Emmerdale - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show. 

[Amello]

It's been nice to see Pearl again these last couple of weeks. Before that, it had been quite awhile. I can't even remember the last time we saw Betty, my favourite.

 

Is it wrong that I don't want to see Robert get a comeuppance? I want him to succeed in whatever way he chooses. For now, at least.

 

Michael Parr was once again great last night. If only he would actually learn from his mistakes.

 

Charley Webb looked so young last night, particularly when we first saw her in her house with that blue jumper. Sometimes I forget her actual age with all that she's been through.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Amello

[Amello]

It really can't be said enough how integral Jimmy and Nicola are to the enjoyment of this show. One of the best on-screen partnerships on soaps today.

 

Rejoice! Moira cut that poodle of her head. I don't know what I think of her current hair style, but anything is better than what she had before. Let's hope the next time we see Chas, she has rid herself of those horrid bangs.

 

On a random note, I saw a picture yesterday of Katie in her wedding dress during her first go round with Andy. She looked like a child hooker going to prom. I could not stop staring in horror.

[Aymery]

Yay, an Emmerdale forum! Is it the accents that make it less popular abroad?

 

Sign me up for Team Robert. The people he's up against are simply awful. Katie seems to have absolved herself of all blame in her adulterous affair with Robert while married to his brother. The scene where she confronted him at Home Farm, insisting that she'd been lady of the manor because she'd genuinely loved Declan, was laughable to say the least. Take them all down, I say! The new actor's quite a find isn't he? He plays him so smarmy yet there's this undercurrent of vulnerability. He's lovely to look at, too. Hope he hasn't been given a short shelf-life going up against Andy and Katie.

 

The Whites have been a decent addition to the cast, although all-powerful Lawrence is a bit much - but still a heck of a lot better than the Kotechas. I just cannot warm to Rakesh or Kirin, the adult schoolboy. Are we genuinely supposed to buy him as 17? It's a bit skeevy then that they have him walking around in his pants for the womenfolk to ogle.

 

I do feel the cast is a bit too large at the moment and could do with some trimming. Are we allowed to discuss casting news on here without spoiler tags?

[Amello]

Yay, another Emmerdale fan and another Robert fan. I think we'll get along just fine.

 

I've always loved Andy, and for nostalgia alone, I've been happy to see Andy and Katie reunite TEN years later, but you're right about that Katie scene at Home Farm. My enjoyment of her is really dependant on the episode.

 

As for the Kotecha's, I think Rakesh has a lot of potential. Anyone that can put Jai in his place is a goldmine to me. Kirin is an issue, but that's the character itself. A cocky teenage who thinks the world owes him something. What a rejoiceful moment it was when Cain got to punch his lights out. I also tolerate him because of Vanessa. She is my girl.

 

I would suggest casting talk can go in the cast thread that's been made, spolier free.

[Gulftastic]

Whilst Kirin gives more chances to see Lovely Nessa on screen, she deserves so much more. I wish they'd taken her feelings towards Rhona further.

[Amello]

Even better, when Vanessa and Kirin's relationships goes to the wayside like we all know it will, wouldn't it be absolutely fantastic for the great Zoe Tate to then return and eventually have them fall for each other? Of course, if Zoe did return, she'd have quite the homecoming to attend to first.

[atlanticslide]

Hopping on the Robert love train. I like Katie well enough and enjoy Andy, and while I think Andy's hurt and offense towards Robert is justified, Katie can stuff her smug superiority. The push-pull relationship between Robert and Andy is so much more interesting than Robert hurling misogynistic insults at Katie and Katie making sour faces anyway. There's so much angst and bitterness in Robert and Robert/Andy's relationship and it's interesting to watch how it plays out and how Robert's hurt constantly circles back to come out as anger.  I'm also really intrigued by the Robert/Aaron affair, much as I like Chrissie. I'm really liking Aaron since his return in general - still broody and standoffish and defensive, but more comfortable with himself and with letting others get close to him.

