Every week I run through the best and worst bits of the week on Emmerdale. Tell me your faves and fails in the comments! Debbie’s trial began this week and Graham cleaned up his act.
Faves
Consequences of the Past
Dawn is a great new addition to Emmerdale, whose troubled life is played sympathetically by newcomer Olivia Bromley but it looks even more promising now that she’s got a complex history with another villager, vicar Harriet. Dawn’s stunned reaction to Harriet, or “Michelle”, lead to the interesting revelations that Harriet worked undercover as Dawn’s dad’s girlfriend for a big drugs bust. His arrest had many consequences for Dawn, who struggled in care and has recently turned to drugs and prostitution to get by. Dawn’s arrival has thrown Harriet, who believed she was doing the right thing at the time but now faces a moral quandary. While this story has mostly been told in scenes that rehash the past, there’s potential to make Harriet reassess her life choices. This is a topical story too, for those whose lives have been rocked by undercover relationships. I’ve never found Harriet a particularly compelling character and Emmerdale have never given her much to do beyond the church, but this is the perfect chance to peel back the layers. It’s going to be good to watch Harriet and Dawn’s relationship change, but it’s a shame they killed off Dawn’s dad because his arrival could have really shaken Harriet to the core and given her more conflict in her current life rather than just her past.
Family Feels
After recent dithering and dilemma, Jessie took a big step this week and decided to spring a surprise wedding on Marlon. I’m not totally sold on Marlon and Jessie as a couple, but I love their budding family unit and especially the big dose of fun Ellis brings to the household in his banter with April. I loved the scenes this week as they prepared fajitas and Jessie plucked up the courage to ask for April’s permission. With Billy’s arrival bound to cause big upsets in the family, I hope we continues to at least see Ellis bringing his happy-chappy charisma to the village!
Reclaiming the King-dom
Jimmy returned to Emmerdale after a long haulage job took him away and much had changed on his arrival, not only Nicola’s hair do but her career too! Already Nicola’s efforts have been uncovered by Graham, whose giving her increasingly difficult tasks, but it’s been nice to see the Kings with a story again. There’s always something entertaining about these two, even though they do seem to fall into familiar tropes within their marriage as Nicola’s nagging and ambition always results in Jimmy’s weary cries. Nicola’s partnership with Robert is well matched good fun and her marriage to Jimmy is by far one of my favourite relationships in the show. When the rest of Emmerdale is a bit dull story-wise I don’t get tired watching these characters. For a change I’d love to see the Kings gain a little bit of power and I hope the fallout doesn’t damage their lives too much.
Fails
Dull Dates
Megan might not be the most popular character in Emmerdale, but you’ve got to feel bad for the woman. She might have a taste for smooth-voiced men who think they’re sophisticated but they’re also complete bores. She’s been finished with Frank for all of five minutes but now she’s cosying up to Graham and curing his drinking problem. They might have their silver fox charms but their personalities don’t exactly set the relationships alight with chemistry. Rather than hanging off the arm of a schmoozer, I’d love to see Megan in a relationship with a bit more bite than bore. It’s about time her character was given a bit of a shake-up.
Forgotten Child
Even though Noah’s back-chatting and misbehaviour has got him in trouble with the law, Charity’s parenting efforts keep missing him off her list of kids that need her. She might be pre-occupied moving in with Vanessa, but everyone seems far more concerned about Charity’s relationship with Ryan, than the son who needs her the most. Ryan’s an adult, but Noah’s in a precarious hormonal stage and has struggled losing his brother. And yet he’s rarely given a second thought by anyone. It made matters worse this week when Charity hit Marlon after he accused her of being a bad mother and he gave her some harsh home truths. He might have crossed the Dingle line, but didn’t he have a point? Charity’s parenting leaves a lot to be desired and she’d be the first to say it. Her flaws are why she’s such a great character, so why did Marlon have to apologise? Someone needs to give her a wake-up call about Noah before it’s too late.
Maya’s grooming of Jacob has been subtly played so far by Emmerdale but this week saw her kiss him and try and afterwards persuade him to stay quiet. Sensitive Jacob has been overwhelmed by his feelings for Maya and she’s done very little to put a stop to it and has instead planted more seeds of hope in his mind. Not once has she highlighted his age or her profession as a reason for backing off, instead focusing on her role as David’s girlfriend. Knowing how close the father and son are, she’s well aware that Jacob doesn’t want to upset David and will keep it secret for his sake. It’s a deeply uncomfortable story to watch and keeping Maya as this doe-eyed indecisive woman is a clever move away from cartoonish stereotypes of grooming behaviour. Hopefully this story will enlighten viewers about how these dangerous relationships can occur in plain sight. This is the type of story Emmerdale should be telling. I’m not quite convinced that the performances are as strong as they need to be for the impact this story should have, but I’m glad Emmerdale are giving it a go.
