The Archers Thursday 15th September 2011: Clarrie comes home

• Joe doing the housework
• Why did Clarrie leave?
• Clarrie is useless?
• Joe says his bit to Tony
• That kid is out of hospital
• Clarrie comes home
• Eddie on a PR spin mission
• Eddie loves Clarrie

Joe doing the housework

Ed was quite rightly left stunned and wondering if he’d walked into a parallel universe.

[Joe] “If you’re coming in, you’d better take them boots off”

[Ed] “Now there’s something I thought I’d never see, you washing the kitchen floor”

[Joe] “Well, we can’t have the place looking like a bullock yard when Clarrie gets back … I hope them overalls of yours ain't mucky, I don’t want them cushions smelling of jersey cow”

Why did Clarrie leave?

[Clarrie] “When I heard Vicky Tucker say them words, ‘that dirty woman’, something just snapped … I knew I had to get away, you understand that Eddie … so I though that’s it ... I've had enough”

Seems Clarrie was picked up by a “nice chap” in a delivery van into town (he’d seen her struggling along with her bags). Then she got the coach to Peterborough.

Then … she slept in the bus station. There wasn’t a way out to Yarmouth that night.

Eddie is aghast.

Even more so when Clarrie tells him that her sister Rosie had made her call home …

Clarrie is useless?

[Clarrie] “You see! I’m useless. It’d be better for everyone if I wasn’t around”

Nooo Clarrie. No.

[Eddie] “It's cobblers … and I won’t have you say anything like that ever again”

[Eddie] “We’ll get through it, like we have before”

[Clarrie] “There’s a chance I won’t never get a job again, not at my age … I don’t deserve you Eddie, like I said, I’m rubbish."

Joe says his bit to Tony

Tony’s round at the Grundy’s, seeing if Clarrie is back, or if there’s anything else he can do.

[Tony] “We thought we’d have all the bad news … we felt sick”

[Joe] “You shouldn’t have sacked her, should you … that’s what set al the tongues wagging round here … she took it really hard you know, losing her job … you think on it …”

Tony explains that she did leave of her own accord – but Joe reckons it’s the same difference.

Tony tries to explain to Joe just how hard life has been at Bridge Farm.

[Tony] “When a farm is on the slide, it’s hard to stop the rot …”

[Joe] “You’re sitting there pretty, Tony Archers … I grew up in the 30s remember, that’s when times really where really hard, so don’t you sit there telling me what a struggle it all is …”

Joe reckons that Tony at least has the land, that he can sell at a profit, even though he has a mortgage on it.

Clarrie has nothing to fall back on.

And he has Tom and Helen – who are clever and hard working.

Clarrie has Will and Ed (hard working, but can be a tad unreliable depending on who Emma’s decided she’s with).

In Joe’s mind – all will be well at Bridge Farm. But he can’t say the same about his Clarrie.

And that really (really) annoys him.


That kid is out of hospital

But what about the adults that were ill?

Are they not worth a mention?


Clarrie comes home

As Joe spots Clarrie and Eddie arriving home:

[Joe] “You stay where you are, Tony Archer ...you go running off the moment she gets here, it’ll make her feel even worse”

Joe lays out a “nice bright tablecloth”.

[Joe] “Flowers Edward, please …Now then, let’s all be cheerful, shall we”

[Clarrie] “I must say this place is looking very spic and span”

[Joe] “Oh we missed you Clarrie, this place ain't the same without you”

Joe then offers to pop out for some pies, but Clarrie reckons she’ll open a tin of ham.

Is it just me, or is part of the problem that, without her job, Clarrie’s noticed what a humdrum life she has?

Tin of ham?

Clarrie deserves better. Much so.


Eddie on a PR spin mission

Eddie pops out to call Ruth (out of range of Clarrie’s ear). Ruth had been round earlier on, and knew that Clarrie had gone missing.

Eddie calls to play to down, and make like she’d just gone to Rosie’s for Rosie’s birthday.

Not more sinister than that.

[Eddie] “There’s probably all rumours flying round the village at the moment!”

