Slade

Whilst I liked the idea of Tracy telling Nick about Carla and Robert sleeping together, I don't like the idea of Tracy blackmailing Carla like this. I was kind of hoping that Tracy would just keep quiet and do it right before they were about to get married. I actually don't think Carla should give in to Tracy's demands and should just tell Nick herself and deal with what happens afterwards. Michelle really should be talking her into fessing up. How do we know Tracy won't blackmail Carla again in the future? Sometimes with blackmail you don't have any choice but in this scenario she does. Even though Leanne was wrong I didn't blame her for reporting Simon to the police given his track record. I actually think he still clearly has anger management issues and needs help. Perhaps a break away from Leanne with his dad will do him some good. Actually haven't minded the stuff at the factory this week with Sinead modelling. Personally I don't feel Chesney is as happy for her as what he should be. Almost like he doesn't want to share her with anybody else. Sally has been a pain in the backside regarding her election campaign and I wasn't particularly happy that she joined forces with Norris although it will be interesting to see the outcome now that Norris himself has decided to run. They could both get actually even more annoying depending on whether either of them win. I knew the minute Anna was jumping for joy when she thought Phelan had left he would be sticking around. As a person I find him quite vile but I absolutely loathe Anna so once again the Phelan/Anna stuff has been a delight. I loved the way he was rubbing her nose in it - "Give us a job, give us a job". And the scene where she went ape and smashed his car up and assaulted him was fun too. The best part is the way he has convinced almost everyone (particularly Jason and Eileen) that he's the victim and Anna is the crazy irrational one to the point where both Kevin and Sophie now doubt her. He's playing an absolute blinder and I'm loving it. I actually hope he changes his mind and decides to go to the police to press charges. It'll be worth it to see Anna suffer some more. That would be the icing on the cake given that Kevin has now finished with her.

Well it looks like Hope will make a full recovery which is good I guess. TBH I've felt completely indifferent to this storyline. Should I be surprised after overhearing about Carla's affair with Robert Tracy decided to leave Carla to the fate of the robbers when they were attempting to raid Nic's and didn't even call the police to help her? No. But you could argue she's done far worse so that's actually an improvement if you think about it like that. I don't know if Carla was brave or stupid going after Jamie and his cohort and hanging onto the car when they drove off. But I guess it was all down to guilt over her infidelity so she had to get the engagement ring Nick gave her. Well at least they've been caught now and I would imagine that Jamie is going to jail for some time. I don't dislike Carla but purely in terms of entertainment I actually hope Tracy exposes what she did. At her wedding with Nick of course. Whilst I don't condone Mary sleeping with somebody else's husband I'm glad she's actually been given some sort of storyline. I think her boyfriend really just see's her as booty call. Can't believe how matter-of-fact his wife was about it afterwards. His only punishment sleeping on the sofa for maybe a night or two. Dev might have told him to back off but I don't think Mary would want to finish with him because she has no other options at the moment. As predicted Ken and Nessa are finished and it looks like Ken and Audrey will get together. Boo. Good old Pat Phelan. It's funny I mentioned him in my last post but had no idea he was returning. Have to say I'm absolutely delighted. I've already enjoyed the way he's manipulating Kevin and caused problems with his relationship with Anna making himself out to be the good guy. And I find it quite amusing the amount of blatant contempt Anna has for him. If he plays his cards right he could get Gary to snap again. So it will be interesting to see him stick around for a little while at least although not too long. I'm also very pleased that Jenny's back although for different reasons. I actually quite liked her and although I didn't agree with her taking Jack and putting Kevin through the trauma I did have a lot of sympathy for her losing her own son. Rita has really impressed me with the empathy and compassion she's showed. And I'm really glad she's decided to let Jenny move in with her. And I absolutely loved Rita sticking up for her when Sally was bad mouthing her. Even Tim didn't agree with it and when Kevin turned up in the shop and announced he was OK with her living on the street, I quite liked Rita's satisfied expression after that. I think both Phelan/Jen are wonderful as that is a chance to ruin the Kevin/Anna relationship. And although far-fetched I would like to actually like to see Kevin get back with Jen. I think there will always be the issue of Jacks safety but putting that aside Sophie is going to be a big problem as she's never liked Jen anyway and will object to anything other than Kevin seeing her as an arch-nemesis. There's hope though. I know things moved fairly quickly between them before but there is a possibility that a small part of Kevin could be in love with her.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Firstly it's really good to see Caitlin make semi-regular appearances. I hope she and Craig continue and their relationship grows stronger. I've been up and down with the stuff with the Platts. Even though I find Sarah annoying I was just so fed up with the way David kept hassling her. I do have to admit I still really love his dry sense of humour. I think Sarah having Callum's baby is an interesting twist. One that could potentially have serious repercussions down the line re guilt. Especially given that David took pity on Marion and decided to let her see Max for Christmas. I also felt sorry for her when she got mugged. If she becomes a regular part of Max's life and that of Sarah's baby who knows what could happen. I'm assuming that judging by some of their recent scenes they are trying to pair Anna with Kevin. I really hope not for the same reason why I didn't want Tim to end up with her. Namely Kevin is a good person and I don't think he deserves to be with someone like her. Admittedly she hasn't been too bad as of late but that's only because she hasn't been given too many opportunities. Can't really say I'm that fussed about how things ended up with Gary and Alya. Don't really like either of them. I've generally thought Gary was a waste of space although he has been behaving himself since he attacked Phelan. Alya is just an annoying drama queen. And I just hated the way she made it all about her when Gary found out Jason stole her virginity. The poor me victim act was extremely tiresome so I was glad when her own family temporarily turned on her. In saying that whilst I accept that Gary is gutted he wasn't Alya's first I as they have broken up I personally felt he should have given his share of the gym back to the Nasir's. Of course he's under no obligation to do so but as he is no longer getting married to her I think it would be the right thing to do morally as he hasn't earned a penny of that. I do actually quite like Ken and Nessa together and whilst I can understand she can be annoying at times it's a shame the writers have decided to make her character not such a nice person i.e. sleeping with Cathy's husband obviously as a way to break her and Ken up so he and Audrey can get together. If that does happen the most annoying thing would be the underhand way Audrey has tried to undermine Ken and Nessa's relationship has basically been justified. I had mixed feelings about Tony getting his comeuppance. Whilst I never liked him and think he no doubt deserves it, it has really annoyed me how Liz won. She is a character I dislike intensely even more so than Tony and I hated the way she and Michelle were just so self-righteous about the whole thing. I can't stand either of them. Michelle's sanctimonious nature has also been extended to her attitude towards Johnny being Carla's dad. Don't get me wrong because I'm most definitely not on Johnny's side here (although I am glad he didn't allow himself to be blackmailed). The way he's acted actually reminds me of his character in Family affairs. I've hated the way he's constantly tried to pressurise Carla into not telling Aiden and Kate. Why should she keep quiet? Surely they deserve to know. Regardless Michelle has got no right to give Johnny the evils and be that annoyed towards him. Again with Liz I wanted to strangle her when she told Aiden not to mess with her staff re him sleeping with Eva (this is why you should never get involved with people who you work with) Whilst I don't particularly like him as a person, I've always liked Rob's character. So I relished the prospect of him coming back when I first heard about it. I did initially think they were going to stage another prison break like they did with Tony. As much as I like Tracy I've really, really enjoyed seeing Rob getting some payback and messing her relationship with Robert up. She definitely deserves it (it was also a chance to see some scenes with her and Beth as I've always liked their relationship). However I don't think Carla deserved to be included in his revenge plan although I do kind of hope he's the one to tell Kate and or Aiden that she's their half sister. And the bombshell as I mentioned above seems to have sent her right back to how she was before the Connor's bailed her out and stopped Underworld from going under i.e. drinking/gambling oh and she's slept with Robert. Not good I know although I can't help thinking it's poetic justice after what Nick did to Peter. Still not sure barring the obvious what Carla's connection to the Connor's actually is. Not sure if Emily's gone for good but I would rather it would be Norris that was leaving as I see him as just an awful person. I'll put in spoilers because i don't think anything's been officially announced:

