There’s no denying that being a soap fan has been a rollercoaster recently. We’ve swung from the highs of the perfectly paced Christmas mystery surrounding The Six in EastEnders, to the extreme lows of Cathy Hope overturning a garden table in Emmerdale.
There’s been the camp brilliance of Cindy Beale’s return to Albert Square, the sheer relief of Leo’s body being uncovered in Coronation Street, and Karen Blick’s heartbreaking performance as Lydia Dingle.
But there’s also been the ickiness of Aadi and Courtney, the relentless boredom of Ronnie and Ed’s incomprehensible business dealings, and the weird celebrations of young teen mum Lily Slater.
And worst of all is the nagging feeling we’ve seen it all before. Because the soaps seem to be recycling storylines relentlessly!
Seen it all before!
Of course, the soaps have always borrowed from one another, and storylines inevitably show up in more than one show.
But just lately, there has been all sorts of repetition.
First up, loads of Enders viewers have twigged the similarities between two sad tales: Jay finding a sex worker who looks just like his late wife, Lola, and Corrie’s Daniel Osbourne doing the same back when he was newly widowed after Sinead died.
It’s an odd storyline anyway, to be brutally honest. It didn’t really work when Daniel was getting Nicky to dress up in Sinead’s cardi and give him a cuddle, and we’re not convinced it’s working in EastEnders now.
Stacey’s stalker hell has been gripping, we can’t deny. And Theo is a deliciously sinister villain. But it’s got more than a whiff of Daisy’s stalker hell in Coronation Street, doesn’t it?
In fact, while we’re on Ms Slater, Ryan’s saucy pictures storyline is giving us big Stacey vibes. And look how badly that worked out for her!
Meanwhile, Alfie’s keeping his cancer diagnosis a secret. And frankly, it would be more surprising for someone in soap to find out they’ve got cancer, and tell all their loved ones straightaway. Because there have been so many secret cancer stories over the years, we’ve lost count!
Reuse and recycle!
Borrowing from other soaps is bad enough, but Emmerdale seems to be recycling its own storylines – just weeks after they first appeared.
Charles feeling awful about his dad’s death is a mirror image of Jai’s torment after Rishi passed away suddenly.
And Vic being responsible for Jacob‘s latest stay in hospital is just like Leyla being at fault for his last one.
Enough, already!
Soaps are brilliant for storytelling. They’re inventive, interesting and clever. Often, when they say they’re doing a story that’s never been done before, they’re right. We’ve seen some properly entertaining, informative and exciting stuff over the years.
The flashforward featuring The Six in EastEnders has been really clever and promises to be even more gripping as Christmas approaches. Daisy’s acid attack in Coronation Street was so well done it felt more like a Hollywood film than a Manchester-set soap. Meena‘s murderous rampage in Emmerdale was ridiculous but totally brilliant.
But this recycling of storylines? It has to stop!
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