Ruth at least says she understands. But I don’t think Eddie’s going to manage to convince anyone with that tall tale …


Eddie loves Clarrie

[Eddie] “I’m doing me best to understand what’s happened Clarrie, but it’s not easy …

…”but there’s one thing I want you to know, we’ll get through this together, like we always do …

“… you mean the whole world to me, Clarrie, you know that … no matter what happens, you’re the centre of my life and you’ll always will”

Bless him.

Maybe he should start by popping out to get more in for tea than a tin of ham …

The Archers Wednesday 14th September 2011: Joe has to make the tea

(only cups of, mind. Nic brought round sandwiches)

• The Police have been called in
• Mr Bennett is very proud of his cows
• Vicky confesses
• Eddie does care …
• "Rosie, Won't You Please Come Home?"

The Police have been called in

It’s the morning after, and Clarrie still isn’t home.

Eddie is frantic.

Joe’s having to make the cups of tea.

They’ve called the Police – they’ve called all their friends – they’ve called Clarrie on her mobile.

But, she’s left it at home. (typical)

Where is Clarrie?

Ed bizarrely suggests to check their field, which perplexes everyone until he clarifies:

[Ed] “If she wants to be on her own for a bit … the cider club”

And the key to the Club is missing!

Is Clarrie in the shed drinking cider?


Mr Bennett is very proud of his cows

And Brian seems quite impressed as well.

Debbie’s plan to start a Super Dairy in Ambridge starts with persuading Brian that there’s nothing to be perturbed (or ashamed?) of.

So – Mr Bennett’s shed is airy – with loads of space – and the cows (Brian reckons) look good.

[Debbie] “Stick it (the shed) on arable like we’ve got on the estate, and you’ve got joined up thinking”

Case closed, super dairy ahoy?

Mais non.

Brian seems to be softening in his old age. Especially having worked at Brookfield briefly just after the cows had been let out after winter.

[Brian] “It’s all good hytec stuff, but the fact is that people still like seeing cows out on grass … so do I come to that”

So, Debbie has to do planning and strategy type reports to see if it’s all feasible.

But, Brian tells Debbie that they can’t tell Adam. Yet.

Why?

Will Adam be against it? Will it get in the way of his berries???


Vicky confesses

Vicky turns up at the Grundy’s to see Clarrie, so is told by Joe that Clarrie hasn’t returned home.

[Vicky] “Wherever can she be?”

[Joe] “I wish I knew missus”

[Vicky] “This is difficult to say, bit it’s possible I might be partly to blame for this …”

Vicky has to fess up in front of Joe, Eddie and Ed (as Eddie and Ed have returned from the Cider shed, still without Clarrie).

She tells them that she’d only been repeating the outrageous slur (my words) that Derek Fletcher had said, and that she hadn’t realise Clarrie was in the shop.

Ed, understandably, wants to have “a word” with Derek Fletcher.

And I have to give credit to Vicky for taking responsibility for her rather large mouth.

Abut after Vicky has left:

[Ed] “Stupid woman!”

Eddie does care …

[Eddie] “Edward look, I’m not sure I can go there (the quarry) , the thought of you mum being … if anything happened to her, I don’t know what I’d do …

“… this might seem daft to you, all the years your mum and me have been together, there’s a lot of stuff I’ve still got to tell her … things it’s hard to say in a marriage …

“ … well, things like they’re the reason you still want to get up in the morning and make something of the day, they’re the reason you go on believing in yourself, even though deep down you know you’re useless”

Luckily is not too little too late for Eddie – maybe this will all help him to treat Clarrie like the lovely lady she is from now on, rather than just chief cook and bottle washer?


"Rosie, Won't You Please Come Home?"

(song by The Kinks)

I might have missed something – but at one point Eddie realised that he should try and call Rosie (Clarrie’s sister). It’s her birthday today, she lives in Yarmouth, so Clarrie could be there.

After all, that’s where Will once nipped to …

But, after initial fears that Clarrie could be ‘in’ the quarry (she wasn’t), Clarrie calls.

She’s at Rosie’s.

[Clarrie] “I’m so ashamed, whatever must you have been though … as if I ain't caused enough trouble”

So why didn’t Eddie call Rosie earlier on? Or, did he, and Rosie lied?

Anyhoo.

Clarrie is safe.

But will she return?