Nope, certainly not just you. I can't stand Chis. Absolutely loathe him. The term I often use when describing him is an oxygen thief. Because that's what he is. I honestly wish one of the other characters would just punch him in the face. I'm a UK viewer and am only following at UK pace but I struggle to understand what Hannah could possibly see in him. It sure as hell can't be his idiot personality so must be his looks and that would make sense as she's always been pretty shallow. His only purpose is a support character and he's not even good at that. I always wonder when he's going to stop being annoying and the only time when that happens is when he's reduced to making cameo appearances in certain episodes. But anytime he features significantly he goes right back to being a cretin. Recent examples (again at UK pace) are when he told Kat about Nate sleeping with Ricky and ruined the secret for Maddy's surprise party.

Oh no. *skulks off into a corner and starts crying* I was hoping TBTB would write him out next year at some point as I still see him as a useless, annoying character.

Grey, grey, grey. Near the end of December and it's not even that cold. In contrast when I was in Norway 3 weeks ago it was freezing.

Search facility works beautifully now. The error that cropped up previously has gone and the results are returned almost instantaneously across all forums - even the password protected ones! Presumably the forum software uses far better indexing now. If you're not signed in there is also an option to post as a guest - I haven't actually tried this though! The notifications play a sound now.

Although Jai is acting like a total tool, I've quite enjoyed this rebellious side of him. I liked after he got drugged up on coke he was able to win the order for the factory. I also quite liked the scenes with him and Kirin. One thing that did annoy me was when Vanessa saw Kirin and she had a go at him. She didn't know about the drugs so as far as I'm concerned she was having a go at him just because he was ambitious, driven and wanted to better himself. Or was she out of shape because she thought Kirin was moving on? I actually thought something was going to happen with Chrissie and Rakesh. Seems like the writers were setting it up but backed out at the last minute even though the characters obviously fancied each other. Bernice is clearly a gold digger. She told Andy in no uncertain terms that she was still in love with him and when he rejected her she then decided she wanted to marry Lawrence. Although he probably knows she's just after the lifestyle. Chrissie and Lachlan don't seem to mind though. I can't stand Diane. She is a self righteous old cow. She was one of the characters I wanted dead from the helicopter crash. Her attitude towards Chas re Robert I found extremely annoying. And I was glad Chas refused to budge initially when Diane told her she wanted her out of the Woolpack. I was disappointed Chas moved out. Obviously not because of Diane but because of Emma's jealousy - I'm assuming James still feels something towards Chas. Whilst I liked the way Cain stood up for Chas and tried to help Aaron, didn't like his plan about killing Robert while he was still in a coma. I also didn't like the way he involved Adam. Luckily Adam had the sense to tell Zac who talked Cain out of doing it. I'm still not entirely sure whether Cain would have gone through with it. I did find it interesting that he admitted to Adam that he's never killed anyone. I have mixed feelings about Aaron. I do feel a bit sorry for him that he's having a hard time in prison and is in there for a crime he didn't commit simply because he wanted to protect his mother. But I can help thinking there's an argument he should be in jail anyway after what he did to Paddy and James more recently. I can understand Cain and Chas's concerns given that he tried to top himself before. But even if the police find out he is innocent what about the possession of the firearm offense. Surely he has to do some jail time for that. I've been very disappointed with Paddy after watching Thursday and Friday's episodes. First that he cheated on Rhona and then he tried to cover it up by deleting the woman's friend from Marlon's phone thereby ruining Marlon's happiness. I found it hard to understand why he cheated in the first place. It's not as if he and Rhona had problems. The main issue he had at the moment was Aaron and to a lesser extent Robert. Does he actually care more about Aaron than Rhona? These things have a way of coming back to bite you so I wouldn't be surprised if he does bump into that woman again at some point. With regards to the big reveal on Thursday's second showing, it never occurred to me that it could be Ross who shot Robert. I'm very disappointed that Andy is involved because I quite like him. I agree with Andy that to a certain extent Ross manipulated him but regardless he's now implicated. Ross obviously really wants Pete dead. I do find it interesting that given that Andy wanted Robert dead, Ross's idea was to swap victims. Ross's argument was that it will be easier to cover it up as nobody would suspect the other but I'm just thinking back to when Ross couldn't actually kill Pete before. So I wonder if that has something to do with it. Either way Ross is a psychopath who needs to be stopped. He really didn't seem that bothered when he thought he'd actually killed Robert. I do think it's a shame this has actually happened because I quite liked the scenes with Andy and Pete and the way they were apparently bonding over trying to kill their respective siblings. I think Andy made the right choice telling Pete. But the question is what do you do now? Going to the police is the safest option but it means both of them could spend several years behind bars. Pete running away is another option but that leaves Andy to deal with Ross on his own. I guess there is a third option, Pete makes sure that he finishes the job this time although judging by the end of Friday's episode presumably Ross is looking to get in there first.

