We pick up last week right where we left off. Nina, after deciding P stands for Possibly Pregnant, in her diary, fantasizes about a mother contraception intervention that really isn't helpful but to remind us that Nina at times is a special brand of nutty and apparently an episode long gag that all mother’s should be giving very specific detailed sex chats to their daughters.
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| Like a Kardashian, you need a TV wedding first young lady! |
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| I've written some fan-fiction about you and Doc Martin |
Mama Proudman forces Jimmy and Zara to take the day off from Alfie watch and this can't be good (damn you Offspring FB and your teaser scenes). Cherie busts Nina attempting to take her own blood and then hypocritically lectures her about safe sex (CHERIE, HOW DID RAY HAPPEN? A FREAKING BOOZE CRUISE!) and then helps her pull blood. Doc Martin also busts them, and finds out Patrick is chief suspect in Nina's no vacancy sign potential hanging over Nina’s womb.
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| I've heard doorway sex is hot - who from? My friend...Smatrick. |
Mick is still continuing to be a passive aggressive jerk wad, and fighting with Billie – defiant he is going on tour. She correctly identifies Mick's vibing with Feisty Orange and after a phone call, turns the tables by checking his phone for incriminating messages – which for a moment loses Billie the upper hand of being right in my book.
Darcy and Mama Proudman catch up with Cherie and Nina at the hospital and in ‘way too far into personal details you would never discuss with your parents’ land, they all try to break the news that Cherie continues to be cut snake crazy and wants Darcy to impregnate her. Mama Proudman excuses Cherie and Nina and then busts out on Darcy with her news that she is dating Nina's biological Dad and then salt to the wound, very specifically adds, is rooting him. Darcy is flummoxed by this development, having asked Mama Proudman to close her legs for a little while to Doc Dad and storms out.
Mick and Feisty Orange catch up and Feisty Orange sacks Mick from the tour claiming she can recognize the danger signs and doesn't want to put his marriage at risk. DOES NOBODY HAVE ANY WILL POWER? Mick seems truly shattered and angry and I feel for him but at the same DON'T CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE AND THERE WON'T BE A PROBLEM. They also have this conversation in a loft apartment where Feisty Orange’s impressionable son can and will hear. Excellent parenting work Feisty.
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| So does this mean the new Dad you promised me is leaving? |
Billie runs into Feisty Orange's son who has wagged school and stalked Mick to his residential address (be afraid of stalker children who just turn up, have you seen The Shining!) claiming that he misses Mick and they call Mick but his phone is under the bed. Back in music indie land Feisty Orange is in tizz looking for her vagrant son and when Mick comes back to fight some more then they go hunting for Ollie. They leave, Billie returns, trying to do the right thing and bring him home but it’s empty at Casa Potential Infidelity.
Annoying wagging son interrogates Billie mid open for inspection about her infertility and Billie is herself but touching all in the same moment.
Nina visits her Dad for secret blood testing and while lovely and supportive, I still think lucky for Nina he is a Doc and not a painter. In their discussion Nina says that Patrick is anti-kids but SERIOUSLY when the fuck did he say that? I know they had a night time chat about it, but didn’t he just give her the old broody eyes and not answer. She questions having kids alone, and the choices she is left with at 35. She questions whether to tell him, but decides to wait post blood test – good sensible call that will of course be undone by others. iPhone of Doom beckons and Billie's tagging out the kid to Nina.
Jimmy and Zara have lovely new parents time, and discuss why Zara wanted to keep Alfie and it's a mix of compliments and passive aggressive put downs to Jimmy. Christ! He pulls out a box and nearly scares the shit out of me but it's a necklace of shared parenting and no real agenda and Zara is happy with this baby step of romance.
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| I got you an Shuffle - awesome right? |
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| As if you could resist my best broody shy guy look Cleggie. |
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| Broody Bub - are you in there? Hello? |
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| I've heard the balcony is a romance hot spot, or wait, was that dead spot? |
At Nina's home, she is woken from her nap by Patrick, and tries to avoid him but he sees her. Romeo and Juliet on the balcony style, Patrick says the jig is sort of up, so tell me the deets. She comes down her balcony (the normal way sadly) and he asks her if she's pregnant. Her preggers pauses gives him a moment of heartbreaking lovely joy mixed with confusion (seriously, the slight hitch in the breath that Matt Le Nevez gives the line reading is beautiful). He asks if it's his, which honestly is a fair call because how would he know that Fitzroy Jesus and Nina had their last supper?
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| As Taylor Swift would say: it's a love story, baby, just say yes! |
Mama Proudman calls in a fizzle, Alfie is in danger.
