Get Real, Elizabeth

Alison Dowling (Elizabeth Pargetter)

Someone should take Elizabeth to one side and gently explain to her that her son has been convicted of a fairly serious crime and has been sent away to be punished, and it is not like being given a detention at school for misbehaving. She is fixated on getting an appeal against the sentence, despite being told by a string of lawyers (if that is the correct collective noun - you can supply your own - I suggest a ‘fleece’ or a ‘smarm’) that the sentence was fair and proportionate and Freddie was lucky he didn’t get longer. If a succession of lawyers are turning down the chance to make some money, doesn’t that tell you something about how robust your case is?

On Wednesday Elizabeth travels up to see her son and she does most of the talking, while he says little. That is, until she mentions the appeal and is very upbeat about it. Freddie is less than convinced and thinks the best thing is to keep his head down and do his time. Then Lizzie suggests that he asks to be transferred to the Vulnerable Prisoners Unit and Freddie is horrified - the other inmates assume that all these prisoners are paedophiles and it would not be a good move.

He really has a go at his mother, accusing her of coming up with stupid suggestions and saying that she cannot do anything to help him. Furthermore, if she keeps touting these hare-brained schemes, then she’s better off not visiting him any more; he won’t accept her visits any more, so don’t bother applying. It is a long and lonely homeward journey for Elizabeth and she arrives back in Ambridge in a distressed state seeking out Shula (who has just finished her first karate lesson). “I’ve just made everything a million times worse” Elizabeth tells her sister, tearfully. 

Never mind Elizabeth, things could be worse, and indeed, they swiftly become so, when Brian tells Jenny that he has just been talking to Ruairi on the phone and he told Brian about Noluthando’s ecstasy overdose and that Freddie gave her the drug. How did Ruairi know? He got it from Ben (whom we haven’t heard speak for months, incidentally) and Ben was told by Josh.

Brian and Jenny set off for Lower Loxley and, before long, a full-on slanging match begins, with Brian accusing Freddie of being irresponsible - Noluthando could have died. Elizabeth’s defence - that Nolly was partly to blame because she was told to only take a quarter of a tablet and not the whole thing - cuts little ice. “Freddie’s in a terrible state” she tells Brian and Jenny. “Good. He deserves to be” is Brian’s less-than-sympathetic comment. He then goes further, saying “Thank God this place has lost its licence if things like that were going on.” Elizabeth has had enough, calls them hypocrites and tells them both to get out, “and take your bigoted attitudes with you!” It’s a pity Elizabeth didn’t know about Brian allowing dangerous chemicals to be buried on Home Farm, or she could have accused him of poisoning the river and killing the fish.

Instead, Lizzie shoots off to Brookfield, where she has a real go at Josh for spreading gossip. Josh protests that the news about Freddie’s shady past is all over social media and everybody knows about it. Lizzie says that she’s fed up with her family - nobody is giving her any support. She then breaks down in tears, apologises to Josh for the things she said and tells David that Brian said some terrible things. “I’m so worries about Freddie she says.“ David comforts his sister and asks if there is anything he can do to help?

Funny you should say that, David, as Elizabeth tells him about the negativity she is getting from the lawyers and she has decided to go down the ‘no win, no fee’ route and David could approach some of these firms. Oh, and by the way, she only has two weeks to lodge Freddie’s appeal. Lizzie has obviously forgotten her son’s pronouncement about hare-brained schemes and it seems that David was wishing he had kept his mouth shut, as he replies in an unconvinced voice “I’ll see what I can do.”

Brian is obviously in need of something to do - he is hopping mad with Adam, because the latter sprayed the wheat too early (or something) and the upshot is that it is infested with black grass and will need to be sprayed again and re-drilled, costing a couple of grand. Brian, whose man-management skills were obviously honed at the Genghis Khan school of business, confronts Adam in a field, where Adam is talking to Eddie and accuses him of poor management and incurring unnecessary extra costs and why the hell didn’t he get it right first time? An obviously-embarrassed Eddie makes an excuse and leaves.

Later on, an incensed Adam has a major row with Brian - how dare he criticise Adam in front of paid staff? Furthermore, how hypocritical is it to accuse Adam of incurring costs when Brian’s mistake nearly wrecked the entire business? “You’ve cost Home Farm millions - millions” Adam tells him, adding “And mum is being forced to leave the home that she has poured her heart and soul into for years.” In case Brian hasn’t got the message, Adam tells him “I’m running things now, so maybe you should get a hobby or something - just keep out of my way.”

