Soooooooooooooo, a long-time poster on this board has suggested that, since there are so many new members lately, and since people always seem to have questions about the passage of time on Bad Girls, and since the answer to all of these questions is already on this board--but in a thread with a cryptic name--that it might be interesting/useful to re-post this S1-3 timeline in its own thread, with a more accurate title, so that anyone and everyone can find it when they have some annoying little timeline question bugging them.

I won't review the background on which this timeline is based. You can go here
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Nikki_and_Helen...p?showtopic=190
if you want to read the (lit'rally) months and months of viewing with a fine-toothed comb which was required to piece this together. Not every single clue fits the puzzle, but the majority of timeline references point towards the following timeline for S1-3. The original question which led to the timeline was: How long did Nikki spend in prison?

Nov '96: Nikki is sentenced
May '97: Nikki enters Larkhall
Jan '99: S1E2--Zandra and Monica's Arrival
Feb '99: S1E3--Crystal's arrival, S1E4--Zandra's "Abortion"
Mar '99: S1E4--Trish dumps Nikki, S1E5--Nikki attacks Shell
May '99: S1E7--Nikki moves to enhanced
Jun '99: S1E8--Spencer dies
Jul '99: S1E10--Monica is released
Aug '99: S2E1--Zandra gives birth, Helen's return
Nov/Dec '99: S2E5--Mad Tessa's Arrival
Dec '99/Jan '00: S2E6--Helen's visit, Crystal 1 month from release
Feb '00: S2E7--Helen starts as Lifer's Liaison at Larkhall, Charlie is arrested, S2E8--Crystal's original release, Zandra's death
Apr '00: S2E13--Crystal's release, Nikki's escape
Aug '00: S3E5--Charlie's Trial, Nikki gets a witness
Sep '00: S3E6--Pam Jolly on G-Wing, Fenner attacks Helen
Oct '00: S3E7--documentary film crew, S3E8--Shell and Denny torture Sylvia and escape to Spain, S3E9--Charlotte Myddleton arrives, Josh starts as a PO, Crystal returns to Larkhall , S3E10--Nikki's appeal is granted, Crystal & Josh get married, Peckham girls arrive
Nov '00: S3E11--Femi arrives, riot begins, S3E12--riot ends, Nikki and Caroline get together, S3E13--Julies released and re-arrested, Helen & Thomas start flirting, S3E14--Helen gets together with Thomas, S3E15--Nikki finds out about Thomas, Helen catches Fenner, S3E16--Helen resigns, Nikki wins her appeal

Conclusion: Counting from the date she entered Larkhall, Nikki was in prison from May '97 through November '00, a total of 3 1/2 years. If you count it from her sentencing in November '96, she was in jail a total of 4 years.

Some interesting other timeline tidbits to note:
1. Helen and Nikki were only broken up for about a month (from the riot til Nikki is freed on appeal).
2. Crystal starts telling people she's pregnant when she's only 4 or 5 weeks pregnant (that's a no-no where I'm from)
3. Its only 2 months or so between Fenner's assault on Helen and her resignation
4. Its only 6 months between the night Helen and Nikki slept together and when Nikki is freed and they get back together
5. Helen and Thomas are only "together" for a few weeks. Like, less than three. They had a few weeks of flirtation before that, but that's all....
6. It appears Helen only worked at Larkhall for about 2 years total--and got two promotions in that time! You go girl!

Thanks for tuning in, folks. :)

PS I don't reccomend trying to piece together any sort of timeline after S3. By S4 they've lost all sense of chronology. Its enough to make your head spin, and not in a good way.

Long live the timeline! :clap

Thanks, and I love the addition of timeline related trivia at the end.

Cheers,
Flutur

I've got a good entry suggestion for the timeline. In S1 Ep 7, I remember the scene where Shell pretends to be concerned for Zandra (when she really wants her tranquillizers) & says to Crystal that she's 7 mths pregnant.

Are you sure about this? Can you write in the dialogue? Because if this is the case it would require a slight adjustment of the timeline....