Nina races to the hospital and soon after Zara and Jimmy arrive, then Darcy and Cherie and then Billie into the newly christened Proudman Family Lounge of Hospital Emotion. Alfie’s in trouble and Zara nails her side scene of torment and again, the Offspring supporting actors truly step up in their moments.
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| You're right, she is acting the shiz out of this scene. |
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| That's right, douchebag just hung up me! Singing sexy points deducted. |
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| Just like Batman, brooding in alleyways and ready for the call. |
Firstly I have to say that Clegg was hilarious in that episode. I loved when he was on the phone with Patrick and he tried to fake bad reception. Who else has ever just wanted to do that?? I know I have.
ReplyDeleteOr when he hid behind his squash racquet and fled the scene when he realised he had said too much to Patrick. Yep – gold! I think his antics adequately counteracted the more sombre elements of the episode.
I did like the fact that the writers decided to make Patrick worried for Nina’s health rather than him thinking straight away that she is pregnant. A great way to make him think the worst I guess, and then (perhaps) he realises that his issues are nothing compared to the thought that there could actually be something physically wrong with Nina? I don’t know. You are right Flick, never said outright that he was anti-kids. But the very mention of them did cause him to run away like a scared little boy and turn into jerky mc jerk.
I too was just so sad for Billy when she realised Nina may be pregnant. Words don’t even work for me. I think she had the perfect level of vulnerability and wanting to be there for her sister, but at the same time probably wondering why it couldn’t be her… That scene was well written and I thought Kat Stewart nailed that scene. I know many women have felt that way inside when faced with a similar situation, but perhaps do not express it as openly.
As for Mick – what a dooshbag. He is sabotaging the relationship with Billie. I couldn’t believe he hung up the phone at the end. It was such a huge leap for the character.. or maybe like Billie, I was won over by the “your sisters a 6” song and forgot the indiscretion, and resumed to thinking he was a nice guy?? I’m not sure, but I am thinking next season it may flip to Nina and Patrick being the happy couple and Billie being the single one /or in a frustratingly annoying relationship.
Now I don’t know about anyone else, but this episode felt more organic between Patrick and Nina. Even though they weren’t together, I felt more satisfied by the fact that there was more honesty to the characters.
ReplyDeleteI have had a think about what everyone has been saying about the manufactured break up and I think I understand where everyone is coming from. It reminds me of Ally McBeal (indulge me here). When they cast Robert Downey Jr into the role of Larry, the writers basically delivered him to the audience as the one guy that Ally could be with forever. The relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was sold to the audience as a honest one that ‘could work’. Then Robert Downey Jr got put in the slammer for drugs, and the writers had to come up with something really quickly. So they broke them up using old footage (as clearly Robert was unavailable that time). It felt wrong to anyone who had watched the show.
I think that’s how the audience have felt about the Nina/Patrick break up. No one really bought or accepted the break up. However I am buying it right now, at least while they are not together they are not denying the feelings.
Now huge applause for Jane Harber - what a brilliant performance!! It was just heartbreaking the end of that episode. Poor little Alfie!! Also the character of Jimmy won me over just a bit at dinner.
I maintain I do not think that Nina is pregnant. I think it is a device for Nina and Patrick to get back together. I think that now Patrick knows that A) she isn’t sick (and probably did some soul searching about his feelings) and B) the prospect of being a dad again is a possibility (and maybe something he wants with Nina) he will fight for her. I remain sceptical as to whether Nina will be easy to win back. I want them back together but given the past road has been rocky, why would the future be any different?
IF she is pregnant they better not allow her to loose the baby though…
I was irritated to see Adam back on the scene. I have a really scary thought for you all. What if Adam lied? What if they actually did do the deed when she slept at his house and is pregnant with his baby? Now that would piss me right off….
I just... do not understand. Just get back together already. And it seems strange to conclude so coldly that Patrick doesn't want children based on that haphazard conversation. Gahh! Thanks for the recap. Can't wait till next week!
ReplyDeleteGood sum up as always with the funny captions!
ReplyDeleteFor me this ep had good parts but didn’t add up to a satisfying whole. Ep 13 also looks rushed.
I am not entirely surprised by Mick-Billie. It always had the feeling of being a bit fragile - esp around female musos! Ditto Jimmy-Zara.
On the other hand Nina’s relationships seem a lot stronger. The Nina-Chris non-getting together of S1 made as much sense as the Nina-Patrick break up of S3 (though I am coming around to both). But you could understand the Nina-Chris-Patrick resolution of S2 to be a difficult decision but still one that made sense. S2 I think has been the most consistent thus far.
