DRW50

I'd never heard of the pilot at all until I read that (Janice's pilot). I hope someone knows more about it. If you have a scanner we'd love to see some of the stuff in the magazine. If not then just summaries are great too. I love those things, they're a good memory jog and give details you often don't find in a soap history book.

Is there a town called Peapack in Australia?

Yeah, I've heard people say that Ashley and Claire had to go because there was nothing you could do with their characters, and I laughed, because a) why do you have to "do" something with characters, and b ) take your pick with this show. It doesn't help that the new hires over the last year are generally so bad. It does not fill me with confidence about the show's priorities. Keep the worst of the old and bring in new who are as bad or worse. I agree about the last scene. I think Alan Halsall has done a good job most of this week but that wasn't great, and also not a great way to end the episode. Apparently the ratings were about 13-14 million, which is pretty good, since this episode hasn't been heavily advertised so much as the entire week has.

The actress who plays Izzy can stand for short periods of time. That's also how I felt. I thought it was all very cynical and also kind of overproduced. I'm glad they have given Gary a story but I felt like they had no faith in Mikey North because they kept on with all the smoke and mirrors and his own work was in the background behind the machine gun sounds and such. They also kept cutting away from him so quickly. The show seems to lack characterization. Everyone moves based on what the plot says. David HATES Nick. It's not a sibling hate where they are still close when they need to be -- he really hates Nick. I don't believe he would run hysterically to greet Nick. I wonder if that was originally something they scripted for Gail. I also don't believe Sally would go in there to comfort dying Molly. The whole thing with the deathbed wedding and Peter flatlining over the credits -- it's a good way to get people to stay tuned in, so kudos to them there, and most of the actors did a fine job, especially Jane Danson, but I don't believe he will die, and generally it does the characters no favors. My jaw dropped when Leanne essentially asked Nick PERMISSION to marry Peter. And noble Nick agreed. How considerate of him. Between this and those scenes of poor poor Graeme pouting about Ashley as Tina tells him that identifying a body is just too much (never mind that she identified her own father's body at the start of the year -- I guess the show forgot this), the women were certainly kept in their place in this episode. That seems to be a running theme in Collinson's tenure. Allison King is a good actress but I don't really buy that Carla has any genuine love for Peter. I think she just wants to be dramatic and twist herself into knots and all the usual histrionics. The scene where she ran out of Peter's hospital room because she couldn't take it confused me because I have no idea why she was in there in the first place. Everything with Becky and Steve and her pointless sister had no business being in this episode. Or any episode. I have no idea what this story is supposed to do, it just seems like they have no idea what to do with Becky now, or Steve, so this is marking time. I guess this is waiting until Tracy returns. Why not just have them in supporting roles for the tram crash? Instead they barely seemed to notice that there was a crash or an explosion. Other than a few scattered scenes here and there, these episodes lacked a community spirit, and the Steve/Becky stuff is a big reason why. I did laugh when John Stape realized Charlotte was still alive. Apparently this is being played as comedy. I guess? I did like the scenes with Claire sitting in the Rovers, hearing Ashley's final message to her, and I liked that they remembered Audrey's closeness to the family. That and a few performances from other actors are probably what I remember most from the episode.

I loved the last Janine/Pat scene in today's episode, and Charlie's performance - the disbelief, the little girl lost, allowing herself to cry, and then the cold anger. Those scenes encapsulated everything Janine is and Charlie really connected to the material in a way I haven't seen her do that much on her return. It was like having the old Janine on again.

Thanks for posting that. In a lot of ways, although she has been given some terrible material, Sam Womack was lucky, in terms of timing, because she came on and was heavily featured during a time when EE was endlessly hyped as brilliant. Now Jessie Wallace is back and already getting a lot of flack for somehow ruining EE or being on too much -- even though none of the stories people complain about the most have anything to do with Kat.

Shockingly , the repeal failed to get enough votes. http://gay.americablog.com/2010/12/breaking-loss-for-dadt-repeal-as-senate.html I can't help agreeing with those who feel that Obama wants this policy to stay around, as does the Democratic Party, both because it's easier for them and also because they figure it will make activists blame Republicans and turn negative attention towards them. What I hate most about this is how this basically validates McCain's bitterness and open contempt for everyone, including top military leaders, who do not parrot him. The media has also gone along with this. The media always seems to make sure they find, and broadcast, voices that will tell us all about the dangers of anything which is not anti-gay. http://mediamatters.org/blog/201012010015 I also see that "moderate" Scott Brown voted against repeal. Big surprise there. I tend to remember him for his comments about gay parents, so anything else he does along these lines is just being true to what he's done all along.

