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
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.
Amelia took her anger out on Brenda… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Emmerdale has resumed filming and is showing special isolation episodes
With the BAME organ donor campaign being such a success, Ayesha was stunned to get an amazing job offer from an old friend, giving her the chance to work abroad with Malaria patients and to earn a LOT of money. After much debate and a huge argument with Zara after she asked for a financial reason to stay, she decided to quit The Mill, widen her horizons and move onto her new position.
My first thought was that although I was sad to say goodbye to Ayesha, I was so pleased that the girl from ‘the Churchill’ was leaving on such a high. My only disappointment is that towards the end of the week, she seemed to have let the job offer go to her head a bit. She was so rude to Zara about not working her notice, who granted, was rude to her first, that she got herself fired. And then basically told Bear that she wanted him to be her Plan B. Now, we all know that I am not a fan of Bear but it was a bit rude, arrogant and thoughtless.
Bear doesn’t want to be Ayesha’s back up plan… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
So, while Ayesha and Bear called it a day, it was a pretty poor turnout for her leaving party, considering just how dedicated the nurse has been to The Mill for so many years. About four people showed up to say goodbye. Charming! Thankfully, Valerie has enough energy and enthusiasm for about ten staff members. Although, maybe Ruhma would have come if she had bothered to let her know she was going. One person who did make a cameo appearance though, was Zara who made peace with her before she left (and un-fired her). Then with The Mill a nurse down, Zara joined Aunty Em on her radio show and appealed for any qualified nurses to apply. Daniel was not thrilled by her impulsivity.
Goodbye Ayesha! (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Ruhma was called for a meeting regarding the complaint that Deborah made about her for her appearance at Tanya’s labour. Tanya burst in to defend her friend, which was amazing but it was clear that the man in charge had already made his mind up. Ruhma made things ever more awkward when she rushed Tanya and the baby to see Zara when the baby was poorly. It is also becoming abundantly clear that Tanya is ready to move on but doesn’t want to let Ruhma down after everything she has done for her.
Al considered leaving Letherbridge (noooo!) in order to move in with Eve and look after her. Eve was having none of it, however and insisted that although one day, it may come to this, now is not that day.
Daniel spent the day looking after poorly Joe and between him and Zara, when she returned home in the evening, the GP became more and more put out by the family’s attachment to ‘Harper’ (Doctors’ version of Alexa).
Emma got to the bottom of a sexual violence case involving a vile driving instructor. Al bonded with a teenage cheerleader trying to work out how she feels about her complex family. It was really a very charming, insightful, well done story. Sid treated a champion in Rock, Paper, Scissor for Carpel Tunnel. No, I didn’t make that up. It’s an actual thing! Look: https://www.wrpsa.com/rock-paper-scissors-world-championship/
Sid’s patient has unusual career plans… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
How does this show find such random things?! Their story liners and researchers have the most epic imaginations!
Despite Doctors ceasing filming due to the Coronavirus, the show does appear to still be airing every weekday on BBC1 at 1:45pm
There will be a special isolation episode on 12th June
Imran tried again with Yasmeen who had decided to plead guilty to her charges. What he did get out of her though, was that Geoff had been seeing escorts.
Back on the Street, Sally clearly had her doubts about Geoff, prompting her to have a serious conversation with Alya who filled in some gaps about her father in law’s behaviour – his lies about the trip to Spain and faking his heart condition, not to mention the recent revelations about the escorts. Geoff then walked into the pub, clearly annoyed to spot the two women talking. Stood up by Tim, Geoff was further annoyed to realise that nobody else wanted to have a drink with him. It’s a relief to realise that everyone is starting to have their doubts about the vile bully and are beginning to realise that whatever Yasmeen has done, she must have had a reason, even if they don’t know what that reason is.
