It can be risky when a character enters with a minx-like demeanor, sharp one-liners, and a demeanor that makes you question whether she’s here to ruin lives. A newbie like this might easily turn off viewers.
However, Emmerdale, together with the well-known actress Beth Cordingly, has been perfecting Ruby Fox-Miligan since day one.
In all honesty, Queen Ruby is unquestionably one of the greatest soap opera characters to make their appearance in recent memory, and I won’t argue with that.
She embodies the quintessential soap opera heroine: fierce, funny, trouble-making, yet possessing a deep vulnerability that lends her a multitude of facets.
She cemented her status as a cherished figure we are supporting this week, as if she hadn’t previously done so.
She may have been, and most likely still is, a cunning person who first intended to annoy Moira Dingle (played by Natalie J. Robb).
And after her foolish connection with Cain (Jeff Hordley), she might have easily left viewers permanently angry with her.
However, the intense plot, which has shown that Ruby was sexually abused as a kid by her evil father Anthony (played by Nicholas Day), has thoroughly explored the causes of Ruby’s protective demeanor.
From the beginning, viewers could tell something was wrong with Ruby’s scathing response to her father’s visit. Her connection with her daughter Steph (Georgia Jay), whom she severed her relationship with when she was only a teenager, also worried us.
Viewers witnessed Ruby’s character being completely exposed when the discovery was made, and Beth has given her alter ego a very complex and multifaceted personality.
Like many others, I have seen her struggle through her traumatic past and speak up about it.
Upon revisiting previous instances of Ruby tearing others down, it became evident that there was more to it. Her façade was based on a lack of self-worth that was instilled in her from an early age by the wicked Anthony.
She clearly needs the love and acceptance that so many others, especially the male figures in her life, have failed to give her, as seen by her intense attachment to her marriage to Caleb (played by William Ash).
Ruby’s life has been in disarray, which is largely to blame for the incident with Cain, which she regrets.
I’ve always adored Ruby—I really enjoy witty, sarcastic soap opera characters—but after seeing so many different variations of her, I honestly believe that few TV characters have recently had such an influence on me.
Ruby has been exquisitely written in Emmerdale, which has taken its time in revealing her darker side. In fact, Ruby has been nominated for villain awards.
Even though it was true at the time, it’s hard to remember a period when she might be despised.
What propels a genuinely effective soap character into our memories is my unwavering support for her.
We are fortunate to have such an icon for as long as she is on Emmerdale, which I hope will be many years to come since there is still so much to learn and discover.
The fact that a soap opera character may develop over years or even decades—something no other TV drama has the opportunity to do—reminds us of the wonderful nature of soap operas.
May she rule for a long time.