Emmerdale: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I saw one of the videos from their channel said "Robert pushed Katie through the floor," which he did, technically, but that wasn't his intent. The whole thing was confusing, as he was menacing, yet they didn't have him deliberately kill her. I'm not sure if they were being ambiguous because they don't want him to be taken too far, or if they're still going to act like he's the great evil.

I have a feeling he'll end up killing Chrissie's father too.

[NothinButAttitude]

I hope he does not kill anyone else. With Katie's death, it could be accidental but he'd still do some time. I just wanted the character to have some longevity--to come back as the scheming lothario he was before. After this, I am not so sure....

[DRW50]

Oh I agree. I don't want it to happen either, especially since I wish they'd explore Lawrence's sexuality. If he ended up falling for Aaron (imagine Robert's reaction...) or hooking up with Finn or maybe Ross, it would be something different. Or if he ended up hooking up with Emma (who did seem eager to get into that wedding) and she causes all sorts of problems at Home Farm.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Is there a tendency to go serial killer route on this soap? You seem so certain that Robert is going to kill multiple people but I haven't gotten that vibe from him....yes he can be pretty dark and brooding but I just don't see "psycho killer" there at all.

Am I missing something? Is this more to do with who the current main writer for Emmerdale is?

And Chrissys father is gay and out? I did get weird vibes from him. Lol at him and Ross. Ross is MINE.

Edited February 7, 2015 by ThePrinceOfSunspear

[DRW50]

Chrissie's father is bisexual, although I think he suppresses the side of himself that wants men. He was involved with Edna's husband many years ago. Edna had him put in prison. He went on to marry Chrissie's mother and they were happy until her death. Robert flirted with him to get a stronger position in the company and get close to Chrissie. After that, things between them got very nasty - Robert called him a pathetic old poofter, and Lawrence faked a heart attack to ruin the memorial for Robert's adoptive mother. Robert staged the breakin at Home Farm (which is when he started getting close to Aaron) to be the hero and win Lawrence over to his side.

It's not so much current Emmerdale writers as it's a lazy, debilitating culture in British soaps that started with the Richard Hillman story on Corrie 15 years ago. A character accidentally kills someone, there's a frantic coverup, and generally, unless they're on Hollyoaks (where everyone is a killer...), they start killing other people and leave the show dead or in prison.

Robert can take three paths...

- the Carl path, where you get away with everything for many years because you're popular with viewers and everything you did can sort of be explained as not your fault (Carl accidentally killed a friend, murdered his father in a rage, and a woman he was in love with was run over while going to the cops to turn him in for his father's murder - there was an implication that maybe it wasn't entirely on the up and up)

- the Cameron path, where you murder someone and then start murdering other people until you're dead in a ratings stunt (Cameron murdered Carl, then a farmhand, then Chas' sister Gennie, before taking various people hostage in the Woolpack and dying of electrocution)

- the Cain path, where you just do whatever the !@#$%^&*] you want because you're you, and it never really sticks

[NothinButAttitude]

This!

I'd rather Robert follow in Carl's footsteps instead. At least we'd keep him for some years and he'd feel somewhat remorseful for the crimes he committed.

And we already somewhat have someone following in Cameron's footsteps--Emma. I get this impression that she's two steps away from offing someone or at least trying before she meets her demise.

[DRW50]

Yeah...I agree about Emma. It's a waste, as I think some of the Bartons will be around for a while (Ross seems to be extremely popular, and Pete and Finn both seem typical of longrunning characters), so their mother could add to their stories. The beats have been so rushed and we've already seen her skirt the edge of truly reprehensible behavior once (leaving James to die), so I assume she won't be around long. I hope I'm wrong.

Robert...

[NothinButAttitude]

I get this feeling that Emma is Emmerdale's latest answer to previously popular Natasha Wylde. Hell, the whole family is a carbon copy of the Wyldes. At least a poor man's version.

James = Mark

Finn = Will

Pete = Maisie

Ross = Nathan

Moira = Faye

Adam = Ryan

RE: (Spoiler): I am glad to hear that. I just hate that Robert was tied to boring, whiny ass Aaron. I'd rather if Finn was in this instead. Or some new gay character. I used to love Aaron but he irked my nerves towards the end of his original run. Only time I really enjoyed him was during the Jackson/Aaron era, which even then, he annoyed me.

[DRW50]

Those are interesting comparisons. I think Adam is more like Maisie and Pete is more like Ryan. Finn as Will, I can see. James would be Faye to me, as boring gatekeeper of secrets.

Ross reminds me so much of Cain...a more emo Cain, with less animal killing.

I don't like that Robert is so defined by Aaron this time around, nor do I think Robert and Aaron are a "supercouple" - I'm not even sure the show has longterm plans for them, other than Robert manipulating him. I wouldn't mind seeing Robert with other people, in real relationships and not shams like what he has with Chrissie, so his fate won't depend on Aaron fans. But Ryan Hawley and Danny Miller have such dynamite chemistry and they obviously put a great deal of effort in their scenes together (it helps that they get along well - there were rumors that he and Marc Silcock [Jackson] did not get on and I've always wondered if that's one of the reasons they had so little chemistry). I think if the show resists just writing about poor Aaron suffering and being abused, he and Robert could drive a hell of a lot of story for a long time. This is the first time I've cared about Aaron since about 2009.

We were talking about Brookside in another thread. You may already know this, but the woman who plays Emma played Debbie on Brookside, best known for "Damon & Debbie," the first ever "soap bubble," and one that absolutely devastated countless fans (especially teenage girls) back in the day.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeTSqTsV18xIqn5vnsyJRKq0XtkB34ZcV

Edited February 8, 2015 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

Thanks for sharing that, Carl! I didn't know that the actress that plays Emma was in the legendary Brookside pairing. I've heard a bit about Debbie & Damon. I didn't know that they were huge. I'm sure some girls were suicidal after he was killed. Did Debbie return to Brookside afterwards?

