2018 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[D.B]

On 20 July 2018 at 17:53, Red Ranger 1 said:

I could have easily done without a farewell with Robbo, but what we got was passable.The handshake was unnecessary, but it was rightly played as Ash not really wanting to shake his hand but knowing he'll look like a tool if he doesn't.No hearts and flowers, no exchange of apologies, no big speechs about how much Kat meant to them both, just a curt acknowledgement and maybe an acceptance that while they'll never be friends they don't have to be enemies anymore.

I liked it, because now Ash can finally move on and release his hatred for Robbo for something he didn't do. But you're right in saying they didn't need any of that stuff that usually occurs when people say goodbye in Home And Away: hugs, apologies, big speeches, etc. All they needed was an acceptance that the past wasn't either their fault and to just leave it in the past and move on with their lives. Though the handshake was awkward, it was nice to see, though I'm not sure I agree with you in that Ash didn't really wanted to shake Robbo's hand but he was forced to. I saw it as Ash finally letting go and be in peace. And besides, Robbo was genuinely wishing him all the best, to me, so maybe that encouraged Ash to shake his hand, not as friends, but thankfully no longer enemies. 

While I did like that Tori and Ash were able to have one last goodbye, I really wish it wasn't in a 'last-minute dash' cliche like Zac and Leah and Justin and Pheobe before them (and an unsuccessful attempt by Matt to do the same with Maddy), and while the scene was really well acted on both thier parts and I felt for both of them, I would be even more emotionally involved if they weren't breaking up and getting back together every second week. But it was good, so was the last meeting between him and Justin.  So farewell, Martin Ashford, I fear that most of the time you were on the show, you were a bit of a pain, but sometimes you were alright so I'm glad you left the Bay happy and alive.

Now- this episode confirmed this, Ryder- you are now one of my most favourite characters. Seriously, the mature and caring way he dealt with Ty is amazingly impressive. He's such a good friend and he acted much more maturely and more understanding than most lads his age would. Coco, who usually I don't like but is getting better by the day, was good as well, keeping it form Raffy without Ryder even asking her to. She understands why this must be kept a secret and she handled it well, for as we all know, secrets aren't exactly well kept in the Bay. I felt really sorry for Ty being in denial and obviously in a very bad way afterwards, even though it is a common thing when people coming out are afraid of what the people who mean the most to them would think. Though I really, really, could have done without the "I'm a freak," line from him, I flinched when he said it, and I flinched even now while thinking about it. It's a shame he feels like he can't feel like he can talk to anyone about it and that he's in a state of self-loathing when he really shouldn't be, and I hope when he comes back, he be able to be comfortable about who he is. I also felt sorry for Ryder, trying to help Ty and getting shoved (though, of course I will excuse Ty for it) and Alf telling him off for his troubles, though he had my absolute respect for keeping the truth for Ty. And I will feel sorry for Raffy even though I'm dreading when she finds out, because it will be awkward when she does and who knows how she'll react. While I think that John obviously shouldn't have left Ty on his own, he was just trying to help, and he did mean well, so I'll give him that.

On 22 July 2018 at 14:12, H&Alover said:

Ah someone lost in The Bush - we haven't had that happen for  a couple of weeks - who was the last?

I think it may have been Leah back in 2015. 

[H&Alover]

3 hours ago, D.B said:

 

I think it may have been Leah back in 2015. 

It must be later than that, how about when the plane went down or even after that?   So Lance wasn't able to find anything on Ebony Harding, she's certainly kept her nose clean then.  

[c120701]

Brody was the last one I remember, although wasn’t there a search for Alf after Robbo attacked him?

