2025 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[James Martin]

6 hours ago, Dan F said:

That scene is the following week. Though it was known long before Ada mentioned it. It's also not usually that out of sequence, it was a scene that was originally scrapped but they then decided they wanted it after all, several weeks down the line. 

You're right.  Somehow I missed that!

 

[c120701]

32 minutes ago, James Martin said:

You're right.  Somehow I missed that!

 

Wow, they scrapped it and then inserted it weeks earlier than it was originally intended to appear? That must have took some work to make everything after make sense.

[Dan F]

25 minutes ago, c120701 said:

Wow, they scrapped it and then inserted it weeks earlier than it was originally intended to appear? That must have took some work to make everything after make sense.

No it was originally intended to appear in the episodes airing week after next, but it was scrapped, they filmed the block without it, and they moved on.

Then several weeks later whilst the episode was presumably still in the edit process, they decided they wanted the scene after all. So after recording scenes for the block they were currently working on, they went back to pick up that scene to slot into the earlier episode...

Spoiler

...and it was that which happened to end up being the last scene that Lynne filmed.

 

[James Martin]

Thanks @Dan F, I assumed it was shot, hit the cutting room floor, then got picked back up at the eleventh hour.

[pembie]

With how slow I find the show’s stories these days I do find it quite shocking because they do seem to be speeding through Irene’s story quite quickly 

Nice to have the flashbacks Good to see Chris again he was one of my favourite characters I do like the comedy ones and it was kinda of nice that Lynne broke the forth wall when looking at Chris’s picture. me and friend followed Johnnys instagram posts for awhile up until my mom got ill 

 

Anyway the other story I think they are speeding through is Mac and Levi it only feels like they have been trying for a baby for about a week too me lol But we are at the IVF stage already Go have some more sex I say It is sort of amusing that Abby pops up every time Mac and Levi are chatting 

 

[H&Alover]

Some very moving scenes in Fridays episode.  Lynne and Ada were so good together.   As soon as Leah saw Justin's face she knew he knew but he didn't let Irene know he knew.  As said before it will have taken  the pressure  off John being able to talk to others about it,  so far only he, Leah, Justin and Bree know.  Dana has her suspicions.   Irene said herself she wants to carry on as normal as long as she can but did find it stressful thinking she'd forgotten things that she didn't.   I suppose knowing you have Alzheimer's can make you second guess yourself.  Alf was just being his Alf self by having that grumble and will feel really ashamed/embarrassed when he know the truth. 

Some forms of Alzheimer's can progress very quickly. 

Soaps  do tend to film scenes out of sync which must  make it confusing for the actors/actresses. 

The other big SL was Levi and Mac's.  Abigail does have  a tendency to put her foot in it, but is that is what happens when you only hear half of a conversation.  Not down to Levi then, all of his swimmers are in perfect health which lead to the IVF question, NOT an easy question to ask your mum/dad about especially as back  when Levi and Mac were born - guessing they must be in their 30's - a couple having IVF  was  a rather taboo subject.  Seems it was Tanya who had the problem as Dean was born to Karen, her other bother  and  sister are half siblings.  Now they know, and I like how Mac keeps saying  our baby - they can get treatment earlier than her mum would likely would have done.  I'm supposing she will need tests done to see if the problem is genet

ic. 

Bree and Remi - I do hope they can resolve this - they do love each other and been through so much. I did notice Bree moved her hand away when  Remi went to hold it then backed away when he went to kiss her, she'd be thinking the last person he kissed was her who can't be named. 

Harper did come out of the episode better than she has done recently, seems to have got over her meltdown over seeing Tane and Jo together, which to be fair  would have been rather startling and she and Tane had a very civilised conversation.  Don't want to say she's given 'her permission' for Tane to see  whoever he wants to see as it isn't any concern of hers who he sees and doesn't see.  But if anything got serious and that would also  apply to Harper if she got with someone new there is Archie to think about, he is part of Tane and Harper's life.  He's only  a baby at the moment so  wouldn't much notice if daddy introduced him to a new face and this new person would also have be OK around babies.    Not everyone is into them.  I thought Jo deserved  to know the facts about Harper/Tane and Archie now rather than later down the line, better than getting  half truths from someone else.   Harper to her credit didn't blame Tane for how it ended. Tane did try and get another date with Jo but wasn't keen and not ready to date a guy who has a young babe just yet. 

Nought to do with  ought but I did like Harpers top. 

Edited August 26 by H&Alover

[atrus]

Well, the onset of the Irene storyline has dragged me back up to speed with things, so I'm making one of my periodic attempts to try to watch daily or close to it. Wish me luck! 

