Thursday 25 April 2013

Always a pleasure, never a chore? Well not tonight, Corrie


(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in April 2013.)

I'm afraid this isn't going to be a very positive blog. I've just sat through two episodes of Coronation Street tonight. And when I say sat through, that's exactly what I mean. Tonight was far more of a chore than a pleasure.

Yes, I know the main event of these episodes was a funeral so it was never going to be a laugh a minute. However even a funeral can have good writing and decent performances. I just felt tonight was found lacking in nearly every department. Only a brief appearance from the always watchable David Neilson as Roy captured my imagination. 

So what went wrong?

Well for a start the Eileen and Paul storyline just dragged on and on. Enough already. We know Paul is heading for the door marked exit, so for goodness sake, just get on with it! As a story, it just doesn't add up either. Paul has been a fireman since Eileen first met him - remember he rescued her head from those railings. Yes, hilarious. Anyway, this sudden paranoia doesn't add up, is extremely irritating and makes me dislike Eileen enormously. When Paul finally leaves I will struggle to find any sympathy for Ms Grimshaw whatsoever.

Moving on, all the Stella and Karl stuff is just awful. It's story-lining by numbers yet again. We all know where it's heading and for me it's gut-churning to watch. Gloria and Eva are acting out the whole sisters grim bit to the extreme too. 

Thank heavens for Leanne! It seems a prerequisite at the moment that Stella, Gloria and Eva are shoehorned into practically every scene! They are not the strongest characters in the world so what they really need is material of a far superior quality.
As for the Faye and Anna storyline: I dislike what the adoption of Faye has done to Anna Windass. She's had a complete personality transformation and the relationship with bullyboy Owen isn't right either. When Faye first appeared she was gobby, but with a decent enough nature. She has now become a spoiled, nasty brat and has to go.

And finally - Dev. I just can't buy his performances at the moment. Watching him tonight was just too much like hard work. Dev is a character that has existed in Corrie for far too long, stuck on the uncomfortable boundary between low farce and shouty drama. The emotional depth required in recent episodes has just not come from him as it should. 

I know some people will think I'm just a moany old blogger having a go, but behind all this is a deep passion for Coronation Street. I just get so annoyed and frustrated when I feel my beloved Street doesn't step up to the mark. Don't get me wrong, I will always love Corrie, I just think it could be a lot better than it is right now. 


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4 comments:

missusmac said...

Eileen fell in love with biker boy Dennis, she was willing to endure street shunning for the man who killed Emily Bishop's husband, she lived with a man AND was willing to take care of his Alzheimer-ridden wife. She can't handle fire-fighting for this decent man??? (Even Paul is being re-written. He knows she's worried, he would have called her asap.)
I did laugh when Jason suggested counseling. She sneered and replied "have you met me?" NO ONE EVER GETS COUNSELING!

Tvor said...

But all of those other men weren't risking their life daily. I do like Paul, myself, but I do wonder why he wasn't more considerate of her feelings knowing how worried she was on his first day back. Why wait until he's almost home to check his phone? Surely his first wife would have gone through similar concerns over 20 years being married to him?

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with everything you said. I was 3 episodes behind and watched them last night and felt like it was a waste of my time. Eileen did know what she was getting into and never minded until Toni died. The show keeps splitting everyone up. Can't someone be happy for a little while? Also, I had a funny thought when Faye's dad showed the baby photo...maybe he isn't really her father. He seemed to come out of nowhere and did anyone check to make sure she's his? It seems like Anna might want to let him have Faye - she's so annoying! Dev and his family should leave the show - what else are they going to do with them?

missusmac said...

Tim was vetted through Social Services and deemed suitable to visit -- so I think he's probably really her dad. But like you, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Is he really just a nice guy wanting to get to know his daughter?

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