2026 Season - UK Episode Discussion

[Red Ranger 1]

8 minutes ago, James Martin said:

That really irked me to be fair, but I get those promos are made for Australia and the Brax & Ricky return episode we saw tonight (and you will, I assume, see on Monday) was hyped up to death on Seven when the Aussie TX happened.

We certainly seem to have had it a lot easier than Australia did, but as far as I can see, the promo we got at the end of 8675 bears very little resemblance to the one on the Australian broadcast, aside from the fact they were both hyping Brax and Ricky's return. I don't know if the versions available on 7Plus are closer, but the ones shown on linear TV in Oz often seem to be very different from the international versions we get.

[pembie]

7 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Alf's episode count this week:Three. Sounds like he's off to visit Martha again so that could be it for a while.

And the Idiot Plot kicks in big time. I feel desperately sorry for the actors, who are giving it their all but are having to make situations that come across as desperately contrived look believable. Lacey has absolutely no sense of self-preservation at this point. Twice she decides to go off on her own to an isolated spot when she knows Holden's hanging around. Going to get the board was bad enough, but after her friends have worked out a plan to keep her safe, her response is to tell them to go away because she wants to be on her own. It was all unbelievably stupid, and even though I can see her being confused by the delivery, she seemed to have plenty of time to close and lock the door before Holden turned up. And then it all just peters away for nothing. Lacey grabbing the lamp was both too much and too little: We can be fairly certain what's happened, so there's no real tension, yet the lack of confirmation just left me going "And?" Even the episode seemed to lose interest, cutting away to Tane being in a sulk and a promo about Brax and Ricky of all things, as if they consider Lacey to be a lower priority.

As for the other storyline, well, it's perhaps not as bad in some ways but still relies on people being thick to drag it out. Not so long ago, Tane was giving up alone time with Archie to convince Mackenzie not to take it out on Harper, now he's biting her head off himself. Jane, who's been competent every time she's on screen, suddenly morphs into Toadie from Neighbours, refusing to represent clients who don't plead guilty to things they haven't done, as if they need to make Tane's situation as hopeless as possible. And then a "cliffhanger" which apparently thinks it's making the audience anticipate the return of some rather annoying old characters, but is actually Mackenzie doing the absolute worst thing she could possibly do. Really, in what universe (apart from this one, I guess, as Brax demonstrates), would Tane disappearing make things even the slightest bit better?

I find there’s so many stupid characters now that I find it hard to care most of the time I will stick around for the Brax stuff though 

 

whole Holden story was very funny and silly the number of times he got into Lacey’s house so easily made me laugh and every time someone said I think Holden will give up now you just knew he wouldn’t People I think we’re disappointed with the character weren’t they wasn’t he one of people’s favourite neighbours actors

I thought we only got a Friday episode now no first look since it went to the being on the app

5 minutes ago, pembie said:

I find there’s so many stupid characters now that I find it hard to care most of the time I will stick around for the Brax stuff though 

The whole Holden story was very funny and silly the number of times he got into Lacey’s house so easily made me laugh and every time someone said I think Holden will give up now you just knew he wouldn’t People I think we’re disappointed with the character weren’t they wasn’t he one of people’s favourite neighbours actors?

 

I thought we only got a Friday episode now no first look since it went to the being on the app

 

Edited April 18 by pembie

[Red Ranger 1]

5 hours ago, pembie said:

I thought we only got a Friday episode now no first look since it went to the being on the app

The continuity announcers still refer to the 6.30pm episode as "First Look", following the 6pm showing (which is the intended block, even though that's not the episode highlighted in streaming and publicity).

[H&Alover]

I wasn't sure about the music, bit yukky for me,  but yes neat start and end. 

Would have been traumatic for both Sophea  and    Lachan 'acting' out a likely rape scene as they would be aware that there are  people out there who have gone through it for real  so had to treat it very carefully.   I'm guessing David as the senior officer had to be the one to arrest Lacey, did I miss something as how how he got there, did she call him?  The words aren't the same as ours when someone's rights are being read to them, but he did miss out  "You are entitled  to legal representation and if you don't have any we can supply one for you".  He, quite rightly, handed  the questioning over to the woman cop and Cash, as a definite conflict of interest there.   Shouldn't  Lacey have seen a doctor, Holden grabbed hold of her wrists to hold her down so there would be bruises.    Lacey said 'rape' and  it is entirely different to  sexual assault.  In law murder is pre-meditated and this wasn't.   It could have ended very differently but it all depended on where that blow landed, some parts of our skull are thinner than the other.

