Emmerdale - Spoilers Discussion

[overtherainbow]

Nov 22, 2009 16:48:46 GMT -5 cheerios said:

Nov 22, 2009 10:12:50 GMT -5 alicat said:

Question is, is Adam just a means of showing that Aaron's attracted to men, and therefore an early stepping stone on Aaron's journey, or does the sl involve both Adam and Aaron in a relationship, somewhere along the line.

That is what I have been wondering. Is Adam there just to awake these feelings in Aaron and then be a supportive friend through all of this. Or will he be taking the journey with Aaron and we see what the future holds for them.

I know, I've been wondering the same thing myself. I think it's obvious they are setting Aaron up to be gay, because he tries to kiss Adam. But I have no idea if Adam will be there as a friend and support him or be something more to him. I hope that there will be something more than friendship in store for them, and I remain cautiously optimistic. Adam hasn't flirted with any girls yet, he seems uninterested, and actually more into Aaron at this point. It seems likely that they would take their friendship to the next level, so to speak.

[maya]

I agree with both Alicat and Messyme, plus when GOOL mentioned this possible storyline ANthony said : Is gay love about to make its way to Emmerdale? U.K. soap mags are talking of rumors that the rural-set soap opera is about to embark on a gay love story and that two of the show’s young hunks would find themselves becoming much more than friends. There’s no word on who the lovebirds will be, though there is much speculation that the two guys in question are Aaron Livesy, played by Danny Miller and Adam Barton, played by Adam Thomas.

So from the start the rumors were about two guys becoming more than just friends and not about a simple coming out story.
I hope so anyway

[alicat]

messyme and cherrios (cute avatar btw - re our wonderings about Adam's role in Aaron's sl, this is where the spoilers give me confidence that a relationship is on the cards.

From the actual episodes - if I hadn't seen any spoilers - I'd be starting to wonder whether Adam might have feelings for Aaron. I'd have wondered about a coming out sl for Adam, with Aaron perhaps as a catalyst, but no more, as Aaron hasn't been giving off any gay vibes as yet. But with the spoilers saying that Aaron is going to be the one leaning in for the kiss, I'm much more optimistic.

Something else I've noticed about this sl, and the way it's being put together. Out of the main characters in the yt clips, Gavin Blyth has been responsible for casting James Sutton and Adam Thomas. James Sutton's character Ryan works alongside Aaron at the garage, but so does Debbie Dingle, although there's not much of her in the yt scenes. James developed quite an on-line following during his stint on Hollyoaks as John Paul, while Adam Thomas is the brother of Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason Grimshaw on Coronation Street, and the resemblance is striking. Although Jason is a straight character, his brother Todd was gay, and Jason lives (platonically!) with Sean, a regular gay character. In a recent sl involving a bit of deception on Sean's part, Jason was crowned 'Mr Gay Wetherfield' based on his looks. The point I'm making, is that anyone following gay sl's on yt, would surely know of James Sutton/JP and probably find Adam Thomas quite familiar looking too. And looking at some of the yt comments, the presence of James Sutton does seem to be drawing some people into this sl.

Just coincidences or careful planning? I wonder if GB has a yt audience which enjoys a gay sl in mind with all this. Surely he knows about the fanbase that grew up around McDean and the world-wide attention it attracted thanks to the internet (obvious similarities being the two teenage best mates that become more than just mates) - perhaps he is aiming at something like that here? If he is, we should be in for a treat .

[overtherainbow]

Nov 23, 2009 7:24:42 GMT -5 alicat said:

messyme and cherrios (cute avatar btw - re our wonderings about Adam's role in Aaron's sl, this is where the spoilers give me confidence that a relationship is on the cards.

From the actual episodes - if I hadn't seen any spoilers - I'd be starting to wonder whether Adam might have feelings for Aaron. I'd have wondered about a coming out sl for Adam, with Aaron perhaps as a catalyst, but no more, as Aaron hasn't been giving off any gay vibes as yet. But with the spoilers saying that Aaron is going to be the one leaning in for the kiss, I'm much more optimistic.

