Doctors: The Truth is Out There

(Monday 16^th – Friday 20^th March 2020)

Daniel, Zara, Izzy and Joe spend the day together and Izzy challenges the adults about their ‘secret relationship’, pointing out that Joe phoned her when he found them in bed together. Daniel and Zara decide to be honest with the kids but Joe doesn’t want to know. Izzy points out that it’s hard for Joe to trust them; he doesn’t want his world to be shattered again if they were to break up. On her advice, they go very gently with him. That kid has had a personality transplant since the last time she was in the show!

Sid spends more time with his brother, Lawrence but struggles not to tell him the truth. Lawrence is worried that Sid’s father is unhappy but Sid is dismissive over the problems that his parents have in their marriage. Lawrence’s mother objects to his friendship with Sid. Finally, someone has noticed their similarity!

Lawrence invites Sid to an open mic night at The Icon with his friend, Tony, who clearly doesn’t like him imposing on their friendship. Tony and Lawrence both successfully do some stand up comedy but Sid chokes when he reads poetry as he spots Lawrence’s mother glaring at him. Lawrence’s Mum gives Sid a stern warning and Sid promises that neither him, nor his father are out to upset Lawrence or disturb his life in any way, he just wants to get to know his brother.

Karen has a difficult visit with Jimmi, realising that he has assimilated with prison life now and given up hope for his future and his case. Thankfully, his friends have not given up and Al is still trying to find leads and explanations as to how on earth Jimmi got framed in the first place. SJ leads Al to a thug called Harvey who he manages to have a meeting with. He challenges him about SJ and the money being stashed at The Icon. He asks him about Jimmi and threatens him with the police. However, he is in way over his head and is escorted out before having the living daylights beaten out of him. Meanwhile, the guy he followed into the pub seems to have had an even worse fate…

Ayesha stitches Al up but he lies about having fallen down the stairs. Not buying it for a second, Karen challenges Al and then calls Rob in to speak to him. Al confesses everything, worrying Rob as Harvey is a serious criminal. He tells him he was lucky to get away. However, they do have some leads in Jimmi’s case now, thank goodness. I can’t help asking, surely this must be over soon?

We then have a seemingly random episode where Daniel is called to a fight in the prison. A clearly traumatised a prisoner attacks Jimmi’s old cellmate, Leon, triggered by him tapping his foot to music. It soon transpires that his previous cellmate, George, hanged himself and he woke up to the sound of his foot tapping the wall of the cell. The two men were in love with each other and he holds himself responsible for his suicide.

However, the episode isn’t as random as it seems. In the next episode, Daniel is working late at the prison, still troubled by the man’s tale and the date of his boyfriend’s suicide. It was the day before Jimmi was mugged. Remember that weird mugging when they didn’t take anything and it seemed more like an assault? It seemed very targeted and never really made any sense.

Meanwhile, Bear tackles Al who has blatantly skived off work. He finds him back in the dodgy pub he got beaten up in the day before. Al manages to send Bear away and the sneaks into the office and who should he see with Harvey? Jimmi’s lawyer! Well, he always looked a bit shifty… No wonder he never got anywhere with the case!

Back in the prison, Daniel continues to research George and finally comes up with an answer, calling reluctant Jimmi in to see him. George is the therapy patient he turned into the police for murder last year. Daniel suspects the assault was a reaction to George’s death and when it didn’t work, whoever was responsible, took things further. And as it turns out, George is the son of none other than Jimmi’s lawyer, John Butler.

Al turns to Rob with all his new information and they take everything to the police investigating Jimmi’s case. Al has also set Valerie on a mission to investigate John Butler’s law firm, all dressed up as her posh alter ego, Natasha Fitzsimmons. Oh, Valerie, you do provide the most delightful light relief. I adore you. Of course, John Butler has gone to ground. ‘Natasha’ manages to run rings around the receptionist though and snoops as much as possible. The police are not impressed but really, they are embarrassed to have made such a hash of their own operation. Al, Rob, Emma, Karen and Valerie have done more work on the case in a few days than the police have in months. No wonder this storyline has taken so long to resolve!

Back at the prison, Leon is acting very strangely. He makes a phone call, saying he has received ‘the signal’. Hanging up and spotting Jimmi, he stabs him! Everyone is shocked. Leon is visibly upset. I am upset! Jimmi and Leon were supposed to be friends. Maybe Leon had just been keeping an eye on him. I don’t know anything anymore!

Due to the Coronavirus, Doctors has suspended filming

For this week, Doctors is still on weekdays BBC1 at 1:45pm

There is an hour long episode on Thursday 26^th, celebrating Doctors 20^th Anniversary

Neighbours: And I’m Gonna Let it Burn…

(Friday 20^th March 2020)

Down in the mine, Bea manages to get the snake safely out of harm’s way but Harlow is in a bad way, having already been bitten. Above ground, Finn stalks Gary with a bow and arrow as he searches for Harlow but is interrupted by Pierce and Hendrix, who are also out searching. He stashes his weapon and quickly misdirects them.

In that time, Gary locates Harlow and is shocked to discover Bea with her. Unfortunately, while he is attempting to save them, Finn shoots him dead with the bow and arrow! Not Gary! He’s so lovely! I mean, worse characters could have gone but I do like him. He always had a bit of the Joe Mangel about him. Finn throws the rescue rope completely down the mine, which suddenly looks a lot deeper than it did before and jubilantly leaves them to die.

