"Alo" (Episode 5.06)

"Alo" is the sixth episode of Series 5 and the 43rd episode overall.

This episode primarily focuses on Alo Creevey and his strained relationship with his family and him slowly starting to grow apart from his best friend Rich Hardbeck, as Rich is spending more time with his new girlfriend Grace Violet.

Plot
Alo arrives back at his family's farm at dawn and making a cock-a-doodle-doo sound across a field. He heads inside, greeting his dog Rags, but his father Owen soon discovers him peeing in a cup in the kitchen. As Alo leaves, Owen forlornly wishes him a happy birthday. Alo goes up to his room and lies down, smoking weed and listening to music. He falls asleep and wakes suddenly when his alarm goes off. He goes over to his computer and masturbates to some online porn.

Alo goes downstairs for breakfast and discovers a spade wrapped up as a birthday present. His mother Catherine announces that he isn't allowed to go to town today because he has to help his father on the farm. Alo complains that it is his birthday but Catherine tells him he isn't being fair and needs to help. Alo kisses her on the cheek to thank her for his spade and goes outside, where his father and the farm's employee Dewi present him with a tractor. Alo gets into the tractor and rides across the fields, smoking and listening to music. Rich calls him and announces that he has organised a surprise party. Alo worries that he won't be able to go because he has to help on the farm, but Rich tells him that Liv has organised him a girl so that he can have sex. Alo hangs up but is unable to get the tractor moving again. Owen and Dewi rush over and complain that he overheated it. Alo asks about the party and Owen reluctantly gives him permission to leave, so Alo runs off.

The next morning, at dawn, Alo returns in a party hat and howls across the field. Later, Catherine wakes him up and complains that he went to town when she told him not to. She presents him with his projected grades and announces that she and Owen have decided that Alo should leave college to help on the farm. Alo is shocked but Catherine is firm and tells him to get his suit on to meet Professor Blood. At the meeting, Alo is shut out while his parents discuss him leaving college with Blood. Suddenly, Alo notices a porn magazine, which is being pulled across the floor. He follows it and discovers Liv, Rich, Franky and Matty, who have arrived to kidnap him. They go to a pub, where they meet Grace and Mini, and advise Alo to stand up to his parents. However, Alo admits that he can't wreck the farm because it's all his parents have and he does love them. The meeting is interrupted when Rags arrives, followed by Dewi and Alo's parents. Alo hugs Rich before leaving. In the car, Catherine hands Alo a list of tasks for him to complete, saying that he's let them both down. Owen is focusing on getting the car started but when Catherine pushes him, he agrees.

At the farm, Dewi tells Alo to take some piles of rubbish outside to burn them. Alo lifts a piece of cardboard and discovers a catalog with a scantily-clad woman on the front. He masturbates and falls asleep, before being woken by his father. Owen tells him he has to get moving and points out that he's the one who will get in trouble with Catherine. They go up to a field, where Alo has to move rocks so that the tractor can drive forward. Alo spots a big rock but his dad tells him to leave it as it has always been there. Alo is determined to move it but fails to do so and falls on the ground. He yells at his dad that they all like things the way they are and storms off, saying he is sticking to Catherine's list. He goes to the cowshed to clear out some manure and smokes weed as he does so. When Catherine arrives, he stubs out the joint on his spade. Catherine complains that Alo is being too slow and, when Owen arrives, says that he is letting Alo off easily. Alo tells her not to have a go at his father, but she tells him that she doesn't want his opinion. She yells that everything Alo touches "turns to s**t" and says he is a "disgrace". Owen and Catherine leave and Alo smokes some more weed. He suddenly starts coughing and drops the joint, before running out to dunk his face in a waterbutt. However, the joint ignites a gas canister and the shed explodes - with the family's cow Bessie inside. When Owen arrives to check Alo is alright, Alo begs him not to tell Catherine.

However, Catherine inevitably finds out and storms up to Alo's room to take all his possessions away. Alo follows, insisting that it was an accident, and is shocked when he discovers that she is going to send Rags away. He rushes to his father, begging him to stop Catherine. However, Owen just sits there. Later, Owen, Catherine and Dewi leave to take away Rags and Alo's possessions. When they have gone, Alo makes flour, water, and egg balloons out of condoms and calls Matty. Later, Matty, Franky, Grace, Rich and Liv arrive and Alo begins a fight by dropping two flour bombs on them. During the fight, Rich and Grace kiss and share a moment. Grace suggests that they should have sex that night and Rich agrees. Later, the group sit outside together and Matty asks if Alo is sure it's alright if Nick comes over. Alo agrees and suggests that they should call everyone. Rich warns him to think about it but Alo insists that he has.