Something else I've noticed about this sl, and the way it's being put together. Out of the main characters in the yt clips, Gavin Blyth has been responsible for casting James Sutton and Adam Thomas. James Sutton's character Ryan works alongside Aaron at the garage, but so does Debbie Dingle, although there's not much of her in the yt scenes. James developed quite an on-line following during his stint on Hollyoaks as John Paul, while Adam Thomas is the brother of Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason Grimshaw on Coronation Street, and the resemblance is striking. Although Jason is a straight character, his brother Todd was gay, and Jason lives (platonically!) with Sean, a regular gay character. In a recent sl involving a bit of deception on Sean's part, Jason was crowned 'Mr Gay Wetherfield' based on his looks. The point I'm making, is that anyone following gay sl's on yt, would surely know of James Sutton/JP and probably find Adam Thomas quite familiar looking too. And looking at some of the yt comments, the presence of James Sutton does seem to be drawing some people into this sl.

Just coincidences or careful planning? I wonder if GB has a yt audience which enjoys a gay sl in mind with all this. Surely he knows about the fanbase that grew up around McDean and the world-wide attention it attracted thanks to the internet (obvious similarities being the two teenage best mates that become more than just mates) - perhaps he is aiming at something like that here? If he is, we should be in for a treat .

OMG. Yes. You are so right about everything! I know Anthony wrote about it on AfterElton and I don't think he would have done that if it wasn't supposed to happen. And yeah, maybe it was planned out beforehand. A gay storyline on the same soap that has James Sutton who played gay in Hollyoaks, it's bound to draw some attention. And even if they didn't plan it that way, it sure is drawing attention now. But I think it's great. The more viewers the better, and I have very high hopes for this storyline.

[alicat]

Nov 23, 2009 11:06:52 GMT -5 overtherainbow said:

OMG. Yes. You are so right about everything! I know Anthony wrote about it on AfterElton and I don't think he would have done that if it wasn't supposed to happen. And yeah, maybe it was planned out beforehand. A gay storyline on the same soap that has James Sutton who played gay in Hollyoaks, it's bound to draw some attention. And even if they didn't plan it that way, it sure is drawing attention now. But I think it's great. The more viewers the better, and I have very high hopes for this storyline.

I think that James Sutton was probably a good signing for ED for a couple of reasons. Not only does he resemble his on-screen so-far secret half-brother , but also he'd built up a fair sized fanbase via his Hollyoaks role. Gavin Blyth seems quite publicity-minded, and in the weeks leading up to James' debut, there was an advert publicising the fact that James would be playing a new character in Emmerdale - something that ED doesn't do for every new signing.

It just struck me when I was looking through the yt clips how funny it was that it's James' character Ryan who often gives 'pointers' towards a future gay sl, and he was also involved in the 'driving test result' hug on 13 November. James' character is certainly being pushed into the AA sl, mainly because he works alongside Aaron in the garage. But then so do Debbie and Cain - it's just the writers seem to prefer to include Ryan .

[overtherainbow]

The new spoilers seem interesting. I'm just a bit afraid from the "Adam tries to warn Holly about Aaron". It seems like he didn't exactly like the (possible) kiss, and it makes me afraid that maybe it's just Aaron who is the gay one, and not Adam? I don't know, maybe Adam is just in denial... What do you guys think?

[carld2]

I think he's probably upset that Aaron made a pass at him but then denies it and continues to see his sister. Outside of any possible feelings, which I guess we are still in the dark over, he might believe that that's not a good way to treat his sister, or if Aaron has done that with him, is he doing the same with anyone else.

Then the conflict will be over whether to warn his sister off vaguely, or tell her the whole truth.