  I know a lot of people are banging on how Holden has managed to dodge the cops every time but they can't be everywhere and he was obviously very good at evading them. People, like Holden who are that fixated don't give up, it happens in real life a lot so not at all funny. 

Lacey was a bit dumb opening the door to that delivery woman I would have told her to leave it by the door.   Holden must have been right behind her.

Guess Dean learnt  last time not to contact the  current RB's.  Whatever Brax and Rick got into after they left the bay must have been pretty profitable going by the size of that ranch. 

Tane was snapping at everyone who came within distance apart from Jo and Archie,  but as he can't take it out on those truly responsible they are the 'lucky' ones.   I know if he even does/did plead guilty and the judge wasn't  too hard a taskmaster he'd  still have that seven years he is on  a suspended sentence for added on.  He said he doesn't want Archie to see him in prison so he's risking NEVER seeing him again by going on the run.  

I watch Friday's 'new' episode of H&A on Saturday.

Really showing my age here but I couldn't help but hum the theme to Rawhide when I saw Brax and his team rounding up the cattle. . 

 

Edited April 19 by H&Alover

[Red Ranger 1]

I have to say I was not impressed by that. I think it reminded me why I'm actually quite glad that Home and Away doesn't go in for character returns that much, because it came across as self-indulgent nonsense. Maybe if I'd been in a better mood, or maybe if it was characters I actually cared about rather than Brax and Ricky (whose previous appearance mainly had me going "Don't let the door hit you on the way out"), but it felt like they got in the way of the important stuff rather than adding to it, especially in the first part of the episode when I really wanted a follow-up to the cliffhanger that the show didn't seem to think was a cliffhanger (not only did it not get the last scene or promo, it wasn't even in the recap!), and instead they seemed to think the important part was "Hey, look, we've got Brax back and isn't the scenery pretty!"

When we finally get around to stopping coming up with excuses to keep David away, I was again left with a feeling of "Is that it?" Lach Millar's on the credits but I've no idea why when we don't even see Holden's head, which adds to the feeling that all the important stuff has happened while the episode was busy elsewhere. And I couldn't do anything other than sigh in frustration at David arresting Lacey which came across as utterly ridiculous when everyone in the room knows what happened. I could see logic in making sure she knew her rights, but why arrest her and then not provide her with legal representation, which seems to be the only reason for it to happen? Unless it's because David wants to make absolutely sure protocol is followed but still. I've honestly no idea why David is on the show at times: If you're going to have a main character as police sergeant, why make him such a frustrating combination of incompetent, rule-bound and naive? He seems to spend most of his time focusing on the wrong thing, and even when he gets it right, he gets it wrong. He seemed to think the AVO was a magical solution and he didn't actually have to work to enforce it, something even Cash could see was daft. I'm glad we got a scene of Jo supporting Lacey (which was the important thing, not her finding out), because her delaying David further by coming to the station to have a go (how's that keeping your personal life thing separate going, David?) was just annoying. But Lacey's going to court? They haven't actually charged her, have they? They almost rescued the storyline when David had that speech about how they let these women down by not doing enough to protect them, but that takes it back into frustrating nonsense again.

In the midst of which, Mackenzie deciding that she's going to do the one thing that could makes things worse almost seems like a footnote, but really, what is Tane going on the run going to achieve, other than trading one sort of prison for another? And is that the first we've heard of Mikaere being in jail when Nikau was young? We know Ari was, but the robbery Mikaere did led to him being killed, not arrested.

Oh yeah, new opening titles. I liked that we got more group shots of the veterans, and some of the combinations were interesting, while some characters seemed more tanned! The new version of the theme song had me go from cringing a bit to largely forgetting it was there.

[James Martin]

That's why I let you review the return

I'm literally at the point do I just jump out for five weeks and pick back up with today's Australian episode which we see in late May, because from what I've seen and heard, no stories are getting propelled forward and this drugs storyline has already burnt out without it dovetailing into the Brax & Ricky return.