Back at home, Sally reluctantly informed Tim about the escorts, to which Tim immediately, disbelievingly told his Dad about the ‘lies’ that Yasmeen was spouting about him. With no options left, Geoff admitted that he had seen two escorts and despite Tim being aghast, he empathised with his Dad for Yasmeen’s neglect, alcoholism and horrific treatment of him. And unfortunately, Sally has now unwittingly provided Geoff with a motive for Yasmeen stabbing Geoff, something she then had to confess to angry Alya. It’s not that often I feel sorry for Sally but in this instance, she obviously knows that Geoff is a bad guy and Yasmeen has been mistreated and clearly wants to do the right thing. And being married to Geoff’s son, she is in an almost impossible situation. I have a lot of faith in Sally at this moment that she will be someone that comes through for Yasmeen though. Let’s not forget that many, many years ago, she was subjected to violence at the hands of Greg Kelly. She might well be a huge saving grace for Yasmeen when she needs it most.
Geoff is under pressure to hold all his lies together (photo credit: Digital Spy)
So, while Tim took Geoff off to the police station to change his story and provide Yasmeen with a much more credible motive for attempted murder, Alya rushed to the prison to visit her Gran and beg her to change her plea. While Yasmeen reluctantly revealed that Geoff had given her chlamydia, she refused to tell the court the sordid details of Geoff’s abuse. We can only hope now that Alya will get through to her and persuade her to be brave enough to tell her side of the story. Geoff has to pay for what he has done to her. Yasmeen’s suffering must not continue!
Alya is horrified over what Yasmeen has to say… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Shona agreed to move in with Roy upon release from hospital. Sadly, this new Shona has no empathy for Roy regarding Hayley’s death and she was very rude to Nina. The gentleness and compassion Shona used to have, that made us love her so much has gone. It’ll take a long time to get used to the person in her place. But it will definitely be an interesting journey to go down, I think. And a great character to do this with, to take such a compassionate, sympathetic character and change her so much, through no fault of her own. It just makes it all the more heartbreaking to deal with.
Asha and Aadi’s first day at their new school didn’t get off to a flying start, with Asha walking out after her third lesson. The appalling video that Corey took and Kelly shared, evidently got as far as this posh, private school and was being shared around merrily as soon as she arrived with all the kids making her life hell there as much as they were in her old school. Epic fail. However, she clearly has a good friend in Nina who has some kind words for her and wise words for Dev. And a fantastic moment came when Asha finally stood up for herself and told Corey exactly what she thought of him. Later, he messaged her to grovel. Hopefully, she will not go back there!
Dev only wants the best for his kids… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Imran’s suspicions regarding Gary looking out for Kelly continued, leading to a somewhat awkward moment when he actually tried to talk to her. I agree with the kid, it was a bit weird. I mean, has he never heard of stranger danger?! Worried that Imran was sniffing around, Gary has clearly decided it’s time for Kelly to move on!
Coronation Street has now resumed filming
It still airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm
Will and Harriet’s relationship was in a lot of trouble in the wake of all his lies and getting involved in Malone’s drug plots and general criminality. But for some reason, her anger over this has driven Hypocritical Harriet into the arms of Malone himself and, not content with hooking up at the church, after trampling all over Will’s attempt to make things right, she ended up in a hotel room with him. I mean, it’s like Moira and Nate in that mucky caravan all over again. I’m sure this plot makes sense to someone somewhere but not to me. If Harriet is so furious with Will for telling lies, committing crimes and generally being shady, why on earth is she hooking up with Malone, who is a million times worse? Will has got involved in all this because he is a muppet. Malone is just a bad person. What’s wrong with the woman? Maybe it’s the muppet thing…
Anyway, Will panicked after Harriet stayed out all night (with Malone) and even Dawn pleaded her Dad’s case. But while Malone was sure that he and Harriet could make a go of things, Harriet told him their fling was a mistake and she ended up accepting Will’s marriage proposal. Is she having some kind of breakdown or something?
Tensions flared between Liam and Leanna when he burst in on Jacob comforting her over her relationship with her Dad. You can kind of understand it, given their history but they genuinely weren’t doing anything this time. For a flash of a second, I felt a bit sorry for Leanna. Only for a flash though. Blink and you’d miss it.
