Coronation Street: Discussion Thread

[jfung79]

Thanks for the clip! That was pretty interesting. Who is the dancer that Tracy referred to?

Did Jason ever express any disappointment with some of the things that Charlie did? I've read they were friends.

[DRW50]

I think Jason still had good memories of Charlie, but I'm not sure. He was pretty annoyed a few months after this when a woman dropped a baby off at his house, claiming he was the father. Eileen pushed him to accept the child and she became very close to him. Then the woman returned, as she'd realized that the father had been Charlie, who'd used Jason's name when they met in a club (she had never actually seen Jason when she dropped the baby off). Eileen was heartbroken but gave the child back, as the mother (who was now better off financially) wished.

[jfung79]

Thanks DRW50!

Watching the next episode now and GH's relish has invaded Corrie ... Tina just asked Tommy to get her a ham sarnie with "piccalilli -- no no, extra piccalilli, yeah?" Haha!

Edit:

Finished the episode ... Yay the Rovers has opened, and yay Jason's back. Love Jason's eye-rolls as Stella praises Owen and Karl. And Gary has had to confess to Izzy. Loving the drama and the emotions! Also, nice touch with Betty Turpin's picture and LOL at Sean's WWBS to Norris.

Edited June 10, 2013 by jfung79

[jfung79]

Now up to and past where soapgirluk was when she posted May 30th. I just finished the Friday May 31st episodes.

Love Tina laying down the law keeping Gary and Izzy from their baby until they communicate and put their baby first. In the comments underneath the Hulu episodes, people are raving that they love Tina, and I can see why. I now believe she will be a great loss to the show when she leaves next year. I like how solid Tommy has been in support of her as a friend and I'm glad that Tina now wants to be more than a friend with him again. Thought it was a good touch that Tyrone sided with Gary about not being kept from seeing his kid, because of what happened with Ruby. I'm starting to like Fiz again; she's been more tolerable lately.

I think Izzy is overreacting to Gary's confused almost-kissing of Tina and she should forgive him.

Nice to see Sally, Sophie, and Jenna more, but this thing with Sally dating someone from the Internet seems like filler so far.

Rob, Tracy, and Carla - wow! I loved Deirdre tearing into Tracy and Rob, and Rob shouting at Carla that she washed her hands of him long ago -- actually making his robbing her seem like her fault! Now Rob and Tracy are determined to make a new business work to stick it to Carla. I'm glad Carla didn't turn Rob in, but I wouldn't have blamed her if she had.

Missing Jason Grimshaw ...

Edited June 22, 2013 by jfung79

[EricMontreal22]

I've been watching Corrie more regularly again (I seem to go through periods of watching then no at all with it) but I am interested to see what they do with Todd as it was his story that made me really regularly watch it in the first place (though it's an institution here in Canada--airing at 7:00 every night on the CBC since the last 60s I believe.) I as completely unaware hat e made an apparently hated return recently. I'm not sure how far behind we are (it was always a few years but then to more or less catch up for a while they played two a day)--the Rover's Return opened sometime last week, Dev is on a mission to prove his wife didn't set the fire, the surrogate baby needs surgery and the stores all have Father's Day displays, so I think only a couple of weeks.

[DRW50]

This is the return. I am convinced they did this to make viewers hate Todd and not want him back. The whole thing was OOC and poorly written.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s09ND2G5au4

[DRW50]

Summer preview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZI13tzumQI

[soapgirluk]

IIRC the Mum was played by 'Cindy' from Hollyoaks

I'm liking that there giving Jason more to do the past few months, think he deserves a big story though.

Especially as he's just been a background character since he arrived really.

I'm looking forward to Todd's return hoping they just ignore the last stint. I can see a love triangle with him, Marcus & Maria happening.

Anything just keep him far away from Sean.

[DRW50]

Sue Johnston is leaving Corrie.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/soaps/4976310/I-cant-Corrie-on-says-TV-Sue.html

There are some saying Karl is also going in September.

