Archers thread #200: Trouble in Ambridge! (All 200 threads could have had this title.) Discuss The Archers here.

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Over to you!

Haven’t listened yet but it seems absolutely nothing noteworthy happened at all, going by the comments or lack thereof here.
yawn.

George and Keira talked.
George and Neil talked about how the flashy cot wasn't worth it.
Martyn arranged for the equestrian rings to be watered or something.
Keira picked an ewe to show.
Neil told Ed not to spy on Brian.

Someone may correct me. I probably missed something.

It was okay. I think we're being told that George is pulling up his metaphorical socks, for the moment. The stuff about irrigating the show ring was, I think, supposed to be about drought and climate change etc., but seemed a bit subtle for that. Having ridden in some appalling show rings (usually a morass of mud), I don't see the quality of the going for the show jumping being super high on organisers' lists...having last-minute stress about rosette deliveries or judges cancelling would seem more realistic.

Well I liked tonight's episode. Apart from accounting for Keira's attitudes, and sorting out the cot problem, it enabled the George and Keira actors to have more vocal range - particularly George, and bedded in Keira as a more substantial person in the drama. I expect we'll hear more from her, hence the fecking stupid New Year's Eve disappearance. I suppose it show the SWs have a skerrick of planning.

By the way that "synth"? cot. When Amber's mum so rudely dropped in and poked around the house, the small size of George and Amber's room was on their list of snide assessments. I'd always imagined the new cot would be the equivalent of those ginormous (always black) SUVs that block the roads round where I live, so wouldn't fit anyway.

smart-cot® | Revolutionising the cot so you could sleep too?
SNOO | Smart Baby Sleeper and Cot?

Good grief, if the design brief for that cot was o give parents a guaranteed nervous breakdown, they've succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

Wish Keira would go silent again. Bloody moaning, I dont find teenage angst entertaining, I can get that at home.
Would think who knew thier parents best and come down on my partners side.
Amber's mum and dad are very sneaky trying to go through George ( who they really dont approve of) to get Amber back in thier clutches. They can stick thier all singing all dancing synth cot.

@Nos4r2 , give Keira time. All new characters seem dreadful to begin with. George came in a moustache-twirling pantomime baddie but it didn't take long before we were gushing about what a good actor he is.

The Gordons know just how to manipulate George for their own agenda.
The cot is probably their 'nanny cam'.

If they were my parents, the cot would be at theirs not mine, and the baby would not be staying there, ever.

Good old Neil. ❤

God help me, but Susan’s suggestion for the hen sounds lovely!

The hen do would be ruined by the presence of Pip.

They could have a party boat trip down the Am.

Hen Party Worcester | Activities & Ideas | The Hen Fairy

the cot in the link from @Every1ElseInKnowsley looks flimsy and basic and designed for the sad beige babies

I liked the ep, i don't always want high drama, i like the everyday stuff.

I looked for 'smart cot uk'. Those came up. They don't look appealing to me. The synth cot might be something else.

Why can't people just use common sense instead of wanting everything done for them?

The everyday stuff episodes usually contain something that will mean a lot later.

Like Soosan would be au fait with Pere La Chaise (can’t remember how it’s spelt myself!) cemetery Paris…

Père Lachaise Cemetery

But, but, but ... Susan has been to France, hasn't she? I have vague memory of her, in her capacity as Very Important on the parish council, going on some sort of twin-town exchange visit. She therefore knows everything about France.

That was Clarrie and Meyruelle, wasn't it? Brian had a brief dalliance with the Mayor, an attractive Frenchwoman.

You're right, of course - it was Clarrie. That seems so very improbable now, doesn't it? Improbable that it was Clarrie, I mean.

classist tripe. Why shouldn't she be? she is older than me, maybe she likes The Doors? maybe she has seen any number of films about Oscar Wilde?

Except - how does anyone else know what places are special to the couple? I certainly didn't confide in my friends where DH and first kissed, or the first place we went out to together, or where he proposed etc. They knew where we met, because many of them were there, but as it was the flat I was sharing with friends it was hardly a great romantic venue.

Agreed, that didn't seem odd to me at all.

i have to admit i find these threads hard work sometimes: they. ask. the. couple.

I'm glad I got married the 90s when the hen do was a curry and a few drinks rather than a weekend away with organised fun. Or maybe I'm just a miserable sod!

Lottie's plans seem performative.

Didn't they have their first snog in a tent whilst camping with Rosie?

"Camping with Rosie" the gay version of Laurie Lee's novel.

The thing that annoyed me about the cot from her parents is they obviously did it to make an unsubtle point but if they (and by they I mostly mean Ambers Mum who seems a nightmare) really wanted to mend bridges why not treat their grandchild to an all singing and dancing travel system thing (I don’t have grandchildren but isn’t this an expensive item that parents typically buy if they can) which would be very useful to George and Amber ?

while talking about baby Grundy I’m expecting him to be called Joe or Joseph