56 minutes ago, Adamski said:

I know that it was done to show how much Joanie felt like an outsider, but my God the Dingles were obnoxious on Christmas Day. When the whole lot of them are shown en masse I find it really hard to deal with. At least Lisa kept her dignity when Zak slithered back - but it sounds like that may be short-lived. 

 

Am also enjoying the dynamic of Emma loathing Leyla while fawning over Kasim, hope that he will reunite with poor Finn - loved that he got the new year cliffhanger. 

 

Love the Emma icon! 

 

I do enjoy the happier Dingles, rather than the miserable moments, but I agree they were rude. 

I wrote up a best/worst of 2016 for another site. As it's long I'll just put it in spoilers

 

The good

I genuinely feel like there’s more of a sense of community and warmth. Not enough, not where the show was in its best years, but compared to so many pointless fights and random acts of violence (again we still get too much of that I realize) last year, it’s in a better place. I know some people don’t like all the parties, but I don’t mind them. I thought the Christmas lighting celebration and the Christmas episode in general was truer to the show’s spirit than anything around Christmas in a good while.

Ashley’s story has been wonderful. I didn’t care for the way it was being handled early on as I thought the way Ashley treated Harriet was OOC, but once we got past that the material got stronger and stronger. They’ve had a balanced portrayal of all the good and bad days, and John Middleton has given one of the best performances I’ve seen on this or any show. It’s only looking back do I see just how committed he’s been to showing us Ashley slowly whittled away. Charlotte Bellamy has also been superb, and the supporting players in the story have given their best. The episodes where Laurel fell off the wagon, the special episode, and most of all his SSW episode were some of the best in a number of years. I hope they will continue to treat this story with dignity in its closing months.

I’m not a huge Dingle fan, but I’ve enjoyed seeing them act like more of a family again this year, with laughs and fun and Dingle traditions. From Gavin Blyth on they were often presented as miserable and muted, with even family gatherings just being a reason for a fight. While the material itself often wasn’t for my taste, the happy moments at Zak and Joanie’s wedding (even dusting off the long ago reminders of other Dingle branches popping in to visit, albeit in this case extras), Aaron’s deed poll ceremony, Christmas - they were a breath of fresh air.

I was much more caught up in Holly’s return than I thought I’d be, especially once they moved on from her throwing herself at Cain. Her drug addiction and recovery were superbly acted by Natalie J Robb and Sophie Powles, who truly shocked me this year with her work. Seeing Holly try to rebuild her life was compelling, as was her fragile, sweet relationship with Jai. While her leaving, or even her dying, wasn’t a surprise, the way her death was handled, from the discovery of her body to Moira’s grieving to the somber realization that no one can ever “explain” how she died - was much more adult than anything I’ve come to expect from the show, or most soaps, in recent years.

While Iain Macleod has his own failings as a producer, I appreciate his attempts at repair work on many of Kate Oates’ most questionable choices last year. While Jai is still not all that likeable a person, he’s come a long way from the invisible-mustache-twirling container-locking loon of 2015. While I tend to wonder if the real reason Ross was kept on ice for a year was just because Debbie was gone, the character needed the breather, and the show being much more honest about him (that he is basically a pig and a sleaze, albeit one who can sometimes be vulnerable) makes it easier to accept him. Zak is about as unpleasant as he has always been this past year, but Lisa has been given a great deal of dignity. Paddy is generally a likeable, funny guy who knows he made terrible mistakes and has done his best to rectify them - they’ve done a lot more to rehab the character than I thought they could have after how low the Tess story went. While I’m always going to have a number of complaints about where the Aaron and Robert relationship has gone (more than anything, I don’t believe Paddy or Chas would ever support them), I think Robert has, overall, become a more likeable character while still keeping a few traces of his old self, and Aaron has, I think, become a much more grounded character. There are still problems with this character, we still get him breaking the law to show us how sad he is inside, but we get it a lot less. They’ve also finally broken away from the offensive choice to have him self-harm over and over so that we will feel sorry for him and Danny Miller will win awards. And other than the vile period where Chas kept calling Charity disgusting names, this is the most I’ve liked Chas in a long time.

The teen group is believable and generally likeable, a big change from the start of the year when Liv and Gabby both seemed to be different variations of the cliche soap brat. The love triangle with Jacob that was hinted early this year also seems to have been shelved, which is refreshing after years of interchangeable teen romance stories or baby stories. The show has been using the child characters to much better effect this year, instead of just having April and Amelia there to be stage school caricatures running rings around the adults.

Other than the bizarre explanation given for none of her family returning to the village for her funeral, I thought Edna’s funeral was handled just as it should have been, with lots of emotional moments from Pearl, Ashley, and Sandy. The inference that she was trying to help Ashley keep his faith, even from beyond the grave, was touching.