While Finn is busy murdering kind Gary Canning, Chloe attempts to broach her concerns about him to Elly who will not hear a word spoken against the man she has fallen in love with. Finn returns to the site and eagerly sets about departing The Island with Elly and Aster. As they walk down to the beach, Elly mentions that Finn snapped at Chloe, which he denies. He also shrugs off the fact that his arm is bleeding. Then he lets slip a memory he shouldn’t have about their previous relationship. Elly stalls pretty well, sending him off with a task while she digs around in his bag and discovers both Bea and Toadie’s phones. She grabs her baby and runs!

Having got nowhere with Elly, Chloe turns to the others about her worries. The group try to work out what Finn is up to, misdirecting Hendrix and Pierce, his aggressive behaviour with Chloe and Gary and his response to his and Bea’s breakup. They also discuss the fisherman (Harry) who randomly brought Hendrix and Harlow to The Island.

Meanwhile, Toadie washes up on the beach, away from The Island. Paul just happens to be coming by at that exact moment, presumably on his way to The Island to track down Harlow, and spots Toadie on the beach. He rushes to help, as Toadie does his best to explain that Finn attacked him and told him that he had hurt Bea and is in love with Elly. Paul attempts to get Toadie to hospital and who should be passing and offer them a lift? Harry Sinclair!

Finn gives chase as Elly hides out in the woods, desperately trying to keep herself and Aster quiet. However, it’s not Aster that gives the game away. She lets out a blood curdling scream when she stumbles upon Gary’s dead body. Feeling utterly betrayed by Elly, Finn snatches Aster away from her. He sails away from The Island having set it on fire.

Now, the preview for next week declares one more death and shows a preview of a two-hander episode between Finn (Rob Mills) and Susan (Jackie Woodburne) which looks to be incredible. However, if they dare kill Susan Kennedy, I will never forgive them. That would be utterly unforgiveable. I read an article that stated they were killing two characters who had run their course and that the third death isn’t a name that anyone will be expecting. Nobody had really got the chance to know Prue and as lovely as Gary is, he has been stuck in a rut for a while. For the next death, Finn would be the obvious answer. This must be the end of his story now. He’s been in it as a psycho three times now. They can’t do it a fourth time, especially after they’ve done this third time so fabulously well. But if he’s the obvious answer, it surely cannot be him? However, they MUST NOT kill Susan! I don’t trust them though. They already killed Sonya.

However, back to the presents… Finn has just set a massive fire on The Island so perhaps let’s not rule out one of those people: Chloe, Pierce, Hendrix, Harlow, Bea, Elly, Kyle and Roxy. Pierce (the only character to have been in the anniversary episodes without actually being in them), Hendrix and Roxy haven’t been in it long enough to qualify for the description of the third death. Harlow would be a shame, just because she is party of a big family dynasty (and she is Jason Donovan’s daughter) but no, she still doesn’t qualify. Bea and Elly haven’ finished their stories yet. So… Kyle or Chloe? That would have a pretty big impact. Although with them teasing this Susan and Finn episode… I’m worried. I’m very worried… This show is getting as ruthless as Hollyoaks!

What does Finn have in store for Susan…?

Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Plus Neighbours Late: Endgame 10pm, Channel 5

Neighbours: Golden!

(Friday 20th March 2020)

Susan is becoming increasingly concerned about Bea, who hasn’t been heard from apart from a text or two to Elly since she left The Island and hasn’t yet reached Liz, who she is supposed to be going to stay with. She hasn’t been able to get in touch with anyone and is concerned that a huge storm is heading towards The Island.

Mackenzie drags reluctant Ritchie down to the Wedding Expo. He is not thrilled. They are awkward when they bump into Terese who wants to know where Harlow is and it’s not long before the truth comes tumbling out; Harlow and Hendrix have gone to The Island. Paul is too busy trying to resolve the fact that both Des and Jane have asked him to be their best man and left him to decide who to choose. He has no space in his head to even listen to his wife.

While Jane is sad that she has nothing of her Nan, Mrs Mangel with her on her wedding day, Dipi suggests Nell, her namesake be her flower girl, which is just a beautiful touch. She is such a cutie. Rather than being Jane or Des’s best man, Paul has secured acting as their celebrant so he can be there for both of them equally. And finally, after goodness knows how many years, Des Clarke and Jane Harris are husband and wife!

After the wedding, Paul overhears Terese discussing Harlow sneaking off to The Island with Hendrix. He is not amused, especially with the storm breaking contact so they have no idea whether she is safe or not. And she’s not. She’s stuck in a mine with Bea and a dangerous snake!

Meanwhile, Clive and Sheila are uncomfortable all day, encountering signs that they should get married, starting with Sheila winning a wedding dress worth several thousand dollars. Eventually, they are honest with each other. Neither of them wants to get married. Sheila intends to sell the dress and take Clive on a fantastic holiday.

Jack solves Mark and Paige’s prayers when he announces that he has got a job in Adelaide! The family can all move to Adelaide to be with Mark, Tyler, Piper and Faye and be one big happy family. Hooray!

Also, just as an aside, the background music of Queen Kylie’s ‘Golden’ just made this episode even more fabulous. Thank you, Neighbours. Thank you.

Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Plus Neighbours Late: Endgame 10pm, Channel 5

Neighbours: Trapped

(Thursday 19^th March 2020)

The storm begins to set in on The Island and the party begin to batten down the hatches in preparation. Gary expresses his concerns about Finn to Elly but she is dismissive. She cannot see beyond her feelings and it hasn’t occurred to her that he might have turned into a psycho again. Finn overhears their conversation and warns him to keep his nose out. Well, that makes me worry for Gary…

Down in the mine, Bea is still hopeful that there is still some reasonable explanation for her boyfriend pushing her into a hole and telling that she is in the way of him running off into the sunset with her sister. Well, that is some level of optimism there, Bea. Harlow feels guilty as she recalls the moment a few days ago when Finn remembered something he shouldn’t have when he visited her. She should have flagged it. Yes, probably but it wasn’t her fault. Bea insists that all of this is down to Finn and neither of them should blame themselves. Harlow explains to Bea that things were becoming more intimate with Hendrix and when she was unsure, she felt patronised by him so she got angry and left. She can’t bear the thought of dying without making things right with him.

Finn makes plans to meet with Harry. He awkwardly mentions that he is bringing Elly and Aster with him. The phone signal cuts out as the storm sets in. Chloe tells Finn that she knows about him and Elly and that’s why it would be better for her to go and find Bea instead. He accuses her of still wanting Elly for herself and warns her to focus on her husband. He then persuades Elly to stick to their original plan. The tension between Finn and Gary continues. Gary expresses his concerns about Finn to Kyle. He is trying to forget about Prue (RIP) and hasn’t listened to any of her voicemails. Kyle ditches Roxy in order to spend time with his Dad.

Hendrix arrives at the site and is alarmed to realise that Harlow isn’t already there. Everyone scatters to look for her, with Chloe staying behind to wait for Elly and Finn who have gone out to locate a boat to leave on. When Finn and Elly return, Finn panics that everyone is searching The Island and may come across Bea and so delays his and Elly’s departure in the guise of looking for Harlow himself.

In the mine, Bea and Harlow’s hopes are raised and then dashed when they hear noises above and call out for help: it’s Finn. He gleefully throws rocks at them. Then he flicks a snake into the mine! He is genuinely enjoying the cruelty he is inflicting upon them. There is no humanity left in him now.

Gary returns to the site, having found nothing. He and Chloe confide in each other over their Finn fears. Gary heads out to search the area Finn headed off to. But I’m worried his downfall may come when Chloe mentions this to Elly who mentions it to Finn. One minute he is satisfied that he has solved the Harlow/Bea problem and he’s ready to leave with Elly and the next, he has picked up the archery set and he’s set off after Gary.

Pierce and Hendrix are out searching for Harlow together. Hendrix is honest about his argument with Harlow but promises that he never put her under any pressure. I hope Harlow survives. I really like her relationship with Hendrix. Also, surely they wouldn’t dare kill off Jason Donovan’s daughter?!

In the mine, Bea and Harlow are being seriously harassed by the snake. They attempt to trap it but one of them gets bitten…

Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Plus Neighbours Late: Endgame 10pm, Channel 5

Home and Away: Family

(Thursday 12^th – Friday 20^th March 2020)

There is a wave of grief covering the whole of Summer Bay and Robbo and Mason’s death make the front page of the paper.

Roo forces Alf and Martha to sort out their differences. Alf explains that he had been thinking of proposing for a while but the loss of their friends pushed him forward. He gets down on one knee and proposes for real. Martha accepts. The wedding is going ahead!

Ryder is still feeling low about everything that has happened with Jade. Jade gives him a load of hassle and he can’t stop himself from arguing with her. A new guy, Nikau intervenes and he and Jade end up on a date. She gives him her skewered version of what happened with Ryder and he refuses to listen to any of Ryder’s warnings. When Ben brings Ryder home from a fight with Nikau, angry Ryder blurts out the whole sorry tale to Alf and Martha right in the middle of their engagement celebrations. Great timing!

Tori, Justin and Grace arrive back from visiting Brody, Raffy and Simone (although Simone never gets mentioned ever). Justin hasn’t yet broken the news about Robbo to Tori. When he does, she is understandably devastated. He is the father of her child. When she later discovers that he has been gone for two days, she takes all her grief and anger out on poor Justin who has only been trying to do the right thing. I feel sorry for him. His brother is dead. His friend is dead. His sister has just woken up from a coma. His girlfriend is missing. Give the poor guy a break! It’s a sad scene as he wanders into the sea and sobs. He seeks support from Ben who has been through dark times of his own. When Tori lays into him the second he walks through the door, he is actually able to stand up for himself. I’m glad. This isn’t just happening to her.

Marilyn has also arrived back from visiting Jett. She is still struggling in the aftermath of the siege. She bumps invites Ari and his family over to dinner. Now, I can’t quite work his family out just yet. He has a nephew, this Nikau boy and Nikau’s mother, Gemma, who is his sister in law. Her husband, Nikau’s father is dead. Nikau is furious with Ari but we don’t know why. Over dinner, he remarks that Ari left Marilyn and the other hostages behind, which technically he did but he was helping them escape. So did he do something like to his brother? Are him and Gemma a couple? I can’t work it out.

All I do know is that they are living in a motel, struggling for money and have been harassed and chased away from other towns so need to lie low. Ari was in jail for ten years and he knows Dean from his time behind bars. He makes it clear to him that he doesn’t want anyone to know he was in prison. So, when kind hearted Marilyn puts him in the paper for being a hero, he is not happy at all. Time will tell the back story of this family, I suppose…

Oh, Ari finds the memory book so that Marilyn can return it to Tori! Hurrah!

