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Emmerdale is one of the most famous soap operas in the UK, and the sentimental and dramatic show has impressed viewers with its over-the-top sentimentality and incredulous plotlines for many decades. Revolving around the ups and downs of the residents and the families who live in the titular village, the show has aired episodes and plots about all kinds of topics. From illogical deaths and murders to baby swapping and controversial medical storylines, here are ten times when the show truly stretched reality to the limit.
Unrealistic hearing, mistaken shootings, and other unrealistic moments from Emmerdale
1. Joe Tate’s illness
Recently, Emmerdale has found itself in trouble over showcasing the controversial plotline of Joe Tate’s kidney illness and his subsequent organ thieving. Played by Ned Porteous, Joe is an important character in the show who is shown to be suffering from chronic kidney disease. However, what got the controversy started was when Joe is shown to be hands in glove with a shady doctor and trying to find a donor through unfair means to carry out an operation.
First, Joe and the doctor secretly drug Noah Dingle (Jack Downham) to test him and then further decide to kidnap Caleb Milligan (William Ash) and carry out an illegal transplant. While the storyline is dramatic and incredulous, it has received backlash from several kidney-related medical organizations and charities, which have termed the storyline implausible and dangerous.
The charities are worried because the simplistic depiction of organ thieving can undermine the public’s confidence in the transplant system and deter people from kidney donation. The show has received ire for dismissing the actual and comprehensive process of organ transplantation for highlighting a dramatic turn of events, which could make people lose confidence in the medical system and cause trouble for thousands of patients with kidney-related problems.
2. Val’s HIV incident
The town of Emmerdale is famous for its shenanigans for decades, and Val’s HIV incident is no exception. Valerie Pollard, played by Charlie Hardwick, is one character in the show's history with a rocky storyline. The character has an amusing nickname, HIVal, which she got when she contracted the disease because she got intimate with Ian Chamberlain, played by Robert Cavanah, while in Portugal.
When Ian announces that he is HIV positive, Val gets worried and gets a test done, which proves her worst fears right. However, the plot is stretched to the limits when she lies to her husband Eric, played by Chris Chittell, about not contracting the disease, even though she accepts her involvement with Ian. Eric forgives his wife, and all seems fine.
But the soap opera is known for its dramatic episodes and things get quickly murky when Eric sees Val getting out of Ian’s car and he decides to sleep with Val’s sister. At the same time, Val eventually accepts that she is HIV positive, and Eric accepts that he slept with Val’s sister and that he wants to end the relationship. Eventually, Eric also gets tested and does not get the disease, but Val has to live with a broken heart and a deadly disease.
3. Scott and Kelly’s romantic plotline
Soap operas like Emmerdale are thrilling because no topic is too far-fetched for them. The dramatic and over-the-top shows are known for their lasciviousness, and even taboo topics like incest are portrayed. One such controversial storyline, which seemed too unrealistic, was when Scott Windsor, played by Ben Freeman, decided to come back to the town from the army and started to fall for his step-sister, Kelly Windsor, played by Adele Silva.
Even though the step-siblings knew that what they were doing was wrong, it did not deter them from taking the wrong step. The two began getting close when they first kissed each other during Christmas. Even more incredulous is the fact that during this passionate moment, Kelly’s dad and Scott’s step-dad, Vic, played by Alun Lewis, was getting murdered inside the Post Office.
The show gets even more far-fetched when the two start getting intimate, even though Kelly is engaged to Roy Glover, played by Nicky Evans. The whole storyline between Scott and Kelly stays dramatic as Kelly decides to commit suicide after learning that she is pregnant. Eventually, Kelly decides to flee the village to save herself from insults and start a new life in London, and Scott stays back in the village.
4. The baby swap plotline
There are some things that a viewer can definitely witness in soap operas, and that includes a baby swap plotline to make it more dramatic, even though it is unbelievable. Like other soap operas, Emmerdale also decided to pique the viewers’ interest after deciding to include a fantastical plot about babies getting exchanged by mistake.
Ashley Thomas and Laurel Potts, played by John Middleton and Charlotte Bellamy, are a loving couple whose lives are devastated when they learn that their son, Daniel, has died of cot death. However, as unbelievable as it sounds, the show discloses that the baby who unfortunately died was not their biological son and that there had been an accidental baby swap at the hospital.
Laurel and Ashley’s real son is Arthur, who was handed mistakenly to Greg and Melanie Doland, played by Shaun Prendergast and Caroline Strong, respectively. Laurel and Ashley get a DNA test to prove it right, and the court finally decides in their favor. The show does show realistically that Arthur does not bond with his biological parents at first. However, he soon begins to get close to them, and Greg and Melanie leave the town soon after.
5. John Sugden’s unrealistic hearing
While most of the controversial and unrealistic moments in Emmerdale involve serious crimes and plotlines, there are some implausible moments that are actually hilarious and unbelievable, even for passionate fans.
When Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) and Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) talk about Robert (Ryan Hawley) and Rebecca White’s (Emily Head) son Seb, Aaron confesses to Victoria that he wanted Seb’s custody after the death of Rebecca, even when Robert has wanted his son to be taken care of by an aunt of his.
