Hollyoaks: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I think it's lazy and Marquess probably wanted little to do with this story. He couldn't even bring anyone back like Craig, Debbie, or Steph's father. Or even Jake. He can bring someone back for the Valentines, and Warren, but not Steph.

[All My Shadows]

The Ste/Brendan stuff is turning into a big joke. I can't believe there are commenters claiming that Ste's enduring the abuse because "in his heart, he knows he loves Brendan." Get outta here with that bullshit. It's just, YET AGAIN, another "gay story" happening at breakneck speed because overzealous fans don't know how to sit and watch a story unfold over weeks or months. The only parts of their "relationship" we've seen is kissing/sex and Brendan beating the hell out of Ste. How on Earth can you root for that?

And WTF, Ste, who up until this point on the show, has been involved with only females, gets drunk, kisses a guy, and all of a sudden he's claiming to be gay or bi? There's no time to think about it? He just accepts it. Okay. I know they fit in that line about him and a mate in juvie, but if I understood all of that right, he never even did anything with that guy, just felt a little closer to him than a friend would.

I guess my main issue with stuff like this is that I think that the audience should always *know* the character enough to know what he or she is thinking and why he or she is doing what he or she is doing. Slipping in this whole notion of Ste having fleeting feelings towards men essentially changes every relationship he's ever had on the show. I'm glad they brought up the idea of whether or not his sexuality issues contributed to his troubles with Amy. Imagine if they did it write it so that his issues were indeed the cause. It would basically crap on all of the work the writers of that storyline put into making it plausible and character-driven.

But let's not worry about that. Two hot guys are making out on our televisions, we should be completely satisfied with that. If we're high-maintenance enough to want an actual story, we have to write it ourselves.

Edited November 3, 2010 by All My Shadows

[DRW50]

I don't understand why self-loathing Ste would quickly accept his sexuality. I also don't understand why there's a big following for a story which is all about how love = abuse and that gay men have nothing to hope for but being battered.

And of course the guy who beats the crap out of other men is SO hot and SO sexy.

To have this as the only story on the show involving gay men sends a very bad message. The bad pacing and the ongoing joke that is Brendan makes the story ridiculous.

What annoys me most is Ste is a fantastic character but I don't know if there is any future for him on the show after this story. Marquess has dumped just about everyone else he didn't create -- Ste might just be another to go, after he has gone through the shock value storyline.

It's pretty sad to me that British soaps now have nothing for gay men but pain and violence and misery -- between this and the ruining of anything of the Emmerdale story, the default story I like most is Christian/Syed, never exactly favorites of mine.

[All My Shadows]

It is sad, and that's why I was looking forward to this. 'Oaks is really blowing it, though.

And yeah, definitely. Once the shock dies down, Ste will either let Brendan's abuse "turn me off blokes f'ever" or just disappear.

What's coming up with the Jasmine/Jason/Bart thing? Or do I want to know...

[Bright Eyes]

You should watch the later episodes for this story, it really hit it's stride then, IMO. Blackmail makes things work wonders.

[JamesF]

I've tuned in tonight because I've seen so many billboards for "Fire Week".

Good lord. The acting is absolutely atrocious. I just saw a scene with the Sharpe (?) family that had to be seen to be believed and I can't believe that a) they are actually paid or the scenes are broadcast on national television.

[DRW50]

I saw an ad for that and was laughing when they had wooden Amber in peril. Who cares?

The earlier promos, the ones set in a restaurant, were a lot better.

It's hard to care about the fire because we generally can guess who will die, and the worst characters are going nowhere. Instead they just keep clogging up the show.

And they seem to have continued the strange track record in recent years of butchering Mandy's character. Considering that Ste getting beaten up by Brendan is supposed to be hot or whatever I guess I should be happy Warren isn't battering Mandy.

[DRW50]

Revised credits. The goodbye to Steph is kind of touching.

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[Bright Eyes]

Aw, I wonder how long they'll leave that in for.

Weird that Amy was only put in for her death.

[DRW50]

I really wonder if Ashley chose to leave or if they fired her. If they fired her and then built her up that seems kind of counterproductive and depressing, especially since many of the others they have hyped have not been that great.

I guess these will be up until the fire week is over.

I wonder how long Warren is supposed to be around.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Steph.

I'm sorry, but the show won't find another actress like Carley Stenson again. She could handle anything they threw at her, and has skills as both a comedic and dramatic actress. Her longevity on the show through various different regimes proved her worth. If they think Cheryl is some type of replacement, they better think again.

At least Carley is doing what she's always wanted to do now (musical theater). But I hope after a few years, Corrie might hire her for a role. I've always thought she would be great on Corrie and in many cases was too good for just being a "Hollyoaks actress."

Steph better not die in that gagworthy fire. That would be such a cheap exit and would totally take away from her terminal illness story.

I still wish they would've sent her off alive by having Steph's life mirror Carley's life with Steph moving to London to do theatre (since Steph always wanted to be a star).

Edited November 6, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[DRW50]

Everything about her exit story has been cheap, from how rushed it is to the lack of emotion to not bringing anyone back or even asking Kevin Sacre to stay around. I have a feeling that the credits shot might be the classiest part of her exit.

I'd love to see her on something else. She added so much to Hollyoaks. She was great at comedy but could also make you cry. One of my favorite Hollyoaks memories is when she closed her scrapbooks after the fiasco with her sleeping with a rock star and selling it to the tabloids fizzled out.

If we are losing characters like Steph, Malachy, and Amy for people like Mitzeee, Seth, Riley, Amber Sharpe, Duncan, and the joke that is Brendan, then the show has become empty. No amount of sparklers and jumping up and down can hide it. I hope Hollyoaks stays around but even if it does that seems to be in name only.

[Bright Eyes]

Mitzeee basically is Steph, except a piece of trash. I'm sure they see it as her being a more glamorous version.

With her the Dean family dies

Edited November 6, 2010 by Amello

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I wonder if they killed Steph because they didn't want to lose Tom if they wrote Steph off.

I'm sorry, his ass could've gone to London with Steph if she became a theater star, he would've been closer to OB too. The show probably won't be around long enough to see Tom grow into a young adult anyway.

Watch Frankie and Darren mourn Steph for like 5 seconds and then she's never mentioned again...

If Steph's funeral becomes all about Cheryl and her grief, I will kill myself.

[Bright Eyes]

I thought I had resolved my feelings on her death, but no, you have to rile me up! Now I'm just aggravated.