For me this is it in a nutshell although I think the dependency was mutual to start with. Oscar needed Maddy because he was lonely and didn't have anyone else. He was an introvert, wasn't particularly good at socialising and didn't have any experience with the opposite sex. If it hadn't been Maddy it probably would have been another girl that gave him enough attention. Maddy needed Oscar when she got sick and needed support. If Josh had taken her back before Oscar probably wouldn't have even been in the picture because that was someone I feel perhaps she did love. Going back to what I mentioned previously and going by our Australian pace counterparts the fact that it looks like something is going to happen with Maddy and Matt you would assume that the dependency is one way now. If Maddy doesn't need Oscar anymore that would allow feelings to develop for someone else (Here's hoping!).

I've actually really enjoyed the stuff with the Platt's since Callum's death. The episode where David and Kylie were disposing of the body was brilliant. That and most of the scenes afterwards have had me in stitches. It's almost like a black comedy. What was noticeable was the contrast in all three. Sarah is visibly falling apart and can hardly keep herself together, Kyle is just about holding it together but David is being very calm about all of it. I'm actually surprised how cool he's being. Part of me is wondering whether he is actually enjoying all of this. The fact that he's gotten rid of his arch enemy and the way he's covering it up. Sarah will spill all. It's only a matter of time. I wondered whether she was going to say something to Billy on Friday or if Todd was going to get it out of her. Todd obviously doesn't suspect anything but is worried about the repercussions of he and Tony burning down Callum's car. I have mixed feelings about Tim getting married. Whilst I'm glad it means he hasn't ended up with Anna, I'm just concerned how easily Sally cheated on him. Still I did actually enjoy the wedding episode and was glad he didn't stand Sally up. I'm also really pleased that he and Kevin made up. I'm actually quite pleased with the introduction of Aidan's dad and sister. I haven't seen his dad since he played Dave in Family Affairs. I think their inclusion will add and interesting dynamic to the factory and with Carla. I already enjoyed the scenes at the restaurant and with Kate deliberately winding Beth up pretending to crack onto Kirk. Can't believe Beth can be so gullible. Oh and really good to see Caitlin again. Shame her and Craig aren't an item.

I do accept that she has possibly acknowledged that she wronged Oscar. And I don't disagree Oscar hasn't been good for Maddy. He supported her through her cancer but I still don't think they are suited to being a couple. I agree about the codependency thing which goes back to my point about the basis for their relationship. They should be together because they want each other not because they need each other. No problem that you prefer this version of Maddy. I'm the sort of person these days that prefers a bit more drama now and again. I think I get your point about the friend zone. The way I see it is that there's no actual chemistry between them so they often seem more like friends than lovers.