I guess I tend to see this happening whether there's a DADT or not.

The Senate might be having a vote today on whether to have a vote on repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. It looks like Harry Reid might have screwed it up again, although Republicans don't seem interested in repealing anyway. I don't think either party cares about repealing DADT. It suits their purposes to keep it around. http://gay.americablog.com/

I was surprised, and happy, that Dennis/Linda made it on the list at all. I guess Corrie hasn't had a ton of sibling relationships people will remember but it was still a nice surprise. To be fair to Sophie and Sian fans it wasn't just that which annoyed me as being too modern -- there were other things like the godawful Michelle being best barmaid (or near the top anyway). I guess a lot of fans haven't seen very much of the earlier years. To be honest I wouldn't have put Blanche at #1, I think Annie/Ena/Elsie were all more deserving, but compared to some of the others, I'm glad Blanche made it. I just wonder sometimes if people appreciate how special those early years were. I guess the man who came along and started dumping actors left and right in 1964 to somehow modernize the show might have had the right idea in the long run but I think those first few years were superb and I wonder what might have been if he hadn't come in and fired great characters like Martha and Harry.

The final results of Corriepedia's 50 Greatest Character poll are in, including a list of all 200. It's interesting just how low most of the Platts ranked -- either these particular voters weren't fond of them or the decade of overexposure took a toll. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1360286&page=16 My love for the show is most in its first 20-25 or so years so I was most interested in how some of those characters did, especially if they were never given the legend status of Elsie and Ena. My favorites were Irma Ogden, Jerry Booth, and Harry and Concepta Hewitt, and Jack Walker, and Ray Langton and Dennis Tanner (right beside each other in the poll) so I'm glad they weren't all the way at the bottom, even if they deserved higher placements. Jack being so close to Liam Connor kind of made me laugh...surprising. All in all these aren't bad results considering that so much was skewed by Sophie/Sian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT_t0EX__bM

For me the Santer era was too much hype, too many hollow characters, too much smirky self-awareness, too much focus on awful characters and repetitive stories which focused only on reveals. I 100% agree with what Ben has said, and he expresses it very well. Someone at the show should take notice. It's not couched in all the hysteria you get at DS these days. I do still enjoy the show now more than I have in in a number of years. Why? I'm not sure. I know it's not great. I guess just little things like the way Pat is written now, or Dot. Those types of things tend to keep me watching. I do agree about the Carol stuff, it's kind of aimless at the moment.

I don't even know why Sophie and Sian were in the episode -- they just stood around. I am generally confused about what the show is planning to do with them because Sian just sort of seems like Sophie's parrot. I would be less bothered by this if I saw stronger women on the canvas, but aside from a few of the underused actresses like Sue Cleaver, it's tough to find them. Leanne quivers over her creepy ex. Leanne isn't strong enough to end her engagement to Peter. The creepy ex is the one who is going to tell Peter about the affair. Carla immediately becomes obsessed with Peter because he's nice to her after she falls into a bottle. A few years ago the show had done a good job in giving Carla layers and now she struts around like one of the later seasons of Melrose Place. I think Helen is good with the right material -- this type of huffy and melodramatic stuff isn't her strongsuit. That's what I meant with wondering about whether they could have spent more time figuring out who should say what. I see what you mean, but I guess I wonder if it's worth the effort, especially if they end up being overshadowed anyway. People seemed to end up talking about the effects, or in some cases laughing at them, and the montage and the camera work was forgotten. I know Corrie can't go back to the days of Albert Tatlock's allotment but I think these attempts at big shocking moments don't give people a reason to tune into the show on a regular basis. Like with siege week, earlier this year. What was there to make you keep watching? The only thing which got my interest was the stuff about baby Jack, and even that I am not thrilled with after reading I don't know. Some are saying the show had a leaving party for her, and she did appear on some talk shows, which she usually doesn't do.

