2023 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

I do think it's a weakness that the show doesn't use the word rape in storylines like this. Maybe it's a cultural or generational thing, but to me, Bree saying things like "Have you been sexually assaulted?" makes it sounds like Felicity hasn't been raped and I have to keep reminding myself that that's a euphemism on this show. It's a shame, because as has been said, that was pretty much the only punch that's been pulled. The scenes of Felicity being examined were about as graphic as you can get in the timeslot and Jacqui Purves is definitely kicking it out of the park with her utterly shattered performance.

Horrible thing for Tane to come home to as well. It's a shame, if understandable, that Felicity didn't want him to touch her, which he took well. I don't want to cast aspersions, and there was very little they could have done given most of them were on stage at the time and by the time they had reason to worry it was already too late, but Felicity's friends really didn't do a good job of looking out for her: They shrugged off her disappearance pretty casually, and even when Eden get a call from Tane saying she wasn't with him, none of them thought to look for her and she had to find them.

I don't think anything sums up just how bad things were than the fact everyone was nice to Mercedes, whose reaction to the situation definitely earns her points.

[H&Alover]

Um tricky yes by referring as a sexual assault, but until she'd been examined I don't suppose they could say for sure it was rape, she would have been out cold.  It was certainly was a tough watch but I thought it was  very sensitively  handled. The three of them, Juliet, Stephanie but especially Jacqui were amazing.  It can't be easy for any woman to play such a traumatic storyline, so I'm hoping she took advice from others who have been there, but  to her. There wasn't much dialogue spoken when Flick was going through the whole procedure but there didn't need to be, their faces said it all.  It was risky TPTB showing such graphic images, even if some were implied, at such an early time slot.  Bree did the necessary but was so gentle, keeping Flick's clothes, taking scrapings from under her fingernails  for when Felicity is ready to report it to the police. Thank goodness Bree was there as she was able to know right away what had happened and got her to hospital.  She's blaming herself too.  I'm guessing it was ND's?  If it was deliberated at Felicity could it be linked back to the Poker nights. 

The last rape case we had was Bianca's. 

I don't know if this sounds crass or wrong but in a way it may help women as no-one would know what this examination really involves but seeing it, even if fictional, takes the mystery out of it and it's the unknown that can be scary especially when you've been through what Felicity has been through.  Bit of  a big ask Flick making Eden promising not to tell Cash, he's gong to know something is wrong.  He's going to feel bad enough he wasn't there because if he had been it probably wouldn't have happened. 

Could be totally wrong but I did  spot this guy who was seen in front of Lyrik celebrating and had this feeling about him. 

Lyrik were performing at the time, it was just Bree and Flick who were up dancing, then the shadowy figure, left handed btw, did his deed.   From what Flick said she had been taken into this room, obviously still in the same building,  woke up, then managed to find  her way back to them. I'm not excusing their lack of concern about Felicity's disappearance but she is a grown woman and well known for being able to look after herself.

Touching to see how as one they decided to pull out of the contest especially seeing how close they got.   I saluted Mercedes too.

That was such an awful thing for Tane to come back too and he did handle the  Felicity not wanting him to touch her well.  I can totally understand his rant at Eden for them not looking after her but maybe a touch of 'if I had been there it wouldn't have happened' with him. 

Then at the end we saw the promo of Marilyn getting the text about the bomb and Mali and Rose chasing after John and Roo who are carrying it in the car and it's now ticking. 

 

 

 

[Dan F]

14 minutes ago, H&Alover said:

It can't be easy for any woman to play such a traumatic storyline, so I'm hoping she took advice from others who have been there, but  to her.

Jacqui has said she has a friend who had been spiked with a similar drug, and another who had been raped, and she was able to talk to both of them.

16 minutes ago, H&Alover said:

Thank goodness Bree was there as she was able to know right away what had happened and got her to hospital.  She's blaming herself too.  I'm guessing it was ND's?

Yes, though not the nearest hospital by any means considering they were supposed to be in the city a couple of hours away. Probably just wanted to take her somewhere she felt comfortable (or at least that's what we'll say to cover up the oversight )

22 minutes ago, H&Alover said:

The last rape case we had was Bianca's

Billie in 2016 I think....

[CaptainHulk]

Having shotgunned a week's a worth, I'm a little underwhelmed in places especially as we had a Kaboom job months earlier...

[c120701]

3 hours ago, Dan F said:

Billie in 2016 I think....

There was Bella’s attempted rape story in 2019 too.

Definitely agree that Jacqui Purvis is doing an amazing job. 

[Red Ranger 1]

Everyone continues to handle this well. Whilst it would be perfectly understandable if she didn't, I'm glad Felicity not wanting Tane to touch her didn't last long.I'm not entirely sure that her being pressured into speaking out was the right way to go, but she ended up telling Cash and that gave her the strength to report it.Tane and Cash got a brief bonding moment acknowledging that neither of them are okay with it. Felicity's obviously got a long way back but good she's got plenty of support. The place where she woke up was clearly different from where she passed out (in fact, I think Eden pretty much ended up where she was before, I was expecting her to see her), so she must have been moved while she was out cold.

Not appearing until the second half of the episode, we have an explosive twist in the Stunning Organics tale.Given her incredibly cavalier attitude to the threats, which even Marilyn was aghast at, Roo kind of deserved to be in the firing line.Not quite sure how Marilyn worked out where the bomb was: Was the box in the photo? Even though they just seemed to have grasped the situation, it was impossible to tell from the last shot where John and Roo were in relation to the bomb. (Shane Withington and Georgie Parker, I imagine, were behind the camera drinking coffee!) Of course, then we get a promo showing that at the very least they don't die straightaway...