Special episodes and stunt weeks have been done to death in recent years, and that was a huge weak point last year, when Katie’s death, the buildup to the helicopter crash, and Robert’s shooting story were surprisingly poor - in the case of the latter, shockingly laughable. For the most part, most of these gimmicks were well-produced this year, using filming techniques that enhanced Belle’s anguish or Ashley’s decline without getting in the way. While I would like a long break from stunt weeks and I don’t think all of the material was good enough, Ashley’s episode, the James/Emma episode, and parts of the “Robron” episode were good to very good, with the Ashley material being some of the best on any soap this year. The scene of Ashley weeping in church as he realizes he’s forgotten his own daughter’s christening will stay with me for a long time.

Aside from the sex with Pete, which makes me cringe as it was so rushed and also suggests WTD on the way, I thought this was Moira’s best year since John was still alive. Natalie J Robb gave many, many, many incredible performances from Holly’s return on, with the complexity and fire that the “new Bartons” and Cain had often drained out of her finally making a return. It’s sad that she is not likely to get the recognition she has always deserved for her work in the role, but that doesn’t take away from the brilliance of her work. For me the best scene was when she raged at Holly when she found out about her unwittingly causing Victoria to be attacked. Kitchen sink drama at its finest.

I appreciate the efforts to give stories to most of the cast, even if block taping and lack of focus sometimes blunts any impact the stories could have.

OK 

The Rhona and Pierce storyline started out as the ultimate contrivance, and the material has mostly lived or died on whether they’ve managed to make that contrivance less obvious. It helps that Zoe Henry is a very, very good (her scenes slapping and raging at Paddy over the Tess affair were some of the best on the show this year) and very natural actress. Jonathan Wrather is not a very good actor, but he has his moments, along with endless intensity and charisma. He also has an easy romantic and sexual chemistry with Zoe Henry, which, honestly, I have never seen between Zoe and Dominic Brunt. So I was able to buy the relationship as mania and denial and enjoy some of the separate moments, like Pierce slowly whittling down those close to her, like the hilarious “fight” when Paddy returned, like Pierce’s therapy session, which was probably the best acting I’ve seen from Wrather here or on Corrie. The problem is all of this is delaying the inevitable “evil Pierce” narrative and the even more inevitable Rhona/Paddy reunion. It always hangs over the material and it’s not something I’m all that sure even the show itself is fully sure of, given how long some of this has been stalled out.

The Belle and Bailey affair story was strange, seedy, and, like many stories on the show in recent years, seemed to have no particular outcome planned. Bailey’s wife Angie was an interesting character I wish we’d seen more of. Belle’s breakdown was by far the highlight of this plot, with what made me feel like someone was trying to knock off the old Newt and Jacks…er…Eli plotline on Hollyoaks with Belle and Ellie becoming much, much better in the episodes where Belle ran away. Troubled ingenue on the streets is not exactly a new plot, but it somehow felt fresh here anyway, and Eden Taylor Draper gave some of her best performances. Jermaine then stuck around as a generally agreeable quasi-Dingle as if the show was trying to decide if they could really make any sense of keeping him around, until they decided not to bother.

Killing off James Barton, consistently one of the biggest drags on the show for me, was a great idea. His family is better without him. Emma has also been better defined this year, as her self-destructive scheming and neediness finally takes more of a toll on the people around her. And the unwatchable Ross/Pete rivalry that just about wrecked the show by the end of 2015 was resolved - realistically or not, I don’t care. Unfortunately, the stories for Pete and Finn ending the year have been lots of telling and not much showing. I’d probably like Pete and Leyla together and see it as more than a plot device to wind Emma up if any time had been taken to develop them. Pete and Moira was also a crashing plot device. Finn turning obsessive with Kasim (a blank slate) while grieving for his father had a great deal of potential but was burnt through at breakneck pace. I’ve appreciated the efforts to give Adam and Victoria a bit more storyline this year, with the attack and wanting a baby, but they are offcamera for such lengthy periods of time (even before Adam Thomas went on IAC) that it never gels.

Tracy and Vanessa having the same father is the classic example of why you don’t necessarily need to listen to the ideas of actors. Do I hate it? No. Do I think it serves any particular purpose, or do I have any great interest in them as sisters? Not really, no. Frank himself is a big question mark of a character, as I don’t think the show knows how far they want to take him, or his relationship with Megan. His most interesting relationship is with Vanessa, his rivalry with Eric and his questionable influence on Jacob. I’d work with that.

