Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I'm going to be so angry if Leyla is killed and it wasn't Roxy's choice to leave. If they write out both Robert and Leyla they're begging me to quit watching, as much as I do enjoy some parts of the show (like Laurel's story).

[NothinButAttitude]

I don't think it is necessary to kill anyone on ED seeing as it wasn't long ago that Katie was killed. I'd just like to see one year where a character wasn't killed.

[DRW50]

I don't mind seeing character death, but I just think certain characters don't need to go. If James Barton or Rachel or Jai go, I can't say I'm bothered, but killing off even more viable characters, especially women in a certain age range that is already depleted (with Donna and Katie dead and Alicia leaving). And only if the death has meaning. Looking back at Carl King's murder, it meant nothing and added nothing to the canvas.

Emmerdale of all the UK soaps has been the worst at pointless character death.

What do you think of the Adam/Victoria relationship?

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Now it makes sense why Leyla is so emotional when she's around Jake. I'm sorry but I don't care if Alicia was my sister I would have kept my child. It seems fundamentally wrong to just let things stand the way they are. She shouldn't have to give up her son because Alicia wants to pack it up and run away.

The whole thing is just messed up. But yeah them leaving on bad terms is just not a good sign....

[DRW50]

Leyla has no real claim beyond biology, so I can see why she doesn't want to push too much, but it does break your heart seeing how much she loves him and how his loss impacts her.

Digital Spy confirmed Alicia will be back.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Perhaps its different in Britain or British people but biology matters a whole lot to me. I suspect that she regrets that decision. Which of the two sisters is the older one? I've always assumed Leyla but the closer I look at Alicia the more I think she looks older physically.

[Bright Eyes]

This has been a great week. I'm still in shell shock that Victoria has a story. It probably won't last long, but I'll take every morsel I can get.

Carl, you've made me so paranoid about Leyla and others. This week's shows did not help at all, either. She was one of my first favourites when I started watching this show in 2009. And after today, with the doctor saying Ashley could have epilepsy, I can't help but think that may come into play during the big disaster and have devastating effects.

At least Val was hilarious today to help with my side-eyeing every other scene in worry.

Finn saving Emma at the last minute was a good unexpected touch. It looked like she could have truly turned a corner, too.

It's feels good to have a soap that actually keeps me on pins and needles.

[NothinButAttitude]

Alicia is the older sister.

I'm surprised they are finally doing something with Vic too. Hopefully, this is the start of her resuming her rightful role as leading on Emmerdale. I am enjoying too that they have Robert involved in her woes too. I feel like the Sugdens have been scattered about for the longest. Now if they'll just add Andy and Diane to the fold now....

[Bright Eyes]

When Victoria asked Robert what the Sugdens do when he was trying to comfort her, I took a big gulp. Never have the Sugdens felt more diminished as a family then in that moment.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Yeah they really did a number on Robert this week for me. He's just not a good person....sorry DRW50. He's cute as hell but he just doesn't deserve happiness right now. I hope Aaaron stays far far away.

What did you guys think of Emma's confession to Finn? I found it kinda heartbreaking/touching. I'm hoping since she came clean that maybe this is a good sign. Hopefully Finn and Ross can help her to truly move on.

[DRW50]

You thought he was a good person before now?

This is actually one of his "nicer" weeks, as he is at least trying to protect a loved one, at no real benefit to himself.

Aaron isn't a good person either, so I don't think that should be the issue. The issue is more storytelling and chemistry. Without Robert, Aaron is basically just sitting around the garage and the upstairs of the Woolpack, and worrying about Adam.

He's a great character, at least when properly written. And he keeps a lot of otherwise moribund plots going. As much as I like Victoria (although I think she works best in a supporting role), I don't think I'd have as much interest in the drama this week without Robert, because she and Adam weren't built up enough as a couple to warrant this drama (and Andy is barely involved, and I've never bought Diane as a mother figure for the Sugdens).

I'm not sure Robert deserves happiness, but he deserves a major role on the show and a lot of good scenes. And to not just be treated as a plot device, which is too often the case.

Edited June 5, 2015 by DRW50

[DRW50]

I was watching the plane crash episode (I don't think I'd ever watched the full compliation episodes), and I couldn't help noticing how even then, the Sugdens had a relatively small role. Yet in spite of that, Clive Hornby has the most emotional moment of the four episodes, in the last third of it, when he has to identify Mark's body.

I was also surprised at how they talked about things like corpses of the dead being scattered around, and Frank finding a dead baby in a tree and being sick. This was implied, not shown, but was all the more powerful for it. This is something soap disasters don't do anymore, because they don't want to offend anyone.

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The funny thing about it is they "only" killed 4 characters, none of them major (although I think they could have done a lot with Archie if he'd lived). I wonder how many this stunt will kill. One of the DS posters who seems to have ties to the show said it's going to be really big, as big as they're hyping. I don't know. I'm pretty sure of at least 3 people I think will die, but I wonder if they'd take it much higher. The sad part is many of those who need to go, like Lawrence, Jai, I'd say Lisa as well at this point to be honest, probably won't.

The other funny thing about it is, intentionally or not, they basically had a story where a woman's bitter homophobia led to a man's death. What an odd, oddly progressive message for 1993 ITV.

[TimWil]

In the first anniversary of the plane explosion (yes, call me a schoolmarm for not referring to it as a crash) a memorial service was held and Jack Sugden delivered a very moving speech about the tragedy. Clive Hornby was really superb. I had forgptten that in this episode we had our very first look at Tina Dingle. Damn, Jacqueline Pirie was great.

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I suppose this is as good a time as any to ask this question, Carl-do you think an epic tragedy like a passenger jet exploding over, say, the bay and the outlying area around Bay City on Another World might have given that show the crucial jump start it needed to survive? Then again I guess the OJ trial would still have done huge damage, anyway.

Edited June 5, 2015 by TimWil

[DRW50]

Clive never really got his credit as an actor, likely because he spent his last decade on Emmerdale just reacting to things, but he was great when he got the chance to do more.

The standards on Emmerdale these days are very hit-and-miss, but Charlotte Bellamy was again superb today. I voted for her in the TV Choice thing over Natalie Anderson (who is also very good), just as some sign of support. Sometimes it feels like Laurel has been on a show of her own in the last 4-5 months, as her story seems very coherently plotted and rooted in years of painful history, while certain other stories basically involve someone crashing into a wall, getting up and taking a few breaths, and going to crash into another wall.

[NothinButAttitude]

Thanks for sharing this. It's been the first time I've seen the plane crash before.

Now this is how you do a stunt for sweeps. It is something affected the entire village for years to come. It wasn't something quick and fast and soon to be forgotten.

Wasn't the big stunt that changed UK soaps from then on?

It is so good seeing the Tates in full effect when only a few years later, Kim would be watching Frank die of a heart attack.