No time is wasted getting straight back to the Rob storyline as we find Kirsty looking for the key to the mortice lock on the back door of her old house which is now rented out to Helen and Lee. Lee’s getting jumpy, not helped by Joy’s cat setting of the CCTV alert to his phone, but the next alert is for real - it’s Rob outside his house. Lee tackles him and pulls his hoodie off to reveal not Rob, but Blake! That’s the first we’ve heard of him since he and the other lads got sold on to their new slavemaster. Lee doesn’t know who Blake is but when Kirsty brings him up to speed he realises that he was one of Philip Moss’ exploited workers. Blake’s been hanging around waiting for Philip to come home but doesn’t realise that he doesn’t live there any more and is in fact in prison.
Blake’s in a right mess - dishevelled and starving - and Kirsty calls on Harrison for help. When Blake hears this he gets himself in a state thinking he’s coming to arrest him. But all’s well when he meets him and sorts him out a place in a hostel, which makes a change from his previous accommodations in a freezing shed or a container. Kirsty finally tells him that Philip and Gavin are in prison for what they did to him Kenzie and Jordan, but Blake thinks that’s wrong, because Philip treated him the best out of all the slavemasters. Distressed at this news Blake runs away.
As threatened last month, and at Lily’s suggestion, Chelsea’s started having driving lessons from her mother. I’m made to feel very old when Tracey tells her daughter that she doesn’t want her driving round like Nigel Mansell. Chelsea does seem to have a natural talent for driving as after only three lessons she seems to have picked it up really quickly. Obviously neither of them have read the highway code though, especially the bit about distractions, as Tracy talks incessantly and at one point causes Chelsea to practice her emergency braking skills by shouting “MIND THE RABBIT!”.
Tracy gets back behind the wheel and Chelsea takes great delight in telling her mum to slow down when she exceeds the speed limit, just as she gets caught by Lynda who’s out on a speeding patrol. She endures a stiff talking to from Lynda but she’s let off in exchange for a formal promise not to speed again and an offer to drive her home. Chelsea offers to drive but it’s not long before she has the chance to slam on the emergency brakes again when Blake dashes out in front of her.
Blake ends up in hospital but was very lucky, due to Chelsea’s swift reactions, and is only kept in for observation. He’s not receiving visitors though, as Kirsty finds out, but Lynda thinks she might stand a better chance. She takes the things Kirsty had bought him (crisps, grapes, shampoo, shower gel and a car magazine) and goes up to the ward. Incidentally, Borsetshire General seem to have a very lenient visiting policy in contrast to my local hospital where there are still very strict rules on who they let in and when. Don’t they know there’s still a pandemic on? Anyway, he agrees to see her and she reassures him that there will be no repercussions for the fire at Grey Gables in which she was severely burned. She gets him to see that the fire wasn’t his fault and that it’s not Kirsty’s fault that Philip’s in prison, and in fact it’s the chance for a new start.
Which brings us to the title of this week’s blog. Like a bridge over troubled water Lynda provides a place of safety at Ambridge Hall, much to the disquiet of Robert who thinks in opening up their home to him there’s a danger of Blake doing something ‘barmy’ while he’s there. Robert cooks and Blake is disconcerted by the very small dinner, until it’s explained to him that it’s a starter, the main course is going to be spaghetti bolognese. Poor Blake’s obviously overwhelmed by the food, house and formality of the meal and in his confusion spills water all over the floor. He retreats to his room, or rather that’s what he says. He actually goes missing and Lynda and Robert go looking for him, but Robert accepts he may not want to be found.
Chelsea meanwhile thinks the accident is a chance to claim some compensation for the ‘whiplash’ which she’s suddenly realised she’s probably almost certainly got, ‘cause that’s wot you get after a crash innit. Tracey puts her daughter right on the matter telling her it’s the stupidest idea she’s ever heard - Blake hardly exists on any records and certainly won’t have insurance! There follows a lesson in consumerism because Chelsea just wants all the things that she sees other girls on Instagram have got but she can’t afford. Tracy says she needs to spend less time on social media and points out that the continual acquisition of more stuff isn’t the key to happiness. Just a thought but if she’s desperate for money, and as she’s such a good driver, maybe she should train to drive an HGV - I’ve heard there’s a shortage and the pay’s pretty good now.
Finally we get to an actual Archer. David and Josh have taken some Herefords to market and they run into Beth, who works there. Josh turns into a little puppy dog and insists on going to get Beth a cup of tea - he’s remembered how she takes it. Meanwhile Beth and David get talking and Beth tells him the she thinks Ben will make a great nurse and she won’t distract him from his studies. She also re-assures him that she’s nothing like her Dad, Vince! Josh returns with the tea, and a doughnut for good measure, and suggests she could pop round this afternoon after work.
Beth does pop round and is subjected to the third degree by the rest of the family but Beth takes it all in her stride, even though Jill twice calls her Evie. Beth even offers to make Jill a cake for her birthday although Josh (who has burst in unannounced to Ben’s room) thinks it’s a bad idea incase it’s better than one of Jill’s own cakes. Even so he bets her a tenner that she can’t make a cake that will seriously impress his grandmother. Beth’s confident though - so confident that she raises the stake to £100 and Josh falls for it - her practice cake is amazing! Josh calls it “genius in a cake” and Ben suddenly realises why he’s been hanging round so much - he fancies Beth, although he can’t get him to admit it.
Over at Home Farm Stella’s discussing her plan for next year’s crops and she wants to try companion cropping (looks like the agricultural story editor has woken up at last) to add nourishment to the soil and combat pests. Brian’s sceptical but Stella’s already bought the seed, much to his irritation, but she makes it clear to him that he hired her to manage the farm and doesn’t need micromanaging. She’s on top of the figures and has realised that when the current subsidies end (£100,000 a year) the farm will be in a perilous situation financially. Brian tries to blame Adam’s obsession with soil health but Stella brings him round saying that Adam’s left the farm in a good position to take advantage of the new sustainable farming incentive options (the agricultural story editor’s on fire this week). The bigger question for Stella though is knowing what Brian’s succession plan is. It will be no surprise to anyone that he doesn’t really have one.
Brian’s set up a meeting with Borsetshire Land to talk about renewing Home Farm’s contract, but as always he’s nervous about what Martyn Gibson will say. On top of that there’s the lack of succession plan and Alice’s divorce that might see part of the farm going to Chris. He mentions this to David who tells Brian how a friend of his lost half of his farm to his wife during his divorce. Brian asks how it ended up for his friend, and David tells him the farm was no longer viable so he sold up; which gives Brian an idea - “let’s just sell the whole damn lot”.
Jenny’s not convinced but Brian says that if they sell the farm then everyone can have their share, be free to pursue their own interests and he can actually retire. But he still needs to convince his wife. How to do that? Oh yes, they can buy a big new house - no doubt with a brand new kitchen to match!
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