[Red Ranger 1]

Soooo. I think, for the most part, everyone's come out of this with credit and sympathy, including the show.As I said last week, I think we were past the point where Ryder should keep quiet, and I'm surprised he held out as long as he did.We didn't get an apology from Alf, but he did at least commend Ryder for handling Ty the right way.(Alf's confession that he doesn't know much about it is kind of an indictment of the show though.To digress a bit, it's hard to imagine 90s Alf being as accepting of Ty's sexuality, but times change and so does Alf, and these days he's the show's heart so has to do the right thing in situations like this.I'm thinking back to his reaction to Cassie's HIV in 2008, which was about the last time Alf could be less-than-perfect because it was the last time Sally was around to pick up the slack.)John did, of course, make the wrong call leaving Ty alone, but he's beating himself up over it, and his extreme denial when Marilyn worried he might have "done something stupid" was telling.He and Marilyn were ultimately as supportive as Ty needed and navigated a tricky situation well.Raffy handled it surprisingly well, and gets big points for telling Ty she's glad he's OK before launching into "My boyfriend's gay" angst.Her blaming the others for keeping it from her is understandable, if unfair.If this results in her finally going home, then that's a blessing, but the promo suggests John and Marilyn are determined to hang onto her and make her carry on living with her gay ex-boyfriend. It was frustrating that Justin and Tori were sat in Salt talking about being there for her instead of actually doing it, but that's hard when she's decided for no real reason that she doesn't want to live with them.

Which brings me on to the big "but".It feels like Ty's gone from "I'm a freak and no-one can help me" to "I'm gay and there's no point pretending otherwise" rather quickly.Even more worryingly, it's all a bit black and white and simplistic.Ty kissed Ryder, so that means he's gay, even though he's been kissing Raffy for weeks.That seems like a rather unsubtle case of No Bisexuals and makes it feel a bit like box-ticking.(I mean, after nine years of pretending there isn't a box, that's an improvement, but still.)It feels like the show's trying to have its cake and eat it somewhat by saying Ty didn't know he was gay when he was with Raffy but he's sure now, a couple of episodes later.Are we meant to assume that he had feelings for Ryder all along but didn't recognise them, or that he feels more for Ryder than he did for Raffy? Hopefully we'll get clarification later on.

In other news, Tori's miserable because of Ash.It must be Tuesday.

[Razabaza]

It looked like Willow punched Jasmine instead of slapping her.

[atrus]

Dramatically it's difficult to fault the Ty storyline. His scenes were hugely emotional, and once again got the lion's share of the episode - with only some fairly minor stuff with Tori intervening, nobody can accuse the storyline of taking a back seat at this stage. Darius Williams was excellent; it was hugely upsetting to see Ty sitting on that rock near the start, wondering if he was contemplating something stupid - and then the tears when the photos on the phone came out were just heartbreaking.

Ryder once again did himself and Ty really proud. I don't think he could have done much more to demonstrate much he cared. According to Ty's phone records he'd called him 9 times (as many as Raffy, Marilyn and John put together - not that it's a competition, but just an observation ), and his voice message was surely instrumental in saving the day; I think it's no coincidence that he was the first one Ty called, as he'd been the only one at that stage to tell him that his sexuality wasn't an issue for him. Alf could have shown a bit more respect and praise for Ryder's loyalty, rather than grumbling that he ought to have told him sooner - and he was pretty tetchy with a worried Raffy too. But, while it's easy to see why Ryder would assume Grumps wasn't the best person to confide in about Ty, ultimately we know Alf has shown before that he's on the side of good as far as LGBT is concerned, and just wanted to help get Ty home safe and sound.

John, to be fair after my criticism on Friday, was pretty quick to realise that he was at fault for having left Ty alone - his guilt was very evident, and he did everything in his power to find him. And he redeemed himself a lot here, by saying all the right things with Marilyn at the hospital. Ordinarily you'd never out someone without their permission; but with Ty in danger and distressed, I think Ryder coming clean did give Marilyn and John an important in-road into helping Ty feel better as soon as he was found. I especially liked the fact that they didn't ask Ty if he was gay, but waited for him to come to that admission in his own time. It was right of them to insist on Raffy waiting until Ty was ready to see her, too, as difficult as that was for her.

If we're talking niggles, I suppose one is: did they really have to injure the poor boy on top of everything else? The emotional drama was quite sufficient without that. And learning that Ryder and Ty had been to Cathedral Rock before, when they skipped last period, felt like a bit of a missed opportunity - if we'd seen those scenes ourselves, then Ty's return there would no doubt have felt even more poignant and helped build the friendship into something even deeper than we've otherwise seen. Although ultimately this is just minor nitpicking.