Elsewhere, Tom tells Hannah that he thinks Natasha quite likes him, but he didn’t push the relationship any further, as he feels uncomfortable about sleeping with Hannah and perhaps they should call a halt to their sexual shenanigans? Hannah, who it would appear would bonk a frog if it stopped hopping long enough, cannot get her head round the morality of this, but she agrees and the two hug. One positive result of this is that Johnny tells Josh a few days later, that Tom and Hannah don’t seem to be arguing any longer (regular readers will remember that Johnny came home unexpectedly and, in order to avoid being caught in flagrante, Tom and Hannah staged a blazing argument.)

Johnny is having moments of self-doubt; the family have given him the responsibility of choosing, and managing, the new dairy herd and he is wondering if he’s up to the job. He confides in Josh, who says that, if Johnny wants to practice milking, he can always help out at Brookfield. Johnny accepts gratefully.

At Grange Farm, Joe and Eddie are concerned about the toilet arrangements for the Cider Club. Basically, there aren’t any, so people are having to make their way to the farmhouse, although many don’t bother and use the yard. What they need is a benefactor, so they go to see Justin and spin him a yarn about how the Cider Club is a valuable local amenity and would he like to give them £1,000 to build a toilet? Justin asks why should he want to provide a toilet for a bunch of boozers, but finally agrees that they can have a portable toilet from a BL site on which work has just finished. The only provisos are that they must collect it and that no-one must ever know who provided it. Lilian spots Joe and Eddie loading the toilet on to a flat bed trailer and demands to know what they are doing with BL property? Eddie assumes (wrongly) that Justin would have confided in Lilian and he exhorts her to keep quiet.

Actually, there is already tension between Lilian and Justin, as she spies a folder, which has various suggestions on how to develop the Home Farm farmhouse, should BL decide to purchase it. Some of the plans - offices, luxury flats - make Lilian hopping mad and she tells Justin that, if he doesn’t vote against these plans, then she will never forgive him, as it would break Jenny’s heart. I find this concept interesting that, if you sell a property, you still want control over what is done with it - surely that’s for listed buildings only? Otherwise, it’s like selling your home and then going round to the new owners and complaining that they have dug up your roses or painted the walls a different colour - if you sell it, then you sell it. And, let’s face it, Home Farm needs the money at the moment.

Someone else who needs money is Christine, who is languishing in hospital after breaking her hip. She has a steady stream of visitors and seems to be getting on very well; in fact, apart from the hip, she’s in the best of health and could be discharged very soon, if only she had somewhere to go. Peggy is adamant that she can return to The Lodge, after certain modifications are made, one of which is installing a ground floor toilet and bathroom.

Peggy’s children, Lilian and Tony, are equally adamant that Peggy will not be able to cope with the added pressure of looking after Christine and are of the opinion that Chris should go into a nursing home for a while - after all, she can afford it. Actually, she can’t, as she lost her savings, and the profit from selling Woodbine Cottage, in the scam operated by Matt Crawford, among others. Only Peggy knows about this - everyone else thinks Chris is sitting on a nice little nest egg.

The Occupational Therapist takes a look at what modifications would be needed at The Lodge and they are extensive. Chris really needs at least 30 days respite care in a nursing home and then see what happens after that. Lilian and Tony have discovered that there is a room available in The Laurels, which is handily local and of a high standard. They talk to Peggy, who reluctantly agrees that this is the best solution, in the short term at least. However, she is determined to pres on with the modifications as, as she tells her children, she might well be grateful for them herself one day.

Unfortunately, The Laurels isn’t cheap and Chris says that she will have to find a cheaper alternative, but Peggy isn’t having any of it - she will pay for Chris. Peggy brushes aside Chris’s protests, saying that, when Chris was scammed, Peggy promised to help Chris if necessary. “I won’t take no for an answer,” Peggy says, adding: “Now it’s time to keep that promise.”

Let’s end with a mystery. Alistair and Jim are coming the closest to bonding that they have ever been and Alistair says that he has re-appraised his finances and would like to stay a bit longer, if that’s OK with Jim? Stay as long as you like Jim replies and then says that Alistair can help him with the crossword. The clue is ‘fellowship got around sleep inducer near monster’s realm’. 12 letters. As far as I know, we were never given the answer - has anyone got any ideas?