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Coronation Street: Discussion Thread


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Do you think the new producer might restore the humor, family, and heart the show use to be known for?

I did watch the April 21st through April 26th episodes.. and wondering why Carla is still with that bloke Peter when she is beautiful and can certainly have any man she wants. I'm hoping Leanne will freak out over Nick/Kylie's hookup when she finds out.. but I hope that she never gets back together with Peter.

It does seem like the show needs to clean house and perhaps write some characters out. Though I like that the characters rotate in regards to storylines... much more then I can say for US soaps.

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Actually on my previous computer I had downloaded a bunch of 60s episodes. I did enjoy that stuff, but I have never been able to get into modern Corrie. The other three soaps have pulled me in at various times, but never this one.

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I think English soaps are much easier to get into straight away, as their historys arnt quite as complicated lol

But we're all new viewers at one time & now with internet for character historys etc I think its a great time to start new ones/catch up

All the English Soaps are having a bad time imo, It doesnt bother me if I miss episodes (not a good sign)

This is first time since 90s I've not really cared about Corrie

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Try starting from early March, Chris B, a week before the Rovers fire, that's when I started. It's a very accessible entry point. Dev and Sunita trying to reconcile ... Tension between Karl, Stella, Jason, Gloria ... Chesney and Katy headed towards trouble with Ryan in the mix ... Specifically my first episode was Monday, March 11th.

Soaplovers, hope you continue enjoying the show. Who are your favorite characters so far, as another newbie to the show? I like the way they rotate characters too, although I love that my Grimshaws have been featured pretty much the whole two months I've been watching. I don't think they need to write anyone out, although some already are leaving.

I think Coronation Street has a lot of heart, a lot of older characters (including new old characters like Sylvia, not just characters who have aged on the show -- no ageism here), a great younger generation, some grit and realistic issues, but with warmth and humor and decency as well from characters like Dennis and Rita, or Roy and Hayley. I love it so much. Carl and All My Shadows are comparing it to its past, which I can't speak to, but I'm not someone who was spoiled by its past and with my (new) eyes I still see a lot of good there.

Carl, when you say there is no realism, I compare what seem to me to be very real stories such as

- disabled character Izzy feeling left out as Gary and Tina bond over Tina being a surrogate;

- Tommy trying to navigate between friendship and asserting romantic interest with his ex-girlfriend Tina;

- Chesney being sabotaged by his paranoia, both Chesney and Katy overwhelmed at the responsibilities of being young parents; and

- Peter, Carla, and Rob being at odds about how to revive a struggling neighborhood horce racing bookies, affecting their personal relationships

with the mob wars of EastEnders and the people-work-when-they-feel-like-it-and-everyone-is-rich world of modern American soap. You have the past of Coronation Street as your frame of reference, but that frame of reference is different from mine.

Ben, love your analysis. You're right, the Anna/Faye/Tim story does seem stuck in a rut. I do like the more subtle stuff I've seen of Tim letting Faye stay up too late or not feeding her properly, and leaving her home alone too much, though. I also find it interesting what you are saying about how there's stability with Peter and Carla trying to work things through as a more "cemented" couple. What do you mean by Leanne's hypocrisy, since I wasn't watching before? How was she before and how has she changed? I've been cheering Leanne on because she's taking on Karl. Glad you're liking Mary's unexpected friendship with Dev and competence with the kids too.

I'm up to May 1st now. I'm glad Paul came back -- it was so sad and a bit anticlimactic (and funny too! - that Corrie humor) when I thought his last scene would be Eileen running after him at the train station and Paul looking back in shock. Jason has been so good with his mum lately. Just saw Jason taunting Karl too about Stella not accepting Karl's proposal -- another side to Jason, and I think Ryan Thomas would make a good villain on Doctor Who with the maniacal laughter in that scene! I also love that Deirdre has been there for Eileen, as well as hilarious Steve and Lloyd. The awkward Barlow family meals with Deirdre taking a liking to Rob but Peter and Ken resentful have also been a delight -- though with the real-life allegations against Bill Roache, I guess that is all coming to an end.

