Home and Away: Doing it For the Kids

(Monday 1^st – Tuesday 9^th June 2020)

Bella meets her horse, Bullet
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Colby and Willow took Bella to an amazing looking equine therapy centre where she was given her own horse to work with (she was very reluctant about this), which she had to care for and learn from, alongside group therapy and counselling and all those kinds of things. Colby was even more on edge than Bella was and took a lot of persuading to actually leave her there. It was a really lovely moment when Bella actually got the hang of communicating with the horse after being really resistant to doing anything with him at all. But it was really sad when she realised it was time to say goodbye to her brother and literally chased the car down the drive as he and Willow drove away. Colby was so devastated that he nearly turned around and went back for her but thankfully, Willow persuaded him that he would not be doing Bella any good. Bella has a lot of problems and Colby is a huge part of that. Sadly, in trying to help her, he has not done her a lot of good and their attachment to each other isn’t just one way. Or very healthy.

Bella chases after Colby…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Back in Summer Bay, Nikau was distraught to discover the truth about why Bella was hospitalised but after a lot of rowing with his family, John was really kind to him and helped him make up with both Ryder and his mother. This is yet another credit when it comes to healing John and Marilyn’s relationship so yay for that! Angry about the discovery that Tane has been involved in Nik’s life recently, Ari aggressively confronted him and warned him away.

Ari warns Tane away…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

That night, Mac stood Ari up in favour of comforting Colby over having to send Bella away. Things abruptly came to an end with Ari soon after that when he realised he had been used. I feel sorry for him. She went to such a lot of effort to win the guy over and then dropped him the second Colby had his little lost puppy look. I’m sure Ari has feelings too! Having forgotten all about Ari, Mac caught Colby attempting to sneak off and visit Bella and persuades him to change his plans. The therapy centre then returned his call and reassured him that Bella is doing well.

Hurt over the situation with her mother, Ziggy moved in with Dean and Colby, prompting a lot of ‘third wheel’ feelings for Colby at a time when he probably really didn’t need it. But Dean has been a star of a boyfriend. I like him. Anyway, the paternity test results arrived and… hooray! Ben is Ziggy’s Dad! Yay! Marco made one last desperate play for Maggie – emphasis on desperate – who made her position very, very clear. Sending Marco packing once and for all, Maggie is now tasked with trying to win her family back. Good luck, Maggie. Good luck.

The results are in…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Douglas faced court and was sentenced to twenty five years, fifteen without parole! Excellent! We get both justice and a future storyline they can pull out in fifteen years’ time! Or sooner somehow if storylines get thin on the ground. Leah was grateful to be able to start moving on and move on, she did. She helped Justin create a beautiful nursery for Grace, complete with photographs of her loved ones on the wall – including Robbo and Mason. She and Justin also took the next step in their relationship for the first time since her ordeal.

Leah and Justin grow closer…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Poor Jasmine was still convinced she was pregnant until today, not helped by everyone being so very excited that Robbo’s memory will live on not just through Grace but now through his and Jasmine’s child. Willow swapped their rooms over so she would have more space and Tori handed over a load of old baby clothes and the cot that Robbo made for Grace. Wendy turned up for the twelve week scan, was very rude to Tori about going back to work so quickly (I’d stand up for her but I am still smarting about Alex’s departure – no, I won’t be over it for a very long time) and then tried to elbow her out of the scan herself.

Thankfully, Jasmine insisted that they all went to the scan as sadly, it was discovered that Jasmine was experiencing a phantom pregnancy. Her brain her persuaded her body that it was pregnant, meaning that she had all the symptoms, even so far as giving her a false positive pregnancy test. Wendy was awful, expressing sheer frustration and even accusing Jasmine of making the whole thing up. Tori was amazing and so kind to Jasmine, calming the situation down and explaining everything. Of course, Jasmine was absolutely devastated, as it confirmed that her last possible connection to Robbo truly was gone. Later, Tori and Willow had to pull her out of the sea, as she had walked in, fully clothed. What a sad, sad storyline. But just as an aside, how cute is baby Grace?

Jasmine falls apart…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Home and Away has now resumed filming

It currently airs on weekdays a week @ 1:15pm & 6pm on Channel 5 with a sneak peek on 5Star, weekdays @ 6:30pm

These reviews are based on the lunch time episodes

Emmerdale: The Brilliant Sam and Lydia

(Monday 8^th June 2020)

Emmerdale began their series of Lockdown episodes this week, starting with a particularly brilliant two-hander, starring James Hooten and Karen Blick as Sam and Lydia Dingle, living in lockdown together as a newly married couple with Lydia’s potential Huntington’s diagnosis hanging over them.

