Shula (played by Judy Bennett) seemed distracted as The Archers began this evening, with she and Jill Archer (Patricia Greene) discussing stumbling across Leonard Berry (Paul Copely) painting horses.
Whereas Jill stayed with the amateur painter, Shula met with Jim (John Rowe) to discuss an incident during a recent Christening at the local church which saw the religious character stumble and unable to give a speech at the ceremony.
With the pair having a fraught relationship on the BBC Radio 4 soap due to their conflicting religious beliefs, Jim and Shula seemed to make peace as the father-in-law tried to offer some comfort to the disheveled character.
However, at the end of the episode, Shula teased she could take a break way from the village after admitting to Jim she wasn’t sure what she believed in anymore.
Sitting down for a coffee at a local cafe, Jim recounted the events at the church, telling Shula: “I could see there was something wrong and I guess it was nothing to do with feeling faint?”
Shula replied: “I didn’t know you were going to be there. After our exchange of views…” she went on to say, before Jim interjected.
“It won’t be the first time I’ve put people off their stroke, merely by turning up,” Jim said, with Shula adding: “I thought you’d be pleased to see me struggle like that.”
Following his daughter-in-law’s sentiment, Jim told her: “Pleased? Really? That does me little credit. We’ve had our differences over the years Shula, and no doubt, a good many of them have centred on religion, but you walking away from the pulpit like that looked to me like an act of honesty. It was, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“I don’t know. I’d been so certain about what I wanted to say and then suddenly, I wasn’t. I couldn’t say anything. I don’t know if you’d call that honesty,” Shula signed.
However, Jim explained: “I would, without a doubt. But it also an act with required a degree of courage.”
He continued: “I admired you for it. So, I asked you for a coffee, not so I could crow, but to congratulate you,” to which Shula hit back: “You’d congratulate me for being a hypocrite?”
Trying to explain himself, Jim said: “As I said, that was honesty, not hypocrisy,” to which Shula replied: “But, it felt like hypocrisy Jim, standing up there, looking down on everyone, preparing to tell them how to conduct their lives.”
Offering another perspective, Jim told her: “But you didn’t do that, did you?” to which Shula agreed: “No, no I didn’t. Thank you, that was generous of you.”
Jim retorted: “I’m not an unfair man, I hope,” to which Shula added: “In that case, perhaps I can ask you something else.”
After a long pause, Shula said: “Please don’t tell anyone what I’ve just said. I’m not sure of anything at the moment Jim. It feels like the ground’s no longer solid beneath my feet.”
Teasing her exit, Shula continued: “I need to think all this through on my own,” but does this mean The Archers stalwart will leave Ambridge to do so?
With son Freddie Pargetter (Toby Laurence) back on the scene after a spell in jail for drug dealing, the youngster accidentally caused his mother to miss a therapy session which she had been attending to speak through her problems.
Though, sitting down with sister Lily Pargetter (Katie Redford) to talk through how they needed to help their mother, Freddie refused to work with his sister’s boyfriend Russ (Andonis James Anthony) to benefit Elizabeth.
Will Freddie and Russ’ feud be the catalyst to spark Elizabeth’s set back, or can the two men finally put their differences aside?
The Archers airs weekdays at 7pm on BBC Radio 4.
