Rob To My Ron

I like Emmerdale.

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Wasn’t going to weigh in on this discourse bc I think it’s a bit silly but since it’s still a topic of conversation and concern:

All Miller said (in an admittedly awkward and not very tactful way): Robert and Aaron’s relationship is underpinned by a strong friendship and not solely on sex (which can be a stereotype of queer male relationships).

This is different from couples like Coira whose relationship is largely underpinned by sex and who constantly cheat on each other as a result.

This basis of friendship means they don’t need to be constantly physical with each other to show they are still in love.

Miller was probably just trying to explain the lack of affection so far this year. And while there are real issues with the lack of warmth and general affection between them as of late (and I do think sex underpins far more of their relationship than he suggested) his comments do not suggest or imply that they will never kiss again or that they will high-five at the alter if /when they get married again.

Just to keep things in perspective. Keep demanding improvements to the show overall by those in charge. That’s how we get more SSW16 and less whatever 2026 has been. Not by reading too much into off-the-cuff comments actors tend to make when they’re not thinking.

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For me, I never thought that they should have gotten engaged in the first place and Shaw’s interview feels like a backtrack on a bad choice. Them getting engaged in Corriedale was way too fast and left really nothing to build toward in their relationship. It was a stunt in what was just glorified commercial. We need a big romantic moment in this episode so let’s throw Robron at it.

So I don’t mind them taking their time here and not just blowing through it but at the same time she seems massively uninterested in exploring or moving their relationship toward anything (or concentrating on it at all for that matter) so it’s a backtrack with no apparent desire to do anything with it.

No fighting or airing of feelings, no exploration of their poor mental health, no talk about their son (even though I think “empire building” could be code for Seb). No stories where Aaron isn’t more than a glorified side character or extra.

They can’t ignore them fully for the rest of the year and I do think they will be a central focus again at some point. I’ll also say that I think Robron are more of a Roper interest as well. She conceived of John and his relationship with Aaron and I think masterminded summer of last year.

And these summer stories that Shaw’s being interviewed about are “hers” if that makes sense. So her clear annoyance in that interview could have been a “that’s not my thing so don’t ask me about it” moment too.

Just to say there are two producers on this show (one that wasn’t around for a year when coincidentally everything went to hell) so it’s not all up to Shaw and there might be hope for something good in the future.

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The big mistake the writers made with Serena was making her a known entity to Robert and Sarah.

It is perfectly normal and expected that if your cousin becomes a killer that poisoned a bunch of people and chucked his husband off a cliff that you’re going to bring it up in conversation with your family. I mean that would be the sole topic of conversation for at least the rest of the year for most families. (She could have done it a bit more graciously but she wouldn’t be the first Sugden to be awkward and weird when discussing a delicate situation.)

But if you’re a new “cousin” that comes out of nowhere, asking a bunch of questions about another insane relative who also came out of nowhere then suspicions are warranted.

It would explain Aaron’s (and others) immediate distrust and his frustration with Robert for giving her a pass ala Victoria and John.

It would also solve the believability of her story about John staying with them after he skipped town. A Serena who doesn’t know Robert could/would believe that a jealous guy who just got out of prison for murder could have stitched John up.

But a Serena that’s known Robert most of her life and would know why he was in prison would have picked up the phone and asked Robert what was going on. (Especially if she’s a trained police officer.) It’s story mistakes like this which are one of the main issues right now. And like I’ve said before seem to come down to poor planning. Had they looked just a few weeks down the line, they would have realized that Serena having a preexisting relationship with Robert would be problematic.

But they seem to just be throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping people don’t notice.

Overall, I don’t dislike this SL and I think Serena is a great fit but these stories could go from meh to great if they just paid that little bit more attention to these critical story beats.

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Do think a big reason why these scenes seem so short and impersonal are really down to Danny Miller not having a lot of time to film.

There was a reason why they didn’t let soap actors do much outside of the show in the past. It causes issues when you have only so many days with an actor. Scenes get cut or shortened. Bare bones storytelling.

Even with a full schedule though, the John part of this would still be stupid. Murderer on the run hides out with his cop cousin? Who’s just like “grab a beer!” That nonsense has nothing to do with Miller being out for a while. That’s just idiotic.

Let’s see next week if they can explain that away.

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Do you think the lack of screentime and any good content for Robron is Laura Shaw's attempt to make people stop caring about/liking them so she can split them up? It's obvious that she doesn't like them as a couple, so perhaps this is her way of ruining them so she can put Robert with her new favourite Kev. That would explain why Robron are being treated the way they are.

See I’m just not a conspiracy theorist in this way. And I DEFINITELY do not think they are paving the way to put Robert with Kev. They are absolutely setting up a Nicola and Kev thing though. Robert, on the other hand, is getting his divorce so he can marry Aaron in theory.