 

I like Rakesh (agreed that anyone who can stand up to Jai is an automatic winner for me), but I can't stand Kirin, or Kirin/Vanessa. And this may be an unpopular opinion, but I can't stand Vanessa in general. Their whole relationship is irritating and strange - I have no idea what she would see in a kid like him, especially with all of the constant mothering she seems to have to do with him, talking with his father about his school work and life direction and such.

[Aymery]

I thought Ryan Hawley was excellent in the Christmas Day episode. Robert's tearful confession at the beginning was quite touching. He really sold that, for all his nastiness and smarminess, Robert was this little boy lost. Of course, he had piss-poor timing, because I believe he was sincerely remorseful, but the reveal of the rings' inscription made it seem like he'd purposely found a way to attend the wedding when his revenge was discovered. (It was juvenile, but very well-matched: Village Bike and Village Idiot, ha!) Then he gets stood out in the cold because no one believes him except Aaron (surprisingly cute together) but then along comes Katie to bring out the worst in him again! It's the second time Robert has lashed out after Katie pokes at him - the whole ring fiasco started because she flounced into Home Farm to threaten him - so there may be something there. Could they still have feelings for each other? I don't think they'd go there - having three people in love with Robert is probably too much - although believable enough when he looks like Ryan Hawley!

 

A 14-year-old drug dealer - now I've seen everything! Lachlan really is a handful. What's the deep, dark secret of his paternity? Don't tell me it'll be something like Ross and Chrissie having slept together when they were kids? Last I checked, this wasn't Hollyoaks ... the two of them do have chemistry though. If her engagement to Robert goes belly up, no prizes for guessing where she might seek consolation. Lawrence will have a cow! Maybe he'll finally come to view Robert as the lesser of two evils.

 

It's unfortunate that Edna is more attuned to Belle's troubles than her own parents. Gemma's death was a terrible accident but causing someone to lose their life is not something you get over swiftly (unless you're a sociopath). Why isn't Belle being sent for therapy? Her brother, on the other hand - if characters didn't comment on it, I wouldn't even notice that Cain's out of sorts. I'm not looking forward to the inevitable triangle with Moira and Charity.

[TeeVee329]

Yay, a PTV "Emmerdale" forum, Happy New Year to me!

 

Really liking the Aaron/Robert affair story.  Aaron (and his relationship with Jackson) was what first drew me to "Emmerdale" and I like that they went in a different, but still very classically soapy direction with this romance.  Nice chemistry between Danny Miller and Ryan Hawley.

 

But I am sad how little we've seen Aaron and Paddy together.  In fact, Paddy (and Rhona) seems quite back-burnered at the moment.

 

I like Andy and Katie well enough as a couple - much better than any of their separate pairings the last few years - but I really cannot stand Katie.  Given her history, her tendency to act like this paragon of light and virtue and look down on others is ridiculous.  For example, I rolled my eyes at her publicly humiliating Charity for sleeping with then-husband Declan and cheered when Charity pointed out what a ridiculous hypocrite she was being given her affair with Robert behind Andy's back.

 

Another character I have loathed for a long time is Laurel, pretty much since she's been with Marlon.  She seems determined to play the victim, to make April's trauma all about herself.  Blech.

 

The Whites aren't really clicking for me.  I still miss the days of Natasha and her offspring running Wylde (heh) around Home Farm.

 

Bernice's turn into a hot mess comedic character is a hoot.

Edited January 4, 2015 by TeeVee329

[Pete Martell]

Can someone tell me if James and Chas are still together? I don't really watch most of his scenes unless they involve people I am interested in so I have no idea. 

 

I wish they'd sort out Chrissie. I don't want to just think of her as Robert's insecure fiance or Lachlan's inept, controlling mother. She had a lot more personality and humor early on.

 

I also wish someone would shave Adam's face and trim his hair. 

 

I know Aaron and Robert will end horribly but when the writing is good (as it was these last two episodes) their relationship hooks me in. It's so interesting seeing Robert lay bare so many of Aaron's psychological issues and to see Aaron so needy. They have great chemistry.

 

I hope they won't do Cain/Charity again.