Last year I hated the Whites, in large part because of the atrocious way the Alicia story was resolved, but also because the show consistently gave Chrissie material that tried to make her often awful behavior into martyrdom, something Louise Marwood often struggled to play. I also hated the Robert vs the Whites merry-go-round. This year, the writing has still been all over the place, but for whatever reason, most of my stronger feelings have gone away. Aside from the ghastly “superbitch” period, I think Marwood has found her footing with the character this year, and I often end up feeling some sympathy for the character, somehow, due to the people around her. Rebecca’s obsession with Robert was a crappy way to bring her onto the canvas, and her behavior with convincing Lachlan to confess felt almost sociopathic, but Emily Head has a great deal of charm and humor that shows the potential Rebecca could have as a character. Lawrence’s sexuality story was resolved probably about as well as it could be given the messiness of it all, and while it was long overdue to see Bernice get more dramatic material, I’m not that sorry she’s away from that pairing or Home Farm. Ronnie has the potential to be a very good character, if used properly, and John McArdle is a fine actor. He’s a good balance for much of the decay of the family in terms of morality. Lachlan continues to hang over their heads, and the feeling that the show still doesn’t know whether to let him go hangs over Emmerdale, but Thomas Atkinson has given some fine performances this year, especially during Lawrence’s breakdown - probably the best material the family has had in their two years in the village.

There were some good ideas and good moments in the Jimmy and Nicola material this year. Trying to figure out who should work and who should stay at home. Nicola’s injuries and withdrawing from Jimmy. The friendship and emotional affair with Dan. Unfortunately most of this was cut short in favor of business as usual - breakups, makeups, dragon lady Nico and dumb Jimmy. Again there were bits I enjoyed in this too, like Nicola humiliating him at the grief meeting, Nicola catching him at the hotel with Bernice, the kids making them renew their vows. But so much of it is just plain stale and puts the characters in an airtight box.

To my surprise, I went from hating the idea of Marlon and Carly (I hate the “replacement mother” trope) to not minding it. Gemma Atkinson and Mark Charnock have decent chemistry, and there were various things explored that made them different than most couples churned out by the show now, like the age difference, Carly and Marlon not fitting traditional gender roles, not wanting to live together, etc. But when Carly barely appears, I have no idea how I’m supposed to feel about the relationship.

Bad

Just say yes. David’s cancer started out with real emotion, with the best chance to showcase one of the most natural family units in the village. Instead, in no time at all it became all about how David needed to marry Tracey, how Tracey was his rock, was unfairly judged, was there for Jacob, and so on. And while the “no means yes” narrative was never as terrible onscreen as it seemed in spoilers, it was still crass and strange. David’s illness and the reactions of those who loved him pretty much just faded. Now we’re left with this odd quasi-family that I don’t HATE, but I also don’t entirely believe, and feels like a producer who wants a favorite character of his to work (Tracey) and throws her at a popular leading man who just lost his longtime partner (David). It should take more work than this to create a pairing, especially if it’s going to involve a wedding after about two months as a couple. Until they properly figure out how to write for David when he’s with her and they figure out Tracey’s role (she’s alternately jealous and childish, worldly wise, supportive, demanding, mature, completely trashy), I’m not sure I can ever get into this relationship. As it is, I have to chalk most of their material this year (aside from the wedding, which I actually did enjoy a great deal) as one long lost opportunity.

The misogyny that was especially offputting over the summer, where women were slapping, clawing, shoving, and tearing strips out of each other (isn’t it funny how the media outlets that go on about women hitting men had nothing to say about this…??). Most of it made my skin crawl, and there are times when I end up wondering if the show now simply sees most women are catty and cruel, like when Chas and Leyla were jeering Kerry as a prostitute. There was also the heaping helping of misogyny thrown Charity’s way from Ross and a violent Cain, which Charity once upon a time would have had a much stronger reaction to than she had.

Kerry compo follies. What can I say other people haven’t already said? Laura Norton is a talented actress but most of this plot has been the epitome of unplayable material. I didn’t have a problem with it up to the point of her sleeping with Ross and having an abortion, but that should have been it. We should have seen her struggling and trying to pick herself back up. Instead it’s been this compo crap, which, even more ludicrously, ended in her getting a massive payout. I don’t believe, as some do, that the show is saying she’s a working class hero - Dan’s reactions show that we are supposed to be at least somewhat disgusted - but I also don’t believe that any of this will have any real consequences for her. My guess is within a month or two most of this will be forgotten and she’ll be back with Dan, back to supporting comic relief. If that is the case, if none of what she’s done is dealt in the writing, then they may as well just write her out.