See this is where I do have to point out all of the things from yesterday…

They did have them get engaged in Corriedale.

They have given them the farm, finally moved Moira out of there (which I never thought they’d actually do), moved them in, redecorated it for them specifically.

Even though 90% of their scenes do involve them arguing about something, they are not a couple I would label as “unhappy” or “in trouble”. They’re still very much treated as a unit. None of their arguing is about any kind of relationship problems. It’s really just them looking out for each other but not seeing eye to eye on the approach.

And they have had a decent amount of screen time compared to other characters/actors and the majority of it is with each other or about each other in some fashion.

This is why it’s all so baffling to me because all of the above says that they do care, but still the scenes are painfully lackluster and the writing is generally low effort and very plotty. They’ve been involved in multiple stories, but none of them have been about them and they don’t get their own little parts of it the way I wish they would.

It’s very much a product of the state the show is in. I find the writing and the plotting for literally every character lacking.

Even if you look at all the relationships on the show, they all feel like they’re lacking in different ways.

Coira are getting lots of screen time and are getting some nice moments here and there and more domestic scenes but their scenes are also repetitive and Cain tried to cheat on her with Charity and they’ve been terrible to each other and are both being written to be really unlikable.

Dawn and Joe get a good deal of casual affection and they got a big dramatic fight I would kill for but their relationship literally makes no sense and is so shallow most of the time and Dawn is about to have feelings for Billy resurface and she’s being axed from the show.

Mack and Charity have been a train wreck. They barely got any screen time together when they were supposedly happy. I would legit forget they were even together half the time. And now, they’ll probably survive this but…what a damn mess.

Billy and Gabby are rushed to hell so they can use it for Dawn’s wedding plot and Gabby’s health plot.

Kammy and Belle are sweet but where are they? They barely exist at all.

Lewis and Vinny had some giggly kisses but the majority of their relationship has been off screen and Vinny is getting axed.

Paddy and Mandy had some nice scenes during the Ray aftermath story but Paddy was also written in a pretty unlikable way and they also had repetitive scenes.

Nicola and Jimmy are being treated way worse than Robron on the arguing sniping front and none of it is about protecting each other. They also have way less screen time and they’re killing Jimmy off and probably sticking her with Kev.

Sam and Lydia are basically nonentities until they get their one story a year based on some minor thing that gets dragged out way longer than it needs to be.

Liam and Chas barely exist, barely share scenes. They’re supposedly engaged too but there’s even less said about their wedding than robron’s.

Marlon and Rhona are so forgettable right now that I almost didn’t include them on this list. Same with April and Dylan. I guess at least Marlon and Rhona got some nice scenes when she decided not to have an affair with Graham. How sweet.

I think we just have to kind of accept that this might actually be them caring about robron. But the quality of the show has taken a nosedive off a cliff and that has affected everyone in different ways.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect better, want better. Because god knows this is so far from the quality we’re used to with robron it’s a joke.

I truly don’t understand any of the choices they’re making these days across the board.

But I really don’t think it’s because they don’t care about robron and want them to break up.

I don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. I don’t know why anyone is letting the show be the mess it currently is. But I just don’t subscribe to the “they’re purposefully trying to destroy robron” conspiracy theory.

They might be trying to destroy the show but that’s a different conspiracy theory all together.

I really think Laura Shaw thinks she’s doing a good job. And this is why I need to yell at her and interrogate her for many many hours.

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Here’s the formula:

Inciting incident (new person usually) + have said incident cause conflict/mayhem/both + climax with a “stunt” + move to next story

Cain gets stuck under a log next week, just FYI. And oh look a new friend for Kev. Wonder what stunt Chris is filming now?

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I think the main issue with today was that we’re not getting Robert or Aaron’s real POV when it comes to Serena or John. Was annoyed that after Serena walked out, we didn’t see them fight about it. That’s what was needed. Aaron telling Robert and the audience why he’s being so harsh with her. And Robert saying why he wants to give her a chance.

Yes we can obviously infer but it’s frustrating when you have to constantly make mental leaps to understand character behavior. My guess is that Miller had limited filming time but that extra scene would have made it all hit much more than it did.

I don’t think the show is trying to portray Robert and Aaron as unhappy with one another but without scenes where they talk in real depth (which we have gotten little of this year) and where we get to see that balance in their relationship onscreen, instead of just inferring, I don’t blame people for thinking otherwise.

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A few things I liked this episode:

Serena being a cop is interesting. And I don’t hate it TBH. I do think that will have her firmly in “good guy” territory in the long run.