http://www.youtube.com/user/lorrierack#p/u Everything with Ste and Brendan is very cynical. They are shock value, and the viewers who enjoy that will get hot while the viewers who don't might at least be interested. That scene where we were supposed to be so shocked when Brendan had Rae leave and then had sex with Ste -- wow, we see Brendan, fully clothed, tower over Ste. Hot stuff. And look, their faces are near each other as Brendan does his best impression of the Terminator. Thrilling. And gee, Brendan has a porn star mustache. How shocking and daring. None of the show makes any sense. They cast these men, some of whom look very old (like Bart) as teenagers, which is not atypical for soaps, but the stories they give them are such a mess. Why is Bart McQueen in a boy band? Doesn't that go against everything the character was supposed to be? Why is that idiot Ricky there? His father beats him, but who cares, let's see him give his usual comatose expressions in a boy band? I actually do enjoy Lee, but they use him, as they use Darren, to try to cover up crappy stories. And the scenes with "angry" Gilly were hilarious.

I think they're pretentious and go against what made Coronation Street unique. I don't understand the point of that shaky cam when Charlotte attacked John. Everyone knows she is crazy -- they knew that without a shaky cam. I have read comments from people talking about how they laughed at those scenes and isn't it great that Corrie included comedy. I really don't think that was intended to be comedy. I wasn't fond of that endless montage right before the tram crash either. I think a simple shot showing each different set of characters would have been fine. It's like the old MST3K joke. "Ooh, montage!" All the time spent on this stuff makes me wonder how much time Collinson was spent on getting the cast ready for the episode, because the best were as good as they usually are, but some others were noticeably awful. Some actors are just not suited for this type of thing and may be better in other areas (like Helen Worth or William Roache), but some of the newer cast members, why were they included in this if they couldn't handle it? The stripper and the ex walked through like zombies. The new doctor was unbelievably bad. Both he and Ben Price reinforce bad stereotypes about soaps. I wonder if they watch Ronn Moss for acting tips. I read some of the books on Coronation Street during both Wars and in the second book, an air raid causes a brick wall to collapse on several residents. Ena Sharples is the first to start moving bricks, with her bare hands. I kept thinking of that last night when the women stood around making terrified faces and worrying over their menfolk and being told to stay away. To see none of the women being allowed to help, while the likes of David Platt were up there as he-men, was odd. The only one who at one time might have been actively involved, Becky, is now reduced to wandering around aimlessly searching for yet another child she obsesses over. I haven't watched as much recently but I was surprised at how much life has been drained out of Becky. Katherine Kelly seems to have lost a lot of her spark. I know jobs are hard to come by but I wonder how much longer she is going to stay with the show. Anyway, I did like some of the scenes, unfortunately the way the show is structured now, the sexism and the plot-driven material, clouded my views. I thought Craig Charles (always underrated), Sue Cleaver, Graeme Hawley, Steven Arnold (I still don't understand why he was fired ) and Jane Danson and the guy who plays Peter were great. I also thought Vicky Binns was wonderful, finally going back to some of what once made me care about Molly. Alan Halsall was also very good. And I was surprised at how much I worried about Sunita. I hope they might do something with her now.

This story is pretty much going down the same road most of these stories go. Any sex between men is dirty and trashy and abusive. I just don't get anything about Brendan. He goes around with a stupid look on his face like someone kneed him in the balls, and whispers his lines, and this is what passes for interesting characters. No wonder the ratings struggle to get over a million.

Sorry. I uploaded the wrong photo on the last one. I will change it. Thanks for the kind words, and helping me catch my error! I do wonder why they would write Doug that way. I know the Hayes said they later regretted leaving, but I guess I can't blame them.

Various Emmerdale and Corrie actors and producers mourn Gavin. http://www.southportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50447483

I've enjoyed some of the episodes, mainly the work from Sue Cleaver and a few others, but probably what I notice most is how upset some at DS get whenever anyone criticizes it. For instance, this Sun article: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/soaps/3265311/We-recreate-1m-Coronation-Street-crash-for-9950.html