I guess this will probably lead to some estrangement between Aaron and Adam. I just wonder if they will become close again, or even closer, or if the story will just be about Aaron struggling with how he feels.

[overtherainbow]

Nov 24, 2009 10:23:09 GMT -5 carld2 said:

I guess this will probably lead to some estrangement between Aaron and Adam. I just wonder if they will become close again, or even closer, or if the story will just be about Aaron struggling with how he feels.

I know. That is what worries me, as of now it only seems like Aaron is gay (or bi), makes a move on Adam and Adam has no interest, and to make it worse there's all this stuff with Holly. I hope that maybe the time apart, or maybe them fighting will maybe lead Adam to realise he has feelings for Aaron too? I don't know, I'm just trying to be optimistic. I do have faith in the writers, and I do think they will get together in the end. But I don't exactly like these new spoilers..

[Difficult Diva]

I've got a "wait a see" feeling about this storyline, because I just don't want to try and guess what's going to happen, before anything actually happens on screen.

[sheepiefarm]

When I first heard about this storyline with Aaron - it struck me straight away what a perfect choice of character - from a storytelling pov - Aaron has had a very dysfunctional life, has "attachment" problems, finds it difficult to relate to people and is very much a "closed book" when it comes to his inner-self.
To throw in a "confused about his sexuality issue" on top of all of that most definitely gives the scriptwriters a huge area of emotional scope to play around with.
On the other hand, I have been much more sceptical about Adam & his role in all of this, however - the more I see of him and his interaction with Aaron and the surrounding story - the more convinced I get that he is not gonna be a "bit part" player. As a relatively new character - there is no str8 history to speak of - and there have been enough "nuances" in body-language during his screen-time with Aaron that make a "falling in love with a guy" storyline very plausible for him.

For all there are numerous gay soap couple nowadays - they tend to fall in the same old "tired" bracket where some guy with a sexual history with women "suddenly" discovers his love for a guy. There are very few stories where a teenage guy discovers his sexuality from falling for another guy without having experienced "girlfriend" relationships first.
Adam is the perfect character for that kinda storyline to happen with - and to tie it into the dysfunctional Aaron character as being the guy he discovers it with - has the potential to lead to some very emotionally loaded scenes between them - a scriptwriters dream really

Positive thinking - and it will happen

[carld2]

We tend to be seeing this through Aaron's eyes, at least so far. So they aren't really letting us know what Adam feels. We know he doesn't kiss Aaron and that he tries to warn Holly about Aaron. I guess his reasons for doing so, the full reasons, will remain a mystery to us, at least for now.

But the spoilers do suggest that Aaron is rapidly going off Holly, so either he breaks up with her, or he may force himself to be involved with her. Either way, his true feelings seem to be for Adam.

Whether that means the story will be about Aaron's sexuality, or just about how Aaron feels towards Adam, or about Aaron/Adam, I don't know.

The thing with Emmerdale is that they told a very popular "I'm gay for ____" story with Jasmine and Debbie. Debbie had never been in a happy relationship (she was an unwed teenage mother). Jasmine meanwhile had never been with anyone. Jasmine and Debbie became friends when they had no one else, and they fell in love. The relationship ended horribly, but a few years later, they got back together, and Debbie was so in love with Jasmine that she even went to prison for her.

I think this may be what we get with Aaron. I think Adam is someone he has never known and someone who brings out all this stuff in him he may not have even known was there. So it's probably going to lead to lots of ups and downs.

I'm hoping Adam will also feel something for Aaron, but I guess we'll see. So far he does seem very...fond of Aaron.

I wish we could see a scene where Debbie and Aaron talk about this, but I'm not sure if they will bring that up again, since Jasmine is gone.

[stl29tide]

Hmm. Adam's always been protective of his family, so if he thinks that Aaron's genuinely not interested in Holly and just using her, he's going to try to warn her off him, but, it doesn't mean that deep down Adam might want Holly and Aaron apart for other reasons too.