I do really like that Ryan continues to play that Robert is nervous around Kev. It’s a nice level of continuity that has been lacking with Kev overall.

I like that there are still tidbits about Robert’s mental health. The comment about him not sleeping, etc. Don’t think they’ll ever deal with it properly but I do like that it just didn’t vanish completely.

To that end, liked that he seems to be getting his spark back at the same time. That might change when he gets run over but it’s nice to see him not be so down all the time.

Ryan and Casey have great chemistry together which I think has helped there.

Side note: Emmerdale needs to invest in a fight coordinator. That’s all I’ll say. 🙃

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If I was a Kev fan, I think I’d be pretty pissed at what they’ve done with him so far. I’m of the mind that Kev neither warrants the massive fanbase or hate that he gets. He’s fine.

He’s no more funny than Ross and he has no more depth than anyone else, Chris is a fine actor but nothing close to say Danny Miller’s abilities. He’s also not the devil either.

But for all the discussion and debate what I really haven’t seen mentioned is that his SLs, so far, have not been great, which may not bode well for him as a character in the long run.

His main SL is Lewis but he and the kid have spent all of three relatively short scenes together. Maybe TPTB have realized Bradley Riches is a better influencer than actor but I can’t find much to write home about there.

It might have been interesting if they tied his return to what happened with John and him realizing if he kept going down that road he’d probably end up just as dead so he tries to turnover a new leaf by bonding with his son but nope. He’s just a new person (look he swings!) and we don’t need to discuss anything that came before to show depth and connective narrative tissue there.

More than anything I’d be pissed about that Monday scene with Robert. Here you have two people ending a years-long relationship and absolutely no discussion or closure there. No sincere apologies for his behavior. No curiosity at what their relationship might be going forward. Just thanks, see ya around.

Not that I think he and Robert should have any type of relationship but narratively it’s wild to end such a critical relationship for both characters in this shallow way. As a Robert fan, I wanted things said. I’d think Kev fans would want the same.

Even his “sad” story wasn’t anything to write home about or remember. You have daddy issues? Join. The. Club.

You’d think for such a popular character they’d try harder?

Overall, while I see that he’s popular (for reasons I guess) it’s interesting how even he is getting shortchanged by the show right now and its insistence on committing the worst of soapy sins: being boring.

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Some things I know to be true (maybe):

Serena is a most likely a true crime podcaster or something in that vein and she’s baiting people to get their reactions about John which is why she brings him up at every turn.

It’s not her just being awkward. She’s hunting for information but knows she can’t ask out right.

She’s just as suspicious of Aaron as he is of her.

Aaron’s trauma is roaring back to life. Please for the love of god explore it.

It was criminal that we didn’t get a follow up conversation between them later in the episode. Robert’s just going to now ignore Aaron’s clear triggering for weeks, I guess?

Mack should leave Charity. While supporting her through her trauma, of course. But he should go.

It is weird, and probably due to Miller’s limited time to film, that we didn’t see Aaron and Mack hangout. Does Aaron now know that something is up with Mack and Charity? Or did Mack play it off? We need these smaller connective tissue scenes.

Kev does not need to be in all these scenes in such a vapid SL. His beef with Nicola is plot B at best.

His best scenes since he’s been back have been with Serena - when he gets to act like a grown man and not a Jack Sparrow cosplayer.

No one will call out or question Cain and Moira’s hypocrisy around protecting Kyle while they literally battered Robert for the same thing.

I couldn’t care less who killed Dr. Todd. But we will have Ray plot 2.0 with Mack going on trial bc everyone gets to suffer but the actual villain.

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What Aaron situation? Bob’s line there was weird, no?

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Appreciate that Hawley is getting his due but these people are on crack if they think “Ray’s killer revealed” was a “showstopper.” People got up at the crack of dawn or stayed up til midnight in some places to see if John really killed Mack and watch Robert scream he loves Aaron at the bottom of that gorge. True soapy goodness. I know of no one who thought anything about that silly whodunnit with Ray other than “let it be over.” I guarantee you no one was on the edge of their seats…🫠

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Fun spoilers today. Nice to see the lads all dressed up in their best bib and tucker.

I have thoughts:

The photo they ran with is funny and is a little all over the place. Mack, Billy and Robert look slightly disheveled like they’ve been through it while Kev and Ross are just vibing. Lewis looks like he thought they were taking prom photos.

While I’m glad to see him get some attention, Billy feels like a last minute add-on with Danny and Ned not being around to do photos (could be wrong but you’d think Joe would be far more in the “center” of things than Billy but again glad he’s getting something substantial to do hopefully). 🤞

The theory that Serena is doing some sort of expose on John seems like a good callout. That would be a betrayal of her family but not something she couldn’t come back from. And it’s very Sugden to be ambitious even at the cost of those close to you. I still do not think she will be evil or like John at all. And for FFS she’s not Robert’s kid.