The whole thing just feels like such a step backwards for the show.

[c120701]

4 hours ago, Red Ranger 1 said:

Oh yeah, new opening titles. I liked that we got more group shots of the veterans, and some of the combinations were interesting, while some characters seemed more tanned! The new version of the theme song had me go from cringing a bit to largely forgetting it was there.

Tane’s shot seems a little odd and makes me wonder if he’s on his way out.

I have to say, I’d quite warmed to the female club mix of the theme we had before. This one is inoffensive, although I do wonder why “Just to know” isn’t repeated.

[pembie]

5 hours ago, James Martin said:

That's why I let you review the return

I'm literally at the point do I just jump out for five weeks and pick back up with today's Australian episode which we see in late May, because from what I've seen and heard, no stories are getting propelled forward and this drugs storyline has already burnt out without it dovetailing into the Brax & Ricky return.

The whole thing just feels like such a step backwards for the show.

I am going to do the opposite step out after the Brax stuff lol 

[H&Alover]

Maybe TPTB had to think of something for the excuse for going to Western Australia so brought in old characters rather than have Tane or someone else just going there.   

There was  a big jump from Cash and the lady cop interviewing Lacey along with Jo, should have had legal representation but she may have declined it, to her sitting on the beach talking to Mali and telling him she had killed Holden so she must have got bail.  I thought I'd missed an episode, It was the initial interview so she may have one next time. Anyone would have  been arrested and read their rights even if it is obvious what happened as the  obvious may not always be obvious.  All they saw was   a dead  body, a smashed lamp and Lacey cowering on the other side of the bed.  Wouldn't her going to court be for her hearing as in what the police/DPP are going to charge her with?   People would need to be interviewed as to what Holden's behaviour towards Lacey was like and the way he threatened them.  His parents got a brief mention. 

Sometimes AVO's do work but in Holden's case they don't  if that person is that obsessed, it happens in real life all the time.   David, to be fair, has stayed out of it and just been there as a dad. 

Mac may have overreacted by ringing Dean and asking him if he knew someone who could help but ultimately  it was Tane's choice to run.  Wonder what Levi feel about it?  Mac did reveal her and Levi's secret.

I think Mikaere had been in jail before  him getting shot during the bank raid. 

Touching scenes of Tane and Archie on the beach and he's just started babbling - Archie that is not Tane. 

I suppose we can always mute that theme song.  Are we meant to think Remi has come through his op OK and Sonny is walking again by those opening shots? 

 

[Red Ranger 1]

It feels like all the storylines are heading in the wrong direction at the moment. I don't why soaps have this creepy fetish for having young women be stalked and harassed for a lengthy period and then ending it with them being the ones in trouble with the law and the abuser being treated like the victim, but I wish they'd get over it. And I've given up on expecting them to give the storyline the attention it deserves, with it only meriting three brief scenes here. David did mention Lacey would have a solicitor at the hearing, so at least they've sorted that out, but the fact she had to have a magistrate grant her bail and is talking about a trial does suggest she's been charged, which is just ridiculous. David did at least suggest it might not go to trial, but I've lost all faith in the show to actually handle this sensibly.

Which brings us onto the other storyline, where Tane's actions are entirely plot-motivated and don't make a lick of sense. I don't know whether Brax and Ricky or Western Australia was the biggest draw but the show obviously needed an excuse to get Tane out there with them and weren't bothered about how plausible it was. We get weeks of Tane worrying about being kept away from Archie and then one half-baked plan from Mackenzie later he's going "Okay, well, I guess I'll never see Archie again then", as if that's a better option than getting seven or eight years in jail, maybe serving half of it, and being back out before Archie starts school. The fact that the escape route isn't even properly sewn up would make it even more laughable if it wasn't so annoying: Brax does seem to be doing a surprisingly good job as a father, but he's still got a number of failings as a human being, lauding it over Tane in his usual arrogant way as if he thinks he's better than him. Tane might not be a shining example of humanity but neither's Brax. Mackenzie just tells Harper to give Tane a head start without giving any reason why that's a good idea. I guess I should give Tane credit for clearing the air with Harper and Cash before he left, although it's pretty much tokenistic given he's left them both in the lurch.