[TeeVee329]

Can someone tell me if James and Chas are still together? I don't really watch most of his scenes unless they involve people I am interested in so I have no idea.

 

Yes, I believe they are still together, though I too find them very boring.  As are Debbie and Pete, though I guess it makes sense she and Chas picked super boring guys after the Cameron trauma. 

Edited January 14, 2015 by TeeVee329

[Pete Martell]

I don't think I'm ever going to accept Debbie with anyone but Jasmine. At this point I wish they'd try her with another woman again, just to see. I saw some fans suggest Vanessa, but I don't really know enough about that character.

[atlanticslide]

Heh, I keep thinking, "Man, they really need to give Chas a new storyline - maybe a new romance! She's been a alone for a while now..." and then remember that she's with James.

[Pete Martell]

One of the saddest things about coming back to Emmerdale (I started to give up on the show after the horrible way Viv and Terry [Terry was one of my favorite characters] were treated, and many other things just pushed me further out) is the sad state of Laurel. I remember that a lot of people didn't like her even when she was with Ashley, but I'm not sure if she has any fans at all now. I will never understand "Maurel." Never. It's like a producer lost a bet. 

 

I still think Charlotte Bellamy is a great actress, but I don't even know what you could do with Laurel. I don't want her back with Ashley (which is sad to even say, because I thought they could have been a tentpole couple). At this point I think they may be best off just randomly throwing her with Rodney or Jai or Sam or something. 

Edited January 14, 2015 by Pete Martell

[Gulftastic]

Drunk Laurel is the best she's been since they destroyed her by putting her with Marlon. I'm hoping for her to drunkenly try to get Ashley back and for him to tell her to get lost. And ban her from seeing her kids, just like she did to him.

 

I've never seen a soap character as ruined as Laurel Potts/Thomas/Dingle. Such a shame as the actress can be outstanding given the right material.

[atlanticslide]

I like Laurel, but man, I can't stand her with Marlon. Mostly because Marlon is the worst, especially lately. I don't blame her for drinking so heavily - her marriage sucks. That said, she did it to herself, so I kind of like that her perfect relationship and perfect life are starting to crumble just as Ashely is really putting his life back together.

[TeeVee329]

Yeah, agreeing with all of you, I liked Laurel and actually wanted to see more of her (I started watching "Emmerdale" towards the end of the Sally Spode stuff so she and Ashley were backburnered for a bit after that).  And I liked Marlon.  But when they put them together, starting with the emotional affair, I was like, "Uh, what?  No!".  For whatever reason, they just bring out the worst in each other.

 

It's like, Laurel's attitude with Ross.  She has every reason under the sun for hating his guts, but I dunno if it's the writing or the acting, but every time she goes off about him, I kinda just roll my eyes.  And she seems desperate to make Marlon and April's trauma about Donna all about herself and that's not a good look on anyone.

 

On the flip side, after the awful tearing down he received to make Laurel and Marlon work, I'm glad that the show took the time and made the effort to rebuild Ashley (something a U.S. soap would never do).  I like him with Harriet.

Edited January 14, 2015 by TeeVee329

[atlanticslide]

And she seems desperate to make Marlon and April's trauma about Donna all about herself and that's not a good look on anyone.

 

That's true, although I do think Marlon has behaved horribly with regard to April since Donna's death and Laurel seemed to do the best she could early on to urge him to get April into therapy or at least figure out a better way of dealing with it than to constantly give into April's every whim at the expense of everyone else. Laurel has to look out for Arthur too, and doing things like cancelling Arthur's Halloween party because Marlon can't figure out what to do when April panics doesn't help anyone. But yeah, recently it's been much more about her jealousy over Donna and the fact that Marlon spends a lot of time with and checking up on April, which really doesn't make Laurel look good.

[Pete Martell]

The Barton scenes were very good today, although I tend to feel like Emma can't be around long, as much as I hope she is. She's just...she's very damaged.

