Carly's feelings about Donna have yet to be explored on screen. She is practically a brand new character, however, I read an interview with Gemma Atkinson and Donna is one of the reasons Carly is difficult with Bob, on top of the abandonment issues.

Emma only knows that Ross loved Donna and lost her tragically. Hadn't you already started watching by the beginning of the year. You should know this.

And Carl, to disagree with you some more (sorry!) David and Alicia had already been solidified as a proper couple prior to this story. Proof being that they got the wonderful Christmas wedding, with Leyla shockingly showing up and being thrown in the closet.

Carly's feelings about Donna have yet to be explored on screen. She is practically a brand new character, however, I read an interview with Gemma Atkinson and Donna is one of the reasons Carly is difficult with Bob, on top of the abandonment issues.

Emma only knows that Ross loved Donna and lost her tragically. Hadn't you already started watching by the beginning of the year. You should know this.

And Carl, to disagree with you some more (sorry!) David and Alicia had already been solidified as a proper couple prior to this story. Proof being that they got the wonderful Christmas wedding, with Leyla shockingly showing up and being thrown in the closet.

When I say solidified, I mean put in a central role in the community. I get the feeling most of their stories up to this one have been somewhat isolated.

The show really has no core family - the Dingles are split into sections, the Barton brothers are fine but the father is a dud and Emma is a psycho, the Sugdens are still too underwritten and rarely have family scenes even when they should be. David, Alicia, Jacob, plus Eric (and sort of Val) and Leyla - I think it has worked really well as a family dynamic over the last few weeks.

I wouldn't mind them taking over the Woolpack, for instance (OK mostly I just want Chas out of there as I don't think it suits her, but it's a little of both).

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by DRW50

The show is really bending over backwards to make us pity Chrissie and Lachlan, to the point of having Lawrence tell Robert what if Chrissie turns against you (AKA don't forget that Robert and Katie is as bad as Lachlan sexually assaulting and harassing three women), and having Alicia convince Chas that she has no right to judge because of Aaron (essentially saying Aaron is just like a rapist, and that Chas would shout vile abuse at his rape victims in the street).

Alicia is the victim here, not Chrissie or Lachlan. And making Alicia hurt herself emotionally for Chrissie's pity parties just makes me dislike Chrissie even more.

Interesting I've actually found myself liking Chrissie a lot facing up to something I think most mothers would have covered up. I also think the genuine connection between Alicia and Chrissie to be a refreshing surprise. Of course Alicia is the victim and Chrissie recognizes this - but Chrissie also has lost something and is in the end a very lonely and isolated woman.

This show is really quite something and kudos for the writers for continuing to draw me on.

Interesting I've actually found myself liking Chrissie a lot facing up to something I think most mothers would have covered up. I also think the genuine connection between Alicia and Chrissie to be a refreshing surprise. Of course Alicia is the victim and Chrissie recognizes this - but Chrissie also has lost something and is in the end a very lonely and isolated woman.

This show is really quite something and kudos for the writers for continuing to draw me on.

I agree, but the idea that Chrissie must be forgiven because she was only a mother protecting her son is a bridge too far for me at the moment. The things she said to Alicia were vile, and she said them in the middle of the street, leading the village to suspect that Alicia had seduced Lachlan. Alicia is lucky and fortunate that most of the village refused to believe this about her. No matter how nice a person Alicia is, she shouldn't have to fight Chrissie's battles.

Agree but isn't this actually a more realistic reaction? Yes we may dislike her more for doing that but to me it made her behavior more believable and real.

Definitely. I just think in return for that realism, it would have been realistic if they hadn't forgiven Chrissie.

So what do you think of Pearl's story, Carly/Ross, etc.?

American soaps have no use for older characters so I have enjoyed the Pearl story. Enjoyed Paddy and her today. I don't really know her background though and assume she has a family ?

Missed the Ross/Emma backstory except I know she tried to kill him as a baby, but don't know where she was for years.

Good show again. I find the reactions of most characters far more real than most "soaps".

Pearl first arrived in 2004. She dated Len Reynolds for a number of years, until his death. She tried to hide her family background - her son was a rapist. He briefly came to the village upon release from prison but left after a lynch mob beat him and left him for dead. Pearl soon lost all her money, and the money of some friends, in a get-rich-quick scene.

James banished Emma soon after he caught her nearly killing Ross. She returned briefly about 5 years later and Pete warned her off.

I like Carly a lot more than I thought I would. She works well with Ross, and it's nice that she isn't hard-faced all the time. I hope it lasts.

Great episodes today! Really enjoying the Robert/Aaron storyline.

Two great episodes. You're right. Even the Jimmy/Nicola stuff ended on a decent note (please don't have him sleep with Bernice, Kate Oates!) And everything with Robert and Aaron was far better than I had anticipated, between the performances and the decision to include so many characters like Adam and Vic who have barely been involved. The Victoria scenes in this episode were just superb, especially when Robert got her to lie for him and Aaron just said, so cold and angry, "The lies keep coming."

When this show is good it's better than any soap out there. It's multilayered and complex and has a full canvas in a way no soap has since the glory years of ATWT. I wish these types of episodes did better in the ratings so ED, and soaps, would be encouraged to have more of the same.

I loved the scenes between Emma and Ross. They are so much alike--both neurotic and impulsive.

I actually felt bad for Emma as she was trying to do a good deed for Ross. But it does have to be awkward for him to hookup with Carly when his true love was her stepsister.

And then when she found out about Carly being related to Donna you could tell she was not happy.

I wish they would avoid making Emma too psycho, as she's so interesting and the actress is great.

I also felt so bad for Finn at how the people who "care" about him are treating him. I know some fans feel he should be more unsure about having sex with an HIV-positive man. I do understand that view (I think they rushed that side of the story because so much of it is about other people interfering), but I really like him with Darren and I like seeing him happy. It's a shame it won't work out.

I wonder if they are setting Finn up to become close to Paddy and Rhona.

Ross is one of the dumbest criminals ever, just stealing a car in broad daylight. But the scenes with Robert and Vic and Aaron and Adam were hilarious.

I'm over Aaron and Robert to be honest. I guess because I am over Aaron being judgmental towards Robert when he's done horrible things in the past too. So have some of his family members too. I would've probably preferred a Finn/Robert pairing.

I'm not shocked that they are still charging ahead with making Emma a psycho. Someone has to fill the vacant psycho role. I just wish that her build up to snapping would've been plotted slower.

I think Robert would have broken poor Finn in half.

I can see why Aaron is a little judgmental, as Robert is...full on, but I like the moments when he does remember Robert has a heart. I hope the show will not forget that about Robert and won't just pander to the brain dead haters who parrot Chas' lines about how evil and bad Robert is. He's much more than that.

There are parts of Aaron/Robert that bore me - mostly the endless misery of Aaron and Chas' endless squawking about Robert, and the on/off feels contrived and limiting, but when the writing is there (like in those last scenes in yesterday's show), it really works for me. I think Aaron also brings out a lot of Karl's Robert, which means Robert doesn't just become another Home Farm fop. Danny Miller and Ryan Hawley have incredible chemistry, far more than most of the couples on the show at this point.

The show really struck gold with Ryan Hawley - he's done so much to revive Aaron and to help make the perpetually moribund Sugdens a little more interesting. If they waste him they are fools.

Edited March 27, 201510 yr by DRW50