No doubt Hyacinth would be a very annoying neighbor to have, but it seems like Emmett was scared of her more than anyone else on the show....and half the time it seems like he was more afraid of her singing at him more than anything. I think they could have toned this character down a bit at times, I mean Hyacinth had a terrible singing voice but it wasn't like she was going to give him the plague or anything.
shareEmmett had been scarred by a messy divorce and moved in with his sister for a quiet life.
I think he was surprised to find the local would be tyrant living next door.
That joke got old quick.
I've got the knobs on my side
My thing with Emmet was sometimes I think he was to hard on Elizabeth. I mean we assume Elizabeth has been her neighbor for years, Emmet I believe Elizabeth says in 1 episode in the last season 18 months. He would tell her drive away quickly, or slowly without the engine on so Hyacinth wouldn't hear in 1 episode, make excuses FOR him why he couldn't come to coffee or something. What I started thinking was since he was only a guest at Elizabeths, and if he hated Hyacinth that much, why didn't he move out of Elizabeths house? He got a good job so he could have found an apartment at least somewhere.
sharegood point maybe he was company for his lonely sister !
sharemore to the point, how did Elizabeths marraige survive when her husband lived abroad why didnt she work? Did he earn enough to keep them both why didnt hyacinth just go to work and keep out of her hubbys way poor man !
shareIt was implied that Elizabeth's marriage was unhappy, which is why her husband worked abroad.
But yes, he seems to have made enough money to support a housewife.
He was utterly wet. No reason for him to be afraid of Hyacinth at all. As you say, she wasn't going to give him the plague.
shareEverything on the show was a gimmick. Each character had the same old shtick on every episode. Being so worked up about Hyacinth was Emmett's shtick. It didn't get any more old than Hyacinth's same old routine, passive Richard silently suffering, Onslow being lazy, Daisy being clueless, Rose being a slut, or Elizabeth being clumsy.
Stop treating a comedy like it is real life.
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I am not a fan. I just happen to enjoy movies. Fans are embarrassing.
I find it hard that people want to change the very essence of the characters in a sitcom. Ok, Emmett moves away and goes into a flat. Where is the comedy in that? The very fact he tries to avoid Hyacinth at all cost because, "she will sing at me" is too funny especially when she springs herself onto him screeching an aria or two. We don't question why Elizabeth's husband is tendering to his plantation overseas and not home in the U.K. That is part of the story why Elizabeth is living alone and her divorced brother comes to live with her and they are both a heap of jelly when anything to do with Hyacinth. As TheSolarSailor said, it's part of their shtick. It's a "sitcom" not a documentary.
SkiesAreBlue
Yeah but their gimmics were believable. Emmets reactions to Hyacinth were so overdone as to be not funny.
shareNobody on this show stood up to Hyancinth when they probably should have.
If every time she did or said something silly, they all just said; "Oh don't be so stupid, Hyancinth" and moved on, there'd be no show and no comedy. You just have to accept that people all wanted a quiet life, and would just put up with her nonsense rather than create a big argument.
The character I always thought was the worst with it was the postman. Constantly trying to get out of posting the letters through her door, or doing it in such a hurry that he'd not have to talk to her. Get a grip man! You're under no obligation to speak to her, and even if you were doing it out of politeness, it was only going to be a few seconds out of your day. What was the big deal?
Oh yes, the postman!
It is over the top enough that Emmett and the vicar would go to pieces over Hyacinth.
They would have spend time with her on social functions though...
But why did the postman not just leave the letters and continue his route?
They did a similar running gag with a milkman, which was of course equally unfunny.
The whole show had an exaggerated stage play type quality which worked. I took it that Emmett's career was one that did not make him a lot of money hence moving in with his sister. Maybe unfairly but the show took the premise that artistic types were hyper sensitive and tried to avoid those of their own type.
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