 

I have a feeling she's going to make a play for Cain, and I wouldn't be surprised if she sleeps with Adam and James (there are still clearly feelings on both sides), but if it were me, I'd have her win over Lawrence (she's a very lively, funny, exciting person, and based on Chrissie and Lachlan, I'd say the Mrs. must have had a bit of crazy in her, so that would be his type), and marry him. Can't you see her in Home Farm, clashing with Robert and Chrissie, waiting for Lawrence to keel over (as all Home Farm patriarchs do), and probably tormenting messed up Lachlan?

 

I must say I was annoyed when James blamed Ross' problems on her. He was a lousy father to Ross.

 

Moira was far more patient than I would have been. I think she knew that if she went on Emma's level, Emma would "win," (that and she's probably a little afraid of Emma), but Emma really got in some low blows.

 

The last scene is very soapy though (soapy in a good way).

[TeeVee329]

I dunno, I was kinda on Team!Emma today.  James and Moira seemed annoyed and smug, just shocked that she was daring to call them out for what they did.  And, yes, of course, trying to kill wee Ross is bad, but I could see a harried mother of three young boys whose constantly fighting with her lying husband being pushed to the brink.  I kinda hope Emma makes James and Moria's lives a misery. 

 

Ugh, cannot stand this Belle story.

[TeeVee329]

Ali is another one whose viewpoint is totally understandable - there is something hinkey with the Rachel/Archie situation - but who is so annoying that you just want them to shut up and get off the screen.  Her attitude throughout has rubbed me all wrong.

[atlanticslide]

I feel the opposite regarding Emma. There's never an excuse or justification for trying to murder your own child - if she was feeling stressed out and overwhelmed she should have gotten help. I'm also not finding her interesting or enjoyable at all. Mostly just weird. I don't really care about her angst over the James/Moira affair. It was 20+ years ago and when you try to kill a child and ditch your family for two decades you lose any moral high ground to act like the injured woman over something that happened 20 years ago.

 

I'm really sick of the Belle storyline. Glad they're finally moving it along.

 

Archie is seriously the cutest baby ever.

[TeeVee329]

The below is one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite storylines, the Wylde/Lamb saga:

 

 

Natasha: I wouldn't hold on to him if he was falling off a cliff.

 

Natasha: I don't want your leftovers.

[SimoneS]

No one is talking about Katie's death and fall out. I thought her death was pretty underwhelming, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens next with Robert and Aaron. Is it over? Will they be together again? Will Robert pin Katie's death on Aaron? Will Aaron breakdown and blurt out the truth?

 

I usually think that Danny Miller's repulsion of playing a gay character and kissing a man ruins his gay romances, but he is doing a much better job with Aaron's romantic scenes with Robert.

[TeeVee329]

If you were a fan of the character, I could see Katie's death being underwhelming and not really about her.  But since I never was (I found her extremely annoying 90% of the time), I'm kinda happy she's dead so she can't come back lol.  And I'm more interested in the ripple effect her death is going to cause in the village, with Andy, Robert, Aaron, etc.

Edited February 7, 2015 by TeeVee329

[SimoneS]

I am definitely not a Katie fan. I have always found the actress to be blah and the writing for her unimpressive. However, she had been with the show for 14 years. She did not want Katie to be killed off, but since they were determined to go that way, they could have given her a bigger and more imaginative death. I mean, this is the second time that she has fallen down a mining or some type of hole in the ground. Also, her nagging of Robert was so contrived and seemed to come out of nowhere, then again her nickname is The Meddler. 

 

I don't get why Katie's death had to be tied to Robert. I really hope that they do not intend to write him off. He is a long time character, but in this incarnation, he is a breath of fresh air and I like the lying bastard. There is a lot of story left for Robert. They can come with some BS story to redeem him until the actor wants to leave.

Edited February 7, 2015 by SimoneS

[TeeVee329]

I get wanting to play on Katie's long history with Andy and Robert.  The pairing with the former and the affair with the latter are probably what the character will be most remembered for.  

 

Wonder if the writing was too far along into Katie and Andy's reunion when the actress gave her notice.  It would have been tough to credibly break up Katie and Andy in this short a time frame. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by TeeVee329

[SimoneS]

One option is that Katie is killed in a car crash on the way to her wedding. It could be a hit and run with a mystery "who done it" and lots of suspects. Everyone could think that it was Robert because his car is damaged, but it turns out to be someone else. I just feel like they could done something bigger with Katie's send off.