Politically... I was fine with all this, for the most part. I did express concerns on Friday about Ty calling himself a freak - but, you know, it's all about the context. These feelings can be hard to come to terms with at first, and I felt that everyone's accepting attitudes today, from Ryder to Alf to John to Marilyn, really made it very clear where the show stood on the issue. Clearly his guilt about what had happened with Raffy was playing a part in how bad he was feeling too, so it wasn't all about his sexuality. Interesting that Ty said he had dated Raffy because he thought it was what he was supposed to do - which is exactly what I was saying about Ryder and Coco all the time they were together. In that context, I do continue to feel that it was a missed opportunity not having this whole episode stir something in Ryder too. But accepting now that the show has taken the unrequited route, I'm honestly so happy with the positive way that Ryder's reaction has been portrayed that I'm reluctant to be very critical about it.

I was worried that the danger of packaging Raffy as part of the storyline was that we'd be encouraged to sympathise with Raffy as the regular character at the expense of our sympathies with Ty - but actually it was incredibly even-handed, so that even when Raffy found out the truth, her anger was nicely balanced with concern for Ty, in a really excellent performance from Olivia Deeble. I felt for Marilyn and John a bit when she was shrieking at them given they'd only known the truth for the last few hours; but I can forgive Raffy for that. Under the circumstances she has every right to be hurt, and no doubt there'll be more of that to come when she inevitably learns that Coco knew as well as the rest of them. A shame that Ty didn't get a chance to talk to Ryder too at the hospital, but I can see from the promo that it's coming.

3 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Ty kissed Ryder, so that means he's gay, even though he's been kissing Raffy for weeks.That seems like a rather unsubtle case of No Bisexuals and makes it feel a bit like box-ticking.(I mean, after nine years of pretending there isn't a box, that's an improvement, but still.)It feels like the show's trying to have its cake and eat it somewhat by saying Ty didn't know he was gay when he was with Raffy but he's sure now, a couple of episodes later.Are we meant to assume that he had feelings for Ryder all along but didn't recognise them, or that he feels more for Ryder than he did for Raffy? Hopefully we'll get clarification later on. 

All this is valid comment, and is more or less exactly how I felt after last Thursday's episode when the kiss happened, because it had been so underplayed up until then. But I think the intensity of Ty's reaction since has probably justified the speed at which his sexuality has resolved. I think I would definitely assume he feels more for Ryder, and by several orders of magnitude - which explains the initial 'I'm a freak' panic, but also the fact that the realisation of being gay clarified itself for him pretty fast afterwards. And I think that strength came across on-screen, and pretty much rang true for me. Ty's first kiss with Raffy was borne out of a feeling of closeness after they'd bonded over his music, I think, and in lots of ways I that was a perfectly natural reaction - but it wasn't necessarily a sexual one. And from there onwards, the relationship was really driven by Raffy, and with Ty just acquiescing. I guess with a first relationship, you're not at all clear on how things are supposed to feel; and so, upsetting as it was for Raffy to hear, I think Ty's explanation in the hospital was an honest one. The chances are it's far from the first time Ty's had thoughts about other boys, but when you're young it's impossible to know whether those thoughts are meaningful or whether they'll just fade once you get a girlfriend. Which of course is really harsh on said girlfriend, but for lots of kids it's really very difficult to know for sure up until you actually have that reference point. In this case, unfortunately, those other feelings crept up to eleven as regards Ryder in particular and hit him like a brick while that 'benchmarking' process with Raffy was ongoing. So he'd thought (or perhaps, hoped) that what he was doing with Raffy was how things were supposed to be, but Ryder just blew it all out of the water.

[Slade]

Of course John and Marilyn are OK with Ty being gay.  That means they no longer have to watch him and Raffy like hawks.  In saying that it's rare to have scenes where I don't find both of them a pain in the backside but they were OK yesterday.  Ryder telling Alf why he didn't want to give away Ty's secret was because he was "old school" which as we know is code speak for bigoted made me laugh.  Ryder is generally annoying but he has been anything but during the stuff with Ty.  Not sure why if Ty wanted to run away he didn't just get the first bus out of town and was in the bush.  Whilst I agreed with all of them not telling Raffy when they found out, I think Ty should have been the one to tell her.  I felt bad for her and her reaction was what I expected.  She's obviously quite humiliated and whilst I don't blame her outburst I don't think Ty consciously used her.  Although I don't think it was fair of her to blame Ryder as he was pretty much in an impossible position.