Alex is reluctant to go to work where she must face constant reminders of everything that has happened there so she flirts with Willow instead. Colby interrupts, fretting about Jasmine and ruining the moment. Willow continues to feel concerned about how Alex is coping.

Wendy and Ian arrive and Wendy is so lovely, making it clear that Jasmine will always be part of her family. She offers the emotional and practical support that Jasmine needs in preparing for the funeral. She has already done this for Robbo when he lost his wife and children. Wendy and Ian request to see Grace, making Tori very nervous as she has never actually met them before the meeting mostly goes well. Colby continues to work on Victor’s case, bringing it to a close and keeping Jasmine away from it like Robbo requested. That night, Jasmine struggles with her speech for the funeral. She falls asleep and has a vivid dream about Robbo.

The funeral is fully attended by residents of Summer Bay and the police force. Colby carries a wreath. Lance’s Dad attends. Lance’s funeral is the next day. Wendy and Ian tell her that when one officer dies, all the families rally round. Ian gives an emotional speech about his son. The more Jasmine absorbs, the more things don’t make sense to her. When Colby gives his speech, she realises that Robbo sent her away on purpose and that he knew he was dying. When it’s time to take the coffin away, she jumps up in protestation, crying desperately about Robbo abandoning her.

Jasmine struggles to cope without her husband…

Mac has spent the day at the hospital keeping Bella company. Alex is also at the hospital, working. They have a rather strange conversation with Bella, where she casually mentions that she has never been to a funeral before. She never even knew her mother had died. Her Dad just buried her in the back garden! Marilyn and Alex confide in each other over how much they are struggling in the wake of the siege. I think it’s genuinely important to not have had this massive storyline and then have everyone just go back to their normal lives. I’m really enjoying these little scenes, like between Alex and Marilyn where they admit they’re not sleeping and offering each other kindness and support.

Mac, Marilyn and Alex both join the others at Robbo’s wake. Justin and Tori reveal the plans for Mason’s funeral, which will take place off screen, somewhere between Summer Bay and where Raffy and Brody live. I like that it’s not the typical soap situation where someone dies and members of their own family can’t even be bothered to notice! Marilyn, John, Alex and Willow plan to attend. Colby is impressed that Mac and Bella have reconnected.

Ziggy finds herself in turmoil when she is invited to Mason’s funeral; she wants to say goodbye to her friend but she doesn’t want to see Brody and Simone. Dean doesn’t have a clue as to why going to the funeral is so important and only upsets Ziggy more but Mac provides more help. When Ziggy opts out of attending the funeral, Dean makes a wreath for Mason, and he and Ziggy say a few words and send it out to sea together.

Jasmine is desperate for answers from Colby about the siege and exactly how and why Robbo died. She also wants to know why everyone is rallying around Robbo and Lance’s family and not Scott’s. When Bella arrives home she immediately says all the wrong things to Jasmine who rushes out of the house in tears. Colby is left with no choice but to admits that Scott killed Lance, having been threatened into working for Victor. Robbo knew he was dying and wanted to protect Jasmine right up until the end.

Tension continues between Jade and Ryder. Nikau continues to argue with his family and spend time with Jade. However, things go south when Jade is rude to Gemma who comes in with her CV, not realising that she is Nikau’s mother. She turns on the tears but he is starting to wise up to what she is really like, thank goodness. They go back to his motel where he tells her that he spotted her stealing from work. She storms out when she fails to seduce him. She later takes him aside and gives a whole speech about how Ryder ‘stole her innocence’. She attempts to get physical with him but he already knows she’s set her phone to record them. He steals her phone. She is livid. I think my favourite moment is when she is arguing with him at his front door and Ari walks in and just casually slams the door in her face as if she is completely irrelevant.

Nikau finds Ryder before the wedding and gives him the phone, telling him that he isn’t the only person on it. Ryder hides the phone in a drawer, which hopefully isn’t a mistake. Jade demands the phone back from Nikau who tells him it’s in Ryder’s hands now.

Alf asks Ryder to be his best man as the family continue to prepare for the wedding. Alf looks so smart and so happy on the morning of his wedding. Ben has rebuilt an archway like for like the archway that they had at their first wedding, at Alf’s request. Roo is Martha’s bridesmaid and the wedding is perfect as Alf and Martha say their vows. We even get one of Alf’s fabulous speeches. It’s nice to see Alf so happy. I mean, she’s no Ailsa but…

Ryder and Nikau catch Jade searching for the phone but thankfully it’s safely hidden. Alf publicly throws her out of the house and ends her tenancy at the caravan park. He is about to lay into Nikau when Ryder assures him he’s a friend so he is invited to the wedding instead.

Ari and Gemma decide that with the article making him a public, local figure, they have no choice but to up sticks and move away again before more trouble starts. Nikau returns home to find Ari and Gemma packing. He refuses to leave and doesn’t think they should keep running. Marilyn pesters Irene into hiring Gemma; Irene is reluctant, not wanting to replace Leah. Knowing that Leah wouldn’t want her to struggle, Irene gives her the job. Ari and Gemma decide it’s time to face their past and stay.

