I Am A Swede

8 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

Very true, but at the rate this show is going, the Bartons aren't too far behind. Sucks b/c the family that needs to be plucked off (the Dingles that is) keep multiplying. 

Like cockroaches..... 

7 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 We don't need yet another Barton death. That poor family gets killed off more than anyone.

I think the Sugden family still has the upper hand in that department.

I'm relieved that it wasn't the New Zealand government which said that about hundreds, because I too felt that it sounded like a very low number.....

33 minutes ago, YRBB said:

 

I did NOT expect Anna Vissi to show up here!

And I did not expect anyone here to know who Anna Vissi is!  

On 2017-04-09 at 10:51 PM, DRW50 said:

@I Am A Swede did you watch Ashley's final episode? What did you think of it? I would have made a few changes but I thought they got the main part (Ashley's death and Laurel's final moments with him) just right. It was what I wanted. 

Yes, I watched it, and as I expected it was a tear-jerker. Charlotte Bellamy was great, as she always is. I hope that the people in charge realize what a gem they have in her and don't sideline her now that Ashley is gone. Frankly she is one of the few things that entices me to keep watching.

I would also love it if they could/would give Bernice something substantial to do. Samantha Giles is so underutilized.

On another note I would like to offer my opinion on the Cain/Harriet development.....

7 hours ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 I'm sick of Dingles clogging up the show.

I found this episode on the same channel as the episodes posted above. It takes place right after the car crash in which Matt's twins were killed. It's an absolutely devastating episode that breaks your heart. 

Thank you!

I've almost lost interest in the current show, but watching old episodes is always wonderful.  

11 hours ago, GregNYC said:

Swedish Democrats: Trump Is Right, Sweden’s Embrace of Refugees Isn’t Working

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/23/sweden-democrats-trump-was-right.html

 

Per Jimmie Akesson and Mattias Karlsson, both leaders of the Sweden Democrats, penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Wednesday supporting Trump’s characterization of a Muslim immigrant-led crime crisis in Sweden.

 

“Mr. Trump did not exaggerate Sweden’s current problems,” Akesson and Karlsson wrote. “If anything, he understated them.”

Some Swedish politicians openly derided Trump’s portrayal of the country – but riots in a heavily immigrant suburb of Stockholm on Monday evening put an end to most of the mockery.

 

“Riots and social unrest have become a part of everyday life,” Akesson and Karlsson wrote. “Police officers, firefighters and ambulance personnel are regularly attacked. Serious riots in 2013, involving many suburbs with large immigrant populations, lasted for almost a week. Gang violence is booming. Despite very strict firearms laws, gun violence is five times as common in Sweden, in total, as in the capital cities of our three Nordic neighbors combined.”

They added: “Anti-Semitism has risen. Jews in Malmo are threatened, harassed and assaulted in the streets. Many have left the city, becoming internal refugees in their country of birth.”

 

“For the sake of the American people,” Akesson and Karlsson wrote, “with whom we share so many strong historical and cultural ties, we can only hope that the leaders in Washington won’t make the same mistakes that our socialist and liberal politicians did.”

Of course they would write something like that. They represent a party which has its roots in neonazism! They believe that everything that is wrong with society today is because of immigration. These statements from Trump are like Christmas and birthday presents at the same time for them.

1 hour ago, Wales2004 said:

Do they smoke hallucinogens in the White House or do these people just like making up fake terrorist attacks?

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/swedes-baffled-by-trumps-suggestion-of-major-incident/

It's hilarious! At first I wondered if I had missed something, but then I remembered that the statement came from Trump.....  

I don't really mind the story with Pierce and Rhona, or I wouldn't have minded it if I didn't fear that the end result will be that Rhona takes Paddy back. The story itself is well done, they've taken their time with it and built it up slowly. I just hate the idea that all that good work will be wasted on a Paddy/Rhona reunion. Just because Pierce turns out to be a creep doesn't mean that Rhona should take Paddy back.

As for Debbie's story it falls flat for me because I just cannot muster up any sympathy for her. Every time they try to make us feel bad for Debbie because her child is ill I can't help but think of Gennie lying dead beside her wrecked car, and of Molly having to grow up without her mother. I know that Debbie didn't actually kill Gennie, but I can't shake off her involvement.

It doesn't help either that Charley Webb is a rather hard and cold actress, at least to me. She can't portray the softness and vulnerability that would make me care about Debbie, and make her a leading lady on the show. I could name any number of characters, past and present, that would work in a story like this: Laurel, Rhona, Leyla, Katie, Donna, Zoe, Rachel, Kathy, Sarah, Sandie, Dolly.

It's a struggle right now to remain interested in the show. I suspected this would happen as soon as Debbie returned, because I knew that as soon as she was back the show would become even more Dingle-centric than usual. And what do you know, it's not enough that Debbie immediately begins monopolizing the show, they add yet another Dingle to the cast...... 

All that, and the destruction of Pierce to pave the way for a reunion between Paddy and Rhona, makes it hard to enjoy much of the show right now.

The only thing that's keeping me interested is Ashley's story. While it's sad I can't stop watching, because I just know that Charlotte Bellamy will act the hell out of it. I hope that they don't sideline Laurel when Ashley's gone, because she's their best asset.

3 hours ago, Adamski said:

Are we meant to feel sorry for Zak now that he's guilt-ridden and in danger of misplacing his marbles again? Well, I feel nothing. He treated Joanie abysmally and I was cheering Kerry on during her eulogy. 

I'm surprised that at the wake, Belle didn't reminisce about all the good times, like when she spat in Joanie's face. Uggh, that family!

Hallelujah and Amen!! 

Everytime I think I couldn't possibly dislike that family any more than I already do they find a way to prove me wrong. 

I actually agree with you about both Cain and Charity. I think they've managed to bring out a more human side in Cain this time around compared to his first stint, whereas Charity was much more complex the first time around.

The Youtube-channel which contains the lovely 1985 episode you posted recently also has some interesting behind-the-scenes stuff. Of course it was far to heavy on the more recent material, but it was still nice to watch. In one of those they talked about the Dingles and they appear to be very popular with the writers, at least those who appeared in the clips, so I guess we're stuck with them....      (The fact that they've been around since 1994 should perhaps already have convinced me of that, but as they say, hope springs eternal.....  )