Later, a large group of people have turned up and a party is in full swing in the farmhouse. Mini arrives and sadly looks on as Nick flirts with a girl. Alo asks her to dance with him, but she turns away. She goes to sit with Franky and spots a guy looking at her. She asks Franky if she is interested but Franky says it is just one of Matty's friends. Mini jokes that Franky wouldn't want Matty to get jealous and says she has seen the way they look at each other. She tells Franky to go for it with him as Liv would do the same. Franky is annoyed and goes over to dance with Matty and Liv. Mini is stuck on the sofa with Rich and Grace, who are kissing. She sees Alo dancing madly and laughs, before going to join him. Meanwhile, the guy Mini spotted earlier comes over to dance with Franky. She tries to push him away but he pushes her back and calls her a "dyke". Franky rushes off as Nick squares up to the guy. Liv goes to find Franky and asks if she is alright, before questioning her about her sexuality. She says no-one cares but people are curious. Franky refuses to answer and Liv accepts that, before taking Franky's hand and kissing it. Franky smiles weakly. However, Liv spots that Alo's parents have returned. Inside, Nick is fighting the guy who hassled Franky. Liv runs in and explains that Owen and Catherine are back. Alo gets up and suggests that they all get naked to show his parents who's boss, but when the partygoers hear that Owen has guns, they all run away. Alo goes outside to face his parents. Owen is shocked and Alo accuses him of being a mouthpiece for Catherine. He asks Owen what he's going to do, but Owen collapses. Alo is shocked and tries to help, but Catherine pushes him away and yells at him to get out of her sight.

Alo arrives at a party being hosted by Nick and Matty. He says hello to Franky, but she heads upstairs. She sees a silhouette of two people kissing in the bathroom and gets closer. The door is ajar and she sees Liv and Matty having sex. Matty opens his eyes and stares at Franky, and she rushes off. Downstairs, Alo is crying and Mini asks if he is alright. He admits that he thinks he has messed everything up and asks when it got so hard. Mini touches his shoulder and advises him that everyone learns to adapt. Alo suggests that she's "actually alright" but leaves to go to Rich's house. When Rich answers the door, Alo reminds him that when they were kids they talked about running away and becoming roadies. However, he notices that Rich is grinning and discovers that he has just had sex with Grace. Rich says it's "awesome" that he and Alo are growing up, but notices that Alo looks tearful. Alo claims that he is just happy for Rich and pretends that what he came to see him about doesn't matter. When Rich shuts the door, he stands there looking sad.

Alo goes to the hospital and sees Dewi outside. Rags appears and Dewi admits that Owen couldn't let Catherine send him away. Dewi explains that Owen has high blood pressure and admits that he has a bad couple of years ahead of him. Dewi reveals that Owen knew he was ill but didn't want to worry Alo. He says he knew Alo would come and drives him home. Alo finds Catherine washing up and asks where Owen is. Catherine claims that he doesn't care and says if he did, he wouldn't have done this to Owen. She accuses him of knowing that Owen was ill, but Alo insists that he didn't because no-one tells him anything. He apologizes and says he is going to try to be better. However, he adds that Catherine needs to try too because she often makes him feel useless. Nevertheless, he promises that he is going to grow up.

The episode ends with Alo going up to the field and approaching the rock he was unable to move before. He ties a rope around it and attaches the rope to his tractor. He is unable to move it, but Owen appears in his pyjamas and offers some advice. Alo manages to pull over the rock. He gets down from the tractor and the pair tell each other: "Nice one."

Music Featured in "Alo"
Note: The music tracks listed below only refer to the music featured in the episode's initial airing. Many of the music tracks featured in this episode have been substituted for alternative tracks for both the UK home media release of Series 5.

Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Borgore - Love

We Bang - Smash the Floor

Akira Kiteshi - Boom N Pow

Zomby - The Forest

The Moondoggies - Undertaker

Harmonic 313 - Dirtbox

Segal - Badman Binman

Chemical Brothers - Another World

Mungo’s Hifi - Ing

Excission/Datsik - Swagga

Atlas Sound - Washington School

i Benji - KCN