Liam sides with his daughter… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Leyla’s office got trashed ahead of a big meeting with a future client, she automatically accused Leanna of being the culprit, leading a HUGE row, some very cruel words on Leanna’s part and Leyla slapping Leanna. Of course, this gave Leanna all the ammunition she needed to end Liam and Leyla’s relationship for good (too many L names, I think), telling her Dad exactly how she felt, that he never chooses her as his number one – there is always a Maya or a Bernice or a Leyla to get in the way. With sadness, he ended his relationship with Leyla in order to commit to his daughter. Great! Can we move onto some more interesting stories now such as Arthur and Laurel and Charity and Vanessa? Liam, Leyla and Leanna just aren’t doing it for me. Nor are Priya and Al. Or Harriet and Malone/Will. Are they doing it for anyone else?
Andrea sets up her revenge… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Andrea got wind of Jamie deciding once and for all that he was going to leave her for Belle, she proved just how manipulative she could be by, during the pub quiz, slipping a whole file of Jamie and Belle’s texts to each other up on screen. The texts were from Belle’s phone so it looked like Belle, frustrated by Jamie’s dithering, was responsible, pushing Jamie away from her for good. Now he will have no choice but to try and make things work with Andrea and she will have everything she wanted. I mean, I’m not sympathetic to any of them, personally. Also, just as an aside, every time I write about Jamie and Belle, I just end up with Billy Elliot in my head…
Everyone is stunned by the latest revelations… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Moving on… Vinny discovered the truth about Paul being his Dad and after a bit of upset, forgave him and Mandy for all their lies. All was not going smoothly up at the farm between Moira and Rhona, largely due to Moira being unreasonable. I think it was more about Cain than Rhona, to be honest. And Manpreet persuaded Wendy to write Bob a letter telling him how she felt about him, only for it to go astray, terrifying Rishi into thinking she like him instead. Cue the hilarity.
Rhona and Moira are not getting along… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Emmerdale has resumed filming
It continues to air on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 at 7pm
They are filming a series of special isolation episodes
While David continued down his path of destruction, getting into more close scrapes with local thugs and even getting himself arrested, his family finally noticed and became worried about him. Meanwhile, Shona had a disastrous visit to the prison with Clayton, who filled her head with his troubled childhood as well as lies about her marriage to David, completely freaking her out. Sarah then came to visit Shona and told her the truth about her life and how much David needs her to save him – again.
Shona returns to Coronation Street a very different person… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Shona agreed to a home visit, provided that David wasn’t present. But the Shona who arrived really wasn’t the Shona we used to know (damn you, Gary Windass!) She has of course, forgotten her life with David and the family, including the kids but she has also had a personality transplant, telling little Harry that the drawing he has done for her is rubbish! There was a bit of light when she found she remembered where the teabags were. But then she ran off to the café when she formed a tentative bond with Roy. David eventually asked Roy to take Shona in when she is released from hospital, which he agreed to. Now they just need Shona to agree…
Someone else in desperate need of salvation is Yasmeen, who we haven’t seen in a while. But Alya was finally able to see her Gran last week, albeit briefly. She was the mere shadow of herself as she entered the visiting room and ended up walking back out before the end of the visit. In her desperation for the truth, Alya pushed too hard. Yasmeen was still under Geoff’s control, even after everything and wanted to take the blame for stabbing him, regardless of him pushing her to it.
Alya and Ryan attempt to lock Geoff out of the house… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Back on the Street, Tim brought his Dad home and the pair were horrified to discover that Alya and Ryan had had the locks changed. The police were called and Craig (who seems to suddenly be the most senior policeman Wetherfield have), sorted out the domestic. Although he clearly sympathised with Alya, legally, he had to request the keys be handed over to Geoff. The moment he was alone, Geoff got rid of the camera he had set up in the house and deleted the incriminating footage from the night of the stabbing. When Tim caught him, Geoff easily spun him a lie, which he immediately fell for.
Geoff hides the evidence as soon as possible… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Leanne, Steve and Nick kept a vigil by Oliver’s bedside as they prepared to learn the extent of his brain damage. Leanne persuaded the Doctor to allow Oliver home where she took complete control of his care, shutting everyone else out.
One of the babies accidentally posted Gemma’s vlog, with positive results. James had a generally positive experience on the football team, having now come out. Dev pulled Asha and Aadi out of school due to lack of support over what happened to Asha, transferring them to the local private school. And could we all take a moment to enjoy the comedy genius that is Evelyn?