Back to Emmerdale, I didn't know that Danny & Marc didn't get along? That could explain why the pairing was decent but never as great as it could've been. Their energy always did read a little bit off. Like they never pushed further in their performances. Guess that affected a lot of the writing too.

But I hope Robert is not attached to Aaron long term. But hell, I don't even see Danny Miller staying long anyways. He's always given me the impression that he has higher aspiration than being a soap, which is fine.

With Ryan, I can see him staying for awhile and only taking a stab at Hollywood or other projects because people around will push him to do so. I personally think he has the 'it factor' to make it.

[DRW50]

I think she did go back to Brookside for a while, maybe just to finish out the character's story. One of the Brookside books I used to have talked about when she and Sheila Grant (Damon's mother) went to Rome to scatter Damon's ashes, and they said you could see the Pope in one of the shots...as if he was personally there to tell them goodbye (which he wasn't, obviously, but it's amusing).

Danny says he is back until the show fires him, as he's done things elsewhere and that's the main reason he wanted to leave before. Whether that's true, I guess we'll see. Probably depends how much story he has.

The Danny and Marc stuff is just speculation. Some of it may have been ITV, who seemed to put serious brakes on chemistry and sexuality between gay men until the last year. For whatever reason, it was a big part of why I couldn't take Aaron - I felt like Miller was extremely uncomfortable playing a gay man. I don't feel that now, and while I'll never be a huge Aaron booster, that does help.

I can see Hawley leaving after a few years, especially as his wife lives in London. I hope if the show wants him, he'll stay and stay, as Robert is vital to the show's future and to the future of the Sugden family, but realistically, I know we'll be lucky if Robert is even around a year from now. Ugh.

Speaking of ED actors in other roles, if you ever get a chance, you should try to see (if you haven't already) Bill Ward (James) as Charlie Stubbs on Corrie. He's about 5000000% better. He just seems like a zombie on Emmerdale. What a sad contrast to James Thornton as John, who gave great performances, and was a super hot piece of ass.

Edited February 8, 2015 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

I didn't know that Ryan Hawley was married. I'm sure the relocation on the daily can be draining even though it is easier to travel over there with the various types of public transportation.

Oh and I am shocked that Danny is willing to stay as long as the show will keep him. Again, I don't see him staying long term unless he has to.

I knew I recognized Bill Ward from somewhere else. He was the one that Tracey killed, right? And I miss James Thornton too. That man oozed sex appeal. How Moira let that slip from her hands....

And thanks for the Brookside history lesson. I've seen and read a little about the show and enjoyed it all thus far. Especially the story where the mother and daughter bury the father in the backyard. That had to be epic at that time.

[DRW50]

Yeah, the Beth Jordache story was the show's last real period of popularity, before various things (too much shock value, the incest storyline, etc.) began driving viewers away. Beth Jordache was an iconic character for many viewers, which is rare for a lesbian on a soap, especially at that time.

This channel has a lot of videos (and some Emmerdale stuff too).

https://www.youtube.com/user/EmmerdaleFanx

In a way it's crazy that someone like Hawley, who to me has immense star quality, is on a soap, but he's said in interviews that he struggled to get work for years and years. So if he stays (if they let him stay) I think that could end up being a reason.

The channel that puts up Barton family stuff has his other roles, if you ever want to see them.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6fkbcXyuGjykf7LO7VtzhA

It's funny...I normally detest gay couples on soaps, or am bored silly by them. While I wouldn't say Emmerdale is problem-free in this area (I'm definitely not going to say that if Robert goes the "evil bisexual" route), three of the only gay couples I've ever liked on a soap (Zoe/Charity, Debbie/Jasmine, Aaron/Robert) have been on this show.

A relationship like Zoe/Charity probably wouldn't be written on a soap today, sadly.

[NothinButAttitude]

How did the general audience receive Charity and Debbi's gay romances? Were they well received? Because remember, EE did an insta-gay story with Sonia, which fans loathed.

And thanks for the YT pages. I'll subscribe to them so I'll get to see their future uploads.

And I am shocked but not so shocked that Hawley struggled for years. That's how it usually is in the industry. The mediocre actors go on to achieve 'greatness' while the true greats are overshadowed. Regardless his choices, I hope he goes on to have a successful career going forward.

[DRW50]

Charity/Zoe was complicated, as it was part real and part Zoe struggling with schizophrenia and behaving irrationally (there was a horribly depressing scene where Chris was watching his sister in the institution and weeping hysterically), along with Charity manipulating her emotions to keep a foothold in the family. The show would go back to it here and there - when Charity was on trial for killing Chris (he'd actually committed suicide and framed her), she manipulated Zoe into testifying on her behalf. Zoe overheard her talking about her plans with her lawyer, and blasted her on the witness stand, further sinking her case. A few months before Charity's 2005 exit, she and Zoe buried the hatchet and clearly still cared about each other. (Charity's red-faced runt of a fiance, Tom King, stewed in the background)

Debbie/Jasmine was only ever a plot device for Debbie/Cain drama (Cain seduced Jasmine to make sure her relationship with Debbie ended, as his daughter being with a woman repulsed him; Jasmine got pregnant and Debbie, to pay him back for his betrayal, convinced Jasmine to have an abortion), then for Jenna Louise Coleman's exit, but they did have a following. The timing was off because most of their relationship took place a year or so before gay couples started getting big online fan followings ("McDean" were the first big one).