Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Thanks, @DRW50 for sharing the link! It was interesting to see how the scenes were constructed. 

[NothinButAttitude]

Now Emmerdale need their asses beat tonight. While I still enjoyed the episode, it was obvious that James was gonna be the victim. 

 

It killed me to see poor Ashley push himself to try and remember the accident, but I knew once he saw Emma, it'd all come back. I think he is onto her. I just hope that Emma doesn't get word that Ashley might've remembered the accident and start pestering him. I do think that's what is gonna happen. 

 

I'm sorry but Pierce was sexy as hell tonight. That slight deranged look he shot at Paddy when he told him he was not needed was sexy as hell. He could look at me like that anytime.  Crazy men like that know how to put it down in the bedroom but I digress...

 

Robert diving in the water to retrieve the ring was romantic but stupid as hell. Ain't no way I'd do that. That ring would remain there until they retrieved the car from under water. 

 

So odd seeing Moira (of all people) being the one to convince Emma to go back in there. Did she go through with squeezing the tube to give him oxygen or did she run out b/c she couldn't push herself to do it? I do wish that they would've did more with Adam in this episode as James was his father. Given that Adam just lost Holly, lost John (who he thought was his dad) a few years back, and now lost his biological father, it would've been nice to have seen Adam have a moment with James before he croaked. Maybe it'll be addressed in future episodes. I hope so. 

 

I'm so excited about what's to come. 

[TimWil]

Ross wasn't shown at the funeral. I wonder if he was kept from attending it by Finn and/or Pete.

 

When Moira asked Emma about James she sputtered out "I couldn't..." I guess she could have been referring to the oxygen tube.

[DRW50]

He was there, glowering beside Moira's ample cleavage.

[DRW50]

I liked the way they had the fakeouts at the end. If Bill Ward's firing hadn't been leaked a few months ago I might have been slightly surprised (or thought Rhona might go). As we did know, I agree it was something of an anticlimax. The producer said he considered killing more characters but decided it wasn't earned. I would have been fine with several going (Chrissie, Lachlan...), but it likely would have been a supporting character I like, someone like Harriet, so I'm glad they didn't sacrifice characters to fill up numbers. That's one of the reasons I got tired of Hollyoaks. 

 

Pierce is just sex on legs. That's the only part of this story that interests me. Zoe Henry and Dom Brunt are good actors but I don't care about the Paddy/Rhona relationship and I never have. I hope they won't take Pierce too far. I've seen some suggest he should hook up with Emma. That would be a terror...

 

I was kind of glad the show didn't bother to sugarcoat Adam and James. I wouldn't have minded a scene, but it was never a close relationship (the paternity story was a huge mistake if you ask me). I hope we see some aftermath of Adam losing two fathers in the exact same way. 

 

Ashley trying to remember was very tense. I do think Emma may go after him. I hope not. John Middleton has been absolutely brilliant this week - so so good. He and Gillian Kearney both took the ball and ran with it. Ashley is going to be such a huge loss for Emmerdale. At least they seem to realize it and are showcasing him while they can.

 

I enjoy Robert but a part of me wanted him to drown for that stunt. The whole proposal thing is not for me - I feel like this is being done just for pandering. With that said, the scenes were very well done, very nicely acted. I really need Chas to privately say she can never support such a marriage though, not after Katie. 

[NothinButAttitude]

Now you know it'd be too good to be true if Chas secretly protested the wedding. You know they are gonna have everyone be all for them, which is annoying. Even for me as a gay man. I want someone close to them to be an opposition for awhile. 

 

These week truly has highlighted (like you said) how much of a gap there's gonna be without Ashley. I feel like we are losing a patriarch on the show and all that's left is Eric. I guess many would include Zak in that too, but I've never viewed the Dingles like that. Losing Ashley is gonna seriously be like losing he moral compass. 

 

I would've been down for more characters dying too. IDK why they didn't kill Lachlan. To this day, I get pissed he's still breathing. I wish his ass would've drowned in that trunk; however, that would've resulted in another situation of Robert being pegged a murderer and I am over that bit. 

 

You already know that I hope they don't make Pierce nutty. Just have him breakup with Rhona and move that. Again, that man is too sexy to be tossed aside. Pierce can become the village manwhore, which is a role suitable for him as long as he's naked at all times. 

[DRW50]

I still remember the episode where he was wearing those jogging shorts...

 

You can tell the show is hesitant about how far to take Pierce and Emma. I like this as it's more true to life and more tense. Emma was doing ridiculous things last year - leaving James for dead, making Debbie think Sarah had cancer, etc. And last year by this time if the Pierce story had been going on, he probably would have tried to give Paddy mad cow disease. 

 

I hope Cain, Paddy and Chas never fully support this relationship or wedding. I know some would say that's homophobia (as some are already saying the show was homophobic to have Aaron and Robert involved in the big stunt and in danger of dying), but it's just reality. Aaron needs Robert, loves him, but it's a toxic, toxic relationship, and the people in Aaron's life may go along for his sake, but deep down they'll never forget. 

 

Lachlan - I guess he's just going to be there until they find out he shot Lawrence. I don't know. 

 

I thought poor Ronnie might die this week. I'm so glad he didn't. I wondered briefly about Joanie too, as I'm pretty sure she's leaving, but I guess she will just break up with Zak. 