[sheepiefarm]

I was kinda wondering if it might not be the other way around - he's aware that Holly isn't really all that interested in Aaron - he does comment on that in tonight's epi and maybe he's warning her off so that Aaron deosn't get hurt - or at least go off chasing Holly to hide behind from the fact that he kissed Adam.

LOL - these next two weeks are just gonna take forever ;D

[tihkon2]

No discussion on the most important spoiler?

" (the boys)...are clearing the barn ready for Christmas, but it goes un-noticed when one of the barrels cracks. !!!!"

;D ;D ;D ;D

I was like...."Okay. That's great. Um....yeah..."



Although, now I'm wondering if something is in the barrel that will cause an accident, or if the important part is that the boys are um....doing something...and that's why they don't notice the cracked barrel.

;D

[alicat]

Nov 24, 2009 12:39:46 GMT -5 sheepiefarm said:

On the other hand, I have been much more sceptical about Adam & his role in all of this, however - the more I see of him and his interaction with Aaron and the surrounding story - the more convinced I get that he is not gonna be a "bit part" player. As a relatively new character - there is no str8 history to speak of - and there have been enough "nuances" in body-language during his screen-time with Aaron that make a "falling in love with a guy" storyline very plausible for him.

For all there are numerous gay soap couple nowadays - they tend to fall in the same old "tired" bracket where some guy with a sexual history with women "suddenly" discovers his love for a guy. There are very few stories where a teenage guy discovers his sexuality from falling for another guy without having experienced "girlfriend" relationships first.
Adam is the perfect character for that kinda storyline to happen with - and to tie it into the dysfunctional Aaron character as being the guy he discovers it with - has the potential to lead to some very emotionally loaded scenes between them - a scriptwriters dream really

Positive thinking - and it will happen

I'll give my proper thoughts on the spoiler content a bit later on (not enough time right now!), but just wanted to add something about the way that this story's being handled by GB and his team. And by 'story', I do mean love story, because I'm convinced that this is what we're seeing unfold.

This whole story has been very well planned indeed, both in terms of character / plot development, and also publicity. GB has gone to a lot of trouble setting it up. But I think that he realises that he's got to be careful about what he's doing, because this story cannot be seen to be a complete copy of McDean. Part of me feels (and hopes!) that he's looked at McDean as a starting point, then thought how it could be done differently, if such an sl was properly planned. (Not sure if anyone is aware, but McDean kind of evolved, rather than had a clear plan from start to finish - but don't want to bore anyone with the details here.)

So having both boys start off with girlfriends would be something that's been done before - not the best of ideas. And leaving Adam as so ambiguous for now, certainly adds to the 'will they, won't they', heightening interest in the sl. It is a less predictable starting point than showing two guys clearly struggling to take much interest in their 'girlfriends', or indeed one openly gay/bi about to become the best thing that's ever happened to a hitherto straight character.

[carld2]

Nov 24, 2009 15:09:25 GMT -5 tihkon2 said:

Although, now I'm wondering if something is in the barrel that will cause an accident, or if the important part is that the boys are um....doing something...and that's why they don't notice the cracked barrel.

;D

Andy and Adam are the ones in the barn. Although that would certainly be a twist (and you can imagine Aaron's reaction).

[sheepiefarm]

Nov 24, 2009 15:23:14 GMT -5 carld2 said:

Nov 24, 2009 15:09:25 GMT -5 tihkon2 said:

Although, now I'm wondering if something is in the barrel that will cause an accident, or if the important part is that the boys are um....doing something...and that's why they don't notice the cracked barrel.

;D

Andy and Adam are the ones in the barn. Although that would certainly be a twist (and you can imagine Aaron's reaction).