[backhometome]

The actor who plays Robert is really good. Robert is such a dick but he is interesting to watch. I do think him and Aaron have a nice chemistry together. Before Katie's death I liked them together but now I'm not sure. Robert manipulating Aaron was disturbing. 

[Amello]

I find Aaron interesting because of Robert, but once this story is over he'll be just as unbearable as the rest of his family (sans a select few) and I'll be hoping to see the back of him.

 

The only thing I'll miss about Katie is her riding that horse through the village. It always instinctively made me think of Marian Wilks and what makes Emmerdale so special.

[SimoneS]

Until Robert came along, I always felt that Aaron was only bearable with Paddy so I am glad that they are back in each other's orbits.

Ryan Hawley is a find. Emmerdale better not waste him. There is a lot of story left for him with or without Aaron, but since Danny Miller is comfortable doing short love scenes with him, they might as well keep them together.

BTW, I don't like Laurel either and I hate the Marlon. He ruined her.

Edited February 9, 2015 by SimoneS

[TeeVee329]

I think Ryan Hawley and Danny Miller have great chemistry, but I feel like Robert/Aaron is something that's going to burn bright, but burn out fast.  I can't imagine them, like, settled down together.  But obviously they've proven pretty popular so we'll see what the writers come up with.

 

They might want to do some work on making Chrissie less of a cypher.  Also, why is Lawrence on the backburner?  Why did they bother setting up all the history with Edna if they weren't really going to do anything with it?

[SimoneS]

Emmerdale seems to be setting up Robert and Aaron as a "dark" super couple British style. They are together, they break up, there are lies and other obstacles between them. Most soap couples don't last too long and I doubt they will either. I don't see Robert coming out and living happily ever after with Aaron, but I think that their relationship drama will continue to be compelling viewing. 

 

Today's episode was pretty good with everyone finding out about Kathy. Robert is playing the game, but his guilt is obvious. At least, he is supporting Andy. Aaron has already started cutting himself again.

 

I am very interested in what Chrissie is about to go through. I hope that they write some good stuff for her. Robert is all over the place which should make her life very difficult. Plus, Lachlan has this upcoming story.

 

I don't think that they will do anything with Lawrence. His role is to be Chrissie's shoulder to cry on. There are no gay men his age. Georgie and Rodney just broke up so maybe they will pair with her. We will see.

[Pete Martell]

I thought this last episode was one of the best I've seen on any soap in a while. I noticed it was written by Karin Young, who has written many of the episodes that feel "real" (one of my favorites was the cot death story for Laurel and Ashley about 7 years ago).

 

I appreciated that every scene in the episode revolved around Katie's death, other than some brief bits with Priya, Rakesh, and Jai (even in soapland I have no idea how that man keeps a business going).

 

Some of the performances were better than others, but seeing the various reactions, from friends (Leyla, Vanessa, Chas) to loved ones, to people who barely knew her, or just didn't care much (Val's one-liner about how much she'd enjoyed the wedding was a classic), really made it stand out. We got to see an actual community, which is so rare on soaps these days.

 

Kelvin Fletcher was terrific in the final scenes, and I was impressed with the woman who plays Leyla too, but the Chas and Aaron scenes blew me away. It's been ages and ages since I've felt like they know how to write Chas or give Chas any purpose beyond being a mother or a girlfriend or a barmaid, so getting to see those awful self-destructive, nasty tendencies in her again were a welcome return. She felt like the "real" Chas again. I loved the scene where she cried to James that she was pushing Aaron away again, and Aaron was listening through the door. So "soapy" in the way soaps should be, so raw, so perfectly acted.

[Gulftastic]

Chas was even better tonight. Aaron's 'confession' scene was particularly good. Great slap!

[SimoneS]

Great episode, the Robert/Aaron/Chas/Paddy scenes were outstanding.