Rose and Mali had a few good moments (as did Rose and Cash actually) before being dragged into separate crises.

[Foellfan]

Sadly, for me, it's a great story but the wrong character but all soaps are guilty of this. It's always either the bookish girl who blushes at even the word sex or the selfish party girl who sails waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too close to the wind and then comes unstuck and then either becomes utterly insufferable or an alleged paragon of virtue.

My main issue is Flick herself, she knew, and has known obviously, that to keep yourself safe you rely on yourself and nobody else but she blatently has ignored that in nearly every aspect of her life and expected everyone to forgive and protect her no matter how badly or selfishly she treats them. (I know we're not supposed to comment on looks but Jacqui is an attractive lady but I think she actually looks better without make up on, like the beach scene, in some ways.)

Sadly now she has come unstuck in the biggest, hugest way and learned an incredibly hard lesson and that in itself is sad but I personally think the storyline would've been far punchier with a different character, even taking a different angle of an older person or a male character as assault doesn't discriminate.

My heart went out to Eden more than anything, she was forced to keep this massive thing a secret and even though the band knew, those kinds of things you don't even really talk about with people you know as such and then Tane ripping her to shreds when, right or wrong, Flick had a hand in it, not Eden and also having to lie to the man she loves because he could have turned on her about it.

I thought the effect of the bomb blast itself was actually really good, it was a kind of immersive experience, hats off to the stunt and SFX teams! Also Mali and JP's secret handshake was cute and fun!

[pembie]

7 hours ago, Foellfan said:

Sadly, for me, it's a great story but the wrong character but all soaps are guilty of this. It's always either the bookish girl who blushes at even the word sex or the selfish party girl who sails waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too close to the wind and then comes unstuck and then either becomes utterly insufferable or an alleged paragon of virtue.

My main issue is Flick herself, she knew, and has known obviously, that to keep yourself safe you rely on yourself and nobody else but she blatently has ignored that in nearly every aspect of her life and expected everyone to forgive and protect her no matter how badly or selfishly she treats them. (I know we're not supposed to comment on looks but Jacqui is an attractive lady but I think she actually looks better without make up on, like the beach scene, in some ways.)

Sadly now she has come unstuck in the biggest, hugest way and learned an incredibly hard lesson and that in itself is sad but I personally think the storyline would've been far punchier with a different character, even taking a different angle of an older person or a male character as assault doesn't discriminate.

My heart went out to Eden more than anything, she was forced to keep this massive thing a secret and even though the band knew, those kinds of things you don't even really talk about with people you know as such and then Tane ripping her to shreds when, right or wrong, Flick had a hand in it, not Eden and also having to lie to the man she loves because he could have turned on her about it.

I thought the effect of the bomb blast itself was actually really good, it was a kind of immersive experience, hats off to the stunt and SFX teams! Also Mali and JP's secret handshake was cute and fun!

Even though I’m not a fan of the actress I would have given Flick story to Bree 

[Foellfan]

Interesting angle, i.e. post DV actually, because I think, in a sense, if it'd been in the hands of decent writers the complexities of 'is it me, do I attract something in these men?' emotions that she would have given past rauma. 

[H&Alover]

It is still being handled well, I did get a bit  when Flick asked Tane to hug her did the same when Flick told Cash what had happened.  It was a big ask for Eden to keep such  a big secret but she did manage to gently persuade Felicity to tell Cash because as she said he knew something was up. Besides Tane was acting off too and he hadn't been asked.  Cash may not always be the smartest of cops as we've just seen, but that close to home it would be hard to miss. He did find it odd Eden didn't want to talk much about the comp.  Cash's off the cuff comment  - he was tied up with paperwork hence his non appearance at Lyrik's competition. Tane did apologise to Eden about his blaming her (and by extension Lyrik) for not looking out for her.   Got why she didn't want to tell Cash because he had told her time and time again not to leave her drinks unattended especially somewhere where there a lot of strangers about, but she was already beating  herself up for doing just that.   Hope he'll persuade her to report it. Of course he won't be able to be involved but he can be there for her.  Didn't Bree do the same thing  though or had she drunk hers?  The bay is going to be shocked when they find  out, but oddly enough as they will have other things to talk about it may take the pressure off of her having people wanting to help, avoiding her, not knowing what to say.   Funny you should say that Red about Eden sitting on those same stairs I was waiting for Eden to hear Flick's phone ringing when she called her.    

Moving on - Yes Roo, sorry as we are you got caught up in the explosion it was down to you, that last text you sent which Marilyn  tried, unsuccessfully to stop you doing, obviously sent him over the edge.  Famous last (well we hope not) words "That'll stop him" or words to that effect.  It does seem an ultra extreme reaction for any cosmetics company to blow up their disgruntled clients, employees.  I think that there must have been a  photo to alert Marilyn where it was hidden or she guessed correctly where it was.   It was tense, for us anyway, seeing the clock ticking as they didn't know how long it was before it went off.  Mali luckily had seen Ro and John drive off, yep I know, he was on his own.   Roo, for a change, typically didn't answer her phone when Maz was ringing her.  It's always the way isn't it in these circumstances. John got the message when Mali was screaming at them to get out.  Very close call that both managed to get out before it went off.  Kudos to the SFX and stunt teams here too.  Not sounding good that Roo couldn't feel her legs, but that may be short term. Bree and her team will be busy. 

On 04/08/2023 at 19:27, c120701 said:

There was Bella’s attempted rape story in 2019 too.

Definitely agree that Jacqui Purvis is doing an amazing job. 

Hands up I was wrong but Bella's was attempted.