mikelyons

19 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

 

Haven't you learned that the only ones this show cares about are the ones named Dingle. The rest are just fillers..... 

 

And yes, Joseph's return has turned into a big fat flop. Not surprising though, since we can't have anyone oppose the all-powerful and mighty Dingle clan now, can we? They must be on top and on the winning side all the time, and anyone who dares to do or say anything against them must be made to see the error of their ways and join the rest in singing their praises....

It’s been a hard lesson to learn, but I’ve learned it.

I’m actually shocked and disheartened by the dramatic shift in tone, style, pacing, and storytelling that has overtaken the show in the last year. There’s so much darkness, zero levity, and it’s insufferable now. 

Probably the thing that has annoyed me the most is how they handled Moira learning about Matty and having trouble coming to terms with the news. Moira’s no saint, but she’s always loved her kids and done the best for them. I was firmly on her side because he lied and avoided her for two years when she needed him the most. 

Wait, so the only non-Dingle or Dingle adjacent person at Robert & Aaron's engagement party is Bernice (who I love)? Diane's in Leeds and Victoria's working? I can't with this show...

I don't care about Graham. Why is he getting flashbacks and a special episode? 

Joe Tate serves zero purpose. He needs to leave town and never return. This storyline has been an epic flop. Without him seeking revenge on Charity, there's nothing remotely interesting or engaging about him.

25 minutes ago, Darn said:

 

Such a gross promo. "The show you didn't think we'd dare do!". Yeah, rape a lesbian. It's the show no one WANTED you to do.

 

Question, how long did Erica have Maddie for?

This is when I turned off All My Children forever. The show crossed the line with Bianca's rape and, for me, never recovered.

What are your initial reactions to Matty? I'm very curious to see how others are reacting to this character and his (potential) story...

If he kills Liv, I'm all for it. She serves no purpose anymore. Aaron's still always fretting after her as is the whole village. "How's Liv? Where's Liv? Is Liv happy? Is Liv drunk? Liv, Liv, Liv..." 

I've always loved Rebecca as a character, but if they refuse to write for her or fix this stupid, insipid brain injury, then let Emily Head go off and do something else. 

I do wish ITV would stop with the hour-long episodes of Emmerdale. 22 minutes is more than enough these days.

On 7/22/2018 at 2:48 AM, I Am A Swede said:

So, did Lachlan kill Rebecca or is he holding her prisoner somewhere?

Who cares? Haha

I'm so angry with Emmerdale that I haven't watched in a week. It's just terrible... Absolutely terrible.

On 7/9/2018 at 10:10 PM, beebs said:

I always loved the final LOL opening, sorry if it's already been posted. Simple but very grand. I could see it having been used, in some variation, for many years had the show kept running.
 

 

This theme is really one of the best, underrated soap openings. It's quiet, majestic, moody, and quite perfect. No huge histrionics, just a beautiful way to introduce a show. The full theme is on my iPhone and I listen to it whenever I need a breather. 

I'm behind in my Emmerdale viewing, but I'm on the fence about this Matty development. Natalie J. Robb (Moira) and Jeff Hordley (Cain) will no doubt rise to the occasion (Matty's debut episode proved that), but I'm just not 100% sold on this story. It's the most interesting thing to happen to the village in a long time and Moira's summation of the past two years was wonderful as Cain was the quiet voice of reason. I suppose it'll be great to see how Victoria, Aaron, Pete, and Ross react to Matty...if the show doesn't fumble it. Will Victoria get a real storyline? New producer, Kate Brooks, did an interview about the storyline so maybe - just maybe - Iain MacLeod's material has finally run its heinous course. 

I have a rare, first-generation VHS copy of Episode #205 of THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS that I'm looking to sell. Episode #205 is notable because it's Jeanne Cooper's debut as Katherine along with the introduction of John Considine as Phillip Chancellor, II. Jill and Kay meet in this episode when Jill solicits Katherine over the phone for a hair appointment which goes horribly wrong because Katherine is "ill". Jill escorts Katherine home and instead of leaving when Theresa, the Chancellor maid, takes Katherine upstairs and makes her "a double", Jill makes herself right at home in the Chancellor living room to wait to Katherine as the episode ends. 

