Upsetting Emmerdale rant
I am in need of a good rant. And here's why...
For the past year or so I have been following the storyline of Aaron and Jackson, a gay couple in Emmerdale. I was really enjoying it until the writers said, 'Hmm, what can we do to get more viewers and win lots of awards? I know, have the gay guy hit by a train! Yeeeah!!' Not only that, but they decided to be extra kind and have him completely paralyzed from the neck down!
I still watched the storyline, but didn't like it as much as the earlier storylines. Not only was it soul crushingly depressing, even for a soap, and often had me sobbing for hours after each episode, but it seemed to me like it was getting repetitive and just didn't have the same level of drama as it had before. All it's been for a lot of the time is 'Jackson is depressed. He and Aaron have a fight. Aaron is depressed too.'
But today I read a report on Digital spy that the storyline will soon be ending, with Jackson dying by assisted suicide. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a305176/assisted-suicide-plot-for-emmerdale.html#article_continue
There had been rumours amung the fans for quite some time, and many of us had already predicted that this was how the story was going to end. But actually having it confirmed was still very upsetting for me, and I imagine the rest of the fans as well. I kind of wish they'd delayed the news by a day or two, because I have a job interview tomorrow and I really could have done without this distraction!
But after I've had some time to think, I'm more angry than upset. I'm not happy with the writers and producers of Emmerdale, and here is why:
1. It seems pretty insensitive to me. Paraplygia is a condition which people suffer from in real life, and yes I know their lives are very difficult. I do admire how much research and accuracy they have put into the storyline. But it's as if they're saying that if you're severly disabled, that your life is essentially worthless and the only thing for you to do is die. They could have shown Jackson coming to terms with his condition and finding something to live for but noooo. They had to go for the big storyline which will get them lots of awards. I have nothing wrong with soaps doing a big train crash episode, or with doing a euthanasia storyline, even if it is contraversial. But for these reasons, it shouldn't be under these particular circumstances.
2. Unless it is pulled off just right, they run the risk of making Jackson seem like a bad person. I'm not going to say whether suicide is right or wrong, but I just hope that Jackson realises what he is asking of his mother and his boyfriend, the two people he loves most in the world. If they are found out then they could go to prison for murder (I'm no expert, but I think euthenasia is still illegal in this country). And quite frankly, in the tiny world of Emmerdale, it's going to be pretty fricking obvious to the other villagers what really happened. In any case, they still have to live for the rest of their lives with the guilt of killing him with their own hands.
3. It's a complete waste to kill off such a good actor. I've had an issue with this from the start, and it's why I think the storyline should never have happened. I may not have gotten into the television industry yet, but it's my basic understanding that if you have a good actor YOU DON'T FIRE THEM. Marc Silcock is a brilliant actor, and I know that's why they decided to give him this big hard hitting storyline, but really they should have picked anything else. Surely they must have known from the start that there was only so much they could do with a paraplegic character, so they knew that the story would end with Jackson's departure or death. So I don't understand why, out of a thousand things they could have done with his character, this is what they chose. They didn't have to rely on him being just Aaron's boyfriend. He's a strong enough character to stand by his own merits. I say that even though I ship the hell out of Aaron and Jackson, but I would rather have them broken up than dead! Surely it makes sense to keep a good actor in the cast, so that the quality of the show remains consistently high. But noooo, suicide = awards!!
I wouldn't say I'm appaled at the Emmerdale staff, just dissapointed. I may be wrong on some points. Maybe they'll show that this is Jackson's personal decision and doesn't reflect upon other paraplygic people. Maybe Jackson will take into consideration what he's doing to his loved ones, and will spend time thinking it over first. And maybe Marc Silcock will get a role on Merlin, my favourite show, and I'll get my dream of seeing him in a red flowing cape! Yeah, unlikely...
One more thing I realised earlier - A few years ago Hollyoaks also had a gay character who was killed off after only being on the show for a few months. And he was also killed by lethal pills being crushed into his drink!
Attention soap writers - STOP KILLING OFF GAY CHARACTERS!! We like them! We like to watch them! Dump some of the angst onto the characters who never do anything!