Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[I Am A Swede]

 

The treatment of Robert has been horrendous. I know that Robert wasn't exactly an angel before he left, but he had a reason for being the way he was. He was constantly overlooked by Jack in favour of Andy, and probably felt more close to Sarah. When he then found out that Andy was responsible for her death, and that Jack knew and covered for him, it was only logical that he would grow even more resentful towards Andy and do what he could to destroy his life the way he probably felt Andy had destroyed his.

But the Robert we've been shown has very little resemblance to that Robert, and his only value to the show seems to be as a trouble-maker and to elicit sympathy for poor Aaron.

 

I have just two things to say about bringing in more Sugden relatives: Sandie Merrick and Sam Skilbeck!

With Robert back nothing would make more sense than to have him reach out and seek contact with his older half-sister and her family.

As for Sam I realize that there is virtually no hope of TPTB bringing him (or Matt and Dolly) back, but if the incredible was to happen I would do cartwheels of sheer excitement.

Edited January 8, 2018 by I Am A Swede

[vetsoapfan]

 

The core Bauer family was introduced to The Guiding Light in 1948, and the earliest story that hooked me on the show was from 1950, when Meta Bauer went on trial for the murder of her abusive husband. The Bauers remained the show's cornerstone until 1982-4, when new and clueless PTB started to dismantle and butcher them.

 

The Shaynes came aboard in the 1980s, with generally fake Southern accents, loud mouths, and abrasive personalities and behavior. 

 

Imagine watching The Waltons for many years and loving that family, only to see them gratuitously killed off or written out, and replaced by the Bundy clan of Married with Children. Dear God in heaven! It was a nightmare!

Edited January 8, 2018 by vetsoapfan

[NothinButAttitude]

@I Am A Swede & @DRW50, Jack's brother, Joe was killed wasn't he? If so, do you think there are possible ways for him to have had kids he didn't know about to regenerate the Sugden clan?

[DRW50]

 

Yes, he was killed. 

 

Both Jack and Joe were off the canvas over and over, so they could easily have kids out there. Jack even thought he had a child with Marian Wilks.

[I Am A Swede]

I've said it before, but Jack and Marian could have conceived a child when he went to Rome to support her in 1991 when her husband died. She wanted to keep it a secret since he chose to stay with Sarah, and that's why she didn't attend her own father's funeral later that year.

 

As for Joe, I wouldn't mind a similar scenario and reveal that his first wife, Christine, was pregnant when their marriage collapsed and she kept her pregnancy a secret from Joe. Now he/she has found out the truth and comes looking for his/her relatives. That child would be in his/her early 40s now and have children thereby extending the Sugden family tree with several new members in an instant.

[vetsoapfan]

 

Good ideas. Maybe Marian or Christine could even have had twin boys who would eventually take the Sugden name and therefore replenish the ranks of the dwindling clan. 

 

Even if the introduction of new Sugdens felt awkward at first, I would forgive an awkward story if it meant reestablishing the show's original founding family.

Edited January 10, 2018 by vetsoapfan

[TimWil]

I think 6-8 months down the line Joseph and Debbie will be back together and he’ll hand her an ultimatum: him or Charity. He’ll demand that she and Sarah cut off all contact with her. She’ll choose him and Home Farm. A few months later Charity will need a graft/transplant from perfect match Debbie and then Debbie will be on the horns of a dilemma. Will she let her mother die?

Edited January 10, 2018 by TimWil

[I Am A Swede]

It's a bit ironic isn't it that Joseph is trying to evict the Dingles when his own mother Rachel fought against his grandfather Frank when he tried to do the same.

 

Ugh, thinking about how Rachel fought for the Dingles is enough to make me want to re-watch the moment when Graham threw her off the cliff.... 

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[NothinButAttitude]

Can Rebecca just die? Girl, join your papa and sister on the other side. She provided a Sugden heir, now she's useless. She can exit stage left. 

 

Just so happy that the Whites have been totally wiped out in one sweep. Now we wait until Joseph reclaims his family home, and the Tates reclaim their glory!

 

 

I think they'll try and do a Cain/Chris/Charity redux with Debbie/Ross/Joseph if anything. Yes, I believe Joseph/Debbie will be paired together again, but Joseph will end up with the short end of the stick as no one can cross St. Debbie and live to tell the tale. 

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[I Am A Swede]

 

I don't mind if Rebecca lives. As Sebastian's mother she will always be a part of Robert's life, and when, inevitably, Robert and Aaron get back together she could be around and make Aaron's life miserable. And for me everything that annoys a Dingle is a bonus.   

 

I too fear that Joseph and Debbie will be paired again, but I'm desperately hoping that the show will prove me wrong. Can't they please have at least one person in the village who hates the Dingles?

[NothinButAttitude]

 

They always have one person that hates the Dingles on this show but it does not end well for them. Look at my poor Carl [King] for example. He went from loving a Dingle, to despising them at times, to tolerating them, and got killed by a lover of a Dingle [Cameron]. 

 

I still miss Carl/Tom Lister on this show. 

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[I Am A Swede]

 

They're always seen as being in the wrong too. How can they be mean to the poor, innocent little Dingles.... 

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I've already seen Joseph described as the show's new villain and this clip perfectly demonstrates how that makes me feel

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[TimWil]

 

A week ago today I was walking down a street in Notting Hill and Tom Lister was sitting in his car. I glanced at him (tried not to stare) and noticed he glanced back. I think maybe he thought I was someone he knew? Just a few days earlier I’d seen him on TV in The Royal Variety Performance along with the cast of 42nd Street!

 

But back to the show-I hated Lachlan’s sudden “remorse” immediately following the car crash. It was incredibly unrealistic, unless whatever mental illness he suffers from causes crazy mood swings. He’d just deliberately tried to kill his mother. I’d liked it better if he was unconscious afterward, instead.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

What?!!! You saw my Carl! Why didn't you run up to him?! I would've. Lucky you. I so miss his presence on screen, but it seems he's enjoying his life on stage much better. 

 

When it comes to the Whites altogether, I wish they all would've died in the crash. No traces should've been left of them except for Sebastian, who I view as a pure Sugden. 

[MichaelGL]

Sucks that we're losing the actor that plays Lachlan, as he's quite talented. I hope he turns up somewhere else very soon.