As far as I know, this is the second earliest episode of Y&R in circulation after the first episode. I received this during my days at CBS and am now looking to let it go. I figured this community would be the best home for it... If you have any questions, just send me a private message. More details are below...

Here's the link to the eBay listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/153079336911?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

Did I miss an episode or seven? *sigh* This show...

51 minutes ago, dc11786 said:

I don't think this has shown up here. This material appears to be from January 1980, but some of it may be earlier. It definitely seems to lead up to the final days.

 

This seems to come from Christopher Wyatt who played Joel Stratton, the young law student who was introduced as part of the younger set by Ann Marcus. It's all a nice tangent to the main story (Amy may be Bruce's daughter, Steve has romantic inclinations towards Vanessa). The dialogue is a bit stilted, but I adore the what they are building to in terms of story and character.

 

Anyway, it's a chance to see some of Dana Delany as the deceptive Amy Russell and to get a peek at what the end of "Love of Life" looked like.  

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!!! :-) 

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

Lachlan wasn't interested in any more school - he just started a business with Victoria.

 

Joe is mostly just there now to pine over Debbie, sadly, unless they decide to revive that awful 'feud' with Robert.

 

Lachlan, Joe and Vanessa are and have always been plot devices. How one feels about them depends on how one feels about the actors or the scripts, I guess. I don't really have a problem with Vanessa, I certainly prefer the present stuff to when her sole purpose on the show was to have an affair with a 17-year old, as they reminded us of over and over and over again.

 

Aaron still has the scrapyard (I wish they would get rid of it) but he has been lacking motivation for years, and the show doesn't really even bother now. I guess he will probably end up with another baby soon, if that helps. 

 

This is what Emmerdale has been for most of the last decade so I just either accept it or take a break. I hope it improves but I know it won't.

Oh, yeah. I forgot about Whingles...

Vanessa's only purpose is to fret over Charity. That's it. 

I hope the new producers whip the show into shape. Today's episode (June 11th) was an absolute bore. Doug is acting totally out of character & it's frustrating to watch. The one bright spot was Eric being underhanded and Diane being caught off-guard. The rest? Umm... *sigh*

On 6/10/2018 at 12:16 PM, I Am A Swede said:

Thank you  

The good old days when the Tates ran Home Farm. I guess technically a Tate is in charge at Home Farm again, but Joseph cannot hold a candle to Frank, Kim and the rest....

Nope. He can't. Everything in that synopsis stems from the character, their drives, hopes, ambitions, and that's what makes just that synopsis compelling. Imagine seeing it on your screen six times a week!! Thrilling! 

Now we have a muddy, directionless mess of a show: What does Joe Tate actually want now that he has revenge on Debbie? What's Vanessa's purpose? What is Lachlan's goal besides killing people? Isn't he still in school? Does Aaron have any other life ambitions other than Liv and Robert? And don't get me started on poor, neglected, aimless Victoria Sugden...

6 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

I'd actually been enjoying the show a bit more this week and wondered if it was some new work being phased in. Sorry it's still not working for you.

I've enjoyed the Charity/Ryan stuff this week. Emma Atkins is a wonderful actress and I never tire of seeing her on screen.

My issue with Emmerdale is that there are stray bits which are great, but the whole hasn't been as exciting for me as it once was in the last six to nine months. I do hope the new work is being phased in as the MacLeod's stories fade out.

The Spencer drama just isn't clicking for me (I feel like the actors aren't engaged with it). I'm no fan of Joe Tate and that drama. I wish Debbie would stop crying and do something. BUT I love the chaos Laurel & Bob have wrought on the village which should play out for years to come as it involves legacy characters, their children, and their families. 

Can we report Iain MacLeod to Ofcom for Crimes Against Emmerdale?