So Tori is using Yoga to get over Ash.  It's not required.  Just wait a couple of weeks for another guy to show up and that should do it.

[pembie]

While Ash and Tori's goodbye was sweet I still think he should have died either being crushed by that car or saving Tori from Ebony who I thought started out wanting revenge on the Morgans 

[D.B]

Just when I thought nothing could beat the Astoni storyline in terms of sensitivity and care, but the Ty storyline yesterday has done just that. It's done so patiently and with so much care. It's hard not to feel for Ty, he's going through so much emotion that I sighed with relief when he admitted his sexuality, so this could be the first step to recovery and acceptance to who he is. I felt so sorry for him when he was crying on the rocks, honestly one of the most emotional scenes in the show. So hats off to Ryder, who continues to be the definition of a good friend, and John and Marilyn, who accept Ty as he is without any qualms, just relieved that he's safe, and to Alf, who continues to be the accepting and supportive Alf we all love, and also Raffy, who handled it much better than I expected. Even her rant to the others made me sympathise with her, because the reason isn't that she's making this all about her, it's because of trust and the lack of it the others have shown her, which is understandable and also her concern for Ty came before her frustration so there's another plus. I felt really bad for both Ty and Raffy, she is hurt and Ty didn't want to hurt her and will now feel guilty. I really hope they'll be able to become friends again soon, and that she'll accept him. But most importantly, I really wish that this storyline continues to be caring and sensitive as it is now. You can say what you like about the show now-a-days, but you have to admit, when they want to do it right, they do it right.

In other news, Tori is trying to get over Ash, which is sad, but not as emotionally interesting as the other story. Justin was a good brother to her though, the scenes between the two were nice.

[H&Alover]

Well luckily Ty came to his senses pretty quickly and wasn't stuck out in the Bush overnight.  I wouldn't go as far as calling Alf bigoted, it's just some of the things he says gives you and certainly did Ryder the impression he wouldn't be understanding about someone of Ty's age being gay.  Although he didn't actually come out - sorry - and say so I think he was proud of Ryder for keeping Ty's secret as long as he did. It was only the fact Ty may be in danger or hurt that prompted him to own up as to why he may have run away. Of course John & Marilyn were surprised but both took it in their stride and were just concerned for Ty.  I think it was the number of calls that got Ty thinking, was he maybe on his way back when he tripped and fell as you have to when alone in the Bush.  Maz, John, Alf and Ryder of course all did well by keeping the 'news' from Raffy, she's not daft though and knew something was  amiss.  Only natural John & Maz, John mainly, blaming himself for the fact Ty wasn't able to confide in him.  That was a lovely bed side scene with John & Maz waiting for Ty to say the words "I'm gay". By no means is it going to be easy but now he's said it, it's got to be a huge weight off his mind. Of course he could always deny he said anything like that and blame it on the concussion. Question is how many people does he let know, he knows Maz, John and Ryder are OK with it, but others, like kids at school we all know how cruel they can be.  I can't really blame him chickening out of telling Raffy, who initially seemed cool but Ty did rather put his foot in it by the way he phrased the explanation to her, he didn't intentionally mislead her and definitely wasn't using her. The kiss had only happened the night before, Ty went missing that morning, Marilyn & John had only just found out about Ty being gay that day, though I guess she could think it had been going on before all this. She is not going to be happy with Coco being in on in the secret. I said before it's got to hurt discovering the fact your first boyfriend is gay. Another thought occurred to me she, Raffy, had just owned up to Justin about Ty being her 'boyfriend', is he going to be angry with Ty for leading her on or relieved there won't be anything 'going on'?   Looked like a frosty scene  in The Diner between Ty & Raffy in the trailer.

1 hour ago, Slade said:

Of course John and Marilyn are OK with Ty being gay.  That means they no longer have to watch him and Raffy like hawks. 

Already done that joke or something like it.

Nice scenes between Tori and Justin, big bro looking after little sis. Try picking a bloke who doesn't have baggage next time Tor.