I try and avoid the character discussion threads, especially the ones that are fairly active as I'm only following at UK pace but this time I just couldn't resist. It has been with great delight that I've read the last couple of pages. By the sound of things not only does the Oscar/Maddy relationship appear to be coming to an end but at Australian pace it seems imminent which means in the UK we have to wait weeks rather than months for the whole thing to be over (Yah!). This may sound premature me celebrating but it's obvious from the initial posts. Anytime something is going to happen in a soap they give small hints especially re relationships. So the fact that people are saying it looks like Matt is going to get together with Maddy means he's probably going to get with her (unless the writers decide to do a dramatic u-turn). IMO Maddy/Oscar are an absolute joke. I said this before but the foundation and basis for the relationship was created on pure desperation. This I feel was extremely unhealthy. Oscar was desperate because Maddy was the only girl in his life let alone the only attractive girl so as Angelica mentioned he effectively idolised her. I didn't mind the writers doing this initially because I don't just think this an Oscar phenomenon or even a young person phenomenon but any male who doesn't have many opportunities to meet many people has the potential to put all their eggs in one basket, like he did and almost worship the object of their desire and it is good to sometimes show this. Maddy knew that Oscar liked him but she used him to get back at his sister for stealing her previous boyfriend, she used him to get closer to Josh at the dance, she used him when she was bored and nobody wanted spend time with her and she used him to try and entrap Josh when she thought she was pregnant. Whilst all these events may seem far fetched, I feel her behaviour is a classic symptom of her effectively lowering Oscar's value because he was so submissive and basically allowed her to treat him like this. The desperation on her part came about in the fact that she actually appeared to fall for him. This is someone again who subconsciously to her I feel didn't rank as high as she did. It wasn't like Spencer who was from a privileged family and gave all that up to be with Maddy. She's a young very attractive person so why would she fall for him? What did he have to offer her? Initially I thought it was because she had a limited social circle but when they had a party for her when she was recovering from the big C there were more people there than I expected. I still think that her not having a lot of friends was a possibility but because she thought she was going to die and was in a very dark place, he offered a very valuable support network. This made her have an enormous amount of gratitude towards him. I'm not convinced she is in love with him and I never have been. I think she got involved in the relationship initially because he helped her and she knew he was loyal. Oscar was right to finish with her the first time and Evelyn was unbelievably stupid to try and push them back together. What person in their right mind would try and renew the relationship of someone the way Maddy treated Oscar before, especially her own brother? I think Maddy stayed in the relationship since because she associates it with being an important part of her life i.e. Oscar supporting her through her worst time. If she is now in remission, I feel perhaps it's hardly surprising that as far as she's concerned the relationship has run its course as she is no longer in danger so her outlook and perspective on things has changed. She no longer needs that person providing her support. Rather than playing it safe she can look at enjoying things and taking risks. And it would obviously be a risk to get involved with Matt, given how his past relationship with Sasha was and the problems he had with his drinking. But he would provide a greater level of excitement due to the nature of his personality. I said this on the UK thread and again in agreement with Angelica but I feel Matt has more chemistry with Maddy than Oscar does. As someone has already mentioned, Oscar seems more like a brother or even a gay best friend than a lover and I don't recall enjoying any of their interactions since they were officially a couple. It feels at times they are like a boring old couple that have been together a long time. Whereas I personally feel her interaction's are more fresh with Matt. The way I see it Oscar's more of the provider type whereas Matt would be more of the lover type. So if Maddy and Matt do happen it will be interesting to see how that pans out. although my main reason for wanting them together is to break her and Oscar up. So even if they don't last I won't be too fussed. It's funny because before she was diagnosed with cancer I disliked her intensely but since she's been behaving herself she's effectively become boring and outside the Oscar relationship has been relegated to effectively a support role. So I really hope she goes back to being an unlikeable, self-absorbed bitch. Purely for entertainment purposes I want to see more of the old Maddy and enjoy the backlash from some of the people who loathed her at the time. You know I think I actually enjoyed disliking her.

I watched the end of the fourth season a while back and wanted to comment on it. I actually didn't realise it was the final season even though there were various hints throughout - David Clarke returning, Emily announcing her true identity to the world. As with 'The Initiative' in season two it was completely unrealistic how they managed to get out of the whole mess with Malcolm Black. Part of me was glad when Daniel died as I never really liked his character and I found the fallout with Victoria and Margaux far more interesting. Margaux in particular. She had effectively become Emily with her thirst for revenge, quite prepared hurt innocent people i.e. Jack (well almost innocent) and simply dismiss them as collateral damage. Once scene I thoroughly enjoyed was when Margaux thought she had Emily then when she returned to her office and Emily was sitting on Margaux's chair smug, gloating and victorious. I actually really liked Louise and whilst she temporarily went to the dark side and joined forces with Victoria, I was glad she saw the light in the end. It's funny because the first season started with Jack and Emily and the last season finished with Jack and Emily together at last. For me personally Revenge wasn't about Emily and Jack or the Initiative or Malcolm Black. It was about one rivalry - Emily and Victoria. I absolutely loved it and their whole relationship, even when they were temporarily allies. And I loved the fact that even near the very end there was still the mutual hatred between them.

One scene I found really funny previously was when Tony beat Callum up. What I enjoyed was the way he grabbed him called him 'sunshine' and just shoved him into the alley. The best part was when David stood there watching, licking his lollipop thoroughly enjoying it. So is everybody just going to forget about Tracy and the fire now? I'm a Tracy fan myself but come on she can't be allowed to get away with it that easily or scot free. Really not happy about Eva returning if I'm honest. Perhaps it's the circumstances in which she left I don't like even though it was Todd's doing. And it feels like another person who only wants to get back with someone because they don't have any better options. Jason should think very carefully about getting back with her. Onto the live episode. Firstly why did they decide to do a live episode? I thought that was reserved for milestone type occasions i.e. the 50th anniversary. Anyway, I thought at the start it was a bit shaky, i.e. the way Roo was having a go at the bus driver but overall everybody did a great job. Even some of the actors who played characters I didn't like. Once again really enjoyed Callum putting the frighteners on Sarah and wanted it to continue so I was disappointed at his apparent death. It felt very anticlimatic. Have to say Sarah, Kylie and David are all unbelievably stupid. Firstly Sarah using Kylie's phone to lure Callum back to the Platt's to trick him into fessing up to getting his cronies to trash Audrey's salon. Then after Kylie hit Callum across the back of the head and killed him and Sarah wanted to call the police and Kylie stopped her. Her immediate thought was to try and cover it up and when she couldn't do it on her own called David. And then there's David going after Callum that in itself was stupid, especially given that it wasn't going to pay him off (which I incidentally don't think would have been a solution as Callum would have just kept coming back for more) but upon finding out what Kylie did he decides to become complicit in her crime. In spite of that I found the crying particularly from Sarah and their fear extremely amusing. It was also quite funny when the Nazir's got involved briefly. I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out but there's one thing I'm sure of. If Sarah wasn't suffering before she's certainly going to suffer now and hopefully that means Bethany will suffer too. I wonder what the significance of Tony and Todd burning Callum's car will be. I'm glad Cathy didn't leave as I would like to see her and Roy as a couple. I think they would work well together and I think she could help him get over Haley eventually. I am disappointed that Lloyd and Andrea are leaving. I actually quite like both of them and the friendship with Lloyd and Steve so that's a shame. A bit disappointing we didn't see Steve at his leaving do though. Whilst I'm not to biggest fan of Liz, have to say her attitude has really impressed me. She's been very civilised about the whole thing. It's funny because I can recall Andrea trying to make a play for Steve and Lloyd was actually her second choice. But I am glad she and Michelle got on because Michelle didn't like her at first because of that. Whilst it was inevitable, quite disappointed about Sally kissing Kevin coming out. Not sure what to make of Anna. I often find her an extremely unpleasant person but Sally is often extremely up herself and she kept goading Anna for no apparent reason. So given that Anna was drunk I can understand her lashing out like that even though it was for purely selfish reasons. As I mentioned previously we can see it has already affected the bromance with Kevin and Tim. But I'm more concerned about Tim asking to sleep on Anna's couch as I fear this will be the start of them getting together and Tim doesn't deserve to be lumbered with her.