SHELL: (Addressing the girl on the top bunk) Marie innit?
MARIE: Yeah.
SHELL: Piss off Marie. (Marie leaves) Crystal, any chance of you strummin’ that thing somewhere else? (Crystal continues playing and singing) Oh for God’s sake put a soddin’ sock in it will ya.
CRYSTAL: This is my cell. You don’t order me around in my cell, you understand?
SHELL: Crystal, you got me all wrong. Can I have a word?
CRYSTAL: What about?
SHELL: Look at her. (Points to Zandra on the bed) All the girls is worried sick about Zandra. Takin’ all them jellies and her nearly seven months pregnant.

Thanks! But the good news is the word "nearly." That's what makes it fit in with the timeline above. This line takes place in May '99 (S1E7), and Zandra gives birth in Aug '99 (S2E1) which is somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 months later (depending on what time of month etc).

Thank heavens for the "nearly", our poor Abzug would've needed jellies herself if it'd thrown things outta whack! ;)

Yeah, no kidding! This timeline is a very tenuous business. A bit of a house of cards, if you will. So no breathing hard on it or anything like that, ok?

So how long can we realistically say H/N were together for or had some sort of relationship for?

Well I think they were a definitive item when Helen visited. So let's say Dec '99. And then they broke up after Nikki's escape, so April '00. So say 4-5 months. But then Helen said there was still hope for a future, so I think they were still classed as an item up until Nov '00, after the riot. So all in all, from Helen's visit to the riot, 11 months. And then of course they got back together a few weeks later.

Sep '99 through Apr '00 was Shit Happens through the breakup the night of Nikki's escape = 8 months (mostly long-distance, letter-writing)

Apr '00 through Nov '00 was the breakup through the Break Up (ie the riot), during which time they were still "together" in a way, but platonic = 7 months

So I'd count that as 15 months, although one could argue that it should be as Lisa indicated, counting from Helen's visit, not from Shit Happens, which would be 11 months as she said. The reason I like the 15 month idea better is because then it means the "happy" part of their relationship was 8 months long, rather than 4 months.

Yes you could say that, but I think they actually became a couple in between Helen's resignation and her visit. Through the letters they sent each other during that time, they both obviously established the relationship they had with the other.

In "Shit Happens", Helen left telling Nikki that it would be too difficult for her to visit. Helen left leaving Nikki to think she'd never see her again. So I don't think we can clarify this as the beginning of their relationship. This episode is simply the point in which Helen admits her feelings towards Nikki and takes that little bit of responsibility for them.

But in S2Ep6 ("Losing It"?), they can be seen as a couple because Helen visits, totally abandoning her theory of it being too difficult. And they're both happy to see each other, saying that they've missed each other.

So I'd say it was somewhere between ep2 and ep6 (September and December '99) in which they became a dignified couple.

So we could assume Helen started to work at Larkhall late '98.

Oh, I completely agree. But since the first letter from Helen arrives mere days after Shit Happens, that makes me consider their relationship to have begun in Sep rather than Dec. Whether them becoming a couple happened in the first letter or the last letter is (sadly) impossible for us to know. Although you can always click here to read my take on it. ;)
http://z4.invisionfree.com/Nikki_and_Helen...p?showtopic=390

Yeah, Nov or Dec I would say. She hasn't been at Larkhall long before Zandra and Monica arrive, but its hard to know exactly when the first ep takes place--ie we don't know how long after the fashion show Zandra and Monica arrive, but I assume its not long, because Helen is still adjusting to the new job, Fenner etc.

Being as it's merely days, I would agree that them becoming a couple is nearer September than December. I personally thought that the first letter gave Nikki hope that she would see Helen again, and then maybe the second one confirmed the relationship. But as you say, we will never really know.

I "nearly" pissed myself laughing after reading this, first thing this morning.
Sorry abzug for "nearly" causing heart failure - so to speak!!

I don't know if this changes anything in regards to the timeline, but in S1Ep6, Shell asks Zandra how far gone she is. And Zandra says so many months, but I can't remember what she says.

