#chris chittell

Storyline build up

Audiences can really get behind stories, and be really invested in the outcomes. However it needs to be a carefully planned process and won’t happen overnight. At the moment, more often than not, it feels as though we get the seed of a story and then it either is over very quickly or the story is dropped for too long, meaning when it comes back the viewer has lost the momentum with it.

Take Aaron and Ben for example. We are led to believe they are an ‘item’ of sorts but we haven’t seen any evidence of that ourselves on screen. When Ben arrived we learnt that Aaron had bullied him when they were at school together, but we didn’t see much of a resolution to that. Then Ben disappeared for months and when he came back, he was in Aaron’s back pocket without much of a reason why he would be making the effort with Aaron given their history. Aaron hasn’t exactly treated him with love and kindness!

We then have various characters saying how good Ben is for him and how ‘he makes him laugh’. The viewer is being told this by characters on screen but has never been shown this. If we don’t see it, we can’t get invested in it.

Similar can be said of Liam and Leyla. After lockdown it was full steam ahead for a wedding despite us not having seen much build up in their relationship. It ends up meaning that the stories feel a bit flat.

Scene repetition

Storyline build ups require scenes that move the story forward and currently it feels as a viewer like we are watching the same scene multiple times a week sometimes. This leaves the viewer feeling stalled and bored.

An example of this is Manpreet and Meena. Meena has come into the show with potential, and she still could have some. But she’s constantly given the same scene with Manpreet where she tells her she still has feelings for Charles and she’s in denial and Manpreet says she loves Rishi and nothing is going to happen. You could almost set your watch by them now!

We have also watched stories from years ago seem to be repeated again. Bernice certainly gets to wear her fair share of wedding dresses for someone who isn’t getting married!

Special episodes

Special episodes can often be a massive draw for a soap. They can be exciting and break from the normal ups and downs of soap life. Emmerdale successfully pulled off a very well rounded week of flashback episodes in 2016 that tied many stories together in an incredibly neat and exciting way and left us guessing what was going to happen next. It also drew together some of the most talented actors in the show. It was a thrilling watch and garnered the team a lot of praise in the awards that followed!

However, sometimes it can feel a bit like they are used for PR stunts rather than an actual support for the story.

Take the pride episode. In theory it’s a brilliant way to celebrate you LGBTQIA characters and give them time to tell their stories and how they got to where they are now. But unfortunately, it fell by the wayside in a way that felt empty and hollow. Whilst there were characters from those communities in the episode it felt like they weren’t given enough of it. It could have been an episode, or two (thursday double anyone??) filled with stories of acceptance and struggles. It could have pulled the older and younger members of the show together to show how society has changed and grown. Regrettably, we didn’t see that and it really felt like a missed opportunity!

Finest Talent

Despite the current feeling of being underwhelmed by the stories, emmerdale still has some of the strongest cast members seen in soap. That spans from the older generation seasoned professionals, like Chris Chittel and Mark Charnock, right down to the relatively new but equally as brilliant younger cast such as Isobel Steele and Bradley Johnson.

They make the show well worth watching even if the stories could be better. Writing this opinion piece I was hesitant to be critical of the show because I love the cast and would hate them to think this is a reflection on them.

I also don’t think it’s all bad but I feel like it could be so much better. I’ve enjoyed the recent explosion scenes and it really showcased some great talent.