Cain/Charity redux. Everything about this stunk of something Kate Oates likely had planned and Iain Macleod wanted little to do with. Gone were the glowing reminders of love and support, or that Cain was Charity’s hero or ideal. Instead it was just endless self-loathing and toxicity. It was very difficult to watch, and I’m just glad it’s done. I’d be happier if there seemed to be any actual story plans for Charity. Charity is one of my favorite characters but I’m starting to feel like they overdid it with the Declan/Charity story and now have no idea what to do with her.

Rakesh. Somewhere in this was a good idea - Rakesh’s biggest faults (his pride and his overinvolvement in Kirin’s life) slowly wearing him down to nothing. Unfortunately, just plain awful story pacing (this story vanishes for months at a time) and a stubborn refusal to actually explore the character’s extreme actions (remember when he throttled Chrissie and it was never really brought up again? remember when he nearly killed himself and other than making Priya take a time out, it was never really brought up again?) have sunk whatever this story was supposed to be. Poor Pasha Bocarie and Fiona Wade, who tried their absolute best. Has any story (maybe beyond the Frank and Megan plot) ever said “we have to fill 6 episodes a week” more than this did in 2016?

And finally…

I had a difficult time processing the news that Gordon had sexually abused Aaron for years, because I didn’t feel that this matched up to the Aaron I saw as a child or Danny Miller’s early months in the role. I was also disappointed from a dramatic perspective because I think Aaron’s story could have been given a fresh jolt if a complex father he had a fraught relationship with had joined the canvas. However, when I watched Aaron explain what had happened to him, it made more sense to me, thanks to a strong script and strong work from Danny Miller.

Unfortunately there was so much outside of this that troubled me, upset me, and led me to begin blocking out large portions of this storyline.

- the pacing of Chas reconciling with Gordon (a man she had barely had any contact with in decades, and most of that had been hostile). In a matter of weeks she was groping with him in the back of a car and a planning a future with him). It made the character look ridiculous.

- the way that Aaron had little agency in a story that was supposed to be about him. He was all but forced to go to the police about his father because Cain was going to kill him otherwise. He begged his mother not to tell anyone, and she told Cain anyway. This should have numbed him and then angered him - another set of people taking away who he is. He should have clashed with them. This should have led to more of a struggle over whether Gordon would be convicted, rather than silly moments like Gordon having a pratfall in court to fake illness.

- the shameful, shameful episode where Robert went from completely believing Aaron to believing Aaron had some type of false memory syndrome because of one conversation with Gordon. There was even a tweet to ask viewers whether Aaron really was remembering it wrong. Not only was this a genuinely baffling one-day excursion to take, it also completely blew the narrative that Robert was some type of savior to Aaron out of the water. In order for a reunion to happen, this had to be completely ignored after one apology - and sure enough, it was.

- Sexual abuse being used to reunite a romantic couple…even worse, a romantic couple built on abuse themselves. Again, Robert’s myriad forms of abuse toward Aaron were barely addressed, because otherwise they would show just how completely inappropriate all of this was. I think Ryan Hawley and Danny Miller work very well together, I always have, and I can understand why the show wanted to reunite the characters. It’s just that I cannot and will not ever accept the way the show chose to do it.

- Gordon killing himself, which felt like an attempt to just put a quick end to the story. At least they have used his money to try to show how his presence haunts Aaron, but like so much of this story, it still felt rushed and half-told.

I realize that this story was researched, and meant a great deal to many fans. I’m not trying to dismiss what they went through or if Aaron’s story helped them. It’s just a story that I had a very difficult time with, and I think I always will.

7 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I wrote up a best/worst of 2016 for another site. As it's long I'll just put it in spoilers

 

 

  Hide contents

 

The good

I genuinely feel like there’s more of a sense of community and warmth. Not enough, not where the show was in its best years, but compared to so many pointless fights and random acts of violence (again we still get too much of that I realize) last year, it’s in a better place. I know some people don’t like all the parties, but I don’t mind them. I thought the Christmas lighting celebration and the Christmas episode in general was truer to the show’s spirit than anything around Christmas in a good while.

Ashley’s story has been wonderful. I didn’t care for the way it was being handled early on as I thought the way Ashley treated Harriet was OOC, but once we got past that the material got stronger and stronger. They’ve had a balanced portrayal of all the good and bad days, and John Middleton has given one of the best performances I’ve seen on this or any show. It’s only looking back do I see just how committed he’s been to showing us Ashley slowly whittled away. Charlotte Bellamy has also been superb, and the supporting players in the story have given their best. The episodes where Laurel fell off the wagon, the special episode, and most of all his SSW episode were some of the best in a number of years. I hope they will continue to treat this story with dignity in its closing months.