 

I agree Zak has never been a patriarch. The show is losing a lot when Ashley goes. They desperately need more older male characters, or even men John Barton's age. He could have been a wonderful patriarch if he'd stayed. 

[DRW50]

[Adamski]

Am ecstatic that Emma Barton survived this week, and hope she continues to wreak havoc on the village for many years to come. But Wednesday's episode focusing on Emma and James - through no fault of the two actors involved - was for me the worst ED episode I've ever seen. I love a dose of gothic camp, but this was just embarrassing. Tuesday's ep with Marlon & Paddy was only marginally better, but only just. They're just not funny, IMHO, and I also cringed at Rhona and Pierce's clashes.

[DRW50]

Someone put up part of Joe's death/funeral aftermath (watch while they're still up, if you're interested...): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXPdhDDT7nM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko2Az-yqpYU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXj4_yeUUE

Edited October 23, 2016 by DRW50

[TimWil]

I stand corrected about Ross-yes, indeed, he was at the funeral.

 

I have a feeling that not only will the handsome guy who Finn assisted at the pile-up appear in the village to "show gratitude" (wink, wink) but he'll also be the one who point blank identifies Emma as the one who caused the pile-up in the first place. Poor Finn. Well, at least the guy is hot.

[DRW50]

That would make sense. Do you think Emma will bump him off? That would be Finn's luck...

[TimWil]

Hah, I wouldn't put it past her!

[DRW50]

My Internet stopped sucking enough to let me watch the episodes...

 

As much as I wish we saw more of Diane, one of the better parts of her no longer being part of the Dinglepack is when the show remembers what a good comic actress Elizabeth Estensen is and lets her have some moments like she had here. Her reactions to Kerry (especially reading that text) were great fun. I laughed when Kerry was trying to make Vanessa let her move in and said "Some mate you are," and Vanessa pointed out that they have barely spoken. I know some feel Kerry has been horribly damaged, but I don't think it's anything they can't come back from, as long as the story doesn't meander on and on. Anyway

 

The perils of block taping and the generally uneven nature of the new producer seems to mean there are two sides (more, really) to the show, and I guess that was summed up best with Tracy's return, who left for her honeymoon a day before the last strong month of episodes began - I think only like 3 or 4 episodes before Holly died. And sure enough she doesn't mention anything about what she's missed (a highway pile-up, a man plunging to his death), because she isn't actually in that Emmerdale. 

 

It was nice to see Sam popping up and reacting so badly to Cain's exit. The Sam and Cain relationship is one of the most interesting on the show, as Cain was unbelievably horrible to him for years but over time they became closer - one of the few people Sam has in his life to feel close to. Meanwhile, Samson, with his latest growth spurt, looks even more like his late mother Alice. I don't know if they cast him to look like her but he really does. 

 

I actually liked the scene with Ross and Charity. He's a brat, and a hypocrite, but somehow I still feel sorry for him (especially as I think he still has strong feelings for Charity and won't admit it). I'm glad they had that scene because otherwise it seemed like she was just cavalierly dumping her child. If I look past the general unpleasantness and degradation of what they've done with Charity in this story, I think it can be a chance at a fresh start for her. I really hope this with Charity being so broken is going to go somewhere good - and I don't mean back to scheming for money and power, because that's played out. If I thought this was just there to try to make us laugh at the pathetic loser who will never have Cain, I'd be harder on it than I have been. I hope that won't be the case. As for Moira, obviously she and Cain will reconcile (probably around Christmas knowing soaps), but I'm glad she won't make it easy. Natalie J Robb and Jeff Hordley work so well together, they make me care even when sometimes I wish I didn't.

 

The White stuff feels like it's on a different show entirely. It almost always has. One of the downsides of Home Farm in recent years has been how isolated the characters involved are from the rest of the show. The Robert and Chrissie scene worked as campy trash (and Louise Marwood and Ryan Hawley still have good chemistry), but it's all very grimy. The most interesting part is probably the split between the Robert they likely want to write and the Robert they have to write. I have some sympathy for Chrissie, even though she probably doesn't deserve it, but even if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to get that upset over how he spoke to her today because Robert's plans always implode and this is likely a setup for that to happen. 

 

The Rhona material was good. I think all the characters are being let out of hospital too soon, but Zoe Henry was very good. I assume Pierce will start doping her up in secret...

 

Everything with Lisa remains on a loop. Jane Cox deserves better material. And Lisa deserves better than Zak. I'd say Joanie does too, but she knew what she was getting. 

[NothinButAttitude]

@DRW50 I too wish that they've give Lisa material outside of Zak. I wish they'd make her a stronger woman, who doesn't mope and groan b/c Zak is no longer with her. I feel like early after her break from Zak they were gonna have her move on but I doubt it. 

 

These past few episodes have not been made me like Charity a lot. I find her to be a real sh-tty mother. It's getting to the point where I wish Noah would go stay with Moira full-time and Ross keep Moses from her. Charity is a train wreck and they need to fix her. I did find her scenes with Ross good as we saw some growth and paternal instincts from him. I hope if anything, they keep up Ross being a good father. 

 

God I hope they don't make Pierce nutty. I know I say it all the time but dammit, I see potential in the character. We already have Emma running around acting crazy. We don't need another character.