Well, I actually quite liked last night’s scenes! Not perfect, and the cloud of PR looms over it still, but we had yet more Ballum parenting and some moments that really seemed to be selling that core unit. I just wish we knew what EE were trying to say.
At the Minute Mart, Ben is getting an update from Billy about Jay while Lexi and Callum wait. Lexi probes him for answers once he hangs up – and a quick little nod in Callum’s direction has him knowing about half a second before Lexi that Jay’s okay, and they’re bringing him out of the coma. Lexi wants more information though, knowing that there’s more to it because Ben was on the phone for longer than that.
Ben doesn’t know what to tell her, and he also doesn’t want to give her ideas, so speaks to Callum instead and tells him that it might be a couple of hours so they should get up there for when he wakes up. Lexi assumes she’s coming too and asks if she can bring him some cupcakes – which echoes her bringing some to her mum after her operation, which in itself had initially been Ben’s idea. But Ben’s dismissive of the idea and tells her she’s got school tomorrow, leaving her looking super disappointed. What makes me laugh though is that her head turns to Callum before he starts to speak, throwing him huge puppy eyes.
Callum suggests to Ben that she can go in a bit later the next day because the school aren’t going to mind, but of course it’s not about that, not really. Ben then points out she’s going trick or treating with Pearl, Kim’s daughter. You can tell that it’s difficult for Ben to be telling her no which is why he’s not actually telling her directly, and instead speaking to Callum about her instead. Callum gently rebuffs that excuse too, saying Kim won’t mind (though knowing Kim, she would) because he knows Lexi wants to visit Jay.
Ben’s firm though and says that Lexi isn’t going and that’s final. Which causes Lexi to drop the shopping basket and storm out of the shop. Ben and Callum give each other a Look, and then Callum’s turning to go after her while Ben’s left torn. He knows Lexi wants to see Jay, but he’s scared.
Back at the flat, Ben’s washing up as Callum comes in with an uneaten bowl of food and telling him that Lexi’s not coming out of her room and that it’s getting to be a real habit. Alright, dad. But what Ben hears is that it’s his fault, and talks of messing up and how Lola didn’t want that, and maybe she should have written a manual for him. They all hold Lola in such high regard in terms of her parenting, but it’s like Callum once said, even Lola would make mistakes – because no one parents perfectly, especially when you’re doing it for the first time. Ben’s doing a pretty stellar job actually in the circumstances, Lexi always forefront of his mind and Callum there to help when needed.
Callum doesn’t seem to have realised why Ben doesn’t want Lexi at the hospital and expresses his confusion, suggesting he’s not making a lot of sense. And to be fair to him, the line about making excuses to Kim and buying five ghost costumes all for nothing didn’t make a whole lot of sense; but I guess his point is he feels like there is no right thing at the moment.
He sits down and Callum takes a seat in the armchair across from him, and Ben explains to him why he doesn’t want Lexi visiting. He doesn’t want Lexi making more hospital trips after the ones she made for Lola. He’s worried about the potential problems of bringing Jay round, and when Callum points out that it’s unlikely, Ben then points to what Jay might say even if it does go without a hitch and he wakes up. He doesn’t want to risk Jay saying something that might upset Lexi because he’s not in a good place – probably thinking of the things he said to them before he left. It sounds like they’ve talked about this with Lexi already, who’s told Ben that she gets it but Ben wonders how she can at her age. He just wants to protect her.
Lexi’s listening in at this point (her favourite method of gaining information the adults don’t want to tell her) as Ben voices his concern to Callum that Jay really was trying to kill himself. Honestly though, I think it’s clear from the fact he got into the driver’s seat in the first place that he didn’t care what happened to him while driving so having this ‘did he/didn’t he’ feels a bit wrong. He knew he should have waited for Gina to drive him, and then he changed his mind.
At this point Lexi pipes up to ask for confirmation that Jay isn’t dead – bit of a turnaround from her assertion that he’ll be okay in the previous episode, and even Ben telling her to stop assuming the worst when she was doing the opposite on Thursday! This is what I mean by all the contradicting narratives. They needed Lexi to fear for Jay here so Ballum could rush to comfort her and realise that she needs to see Jay for peace of mind. And they needed Ben to feel guilty for ‘cutting her out’ by having Lexi say that Lola would have told her the truth, even though a main characteristic of Lola’s story last year was her fear of doing exactly that; and Lexi usually found out the truth via other means, like eavesdropping and stealing hospital letters. And Ben has done his best to be honest with her recently even despite his instinct to protect her from pain. I suppose Lexi could be thinking of those moments when Lola did sit her down and talk to her honestly, while also trying to get what she wants with a little ‘dead mum’ manipulation, but it still felt off. I know for sure though that Lola wouldn’t have taken Lexi to see Jay. She never took Lexi to see Ben in the hospital (either time he was there) for one thing.