Also, finally saw David. He hadn't been on at all since I started watching. The only character listed on the official show website as being part of the cast who I think I still haven't seen is Audrey.

soapgirluk, I agree that Coronation Street is easier to get into in a way than an American soap ... I think it's not necessarily that the history isn't as complicated but that the show sets up its storylines in a way that some are shorter-term and some longer-term, with things that people can latch on to. Kieran Roberts explained it well in the interview I posted. Also when they list the characters in appearance order in an episode, that helps with research. I do agree you need to do research (Corriepedia and Wikipedia for me) and can't just rely on the show.

Edited by jfung79
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Leanne only started being hypocritical a year ago, when the whole Nick/Leanne/Peter/Carla quad started and they all fought over custody of Simon.

Leanne entered the show as what you would call, white trash; her whole family* were loud, brash and the neighbours from hell. Over time she got into drugs, terminated her baby with Nick, got involved in several lover triangles, became a call girl (one of her clients was Carla's husband and Michelle's brother, Paul, who later died). Leanne was always feisty, bitchy, and never afraid of a bit of blackmail. In 2011, Leanne cheated on Peter with Nick. They got back together. Then Peter cheated on her with Carla. And this was when Leanne started acting saintly, and hypocritical towards Peter - she was being written like she had never done anything wrong, like she'd never had affairs or broken up her precious little family with Simon before. Peter and Carla were written as the villains, while Leanne was acting out of character, and became void of all empathy and balance. And that's still the case today. She still acts saintly, she's still hypocritical in her assessments of other characters, of Peter and Carla, even though she was prostituting herself with Carla's husband when he died!

This is one of the reasons why I'm not looking forward to the whole Nick/Kylie baby secret being exposed, b/c Leanne will probably act all hard done by, and once again she'll be the betrayed victim, even though her and Nick weren't together at the time b/c Leanne was still fawning over Peter. What makes Leanne hypocritical around Karl, is that her suspicions are not b/c she suspects he's a killer, but b/c he's a cheat and Stella has taken him back, even though Leanne has first hand experience in that department - she wouldn't be with Nick now, if he hadn't of taken her back; she wouldn't have had a second go with Peter if he hadn't of taken her back. None of these storylines are 2 dimensional, they are layered, and the characters involved should be written as layered individuals. Leanne shouldn't trust Karl, but at the same time she should understand how important it is for him to have a second chance.

*Leanne's family originally consisted of her father Les Battersby, step-mum Janice, and half-sister Toyah. It was only when Stella arrived last year that Leanne learned that Stella was her bio mother. I feel they probably changed Leanne's personality show she would fit in better with Stella, Eva and Gloria.

jfung, you should be seeing Audrey soon, and a bit more of David, too.

I don't think I've ever found it too difficult to get into an American soap. When I started watching OLTL in 2009, I never had to do too much research. I remember asking a couple of questions here about Carlotta and how she was related to Tea (obviously she isn't) and a couple of others. I think it helped that I joined the show at the time when Mitch had returned, so they were recapping all the complicated Buchanan connections. I think Y&R was the one that I really struggled to get into in 2008 (it took several months before I was comfortable watching the show, but due to the downward quality in writing, I barely lasted 6 months). I don't think watching a soap should be a struggle; you'll know if it suits you or not, as not all soaps are everyone's cup of tea.

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Thanks for the very informative post about Leanne, Ben! It sure does seem like she is being hypocritical. She does come across as acting like the only wronged party with Peter; I had no idea she had already cheated on him previously.

