Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[Ben]

It's disappointing that they basically dropped the Robbie/Finn friendship as soon as fans pointed out they had chemistry and would make an interesting couple. Suddenly, Kate Oates said they were not going down that route, b/c they didn't want to turn a straight character gay, even though it would have been quite plausible with Robbie, considering he was an outsider, and hasn't been developed much at all. Fielding the question of a Finn/Aaron hook up, and it was two characters shouldn't be thrown together just b/c they're gay. Fair play. Only, Finn and Aaron had a one night stand the first minute they made eye contact.

They were well aware of how hated Robbie was last year, and well aware of how likeable he had become this year. It's a shame they killed him off now, and couldn't see the potential he had.

It's good for ED, considering they have had zero promotion. EE has had promos playing the last couple of weeks, and DTC went out of his way to drum up hype on Twitter. Even with no promos, ED still managed a ratings increase. ITV treats the show poorly compared to Corrie.

[NothinButAttitude]

Chile, please!

Everybody knows that DEBBIE is Emmerdale.

And I am a Declan fan because Jason Merrells is sexy!

[Bright Eyes]

I'm so excited for the return of Robert Sugden tonight and the fact that he'll be part of the new family moving into Home Farm.

[I Am A Swede]

In honour of Robert's return, here is his very first appearance on Emmerdale Farm, April 22nd, 1986:

[Bright Eyes]

I love this show for having Nicola taking Robert's virginity be a story beat to his re-introduction. I wish I could find that on YouTube.

[Bright Eyes]

It's still early days, but I think Ryan Hawley has been a great Robert Sugden so far. It helps that he looks like he could be related to Karl Davies and is easily sold as the image of a farmer's son, who always wanted better for himself. More than that, I am quickly falling for Chrisse, his finacée, as well. I can't wait to see her more immersed in the village.

On another note, with it looking like Laurel could be becoming an alcoholic (yes please!), is it too much to ask that she accidentally kill Marlon somehow? Basically, anyway I can see for the show to get rid of "that piece of rope" ©Doug Potts, I will happily take. He's become even more unbearable since Donna's passing, if that's even possible.

Speaking of deadwood, the show needs to hurry up and realize that the lesbians are boring as hell and no one cares about their stupid story. Not to mention that the actress who plays Ruby is horribly bland, forgettable and always looks like a drowned rat. Ruby leaving last week should have been her exit, but no, the show must torture me.

At least I got to see Ross beat the sh*t out of Aaron this week. That was nice and completely necessary. Thankfully, they have seemed to quickly resolve their little "fued" as well, so I have one less reason to see Aaron try and play hard man.

[Bright Eyes]

Kerry absolutely kills me. From today's show; "I haven't washed in three days. I'm not dedicated." And from a couple weeks ago, planning to crash Kirin's party, she downs a glass of milk at the cafe, "If I vomit now, it's not for lack of trying."

Emmerdale constantly proving they have the best scriptwriters.

[Bright Eyes]

Cain punching the lights out of Kirin is a moment I will relay in my head for some time to come. At the same time, however, that hypocritical bitch Moira is dead to me. After everything Vanessa has done for that cow, she has the gall to take some extremely undeserved moral high ground. I know who I want to get slapped next.

[DRW50]

Those Robert/Aaron scenes were much, much hotter than I'd expected. It was also strange to see Danny Miller acting, showing desire and vulnerability, not just scowling.

I think where I'm not as upset about lack of buildup as some are is that I don't see this as being about a budding romance or a love story.

Robert thinks Aaron is hot. He doesn't want to address this, likely because this is the first time he's really come close to, for lack of a better term, shitting where he eats, and he probably knows Chrissy is someone he can't easily fool and will regret crossing.

He tries not to give into his feelings, but he finally does when he feels emasculated and shamed by Chrissy. He needs to know Aaron wants him and is under his thumb (among other body parts). He still backs away, because he still sees what a terrible idea all of this is, until Chrissy apologizes to him. He feels powerful, he's on a high, and he believes he can not only have her, but Aaron too. Not just for sex, but for ego, for control.

To be able to break someone who is as much of a psychological mess as Aaron, do whatever you wish with his body and mind, must be a huge turn-on for someone like Robert, who has never, ever felt like anyone wants him, needs him, or is beholden to him.

Add in that Aaron is an attractive guy who is probably extremely eager to please (given his own insecurities), and it's a tightrope that makes Robert feel like a man, gets him hard, and keeps him that way, something he'll need to survive in a village full of people he basically despises yet craves the approval of.

I hope they go this route and don't turn it into a love story. As much as the image of Aaron literally shoving a ring in Robert's face and running somewhere into a sheep field afterward, and Chas being Robert Sugden's mother-in-law and trying to cook homey dinners at the farm would amuse me, I just can't see that happening.

[DRW50]

I regret going to DS most days, but seeing the state of the Emmerdale posts (always the worst part of the forum to be honest) is saddening to the point where I never want to go there again. I hope no one at PTB takes them seriously. The usual glib, annoying in-jokes are still around, along with even more of the same old endless bitterness. People not watching the show anymore other than to talk about why they hate it, people who hate the show and mostly watch to hate it. It's too bad the only fans who ever post there who like their show are Eastenders fans, and they always sound like PR drones, not human beings.