Well Lisa289, that will please abzug even more, because she says 6 months! Which suggests that Shell is possibly pushing things along a bit in Ep 7 to make a point. So never fear abzug, I have every confidence that your timeline will stand up to the occasional bit of heavy breathing, as people continue to pore over it! :D

Thanks for that, I just couldn't for the life of me remember what Zandra's answer was!!

Wow, was it really 6 months from Oh what a Night till the release???

Yup, it really is. Six months of heartache!

Hey, if anyone wants all the supporting details laid out nice and clean, you can visit the Bad Girls Annex:
http://www.badgirlsannex.com/Timeline.htm
Everything's all footnoted with evidence from the episodes, so it's perhaps a bit more persuasive, and might answer any questions which pop up, which of course, they do, because Larkhall time is like no other time.

Question, did Thomas end it with Helen the night before Nikki's verdict?

S3E16 takes place over three days:
1. The day Helen resigns
2. The day where Helen and Thomas have dinner (it's her first day of freedom, they talk about that a bit), which if I recall correctly, is also the first day of Nikki's appeal
3. The second (and final) day of Nikki's appeal

So, the answer is yes.

Why must I torture myself so?

In rereading the timeline (I know I know, abzug, step away from the timeline) I saw some fuzziness in the time between S3E6 and S3E7/S3E8. There's no real connection I can remember which places S3E6 (the Pam Jolly episode) in relation to the other episodes before and after, other than one thing:

When Helen and Thomas are about to make out in his livingroom (S3E14), he refers to "these past couple months" to describe how he's felt differently since he's known her.

This sort of fits with the timeline, in that S3E14 happens in Nov '00, and S3E6 happens in Sep '00, but I'm not completely satisfied. Because I could just as easily argue that everything should be pushed back so that S3E14 falls in Dec '00. I know a month doesn't seem like such a big deal, but I'm kind of bothered by this, and I'm thinking I need to fix up that ending section, the S3E7 - S3E16 stretch, so that it flows into Dec '00.

Thoughts? JAMBF? Anyone?

After looking over the edge into an abyss, I regained my balance when I recalled that S3E7 begins directly (a day or two) after S3E6 ends, because S3E6 ends with Fenner sexually assaulting Helen, and S3E7 begins with Fenner trying to apologize and Helen figuring out what to do about it. Phewwwwwwwwwww.

Well, I think because I wasn't watching it while it aired, I could be way off base. It did strike me, as a bit off to attribute more than four episodes to the same month. Even other shows with convoluted timelines, if they air once a week, they generally mean to imply that at minimum a week has passed per episode.

In addition, while I'm sure it doesn't help at all to say the following, because there are a lot of things we don't know.
We don't know:
- If Thomas's two months refer to
-- from when he met Helen, in episode 6,
---It is easy to assume he was smitten from their initial meeting
----the statement is in hindsight, so it's fair to say he simply counts it from when he met her.
-- or if he's refering to when he started being the new doctor. (I'll admit it is unlikely, but I haven't been studying the timeline)
---Either from when he had reason to apply or was offered the position, would be when Helen would have started having a real affect on his life.
---Are we to assume that Thomas started working at Larkhall, on a permanent, rather than referal basis, in Episode 7,
----even though we don't see him again, until Episode 10?

In conclusion, I could see the timeline being valid either moved, as you suggest or left as it is, in the absence of additional evidence.

This isn't really a timeline question but some elements might bear, so I'm putting it here rather than started a new thread.

H encourages N to look into taking OU courses. Nikki does. After 2 1/2 years (our time) and... um, Abzug...? approximately the same time in LarkhallLand, near as I can tell?!--Nikki takes a test.

What's the test? That's sufficient time to complete a junior-college degree in the US, or something more if you're taking accelerated courses. We've no idea of Nikki's courseload, and I personally have no idea of what kinds of degrees the OU offers. Is 1 single test sufficient to "pass"... something? more than 1 course, presumably--but would it be just a written for the equivalent of a Master's degree, say?

Can someone help me out here?


Additional question: Nikki takes her test in a room with others. Is it possible they're not all OU students, ie several different organizations coordinate with the criminal justice system & send out proctors for various tests on an annual or semi-annual basis, thus the people we see taking tests are in fact taking a variety...? Again, with the me-not-knowing how things work over there, especially to this level of detail.