Although I haven't liked the way Jai treated Megan at all, I was really displeased at how things ended up with Rachel. She gets to ride off into the sunset with Archie, despite knocking Sam about and somehow turns out to be the victim. I don't mind how Rishi, Priya, Kiran and Rakesh have been towards Jai but why should Rachel get to win like that. In spite of everything it's obvious Jai loves Archie and just wanted to be a dad towards him. I was extremely annoyed that Bob went to prison for trying to defend himself against Finn. I said this before but Finn is an absolutely useless character. The only purpose he serves is some sort of glue for the Barton family. And perhaps the only person Ross listens to. Bob didn't deserve the pasting he got from Jed whilst inside. I did find some of the scenes quite amusing. Not because of what happened to Bob but I just found the actor who played Jed so hard to convince as this super villain (Note I think he's a very good actor but just haven't seen him play any roles like this before). I think it was a bit unrealistic how Bob and Harriet got out of Jed threatening their respective love ones to get Harriet to change her statement but who's arguing. I'm actually glad Chrissie's decided to plead not guilty to causing the deaths resulting from the explosion, purely because I think it would make a better storyline (Does anyone else find it funny the way she cries sometimes?). I was so annoyed with Eric and Kerry, particularly her lynch mob mentality that I was glad Rakesh was defending Chrissie. I'm really not sure what to make of Eric. He's handled everything really badly but who wouldn't in his situation. He's very lucky that Chrissie isn't pressing charges. As always, completely unimpressed with David and don't understand why he would sacrifice his marriage like that. Even Eric couldn't understand it. It was good to still see some continuity i.e. Alicia wanting to go to Portugal to help run the bar because she was still affected by what happened with Lachlan. A small part of me was hoping that Vanessa would lose the baby not because I have anything against her but I quite like the idea of Kiran and Belle and am sure that the truth will come out about his paternity so could potentially ruin any relationship. In spite of that I actually think Adam's stepped up quite well so far. I'm a little surprised Priya has been prepared to keep quiet for so long though, especially after everything that's happened. Well I'm glad Ross is alive if only it means Pete not going to jail for murder. Despite planning everything to a tee, I actually don't think Ross would have gone through with it. Although I can't help thinking that by the time Ross is finished with Pete, he may wish he had killed him. To repeat what I said before I still think Ross has actually done Pete a favour. Getting his marriage annulled with Debbie is blessing. I wouldn't want anything to do with that family. I'm not sure it's wise pretending that Ross getting with Debbie is not affecting him as Ross will simply find another way to try and torture him. Oh and did I mention that I really enjoyed Emma tampering with the medical files at the GPs, making it look like there was a relapse with Sarah and thereby making Debbie suffer? It's the least she deserves as far as I'm concerned. That's what I like about Emma, she's one of the few people that's prepared to call Debbie out on the type of person she is. Not that it matters because when I look at what's happened to some of the Dingles i.e. Cain getting his head smashed in by Zac, the brain tumour and Charity behind bars. What would be the end for some people just appears to be a minor inconvenience for them.