I think my favorite part is the poster who keeps insisting it's terrible that Robert was somehow turned gay for a story, when they were one of the most vocal cheerleaders of "Stendan," a story where Ste was turned gay with zero foundation, solely so that Paul Marquess could have a mushmouthed thug beat the [!@#$%^&*] out of him on a daily basis. So essentially, it's OK to magically go gay if the man you're going gay for is acceptable enough, if his fists drip blood the color of gold, but it's not OK otherwise. Maybe when Aaron breaks Robert's ribs, he'll pass the test.

It's kind of sad seeing what's become of the Sugden farm, with Cain (Jack would have been mortified) around, with the Barton uncle who has that weird grey clump on his head and seems constipated (he was much better on Corrie). Ross still seems a little stiff to me, but I can see his appeal now. Pete is OK. I can't see Debbie staying with him - she will get bored eventually. I like Finn, but the fans out there who see him as this huge wasted resource are being generous. He mostly works as a supporting character with sardonic quips.

Moira is a somewhat pathetic character, even more now than when I stopped watching, but Natalie Robb gives her all. She's a very good soap actress. That meltdown in the pub after Adam was put inside was fearless camp and I loved it. And the scenes where Adam was going to prison and they told him they were signing over part of the farm to him moved me. They still work well together as mother and son. Adam is such a broken character and it really works, especially when you remember how he was at the start.

It's nice to see Pearl and Edna are still around, and Edna still have a strong presence in stories. I guess Sandy has taken over some of Alan Turner's old role. He's more tolerable now because he doesn't shout all his lines. His bond with Edna is touching.

Chas and Charity still have awful hair. Debbie looks like Heidi. I still have a soft spot for Chas, even after years away. I guess I am lucky to have missed some of her lesser moments.

I don't think the show does the crime stories very well (what was all that with kidnapping some woman who was extorting Moira and having Adam beaten up? It's so...random), but that's not new.

I think the Whites are good choices for Home Farm. They have a bit of chic and style which isn't typical of the village, yet they aren't too ridiculous. Chrissy is a very interesting character...so nakedly vulnerable, covering it up with aggro.

I loved Robert with Karl Davies in the role. I don't quite see Ryan Hawley as Robert, especially not his interactions with the Sugdens, but I think he's doing decently enough. His scenes with Aaron are full of sexual tension and layers in a way most gay couples on soaps are often not. The story is much more in the vein of the Kim Tate era of Emmerdale instead of being misery and tedium like most of Aaron's previous stories. I hope the show won't make this about love. Let's just have it be high class trash with Robert taking off his clothes a lot. Can we do that?

I see that Paddy still has no hair (is the actor doing that for medical reasons). At least I got to see him around Chas and Aaron and not that snappish woman Rhona. Is he still married to her? Are he and Marlon close again (I hope not)?

Victoria's such a spark plug. The show's lucky to have her.

With some changes and pruning I think the show could still be saved, which Eastenders and Corrie probably can't, but then I've always liked Emmerdale the most of the British soaps, so that's my bias talking. It's at least nice to know that even with all the destruction Gavin Blythe and Blackburn wrought onto the show, it still has that familiar feel to me, like home.

Edited December 7, 2014 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

Aww. Carl, I loved reading your little rant because it gave me insight as to what is going on, and I hope they go that route too. Emmerdale is my favorite British soap as it's the first one I started watching [during the beginning of the fabulous King era]. Have they actually started utilizing Victoria or Diane? And I hope that they don't make Robert a pariah so much that he ends up having to be murdered off in 2-3 years.

[Ben]

Carl, brilliant post. Summed up how I feel about the show very eloquently. I to hope they don't turn Robert/Aaron into a big love story.

Although, I don't really like Pete, as I find him to be a very dull character. I also appreciate Chas' off screen time.

NBA: They never utilize Victoria - ever. Diane had a small story a month ago with Doug, as they finally got together. She's actually being used very well with the whole Robert vs Andy feud.

[DRW50]

Yeah I read that Victoria has a little something coming up, but it isn't all that interesting.

What do you think of Belle's stories? They sound so dark, and I wonder if the actress can play them.

[Ben]

I'm not that enthralled by Belle's story. They're playing it up like she's being stalked by some mystery assailant, when it seems obvious that it's another mental health story for the Dingles. I just don't find it all that interesting, and I think that's down to the writing and how they decided to execute it. They couldn't just play it for what it is, they had to go and cover it with a thin veneer of mystery, like a whodunit. It's a bit too sensationalized, and not grounded enough for me.

It bugs me also how the Dingles have not recommended she see a counsellor. It wasn't long ago that they were referencing Zak's battle with anxiety and stress, but suddenly he doesn't recognize any of the signs that his own daughter is displaying. It's all very deer-in-the-headlights, 'what's happening to our little girl', 'it's all that Lachlan's fault', kinda stuff.

Speaking of Lachlan, I like him. He seems like a decent enough teen character, and he works well with Belle. He's the only interesting part of the whole story.

[DRW50]

I often wonder how much longer they can keep most of that branch of the Dingle clan on, especially since the days of the family being run by Zak with an iron fist seem long gone. The Dingles have survived mostly because they managed to push themselves (some would say infest) throughout the village. Charity, Cain, Aaron, Chas, etc.

I'd say maybe Belle and Zak and Marlon could go, but then Marlon will be with us after the apocalypse, so no reason to pretend otherwise.

I was surprised to see that Bernice is still around. I always had a soft spot for her. I guess I should check some of her stuff over the past year to see if any of it was worth watching.