Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[Bright Eyes]

Elliott is the one from Shameless. I like him, but I chose the avatar more for the short film it represents called Protect Me from What I Want. It was on dailymotion when I watched it a few months ago. You should check it out if you can find it.

The Daz thing annoys me, too. The character last year was Dan's brother, played by Mark Jordon, who was awful. The sad thing about Ali is that the actress is great, but she's stuck with such a lifeless character. Being with wooden, charmisma-less Ruby doesn't help at all. Neither did the nonsensical one night stand with Dan story that didn't amount to anything.

Rakesh was in the second episode tonight.

[DRW50]

Thanks. I was asking because I thought I read something about him being charged with something - maybe I misread it.

I think I've heard of that film. Haven't seen it.

Someone was saying that Dan and Ali were mostly presented as the couple in this episode (with the Rachel story). I'd say maybe the show was heading there but I guess since they just had her marry Ruby last month, maybe not.

Have you been reading any spoilers for the Aaron/Robert/Katie/etc. story?

[Ben]

Rakesh gave Jai half of the money to pay Josh and get "his son" back. Rakesh pointed out that if they call the police, he could be done as an accomplice to child trafficking or child abduction. They are all up to their necks in a whole heap of trouble.

Gotta say, I never saw this twist coming, and it was awesome. Never has a soap literally shocked and surprised me in a very long time. One of the brilliant things about this is that I'm sure they used the same child actor who played Archie when he left for the same kid that Jai "brought", so for the viewers, it was the real Archie and no-one ever suspected a thing. For the first time in 2 years, Jai, Megan and co are finally involved in a story that has captured my interest. I did feel a tiny bit sad for Jai when he realized that he didn't have his son all along, but that quickly disappeared the moment he decided he didn't care about Fake Archie; at least Megan had the sense to remind him that he's just a kid and needs them. I get the feeling Megan will want to hold on to Fake Archie for as long as she can.

They already went there with Ali/Dan months ago. They had a ONS, Ruby found out, dumped her, then married her a few weeks later. I don't think Kerry has forgiven Ali, yet.

Are you looking for spoilers about the Aaron/Robert/Katie story, Carl?

[Bright Eyes]

Carl, I try my best to stay away from story spoilers as much as I can. Watching the shows (I watch all 4, plus Shorty) are much more fun that way, especially brilliant Emmerdale.

[DRW50]

No, Ben, I already read them.

Thanks for the recaps. I guess I should go look for some of these episodes (it's hard to find a lot of Emmerdale stuff from the last few years). Not sure I really want to yet, in case I tune out again.

I mostly end up watching clips so it's tough to get back into a full episode format. For instance, I have no idea what Jimmy and Nicola are doing...(still not a huge total fan of that pairing, although it could be much worse)

I wish James was a more dynamic character.

Edited January 23, 2015 by DRW50

[Ben]

Nicola got pregnant last month, only to discover she had a rare-ish condition - I forget what it was called, but it meant there was no baby, more like an empty shell had formed which meant the pregnancy would not progress. She wanted to try for another baby straight away, but has since been unable to sleep with Jimmy. She's just realized that she has no desire to have sex at all.

James is a failure. I don't know if it's the character or Bill Ward's acting choices, but something has gone wrong. It's quite odd thinking that he's related to John, who was much more of a charismatic character than dull James.

On another note, Megan has just run off with Fake Archie. I wonder where they're going with this story?

[DRW50]

I wonder if she's going to name him Robbie... (then again she wasn't that close to Robbie was she?).

I keep seeing people say her relationship with Declan was incestuous. Did you get that vibe?

I mostly prefer Nicola when she's comedically spitting venom at people but I'll have to check some of that out.

Remember when she and David were plotting to kill The Valeyard? It's hardly the same characters now.

(I wish they'd order Matthew Wolfenden not to shave his head)

What did you think of his story with Priya?

Edited January 23, 2015 by DRW50

[Ben]

For Robbie, Megan was probably his closest relationship, and they shared some lovely moments; both would have protected each other, even though they acted like they hated one another at times. It was frustrating in their last year, b/c Megan acted like Robbie didn't exist for months, due to the PTB forgetting about them.