I’m not a huge Dingle fan, but I’ve enjoyed seeing them act like more of a family again this year, with laughs and fun and Dingle traditions. From Gavin Blyth on they were often presented as miserable and muted, with even family gatherings just being a reason for a fight. While the material itself often wasn’t for my taste, the happy moments at Zak and Joanie’s wedding (even dusting off the long ago reminders of other Dingle branches popping in to visit, albeit in this case extras), Aaron’s deed poll ceremony, Christmas - they were a breath of fresh air.

I was much more caught up in Holly’s return than I thought I’d be, especially once they moved on from her throwing herself at Cain. Her drug addiction and recovery were superbly acted by Natalie J Robb and Sophie Powles, who truly shocked me this year with her work. Seeing Holly try to rebuild her life was compelling, as was her fragile, sweet relationship with Jai. While her leaving, or even her dying, wasn’t a surprise, the way her death was handled, from the discovery of her body to Moira’s grieving to the somber realization that no one can ever “explain” how she died - was much more adult than anything I’ve come to expect from the show, or most soaps, in recent years.

While Iain Macleod has his own failings as a producer, I appreciate his attempts at repair work on many of Kate Oates’ most questionable choices last year. While Jai is still not all that likeable a person, he’s come a long way from the invisible-mustache-twirling container-locking loon of 2015. While I tend to wonder if the real reason Ross was kept on ice for a year was just because Debbie was gone, the character needed the breather, and the show being much more honest about him (that he is basically a pig and a sleaze, albeit one who can sometimes be vulnerable) makes it easier to accept him. Zak is about as unpleasant as he has always been this past year, but Lisa has been given a great deal of dignity. Paddy is generally a likeable, funny guy who knows he made terrible mistakes and has done his best to rectify them - they’ve done a lot more to rehab the character than I thought they could have after how low the Tess story went. While I’m always going to have a number of complaints about where the Aaron and Robert relationship has gone (more than anything, I don’t believe Paddy or Chas would ever support them), I think Robert has, overall, become a more likeable character while still keeping a few traces of his old self, and Aaron has, I think, become a much more grounded character. There are still problems with this character, we still get him breaking the law to show us how sad he is inside, but we get it a lot less. They’ve also finally broken away from the offensive choice to have him self-harm over and over so that we will feel sorry for him and Danny Miller will win awards. And other than the vile period where Chas kept calling Charity disgusting names, this is the most I’ve liked Chas in a long time.

The teen group is believable and generally likeable, a big change from the start of the year when Liv and Gabby both seemed to be different variations of the cliche soap brat. The love triangle with Jacob that was hinted early this year also seems to have been shelved, which is refreshing after years of interchangeable teen romance stories or baby stories. The show has been using the child characters to much better effect this year, instead of just having April and Amelia there to be stage school caricatures running rings around the adults.

Other than the bizarre explanation given for none of her family returning to the village for her funeral, I thought Edna’s funeral was handled just as it should have been, with lots of emotional moments from Pearl, Ashley, and Sandy. The inference that she was trying to help Ashley keep his faith, even from beyond the grave, was touching.

Special episodes and stunt weeks have been done to death in recent years, and that was a huge weak point last year, when Katie’s death, the buildup to the helicopter crash, and Robert’s shooting story were surprisingly poor - in the case of the latter, shockingly laughable. For the most part, most of these gimmicks were well-produced this year, using filming techniques that enhanced Belle’s anguish or Ashley’s decline without getting in the way. While I would like a long break from stunt weeks and I don’t think all of the material was good enough, Ashley’s episode, the James/Emma episode, and parts of the “Robron” episode were good to very good, with the Ashley material being some of the best on any soap this year. The scene of Ashley weeping in church as he realizes he’s forgotten his own daughter’s christening will stay with me for a long time.

Aside from the sex with Pete, which makes me cringe as it was so rushed and also suggests WTD on the way, I thought this was Moira’s best year since John was still alive. Natalie J Robb gave many, many, many incredible performances from Holly’s return on, with the complexity and fire that the “new Bartons” and Cain had often drained out of her finally making a return. It’s sad that she is not likely to get the recognition she has always deserved for her work in the role, but that doesn’t take away from the brilliance of her work. For me the best scene was when she raged at Holly when she found out about her unwittingly causing Victoria to be attacked. Kitchen sink drama at its finest.

I appreciate the efforts to give stories to most of the cast, even if block taping and lack of focus sometimes blunts any impact the stories could have.