Channel 5, 1:15pm & 6pm (sneak peek, weekdays on 5STAR at 6:30pm)

Home and Away: Time of Death, 12:54

(Monday 9^th – Wednesday 11^th March 2020)

In what was a three episode long Season Premier over in Australia, the hospital siege rages on while relatives fret about their loved ones outside. Alex, Mac, Marilyn and Jasmine desperately try to keep Bella alive although it’s not looking good. Mason’s lifeless body is taken away. Jay (who I think I was calling Jack in my previous review – sorry) agrees to let Alex get the medication she needs. As she does so, she realises that Dean and Colby have found their way into the lift shaft (it’s very ‘beginning of Speed’). She tells them about Mason and that the AFP officer is a dirty cop, dropping all the meds she needs and picking them up slowly in order to buy her some time to talk.

The gunmen hear Dean’s phone ringing and despite Mac attempting a distraction, they break into the lift but the boys manage to hide in time. Ziggy leaves a worried voicemail for Dean, who tricks his way into the building, disarming a gunman acting as a lookout on the way. He speaks to Mac when she goes to fetch blankets and gives her instructions before Colby and the police storm the building and take the gunmen down.

Meanwhile, Robbo is reeling from Scott’s betrayal, especially that he murdered Lance. He talks him down from shooting him off a cliff in the woods and the pair of them head back to the car where Scott breaks down, convinced there is no safe way out for him and his family now. Unable to get through to him anymore, the two men fight for control of the wheel and end up in a huge car crash (which Channel 5 in the UK accidentally cut out of the episode but showed in the recap the next day and on My5).

Scott and Robbo’s car spins out of control…

Back at the hospital, the gunmen are all reunited while Jay protests his innocence. He is told that the prison will be very much be made aware that he is a cop! Marilyn and John are reunited as she breaks the news of Mason’s death. Willow suddenly remembers to be concerned about Alex (although I like to think she was just keeping it all inside).

While Alex urgently treats Bella for her overdose, she and Mac explain to Colby what has happened. In rare moments alone, it’s very clear that the siege has seriously affected Doctor Nielson and she is struggling to cope. Willow throws herself into her girlfriend’s arms and vows to stay at the hospital all night, never wanting to let her out of her sight again. Aww. Maybe she was worried!

While Bella tries to explain herself to Colby, Jasmine can’t work out where Robbo has got to. Her questions are soon answered when he is rushed into the ED, despite it being technically closed. It turns out that Scott died at the scene and even after surgery, Robbo is in critical condition. Alex genuinely has no idea how he is still alive.

Justin and Tori are broken hearted when the police knock on the door and break the news that Mason has died. They decide to go and tell their siblings what has happened in person but then rush to the hospital with Grace when they hear the news about Robbo. He tells them not to halt their plans and says goodbye to his baby girl.

Robbo reassures Jasmine and sends her home to get some things for him. The last thing they say is that they love each other. When she is gone, he breaks down in tears. He knows that he is dying. He urgently tells Colby that Victor was behind the whole thing and that Scott betrayed him and killed Lance. He tells him that everyone will be safe now but doesn’t want Jasmine to know what Scott did because she trusted him. He begs Colby to promise to look after Jasmine. Then he dies. Alex desperately tries to save his life but it’s just too late.

Colby meets Jasmine as she returns to the hospital but she cannot accept that Robbo is dead. She breaks down in his hospital room, screaming and shouting at him and everyone else, desperate for him to wake up. Now, I’m not a Robbo fan but I confess, I found this scene quite emotional. Well done to Sam Frost (Jasmine). You moved me. Colby persuades Jasmine to go home with him where he, Willow and Irene flock round to look after her.

John looks after fragile Marilyn. She feels guilty for never having retrieved the memory book for Tori. If one good thing has come out of the siege, Bella and Mac have finally bonded; Bella is grateful to Mac for saving her life. I think it’s the first time this kid has been grateful for anything! Ziggy attempts to reconcile with Dean but he struggles to forgive her for kissing another man and giving up on their relationship.

Willow is worried about and a little frustrated with Alex who won’t even stop for so much as a cup of coffee and keeps throwing herself into work. Alex insists that it’s just the way she copes with stress. They confess that all they could think about during the siege was each other; Alex says that Willow kept her strong after Mason died. Shout out to Irene in the background of this scene looking absolutely overjoyed at how adorable they are with each other. She is the epitome of every #willex fan out there! Too cute. Another shout out to Lynne McGranger who plays Irene and has been very vocal about supporting LGBTQ visibility on television and particularly on the network Home and Away is shown on in Australia (Channel 7).

Alex visits Jasmine to offer her support both as a friend, colleague and medical professional. Jasmine reveals that she and Robbo had been planning to start a family. Colby supports Jasmine as she struggles to break the news to Tori and to Robbo’s parents that he has died.

Alex finally allows herself to break down on Willow, admitting how frightened she was during the siege and how much she is struggling to cope at the hospital after Mason and Robbo’s deaths.

Alf and Martha return home from their trip and discover the horror that has occurred in the Bay in their absence. As they arrive, John takes Marilyn away to see Jett in the city. Alf recalls the first time he ever met Robbo, who had amnesia, and brought him to live in the Bay. While Jasmine and Colby look on, he gets the residents together (including Roo, Ben, Maggie, Irene, Willow and Alex) to pay their respects to the two men they have loved and lost. Goodbye Mason. Goodbye Robbo.

During the vigil, Alf proposes to Martha. She freaks out and storms off!

Channel 5, 1:15pm & 6pm (sneak peek, weekdays on 5STAR at 6:30pm)

Neighbours: At Last!

