Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[I Am A Swede]

As far as I can remember the land was the same, but the original farm house had to be deserted due to subsidence in the early 1990s (I would say 1992-93 or thereabouts). At that time the family moved to Hawthorn Cottage, the house that first Matt and Peggy, and then Joe and Christine lived in. But to please Annie they renamed it Emmerdale Farm. But sometime in the early 2000s Jack had to sell up due to money issues. They then moved into a cottage in the village. 

Edited July 15, 2024 by I Am A Swede

[DRW50]

Thanks. 

Yes, after Sarah died and Jack went on trial for her murder, they lost what little they had left. Robert tried to keep the farm for them by pushing Jack to allow cell towers on the land, or something, but Viv and others raised hell and it didn't happen.

[I Am A Swede]

I remember that when they left the old farmhouse Annie was in Spain and they didn't tell her about it. So when she came home she went to the old farmhouse, opened the door and walked into an empty building.....

She was very upset that they didn't tell her about having to leave the old house. It was after all the house where she and Jacob had lived and raised their family. So she stayed with Kathy and Chris until they gave the new house the Emmerdale Farm name.

I could be wrong, this is more than 30 years ago after all, but I think this was one of the reasons Annie moved to Spain permanently.

 

Edited July 15, 2024 by I Am A Swede

[DRW50]

That sounds right. I think this also led into Jack and Joe being upset when she announced she was remarrying.

[vetsoapfan]

LOL! I thought Aaron would be tolerable if he married into the Sugden family, took their name, and helped create a new branch of the family tree.

I guess you disagree.

So the show has not been well produced in 11 years? That's starting to sound like American soaps, with weak PsTB in charge for unnecessarily long stretches of time.

If soaps want to keep certain characters at all viable, they should not take them in directions which make them irredeemable. Again, this reminds me of American soaps, which routinely turn their main characters into murderers, rapists, mobsters, and other assorted degenerates.

I don't know why I felt an attachment to the first, original farm, but I guess it's like the lighthouse on TGL: I wanted it to be like a cornerstone presence throughout the life of the show.

I've felt nostalgic about Emmerdale, and have wanted to be able to see it again, but the more I hear about its modern incarnation, the less I think I would enjoy it.

[DRW50]

I tried to hang on for the same reasons you mention (along with Crossroads I think it was the closest to American soaps) but have not been able to for a long while now - probably around 2017 or 2018.

You are right about the mistakes Emmerdale made compared to American soaps. Another is bringing Carl King's son back solely to abuse and terrorize his wife. Who wants to see that? 

And yes it's been about 10-15 years since the show had competent production. Like Corrie, ITV is just letting the soap slowly die for cash.

[vetsoapfan]

Looking back on it, I am surprised I managed to hang on with TGL and ATWT until the bitter end.

Not me. I'm tired of murder and violence being such a major component of soaps.

All of my friends who once loved the show dropped Corrie long ago.

I'll always love the soap genre, and wish I had quality ones to watch and enjoy, but they don't seem to exist anymore.

[DRW50]

I think we did mostly just through nostalgia and blind hope. I couldn't hang on but I always held out hope, and came back to say goodbye to each show for their last year - it almost felt like visiting a loved one in their last months. You wanted to honor them if you could.

Of any soaps on now, Neighbours, Shortland Street, and Home & Away, while far from perfect, have enough of the basic ingredients to where I am able to watch (although SS can't seem to stop telling depressing storylines). 

[I Am A Swede]

Of course I disagree. Aaron is a Dingle, and one of the worst ones at that. He is a black hole that sucks the life and energy out of everything. A whiny, obnoxious, self-pitying waste of space.

Or as they're called in Emmerdale: Dingles!

The first original farm is a part of my first memories of the show, and brings me back to my childhood. I loved that kitchen. It was such a warm and comforting place. Grandad in his chair in front of the fire, with Annie and/or Dolly putting the kettle on/doing the ironing or some other domestic chore.  

I still have a nostalgic pull towards Emmerdale, which is why I can't give it up completely, even though the Emmerdale I loved so much is dead and buried.   

Edited July 15, 2024 by I Am A Swede

[vetsoapfan]

I went back for the end days of AW, TEON, OLTL, AMC, RH and TheDOC, even though I had drifted away from them years earlier. The way you described it is perfect: you want to honor former loved ones one last time. Of the shows listed, I was only truly pleased with the final eps of RH. Watching the shows' swans song, I was mainly reminded why I had abandoned them in the first place.

Of the three, I've only seen H&A. Its first year was available here a few decades ago, and I enjoyed the series, but our network had only purchased a finite number of eps, and would play the same set ad nauseum. After I had seen all the originally-available material, we never got any more. From what I gather, thhe show has been completely overhauled since the debut. Tom and Pippa, their kids, Morag, Fisher, and almost all of the original players have been written out. I think Alf Stewart is still there, however.

The last I saw him, Aaron was in a doomed romance with Jackson, and I liked their story. I had sympathy for them both. (And I can't lie, I thought Aaron was cute. Don't hate me!!!) I have no idea what he's like today.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I can't say I disagree.

[vetsoapfan]

The strong, nostalgic pull of soaps dies hard. I have always hung onto once-beloved series long after they stopped being the shows I used to love.

The only two I could not abandon completely were As the World Turns and The Guiding Light, but trudging through their final, decimated years was a chore.

I guess, in a way, I am fortunate not to have access to Emmerdale anymore. I can remember it for what it was and not be bitterly disappointed by watching it become what it has become.

[I Am A Swede]

This is exactly why the abuser should have been Belle, not Tom.... 

Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley confirms explosive Cain revenge against evil Tom

If it had been Belle it would have forced the Dingles to take a look at themselves and how violence has shaped them and how they react to things. It might actually have been interesting to watch.

Now we're simply gonna get Cain beating up Tom and the rest of the Dingles acting all high and mighty. 

[MichaelGL]

Rinse wash and repeat basically. They did this with Lydia's rapist too. 

[AMCOLTLLover]

I really hoped for belles mental illness kicking in and bumping him off

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 what a waste 

[I Am A Swede]

I love Claire King!   

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TATE THAT! Emmerdale icon Claire King demands major change to soap and teases Kim Tate’s shock new storyline