I'm assuming we all need to pretend in this section that

Spoiler

we don't know Irene's leaving, but I think it's hard to discuss this storyline properly without that context and so I'm doing it in tags. I have very mixed feelings about Alzheimer's as a write-out. On one hand it's allowed Lynne McGranger to do some excellent work acting-wise, which at least makes her final weeks feel impactful and significant - and the memory theme has also allowed the show to dip its toes in the shallows of nostalgia this week, with fleeting references to and photos of past characters and even a couple of flashbacks to more recent times. On the other hand, it seems like a dreadfully sad exit for the character, particularly given the implication that it might be her alcoholism that's triggered it. However, I'm reserving judgement on whether it was the right or wrong call until we get to the day itself. 

Aside from that, there are a few elements of the show I'm enjoying at the moment. While I'm not particularly a fan of Lacey so far, I'm very intrigued that they've introduced a new older character in her father David, who seems like he has the potential to be a mainstay - and Jo seems likeable enough too, although the jury's out on how interesting. I've quite liked the scenes with her and Dana, although Dana does tend to have that effect more generally. 

Enjoying seeing more fostering on the show again, though not sure what to think about Roo's lightning-fast announcement about wanting to adopt Cohen. While I've been quite annoyed at Alf's anti-fostering stance, it does seem to have evaporated somewhat since his latest return from Merimbula to be replaced with an anti-adoption stance - or at least adoption-wariness - which I think is a little more justified. I get Roo has signed up to be an emergency foster carer, but wouldn't a more sensible interim step be to offer to provide long-term foster care for Cohen, in the way it sounds like Cash's foster dad Gary did? I think adoption is surely a conversation for much further down the line and is going to need to come from Cohen himself - by which I mean, not necessarily that he will bring up the topic, but that he needs to express some kind of sign that he wants to be there permanently. And because he's only just processing the cutting of ties by his mum, I'm sure he's not anything close to being in that place at the moment - and I imagine Roo might be in for quite a negative reaction if she brings this up with him. 

Elsewhere it's same-old with pretty much everyone else. Harper is still being a pain in the bum (although interestingly, I like her more when we get to see her playing social worker than when dealing with her own dramas), I don't really care about Remi and Bree, and nor do I care about Mackenzie's 'trying to get pregnant' storyline which is mostly due to not caring about Levi and still being mildly resentful that she's with him. 

Edited August 24 by atrus

[Slade]

I dunno.  It feels like Remi has been let off too easily.  I did find it quite amusing when Abi put her foot in in, assuming Remi had messed up, immediately realising he did afterwards and shifting back to the moment with the uncomfortable silence between all of them.  Can't believe Remi tried to kiss her already.

I'm glad Harper has changed her attitude speaking separately to both Tane and Jo to give them the green light as I was starting to find her unlikeable.  I found the conversation with Jo and Dana quite amusing.  Before Dana knew who Jo was talking about, when Jo mentioned her dating woes, she was telling Jo to go for it, then quickly changed her advice when she realised Jo was talking about Tane.

After Jo told Tane she didn't want drama (so couldn't see him anymore), I said to myself she'll change her mind in a couple of weeks.  Judging by the preview, I don't think it's even going to be that long.  I must admit, whilst there is the issue of what happened to her mum, I do feel a bit sorry for Jo as she often looks quite sad.

I've actually really appreciated the Irene/Leah stuff re the Alzheimer's.  The fact that they've worked together and been friends for so long emphasises the strength of the friendship.  Very emotional.

[CaptainHulk]

The Irene stuff is cutting close to the bone and is the one story I'm really focused on.

[Red Ranger 1]

A nice flashback montage as Irene finishes at the Diner. It would have been nice to see some of the Diner's other incarnations but I get why they chose to focus on that one and it gave us a nice glimpse of Geoff, Annie and Miles from the Pier Diner's early days. Given the presence of Jett and Chris, I'm guessing the other "old faces" clip is from after Chris accidentally poisoned a bunch of customers? So Marilyn's clued in and Irene got a nice chat with a supportive Justin.

Tane and Cash's Two Men and a Baby routine was quite amusing. I would not have been as quick to volunteer as Cash was, nor as convinced it would be easy! He must have given that bottle a big shake to demolish it like that...and doesn't everyone keep their milk in the fridge door? I really didn't like Mackenzie pressuring Jo to go out with Tane, and even less the way she treated Levi who definitely didn't want to get involved. Now Cash seems to have decided to play matchmaker between them.

I did feel sorry for Abby a bit: She's been too enthusiastic and indiscreet at times, but she's obviously feeling the strain of being the one who constantly puts her foot in it as a result of being out of the loop. Mackenzie just seemed to gloss over the fact that couples doing IVF tend to have been trying unsuccessfully for years, not two or three months, but I guess her family history does factor into it.