I Am A Swede

I hope Rebecca keeps her baby. It would be a welcome addition to the ever-shrinking Sugden family tree, and maybe it could also release Robert from his unfortunate Dingle-association. It's time for the Sugden's to start procreating, and not just die or leave all the time.

You can never have enough older episodes of Emmerdale available, so do put them on Youtube if you can. The Dingles weren't as dominating back then as they have become since, and Tina is a perfect example of a good Dingle. She left and hasn't returned! I'm sorry if I sound like a real grinch with all my moaning about the Dingles and about how everything was better way back then.... I'll try to keep it a bit more to myself in the future. I had a thought, which is really far-fetched and improbable, but since the Dingles have supposedly lived in the area for years and years, I think it could have been a good idea for the show to tie them, however loosely, to a family that had already made an appearance on the show. It's not like they didn't have plenty to choose from. A lot of families appeared very briefly during the years. The Gimble family, the Hotson family, the Tolly family, the Longthorn family, the Fletcher family, the Middleton family..... the possibilities are endless. It wouldn't have made a difference to newer viewers, but I don't think it would have bothered them either, and it might have mattered, even just a little, to more longtime viewers, or even to newer viewers who are interested in the show's history. And it might have made the Dingles a little more tolerable to people like me....

Like cockroaches.....

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.....

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

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.....

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.

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.

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.