Coronation Street have resumed filming
It continues to air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Temporary midwife, Deborah started working at The Mill (and the hospital) and I’ll say it now. I don’t like her. I wasn’t sure to start with but by yesterday, I concluded that I don’t like her. You are no Ruhma, Deborah. You are no Ruhma. Not that Ruhma has been doing herself any favours at the minute, to be fair.
For starters, Deborah blurted out to the rest of the staff exactly what she had heard had caused Ruhma’s suspension. I mean, has she never heard of confidentiality? Isn’t she supposed to be a nurse? Bear was understandably furious and when Ruhma realised what has happened, she was absolutely mortified.
She was then Tanya’s midwife at St Phil’s when she went into labour. Ruhma persuaded her to let her be her birthing partner, being how frightened Tanya was after everything she had been through. None of the rest of the staff were bothered. Why would they be? Everyone loves Ruhma. But of course, on Monday, Deborah told tales to Zara and Daniel about what happened. Zara had to awkwardly confess to her partner that she knew all along that Tanya has been staying with Ruhma, expressing frustration at her indiscretion.
Ruhma is devoted to Tanya, no matter to cost… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
A home, Tanya was ready to move to her Mum’s house with the baby, worried about getting Ruhma into trouble but Ruhma didn’t want her to go. I wonder if she is going to start overstepping like she did with the couple she gave that money to…
Meanwhile, Ayesha and Bear kicked off a fantastic BAME organ donor campaign (once Zara finally gave it the green light), with the help of Sid, Shak and Jimmi with the tag line #DontOptOut. Yet another worthwhile campaign. I love Doctors for using its platform to highlight important things like these.
Ayesha and Bear present their campaign idea to Zara… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Zara went to buy a new phone and ended up being seduced by the Doctors version of Alexa. His name is Harper and he’s very posh and chatty! It’s all quite amusing. By the end of the week, she had ended up in quite a pickle when a patient gave her a gift – a stuffed owl. Rather horrified, she found out (via Harper) that she could sell it for a few hundred quid (and then buy some shoes!) Of course, after she’d posted it to the dealer, the patient came rushing back with her actual gift (which, frustratingly, we never found out what it was), explaining that he had mixed up the boxes! Oops. There was one moment during this episode where Emma scared Zara with the bird that was so funny, I actually had to rewind it to watch it again! I love these two; I would watch an entire episode just of them! Consider it a suggestion!
Another good friendship on the show is Jimmi and Al but they came under strain this week when Al, deeply concerned about his mother, criticised Jimmi’s new ‘minimalist’ house. Jimmi was offended and support was withdrawn. They sniped at each other for a few days before Al eventually apologised, they made friends and all was well in the world again.
Despite Doctors ceasing filming due to the Coronavirus, the show does appear to still be airing every weekday on BBC1 at 1:45pm
There will be a special isolation episode on 12th June
The Kennedys found Sheila in their back garden, grieving for Gary the Pigeon but once they got hold of Kyle (and she accused them of killing Gary all over again, they realised that he wasn’t dead, just drunk on fermented berries and he was soon restored back to life. But sadly, things between Sheila and Susan were not restored.
When Claudia brought Aster to see Elly, she let slip her long terms plans for custody, prompting Elly to suggest to Chloe that she did indeed sell her The Island and agree to work with her in order to find out what she was really up to. Just as an aside, Elly seems to be living it up in jail! In one day, she saw Claudia and Aster, then Chloe and then Susan. I mean, that’s more people than most of us have seen in months recently! Aaron immediately caught Chloe snooping on Claudia but ever the innocent, approached the monster directly about what his sister had found, meaning she was able to easily explain it away rather than allowing Chloe it gather it as evidence!
With The Island plan going ahead, Aaron set up a focus group of Harlow, Hendrix and Mackenzie to help them with ideas going forward. While the kids were happy to help out, especially for some cash ahead of Mackenzie’s 18th birthday, Susan was not happy to see them spending time with new nemesis, Claudia. Meanwhile, things at home between Karl and Susan were not improving. In fact, they seem to be getting worse! After a row, Karl stormed out, resulting in him staying out all night and chatting to former fling, Olivia Bell from days gone by (and exchanging numbers), although not before asking Dee to go and support Susan at home. He then suggested that Dee move in with them, which Susan readily agreed to. Just as an aside, if Karl cheats on Susan again, I will not be in a forgiving mood!