I really enjoyed the funeral episodes but not because they were sad. I actually found them really funny or should I say more the dialogue with Tracy and Ken. As much as I like Tracy I absolutely loved Ken calling her out on her selfishness. And the scene in the church was brilliant where Steve was sitting right between them and looking extremely awkward and Ken was laying into her. Tracy was just so self-absorbed that she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not sure what to make of her trying to turn over a new leaf. I think I preferred the old Tracy although I did actually really like some of the scenes with her and Ken that have since followed and I like the way they are apparently getting on. Wasn't expecting to see Peter. Thought they could have maybe done a scene or two with Carla. I'm kind of indifferent to Carla's gambling storyline but I did really enjoy the scene where she sacked Sally and gave her a serve in front of everyone. It was harsh but I often find Sally quite pretentious and I'm not happy about her kissing Kevin when whilst being engaged to Tim (Although I don't want this coming out because (a) I really like the bromance with Kevin and Tim (b) I think that will end up pushing Tim to Anna which would be far worse). I'm glad Carla didn't sell the factory to Alya as I find her quite annoying and I enjoyed seeing her sulk at Aidan being the new co-owner. I'm am kind of glad Alya slept with Jason. Can't remember what happened about the whole pregnancy thing but looking forward to when this inevitably comes out and stuff things up for both her and Gary. It's especially worse as the Nazir's have fully accepted him. I quite like Zidane now. Really like the way he is with Simon and Leanne especially. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about Simon. I hate the way he's been towards Leanne and some of the scenes have been slightly uncomfortable to watch. I quite like Andrea and was disappointed when she stole Lloyd's album. And the way she just left like that just didn't ring true. I was expecting Lloyd to put up more resistance than he did and fight for her to stay although he did call her afterwards even though he was drunk. I don't like Liz but I actually really enjoyed the scenes with her Lloyd and Erica when they all got wasted. I especially liked the part when Steve saying look what happens when I leave you alone with these two. I was actually quite enjoying the interaction with Lloyd and Erica and thought they had chemistry so was disappointed when Andrea turned, got jealous, had a go at Lloyd and quickly left again. I don't find characters like Kirk, Fiz, Chesney Sinead etc. that interesting. Beth (in small doses) and Tyronne I don't mind as much. However I did actually enjoy the camping trip. I'm so happy that Craig met someone too. Shame the romance couldn't have continued. She was a nice girl. I hope that everything will be alright with Hope but it's looking quite serious at the moment. As someone who cannot stand Sarah or Bethany these last few episodes have been an absolute treat. I absolutely loved Callum intimidating Sarah and making Bethany cry. Sarah deserves it anyway. She chose dropping her knickers rather than loyalty to her own brother so I'm glad this has come back to bite her. Bethany is an annoying little oxygen thief so I was so happy when Callum filmed her delivering the drugs and used it to blackmail Sarah. I'm hoping this comes out and they send Bethany to juvie. My enjoyment continued when Callum drugged Sarah's drink then blackmailed Bethany into giving him a false alibi. I really enjoyed the suspense in this evening's episode seeing Bethany absolutely bricking it knowing that she would have to fess up to getting Callum off the hook. And boy wasn't I disappointed! I was in stitches when Kyle hit the roof and loved every moment of it, especially given that they got the Champers out beforehand. All this on Lily's birthday. So Callum outsmarts them again. Well for now anyway. I don't think he should get away with what he did to Jason and it will be interesting to see how far Tony is prepared to take things. But before that I hope that Callum makes Sarah and Bethany suffer some more.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant. It's amazing how my stance over certain characters can change so quickly. I remember last week thoroughly disliking Ross. I loved how Cain exposed that he was Moses's dad and how it ruined his plans to elope with Debbie (As an aside it was completely ridiculous that Cain could possibly have worked everything out like that just from the fact that Ross mugged Robert and gave Moira the photos of Cain and Chrissie kissing). And I would have been quite happy if Ross had disappeared never to be seen again. But then I sat down and thought about it. This is an entertainment show and as much as I loathe Ross as a character he has been very entertaining. And surely that's the whole point of these programs is to entertain the viewers. And Ross made a very valid point to Finn although he was sleeping with his brother's fiancée Pete deserved to know the truth if anything to save him from a life with Debbie. So I really, really wanted Ross to ruin or should I say stop the wedding. I really enjoyed the scene in the pub where Ross started getting really jealous of Pete got into a strop and started launching verbal tirades against anyone who was near him although I didn't like what he said to Belle. One thing I do actually like about Ross is his blatant smugness. I actually find myself smiling whenever he smirks to himself. I have to admit Ross has got some serious bottle jumping into the water like that from the back of the van but when I saw that scene I actually thought it was the end for him. Like I said above a week ago I would have been happy if he'd died but I was almost praying that he didn't. And temporarily at least I'm firmly on his side. I'm so sick of Cain getting away with committing various acts with impunity (and there was his attitude towards Joanie and Kyle at the wedding, fair enough if he doesn't want anything to do with them but why stop them from coming so I was glad Zak intervened). So I'm really looking forward to seeing their reaction (in particular Cain's) when Ross returns. I'm really hoping that he makes Cain and Debbie pay. This is very hypocritical of me given what I've said about Ross before but with a show like Emmerdale where's there's so many people I actively dislike it very often comes down to the lesser of the evils or for certain characters you dislike to get their comeuppance the only real course of action is another character you don't like being the one to dish out the revenge so to speak. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" Although I wanted Pete to find out before marrying Debbie I still really enjoyed the scene when Aaron without realising played the recording in front of everyone of Debbie confessing her love to Ross and they admitted sleeping with each other. It was hardly surprising Moira did nothing as she is firmly a Dingle now but I was a bit disappointed with Finn for not stopping the wedding. He's always been a person who's had principles so I expected better from him. I actually really enjoyed the scene in the Woolpack last week where Chrissie confronted Robert and Aaron about their affair. And I actually quite like the friendship that was initially developing between Chas and Chrissie even though the bonding didn't ring true for me simple because Chas kept quiet about Aaron. What was Lachlan thinking trying to frame Robert like that? Although it was not his intention Lawrence could have had another heart attack and died. In saying that you could argue that it's indirectly caused the accident at the Wedding. As that made Chrissie try and pay Robert off and when he blackmailed her. Then when she didn't get what she wanted, she set fire to his car that caused the propane explosion which caused debris to fly into the helicopter and the helicopter to crash into the reception venue. That whole scene for me was really exciting. It was very reminiscent of the tram crashing into the shop on the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street. This is me hoping more than anything but this could actually open possibilities to get rid of some annoying characters. So wouldn't it be great if they killed some of them off. If I had to choose this is difficult because there are so many that are unlikeable but unfortunately a lot of them have to stay purely for entertainment or payback reasons: Dingles - I actually quite like Zac, Belle, Chas, Aaron, Sarah and Jack so don't want anything to happen to any of them. Not sure where Sam and Lisa are but don't think either of them deserve to die. Cain and Debbie have to stay to get theirs. Bartons - James and Pete I also quite like. Emma not so much but she has to stay if anything to perhaps try and get Debbie back for cheating on Pete (Emma will blame Debbie for all of this, she won't blame Ross). And if not to get revenge then to wind some of the Dingles up. At the very least she's entitled to give Debbie a serve about Debbie's attitude towards her when she slept with James behind Chas's back. There's an argument Val deserves it especially after how she's treated Joanie and Eric previously but I do find her really funny sometimes so for that reason she can stay. Eric I like so don't want anything to happen to him. That leaves Finn, Diane and even though Keri wasn't at the wedding we might as well throw her into the mix. I've never really thought Finn was a good character. Don't think he's particularly interesting and seems dull and mundane so his death could spark off a Barton/Dingle war. I've never liked Diane. I find her incredibly sanctimonious at times. And whilst she was right to give Val a serve about helping Bob and Carly commit fraud, I don't see why Val should have to apologise to her, especially given that Diane slept with her husband a while back. I've said this before but Keri really is a loathsome creature and I would be over the moon if she went. Don't think it will happen though.

