Coronation Street: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Jonathan Harvey likes to have some of the show's past. While his episodes might be too campy, they are also light-hearted with some roots to the show's history. Rita and Tina work well together, as did the reminder that Rita has taken in young female strays over the years to try to encourage them. The mention of Jenny makes me hope she might come back someday. Tina has become such a shell of a person, existing only to be passed around by men, but she still comes to life around Rita these days.

Ben Price was hilariously horrible in that scene where Nick yelled at Kirk. This man is just a car crash in some scenes.

This stuff with Lloyd and this woman Cheryl is dire. What a lovely romance...they have matching bruises. What fun, let's just have a random scene where Lloyd gets his face bashed in. And this woman apparently has no ability or ambition to get out of such a terrible, abusive life until Lloyd meets her. Corrie used to be the show about strong women.

The best part was Natasha singing one of my favorite Dusty Springfield songs, which I rarely hear anywhere.

[Ben]

I'm not watching like I used to. I'm pretty sure I watched an ep last week, but I can't remember what it was about!

The more spoilers that are revealed, the more my interest drains away. I think Carl said it, but there seems to be some kind of social issue check list going on - apparent suicide, abortion, murder, rape, death, child abuse, and now homophobia (and all in the space of 5 months!). It's all too much. Generally, there's nothing wrong with any of these plotlines, but they all just seem so misguided and misplaced on there respective characters.

The child abuse story with Ashley & Claire sounds horrible, and really not fitting for these long standing characters. I feel it's all the worse involving Dev & Sunita, who are their best friends (well, Dev and Ashley are good mates, and Sunita and Claire have known each other for a very long time), and who should know them well enough to realize that Claire wouldn't hit their son, Aadi. I can see Dev totally overreacting, and Sunita being the more rational one, but when the dust settles, there really is no reason why Ashley & Claire should feel the need to leave town, especially over something that their fellow neighbour Rita, has lived through and survived on the Street for many years after. It feels unnecessary. Why couldn't they have had a semi-happy ending? Don't they deserve one?

I share the same concerns as Carl, regarding the homophobia plot, as it's going to involve guest characters who aren't staying around, so really, what will be the point? I have no problems with TPTB introducing more gay characters, even if they aren't utilizing the ones they have, but to centre a major story around two guest characters, and expect viewers to care about them, is asking a lot, and generally never happens. Maybe, if they're given a 3-6 months guest star contract, it should give them enough time to craft a well written story, while embedding them into the fabric of the show... but, this is supposed to be a December story, so better be introducing them in October, at least.

On the other hand, they have a freshman story in Sophie & Sian, and I can't help but feel this is a missed opportunity to tie them into this homophobia story with Ken. Surely, they could have worked it so Sian could be related to Ken in some way, maybe via BR's real life eldest son, and Sian's dad. That way, viewers already care about Sian, and they wouldn't have to build up/integrate any new characters into the show/viewers hearts.

Funny you should say that, as I've just started getting back into Emmerdale. It was all very unintentional, but a great testament to the changes that have been made, b/c all it took was about 10 mins of a random ep, and I could instantly see how very much improved it is. I watched a whole ep the other day, and enjoyed it. It reminded me of when it was good, before they were crushing fresh corpses with JCBs.

[DRW50]

Um...is the same actor still playing Trevor? I'm pretty sure it's him, but he not only looks very different, he also speaks differently, slower, and he doesn't have as much of the put-on dialect. He looks thinner. He kind of reminds me of a more weathered Aiden Turner (ex-AMC, not Being Human). Given the description and background of the character I'm surprised he would get so spiffed up or let Carla do that to him (if it was her idea). Maybe the actor did this himself, I don't know. I would wonder if they are doing this to somehow make him more respectable and move him into bigger stories, but since the actor was fired a few months ago, I guess not.

Edited July 6, 2010 by CarlD2

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Collinson's big announcement on This Morning was about an upcoming stunt...

[DRW50]

[All My Shadows]

[Ben]

I don't know what to say.

I can't work out if this disaster is necessary or not. Probably, the characters that we want to die, won't (bar Molly - even though I don't believe she should be killed off), and the ones that will, shouldn't (like Trevor, who I still believe has potential).

BTW: his new look is good, but very random. It took me awhile to realize that it is still the same actor!

[DRW50]

Apparently Collinson's teases about not believing what you read were not clear enough (they weren't to me anyway) because he said in an ITV chat earlier today that they are leaking false information to the press.

While I am happy if that means some of the shockingly grim, unpleasant, character-decimating "spoilers" such as

turn out to not be true, is this a way to get people to want to watch? What, will they tune in just to see if it isn't as miserable as they expect? Or tune in to be surprised? It's hard to know what to say because for all I know the false information is on other stuff (I think he said one was Natasha) and the worst spoilers might be the ones that happen.

[Ben]

Why are they leaking false info to the press? Dose Corrie have that much of a problem with protecting their storylines, that they have to sink to this level? I mean, EastEnders are able to keep things under wraps, like Denise's fate, so why can't Corrie?

For me, I'm being turn away from the show, so these fake outs are not helping. I'm not sure what there intention is, either, Carl. What's true, what isn't true; it's all just too much for me. It's easier not to watch.

[All My Shadows]

Watch it all be true after all. This'll be the first and last time we hear of any "false information" being leaked.

[Dion]

So they will actually be going through with it this time? Rumors have been popping up since about 2005 about this.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/news/a239755/corrie-boss-reveals-tram-crash-stunt.html

[All My Shadows]

Rubbish...every last bit of it is rubbish.

[DRW50]

New doctor:

http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-hunky-doctor-for-coronation-street.html

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Matt_Crane

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Phil Collinson interview:

Though, its apparently been up for two weeks...

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