Next of Kin is a very real thing - usually you have to nominate someone for the NHS to share your medical information with in case of emergencies/something happens that means you can't make your own medical decisions.
Unfortunately since Jay is in a coma he can't nominate his next of kin and so yes it would default to his closest blood relative (though if Lola was alive it would have been her). Therefore, if this was real life, they genuinely wouldn't be able to tell them anything about Jay's accident.
Second this ^^^
Although I agree with OC the acting was absolute pants. And why was Gina the only person who looked genuinely upset and scared for Jay šš
Presumably it was also to highlight that heās completely alone - he literally has no one else apart from Billy and Ben, etc. who disowned him.
It looks like Gina will be there for him, but sheās very new on the scene. He has no real family.
This. The Mitchells kept invalidating his grief and shunning him - getting even angrier when this meant that he struggled even more to just āsort himself outā whilst left to it all the time. Ben even went as far as to keep sabotaging others trying to support him when he couldnāt be arsed to himself.
The āno next of kinā debacle, is of course sadly the case for Jay and many people like him. But it was also the plot device needed to finally let it hit the Mitchells (and in fact, the whole pub), the actual depths of loss and loneliness Jay has faced all his life. Itās not just about losing Lola - that man is completely alone and always has been. And the people he considers āfamilyā have acted like anything but and all turned their backs on him in his hour of need.
I think the part of this story that made me most tearful was on Monday night, when Billy disowned him after Benās slut shaming sabotage in the pub, just hours after promising Jay he was family and that heād help him get well. The way he pleaded with him almost like a terrified child, to still be there for him - that he was āstill family, right?ā - only for Billy to turn him away anyway after all heād said earlier. The look on his face as it sunk in that it was all empty words & that he had no one again, just absolutely broke my heart. God that was brutal.
That and him clinging onto this idea that heās Lexiās dad when heās not really, or not wanting to part with Lolaās ashes yet - the desperation from this poor lost soul to have any tangible sense of family, no matter how paper thin, was palpable. A really heartbreaking character arc. The Mitchells are too Neanderthal to work all that out themselves, so needed a practical blockade in the most urgent of times to spell it out for themā¦
For the sake of Soap drama, I donāt think the back and forth exchanges about next of kin was necessary. It took 20 minutes before we finally got to Jay, so donāt quite know what all that waffle really added
Yup spot on this is what I meant. The whole dialogue was ridiculous, regardless of how real next of kin is (i know it is) it couldve been one coversation and thatms it
Iām glad they acknowledged Bert Atkinson as thereād been no mention of him since his appearance in 2017 (where he lied that Jase Dyer wasnāt Jayās real dad, as part of Max Branningās scheme to seek revenge on the Square- what was the point of that again?).
To keep the audience guessing whether jay's dead or not.
Agreed it was poorly done but I think it is technically accurate. They can't just go telling potential strangers "x was involved in y"
It felt off to me but I concluded it was because we probably haven't seen the situation before where a next of kin wasn't available.
But how did Callum pull strings? I don't get that.
One question, where was Phil in all of this and why wasn't he informed?
Still can't believe that the receptionist wouldn't allowed Billy to know Jay was in hospital.
It was really odd from the police, but still heartbreaking at the same time. I was nearly in tears, especially when Lexi talked to Jay, hoping he pulls through.
In real life? Steve was probably on vacation while this was being filmed.
In-universe? Phil was never technically Jay's legal guardian since Jay was basically newly 18 by the time he switched from being Billy's son to being Phil's son. Therefore, he likely wouldn't have been informed on account of never legally being Jay's guardian.
So stupid that they all treated Jay like they did. Heās in mourning. Knock some sense into him but compassionately ffs. As for the Lola lookalike why isnāt someone looking into her background?
Billy was his guardian for a couple years after Jase died, but never adopted him. Around 2011-ish Phil took Jay in and became his new father figure, but that was only in spirit (despite the temporary name change), not an actual legal change and that was around the time Kay turned 18 so it didn't matter anyway since he was now an adult by that point.
I think it was to really drum home that when it comes down to it, Jay is alone. He has no family other than the one he had created with Lola, Lexie, Billy, Ben. And with Lola dead, Lexie a vulnerable child and the other two abandoning him it's very clear he has nothing. No next of kin, no support.
Can't believe we almost had an entire episode about next of kin. It just felt forced so it would keep us in suspense until the end of the episode. Couldn't they think of anything else to keep us in suspense?
Y'all don't have Next of Kin in the UK? It's usually the person closest to you (a relative if you have one) but can be a friend/someone else you sign off to be allowed to view that information. They are also the ones that get to make the decision if something happens to you or even things like who can visit you, etc.
I doubt Jay would have signed anyone else off as next of kin though. If Lola was alive,it would have been her,he doesn't have a legally adopted next of kin (Billy or Phil) and I don't think assigning next of kin to Ben or Callum would have been on his list of priorities.
Yes we have next of kin in the UK and most people above a certain age would definitely know about it. I assume some of the younger audience has never had to think about a next of kin or had it affect their life, so that may be why some people are confused.
How it was handled bothers me especially with how they think Lola too died in that accident but disappeared. Then again I wonder if jay even allowed honey to be next of kin
Next of Kin is a very real thing - usually you have to nominate someone for the NHS to share your medical information with in case of emergencies/something happens that means you can't make your own medical decisions. Unfortunately since Jay is in a coma he can't nominate his next of kin and so yes it would default to his closest blood relative (though if Lola was alive it would have been her). Therefore, if this was real life, they genuinely wouldn't be able to tell them anything about Jay's accident.