One of the rare highlights in the Bob and Laurel debacle was seeing dark!Brenda as she rallied against the pair’s betrayal. This week we saw her biting back again as Bob tried to lean in for a kiss. Brenda had been softening to the idea of reuniting her family but the reality of Bob treating her like a plan b really got to her and she raged against him in the cafe. I had begun warming to Bob again but his smug belief he could turn back the clock and get his feet under the table again was maddening. Brenda isn’t a favourite of mine but it’s been enjoyable to see her with some fight left in her, standing up for herself and refusing to be a consolation prize. I really enjoyed the way she laid out exactly what Bob had done to her and the family and why she was still broken over it. I was fully Team Brenda throughout and I’m glad she got to stand up to Bob rather than let him have it easy.
You’ve got to feel bad for Noah. Not only did he lose his only ally in Joe, but mum Charity’s parenting and support is really lacking. With her planning a move with Vanessa, Noah was all but forgotten about and in frustration he began acting out. The teen rebellion isn’t exactly thrilling TV, but Jack Downham plays Noah with heaps of sensitivity that you can’t help but feel sympathy for him when he’s continuously left out in the cold. His scenes where he tried to reach out to Charity were some of his best but by the end of the week he faced an uncertain future as he handed himself into the police. Although I like his sweet and troubled side, there were hints of him living up to his Tate genes this week, complete with smirk, and I wonder if a adolescence of trouble awaits.
Doug’s going through a bit of a crisis at the moment and truth be told I’m struggling to recognise him. Fact is, I’m not even sure what Emmerdale are doing with him. Not so long ago Doug enjoyed a low-key romance with Diane and was content to support Laurel and tend his garden. This week Doug was almost a different bloke. Diane doesn’t get a mention these days and Doug is all about Brenda. I wasn’t even sure what their arrangement was. Friends? Lovers? Friends with benefits? It was unclear. But this week, Doug wanted more and he wasn’t going to sit there and watch Bob worm his way back in. I’m not exactly a Doug and Brenda shipper but surprisingly Doug’s sudden desperation to be with Brenda was quite a sweet watch this week. But his steamroller focus on fighting for her and hitting Bob came a bit left field and I’m not sure I believed it from mild-mannered Doug. It’s a wonder Doug wants to get involved in the Bob and Brenda situation considering Laurel’s recent dumping of Bob anyway, but I can’t help but feel Brenda is just settling rather than having genuine feelings for Doug. Who knows what’s next for Doug but I much prefer Doug giving guidance to the young uns than this week’s weird behaviour!
We haven’t even got to the school holidays yet but the teens have taken over, with bratty Leanna leading the pack. While Leanna makes a great queen bee bitch type character and Noah’s acting out makes sense – their childish rebellions aren’t exactly the most riveting storylines. This is already the third time they’ve joyridden a car and unlike teens of Emmerdale past, these characters aren’t very engaging so their bad behaviour has been tedious to watch when it’s dominated screentime. While it’s good the stories are spread around this feels a bit like overload for the younger characters rather than exploring what the next generation are capable of. Considering their dangerous driving just lead to more stories for Daz and Graham – was it even worth it? Speculation on Twitter briefly explored the possibility that the hit and run victim might have been Joe and I can’t help but think, however unlikely, that would have been a better twist.
You’d think after Amelia’s kidnap they might give the Spencers some lighter storylines, after all this is where the family fit best. I’d much rather Kerry and Dan stick to TMI declarations about their sex life rather than being bogged down in misery. This week saw Daz commit a hit and run and let Amelia shoulder some of the blame. Not only is Daz one of the show’s most dreary and boring characters but now we face weeks of Daz looking guilty, Dan shouting and Amelia whining. Much like the kidnap plot, Kerry might be the saving grace but she alone will struggle to make this watchable. This really isn’t the big story that Emmerdale needs to keep viewers glued. On paper it might sound like the perfect plot to tear a family in two but we’ve been there done that with the Spencers and as a family unit they’re just not engaging enough to sustain this level of heavy drama.