Dipi was just as unhappy as I was about Dee wading in on Sonya’s turf with Toadie and the kids, as if Sonya never existed. She was also worried about being pushed out herself, when she has been so involved in the kids’ lives for so long. But there’s a really sweet moment with Nell, which makes her thaw, alongside Dee assuring her that she isn’t trying to take Sonya’s place. When Toadie and Dee visited Elly and were informed of Andrea’s plans to get custody of Hugo, Dipi was actually the first person to comfort Dee who felt guilty about letting Andrea back into their orbits. I’m still not sold on Dee myself but it was sweet moment of friendship.
Elly’s life behind bars got somewhat more intense when she realised that her warning for Toadie and Dee had put her firmly on the wrong side of Andrea and that is not where she wants to be! Andrea began consistently bullying Elly, including having her beaten up, although she knew better than to tell anyone the truth about her injuries. Not that the Kennedys believed her lies anyway.
Andrea is gunning for Elly… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
With Sheila’s obsession with Gary the Pigeon spiralling out of control, Kyle made an urgent call for help and within moments, who should waltz through the door but Naomi?! I am so excited! I adore Naomi! I was so sad when she left and I hope she is back for a good long while. She is like a breath of fresh air to the show from the moment she appears.
Naomi Canning returns… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Thankfully, Naomi does not hold Susan responsible for Gary’s death, which is a good place to start in healing her mother’s pain. Kyle hasn’t been able to make any progress really because a) he is in too much pain himself and b) he blames Susan at least in part for what has happened. Naomi’s argument is that it wasn’t just Susan who was responsible for ‘rehabilitating’ Finn and Toadie agrees – if Susan is to blame then everyone is. She talked to Susan directly and was concerned that she blamed herself as much as Sheila blamed her. Then she did some most excellent plotting with Paul and Terese, locking Sheila and Susan up in the Willis house together and forcing them to talk. When Karl got wind of it, he immediately objected but by the time he arrived, the two women were genuinely connecting. They finally achieve peace!
With that resolved, Naomi was immediately distracted by Party Boy Pierce. She rushed home to tell Kyle that she thought she had met the one, a guy she clearly has a complex history with. While swooning over and old picture of ‘Party Boy Pierce’, Naomi then had a meeting with Chloe, with whom she has just scored a job, taking over her duties temporary at Lassiters while she works on The Island project with Claudia. I mean, that’s not going to be awkward at all… Thankfully, at least Naomi didn’t reveal all her cards before Pierce turned up to the meeting. Kyle begged Naomi not to be responsible for Chloe getting her heart broken.
Chloe and Naomi bond… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, Mackenzie was freaking out about her birthday party, which Kyle and Roxy had been thrown together to organise. However, all went well, including a big romantic gesture from boyfriend, Ritchie. It even survived Kyle ditching to go and get the cake but thinking he was going to see Jess, Roxy ditched the party as well. Aware that Mackenzie was upset over her Dad’s neglect of her birthday, Shane called him on her behalf.
Neighbours has returns to filming, while observing social distancing
Episodes air on Channel 5, Monday – Friday, 1:45pm and 6pm
Willow and Dean returned early from their trip away after Willow’s stand in got her shifts mixed up, leaving the gym shut for a morning. Although Jasmine wasn’t bothered in the slightest, Willow was furious and ended up firing Stella for her mistake. Ouch! She then threw the little Manager sign that Alex had made for her, away. Sad times.
The truth about Maggie and Marco came tumbling out, as Maggie confessed in order to end Marco’s bid to blackmail her. Ben was understandably devastated. She has been lying to him for over twenty years and for their entire marriage. While Marco played the victim, insisting that Maggie was the one to blame, sleeping with him when she knew he had feelings for her, personally, I’d call into question the ethics of sleeping with a girl who was drunk and utterly heartbroken.