You could feel that Declan and Megan loved each other a little too much, like it would at times step over the line and fall into something more creepy. They both had each other's backs, and were super loyal to one another to the point of extreme; at one point, all they had was each other, and their closeness was unbreakable, no matter what either of them did to others or each other. I don't think the incestous vibe was intentional, just something that came about from the actors that the writers picked up on. Declan and Megan's last scene together was of him kissing her on the lips, before going underground (nothing passionate, but enough for it to be a bit odd for siblings).

Nicola in full on bitch mode is awesome, but she's been toned down a bit over the last few years. She can still deliver the odd acid tongued quip when she needs to. Her and Jimmy are really good with the comedy, too.

I wasn't watching during that period with the Valeyard. What was that all about.

ITA about David and the buzz cut. He suits it longer and more styled, something that suits the character, IMO.

I'm a David/Alicia fan, and knew they would eventually get together during the whole Priya saga. I think his pairing with Priya was quite frustrating b/c David was only with Priya b/c he thought Alicia didn't love him; it all hinged on communication errors and pridefulness from both parties who didn't want to admit their feelings to each another (this part of the story seemed to drag on for months). Priya's character wasn't that sympathetic then, so I think it really helped her character when she developed anorexia while pregnant, as it enabled viewers to see her vulnerable side and flesh the character out a bit. In the end, Priya suits Rakesh more than she did David.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Ben

[DRW50]

Sorry, I was just joking about his Doctor Who character. I meant Donald de Souza. Nicola and David were going to try to kill him for his money (they didn't have the nerve to go through with it).

I still wish the show had done more with Anna de Souza. I liked her a lot, as well as her relationship with Matthew.

Do David and Nicola even interact now?

This reminds me of how angry I still am over what happened with Viv.

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(thank goodness he cut that Owen Wilson hair)

I still miss Jasmine too. At least Jenna Coleman has kind words.

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/jenna-coleman-doctor-who/#_

Donald's last days.

Edited January 25, 2015 by DRW50

[Bright Eyes]

They've mentioned their (David/Nicola) previous relationship from time to time. As someone who came into the show after their relationship, it's not really something that makes sense to me at all. They don't seem even remotely suited for who they are now. When I first heard about it, I pulled one of these

Edited January 25, 2015 by Bright Eyes

[DRW50]

It never made a lot of sense to me either, although they were mostly written as bumbling schemers at that point. I think it ended once and for all when she had sex with Jimmy (I still can't believe they've been together 5-6 years...).

It's hard to believe Nicola was a flat out bitch and Bernice was her foil and semi-comedic central heroine.

Edited January 25, 2015 by DRW50

[Bright Eyes]

They are one of my favourite soap couples. Both Nicola and Jimmy have totally evolved beyond their original purposes. They are one of the cornerstone couples and bring a lot of heart to the show. One of those risks that have exceeded expectation. Other shows would have probably gotten rid of both of them by now, but I love that Emmerdale has molded them into this new awesome creation. Nicola and Bernice's relationship is also something to be proud of as a viewer.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Bright Eyes

[I Am A Swede]

I loved the scene where Laurel exposed Nicola's lie about her and Ivan in front of the whole Woolpack.

Found it on Youtube!

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Edited January 25, 2015 by I Am A Swede

[DRW50]

Emmerdale really knew how to do exits back then (and they had quite a few - Cain/Sadie/Nicola all around the same time, with Tom dead by the end of the year).

I'd forgotten about that guy and his annoying mother. I think Nicola loved him a lot until their relationship fell apart.

Ivan is one of the few bi characters in soaps, and was an odd fit for the show as well as for Paul. He'd probably fit in more now. I remember they had him and the other guy stay around for a few more months but nothing came of it and they moved to Spain or something.

[Bright Eyes]

Ivan (Daniel Brocklebank) is now on Corrie in what I can only hope is an exit story for Sean.

Those kind of scenes usually make me squirm (as this one did) where one character goes around the room like a pitbull. It rarely comes off natural and just ends up being cringe worthy for me.