Bernice is one of my favourite Emmerdale characters by far, so to see her so crushed this week was heartbreaking. Samantha Giles is a really underrated actress, capable of both laugh out loud comedy as well as something far more poignant. Paired with dishy doc Liam Cavanagh, it seemed like Bernice had a real shot at happiness, if it weren’t for the meddling of Leanna and Gabby. Poor Bernice, desperate to impress Liam, was made a fool of by his daughter and then he had the audacity to side with his vicious daughter. Thankfully Gabby had a change of heart and saw how devastated her hopeless-in-love mother was and did her best to fix things. I really loved Emmerdale exploring their unconventional relationship and Gabby’s love for her mum was clear in scenes this week. I was glad to see that Bernice realised her worth too and didn’t rush to let Liam get away with his callous behaviour. She made him work for it – and too right. I’m a big fan of Bernice and Liam’s romance, but more than anything Bernice needs to be loved and appreciated for who she is. It’s time to shape up, Liam!
Who’d have thought that two weeks’ running chaotic childcare would be one of Emmerdale’s highlights? This week it was Charity’s turn, desperate to prove her mothering credentials to Vanessa, and enlisting advice from Mumsnet. Charity began the day with gusto, determined to be the hands on mother, the envy of all the forum posters. But naturally, mayhem ensued. Not only were we treated to some cracking dialogue as Charity marvelled at her discovery of the infamous mum’s forum, the adorable Moses and Johnny but also the winning formula of Marlon and Charity. Pairing up Charity and Marlon in the pub was a stroke of pure genius and since then the two have shared more comedy capers than ever. Mocking Marlon teased Charity with his wicked sense of humour and his amazing facial expressions were brilliant. The two of them trying to cover up Charity’s mistakes, as the kids locked themselves in the cellar was great fun. This is the type of everyday humour Emmerdale does best.
Rather than giving heartfelt advice this week, Eric was busy getting legless with Rodney and nursing the mother of all hangovers behind their Blues Brothers style sunglasses. There’s something endearingly brilliant about these two chaps getting drunk and suffering the next day, especially when they involved Faith. But Faith’s a smart cookie and she realised Rodney and Eric’s plans to keep Rodders in their household was all just a ruse, giving them both a knowing glance. Faith might think there’s a crowd but it’s brilliant dynamic. Still, much like Faith, I think it’s about time Eric grew up a bit and gave Faith some proper commitment. Isn’t it about time Faith made Eric a Dingle?
Sometimes you blink and miss a whole storyline. In Frank and Megan’s case, they were reunited and split before anyone much noticed. I’ve spoken before about this couple’s lack of spark and once again they split this week, even though we must be on double figures now. But far from the soap favourite trope of an on/off couple with a fiery and destructive love affair, Megan and Frank’s relationship is nothing more than a whimper. Considering Frank is an ex-con and Megan is a successful business woman, with a malevolent brother, you’d think their relationship could be electric. Sadly all it’s done is waste two decent actors in a soulless romance. Maybe this is the powers that be getting ready for a Kim and Frank romance, but I just hope they remember to make both Megan and Frank interesting in the meantime.
All my favourite stories this week have been ones with warm belly laughs but when it came to the art con plot, this cringy conclusion felt more like a bad sitcom (complete with dodgy wigs and accents) rather than Emmerdale at its best. For all the screen time spent on Clive and his con, he buggered off almost as soon as he arrived making me wonder what his purpose was? Was it just to give Leyla something to do outside of David dramas – in which case, she can do much better than this unfunny story – or was it just to split Megan and Frank AGAIN? Sometimes Emmerdale comedy can hit the mark and make my affection swell, but other times it’s painful. The art con was the latter and had it not been for Leyla’s glamorous appearances, I might’ve skipped these scenes altogether. Not only does she deserve better, but we all do.
Although Emmerdale seem to think endless scenes of Graham’s drunken breakdown is worth watching, I can’t seem to muster any enthusiasm. Although self pitying drunks seem to be a prerequisite for Home Farm owners, Graham doesn’t even have the hammy comedic value of Lawrence and Graham’s disheveled growling isn’t much different from his monosyllabic butler schtick. Truth be told, Graham might be ex-SAS but he just isn’t all that interesting. We have seen the same scenes over and over and it just seems to be a way to kill time for Kim’s arrival. Not even the promise of Cain’s “involvement” in Joe’s death raises much enthusiasm because even that reveal has been dragged to a snail’s pace. Rather than have Cain and Debbie’s relationship implode and explore new ground, we’re stuck in limbo. Then there’s the biggest problem of all – we didn’t even see Joe’s death, so all this glowering and menace feels hollow when they’ve left Joe’s fate ambiguous.