OK 

The Rhona and Pierce storyline started out as the ultimate contrivance, and the material has mostly lived or died on whether they’ve managed to make that contrivance less obvious. It helps that Zoe Henry is a very, very good (her scenes slapping and raging at Paddy over the Tess affair were some of the best on the show this year) and very natural actress. Jonathan Wrather is not a very good actor, but he has his moments, along with endless intensity and charisma. He also has an easy romantic and sexual chemistry with Zoe Henry, which, honestly, I have never seen between Zoe and Dominic Brunt. So I was able to buy the relationship as mania and denial and enjoy some of the separate moments, like Pierce slowly whittling down those close to her, like the hilarious “fight” when Paddy returned, like Pierce’s therapy session, which was probably the best acting I’ve seen from Wrather here or on Corrie. The problem is all of this is delaying the inevitable “evil Pierce” narrative and the even more inevitable Rhona/Paddy reunion. It always hangs over the material and it’s not something I’m all that sure even the show itself is fully sure of, given how long some of this has been stalled out.

The Belle and Bailey affair story was strange, seedy, and, like many stories on the show in recent years, seemed to have no particular outcome planned. Bailey’s wife Angie was an interesting character I wish we’d seen more of. Belle’s breakdown was by far the highlight of this plot, with what made me feel like someone was trying to knock off the old Newt and Jacks…er…Eli plotline on Hollyoaks with Belle and Ellie becoming much, much better in the episodes where Belle ran away. Troubled ingenue on the streets is not exactly a new plot, but it somehow felt fresh here anyway, and Eden Taylor Draper gave some of her best performances. Jermaine then stuck around as a generally agreeable quasi-Dingle as if the show was trying to decide if they could really make any sense of keeping him around, until they decided not to bother.

Killing off James Barton, consistently one of the biggest drags on the show for me, was a great idea. His family is better without him. Emma has also been better defined this year, as her self-destructive scheming and neediness finally takes more of a toll on the people around her. And the unwatchable Ross/Pete rivalry that just about wrecked the show by the end of 2015 was resolved - realistically or not, I don’t care. Unfortunately, the stories for Pete and Finn ending the year have been lots of telling and not much showing. I’d probably like Pete and Leyla together and see it as more than a plot device to wind Emma up if any time had been taken to develop them. Pete and Moira was also a crashing plot device. Finn turning obsessive with Kasim (a blank slate) while grieving for his father had a great deal of potential but was burnt through at breakneck pace. I’ve appreciated the efforts to give Adam and Victoria a bit more storyline this year, with the attack and wanting a baby, but they are offcamera for such lengthy periods of time (even before Adam Thomas went on IAC) that it never gels.

Tracy and Vanessa having the same father is the classic example of why you don’t necessarily need to listen to the ideas of actors. Do I hate it? No. Do I think it serves any particular purpose, or do I have any great interest in them as sisters? Not really, no. Frank himself is a big question mark of a character, as I don’t think the show knows how far they want to take him, or his relationship with Megan. His most interesting relationship is with Vanessa, his rivalry with Eric and his questionable influence on Jacob. I’d work with that.

Last year I hated the Whites, in large part because of the atrocious way the Alicia story was resolved, but also because the show consistently gave Chrissie material that tried to make her often awful behavior into martyrdom, something Louise Marwood often struggled to play. I also hated the Robert vs the Whites merry-go-round. This year, the writing has still been all over the place, but for whatever reason, most of my stronger feelings have gone away. Aside from the ghastly “superbitch” period, I think Marwood has found her footing with the character this year, and I often end up feeling some sympathy for the character, somehow, due to the people around her. Rebecca’s obsession with Robert was a crappy way to bring her onto the canvas, and her behavior with convincing Lachlan to confess felt almost sociopathic, but Emily Head has a great deal of charm and humor that shows the potential Rebecca could have as a character. Lawrence’s sexuality story was resolved probably about as well as it could be given the messiness of it all, and while it was long overdue to see Bernice get more dramatic material, I’m not that sorry she’s away from that pairing or Home Farm. Ronnie has the potential to be a very good character, if used properly, and John McArdle is a fine actor. He’s a good balance for much of the decay of the family in terms of morality. Lachlan continues to hang over their heads, and the feeling that the show still doesn’t know whether to let him go hangs over Emmerdale, but Thomas Atkinson has given some fine performances this year, especially during Lawrence’s breakdown - probably the best material the family has had in their two years in the village.

There were some good ideas and good moments in the Jimmy and Nicola material this year. Trying to figure out who should work and who should stay at home. Nicola’s injuries and withdrawing from Jimmy. The friendship and emotional affair with Dan. Unfortunately most of this was cut short in favor of business as usual - breakups, makeups, dragon lady Nico and dumb Jimmy. Again there were bits I enjoyed in this too, like Nicola humiliating him at the grief meeting, Nicola catching him at the hotel with Bernice, the kids making them renew their vows. But so much of it is just plain stale and puts the characters in an airtight box.