LOL - never mind Aaron - I can hardly imagine my reaction ;D ;D ;D

Tihkon - it would seem that there are too many hunks whose name begins with A for you to concentrate properly ;D ;D

[tihkon2]

Damn all those A names!!! ;D

[overtherainbow]

alicat, that's true. They certainly got me intrigued! The one moment I'm sure they will get together, the next not so sure because of the spoilers. I think the story will be very much "push and pull". I guess we just have to wait and see how it pans out.

[carld2]

Nov 24, 2009 15:10:49 GMT -5 alicat said:

Nov 24, 2009 12:39:46 GMT -5 sheepiefarm said:

On the other hand, I have been much more sceptical about Adam & his role in all of this, however - the more I see of him and his interaction with Aaron and the surrounding story - the more convinced I get that he is not gonna be a "bit part" player. As a relatively new character - there is no str8 history to speak of - and there have been enough "nuances" in body-language during his screen-time with Aaron that make a "falling in love with a guy" storyline very plausible for him.

For all there are numerous gay soap couple nowadays - they tend to fall in the same old "tired" bracket where some guy with a sexual history with women "suddenly" discovers his love for a guy. There are very few stories where a teenage guy discovers his sexuality from falling for another guy without having experienced "girlfriend" relationships first.
Adam is the perfect character for that kinda storyline to happen with - and to tie it into the dysfunctional Aaron character as being the guy he discovers it with - has the potential to lead to some very emotionally loaded scenes between them - a scriptwriters dream really

Positive thinking - and it will happen

I'll give my proper thoughts on the spoiler content a bit later on (not enough time right now!), but just wanted to add something about the way that this story's being handled by GB and his team. And by 'story', I do mean love story, because I'm convinced that this is what we're seeing unfold.

This whole story has been very well planned indeed, both in terms of character / plot development, and also publicity. GB has gone to a lot of trouble setting it up. But I think that he realises that he's got to be careful about what he's doing, because this story cannot be seen to be a complete copy of McDean. Part of me feels (and hopes!) that he's looked at McDean as a starting point, then thought how it could be done differently, if such an sl was properly planned. (Not sure if anyone is aware, but McDean kind of evolved, rather than had a clear plan from start to finish - but don't want to bore anyone with the details here.)

So having both boys start off with girlfriends would be something that's been done before - not the best of ideas. And leaving Adam as so ambiguous for now, certainly adds to the 'will they, won't they', heightening interest in the sl. It is a less predictable starting point than showing two guys clearly struggling to take much interest in their 'girlfriends', or indeed one openly gay/bi about to become the best thing that's ever happened to a hitherto straight character.

I know what you mean. I did really enjoy McDean but there were definitely the moments where you could tell they changed gears. I thought this hurt the characters to some degree, especially Craig.

I'm hoping if this story is planned out more long term, then there will be less kinks and more character motivations which make sense and are built up. Soaps don't build up to things often enough, even though the amount of days they're on makes them ideal for this format.

It's still so early and it's hard to tell what they have planned. I'm just going to hope they keep them in some type of relationship, as I think the actors work well together and this has done wonders for Aaron's character. The chemistry between Adam and Aaron, whether as friends or more than friends, is hard to duplicate.

[alicat]

Nov 24, 2009 17:07:05 GMT -5 carld2 said:

I'm hoping if this story is planned out more long term, then there will be less kinks and more character motivations which make sense and are built up. Soaps don't build up to things often enough, even though the amount of days they're on makes them ideal for this format.

It's still so early and it's hard to tell what they have planned. I'm just going to hope they keep them in some type of relationship, as I think the actors work well together and this has done wonders for Aaron's character. The chemistry between Adam and Aaron, whether as friends or more than friends, is hard to duplicate.

I think that what really appeals to me about this sl, is how everything that's happening to Aaron in terms of character development is totally believable, and unfolding at the right pace. Having been paying close attention to this character lately , I find myself getting very interested in Aaron's progression following the severing of links with Chastity. His sl's with Clyde and Paddy have had a real warmth to them, and I find myself rooting for Aaron to become a better person and overcome the side of him that always messes things up (cheesy as that sounds ).