I'm glad so much of the dead weight is being cleared out, even if there's still tons and tons left.

If I'd only ever seen her on this show I never would have known she was a talented, acclaimed actress.

[Bright Eyes]

Carl, John Michie's exit was confirmed awhile ago.

[jfung79]

Yes, I believe CBC in Canada is just a couple weeks behind the UK, EricMontreal, about the same as Hulu. Glad you are watching again! One more soap I can discuss with you and read your thoughts about.

Don't really care for Gloria so I don't mind that she's leaving. Glad they aren't killing her off though.

[Ben]

I'm quite disappointed in how they handled Gloria. Sue Johnston is an acclaimed actor, and I feel they let her down by creating such a mediocre character. Gloria is so unlikeable, when really she should have had more redeeming features. I think they got bogged down trying to recreate a Blanche-esque character, and failed. This is Sue Johnston, people should be sad she's leaving and want her to return, not be happy she's going.

I haven't watched this show for a while. Last episode I saw, was Tina bringing the baby home after deciding to keep him. I'm not sure who's team I'm on with this. Maybe b/c it's a predictable twist, or maybe I just don't care. I do feel Tina has come out of all this a stronger character, and her and Tommy do make a decent couple that have been well thought out. I do think the surrogacy laws need to be changed, as it isn't fair that the surrogate is classed as the legal mother, when biologically she isn't related. What are the surrogacy laws in the US?

[DRW50]

The efforts to find another Blanche are a great example of Corrie's redundancies and their decisions to concentrate on the wrong parts of their past. Pointless nostalgia is never a good thing. There was zero reason to make Tommy a Duckworth, other than a poorly written and acted drug mole story with Terry. And while I will always hope to see more of the Tanners, there was no apparent reason to bring back Dennis either.

Blanche worked because she was Blanche. Not because of a character type. If you look at Corrie after Ena, Annie, and Elsie left, there were no attempts to replace them. Some say that Bet was like Elsie, but that was mostly just in bad luck with men, not in any specific characteristics. Phyllis Pearce was called the new Ena, but again, they actually had very little in common.

I've seen talk about how Deirdre should be the new Blanche, but I don't think that works either. She just comes across as abrasive and incredibly stupid when she behaves that way. It's not naughty fun like it was with Blanche. When she says that Joe McIntire was "crazy", or when she works hard to get Tyrone convicted and then never shows any remorse, it just makes her seem like a hypocritical bitch.

Deirdre should be written as a very serious character.

As for the baby, I've heard people say they're "Team Put In Care."

[Ben]

ITA Carl, with everything you said.

So many PTB mix up character and archetype. EE have relied on archetypes when creating characters for the last several years, and look where that's got them: repetition Hell! Blanche was a character, and that can't be recreated. It's not like bringing in another bitch, or a loveable loser, and injecting some personality.

And, yes, Deirdre should be a serious character. When she goes all "comedy", she always looks really stupid.

You say there was no point in bringing Dennis back, but there was equally no point in randomly relating him to Julie and Eileen.

While every soap is trying to be edgy and pacey, and keep viewers attention, they all forget that it was characters who defined their respective shows, and it's characters who are at the heart of every soap.

[jfung79]

I love Dennis. Dennis and Rita are a wonderful couple to turn to for advice and support. There is no other warm, unjudging, and not too "weird" older couple like that on the show. It doesn't really matter to me what he was up to in the 60s, how he was a bit of a bad boy or whatever. That was eons ago and people certainly will change over all that time. He's a great unit with Rita now and that's what matters. If they wanted to bring on someone for Rita, why invent a new character when it could be him, someone she interacted with way back when?

Elsie's maiden name was Grimshaw so I think it's just a fun and harmless tip of the hat that he's related to Eileen -- can mean more later if they want it to.

Edited June 22, 2013 by jfung79