To my surprise, I went from hating the idea of Marlon and Carly (I hate the “replacement mother” trope) to not minding it. Gemma Atkinson and Mark Charnock have decent chemistry, and there were various things explored that made them different than most couples churned out by the show now, like the age difference, Carly and Marlon not fitting traditional gender roles, not wanting to live together, etc. But when Carly barely appears, I have no idea how I’m supposed to feel about the relationship.

Bad

Just say yes. David’s cancer started out with real emotion, with the best chance to showcase one of the most natural family units in the village. Instead, in no time at all it became all about how David needed to marry Tracey, how Tracey was his rock, was unfairly judged, was there for Jacob, and so on. And while the “no means yes” narrative was never as terrible onscreen as it seemed in spoilers, it was still crass and strange. David’s illness and the reactions of those who loved him pretty much just faded. Now we’re left with this odd quasi-family that I don’t HATE, but I also don’t entirely believe, and feels like a producer who wants a favorite character of his to work (Tracey) and throws her at a popular leading man who just lost his longtime partner (David). It should take more work than this to create a pairing, especially if it’s going to involve a wedding after about two months as a couple. Until they properly figure out how to write for David when he’s with her and they figure out Tracey’s role (she’s alternately jealous and childish, worldly wise, supportive, demanding, mature, completely trashy), I’m not sure I can ever get into this relationship. As it is, I have to chalk most of their material this year (aside from the wedding, which I actually did enjoy a great deal) as one long lost opportunity.

The misogyny that was especially offputting over the summer, where women were slapping, clawing, shoving, and tearing strips out of each other (isn’t it funny how the media outlets that go on about women hitting men had nothing to say about this…??). Most of it made my skin crawl, and there are times when I end up wondering if the show now simply sees most women are catty and cruel, like when Chas and Leyla were jeering Kerry as a prostitute. There was also the heaping helping of misogyny thrown Charity’s way from Ross and a violent Cain, which Charity once upon a time would have had a much stronger reaction to than she had.

Kerry compo follies. What can I say other people haven’t already said? Laura Norton is a talented actress but most of this plot has been the epitome of unplayable material. I didn’t have a problem with it up to the point of her sleeping with Ross and having an abortion, but that should have been it. We should have seen her struggling and trying to pick herself back up. Instead it’s been this compo crap, which, even more ludicrously, ended in her getting a massive payout. I don’t believe, as some do, that the show is saying she’s a working class hero - Dan’s reactions show that we are supposed to be at least somewhat disgusted - but I also don’t believe that any of this will have any real consequences for her. My guess is within a month or two most of this will be forgotten and she’ll be back with Dan, back to supporting comic relief. If that is the case, if none of what she’s done is dealt in the writing, then they may as well just write her out.

Cain/Charity redux. Everything about this stunk of something Kate Oates likely had planned and Iain Macleod wanted little to do with. Gone were the glowing reminders of love and support, or that Cain was Charity’s hero or ideal. Instead it was just endless self-loathing and toxicity. It was very difficult to watch, and I’m just glad it’s done. I’d be happier if there seemed to be any actual story plans for Charity. Charity is one of my favorite characters but I’m starting to feel like they overdid it with the Declan/Charity story and now have no idea what to do with her.

Rakesh. Somewhere in this was a good idea - Rakesh’s biggest faults (his pride and his overinvolvement in Kirin’s life) slowly wearing him down to nothing. Unfortunately, just plain awful story pacing (this story vanishes for months at a time) and a stubborn refusal to actually explore the character’s extreme actions (remember when he throttled Chrissie and it was never really brought up again? remember when he nearly killed himself and other than making Priya take a time out, it was never really brought up again?) have sunk whatever this story was supposed to be. Poor Pasha Bocarie and Fiona Wade, who tried their absolute best. Has any story (maybe beyond the Frank and Megan plot) ever said “we have to fill 6 episodes a week” more than this did in 2016?

And finally…

I had a difficult time processing the news that Gordon had sexually abused Aaron for years, because I didn’t feel that this matched up to the Aaron I saw as a child or Danny Miller’s early months in the role. I was also disappointed from a dramatic perspective because I think Aaron’s story could have been given a fresh jolt if a complex father he had a fraught relationship with had joined the canvas. However, when I watched Aaron explain what had happened to him, it made more sense to me, thanks to a strong script and strong work from Danny Miller.

Unfortunately there was so much outside of this that troubled me, upset me, and led me to begin blocking out large portions of this storyline.

- the pacing of Chas reconciling with Gordon (a man she had barely had any contact with in decades, and most of that had been hostile). In a matter of weeks she was groping with him in the back of a car and a planning a future with him). It made the character look ridiculous.