You're right that it would be better if she were going after Karl because of suspicions about his involvement in the fire, but I can't help rooting for her taking him on anyway. Also though, I do think characters who have done the "sinning" can sometimes be the most angry at seeing it in other people ... Kind of a self-hatred and/or "it takes one to know one" kind of thing. I don't think that kind of layer is coming across in what I'm seeing right now though, just saying it could be an explanation for her behavior if I wanted to give it one.

In general, I still think Corrie does seem to portray characters three-dimensionally in a layered manner though.

Edited by jfung79
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That's more angst than realism. The show ignored the bookies for years and acted like it was a healthy business when no one ever went there. Now it's convenient for the plot. Katy's PPD was dropped like a hot potato after a few weeks. Tommy just got out of a ludicrous story where he was forced to become a drug dealer and suffered zero consequence for it. Izzy and Gary wanting to be parents at such a young age, after Gary had spent ages saying he didn't want a child - not too realistic for me.

The way to realism is to stop

- endless trials

- pointless explosions and fires

- pointless whodunits and serial killer stories

That's not hard to do. Judging by the story that won Best Exit at the BSAs, a lot of fans are tired of this anyway.

Edited by CarlD2
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None of those appear to be on the horizon.

Peter seems like he would be too proud and stubborn to have ever said his business was in trouble until he was really underwater, so just because the bookies was off screen, that's neither here nor there in terms of the realism of technological change and the recession affecting his business.

People change in their attitudes toward kids as they grow older so on the face of it, that doesn't sound unrealistic to me regarding Gary. Gary is 26 or 27 according to Wikipedia; that's not that young to me.

Edited by jfung79
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Well, I think Corrie can be realistic and unrealistic - it just depends on the context one is referring to.

Gary wanting a baby so desperately is unrealistic in terms of his character and where he was prior to this plot. It has never made any sense. He never wanted to settle down in that way, and his and Izzy's relationship is relatively new in terms of how long they've been together. Tina being a paid surrogate has had zero consequences from the community, and considering it is illegal in the UK to pay someone to be a surrogate. it seems unrealistic that no-one has objected to this and dobbed them into the cops. There is a lot of drama they could have mined from this. I do hate how Owen continually gets away with bullying people into submission - he bullied Tina into becoming a surrogate which killed her relationship with Tommy, and faces no consequences. Izzy didn't really want a baby to begin with, not after suffering a miscarriage and deciding it was best they didn't bother. This story was really badly executed to begin with, and that has had a knock-on effect.

The Bookies being in a financial ruin doesn't make sense to me. Due to the recession, in the last couple of years more and more betting shops have appeared all over the place, sometimes door-to-door! More people are gambling and getting into debt to repay existing debt. So, Peter should be pulling in a trade. No-one cares if the décor is dated and tired, or if they'll get free tea - all they care about is winning money. If they wanted to be somewhat plausible then maybe they should have focused on the big chain stores that have taken over the betting scene.

jfung: I'm glad you can see how Leanne is acting hard done by with Peter. It's this attitude that many fans hate. Leanne was a popular character, and that popularity has taken a dive over the last 2 years. She really needs to own her [!@#$%^&*] and realize that she's no saint. Peter and Carla have moved on, but Leanne continues to scowl and snipe, even though she's got custody of Simon and is married to Nick.

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What I'm questioning is why an attractive person such as Carla is doing with a sleazy loser such as Peter?

I'm guessing that Leanne is now married to Nick, who owns a decent place and thinks she's moved beyond her humble/meager beginnings. It is said that those that 'move' up always seem to look their noses down at those they've left behind. Plus, she seems too accepting/close to Stella and I'd assumed that this story of Stella/Leanne reuniting was done years ago.. not less then two years ago.

Jfung, I'm not sure if I have any favorite characters or not, but I can tell you that I don't much care for Fiz (the annoying red headed girl) and that wimpy dude she is with now (I'm assuming that's the guy who had the abusive girlfriend). I guess the UK and US have different morals and rules.. but I did view the December/January episodes and couldn't muster any sympathy for the lad. Yes, it sucks that Kirsty was abusing him, but he was carrying on behind her back with the red headed lady while pretending to still be interested in Kirsty.