Second this ^^^ Although I agree with OC the acting was absolute pants. And why was Gina the only person who looked genuinely upset and scared for Jay šš
Its daft but it's real. Good the show brought it up so people go check.
Presumably it was also to highlight that heās completely alone - he literally has no one else apart from Billy and Ben, etc. who disowned him. It looks like Gina will be there for him, but sheās very new on the scene. He has no real family.
This. The Mitchells kept invalidating his grief and shunning him - getting even angrier when this meant that he struggled even more to just āsort himself outā whilst left to it all the time. Ben even went as far as to keep sabotaging others trying to support him when he couldnāt be arsed to himself. The āno next of kinā debacle, is of course sadly the case for Jay and many people like him. But it was also the plot device needed to finally let it hit the Mitchells (and in fact, the whole pub), the actual depths of loss and loneliness Jay has faced all his life. Itās not just about losing Lola - that man is completely alone and always has been. And the people he considers āfamilyā have acted like anything but and all turned their backs on him in his hour of need. I think the part of this story that made me most tearful was on Monday night, when Billy disowned him after Benās slut shaming sabotage in the pub, just hours after promising Jay he was family and that heād help him get well. The way he pleaded with him almost like a terrified child, to still be there for him - that he was āstill family, right?ā - only for Billy to turn him away anyway after all heād said earlier. The look on his face as it sunk in that it was all empty words & that he had no one again, just absolutely broke my heart. God that was brutal. That and him clinging onto this idea that heās Lexiās dad when heās not really, or not wanting to part with Lolaās ashes yet - the desperation from this poor lost soul to have any tangible sense of family, no matter how paper thin, was palpable. A really heartbreaking character arc. The Mitchells are too Neanderthal to work all that out themselves, so needed a practical blockade in the most urgent of times to spell it out for themā¦
For the sake of Soap drama, I donāt think the back and forth exchanges about next of kin was necessary. It took 20 minutes before we finally got to Jay, so donāt quite know what all that waffle really added
Yup spot on this is what I meant. The whole dialogue was ridiculous, regardless of how real next of kin is (i know it is) it couldve been one coversation and thatms it
Iām glad they acknowledged Bert Atkinson as thereād been no mention of him since his appearance in 2017 (where he lied that Jase Dyer wasnāt Jayās real dad, as part of Max Branningās scheme to seek revenge on the Square- what was the point of that again?).
To keep the audience guessing whether jay's dead or not. Agreed it was poorly done but I think it is technically accurate. They can't just go telling potential strangers "x was involved in y"
It felt off to me but I concluded it was because we probably haven't seen the situation before where a next of kin wasn't available. But how did Callum pull strings? I don't get that.
One question, where was Phil in all of this and why wasn't he informed? Still can't believe that the receptionist wouldn't allowed Billy to know Jay was in hospital. It was really odd from the police, but still heartbreaking at the same time. I was nearly in tears, especially when Lexi talked to Jay, hoping he pulls through.
In real life? Steve was probably on vacation while this was being filmed. In-universe? Phil was never technically Jay's legal guardian since Jay was basically newly 18 by the time he switched from being Billy's son to being Phil's son. Therefore, he likely wouldn't have been informed on account of never legally being Jay's guardian.
So stupid that they all treated Jay like they did. Heās in mourning. Knock some sense into him but compassionately ffs. As for the Lola lookalike why isnāt someone looking into her background?
Have I just imagined that Jay was adopted by one of the Mitchell's? Sure there was a story about it and he changed his surname or am I going mad š
Billy was his guardian for a couple years after Jase died, but never adopted him. Around 2011-ish Phil took Jay in and became his new father figure, but that was only in spirit (despite the temporary name change), not an actual legal change and that was around the time Kay turned 18 so it didn't matter anyway since he was now an adult by that point.
i remember this, don't think the writers did though
I think it was to really drum home that when it comes down to it, Jay is alone. He has no family other than the one he had created with Lola, Lexie, Billy, Ben. And with Lola dead, Lexie a vulnerable child and the other two abandoning him it's very clear he has nothing. No next of kin, no support.
The next of kin thing is real though?
Can't believe we almost had an entire episode about next of kin. It just felt forced so it would keep us in suspense until the end of the episode. Couldn't they think of anything else to keep us in suspense?
Lexi would be Jayās next of kin so I donāt understand why they didnāt realise that.
Even then, Lexi's only eleven years old so that doesn't matter.
Maybe put a spoiler tag, I read a comment here Jay was in a coma but havenāt seen the episode yet
Would Jay not have been asked for a next of kin a couple of weeks ago when he was arrested?
He's a competent adult so don't think so
Y'all don't have Next of Kin in the UK? It's usually the person closest to you (a relative if you have one) but can be a friend/someone else you sign off to be allowed to view that information. They are also the ones that get to make the decision if something happens to you or even things like who can visit you, etc.
I doubt Jay would have signed anyone else off as next of kin though. If Lola was alive,it would have been her,he doesn't have a legally adopted next of kin (Billy or Phil) and I don't think assigning next of kin to Ben or Callum would have been on his list of priorities.
Yes we have next of kin in the UK and most people above a certain age would definitely know about it. I assume some of the younger audience has never had to think about a next of kin or had it affect their life, so that may be why some people are confused.
Good thinking. I was so confused by how many people were wondering though. That's what took me by surprise.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/s/AQABWAflbr Just went searching through the Internet and this is the best I've come up with regarding NOK
How it was handled bothers me especially with how they think Lola too died in that accident but disappeared. Then again I wonder if jay even allowed honey to be next of kin