- the way that Aaron had little agency in a story that was supposed to be about him. He was all but forced to go to the police about his father because Cain was going to kill him otherwise. He begged his mother not to tell anyone, and she told Cain anyway. This should have numbed him and then angered him - another set of people taking away who he is. He should have clashed with them. This should have led to more of a struggle over whether Gordon would be convicted, rather than silly moments like Gordon having a pratfall in court to fake illness.

- the shameful, shameful episode where Robert went from completely believing Aaron to believing Aaron had some type of false memory syndrome because of one conversation with Gordon. There was even a tweet to ask viewers whether Aaron really was remembering it wrong. Not only was this a genuinely baffling one-day excursion to take, it also completely blew the narrative that Robert was some type of savior to Aaron out of the water. In order for a reunion to happen, this had to be completely ignored after one apology - and sure enough, it was.

- Sexual abuse being used to reunite a romantic couple…even worse, a romantic couple built on abuse themselves. Again, Robert’s myriad forms of abuse toward Aaron were barely addressed, because otherwise they would show just how completely inappropriate all of this was. I think Ryan Hawley and Danny Miller work very well together, I always have, and I can understand why the show wanted to reunite the characters. It’s just that I cannot and will not ever accept the way the show chose to do it.

- Gordon killing himself, which felt like an attempt to just put a quick end to the story. At least they have used his money to try to show how his presence haunts Aaron, but like so much of this story, it still felt rushed and half-told.

I realize that this story was researched, and meant a great deal to many fans. I’m not trying to dismiss what they went through or if Aaron’s story helped them. It’s just a story that I had a very difficult time with, and I think I always will.

 

 

 

This review was 1000% accurate and on point about everything this year. Love it. 

Hair commercial with Ethan Kai (Kasim).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9AEJ1PiXH4

Seriously after this recent stunt of setting the caravan on fire, can they plz get rid of Kerry? I'm over this bitch. Kill her. Send her ass to prison. I'm over her. 

8 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

Seriously after this recent stunt of setting the caravan on fire, can they plz get rid of Kerry? I'm over this bitch. Kill her. Send her ass to prison. I'm over her. 

 

It's winding down in the next few days, thankfully. 

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

 

It's winding down in the next few days, thankfully. 

 

Is she about to exit?

Just now, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

Is she about to exit?

 

No. I mean she finally wakes up and presumably stops acting like a dumb twat. 

 

I think the story has made her look awful but if they let her move on and maybe address this behavior (good luck with that...) I can get past it. I've gotten over enough from other characters (especially Cain, who spent years murdering people's pets), although the compo stuff was just terrible and embarrassing writing.

2 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

No. I mean she finally wakes up and presumably stops acting like a dumb twat. 

 

I think the story has made her look awful but if they let her move on and maybe address this behavior (good luck with that...) I can get past it. I've gotten over enough from other characters (especially Cain, who spent years murdering people's pets), although the compo stuff was just terrible and embarrassing writing.

 

Damn. I wanted this bitch to meet her maker. 

On 1 January 2017 at 3:01 PM, DRW50 said:

 

Love the Emma icon! 

 

Thank you! Great review of 2016.

Thanks for reading it. 

Ugh! Why did Pierce have to be made a rapist?!

It's infuriating, isn't it?  

 

My guess is that it was done to pave the way for a reunion between Rhona and Paddy. But did they really have to trash Pierce to do that?  

4 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

It's infuriating, isn't it?  

 

My guess is that it was done to pave the way for a reunion between Rhona and Paddy. But did they really have to trash Pierce to do that?  

 

I think Pierce was always supposed to be bad. Tess used to talk about how controlling he was. He was very manipulative early on and scared Vanessa. I feel like Iain Macleod stretched the story out so we'd be more shocked at what he did. 

 

I don't mind the idea in terms of exploring Rhona's struggle, but yes, knowing it's likely for more Paddy/Rhona (a pairing I have never liked) is disappointed and misogynist. As is Lisa's quasi-reunion with Zak, although I don't really know how that could have been resolved any other way. Kate Oates should be ashamed for their breakup, especially the way it was done.

@I Am A Swede It is infuriating. I hate that Pierce has to be trashed so Rhona/Paddy can be slapped back together at the end of the day. IMO, they should've just reunited them after the crash if that's what they wanted. 

 

@DRW50 But I didn't take what Tess said as truth ... not after I saw Pierce appear onscreen.  Like I've said her numerous times, Pierce should've been a panty dropping lothario, who plowed through all the women in village. We need that sexy playboy-like character on the show. Pierce could've been it! Oh and don't get me started on Lisa/Zak. I find Lisa taking him back and yearning for him insulting.