Recap from the November 6, 1979 Digest. Mike takes Sara out of the hospital for a night to enjoy a romantic dinner. As the violinists play and the candles glow, Sara feels that everything will be alright. But later that night as he tells her how much he loves her, Sara asks, 'How much time do we have together?" Mike holds her in his arms and tells her the truth: "We have very little time. You're very ill, Sara." Although Sara suspected something was wrong, she was not prepared for dying. At first she refuses to believe it. Then she becomes furious. She takes the flower pots on the hospital lawn and starts throwing them. "You took me out knowing this! How can you call yourself a doctor if you can't help me!" She starts to cry softly as she paces. "Why me? How could God do this to me? He's evil and bad. What did I do? I want to have babies. I want to watch Michael-Paul grow. Who is going to live in my house? Who is going to take care of my things?" Seeing his wife sobbing on her knees, Mike climbs out of his wheelchair, joins her on the ground and holds her closely. The next day Mike has the hard task of telling Luke and Barney that Sara is dying. Nola is away on a buying trip in New York and Mike is furious with her. The whole time Sara has been in the hospital, Nola didn't call once. Barney immediately feels guilty. If he had been around more, if he had been more loving, perhaps this never would have happened. But when he sees his daughter later that day, she pleads with him not to act happy for her. "If you pretend this isn't happening, you're leaving me alone. And I don't want to be alone now." The nurses have been complaining that Sara has been impossible to deal with. But Maggie reminds them angrily that Sara is different! "She is not like other patients. She is not getting better, she's dying. She's angry, wouldn't you be? She feels differently and she is to be treated differently!" Mike finds the comfort he needs with his father and M.J. He asks M.J. if she ever got over the pain she felt when Tom died. "No," M.J. answers quietly. Mike admits to his father that he wishes he could die. He doesn't want to live in this world without his wife. TROUBLE FOR MISSY AND LUKE Luke has been so angry at the prospect of having Kim for a business partner that he can't concern himself with Missy's worries. When she tries to explain to him that she can't relax in bed because she is jealous of Kim he screams at her. "Don't give me that, we made love and it was good. You loved it!" Instead of discussing her sexual problems with him, calmly, as she wanted to, Missy finds herself screaming the truth. "It wasn't good, I was faking it!" The next day when she tries to apologize to Luke, he ignores her. He just found out about his sister's condition and he is no no mood for Missy's problems. Colin gets the distinct impression that Mona knows he is Jessica's father and is just toying with him until she finds an opportune time to pounce. She has arranged an engagement party for Colin and M.J. and he is very suspicious of her motives. Meanwhile, Mona has decided to raise Jessica. She is sure that Nola doesn't give a damn about the baby. Dr. Bennett is very impressed with Greta's mind. She has organized his professional life and made very intelligent suggestions on his research. But Greta wonders why Dr. Bennett never talks about his wife. As Carolee tries to help Monnchild deliver her baby, she is thwarted every step of the way. Moonchild belongs to a strange cult that has brainwashed her. The hospital is "tainted," certainly not a place to have her baby. When Carolee visits Moonchild, she is lying on the floor surrounded by people who are changing. Moonchild is stoned and incoherent. Still, the cult members will not let Carolee take her to the hospital. Far Wind says she must stay there, and Far Wind is the leader of the group! Carolee is terribly frustrated and angry. Moonchild is not having normal labor pains and if she isn't taken to a hospital quickly she and the baby may be in danger! She calls Dr. Bennett, who convinces the cult members to let Moonchild go to the hospital. John Bennett explains to Carolee that these people are incapable of making decisions for themselves, that's why they latch onto someone like Far Wind. But circumstances at the hospital are no better. The group follows Moonchild into the labor room and chant around her. There is a serious infection in Sara's body, and because of the hepatoma, she has no antibodies to fight it. Mike and Sara both realize that she is dying quickly now. And though some doctors want to try and fight the infection, Sara declines. She can accept dying now; Mike stands by her decision. Sara wants to go home. To make love with her husband, to see Paul (Michael-Paul wants to be called Paul now), to cook dinner for her family. But most of all she wants Mike to walk. "I want to know that you really have forgiven me so I won't have to feel guilty anymore," Sara tells her husband. Later that day he appears at Sara's door holding onto canes. He is able to walk! Matt and Sara both greet him with tears of joy. Mona decides to confront Mildred. She isn't really a practical nurse as she said she was, is she? Mildred admits she lied. She took all the courses, she wanted to be a nurse, but she just didn't have the money to complete her schooling. "Fine," says Mona. She will help Mildred get her license, if Mildred will help her. All she has to do is be completely honest. Then Mona visits her lawyer. What are her legal rights concerning Jessica? She explains that Nola is an unfit mother. She abandoned her baby to go to New York. She doesn't even know that her sister is dying because she is too busy buying clothes. Does Mona plan to adopt Jessica? Sara has decided to take matters into her own hands. She only has a short time left and she doesn't intend to spend it in the hospital, so she walks out! She hires a taxi for the day. Her first stop is the Medicine Man, to visit Luke. She tells him how proud she is of him. Proud of what he's done with the restaurant, proud of what he's done with his life. She tells him how much she appreciates having this time alone with him. She is going to go to the bakery and smell the bread, go to the jewelery store and try on expensive diamonds...As Luke holds her, tears stream down her face. But Sara's calm eases his pain. And when she leaves, Missy is there to comfort him. She apologizes for her previous insensitivity. "I'm so glad you're here. Just to hold me, just to be here," Luke tells her. Sara then visits Barney. When he sees her he's overjoyed, convinced that she's released and better. But Sara explains to him what she's doing. In a way, Barney has it harder than she. "I'll never get old, Daddy. I'll never be sick again. And I'll never have to watch the people I love go away." Lying in bed together, Mike tells Sara how much she has given to his life and Paul's. "I was so angry and you taught me not to waste my time with that. You taught me to believe in myself," Mike says. "Just hold me," Sara replies. "Just hold my hand." Mike puts puts his arms around her and watches as his wife peacefully dies in his arms... Just after dawn Mike goes to his parents' house to give his son the news. "Mommy won't hurt anymore. She isn't sick anymore," he tells Paul. But Mike expresses his rage to his parents. The men from the funeral home came and took Sara away. They pretended sadness, but how could they feel it? They didn't know Sara, they didn't care! Mike doesn't want to have a funeral, he only wants to be with his wife. Gently, Maggie reminds him that a funeral is not so much for Sara, but for her friends and family. It gives them a chance to say good-bye. Mike understands, now he must call her family. Slipping into the Aldrich mansion in the middle of the night, Nola reads Sara's farewell letter. She assumes that Sara must have gone on a trip. When Mildred tries to explain that Sara is very sick, Nola dismisses it. How could she be sick if she went away?? Nola is far more interested in all the clothes she bought in New York - clothes she charged to Mona! Mildred tells Nola that Mona has become very close to Jessica, but that doesn't worry her; she's glad. The closer Mona becomes to the baby, the better chance they have of staying on at the mansion. When Luke gets the news that his sister died, he has Missy at his side to comfort him. Nola visits him, showing off her clothes. When she casually asks where Sara is, he answers softly, "She's dead." Nola is outraged! "How could she do this to me? How could she leave me? First mama leaves me, then Joanie (another sister who died) then Jason, now Sara!" HOW LOW CAN NOLA GO??? But when Mildred tells Nola that Mona is furious with the bills she ran up in New York, her sorrow for her sister is forgotten. Instead, she uses it to appease Mona! When Mona starts to admonish her for the money she spent, Nola says, "You're right, it's just been confusing for me since Sara died." Mona is immediately apologetic. She didn't know Sara died. She'll do whatever she can to make it easier for Nola. In the middle of her contractions, Moonchild yells out, "I'm Lisa Blaine!" Lisa delivers a normal healthy boy. But Far Wind is making trouble. After Steve stops him, Far Wind sends a crow's foot with a message. "Let my children go!"