 

Robert standing by Andy while worrying about the police and continuing to manipulate Aaron. Today convinced me that in his subconscious, Aaron knows the truth about what Robert did, but he loves him too much to face it. 

 

I find Chas' suspicions over the top and too much plot contrivance, but it gave us some good scenes with Paddy and then, Aaron. Paddy's disbelief at Chas' allegations about Robert were well done. Dominic Brunt is wasted in storylines with Rhona and Marlon. He should be always be in Aaron and Chas' orbits. Having Paddy catching on to Robert being Aaron's secret love first is fitting. Paddy will always be Aaron's first parent, no matter how hard Chas tries. The final scene where Chas confronts Aaron with Paddy looking on was so well done although I thought the slap was weak. I think  Aaron's anger about Katie sticking her nose into their business was genuine. 

 

Robert will be angry about Aaron telling Paddy and Chas, but really this is his best chance to keep the truth about Katie from coming out. Both Paddy and Chas will be too afraid about Aaron's mental health and losing him to tell Chrissie, the police or anyone about Robert. Whenever Aaron is upset, they will assume that it is about Robert and not guess the real reason.

 

Ross is so good looking, but I cannot bring myself to care about his mommy drama. I could not stand the actress who plays his mother when she on Casualty, now here she is again. Ick!

Edited February 10, 2015 by SimoneS

[atlanticslide]

I actually found yesterday's episode totally disappointing - it felt completely rushed and a lot of the reactions were bland and unbelievable. Other than Andy and Victoria, we didn't get to see any real shock or trying to process what had happened - it was just straight to crying and hugging, and some of these actors are just not strong enough to pull it off. Vanessa was the worst, she just seemed totally fake and blah to me, but others like Ashley, Alicia, David, Leyla, Zak, Lisa - all of them, just totally lame, and we didn't even see half the village's reactions at all. Adam dated Katie, Moira was friends with her, Katie played matchmaker for Doug and Diane, she and Nicola worked together, Megan was her sister-in-law - it's not like we needed a long, drawn out reaction shot from each one of these people, but a good bit of the village was at Robert and Chrissie's wedding. They easily could have had a scene with everyone finding out together.

 

Repeatedly cutting to the Jai/Priya nonsense was also a big waste of time, which continued today. I didn't care much for Katie, but she was a very central, long running character, and yet it feels like her death has been no big deal, just one storyline mixed in with the rest. There's no weight or gravity to it. Very disappointing.

 

The Aaron/Chas (and Paddy) scenes are the only thing that has saved the past few episodes for me. Those three have been excellent.

[TeeVee329]

Megan was her sister-in-law.

 

...who hated Katie, if memory serves, although I'm sure she looks better in hindsight compared to Charity.

 

I had totally forgotten that Adam and Katie dated.  Why are Adam's romances so boring?

[SimoneS]

Repeatedly cutting to the Jai/Priya nonsense was also a big waste of time, which continued today. I didn't care much for Katie, but she was a very central, long running character, and yet it feels like her death has been no big deal, just one storyline mixed in with the rest. There's no weight or gravity to it. Very disappointing.

 

I agree. It was badly done to include the Sharma's business drama in the aftermath of Katie's dead. They should omitted it or have the Sharmas join the rest of the community at the pub.

 

 Why are Adam's romances so boring?

 

Because although the actor who plays Adam is good looking, he is boring and lacks charisma.

[TeeVee329]

Scarlett?  Boring. 

 

Mia?  Boring. 

 

The affair with Ella?  Mostly boring, the only interesting part of that was the day Declan found out and he and Ella had a series of soapy fights. 

 

Round one with Victoria?  Boring.  Ditto the randomness of them getting back together.

 

Katie?  So boring I apparently forgot it happened.

Edited February 11, 2015 by TeeVee329

[atlanticslide]

...who hated Katie, if memory serves, although I'm sure she looks better in hindsight compared to Charity.

 

I had totally forgotten that Adam and Katie dated.  Why are Adam's romances so boring?

