- We only listened into Vicky and Mike tonight
- What’s normal?
- Mike’s life sentence
- Mike or the baby?
- Mike, the dinosaur
- Somersaulting baby
- It’s a girl!
We only listened into Vicky and Mike tonight
Which is quite right too.
It’s about time they talked.
What’s normal?
It started with a wall freeze
Mike’s stressed about the baby. He’s stressed about Vicky. And he’s stressed about having to work extra sans Harry.
(Seems he can’t find anyone to replace Harry to do the milk round.)
When Vicky mentions that she’s thinking of putting a wall freeze round the study/baby’s room, Mike can’t contain his anger:
[Mike, furious] “What do I think!?! …Yeah, well Abbie’s a normal little girl, isn’t she. I just don’t understand it. The whole thing’s a nightmare. Why can’t you see that?”
Well at least Mike said what he felt about their child not being “normal”. Not very palatable to hear, but at least it’s honest.
[Vicky] “Typical man, he can’t even stand competition from his own kids, you know what I think Mike, it’s pathetic … You don’t want me to be okay, do you … it’s what you’ve been hoping, isn’t it … problem solved, eh Mike?”
Vicky’s quite right. It’s what Mike had said to Neil, albeit he was horrified at himself for having thought it.
Vicky also blames him for having had the test, purely because he couldn’t cope with the uncertainty.
[Vicky] “In the end, it didn’t make any difference did it?Knowing for certain.”
And with that, Mike stormed out.
Seems Vicky later stormed out.
When Mike got back in to find she wasn’t there, it calmed him down.
He was ready to talk properly.
Mike’s life sentence
[Mike, feeling calm] “I’m sorry if I sounded unkind this morning.”
[Vicky, feeling angry] “I am having this baby, Mike. I don’t care what you say.”
[Mike, now also angry] “Let me get this say, whatever I say, whatever I feel, it ain’t gonnae make a blind bit of difference, is that right? If I drop down dead trying to support you both, is that okay too?”
Mike’s perturbed that he’ll have to work well into his 80s. I think he’s missing the point that he’d have had to do that whether their baby had been “normal”.
[Mike] “And I’ll still be getting up at four in the morning. I’ve been working my butt off all my life, and now you’ve condemning me to another 20 years hard labour, is that fair do you think?”
Mike’s really struggling to get over the ‘fact’ (in Mike’s mind) that their child will be dependent on them, and “never leave home”:
[Mike] “It will always depend on us. It’s a life sentence, don’t you understand?”
[Vicky] “No. I don’t … things have changed Mike, all those things you’ve said, it don’t have to be true, it’s my one chance.”
Mike or the baby?
Vicky seems to have had enough. She tells Mike that she’ll do it all without him.
She also wants to start telling everyone that their baby has Down ’s syndrome. She’s “sick” of it being like their “dirty secret”.
[Vicky] “And you can’t stop me.”
[Mike] “So you’d choose this baby over me, would you Vicky?”
[Vicky] “I would, yeah.”
Mike storms out again.
Mike, the dinosaur
Mike’s back again. Feeling sorry. Again.
[Mike] “I hate myself for what I said Vicky. I don’t know myself anymore. I’ve turned into some sort of monster … How could I do it you … you’re right, it is your one chance for being a mother, how can you believe I love you if I’m prepared to deny you that?”
Phew … they both start apologising.
Mike explains that he feels helpless.
[Mike] “This is my child. You’ve got to do something. But you can’t … what really scares me. What will happen to you. I don’t want to leave you to cope on your own, but I;m bound to … that’s what’s so cruel.”
Goodness me, there’s a heck of a lot going on for Mike.
He’s scared of being an old dad. He’s scared of having to work well beyond when he’s probably fit to. That’d all be the case if their baby didn’t have Down’s Syndrome.
But the Down’s Syndrome, and Mike’s (lack of) understanding about it, terrifies him. Especially because he believes their child can never leave home, so, when Mike dies, he’ll be leaving Vicky to cope by herself. When she’ll be no Spring chicken herself. Though she will have Brenda and Roy – who Mike’s also worried about having to burden.
Vicky has other ideas:
[Vicky, mellowing] “Oh, you’re an old dinosaur, that’s your problem. Things are different now Mike. Our baby may have a proper life, enjoy school … maybe even go to College, leave home have relationships, get married, well, if he doesn’t know what’s good for it anyway …”
[Mike] “You're not just pretending to be positive., you really feel it?”
[Vicky] “They say you turn into a lioness, and they’re right.”
[Mike] “I just wish I were ten years younger, that’s all … And you’re sure … I just need to know one last time.”
[Vicky] “I’m not having a termination.”
Right.
Will that really be the last time it’s mentioned?
Somersaulting baby
So, it seems Vicky and Mike had made progress.
Mike’s finally had a chance to say everything he’s wanted to say, Vicky seems to have listened to him.
Vicky’s managed to explain that Mike is a tad ignorant of what a child (and adult) with Down’s Syndrome is capable of, Mike seems to have listened.
Just as they’re settling, the baby does a somersault.
[Mike] “I’ll tell you what. Our baby really is special.”
Aw, that’s exactly right, Mike. Nice to hear you say it at last.
Mike tells Vicky that he’ll do his everything to take care of her, and the baby.
[Mike] “If you’ll let me.”
[Vicky] “Oh Mike, I do need you … It’s like I’ve been outside looking in this week … I’ve been so lonely.”
Mike even wants to read the books Vicky’s been reading.
[Mike] “And you’ll have to tell me what I can do to help. You’ve been shouldering it all on your own.”
Thank goodness for that.
It’s a girl!
Time to get that freeze up
So, now with Mike ready to be a dad, they’ll need to get the study painted as the baby’s bedroom.
Vicky seems to have firm ideas …
[Mike] “You know? So, what colour?”
[Vicky] “Pink. For our daughter.”
[Mike] “I reckon she’s going to be okay, don’t you … she’s got a lioness for a mother.”
(Tear in my eye? Yes, there was).
2 comments:
I don't remember the Archers doing this before, do you - just letting us hear one set of characters all the way through?
Wasn't it brilliantly done? I was in floods of tears at the end - and had tears in my eyes again now, reading your ponderings on it.
I think there has - but couldn't tell you off the top of my head. Maybe Helen and pre-Henry days?
yes - absolutely spot-on. Glad I managed to capture it!
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