Am I the only one who found tonight's Genhil...painful?

I didn't find it painful but there was something off about it. I'm not sure if they're going anywhere with this OCD that they seem to be pushing recently with Nikhil and I'm worried it's going to be misery for the sake of misery. There was enough heartache getting them together!

I did find Gennie's stumbling speech in the office quite cute though

I definately think something is going to happen with Nikhil and his eating/exercise stuff

I don't know where they are going with the OCD/ eating disorder thing

Apart from that it played out better than the spoilers suggested- Nikhil didn't freak out as much as I thought- he didn't seem that upset at all more surprised

The scene at the office was funny

Nope - sorry - I found the office scene embarrasingly cringey.

Hope this isn't setting the future for how they interact as a couple

I agree. Which is why I said earlier, it was pretty painful to watch

It's not the normal Genhil we're used to.

Probably
It could have been a lot worse considering SB views

It was awkward but Gennie is trying to run before she can walk

It still seemed in character to me- I know I'll be in the minority

I'm not saying it was out of character - they just made a complete meal out of the scene - toooo much.

SB Views?

Fair enough- it still made more sense to me that Nikhil going to a Dingle party- anxiously waiting for her to arrive and then leaving to go for a run as soon as she did
And it was still a lot better than that Spencer dross

They are the oddest couple on screen

http://www.theemmerdaily.com/emmerda...ent.asp?ni=394

Ok thanks .

I absolutely loved Gennie tonight . She put herself out there and tried not to act hurt or unsure of herself infront of Nikhil. While Nikhil was completly oblivious in the office 'you forgot your stapler' [?!] silly boy .

I think Gennie has been given the bit about him 'going off her because she's clingy' so that she dosen't notice his that his behaviour is self destructive [rather than relationship destructive] until he gets to melting/breaking point .

I think Nikhil would actually would like to live with Gennie but his routines would be affected too much. And unless she understands why he does certain things he would snap and she would get upset and that would be the end of Genhil [who are the greatest couple ever btw ]

Haven't seen tonight episode properly who said the bit in bold.

Gennie did, in her over emotional, over analysing way that she has. [not exact wording]

Not that I think he has or even will go off her, you know what a stress head she can be

I think this is absolutely right. I imagine we're in for some very awkward and cringeworthy moments between these two as they stumble along trying to figure this relationship out. They're both incredibly insecure people who have major difficulty communicating with each other, largely because they're most likely desperate not to mess this thing up. Added to this I think it's now pretty clear that we're heading for some kind of OCD storyline with Nikhil. It seems to be getting worse at the moment most likely as a result of his stress over his deteriorating relationship with Jai, who has always been his primary source of support. He's bound to be terrified that Gennie's reaction to discovering his problem, would be to run a mile from him and so he'll most likely try to conceal it from her for as long as possible, doubtless unintentionally putting her through the mill in the process.

I still think Rik and Sian are wonderful together. They have a real warmth that comes off the screen, which is one of the reasons why I think they could make a challenging story like this work. The scene in Thursday's second episode when a tipsy Gennie returned from Zak's party and Nikhil tried to explain that his sudden urge to go for run is just something he does, was really sweet and touching I thought. All the more so when it's increasingly obvious that this behaviour is a symptom, not just a habit and you suspect that he knows deep down that something isn't right and what she currently sees as endearing behaviour and yet more proof that he's "the perfect man," is not only evidence of the extent of his vulnerability but that if he can't find the courage to address it, it could prove incredibly destructive, as I suspect it already has done in the past. I'm actually looking forward to seeing where this takes the characters and I hope that ultimately the struggle makes them stronger.

To be honest I've been very disappointed with the direction the Genhil story is taking.

BIB 1 :Gennie did show her vulnerability in the way she opened her heart and asked Nikhil about moving in together.
BIB 2: Nikhil's reaction to this in the office scene where he carried on doing his work while she poured her heart out, showed the Nikhil of old who is insensitive to her feelings/emotions.

I feel frustrated that after everything they went through last year, their relationship seems to be moving backwards !
When the anorexic/OCD storyline reared its head, i thought that the writers would make us empathesize with Nikhil. Instead he is being portrayed as a self-obsessed and cold man who is again treating Gennie casually.

I have not been able to watch the episode as yet. Based on these comments, I don't know if I really want to. I won't be able to stand if Nikhil starts pulling back from Gennie emotionally. We already went through that and I was hoping to see them connect and grow closer.

Hi everyone! Haven't posted here for ages. Hope everyone is well. Red Lips, I couldn't agree with you more. I'm very disappointed at the lack of Genhil after waiting as long as we did to finally see them together. I'm not too keen on what's been happening between them lately and don't feel particularly positive about TPTB keeping them together. As you say Red Lips, the relationship seems to be moving backwards and as things stand just now, I can't see a happy ending for them. Very disappointed with how this is all going at the mo

It has been really disappointing over the past few weeks, that they have been given so little time to actually be happy since they got together, with the angst already piling on but this seems to be fairly characteristic of the general direction of miserydale at the moment. The writing for them has also seemed very jarring and disjointed, one minute he's playful with her in the office and the next he wants her to leave him alone. Most people would be deeply confused at this point rather than blissful and keen to set up home.

