u trying to get thousands of ur followers to (re)watch rizzoli & isles like we're not all barely hanging on by a thread and the biggest queerbait of the 2010s isn't a pair of extremely sharp scissors

⁽ᶦ'ᵐ ᵃˡʳᵉᵃᵈʸ ʰᵃˡᶠʷᵃʸ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ˢ¹ ᵃᵍᵃⁿ⁾

"rewatch Rizzoli & Isles in 2024, it can't hurt you" - me, with nefarious intent

Something that has really been bothering me since the cheating happened. And I apologize now, this is gonna be long and probably just me ranting.

That even though it’s lazy, cliche, predictable, tacky writing it is somewhat true to Robert and his self destruction behavior. (Though I can think of several other stories that could have brought about the same thing other than cheating, I digress) Well it’s more two things that have really been bothering me.

1. It puts all three into little soap boxes that they aren’t able to break out of because the show won’t let them. It just keeps up in repeat hell, where it’s pretty much the same soap story that we have already seen on the show and in these characters before a hundred or so times before. Because dare forbid, any soap try to think outside the box.

Aaron the tortured, suffering, and always having life knock him down tragic soap gay. Robert the fuck up whose usually always fucking up by his down stairs brain. And always has to mess up, so he can start at the bottom and work his way up all over again. (Also side note, it puts the boys in a couple box, where Robert is always the one messing up and Aaron always the one whose long suffering and has to forgive him and take him back. So unhealthy and unbalanced…so unwatchable. It just gets boring, predictable, and cringe worthy. But then that seems to be the basic for a lot of soap couples these days and not just on Emmerdale. One is always the cock up and the other always giving in and taking them back because it’s epic/true/real love. That’s not love, that’s bullshit.)

And lets not forget Rebecca. The tragic rich girl, who likes to stir up trouble/while half being a decent person (some of the time) since the show can’t seem to decide how they want to write her. While also being mainly used as a sex storyline for men who don’t want her in the long run. Or taking advantage of a situation for her own personal gain instead of being the bigger person and walking away. She’s just a plot point, whose there to wear pretty clothes, sleep around, and do shocking things so people are disappointed in her and hate her. So basically another throw away White, seriously what is the point of keeping them on if they don't add anything to the show, even as villains. Actually Rebecca kinda reminds me of Maisie Wylde back in the day.

Also it takes away the genuine friendship that was brewing between Robert and Rebecca. Leaving them even more alone in the village. (It’s important in soaps for characters to have connections and ties to the village and not just be floating about.) He shouldn’t have used her for self destructing like that, but she also shouldn’t have agreed when he was in that state. I get she’s still in love with him, but she must know Robert well enough to know he’s just acting out and this is not going to mean happily ever after. And that Robert was in a really shitty state, needing a friend to help him through it and not undress him into rompy pomy.

2. I love the boys, both together and separate. They have a very special place in my heart and I do want them together. Mainly because I love them, but also because I think they are good for each other. I think they bring out the better in each other, call each other on their shit, and I think they’re five million times happier together. But I do think the show rushed putting them together, maybe because of fan demands, maybe because Robron was a huge audience drawl for them. Maybe because they wanted to write them in these big stories and give them some “happiness” and maybe because Ryan and Danny are so beautifully together, they wanted to really show of their talent together. Who knows, I do think it went a bit fast. And not just because it’s a soap either.

My major fear about this story is that it will go the way of many soap couples where cheating has happened. The wonderful cliche and predictable world of soaps goings something like this. The reveal of the cheating, the big blow up, people picking sides and throwing shade, the big I hate you for all time, bitterness, they tolerate each other, some big drama to pull them closer again, angry sex, another big drama to pull them even closer (someone’s life in danger), emotional connecting sex, lots of longing angst but still not together, a big emotional talk about how much they miss each other and promises never to hurt each other again where the show rushes the reunion. And most everyone just accepts they are back together. This has been a staple in soaps since I was a babe (maybe it’s because I grew up mainly on US soaps, where you couldn’t turn around because you were surrounded with cheating and triangle storylines. Blah…)

See my fear is they won’t get to the heart of why Robert self destructed and fucked up this way with Rebecca. I mean they could have had Robert over work himself and get behind the wheel of his car and end up in a terrible accident or Robert be in danger of losing custody of Liv while Aaron’s gone. (Or hell I would have even accepted Aaron cheating with someone inside while high or because it was an emotional moment and Robert cheating with Rebecca as a way to hurt Aaron back.)

Because I can think of several times they could have delved deeper into Robert and yet they kept quiet on that front. When the affair was revealed to the whole village and Robert’s family found out he liked boys as well as girls, there was maybe one or two talks with his family, but noting in-depth on his feelings for Aaron, how long he’s been into guys, how did his affair with Aaron come about, what Jack or Sarah would have thought about the news. Or after what happened to Katie, there was a lot of Aaron beating himself up. And yes we did see some Robert hating himself, being filled with guild, and focusing all his energy on keeping Andy safe and alive. As well on focusing on Aaron and his self harming again. But not much on the fact that he accidentally killed Katie, a woman he had known most of his life, had loved, who he was gonna marry, who had been a part of his family for years. I don’t think they have ever had Robert visit her grave and apologize to her or be honest about what went down. Or after Robert was shot and almost died, yes there were some moments, but not really about Robert from what I remember. Or when he thought Aaron was the culprit, or when he found out it was Andy and Ross who were really behind it. There was a moment here and there, but not really to the heart of the character. Or hell even when he told Aaron the truth of who really shot him, there were no talks between Aaron and Robert over Robert and Andy’s complicated love/hate relationship/feud, or Robert almost dying, or why Robert keeping silent about Andy and Ross. Then when Andy was framed and had to flee, there wasn’t a scene of Robert with Aaron over the lost of his brother or the anger over what the Whites had done to his family. These are just a few examples, there are more.

Not to mention he’s been gone from the village for five-six years. We know that not all those years were spent with the Whites. From what I remember, Robert had hardly any possessions to start over with when he left. Yet when he comes back he has access to hit men numbers, friends that are willing to pull cons with him on rich strangers, or friends who can find Sandra and Liv in the matter of a day, when I believe even the police were having trouble locating them. Also in that time, he’s had one offs with men from the sounds of it on a regular basic, where he’s seems to accepted that he enjoys men sexually and is attracted to them. He wasn’t so turned off by the idea of men after Jack found him with that farm hand that he explored the idea and didn’t lock it away too much. He probably rationalized it away as just sex, that it was just physical fun and women were for emotional love. Speaking of Jack, they have barely touched upon Jack since Robert has been back. I think I squealed like an idiot when Robert opened up to Aaron about Jack on the big car crash week. There is a fucking ocean they could have gone swimming in for stories, but instead they went for the laziest cliche in the book. Him feeling sorry for himself, getting drunk, making a move and falling into bed with an female ex who was very willing.

The show has shown over and over again that they are more interested in staying glued to the tricks of stereotypical old with Robert. So when all this comes out and Robert is sent to the bottom of the dung heap again. I doubt they will even flesh out why he risked everything (hurting Aaron is the worst way because it was Aaron’s biggest fear) and why he self destructs in this way. I mean honestly this story seems out of left field, Robert was doing so well, I get him falling apart considering what’s going on with Aaron and Robert has shown he’s a mess without Aaron. But it was so quickly and rushed, when they had him be so stoic during everything with Gordon. He was progressing as a character, like I said there were many ways he could have fucked up. They just took the worst one and I don’t think they have a proper plan to fix this. Mainly because I think it’s gonna be predictable and mainly since they haven’t given Robert that much of a chance so far.