and is only 19. I’m dismayed by what seems to be a complete absence of any road to redemption and forgiveness these days. No wonder students end up killing themselves over cancellation and ostracism, it seems a logical course of action given the attitude of some people.

@AzurePanda , he's out on licence, he's not done his time. The extent of what he has done is not easily forgotten.
Not sure why you feel the rest of your post is related.

@Trivium4all , uninterested not disinterested, surely.

@Mulledjuice , I don't think they'll do IHT. It doesn't apply to Mulligan anyway.

@ChersHeart yes he’s out on licence - a key condition of which is participating in rehabilitation schemes or taking part in community service. Volunteering in the village shop clearly falls into the latter. Is it not in society’s long term best interests that he is able to rehabilitate himself?

The second part of my post referred to the tragic cases of suicide amongst students in the last couple of years after they’ve made an error and they subsequently lose their entire friendship group.

Redemption and forgiveness are central to almost every religion but we seem to have lost our way on how someone can achieve a way forward after screwing up or committing a crime.

George has shown absolutely no understanding of how his actions impacted others, nor any contrition. Until he does he will be cold-shouldered. Major religions have that aspect as well as forgivness (my MA thesis was on this). Alan should point it out to him and help him find a way through. But he still isn't entitled to a job in Ambridge just because he can't be arsed to look elsewhere. I think Amber will ditch him before long.

@AzurePanda , Is it not in society’s long term best interests that he is able to rehabilitate himself? Volunteering in the village shop would not rehabilitate him.
He'd be working for his grandmother, who is part of the reason why he's a nasty piece of work.

I'm sure that your MA thesis is about as interesting to you as my MSc thesis would be to you.

Yes, probably, as my first degree was in natural sciences.

@AzurePanda , apologies for @ing the wrong MNer.

What I find interesting about Helen and Tom discussing George (and it is a shame that it wasn't mentioned) is that Helen had no "there but for the grace God..." moment of self-reflection.

For newer listeners out there, shortly after her first husband committed suicide and on the anniversary of her brother's death, Helen injured Mike Tucker while drunk driving and made Tom pretend that he was the driver (after he persuaded her to not just drive away from the scene) . As the days progressed, not only Mike, but Brenda, Pat and Tony all found out that truth but determined that they should all stay schtum. Tom had to do the speed awareness course and Helen had some counselling.

George got caught, Helen was protected.

The sw go on about George’s story being started all those years back but they can’t be bothered to retain any consistency on other things

@madcats, Helen's only had one husband and he didn't kill himself.

@ChersHeart long term live in partner who did indeed take his own life.