(Thursday 19^th March 2020)

In my favourite episode of the week so far, Des is rushed off to hospital, escorted by Paul, Terese and guilty Jane. Jane is still feeling angry with Paul and Terese makes things even worse by admitting that she too read her emails and it does not matter a jot that they were only trying to help.

Jane and Des finally talk and realise that the last time they were together, they both had feelings for each other but she had to leave suddenly to look after her Nan, Mrs Mangel. She feels she cannot take the risk to be with him because of her terrible decision making re: Richard the Catfish. She doesn’t want to get her heart broken all over again. However, good old Dipi gives her food for thought when she suggests that everything may have happened for a reason – to bring Jane and Des together. Jane changes her mind at last, prompting her and Paul to have to chase Des on his way to the airport. Jane and Des decide to make a go of things. Hurrah!

Meanwhile, Sky and Lana’s wedding venue has effectively been ruined. Just at that moment, Dylan shows up, surprised to find Erinsborough full of wedding fever. Evidently, Sky always told him that she never wanted to get married. As she delicately tries to explain, he gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks that she has finally changed her mind about their relationship, something he has been hoping for during their entire separation and now wants to marry him. He is crushed when he realises that she is actually preparing to marry Lana.

When Terese asks to push Sky and Lana’s wedding back a day in order to fix the venue, Sky suggests halting the wedding completely. She wants things to be perfect and all the while Dylan objects, it won’t be. I think Lana is pretty patient about the situation, to be honest. But then, she’s loved this woman for how long? Sixteen years? However, it’s Paul Robinson, of all people, who sorts the situation out and gives him and pep talk, helping him reconcile the situation in his mind. He tells him that Sky has cancelled the wedding because he is so upset.

Dylan puts a brave face on and gives Sky his blessing. The wedding is back on! It’s relocated to the tram café and with Susan now busy, Jack officiates, which is a particularly beautiful touch – a Catholic Priest officiating a lesbian wedding. It’s a beautiful ceremony that long term LGBTQ Neighbours fans who all those years ago could only ever have dreamt of seeing Sky and Lana end up together, finally get to see them united. And I hold my hands up, I am one of those fans. I loved this episode. I don’t even have anything sarcastic to say. It was just brilliant and I am so happy that Stephanie McIntosh and Bridget Neval (who I gather doesn’t even act anymore but loved the character and the story so much that she couldn’t say no), agreed to return for this.

The women look beautiful as they walk down the aisle together. Dylan even comes to the wedding to support them, as do the locals, including some of Sky’s loved ones. Lana’s vows are particularly beautiful as she tells Sky, “You were my first kiss; I’m so happy you’ll be my last.”

Sky and Lana get their happy ever after…

At the reception, Jack empathises with Dylan, having been through something similar recently with Mark and Paige. He tells him that Sky will always remember the support he gave her on her wedding day. Jane, Des and Paul finally show up to the wedding, having missed the ceremony and Jane accidentally thinks Des is proposing to her and accepts so he proposes to her for real! Cue the next wedding, guys!

Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Plus Neighbours Late: Endgame 10pm, Channel 5

Emmerdale: Ruthless!

(Monday 2^nd – Friday 13^th March 2020)

Marlon is distraught to discover that while he has been in prison, April has been bullied by a girl in her class. Thankfully, with Vinnie’s encouragement, April stands up to her, in front of Marlon. She is very brave.

Rhona tells Marlon the truth about the money. He is understandably livid and gunning for Charity. He summons his friends and family to the pub in order to confront her. Everyone is ashamed of her, although she fails to just apologise and attempts to defend her defenceless actions. Ryan is regretful and does point out that he did do the right thing and handed the money over to Rhona and told the truth. Marlon is also angry with Mandy about the journalist that greeted him on the day he came home. Charity tries to implicate Rhona but Marlon argues that although she didn’t rat on Charity and Ryan, she went to the police immediately. It soon transpires that Cain also knew about the money.

With Pierce having pleaded guilty to murder off screen, Rhona is able to focus on Graham’s funeral. However, Kim sneaks off and cremates Graham in a private service, attended only by herself. Rhona is understandably furious. When Andrea confronts Kim over what she has done, emotional Kim says too much, leading Andrea to believe that Kim may have ordered Pierce to murder Graham. Jamie confronts his mother about it and she admits that she considered asking someone to kill Graham. He concludes that she went through with it, only Pierce got there first. She makes excuses and Jamie has a surprising level of understanding considering he’s supposed to be such a nice man. Andrea is horrified and demands sole custody of her daughter or she will tell the police everything she knows.

Kim excludes everyone from Graham’s funeral…

While Al is furious with Kim for what he has done, Kim remains calm and confident. Then she threatens Andrea. However, things backfire when Andrea tells Rhona and Rhona tells Marlon. Soon the police are knocking on the door of Home Farm and Kim is arrested for conspiracy to murder. They question her about the £60,000. At the police station, she denies everything. Eventually, she admits she gave the money to Al, who is then also arrested for conspiracy. They are both released, at least for now.

Jamie accuses Andrea of turning Kim into the police, which she denies, revealing that Kim threatened her life. Rhona reveals to Andrea that she told Marlon what happened. While Andrea panics, Rhona is confident that Kim will be going away for a long time. Marlon announces to the pub what Kim has done but that Pierce got their first. He also quits his job.

Having learned of his Dad’s debts, Ellis confronts Al who attempts to explain. When Marlon discovers Al’s involvement, he bursts in and punches him. When Ellis fails to shop Al to the police, Marlon throws him out of his house. He has chosen his side. I think I quite like Ruthless Marlon.