The Cherie thing is absurd. But Clegg is always gold.
And Feisty’s son, what was that? The return of Fitzroy Jesus - why, its not adding anything - unless he has some startling news that will end S3.
There wasn’t much for Matt Le Nevez to do in the first few episodes but IMO he has been impressive in the last few ones, I have to go back and look at that slight hitch. As the “quieter” part of a screen relationship you sometimes end up being a foil but he, Eddie Perfect and Jane Harber are doing a great job.
I have to say that my choice for the most intriguing character in Offspring is a bit unusual and its Geraldine. I am not sure if characters like her and Frankie’s mother in Love My Way are representations of baby boomer mothers. Somehow they come across as a little mixed up but a distinctly tough breed.
PS: I don’t think there will be a Nina baby. Don’t know about the Nina-Patrick getting together but probably not completely splitsville either.
Dearest Felicity,
ReplyDeleteI do apologise for my absence last week (of course I am fully watched up now) I would like to congratulate you on your nina pregnant pick and would like to claim my hat tip on the Mick tour debacle, I knew it would come down to choosing, but should have known Fiesty would be dumpee (isn't wierd how she unprofessionally makes sexy eyes at her very married bandmate 24-7, and yet fires him for being unprofessionally "torn".)
OMG I hate Fiesty cumquat - OLLIE! I had to endure nearly an entire episode of this ostensibly rude child that has zero endearness factor. I wanted to smack his rude little face so hard, I thought Billie was a total champ and well I did predict you would end up hating Mick - how will he redeem himself.
Now, we need to talk about our past convo on this birth thing/baby clash. U will recall that I believe that Nina cannot have the baby, unless the proudman baby *alfie dies.
I am also strongly suspect that Ray the Second, is in utero so that would be two babies - plus Nina's - three babies, not so good for plot balance. I always said if alfie dies, they will have to offset the morbid with nina's baby, so I guess we will have one of those situations.
I am suprised they have bonded alfie so much to Jimmy (do you like him yet - has his name been restored) if they planned to make him die, it is finale material, but I think it could go either way. As for the horses and hats - what the hell.
I have no idea what that is about. The party in the ad must be nina's birthday, but that's all I can come up with.
I have been severely disappointed with the tomfuckery done with essentially one of the most sexy couplings ever seen on aussie tv - Patrick and Nina. I have never seen so much writing and layering ruined with such directionless, frustrating and ad nauseum - the last five episodes have been the worst ever, only held up by Asher's dedication to the show. It has been an odd mix of overused protaganist tension and underdone character growth/interaction. For the first time I was convinced that by allocating each individual episode (or two) a different director worked against the storyline, pulling the fabric in different directions, distorting nina into a whining, petulant embarrassment - tonights episode must have contained at least 20mins of pure jittering, stammering and scarf pulling agony. They have to change the ringtone too. I mean - comon!
It is a sad, sad day when I feel I must say that I don't think I can muster any enthusiasm for the finale prospect of nina and patrick getting back together. They had me at hello you have been drinking *vase smash* SEX. That was the time to get them back on, it was an epic moment. The only other epic Panina moment was season 2 finale moment "meet me halfway / in my suburb romantic dash (there was couch jumping at our house for both of these moments)
I really thought lemonade on the car bonnet could have been nice but again, just shitty moody moist eyes and a punch in the guts to the ever loyal offspring fan that thought it may have been nice to have them at least happy for the finale.
I am very concerned that Offspring's return is apparently in question - I can only hope that we start to gather our thoughts and our weary, jaded hearts and tell them what we want, surely viewing numbers have dropped? I have not adopted anyone to the show, and I tried this season, but they could not get past the inner diatribe/whiny will i wont i stuff. They should have made Billie accidentally pregnant, so much better all around I think.
I was so happy that Fitzy Jesus was told in no uncertain terms too, so wtf is he doing in the finale? He better be catering a work party or something and stay away from season 4.
OMG!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just read the comment/suggestion about Fitz Jesus actually friendly date raping Nina and has a crisis of confidence to reveal it is he who is the father!
Fucking hell, give that girl a job stat!
That has to be the best predict I have read - ever. Is Fee a different name to Felicity, this is why I missed the comment first time round.
I thought having Patrick worried about tests being illness related was a bit of poseur schmaltz, as if you would think that after no strings sex, maternity ward staff all knowing, nina looking all bosomy and glowing. Ditto the Jimmy dinner, the necklace explanation was sweet and savvy, but the goldmark necklace wasn't. Everytime he wants to play grown up, he parts his hair and looks like he is wearing his dads clothes. I think the proudmans have been way too pushy with Alfie's interesting proposed parenting plan, I would much prefer to see how two parents split parent, then a woman guilted into shacking up and ultimately selling out to domestic bliss. Isn't this show meant to break boundaries. Ikea furniture be damned, a woman can actually raise a child on her own!