The episode covers twenty five days living alone in the house and all the familiar issues we have all endured, making the characters and the episode so relatable, such as Sam spotting Brenda ‘panic walking’ despite never usually going walking in ‘normal life’, the stress of supermarkets and click and collects (including silly substitutions), fretting about other family members, Sam being furloughed, a long discussion about everything they miss, the Clap For Carers and journaling about the situation.

I think everyone would have expected this to be the ‘happy’ episode, being that Sam and Lydia are one of the most solid couples in soap. However, it was filled with the right amount of tension. I think many homes up and down the country and indeed all over the world have endured a lot of this kind of Covid-19 fuelled anxiety, particularly if one partner is more vulnerable than the other.

Sam was so worried about Lydia going out that he found himself unwittingly trying to control the situation (and Lydia) by trying to do everything for her. He was horrified any time she tried to go for a walk, to which she responded that when she had, she licked everyone she saw! I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the communication between them. Sam isn’t trying to be unkind. He is trying to care for Lydia because he is so scared of her becoming unwell or even dying. And Lydia is frustrated by him trying to stifle her; she wants to cling onto her independence.

Sam is desperate to look after his wife…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

But the love between them is clear. There are some fantastic moments. When Sam mentioned wanting to start his own business, she was so encouraging. Perhaps a little too encouraging for dinner time! Ahem. And the episode has the most stand out moment when Lydia gives a truly fantastic speech about people who are enduring so much worse than they are. And those who are in a much better position, for that matter. It covers so many emotions and thoughts and feelings and genuinely makes you stop and take stock of what is going on. The writer of this episode (and Karen Blick for her delivery) have to be praised for this.

Lydia wants to remain independent…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Then it was at the end of the episode when Lydia found an old version of Samson’s best man speech that both she and Sam were reduced to tears. To know just how much the young man loves both his father and his step-mother was enough to move anyone. Sam begged Lydia to take the test.

Sam and Lydia are moved by Samson’s speech…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Emmerdale has resumed filming and is showing special isolation episodes

It now airs on Mondays & Wednesdays @ 7pm

Emmerdale: Star Crossed Lovers

(Wednesday 3^rd – Friday 5^th June 2020)

Jamie tried desperately to explain himself to Andrea but the tables quickly turned when she accidentally let slip that she knew about the affair before the big showdown in the pub and he worked out that she had orchestrated the whole thing so that he would dump Belle. Oops. She was so close! He rushed out to try and make things right with Belle but alas, lashing out at someone with a history of mental health problems by labelling them ‘crazy’ in public might just have been a step too far. Fingers crossed that Belle has enough self-esteem to sending him packing for good. I genuinely liked Jamie when he first arrived but he has slowly unravelled into someone actually worse than his mother. At least Kim is upfront about being a deceitful bitch. Jamie acts holier than thou and yet he is happy to betray everyone he is supposed to love. The apple clearly does not fall very far!

Jamie is worried about his wife and daughter…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Staying the night with his mother, Jamie was out of his mind with worry and when Tracy confirmed she hadn’t taken any money or her car, he called the police who escalated the matter into a high risk missing persons case. Of course, Andrea was just holed up in a hotel with Millie, eager to make her husband suffer.

Meanwhile, back at the pub, Bob and Wendy talked at completely cross-purposes when she bravely approached him about the letter he mistakenly thought was for Rishi. He very unkindly informed her that she was deluded and was embarrassing herself. He even said he could no longer look at her in the same way. Manpreet stepped in and had a strong word with him when she found Wendy crying in the toilets and together they realised what had happened. Both of them were mortified.

The next day, Bob finally managed to explain everything to Wendy, who was terribly embarrassed but the good news is, that they were honest about their feelings and it looks like they are going to make things work. Hooray!

Nate persuaded Rhona to work with him on the restaurant contract that Kim has given him. I mean, this has mistake written all over it. For starters, Moira is cranky enough with Rhona (and everyone) so when she finds out that Rhona has lied to her, she is going to really angry, especially when she discovers that she has teamed up with Nate of all people. Secondly, this only has one of two outcomes (or a mix of both). One, Nate is helping Kim spy on Moira and Rhona. Two, Emmerdale are setting Nate and Rhona up as the next new couple. They already kissed on The Big Night Out, way back when Nate first turned up in the Village and Rhona was dating Pete and we had ‘no idea’ that Nate was Cain’s son. Things got a little tense at the end of last week when Moira caught Nate at the farm and threw him out, nearly catching the pair out in their lie. When Moira worried that Kim had sent Nate to spy on them, surely this should raise some alarm bells for Rhona re: my initial theory.

Rhona is making a big mistake with Nate…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Kerry challenged Amelia about egging the café. Amelia continued to be angry with Brenda about Dan’s condition but after what happened with Frank, Kerry is much more compassionate over Brenda’s mistake. This woman has become the epitome of zen.