So this year we’ve had:
3 murder cover up stories
3 villains that were killed and their victims or adjacent people having to pay instead of them
Several repetitive sagas: the Ray aftermath, Cain’s cancer, Kev’s merry go round,
Stories that can’t seem to continue what they started and keep mutating into something else: the baby story (and all its many iterations), the Joe saga
Atrocious pacing
3 new/returning additions who have been inserted into multiple stories thereby overloading them unnecessarily to the point at least some part of the audience is annoyed with them: Graham, Kev and Serena
Multiple characters leading stories that have been made to be very unlikable: Paddy, Cain, Moira, Caleb (and probably Ruby coming up), Gabby to some degree, Dawn since they keep making her so wishy washy, Marlon, Rhona
Multiple Villains and Antagonists being made into victims: Ray, John, Dr Todd, Kev, Joe
3 new villagers to add to the “I’ve killed someone club”, the fastest growing group in the village: Vic, Bear and Sarah to join Moira, Robert, Belle, Kyle, Kerry, Joe, Charity, Ruby, Dawn, Angelica, kind of Jimmy since he was partially responsible for Paul and Dawn’s deaths, and Aaron and Sam who helped loved ones die.
2 stories being driven by toxic masculinity with Cain and his bullshit and Caleb and trying to get his edge back.
5 new romantic relationships that were rushed, developed off screen, only existed for fodder for other stories: Lewis and Vinny, Belle and Kammy, Kerry and Jai, Billy and Gabby and Ross and Laurel
Multiple stories being written around exit stories because they axed people: Noah leaving, the constant throwing Vinny under the bus in this Kev story for Vinny’s eventual exit, this whole nonsensical Joe and Dawn saga for Dawn’s exit, this last ditch Jimmy and Nicola relationship stuff so they can kill Jimmy off.
Multiple stories/characters having to be written around because the actors are going off to do other things because the show isn’t paying them enough: Aaron’s sporadic schedule so Danny can do the Apprentice, whatever they do with Mack so Lawrence can go do Strictly, Mandy missing half of the Paddy and Bear stuff so Lisa could go do I’m a Celebrity, whatever happens with Lewis so Bradley can go do Panto plus his wedding and book tour absences and apparently Rosie is also doing panto?
4 stories that Robert and Aaron were a part of but apparently they weren’t “their stories” so it was okay that their material has been shallow and plotty: John’s death and Vic’s exit, the IDs plot, the Arson plot and Serena’s arrival and bringing up John.
Several characters that thus far have gotten nothing this year, no real story about them: Chas, Liam, Mary, Matty, Robert, Aaron, Manpreet, Charles and Claudette, Ryan, Noah…other than his two second exit story, same for Tracy.
Characters who technically had stories but they were tiny and should have been more fleshed out: Arthur’s sudden anger, Kammy’s homelessness story
I’m sure there’s more things but…that’s all I have for now.
And we still have all of these exits to go and Sadie coming back and the supposed new Tate to come so this list could definitely get more expansive.
