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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 203952" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 273-274The seeds for these two episodes were sown with the revelation that Al Simpson wasn’t Bobby’s father, starting off a whole journey. Reflecting on the changes that have happened during this time for Bobby alone are quite mind-blowing. It certainly feels like significantly more than fifty episodes, or four months of air time. There’s the thaw in her relationships with Donald and Roo. Her marriage to Frank. The revelation that Morag is her mother. And the resulting ripples from each of those changes crossing over one another to create whirlpools.The pipe has been very carefully laid since then. A path of tantalising breadcrumbs that have led to the occasional feast of excitement. The story, bubbling away, flowing alongside more prosaic events or unrelated crises. There’s a sense that it’s been building to an exciting, chaotic climax and this is certainly proven to be true here.The two episodes covering Morag’s housewarming party feel almost bipolar. The first lays pipe carefully. The second seems as though the writers got fatigued and decided to wrap things up by throwing a month’s worth of revelations into ten or fifteen minutes. There’s an off-kilter wrongness to it: in the best possible way.In many ways, #274 is to Home and Away what Negotiations is to Knots Landing. While it’s watchable and engaging in any context, I try to imagine how someone watching for the first time would experience it. As with pivotal moments of any good soap, it would be possible without context to dismiss the events of this episode as stereotypical, production line schlock. When actually, the very fact that it’s in most ways an atypical episode suggest the opposite.So far, Donald’s secret beginning to come out into the open has felt hushed and unhurried. There have been conversations in low tones and knowing looks exchanged. There’s been a discovery or revelation, then the fallout has been given time to resonate. This is all about to change.As #273 begins - without a reprise - the topic of Bobby’s natural parents is already very much in the air. Donald and Bobby have arrived home by car, and Donald turns to Bobby, asleep in the passenger seat. He gently calls her, then reaches over and strokes her hair. There’s a darkness to the scene - and not just in how it’s lit. On the surface it seems a little creepy, but knowing what we know there’s also something tragic about Donald being this close to his daughter while she’s so out of his reach.<img src="https://i.vgy.me/I8J7vy.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />In an ironic move, when the subject turns to Bobby’s mother, Donald defends her:They part on good terms and Bobby goes in to Frank where she resolves to still attend Morag’s party. On paper this seems illogical, but all it takes is for Bobby to throw in a line that she doesn’t want people thinking she didn’t have the guts to face Morag and it makes perfect sense for Bobby’s character. When did logic ever feature in a decision when there’s this much emotion involved?I assume the housewarming is the following evening. There are some daytime scenes in between,  all of which feature Lance, Martin, Leanne and Matt and various combinations thereof, the less said about which, the better. One “comedic” Lance thread, however, cannot be ignored in these episodes. Lance has begged to get an invitation to Morag’s party and she was worn down into agreeing by Nigel. He’s asked Steven to help him come across as intelligent and Steven has rigged him up with a sitcom special: a microphone hidden in a lapel flower that will transmit the conversation to Steven, hiding in a nearby shed. And an earpiece for Steven to feed Lance clever lines to say to people:<img src="https://i.vgy.me/d0eG2F.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/OdTyet.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /><img src="https://i.vgy.me/pS5EcQ.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />I’m sure it’s been done on screen many times before and since (Will helping Jack chat up Patrick Dempsey on Will & Grace springs to mind). It’s far from the worst of Lance’s escapades, and gives an amusing scene or two. But it also seems typically disposable and unnecessary. Who would have thought it would turn out to be the Chekov’s Gun of the piece?The fallout from the TV interview is still present as the guests arrive at Morag’s. Donald has no longer set foot inside than he is whisked aside by Morag who hisses her disapproval:<img src="https://i.vgy.me/qycssF.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />This conversation sets the threatening tone for Morag this evening. The Sword of Damocles hangs over almost everyone with whom she interacts. It’s more a question of “when” and not “if” it will fall.continued...</blockquote>

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