Lexi stresses that she’s not bothered about what Jay says, she just wants to give him a hug. And after some internal fighting, Ben gives Lexi a short nod of agreement before glancing at Callum, who looks back rather somberly. He’s heard Ben’s reasons for not wanting Lexi at the hospital so I guess he’s a bit worried now too.
We come to the hospital now and a really sweet moment where the three of them walk through the hospital corridor looking for Jay’s ward, Callum pointing the way since he’s been here before. When they round the corner, Lexi reaches for Callum’s hand first, then reaches for Ben’s. She catches Ben’s first which causes Ben to look down at her in surprise, then Callum cottons on and reaches to meet her other hand, then the three of them walk down the corridor together, hand in hand. Callum’s also got Lexi’s card for Jay in his hand too which is an extra layer of cute. I can’t help but feel that scene, which only lasted about 15 seconds, was put in specifically for that imagery of Ballum as Lexi’s dads, supporting her through something a bit scary. What does it mean though? Is this a visual of the set up? What are they telling us?!
They reach the outside of Jay’s room, where Billy and Honey are already. Jay squeezes in between them and asks if Jay’s awake. They don’t answer, and then Callum asks if Jay’s okay. Ben asking what the hospital have told them leads to a rant from Billy about nurse Natasha who is apparently out to personally get them with talk of visiting hours and approved food, while Honey tries to tell him off for making personal comments. Ben and Callum just exchange looks as they talk, and while they’re doing so Lexi has slipped into the room where Jay is. Callum spots her first and tells them to look at her – and jury’s out on this one I think, but he either says ‘look at them both’, or ‘look at bub’, ie Lexi’s nickname that only Ben and Lola call her. The subtitles say ‘bubs’, and you’ve also got a lingering shot on the four of them before it cuts to Lexi where Ben looks up at Callum in apparent surprise, which supports the bub theory. Plus the fact that Jay’s unconscious so there’s not much to be said for his contribution to the moment. Callum calling Lexi bub would be a bit of a significant moment I feel, real ‘she is my daughter’ vibes. They watch as Lexi asks Jay to wake up, Ben eventually leaning against Callum for comfort as they watch through the window.
Later, it seems Jay actually is awake, and the family are now all in the room. Lexi’s asking him if she can stay, reasoning that she can just sleep on his bed, but I’m not sure she’s entirely serious as Billy jokes about her kicking lumps out of Jay in her sleep and that in all seriousness Jay needs to rest. Callum tells her they can come back tomorrow after school instead, a compromise.
Honey offers Lexi the bumper pack of chocolate she has at home as she’s heard Lexi missed out trick or treating – indicating that it’s time to go. Ben tells them that he’s going to wait for the doctor to get a proper update, but promises he’ll report back. Callum puts a hand on Ben’s back, probably knowing that Ben’s sticking around to find out whether Jay drove into the tree on purpose.
Lexi gives Jay a careful hug before she leaves and says she loves him, and Jay says it back. Ben says it to Lexi as well, and, interestingly enough, calls her bub as he’s saying goodbye. Which would be a notable coincidence if Callum had indeed said bub earlier.
Alone with Jay (well, aside from the nurse who’s standing at a monitor not far away), Ben first pours him a glass of water and holds the straw for him to take a drink. It’s sweet, and Jay looks like he needed it – but you can also kind of sense that Ben wants him to talk so he’s getting him ready for that as well.
Ben starts by asking whether or not Jay remembers anything – and Jay replies with ‘bits.’ Ben’s not sure what to say to that, as those bits could be important. He struggles with how to phrase the question he wants to ask, and settles on asking Jay to confirm he didn’t crash the car on purpose. He’s afraid of the answer, and Jay’s silence is an answer in itself, which you can see by Ben’s unsettled expression in response.
Tonight’s is a continuation of this episode, and it seems like because Jay is awake sooner than I expected (and I really shouldn’t have expected him to be in a coma for long, it is soap after all!) then tonight will be less one-sided than the spoilers had us believe.
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