I'm intrigued with the Sally character that was on recently.. when she was being judgmental toward Kylie. I happened upon her early episodes on youtube (from 1986).. and she was quite fetching, plus loved the boots she was wearing as well :) She seemed very similar to Kylie in terms of personality and dress style (i.e. youthful/slightly punk looks.. at least the trends of the 1980s and early 2010s). Plus, she seemed to have the same type of interaction with her hubby like Kylie has with her hubby. Am I off base with the similarities?

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They did talk about big chains a little bit ... Also, having a saturation of betting shops may mean more people total are gambling, but that doesn't mean the individual betting shop which now has more competition will have more profit. In a free market, new competitors enter until profits become zero. Also, this 2012 study shows how over-the-counter revenue for gambling has declined in the UK; revenue increases have been to machine betting with fixed odds, not the kind of low-tech over-the-counter operation that Peter has been running and that Rob thinks needs modernization: http://www.gamblingdata.com/files/UKBettingShopsNov2012V_1Final.pdf

Thanks for the info on Tina's becoming a surrogate being rushed and the info that it's illegal to pay for a surrogate mother in the UK, as well as about Gary and Izzy's previous attitudes. I still like how the story is playing out now though in terms of the impact on the characters.

Soaplovers, I don't like Fiz either! Half the time she's nice but the other half, she's really self-righteous. I do like Tyrone a lot, but I see your point about the affair. By the way, how do you want people to respond to your posts? Should I be leaving spoiler space between when I'm responding to you and when I'm responding to other people who are not catching up on the past few months? I'm sorry if I've spoiled anything you didn't want to know. That sounds really plausible your description of Leanne. I still like Leanne though, the only one in her family who can see sense about Karl. Eva and Gloria are if anything more obnoxious overall! I also still like Stella. I think on soaps and other TV shows, characters who newly discover they are mother-child generally bond pretty solidly within a year or two to get on with the story, and I have no problems with that dramatic license.

I don't know much about Sally or Kylie. Re: Peter and Carla, I don't know the story of how she fell for him but I don't think Peter is sleazy. He seems like a good guy, just flawed.

Edited by jfung79
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Phil Collinson, I am convinced, ruined Leanne to try to make Peter/Carla popular, although look at what happened to characters he seemed to like, so, who knows.

Kylie is basically a markdown Becky (her sister). She came on the show and sold her son (Max) for money, then took him back when it suited her agenda (when David, whom she got involved with after selling Max, insisted she take him back). She has since been redeemed, I guess, although there are a dozen women on the show just like her.

Sally started on the show as being on the wrong side of the tracks, with a trashy family. Kevin's mother figure, Hilda Ogden, distrusted her. Sally ultimately proved to be a nice girl and she and Kevin married a year or two after her arrival. For about ten years she and Kevin mostly had stories about being decent, everyday people, struggling to get by with little money and two kids. Around 1997, the show decided to have Kevin cheat, and split them up, to cause controversy. Sally was involved with a con artist who beat her. Then with a nice guy. Finally she and Kevin reconciled.

The biggest mistake the show made was in deciding out of nowhere that Sally was actually a snob, in order to have "comedy" scenes where she looks down on everyone. What this means is that she has no sense of reality, no sense of history, and increasingly little purpose, since there are a dozen characters on the show who fill this role.

Sally has a dozen affairs? Doesn't matter, because if someone else does, she will sneer at them. Carla supports Sally through cancer? Doesn't matter, because Sally will accuse her of crying rape and scheme to take her company away. Sally and Tyrone bond over the adultery of their spouses? Doesn't matter, because she will accuse him of beating his wife.

As for Peter, he actually was a pretty sleazy guy (he married two women at the same time, for instance), but now soaps are full of this type of character so it doesn't stand out.

Edited by CarlD2
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