Of course, there were more revelations to come after a deliberate ‘off-hand’ remark to Ziggy about the timing of her birth, prompting the question over whether Ben is really her father. Already distraught over her mother’s lies to her father, Ziggy was distraught over the idea that Ben might not really be her Dad. Dean was a tower of strength to his girlfriend and certain that Ben would always be her Dad, no matter what, pointing out that blood wasn’t essential to family. Together, Ziggy and Ben decided that a paternity test would settle things once and for all so next week, we should have the results. I so want Ben to be her father! I would be so sad if they destroyed that bond. I love Ben and Ziggy as a father/daughter duo and I am so annoyed by this whole storyline. Can no couple be left untouched by the Summer Bay curse?
Ben and Ziggy support each other… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
With Douglas pleading guilty, Leah was asked to make a victim impact statement for sentencing, which at first, she refused to do, not wanting to relive it all or face him in court. But when, on her first day back at the Diner, she freaked out over a customer complaining about an order and calling her ‘sweetheart’, she decided she needed to make the statement in order to get closure and attempt to put Douglas behind her for good. With Justin by her side, Leah made her statement and was heartbreakingly honest about the impact the experience with Douglas has had on her life, including that she can’t even have her boyfriend touch her anymore and she doesn’t know if that will ever change.
Leah makes her victim impact statement (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Colby was upset to discover that Mac has moved on with Ari and took his grief out on Dean, feeling that he told him to move on for Mac’s sake, not his. Dean has quite a profound argument – he ended up in jail because of Colby whereas he came out of jail the person he is now because of Ari.
Colby is heartbroken to discover that Mac has moved on with Ari… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Nikau and Bella had a rather amusing first date, fleecing a couple of cocky lads at a game of pool! These two do genuinely seem to make a lovely couple so what happens next is very sad. And it’s done pretty well. I was genuinely emotional. I have made no secret that I’m not a huge Bella fan but she broke my heart during Friday’s episode, as did Nik.
Having got closer to Nik recently, Bella asked Willow for sex advice. Concerned, Willow decided to be honest, telling her that she would know when the time was right and not to rush into anything. She pointed out that to sleep with someone, you have to completely trust them. What she didn’t realise was that she was giving such immediate advice and that that very afternoon, Bella decided to get all dressed up and invite Nik round for some alone time.
It’s worth noting that Nik was extremely hesitant and he asked her multiple times if she was sure. He was so worried about doing the wrong thing, aware of what she had been through with Tommy. But she insisted that it was what she wanted. Unfortunately, when they got into bedroom, Bella panicked and threw him out. The bewildered lad panicked, more for Bella than himself and ran off to find Ryder to get Bella some support. When Ryder found Bella locked in her room, he found Colby and Willow who eventually burst in and found that she had self-harmed, cutting up her arm.
Nik ran scared to his mother… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
While Ryder automatically blamed Nik, Bella was quick to exonerate him. Terrified, Nik heartbreakingly begged his Mum to help him run away. Gemma was brilliant though, pointing out that if he liked Bella enough to sleep with her then he liked her enough to visit her at the hospital. She took him to see Bella where the poor lad was so frightened that Colby would blame him. Thankfully, he didn’t, although he didn’t think it was appropriate for Bella to have visitors, having just been told by Tori that with it having been her second incident of self-harm, she would advise admission to a mental health facility. Australian health care must have a lot more funding than here in the UK!
That aside, this was a really significant episode and the pain and the anguish surrounding a really difficult subject was covered really well. Everyone involved goes through all different emotions, from Bella, to Colby, to Willow, to Nikau, to Ryder and the episode dealt with them all. It’s not an easy subject. I do hope though that it’s not a case of patching Bella up and she’s fine. Self-harm is so much more complex than that and I hope Home and Away are ready to represent that now that this is the storyline they have started.
Meanwhile… John and Marilyn began to get things back on track again, both apologising to each other and Marilyn beginning to explain how she felt about everything she went through during the siege. It looks like early days but it’s definitely a start. Hooray! Jasmine was extremely peppy, overwhelmed with joy at her pregnancy as she settled back into work at the hospital. She plans to call the baby Ryan if it’s a boy. Aww. Sadly, I don’t think this is going to go as well as she thinks…
Home and Away has returned to filming & airs five days a week, Channel 5, 1:15pm & 6pm
There is a sneak peek episode on 5Star at 6:30pm on the same days
The Soap Dish 