Monday 1 April 2013

My thoughts on the Rovers fire (with speculation)


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

So last night we sat and watched while the Rovers Return burned. Goodness me, all this in the name of entertainment! Obviously, I couldn't wait to get my thoughts down on the blog, as this storyline has been much heralded for many weeks now. 

However rather than write at great length I'm just going to keep it simple and do a list of things I liked and things I definitely did not. 

So here we go. Let's start off on a positive note:

- The special effects and the fire itself were spectacular and very realistic. You could see where the money had gone on screen.

- The build up to the fire itself was nicely paced, even if it did feel like the strip show took an age at times!

- The fire will thankfully mark the end of the awful wallpaper/curtains/sofa combo in the Rovers back room.

- I liked that it was Emily and Norris who raised the alarm, even though the Barlows were almost all absent.

- John Michie is proving to be a very effective villain in his role as Karl.

- Tracy Barlow finally has a saving grace - she rescued Eccles from No. 1!


And now we come to my negative thoughts I'm afraid:

- Echos of the tram crash Mr Collinson - lots of residents rushing down the cobbles towards a flaming building, only this time we had the refreshing change of it being in the opposite direction.

- The strip show was just ludicrous! I actually found it embarrassing to watch, even if Rita was planted right in the front row.

- It was yet another story centred on St Ella of the Back Room. I found it disturbing to watch her soaking in the bath with Barry White crooning in the background. Urgh.

- This big event will obviously lead to lots of plots by numbers in the coming weeks: we'll have the beside vigils, the blame game, the guilt, a possible yucky Karl and St Ella reconciliation and the inevitable eventual unmasking of Karl by a suspicious St Ella. Yawn!



- The fact that this is Phil Collinson's idea of a big exit for himself. Get over yourself I say: I'd rather have had a better quality of stories and scripts throughout his reign rather than a big bang to say goodbye.

- The overall feeling of deja vu. Despite a more modern approach, it just feels like we've been here before.

- The promo picture of St Ella, Karl and Sunita surrounded by flames is one of the worst I have ever seen!

- I was most disappointed that St Ella didn't pay homage to Bet Lynch by crawling though her own vomit a la 1986. 

Despite my reservations I will of course be tuning in tonight to find out what happens next. So what are your thoughts so far?





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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So many recycled story lines - and it's kind of like the skirts I made from old jeans in the 70's - they were better the first time. Fire in the Rover's, cab driver totally losing it, disaster on the street, Rita singing just before a disaster (actually I really liked that). And the total yawn fest that is Katy and Ryan!If this was the producer's last hurrah, I can hardly wait for someone else to tighten up this floundering ship!

Anonymous said...

Even the actors seemed to be a bit bored with the recycled story line. I agree that the special effects were good, but thought that the drama could have been better. The strip show would have been better without the corny fireman/fire irony set up.

Anonymous said...

I thought the strip show was completely ridiculous and found the MC, Toni completely annoying and overbearing. I was getting really tired of her shouting. Why would Nick tie up his restaurant for a bunch of drunken women? What mother would sit in the front row and watch her son strip? I also couldn't understand why Paul a supposedly trained fire fighter couldn't smell the gas and smoke on Karl who was standing right beside him and would have reeked of it! It's an awful thing to say but I wouldn't have been sad if Stella perished in the fire. I am so sick of her and her nasty mother and daughter.

Tvor said...

I think Karl used booze to light the fire so there wouldn't have been a gassy smell and perhaps he got out of the pub before a huge amount of smoke clung to his clothes. I suppose paul was distracted. It did seem like he sensed something but his attention was quickly taken.

missusmac said...

I liked the strip show. I really like it when a lot of Corrie characters are in one room together. Carla talking to the minions, Kylie and Carla never speak but did that night, etc. And if there was any mother who would watch her son dance, it's Eileen. The street could do with a bit more Dr. Carter too. And finally, is Stella really a popular character? Who is her best friend? If it had been Liz behind the counter, Deirdre and Eileen would be hysterical. Shelly would have had lots of friends. I mean, Tina didn't look too awful bothered about Stella's plight, nor did Sean. I find it odd so many story lines centre on her.

Tvor said...

It doesn't seem like Stella is a very popular character. I was certainly willing to give her the benefit of the doubt when she arrived in spite of a lot of people being negative but she's dull, bland, sticks her oar into everyone's business. I don't think she's got the dynamic personality you need to be the landlady of the Rovers. You're right, she hasn't really made any good female friends either. I don't like her whispery voice, which, I know, isn't anyone's fault, it's just the way it is, and I find her face is too tightened up to have any realistic emotional expressions.

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