There's an argument Robert deserved it after everything he's done especially after almost killing Paddy but it still felt slightly uncomfortable watching Cain knock the stuffing out of him. He was extremely lucky Aaron still had a thing for him or Cain could have really done some serious damage. He deserved to be 15 grand down but I didn't like the fact that it was Cain who extorted the money out of him. But I guess that's what Robert gets for trying to mess with him. The thing about Paddy is that he can't actually prove that Robert was responsible for his accident. I did actually wonder if he was going to tell Chas but I guess he's keeping quiet for now. Whilst Rachel has annoyed me intensely and I still don't like her I don't like the way Jai is planning on screwing Megan over so I'm glad Rachel showed her the footage with Jai and Leyla doing the dirty. I'm glad Megan is planning a way out of the marriage with something and I hope she succeeds. Good to see Marlon at least trying to give Laurel another chance. Sadly I don't really have much hope for them especially given the fact that Laurel slept with someone else but well done to the writers for making the storyline so realistic. Really enjoyed a couple of the scenes with April and Laurel especially after Laurel found out her mother died and April related it to Donna's death. Just about had it with Carly. Don't find anything likeable or redeeming about the character whatsoever. She's selfish and rude for the most part. They way she stole the money to pay for the repairs to her shop and tried to blackmail Val (even though there's an argument Val deserves it) just about sums her up. The only positive thing I can say is that she felt bad about the robbery. I'm glad she's gone and hopefully she won't be coming back. Ross continues to demonstrate what an utterly repugnant, loathsome and vile human being he is, sleeping with his brother's fiancee and committing a robbery. This thug beats a second person senseless and leaves them for dead, without one ounce of remorse (Why couldn't he have just threatened the illegal driver instead? Probably because he wouldn't have enjoyed it as much). He's effectively put Jimmy in serious financial trouble because Jimmy wasn't ensured for the theft. Then he had to audacity to gloat to Carly about the money they made afterwards. Moira was right to give Debbie an ultimatum and whilst I initially didn't like the idea of Ross and Debbie and what it was doing to Pete I now think they both deserve each other. Debbie is so dumb anyway. She quite understandably got annoyed when she initially suspected it was Ross who ripped off her mother's business. She confronted him about it and he spun her some story which she fell for. When Pete confirms her initial thoughts were correct and Ross did in fact commit the theft she confronts him once more and he talks her around again. This was very reminiscent of when Cameron fessed up to murdering Carl and Debbie responded by telling him she loved him. Ross is an extremely dangerous individual and is this the sort of person she wants in her kids lives? I really want this to come out but I don't want Debbie finishing with Pete. I don't want her having that luxury. I want both of them to be exposed. Best case scenario for me would be for Emma to find out and drop the ball at the wedding but I can't see her doing that to Ross. I absolutely love the fact that he is Mosses's father. He deserves to have that heaped on him and I like that fact that it potentially threatens his plans with Debbie. What would be good is if Emma found out about it. The backlash from an outting on that would be great. I am interested in finding out what Charity wants him to do for her to keep stum. Still very hot and cold with Emma. Don't like her as a person. They way she trashed the doctor's office just because he didn't want to date her was ridiculous. James actually annoyed me when he told her btw and I felt he should have just kept his mouth shut and maybe said something afterwards if the doctor didn't actually tell Emma but I still think she's a very entertaining character and one of the few people who can sufficiently annoy some of the Dingles.