Sure, but I actually think that would make her reaction an interesting one to see among the scenes of vaguely mopey people standing around lighting candles. What I would've liked to see is the whole village reacting - people who loved her grieving, people who didn't like her making snide comments - just make it an all-encompassing event. Nearly everything about Katie's death has been about other people so far - Robert, Aaron, Belle, Chrissie. Only Chas and Andy seem to really be focused on her (or Chas was, for an episode, and now is focused on Robert and Aaron). Compared to, say, Lucy's death on EastEnders, the aftermath of which we had scenes of people grieving, talking about her, reminiscing about her, Katie herself has almost been an afterthought in her own death storyline.

 

And heh, I think even the writers forgot about Adam and Katie's relationship. He look totally uninterested when Aaron was talking about how he had to be there for Chas, just annoyed that Aaron couldn't get back to work.

Edited February 11, 2015 by atlanticslide

[Gulftastic]

Adumb probably got distracted by a shiny object and forgot about being with Katie.

[TeeVee329]

On a completely unrelated note, they've been hinting at it for a while, but so not interested in Laurel's

drinking problem story

, which sounds like it's about to really ramp up.

[atlanticslide]

I'm interested in it only insomuch as I hope we see more of Laurel and Marlon having problems and maybe even eventually building towards a breakup for them.

[TeeVee329]

I was thinking more that I'll be expected to have sympathy for Laurel and understand her pain, but I don't so much at all.

 

And while I hate Laurel and Marlon together, a breakup would probably mean Ashley getting saddled with her again.  Hasn't he suffered enough?

Edited February 11, 2015 by TeeVee329

[SimoneS]

Ashley and Laurel were good together until Stuart Blackburn broke them up. Laurel's feelings for Marlon were so unbelievable as was Ashley perpetrating elder abuse. I find it comforting that Laurel's life has been a non-stop hell since she has been with Marlon. I don't want her with Marlon, but I don't want Ashley stuck with her either.

Edited February 11, 2015 by SimoneS

[atlanticslide]

I do kind of like that Ashley and Laurel have been on sort of opposite crosspaths since their divorce - Ashley struggled and hit rock bottom and climbed his way back up, is now back in his chosen profession and in a (so far) good relationship with a woman he really likes. Laurel was happy in her new relationship and seemingly had everything she wanted, and now the shine is wearing off and things are becoming more and more of a struggle.

[backhometome]

The chemistry with Aaron and Robert today was good. I cant tell if Robert is genuine with Aaron or manipulating him. I think its both. I just like watching them in scenes together.

 

Chas shaming Aaron is annoying given her history. 

[SimoneS]

The episode was okay. However, I am just loving the direction that Aaron and Robert's story is going. The actors play off each so well. I am more than ever convinced that I am right, in his subconscious Aaron knows that Robert killed Katie. Aaron is slowly facing up to it, but it won't matter because he loves Robert too much. He will protect him as much as he can. I cracked up when Robert claimed that he was ashamed and retorted that he does not do shame.  Yep, Aaron knows his man.

 

I think that Robert is totally manipulating Aaron, but he sincerely meant it when he told Aaron that he needed him. Robert is feeling trapped and panicky. He should have denied setting the fire, but Aaron knows him so well that Robert could not pull that lie off any longer. Robert will no doubt come up with a back up plan, but he needs Aaron  with him.

 

I don't blame Chas for being concerned and doggedly trying to show Aaron the truth about Robert. She is not wrong about Robert, but she is wrong that Aaron does not see him clearly. I am glad that Paddy continues to be involved with this story with Aaron, Robert, and Chas. Paddy does a good job stabilizing Chas and protecting Aaron from her attempts to over-mother him out of guilt for  abandoning him as  a child.

 

ETA:  I just read a spoiler that dissipated all my enthusiasm for ED. I am taking a good long break from the show again.

 

The producer Kate Oates says that Paddy and Chas will be in danger from Robert because they know his secret. This means that Robert is doomed. What a fucking
waste of an interesting character and good actor.

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a629070/emmerdale-robert-sugden-to-endanger-aaron-livesys-loved-ones.html#~p4pHCGOGaMaHVb

Edited February 16, 2015 by SimoneS