Hi (I am back now after reading all Felicity's replies *gosh :)* and all the excellent comments - I have a few questions for some of them and well, all of you.
ReplyDeleteThis has been my bugbear for a week now, the dinner gaff that beautiful billie made - perhaps it's due to my zilch culinary skill but I would be so incensed if I was not told they were vegetarian. I would be throwing roasted lamb everywhere, saying how could you not tell me, couldn't you smell the roasting flesh you moron!" Is this irrational?
As in, *sensible question voice resumes* Is there anyway you think Mick could have made the dinner better/more informed?
and... Is Fiesty's present of Rocket 2.0 inappropriate of the highest order - given they were present at rocket's demise? I always thought pets are bad idea as gifts?
Oh and this last question is for the lovely lass who has a mum in the medicine field or anyone really who knows ;
Is there NO other way (more palatable, sensitive, discreet) for Papa Proudman to impregnate whatsername (ray's mother)
It was really stomach churning, even when they broke the ice by laughing, my creep-o-meter was still spazzing out.
That's two major creep-o-meter max outs in two weeks. Fitzroy Jesus really, really makes me ill. I find myself becoming exasperated at the thought they think we find him "gorgeously rugged" with a "devilish smile and fresh take on life". He's not hot - right??? Right Guys??
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ReplyDelete*above post was edited because of typos*
ReplyDeleteAs much as I am a Matt la Nevez fan, I was happy that he wasn’t a central fixture of the episode. I was happy to see more of Billy and Clegg. I am hoping that while the next episode will clearly have the “will they/won’t they” theme, that they give the character of Zara justice. I was totally won over by Jane’s performance in that episode and want to see more of her!
I’m not sure what the go is with horses and hats either. Maybe Asher just wanted an opportunity to bring her personal love onto the show? I am thinking it must be a fantasy scene. Although Zara did suggest that Nina do things to keep her mind off Patrick like more hrs at the hospital or horse riding. Maybe it’s something she imagines they take up together? Riding into the sunset – cliché much?
With Offspring’s return, I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t happen. Ratings are good, probably one of the top for Channel 10. Do you think the actors are negotiating bigger salaries? Maybe Asher isn’t keen on resigning? I have no idea. I did read somewhere that the person who ‘dresses’ Nina is looking for season 4 clothes – so that does make me think it is being renewed (esp if they have a budget for it etc).
Littlerain, I can assure you that I am not Felicity – although I’ll totally take that as a huge compliment! I never really liked Adam, he was too full on (ie turning up at work, waiting at her doorstep with soup). Not to mention I don’t find him attractive at all –too dishevelled for my personal taste. I think he is meant to be everything that Patrick is not. I think Billie got it right when she compared him to ummm what was it – a cat bringing dead mice to the doorstep? Can’t remember – but I agree with whatever she said. I hope my thought re Nina’s drunken night is totally wrong! However, again it is not impossible.
I do think the writers were strategic in the scene where Nina and Patrick have the “vase-smashing-relations”. If a child was going to be conceived between those two, they would want it to be memorable right?
Note, in the preview from last week, there was a scene where Nina seemed to be crying in a dim room and it appeared Patrick was there (looking emotional as well). That wasn’t shown last week. I wonder how that will fit in, and whether the crying is to do with Alfie – or?????
PS: If I was Billie I would have gone off at Mick for not mentioning the minor detail that their guests were vegan or vegetarian. I wonder where the writers are going with Mick…….
Re: preview with Nina crying in a dim room with Patrick in the same room. That's actually a scene from either Ep 6 or 7 after the break up and Nina was having a conversation with imaginary Patrick in the room.
DeleteYes, I'm a sad little Offspring fanatic who's watched episode multiple times...
Ps. Really enjoying these recaps & comments! Keep it up!
I thought the preview she was sitting on a chair, and in the past ep she was on the bed????
DeleteOk so I had another thought...
ReplyDelete1. What if Nina's blood test reveals something else other than pregnancy?
I thought that!! Really itching to see next week's finale. C'mon Wednesday!
DeleteHi, I just found your blog this week and wanted to tell you I love it. I wish I had found it several episodes ago ( around the time of possibly worst written break-up in TV history) . It would have saved me weeks of wondering had I missed some vital dialogue or subtle nuance between Patrick and Nina. Thank you for making me laugh out loud :) Can't wait for finale recap.
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