Does the Woolpack Have Good Wifi? In Praise of Emmerdale

I've previously written about my soap opera devotion and how my tastes have expanded internationally thanks to the power of YouTube. Virtually meeting Jack Hannah led me to Shortland Street. Recently, I've been grateful for the Street as their episodes have continued thanks to New Zealand's success in fighting the Coronavirus pandemic. After several weeks of reduced episodes, they are back in full production. Also coming back is UK's television production. That means I get to continue to explore life in the Yorkshire Dales through the long-standing ITV soap Emmerdale.

If this is where you decide to mock me, don't bother. My eldest sister has chided me repeatedly about how uncool it is to watch "Emmerdale Farm" as she knew it from her childhood.

I think the same YouTube hole that led me to Jack in New Zealand led me to Robert Sugden. Son of one of the anchor families, Robert quickly became one the most interesting characters in the soap opera universe. YouTube didn't do his story any justice: why was this smart and cunning heir caught in the grimiest schemes? Robert's silver tongue soothed many disputes, yet he also had to fight out of many scrapes with his fists.

I assumed the partnership with the calmer (?) Aaron Dingle might balance him out. As I jumped around in past episodes, I realized that this wasn't the case. In fact, how they got together and the circumstances of their early entanglement led to this explosive scene:

Aaron and tragic tale led me to the other members of the Dingle family, whose newer thread was incredibly relatable. Emmerdale is not immune to soap opera hijinks or unreasonable decisions to further a chaotic storyline. However, I find them to be precipitate: it's not every day a helicopter crashes or the fog causes a multi-car pileup or a prominent character is shot JR-Ewing style.

Best of all, the families that make up the Village are everyday people. Rich and poor, fortunate and unfortunate, looking to build a better life. The diversity is not forced: I can truly imagine that this is was Northeastern England looks like demographically. None of the tough topics are off limits either. Emmerdale makes me miss One Life to Live as many of the stories and characters are handled with care. The reactions to each character are developed over time no matter how they're introduced.

You're bored at home and you need a show to hold you over while you spend more time away from people. Netflix is slowing down, Hulu isn't doing it for you...join me for a pint at the Woolpack! You may not get why everyone hates Kim Tate or why Al's sons give him a wide berth. But spend some time and either Chaz or Charity will catch you up. I can't vouch for the food now that Victoria and Marlon have left the kitchen, but it's worth a try to soak up the ale anyhow. I'll be there three times a week too...as long as they have hot decaf and good wifi.