From the November 6, 1979 Digest (SOD Publishing Inc).

I still wonder if this out of nowhere stuff with Mercedes and Riley/Carl was supposed to be Mitzeee. They claimed Later was going to have Mitzeee and Riley together. Now right after Malachy is in the ground, Mercedes is thrown right into this story. Riley is so dull, and most of the idea of this story - will she hurt this young guy - is ruined by casting an actor who looks so much older than the role. Mercedes and Carl do have chemistry. They should have Carl take his clothes off and have less of the closeups of his frozen forehead. Why is Ricky back? Marquess dumped all of the good new characters and kept this dead-eyed frump with the Orphan Annie hair. If it's to make Duncan less worthless, it isn't working. Anthony Quinlan was really bad in this last episode. The whole show seems so underrehearsed. I get the idea that a lot of people are loving the show because of Brendan. That might be why I can't get that involved. I just don't get Brendan's appeal. He has a nice body, but otherwise all he does is mumble in a quasi-Terminator accent, with a blank look on his face. And Ste is in the Craig Dean role, where, for someone who is supposedly struggling with his feelings, he certainly looks happy to be around Rae. Warren looks so ridiculous in that coat. He looks like a penguin. He waddles around with his arms sticking out. Jamie Lomas has never been a good actor but he was better than this.