Charity has bigger problems, however, as she continues to struggle with Vanessa’s cancer diagnosis. Tracy ignores Vanessa’s request for a low key birthday and goes behind her back to arrange a party, thinking that Charity has been neglectful. Charity drags Tracy outside and breaks Vanessa’s confidence, revealing the truth about her diagnosis. Tracy is devastated and Vanessa is eventually grateful that Charity did what she couldn’t. Charity and Tracy argue over the best way to support Vanessa but eventually pull together as a team as Vanessa begins to break the news to her loved ones, including Noah and Sarah. Sarah, who has been through cancer herself, is particularly amazing.

Charity does her best to support Vanessa…

Wendy babysits while Victoria and Luke have their first proper date. Unfortunately, things go wrong when they attempt to become intimate. Victoria has a flashback of Lee and panics, throwing Luke out. Luke is broken hearted over the deep pain that his brother is still inflicting on Victoria. He is genuinely a good person. The next day, while Victoria concludes they can only be friends, Luke is happy to pursue a relationship with no pressure for things to become physical between them.

Victoria and Luke try to find a way forward…

Jai wants himself, Laurel and the kids to all move in together but Laurel turns him down, having not told him about Arthur’s violence against Archie. When the boys are left alone together, Archie ends up injured, leading Laurel to burst out the truth, shocking Jai. Arthur insists that Archie had been playing with the gift that Betty sent through the post that had belonged to Sandy. He had let him play with it and then put it on a shelf. Archie climbed onto the shelf and fell. Knowing his past behaviour, Laurel doesn’t believe him and tells him that Ashley would be ashamed. Losing his temper, Arthur wishes his mother dead. Bit harsh. But while Jai persuades Laurel to put Arthur into counselling if their relationship is going to work, Laurel cannot convince her son to tell ‘the truth’. He is clearly telling the truth. Archie appears to have turned the tables on him after being his victim for so long. He makes fun of Arthur having to see a counsellor and suggests that if he were to tell them that he is still being bullied, Arthur might get sent away.

Archie now has the upper hand with Arthur…

Harriet pushes Will towards counselling but his biggest concern is jealousy over her friendship with Cain. He tries and fails to warn Cain away from Harriet. I mean, I know he’s been to prison and everything but does he really think he’s a match for Cain Dingle? Come on!

Dawn is thrilled to get the news that within the next month, she will be granted full custody of Lucas. Harriet is furious with Will when he doesn’t show the correct enthusiasm for the news his daughter has been waiting for all this time. He is still angry about Harriet’s friendship with Cain. Selfish. However, he does go to his counselling appointment.

Cain and Moira are visited by their normal friendly policeman and a new officer, DI Malone, with the news that the gun that shot Nate is related to a gang related incident where three people were killed. When they leave, Moira tells Cain that she buried the gun in the top field. They plot to get rid of it for good. Cain then tackles Harriet about the history of the gun and exactly what Will has got himself involved in. She confronts Will but Cain and Moira storm in, wanting the information first hand. He admits that he was given the gun to hide.

DI Malone leads a team down to the scrapyard to find the gun but it’s already too late, Cain has sent it off in a car to be crushed. DI Malone turns out to be an ex-colleague of Harriet’s but judging by the terror on Will’s face, he is much more than that! As soon as he is alone with Will, he demands to know where his gun is! He threatens him and his family. Will insists that Cain was the one who shot Nate and he has destroyed the gun now.

Will and Cain then get dragged in deeper and deeper with DI Malone. Cain ends up running drugs for him. Moira’s bull gets murdered but thankfully it’s head isn’t put in anyone’s bed or anything. There’s a scene in some dark room with three spotlights in it where DI Malone turns into The Godfather, parading around in front of Cain and informing him that he has everyone, from lowly coppers to high class judges under his control. I’m sure other things happened but the plot is so boring that I stopped following it ages ago. Sorry, not sorry.

With his upcoming wedding to Lydia in mind, Sam decides to give Samson his wedding ring from his marriage to Alice, which he has worn every day since. Within moments, Samson pawns the ring. Charming!

Emmerdale is on at 7pm Monday to Friday with a second episode at 8pm on Thursdays

Neighbours: Boom!

(Wednesday 18^th March 2020)

Finn hurriedly cancels Toadie’s boat and contacts Shane from his phone to say that he will be staying on The Island for a new more days. He then spends the rest of the episode ignoring calls on Toadies’ phone. He reassures Harry that the strangers on The Island are kids that he knows. He is confident that they aren’t a problem. He checks on Bea, who pays dead.

The kids have a misunderstanding about getting physical. Upset, Harlow storms off and gets lost in the forest, stumbling across Bea in the mine. Before Bea can stop her, she climbs down the broken ladder and falls into the mine herself; now they are both stuck. She gives Bea some water as Bea explains that Finn pushed her in and tried to kill her; he wants to be with Elly and told her that she is in the way. Obviously, there is no phone reception in the mine and the only way out is up – but they can’t reach. Poor Bea is certain that Elly knows nothing of Finn’s intentions towards her.

Back at the camp, celebrations are getting underway for Elly’s birthday but she walks out of her own party, overwhelmed with guilt at Bea leaving The Island. Susan hasn’t been able to get hold of her, making Elly feel certain that Bea knows the truth about her and Finn. She decides that she needs to go and find Bea herself. Finn decides they should leave The Island together. Everything is working out as he had hoped. All he can think about is kissing her.