If the right producer came along, the Sugdens could move into the fore. Granted, killing a load of Dingles would cause an uproar, but allowing three to five of them to leave the village wouldn't be a loss to the show.

While I do not like or approve of the Bob/Laurel pairing, it will give us years of story especially as Arthur, Cathy, Heath, and Gabby (all legacy characters) come of age scared by Bob & Laurel and act out in turn. 

I just hope the next producer of Emmerdale gets rid of the needless exposition & repetitive scenes which is a hallmark of MacLeod's tenure. 

Sidenote: I thought that Scott Windsor could return to battle Bob for custody of Heath and Cathy, however, he was involved with Debbie, so...yeah...

1 hour ago, I Am A Swede said:

 

Whether Isobel Steele is a strong actor doesn't really matter to me. What does matter however is that Liv, a very recent character, gets story after story while legacy character Victoria Sugden languishes in the background. Same with Belle, she gets story after story after story. But at least she's more of a core character than Liv.

Liv's alcoholism story for instance could easily have been given to Victoria. After everything she's been through in her life it wouldn't have been at all unthinkable for her to turn to alcohol after she suffered yet another blow when Adam left the village. But no, let's give another story to Liv instead. I have no proof of course that her being related to a Dingle is the reason for that, but that's my belief.

 

And the Dingle's may not be as dominating as they have been, but they still get the major storylines on the show. If not all then at least the vast majority of the big stories on the show the last decade or so have involved a Dingle, usually Cain, Charity, Debbie or Aaron.

+1,000

@I Am A Swede You've pretty much nailed it as to why I want a story for Victoria versus endless stories for and about Liv. Victoria is a legacy character whose family is in the first episode of the show. Give her a story. Now.

I have no problems with Isobel Steele as an actress. She's done a remarkable job during her time on the show. I can't stand the character and wouldn't shed a single tear if Liv left tomorrow. 

The May 29th episode about Charity's baby was quite wonderful. I just wish Iain MacLeod spent more time on daily episodes as he does to his special and/or event episodes. McLeod should be in primetime, not on a daily soap. Have fun with him, Coronation Street viewers!

13 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

@mikelyons, you can go ahead and spoil that my beloved Mike Parr is leaving the show. It's been all over the press this past week.  It has been written on the wall for the longest too. This show has never figured out what to do with Ross since they killed off Donna and tossed him into Debbie's orbit. 

 

 

I didn't want to ruin it. I saw it on Mike Parr's Instagram page and was not thrilled to read it. He's been an asset to the show from the day he carjacked Laurel with Leo inside to us discovering he was Moira's nephew and all of the great stuff that has been Ross. But you're 100% right; they haven't known what to do with him since Donna died. When was the last time he had a scene with April? They had a nice little friendship post-Donna which hasn't been acknowledged in years. 

This show is driving me absolutely batty. They ended May 28th's show the same way May 25th's show with Debbie crying in the hospital. I mean, come on! 

It's endless exposition and nothing is happening that doesn't involve a Dingle. There are WAY TOO many Dingles cluttering up the show and now everyone is tied to them. This show is meant to be about a village, not one family.

As much as I like Debbie, I'm finding her current iteration unpalatable at every turn. Joe Tate is a dud and needs to go because Ned Porteous is a weak actor who can't hack it. (And, apparently, a very strong actor is leaving the show, but I won't spoil it.)

I like Chas, but she serves no purpose anymore and should leave the village with Paddy, Liv, and Aaron in tow. Aaron's one of my favorite characters, but everything, since the Gordon story ended, has made him a sanctimonious bore who frets over Liv and Robert at every instance.

And, for the love of soaps, can they give Rebecca her memory back and get Lachlan off the show?

The current Spencer "story" is an insult to the actors who have to play it every day. 

Victoria-freaking-Sugden needs a story!

Belle needs to be rescued from the story hell they've kept her in since Jermaine left the village.