And then there's Adam, who comes along and joins Paddy / Clyde in chipping away at Aaron's harsh exterior. As you say, great chemistry, and their personalities complement each other so well. Adam (like Paddy) sets boundaries, and has a patience / kindness / easy-goingness about him - again, the sort of person to bring out the best in Aaron.

Weirdly, I actually trust the writers to do the right thing long-term by Aaron. If that means putting him together with Adam, then I think they will. But I think that they want us to really want that, so I'm not imagining an overnight 'getting together'. I've never trusted any soap writers before, ever! I'm highly critical usually, but I feel strangely optimistic about this.

On occasions where I've got a tad over-involved with pairings before, it's often partly because one of them is hot , but with this pairing, I don't actually fancy either of them! It's the plot / character development, and the way the story is being constructed that's fascinating me here. And on that note, I suppose I should turn my attention to what the spoilers are actually saying ...

[alicat]

Well, Tuesday's spoiler kind of answers the question posed by Monday's :

Mon: Will Adam voice his concerns about Aaron?

Tues: ... an elated Holly expects a kiss but Aaron freezes. Will Aaron ever admit his true feelings?

Holly would have to be pretty dense to expect a kiss from a boy that made a move on her brother a few days previously. So I guess that means that Adam hasn't raised his real concerns, maybe just been a bit vague (no surprises there ). Concern for his sister is clearly not Adam's priority here - he keeps his 'moment' with Aaron to himself, so why does he do this?

Purely out of loyalty to Aaron as a friend? I can't imagine this - wouldn't he be more likely to come out with the cliff-hanging line 'either you tell her, or i will!' (in the hope that by Aaron coming clean, Adam won't be forced to betray him)

The Bartons are supposed to be a close family - there haven't been any rifts between family members revealed. So surely Adam's not hoping his sister will be made a fool of by Aaron, and anyway, Adam's not been shown to be a spiteful sort.

I still think that it must be because he likes Aaron himself, although how aware he is of this, is hard to say at this stage.

As for the cracked barrel, absolutely no idea!! ;D

[sheepiefarm]

Holly (Sophie Powles) is bemused when Adam (Adam Thomas) warns her off Aaron (Danny Miller). Will Adam voice his concerns about Aaron?

Adam clearly tries to say something - though his motivation for not telling her everything is anyone's guess.

I'm wondering / hoping that it's because he's not actually sure what his own reaction is yet.

[alicat]

Nov 24, 2009 19:08:19 GMT -5 sheepiefarm said:

I'm wondering / hoping that it's because he's not actually sure what his own reaction is yet.

I hope so too. I'd like to see Adam's journey from the start - plus, we know too little about him at this stage, and to really root for the couple, I need to know more! ;D I know that Adam would be good for Aaron, but I want to see what Aaron can do for Adam - and not just in that way lol.

Also, I'd like to see each boy supporting the other as they come to terms with their own sexuality. Could make for some fantastic scenes, and I've no doubt that Danny / Adam would play them very well.

[bluestreak]

I really do think Adam is going to have a more important role than just being Aaron's crush. It's clear from the screen-casting way back when that this has been on the books for a while.

With the type of character that Aaron is, I'm extremely glad that he's making the first move. He at least trusts his feelings enough to take a chance on them, even if he comes to deny them later. It's not entirely clear from these spoilers that this is going to become an issue. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't, because I can easily see Aaron in denial just as Lenny is over on GZSZ (which is starting to test my patience by the way).

Actually I'd really like to see him be the antithesis of Lenny and start out playing Adam's little devil only to be transformed by love into Adam's little angel! Just writing that makes me feel warm and fuzzy!

Oh and so that I have it on record with the community here, I'm biased in my opinions because I think they're both hot. I'm bit partial to Danny Miller over Adam Thomas, though. The buzz cut looks delicious. ;D