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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 407693" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 401 - 415 1 September - 20 October 1986At this point it feels almost novel for Heather to be at the centre of things. This batch of episodes has seen an abundance of Heather (or Nick) having the episode’s last word or shot. This novelty seems to highlight the lack of big drama for Heather in recent months (quite possibly, when I think about it, since the wedding to Tom Curzon was called off). All the same, Heather has still been a presence, bringing a reassuring grounding to the series even while having less to do. Now that she’s Mrs Black and Nick’s secret has been blown out of the water, the end feels very much in sight and her current drama is very much a last hurrah for the character. The reveal of Nick’s sordid secret was done well. There were many episodes spent dropping hints and red herrings. Like Charlie revelling in Heather’s discomfort when seeing Charlie deep in conversation with Gordon and Chris, fearing they connected so easily because of a shared sexuality. As he delighted in teasing Heather, the bond he shared with Nick was much deeper than sex. Perhaps the best example of a secret hiding in plain sight was when the name of a film was dropped and Charlie smirked at its accuracy. Annoyingly, I can’t remember the film now, but I remember giving a little snort of recognition at the time because I was vaguely aware of the film’s key theme. One of the most interesting aspects of this storyline has come from Heather’s relationship with Nick’s children. I do enjoy that Heather isn’t successful at hiding her selfishness when it comes to sharing Nick and her home. For a time, Ruth and Scott are viewed as the problem that comes between the newlyweds… and there’s certainly good reason for this. Unlike easygoing Adam who takes to Heather right away, Ruth and Scott have done all they can to make life difficult for their new stepmother. They don’t approve, and it’s evident to Heather from the coded language they use when she’s around that she is being excluded from the secret they share. As the stroppy, smirking, haughty, shoplifting-for-attention daughter, Ruth is certainly annoying, and so it feels quite satisfying when - during another of Nick’s absences - Heather curtly shows her the door and tells her not to return.The interest, though, comes as Heather begins to realise that both children are as broken by Nick’s secret as she is from being shut out. There’s a terrific scene where Scott has overheard her telling Nick she doesn’t want his son around. She sits on the stairs with Scott and you feel her heart melt a little as he talks about the wall between him and Nick. At this point, the simple act of her putting her arm round Scott feels hugely significant. Likewise, while she has enjoyed being part of Nick’s secret to Heather’s exclusion, it’s Ruth who eventually spills the beans, taking Heather to Nick’s flat to catch him in the act. For a short time, I found myself questioning Ruth’s motive. Was she doing this to help Nick, or to ensure Heather and Nick’s fragile relationship is destroyed? This doubt was compounded by the facts that Ruth betrayed Nick’s confidence on a technicality (“I can’t tell you… but I can show you”) and that she wanted Heather to tell Nick she’d forced it out of Ruth. This question felt unimportant, though, once Heather arrived at the flat. I love how subjective and messy the filming of this scene was as we walked through the door with Heather to find Nick and Charlie. The moments of confusion that followed for everyone before the pieces come together and it’s evident Nick and Charlie are shooting up drugs were enjoyably naturalistic. And effective - I was watching with someone who didn’t know Nick’s secret and was genuinely surprised by the scene. I confess to feeling there was a degree of contrivance in the scene. From a storytelling perspective, it seemed convenient that Heather should uncover things on what we’re told is one of the rare occasions Nick injected, rather than smoked, heroin. And even more so that Nick should overdose on that very occasion, within seconds of Heather leaving. On reflection, though, I realised the reasons it seems contrived are exactly why it makes sense. It’s within the realm of possibility that Ruth might be aware of the escalation and want to stop it. And if we believe Nick and Charlie that they don’t usually inject, this would probably increase the chance of an accidental overdose (in addition to the on-screen conjecture that it might be due to this particularly batch being purer or stronger than usual). There’s even the more dramatic possibility that Heather arriving when she did distracted Nick or Charlie so that they over-administered. Whatever the truth, it’s not explored here simply because the revelation that Heather’s new husband is a drug addict is the crux of the matter. And that’s enough of a game-changer. Given she is not renowned for her patience, Heather’s aim to love her husband back to health shows promise. Already she’s given him a sharp slap to the face for not showing up to his counselling appointment. Nick is already seething with resentment over her micromanagement of his life, and it can only get worse. continued...</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?