As much as I loathe the Laurel & Bob pairing because of its sloppy execution, it's a nice jolt to the fabric of the show using existing characters with deep histories which should affect them well into the future. However, it feels as if the real ramifications aren't being played up in every scene because the writers seem to be going for "big moments" instead of the day-to-day minutiae which makes soaps tick and cause us to care about the characters. However, now that Arthur has exploded at Bob and Brenda has developed a backbone, this story could correct itself.

Emmerdale has veered so far off course, the only thing to do (in my opinion) is to start again. They should throw out the storylines and scripts for the next few months, hit "reset", and let new stories flow from character. Maybe Diane spots Charlie in Portugal while visiting Paul and she goes on a hunt for him which throws her relationship with Doug into crisis as Eric helps her along the way and their past is thrust to the fore. I dunno... Just do something. I guess I'll keep enjoying Hollyoaks (who would've guessed???) and watching Emmerdale out of habit. 

7 hours ago, I Am A Swede said:

Are we supposed to feel sorry for Debbie now that she's been shot? Because I don't.  

It's just a pathetic attempt to make us pity her before she owned up to her part in the acid attack on Ross. I can't say that I'm surprised though.

I wonder what sorry stunt they will use to make Cain look better before his involvement is revealed.

And will Ross find out that Moira knew the truth and failed to tell him.....

No, you're not. She should've been shot. It was a sloppy way to shoot her, but I'm glad they did it!

Gerry's uncle Terry?  Come on. Seriously?

39 minutes ago, MichaelGL said:

The show is a mess. 

+1,000,000

The Spencer family have been wasted and gutted. Why kill Ali when she hasn't been on the show in years? Did she even come back for Ruby's funeral or was that off-camera? I can't remember. The Daz/Dan storyline is tepid, boring, and a waste of time for the actors involved.

I was no great fan of Gerry, but he was a breath of fresh air on the show. Had they paired him with someone other than Liv - or even played up his attraction to older women by pairing him with Bernice - he may have stood a chance.

Everything being about Liv is fast becoming exhausting. "Liv, Liv, Liv, Liv..." I don't get it or the producers' fascination with her. She's destroyed so many characters in the process and, quite frankly, serves no purpose on the show. They'd be better off bringing back Dee Dee, who's a legacy character and not in the Dingles' orbit!

I've always hated SORASing on soaps. Always. It makes the past irrelevant, creates too many plot holes for established characters, and rarely serves a good purpose except to bring in the "teen set". To me, SORASing is the definition of lazy writing and most soap writers (including the greats) are guilty of it.

What are your favorite GOOD, BAD, and UGLY case of SORASing over the years?

Good: NONE

Bad: Phillip Chancellor, III. Even though he was born on-screen in 1976 and returned as a teen in 1986, Phillip's return re-ignited the feud between Kay and Jill, paired him with Nina, spawned the wonderful feud of Jill & Nina with Kay siding with Nina, and gave him a wonderful death (which never should've happened and was retconned anyway). 

Ugly: Y&R is the worst culprit in my book of SORASing. Victoria, Nick, Billy, Daniel Colleen, Reed, Summer, Abby, Lily, Kyle, etc... Ugh. I think SORASing Billy Abbot & Lily Winters on Y&R threw the show out of whack. She was suddenly older than Cassie (who was six when Lily was born!), and old as Colleen, Nate, and Daniel (who were all born between 1992-1993). It's long been rumored that Nate won't come back to Y&R because he'd be too old to play against characters who should be his peers because of the way the show was handled SORASing; he'd probably be the same age as Paul at this point. Billy Abbott probably the worst case of SORASing due to the fact he's supposed to the same age as Cassie, Colleen, Nate, and Daniel, but he's a pushing well past middle age - the whole thing makes my head hurt.

15 hours ago, amybrickwallace said:

LOL aired its final episode on February 1, 1980...so you won't find many episodes of the show from that decade.

Yes, I'm aware of that. It was a typo on my end.

I've enjoyed the episodes of Love of Life I've seen online from its first few years through the end of its run. Are there any other episodes from the mid-70s through the 80s? Their last opening title sequence is divine.