Weddings and Debts

Peter and Carla’s wedding was fabulous – beautiful location, beautifully garbed guests, stunning bride, gorgeous groom. Tension everywhere, for viewers and characters alike. Would Peter succumb to the many glasses of champagne attractively arranged right beside him? Would he succumb to Tina, also always attractively arranged right beside him? Turns out, no to the former and yes, or at least way too close, to the latter.

Debts repayment

But the scene that I woke up in the middle of the night worrying about was the closing minutes of the week. Christian coming to make amends with Hayley. He’d appeared a few times, always missing Hayley but always running into Fiz who would puff herself up into her biggest mamma Grizzly look. Protecting Hayley from the hurt that comes with Christian. Breaking Hayley’s confidence by telling him about her cancer. Warning Roy whenever Christian was about.

Roy posted like a sentry to block Christian’s access to Hayley. Oh let him be, I pleaded, don’t you know how important it is to Hayley that she reconcile with her son. Let her decide if that’s possible or not.

Finally Hayley got the chance. Roy allowed Christian to see her. Sensibly, she sent Roy out of the room so he wasn’t standing over her shoulder like a guard dog snarling every time Christian twitched or opened his mouth. It looked so promising, their discussion. Christian’s apology for not understanding, for not being willing to discuss, maybe forgive. He had pictures of his wife and kids. Then the wonderful moment: ‘would you like to meet them?’ My heart melted, just like Hayley’s did.

Then he gives the caveat, the kick in the teeth. Thing is, he got debts. Unemployed and a family costs a lot to provide for, you know. £5,000 should cover it, could she give him that. It’s for the kiddies after all. Where’s the guard dog and mama Grizzly when you need them?

Christian, I guess, had decided Hayley might be the answer to his financial woes, and a quick parade of the kiddies would be enough to get her help. Even after learning she was dying, he still went ahead with his bait and hook plan. My heart froze, just as it looked like Hayley’s did. You are a bad’un, Christian.

Wedding dance

Back to the wedding, for a quibble about writing. We knew there had to be a Peter and Tina too-close encounter. It came after the bride had collapsed in a drunken but elegant heap on the dance floor. After she, still in her lovely gown, is tucked up in bed, Peter returns to the empty ballroom. The detritus of the party is all that’s left.

We’ve seen Roy and Hayley arrive home. Party animals Sally and Tim have had time for another roll in the hay at home. But Tina is still lurking about the empty manor house? Ok, she and Peter have to steal a forbidden kiss. But Tina is not a stalker, and only a stalker would have remained after all the other guests had left.

The scene would have been more believable if we had seen extras dancing in the background, maybe through a doorway in another room and heard the DJ playing “save the last dance for me.” Or something to indicate that, no matter how late it is, some people are still there partying. Fiz should have been spotted, since she had been insistent earlier on overseeing Tina’s movements. A wonderful and horrible scene with Peter and Tina, but one marred by unbelievability.