Even if we can't figure it out, it does seem as if this indicates Helen's made real progress in terms of motivating others, not just Nikki, to pursue some additional studies.

Hi ekny,

The Open University isn't something I've really looked into, as I'm not planning on studying from home after college. But I thought you might find the website useful :

http://www.open.ac.uk/

Well OU courses are distance learning courses ..... more usually home study .... but I guess you might also do them through work. You may on occasion have to attend tutorials (depending on the subject) but the final exam(s) are held at regional centres and overseen by invigilators. Didn't think you got intermediate exams ... but not sure.

Qualifications vary depending on the course ... diploma, certificate(?), degree and I think doctorate as well. Degrees are treated as equivalent to university degrees (which is not always the case for different places of study)

Think you work at your own pace (doesn't have to be accelerated) and time also depends on the qualification. Read somewhere(?) that a degree with honours generally takes about 6 years .... so a bit longer than the 4 years at Scottish universities (3 in England?). So seems more likely that Nikki did a certificate or a diploma. Was diploma not mentioned in the script somewhere? Hmmm ... not sure. Think you can do a full-time diploma course at college in a couple of years (3 at a Scottish uni).

Can't say if everyone is an OU student in the exam ... seems highly unlikely that everyone happens to be doing OU exams at the same time. And also seems unlikely that the time for each exam would be the same for each person ....

Not sure if this helps ....

ETA - I don't think you can do a Master's degree if you don't have a first degree. I think you need one in a related subject. So I don't think Nikki did a Masters degree.

It was implied that she also did one in S1Ep10 ... Helen: "Now, it's about your exam. I'll arrange for an invigilator to come in." Nikki: "Thought you were giving up in taking an interest in me miss." ... either that or Helen took a heck of a time to get round to organising it! :lol:

I had always assumed that Nikki took multiple courses, and had a final exam at the end of each course. So I never assumed that the exam we see her take at the end of S3 represents a degree, just a final exam for a specific course. There's no reason to think Nikki actually got any degree or certificate at all, actually.

My impression was that whatever exam N was taking at the end of S3 was somehow a bigger deal that the one Cassandra previously noted, but w/o going back to get a sense of the whole thing in that ep, I can't be sure. I had a sense of Final Things happening, but perhaps that was just on account of it being end of series. And I agree w/C's observation that it seems highly unlikely all those women are taking OU tests, which is interesting; certainly in the US, you usually have proctors for standardized tests that are paid to, well, invigilate: but it's by a specific company running the tests, so it's usually for if not 1 test, then a bunch of tests for accountants, or real-estate people, or whatever. So it does seem strange that 1 or maybe 2 invigilators would handle a whole bevy of tests for everything under the sun... except this is a prison-setting which quite possibly changes everything.

I had looked at the OU's site previously, I know they're well-regarded, but still wasn't clear on degrees, equivalencies, all that. Dunno that I'm *that* much clearer now, but it seems as I suspected we just don't have quite enough data. Thanks anyway. :) Was just wonderin'.

I think it was cuz it was the end of the series. :-) The only reason the writers showed us her taking the exam was to remind us about Nikki's education (which hadn't been touched on for quite a while, but was going to be mentioned in her speech in the finale, so they had to show us she was still doing it), and to give an opportunity for Fenner to break the news about Thomas to Nikki. But I don't think there was any objective indication that this exam was any more significant than any final exam.

I had a quick look at the OU website. Assuming it hasn't changed too much in the last 8 years (which may be a big assumption), the lowest qualification you can do is 'certificate' and is made up of a number of different modules. All the ones I looked at involved sending assignments instead of exams. None of the subjects on offer included English ... unless I missed it.

The lowest English courses on offer seemed to be at degree level and included "English Language" and/or "Literature". These involved taking a number of different modules, each with its own exam. Not something you could easily complete in a couple of years I suspect. Then again Nikki was supposedly to be in for at least another ten years.

So I'm now thinking that Nikki has completed a couple of modules and sat the relevant exams .... but has not actually finished her course ... which I think was what abzug said earlier.