Looks like I can actually have a week ahead this week, thanks to some late spoilers! It’s also a big week for Stuart…
Mon 22nd August – Lynne Dallow
Callum offers to accompany Ben to his second police interview. Even though Ben assures Callum he doesn’t want anyone to go to the police station with him, his husband shows up anyway to ensure Ben knows how much he cares.
Tues 23rd August – Kevin Rundle
Bernie tries to help Stuart at the GP surgery as the situation escalates. She feels guilty for not realising that he was living with post-natal depression. As Stuart becomes convinced that he has been misdiagnosed, he grows desperate.
Wed 24th August – Deborah Palmer
Stuart leans on those around him for support, hoping to confront his diagnosis.
Thurs 25th August – Deborah Palmer
Stuart makes some big decisions about his future as his health situation comes to a head.
On Friday night we got some new info regarding Ballum for week 34 – tomorrow in fact. See, it’s not the end! We can see that Callum still determined to support Ben even though Ben said they were over. Because them being together isn’t the priority – it’s Ben being supported. The bench scene told Callum that it’s not that Ben doesn’t want his support, he just feels he doesn’t deserve it. And Callum’s stubbornness suddenly becomes the strength we know it to be, as he appears determined to show Ben that he does deserve to be supported and loved even though they’re not actually together. Maybe they can both learn things from that unconditional support.
There’s no mention of the professional help that Lola referred to the previous week, and it makes me wonder where Ben stands with that. Does he still feel it’s pointless? And is he going to withdraw from Lexi like he has Callum, since he’s trying to protect people (particularly Good People) from himself? I get the distinct feeling that Ben’s idea of being better means being less ‘bad’, rather than being well and recovering from what happened. It’s clear he still needs that help to process things and sort out his headspace, because while he’s made some steps forward, there’s still some way to go in that regard. The self blame is still there and that’s not healthy.
I’ve included the Stuart strand this week because it happens to be Stuart’s exit week. Details about the nature of his exit are typically vague, but I do hope it’s a hopeful exit. I wouldn’t have been saying that four years ago! He’s come a long way since then and I’m sad to see him go. I’m sure we’ll get some Highway brother content this week – it’s such a nice dynamic they’ve built up, they’re bound to acknowledge that. I’ve mentioned the parallels between Ben and Stuart before, and I actually think from reading those spoilers they seem even more obvious (Bernie thinking he didn’t want Roland when it was actually post-natal depression; Stuart being in denial and then appearing to try and come to terms with it after support) so it makes me wonder if those similarities will be referenced, and maybe if it is a positive ending, it’ll provide hope for Ben and for Ballum too. Ricky Champ is amazing, and I’ll miss his portrayal of Stuart!
According to the EE socials, the boxsets are still here for another week, so just a heads up for those who binge and for those who don’t and wish to avoid spoilers!
Aidan’s full interview from Metro’s soap newsletter on Friday is worth a read, I think he has a good handle on Lewis’ mindset from this week and it’s lovely to hear about the input from Survivors Manchester once more. And speaking of Survivors Manchester, their social media posts throughout this week continue to shine! I love how they capitalise on the episodes to reach as many people as possible.
It was Gurlaine’s turn this week to give us some behind the scenes content – it looks like Max, Tony and Jamie are filming quite a lot together recently. Poor Tony sweltering to the tune of Layla by Eric Clapton.
And finally, have some promo pics from Thursday’s episode because this blog post looks a bit bare!
Jenn's Ballum Blog 