While Victoria believes that what has happened is for the best and the two have a discussion, John comes into the restaurant and listens to their chat, even though he is many feet away, making it unrealistic for him to hear their talk.
Fans online were amused at John’s hearing skills, and the show proved, once again, that there is no topic or plot that the opera cannot convolute for its own interest, however unrealistic might it be.
6. Jackson’s assisted suicide
While most unrealistic plots in soap operas like Emmerdale are dismissed by the viewers purely as a work of fiction, there are some storylines that hit too close to home and, therefore, get into controversy for inaccurate and dangerously misleading representation. One such incident was when Jackson Walsh, played by Marc Silcock, is shown to be wanting an assisted suicide after getting a spinal injury.
The show focused on how Jackson got into a train crash and lost the ability to use his limbs. The opera showed how Jackson lost his vitality to live and had to spend all his day in bed and be spoon-fed, which made him contemplate ending his life.
However, this storyline got angry reactions from viewers and spinal injuries charities and organizations as they believed that people with spinal injuries are not as disabled and weak as shown and do not think of ending their lives. A charity organization called Aspire termed the plot unrealistic and inaccurate, and it was outraged by how Jackson’s character is shown to be ill when he is not.
7. Louise’s dark past
The village of Emmerdale is known for its characters' messy lives and dark secrets. Scandalous plots like murder are, therefore, not too far away from the show’s purview. Louise Appleton, played by Emily Symons, is one such resident of the village who had a dark past of her own.
Initially, she dated Rodney Blackstock, played by Patrick Mower, when she first arrived in the village. Later, the two broke up, and she decided to date the shady businessman Ray Mullan, played by Seamus Gubbins. However, Ray began to become obsessed with Louise and controlled her ways.
Unrealistic as it is, Ray even concocted a whole stalker story and made Louise believe in it to get her to move to Italy with him. Louise finds out about Ray’s nefarious business when they are heading to the airport on Boxing Day and decide to come back to Emmerdale. The two had a huge argument, which resulted in Louise hitting Ray with a vase on his head, which resulted in him falling down the stairs and falling to his death.
The dramatic killing and death are further highlighted when Louise’s friend, Terry Woods, played by Billy Hartman, helps her cover up the murder and makes the police believe that someone broke into and killed Ray. Afterward, Louise’s character is shown to have gone into a deep depression.
8. Val’s unrealistic death
As mentioned before, Val has had quite a fair share of dramatic and unrealistic moments in her life. She is one of Emmerdale’s most over-the-top characters, and her death sequence is no less dramatic. Her death happens during the helicopter crash incident in the show, which offers plenty of unrealistic but thrilling action and excitement.
The crash itself has very dramatic origins as the helicopter crashes into the town hall just at the moment when Chrissie White (Louise Marwood) is setting her husband Robert Sugden’s (Ryan Hawley) car on fire. The fire blows up gas canisters, which explode while the chopper is flying above. During this dramatic sequence of events, Val gets caught in a fairground attraction with her sister Daine (Elizabeth Estensen).
While Daine is rescued by the fire brigade, Val is surrounded by glass in the mirror maze. In one of the most over-the-top moments, Val challenges and lights up a cigarette in the face of a shard of glass in front of her and declares that she is not afraid. Eventually, the glass falls on her, leaving her to die. However, her death could have been avoided if she had moved a bit in another direction.
9. Andy’s shooting incident
Emmerdale has no dearth of episodes that have dramatic flair and which often leave the zone of reality. From mismatched babies to mistaken shootings, there is something that always sparks the interest of the viewers of the show, thanks to the opera’s dramatic storylines. Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher) is one such character in the show who has always gone through incredulous moments in his storyline.
During one such plotline, Andy finds out that his brother, Robert (Karl Davies), is having an affair with his wife, Katie (Sammy Winward). Without giving it much thought, Andy decides to head to his brother’s caravan and carries a shotgun with him to show that he means business.
However, the show employs high-octane drama and over-the-top sentimentality as Andy, blinded by rage, fires upon his foster dad, Jack (Clive Hornby), mistaking his dad for his brother. Even though Jack was able to survive, the show made it a point that killing and mistaken killings were added to the show, even if it was unrealistic.
10. Donna’s transformation
Donna Windsor’s (Verity Rushworth) character is another dramatic resident in Emmerdale who has had an unbelievable turnaround. When Donna is diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a few months, she decides to leave her dignified police job and become a gangster so that she can leave some money for her daughter. As incredulous as it sounds, the show did show a policewoman turning to a life of crime.
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Even more drama is added when she joins hands with her partner, Ross Barton (Michael Parr), and robs a jewelry store. However, the owner, Gary (Fergus O’Donnell), decides to blackmail Ross and make him carry out illegal jobs for him. Donna decides to help Ross in doing his job and steals a police uniform for him.
However, Ross is unable to do the job after not being able to use the police radio, and the whole incident culminates in Donna and Gary coming face-to-face with each other on the roof of a car park. The sequence is full of thrilling action as Gary says that he has a sniper, and Donna decides to put her taser away and strategically gets herself and Gary handcuffed. The drama does not end here as Donna throws both of them from the roof to their deaths.
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