I thought overall the sixth season was very good which surprised me because I felt it was reaching the point where maybe they should think about bringing the show to an end but I actually really enjoyed most of the episodes. I quite liked how they forged a strong friendship between Bonnie and Damon when they were trapped in 1994 with Kai. I also liked how they developed things romantically with Stefan and Caroline although that seems to be on hold. Like Elena a couple of seasons ago, I really enjoyed the episodes where Stefan and Caroline both 'turned off' their humanity. I thought they were both really funny and it was good seeing a different side to Caroline who is Miss Goody Two Shoes even as a vampire. Felt sorry for her when Liz died and although I liked her in a way I'm glad as I'm not sure what more her character could do. She was originally a vampire hunter but had to change because of her daughter. Didn't really like the story of the witches and the covenant but thought Kai was a really good bad guy. At times I found him quite amusing when he was in full sociopath mode. When he escaped from being imprisoned in the early 1900s I knew he wouldn't kill Bonnie. He wanted her to suffer. Whilst I was glad Luke was killed off earlier in the season I was disappointed about Liv because I quite liked her and Tyler together. It's also unfortunate now that Tyler's a werewolf again. Was also very disappointed about them killing Jo like that. Really liked her character and her and Alaric together and wanted them to be happy but knew it wasn't going to happen. Not sure what the writers were playing at with the whole Sarah Salvatore thing. It was obvious they wanted to do a storyline that involved the Salvatore family but when Enzo decided to do a u-turn on his plan to use her to get revenge on Stefan it felt like the writers suddenly changed their minds. Hence the reason why they introduced Stefan and Damon's mother instead. I am actually glad. I think she's a great character and I really like her. I love the fact that she's also a 'ripper'. I also liked that she was the one who turned Enzo and they have a bond. More than she does with her own offspring. Now that she has all her 'family' back and they are witches/vampires it has set the basis for the first half of the seventh season.I read a while back that Nina Dobrev was leaving so the finale wasn't unexpected. If you had told me this a few seasons ago, I would have said what would be the point in continuing the show. The basic premise is about her and the Salvatore brothers (that's what the books were based on). But I think the writers have made a good effort to develop other characters so although I'm slightly skeptical (especially given that I mentioned above that they should think about ending the show at some point) we'll just have to wait and see. I would rather she still be present as I like her and Damon as a couple and she obviously has a moderating influence on him. As she is the main character it will be interesting to see what effect her absence has on some of the others. I was very surprised (and equally impressed) that Damon chose to save Bonnie over Elena but will he end up resenting her? His last scene seemed to indicate that he's going to go back on a killing spree which would be a shame because I think he's come a long way from how he was in the first season.

Thanks again!!

Hello folks, There are a couple of topics within the TV discussion area that I wanted to reply to without much success. They are: The feature to actually make a reply isn't available. The message near the top of the thread says: "Archived This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies." Is there any chance they can be unlocked please? Many thanks.

So it's been about a week since Spencer left at UK pace and I'm wondering what Chris is still actually doing on the show. IMO he hasn't really improved as a character since the last time I posted here. The main reason why he came to the bay was because of Spencer so it would be logical to leave with him as well, especially considering that their father is in a coma. I feel that he serves no purpose except to annoy people. Irene obviously cares about him but it's clear that she often finds him a pain in the backside. He doesn't seem to have any friends. I'm not counting Maddy as she is just his brother's ex. Why would someone his age stay in a town with not a particularly high population of people when he's not meeting anyone? I think Spencer said to Chris when Chris actually offered to leave with him that he loves it at Summer Bay. Is that really the case? It doesn't seem so given the last episode at UK pace where he was so lonely he imposed himself uninvited on John. He annoyed me intensely when Marilyn called and he just took the phone and tried to get rid of her even when John wanted to speak to her. So I was glad John told him to get lost and was disappointed he apologised afterwards and sat down with him and watched the movie purely out of guilt. Chris remains one of those people who never seems to get the message. Same old.

​ Thanks Chris. There are a couple of things I like about the new version of software. 1. Making an actual post seems smooth and seamless. It was different to before when you hit the post button and it would take a few seconds and on the odd occasion when the Forum was under stress would generally be a lottery if the post actually went through. 2. The notifications are a lot better. They used to come via email but now are displayed within your profile once you've signed in - This makes a lot more sense. Also if you are currently logged on and someone posts in a thread you've registered, a notification comes through in real-time.

I really, really enjoyed Jai locking Rachel in the freezer. My only regret was that he let her out so soon. In saying that I'm now getting fed up with this power struggle with Archie. I was glad Rishi went to the police and told them the truth i.e. he fell over and Rachel didn't actually assault him contrary to what Jai told them. I don't like Rachel at all but Jai is starting to get out of control, drugging her and threatening to kill her before that. He's also treating Megan pretty badly too cheating on her with Leyla and using her only to secure custody of Archie, quite prepared to ditch her once that is achieved. Leyla was pretty dumb herself. She saw and heard how Jai was to Rachel, was quite shocked, called him out on it, he spins her some story about wanting to marry her after he's got rid of Megan and she just accepts it. Really, really not happy about this whole Laurel/Ashley thing. I think it's inevitable they are going to get back together but I would rather Laurel give things a go with Marlon. Also I quite like Ashley and Harriet together so splitting them up IMO would be a shame. I'm still finding Tracy really funny. I think she's a lot smarter than she makes out, figuring out that Bernice was lying about having a boyfriend to Andy. She's actually not bad looking as well. I have just about had it with Robert. I know Victoria is his sister but just the level of hypocrisy about Adam cheating on her had me shaking my head. And he continues to be generally unpleasant. Really didn't like Rakesh making Vanessa believe her baby is Adam's. That was really, really low. I can understand him not wanting his son to throw his life away but this is not the way to do it. Ross continues to demonstrate what an utterly repugnant and reprehensible individual he is, constantly trying to hit on his brother's fiancee and using Carly just to make Debbie jealous. So I was glad Pete set him up. Just a shame he fessed up. But at least Pete did actually tell the truth. The thing that annoys me is that Ross is always so smug about everything. A person who doesn't seem to have any remorse for his actions. I'm assuming from their conversation in the first episode on Thursday that they didn't sleep together and that was only because Debbie ran off. Ross would have been more than happy to do it otherwise. Once again although I don't like her I did actually enjoy seeing Emma try to cause more trouble when she sabotaged James's attempts to rent out a flat. I was very surprised Finn covered for her. Is Emma Atkins's maternity leave finished already? This storyline with Charity having a baby doesn't make any sense. Surely this would mean she was pregnant just before Declan went psycho despite risking everything to abort his baby before. Charity's reaction to Debbie's confession made me initially think the father was Ross but that was way back when they slept together. It will be interesting to find out who the dad actually is. Part of me is hoping it is Declan as it would have a certain amount of poetic justice.