I completely agree Gwen and Lanibob that if they are simply going to have Nikhil revert to type and withdraw emotionally from Gennie until it all implodes amidst a chorus of "I told you so" from Brenda and Katie, it's going to be a real let down and would do a huge disservice to the better part of a year of build up to the relationship. I also think that from a character and drama point of view both Nikhil and Gennie need to start moving forward rather than just repeating patterns. We've already had emotionally distant, clueless Nikhil and blindly adoring and equally clueless Gennie. If they do pursue the OCD storyline, which looks increasingly likely, I think it's actually those very character traits that will initially create major angst. Gennie is not likely to see or want to see that there is a problem with her perfect man and will therefore continue to excuse his behaviour but I suspect it won't be long before endearing becomes troubling. Nikhil will continue to try to conceal the problem and to be in complete denial that it's even an issue. He'll most probably have to hit the wall and the relationship, hit a crisis point, before the issue will finally be dealt with. I actually think they're going to need something of this magnitude to force the characters out of their existing patterns and make them viable. If they do choose to continue on the path they're on at the moment, I agree that the relationship will ultimately not be sustainable and indeed will have been a virtually pointless exercise. If Nikhil is allowed to deal with his issues with Gennie's support, she finally takes the rose-tinted glasses off and they are able to begin to build up trust and communication as a result, we could still be heading for some decent viewing and maybe the foundations for what I still believe could be a truly great soap couple. All that chemistry and promise, not to mention audience goodwill, would be a terrible thing to waste Mr. Blackburn.

They simply aren't a priority for SB so they will continue to get the odd scene or two in between the real dramas- that isn't going to be enough screen time to develop their relationship

Nikhil is 'living' with Gennie because of a serious falling out with Jai which is obviously upsetting him but none of that is addressed by the characters onscreen at all and while it's lovely for Gennie to wear her rose tinted glasses on- the writing repeatedly emphasises that Nikhil is far from a perfect man- they keep hinting at some sort of OCD storyline/ eating dosorder/ breakdown though it's not clear where they are going with it



As I said I didn't mind the office scene so much (it was a bit Bridget Jones) because Gennie was just rushing way ahead of herself and as inarticulate as Nikhil is he has explained that what's happening with him is not about Gennie but about him- obvious given the scenes at the Dingles and his estrangement from Jai

However unless they are given some proper screentime it is impossible to convey any sort of meaningful development in the relationship and I just don't see their storyline being given much focus in comparison to Maurel and the Spencers

You're right Wildy that there is no way that their relationship can be properly addressed if it is going to continue to be low priority and reduced to occasional 20/30 second scenes. It never was intended as one of the key storylines for 2011, that's clear from the ITV1 website but it gained traction purely from the audience reaction to the dynamic between the characters and the chemistry between Rik and Sian. Much will now depend on SB being willing to invest some time in them going forward. I really hope he does...trying to be optimistic. Certainly if they are going to pursue the OCD storyline, it will deserve to be treated with sensitivity. However, given the manner that the Sarah bone marrow storyline has been treated, it is hard to be the optimist on that score.

I should have clarified that the office scenes I referred to in the earlier post were those from before Christmas. I actually thought that whilst the stapler moment in the office, from last night was pure Nikhil circa mid 2011, he actually handled the rest of it pretty well and with honesty. He simply made the point that he loved her but wasn't ready at this point to move in. Gennie on the other hand was all over the shop in her usual comedic, mortifying way. Nicely played I thought by Sian.

Notice that he doesn't SAY he doesn't want to, he's trying to hedge what she wants/doesn't want.

Plus I think he is aware of how badly he screwed up with Amber and Maisie.

BIB : I think that this is a large part of the problem with the portrayal of the Genhil relationship.

After the writers spent the best part of a year slowly building up this relationship allowing us to invest our feelings in these two; they seem to have lost interest in them. Over that year we saw the flaws and imperfections in both Gennie and Nikhil aswell as their qualities. Once they got together it was as if TPTB thought that was it. Instead of giving them screen time and showing us the development of their relationship, they stopped showing Genhil. Infact for several weeks there was no Genhil at all !!

Thereafter we have been given 1 minute drips of Genhil. This has lead to there being two-dimensional development in their relationship where we have seen little bits of Nikhil's OCD, Gennie again accepting offhand and cold treatment from Nikhil and Nikhil regressing back to his neurotic old self. All of this has been done at such a pace and without showing us the reason behind it, that instead of empathizing with them, I'm feeling annoyed and frustrated.

It is such a shame as I had such high hopes for these two as it was the first time after a long while that i was so involved in a soap couple.

Yeah, I agree entirely. TPTB have created the impression that as long as they got Genhil together, we would all be satisfied and that would be all they'd need to do with them. I don't have any faith anymore in Genhil being able to go the distance. After waiting so long to see them get together, any screentime they've had has been beyond disappointing and as you say Red Lips, virtually non-existant. I was so excited to see how things would unfold between them, only to now be left feeling extremely let down. I may be totally wrong here but I can't help but get the feeling that either Rik or Sian may leave in the near future - most likely for me to be Rik. Just my thoughts, it may not be right but there's something definately off about how TPTB are dealing with Genhil.