They will have to do some type of CTE storyline for Robert at this point. Yeah he’s fictional but even in the land of soap, someone can’t take that many head injuries. This is like #3 this year alone.

I’m calling it now that Vinny is trying to set Kev up for what happens in the cafe to get him away from Lewis. Maybe this will make their relationship interesting…

Mack and Ross getting into a fight over the cheating and the baby is the type of soapy fun I wanted out of that SL so yay.

These stories feel more like set up than anything and they don’t mention half of the bigger stuff coming up like the summer stunt they are doing and who’s dead in the flash forward but I’ll take a fun boy band photo of the guys even if I don’t think these stories will be all that “big” in the long run.

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Just some thoughts. One thing I’m noticing about the show right now is that it doesn’t seem super interested in character complexity.

Robert is/was a very complex character that has always been somewhere in between good and bad. That’s why he’s a joy to watch. Now though he has to be on the “hero” side of things always, and that complexity is lacking.

So instead of taking on Joe Tate for the blackmail, he cowers, and instead of demanding to know why Kev is back in village after he attacked him and Aaron, Robert apologizes (wtf) for being engaged and thanks Kev for a divorce. Robert of old (both Karl and Ryan’s versions) would never. (Actually Robert circa July 2025 would also never). Same goes for Kev. He started out very complex with potential to be a solid sympathetic villain but now he just sings stupid karaoke and fights over a dead cat’s ashes. If that’s your humor then woohoo for you but I would have preferred the Joker of the Dales vs just a joker.

It’s also true for a character like Charity. She started out in a storyline where she was the bad guy. Someone making bad decisions to protect themselves from valid repercussions. Now though they’ve made her a victim in something so horrific compared to what she did that she’s no longer the bad guy which I still wager is the only reason the story took that turn.

In the past, she was allowed to the bad guy when it was warranted. Her strained relationship with Debbie is a good example of that. Now we can’t possibly have people believe Charity can be a good person while also making seriously selfish decisions that hurt those around her.

Emmerdale is at its best when it’s let’s characters be more human and it should remember that.

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soz i know that was a lot but i really resent him the more the show cant seem to let robert have any storylines without him in them.

the more it happens the more annoyed by him i get. and the robron fans on here only care about the ship, which is so fucking boring. i had so much hope when rob came back, he was in scenes with so many characters. now he's just glued to him again and it's back to the same old cycles of the aaron show.

All good! Don’t disagree at all that Robert and Aaron should be able to have separate storylines. I’m a huge Robron girlie but I agree that tying them so closely together limits both their characters. I really did not like how they got together last year and have been disappointed that so much good material for their relationship and characters have been disregarded. And agree, the “Robert is always bad and Aaron always good” narrative is as annoying as it was 6 years ago.

IMO it’s not just Robert though but Aaron too that’s been short changed this year. Aaron got to have zero feelings about John post-gorge and he’s just been sorta there to play guard dog with Robert or pop in randomly into other characters SLs for like an episode.

That’s why I have high hopes for Serena. She can give Robert someone else to interact with that’s not Aaron, which should give Aaron other things to do except make sure Robert doesn’t get a shovel to the head again. They both deserve better-separately and together.

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fr tho she'll probably be introduced but then end up revolving around aaron like everyone does. even vic likes aaron more than her own brother. makes me really resent him big time, always gets the does and the hero moments and robert gets punched or hated by the village. trying to hold back and see what happens but not expecting much tbhhhhh

I feel your frustration for sure! Robert is a goldmine of a character and he’s been underused or just outright misused this year so far. I do think that’s down to two things though: Sophie Roper leaving Laura Shaw to do all the heavy lifting on plotting out storylines, thus a lot of the just basic narrative issues the show has had across the board this year, and Ryan being overused last year before he resigns a contract.

The Kev storyline was just so unnecessary from what it became and they could have saved more episodes for Ryan/Robert post-Corriedale to make these 2026 SLs with him (and Aaron) much more satisfying. That’s why I’m hoping Roper’s return helps get us back to where things were Sept of last year. 🤞

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The only worthy characters are Dingles. Serena will probably marry one and change her name within the year, and probably hate Robert within the month.

I have not enjoyed how they’ve treated Robert so far this year for sure but I do genuinely think she’ll be on the Sugden side of things. To your point though, I actually think she’ll be a Boyd as Mack is right there (once the baby secret explodes) 😉 or they’ll stick her with Ross. Kind of the only options as of now (unless I’m forgetting a Dingle, which wouldn’t be surprising given their sheer number).