Elly confesses her guilt to Chloe, who has missed her brother’s wedding to throw this party for her. She tells her that she and Finn are going to find Bea but Chloe points out that if Bea does know the truth, the pair of them showing up will only make it worse. Good point! The girls hatch a plan to leave The Island together instead, which now makes me worry for Chloe’s safety. What if Finn thinks she is in the way now? Chloe is the best! She can’t die! But this is a show that killed Sonya Rebecchi. They could murder anyone at this point.

Roxy and Kyle continue to deny their attraction but it’s not long before they fall into bed. When they emerge from their tent, they get a shock to find that Gary has arrived on The Island. He is desperate to make up with Kyle and informs everyone that the wedding is off. He also lets the group know that the winds have risen and nobody will be getting on or off The Island today. Later, we witness a moment of very strange, intense eye contact between Gary and Finn. Will Gary rumble Finn? Will he become Finn’s next victim? I’ve had a theory for a while that Gary may sacrifice himself for Kyle or maybe even vice versa. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, Prue is tearing across the country in her car towards The Island, desperately trying to track Gary down. She leaves him tearful messages, telling him how much she loves him and wants to make their marriage work, that she doesn’t want to be in The Order anymore. She gets lost and overwhelmed and leaves a message for Harlow, telling her how much she loves her and how much she wants her to be happy. Then she decides she needs a drink, opening the honeymoon box she grabbed on her way out, thinking there will be champagne in there and… boom! The box intended for Lucy, which passed to Paige was eventually passed to Prue. I mean, it’s quite fitting that nobody wanted to go to Rome at this point but still… The whole car explodes. Prue is dead. The killed Denise Van Outen! How very dare they?!

Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Plus Neighbours Late: Endgame 10pm, Channel 5

Neighbours: I Love You More

(Wednesday 18^th March 2020)

The 35^th Anniversary episode begins with the original theme tune playing as none other than Des Clarke steps out of a taxi. He looks around as Shane and Dipi frolic in a sprinkler, another throwback to the olden day credits. A voice over, which blends into Susan and Karl reading through her wedding speech for Mark and Paige, throws out so many of the old lyrics we know and love. And I’m sure there are loads of ‘Easter Eggs’ I will have missed throughout the episode but I’ll mention the ones that I spotted.

Des visits Paul who is thrilled to see him and explains the story of the Catfish and that Jane is still in love with him. Des is sceptical. Jane broke his heart and dumped him on the telephone. The last time they saw each other, he was in a bad place and starting to fall for her again and she just vanished without explanation. He isn’t sure that Paul is correct. However, persuasive Paul convinces him to attend Paige and Mark’s wedding to at least create the opportunity to meet up with Jane again and see what happens.

Jack brings Gabe to Erinsborough for the ceremony. My favourite moment of the whole episode comes from the bridal party trying to decide on a wedding song. Ned (son of Beth, played by the legendary Natalie Imbruglia) suggests, ‘Torn’, which Yashvi has never even heard of. Young people!!!

“My Mum used to sing it all the time,” he says.

Mark and Aaron both wear kilts to the wedding (and Aaron has stolen Mark’s underwear!) as the wedding must be in theme with the wedding they’ve replaced (Tom and Ian – a holler to Tom Oliver and Ian Smith who of course, played Lou Carpenter and Harold Bishop). Gabe walks Paige down the aisle and Aaron films everything for Chloe. Paige and Mark are shocked when the wedding goes smoothly. They are just a normal, happy couple, celebrating their wedding day. One particularly cute moment during the ceremony comes from Aaron and David, mouthing to each other:

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

It melts the hearts of #daaron fans everywhere, including mine.

Afterwards, Paige, Mark and Gabe gather to open their honeymoon box and Terese can only tut when she realises that Paige has swapped the box so that they are going to Palawan instead of Rome. So… who has got the bomb now?

Jane is pleased to see Des again but becomes embarrassed and angry when she realised that his appearance is due to Paul’s meddling and that Paul has read her private emails to Richard. When she tries to walk away from the two men, her heel gets caught and she pulls down a canopy, which topples down on Des, knocking him to the ground!

While Susan is worried about not being able to get in touch with Bea, Shane reports that Toadie has decided to stay on The Island for longer. Susan and Karl inform David of ‘events on The Island’, presumably of Bea and Finn’s breakup.

Jane lets slip that Sky is in Erinsborough for her own wedding, just as her fiancée, Lana Crawford arrives and introduces herself to Shane and Dipi. They explain that as teenagers, Lana had been desperately in love with Sky but Sky hadn’t understood her own feelings. They bumped into each other again and it now feels like they have come full circle. Having been dating six months, they want to get married. The only problem is that Sky’s ex, Dylan has always hoped that he and Sky would get back together. Sky had hoped that Toadie would be able to support Dylan when she broke the news but now, he is on holiday. (Actually, he is potentially dead or dying).

Kind Shane (who has been playing classic cricket on the Street with his family) offers to take on Toadie’s role in supporting Dylan if it means that Sky and Lana can go ahead with their wedding plans and they gratefully accept, phoning Dylan who immediately books a flight to Erinsborough. The girls worry that Dylan has got the wrong end of the stick and thinks that Sky wants to give things another go. Surely nothing is going to get in the way of the love story that the LGBT youth (now LGBT adults!) were denied so many years ago?

Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Plus Neighbours Late: Endgame 10pm, Channel 5