I just really don't get why the fans put Clenshaw on a pedestal. I'm not going to deny he did a lot of good for the show, I loved his returnees like Lauren, Yolande, Nigel etc but most of his stuff was plot over character and I really hated the Six (which had no consequences) and Cindy's return, because she was dead and I just think move on.
The lack of perspective EE producers have astounds me. Like, I think bringing back Zoe was a great decision, but Michelle was never the strongest actor so they maybe should have eased her in before throwing everything her way, and used her as a B character rather than an A one. They also should have written her to be more likeable. I did love the Slater home video, and while I love Chrissie, her wanting revenge on Zoe didn't make sense to me, it felt plotty rather than character driven. Clenshaw set it up that Jake and Chrissie were still together, so they had that link to the Slaters/Moons already without forcing drama, if they wanted it. There are so many aspects of the Zoe storyline that I despair at; her having twins (unneeded), fleeing the hospital with her kids alive, the Max connection, the Anthony connection, the Chrissie return. It was enough drama having her and Kat reunited. Maybe she had (one) kid adopted and agonises over whether to contact them, that would have been enough, but even then I'm not convinced Zoe would give up a kid, maybe they could have sold it as a mental health thing.
My issue is them constantly being stuck in the past and not focusing on character and story. The father of Zoe's kids should have been a new character, no need to be Anthony (though we don't even know if it is yet ). I hate Max and don't want him back. Linda should be gone IMO. Don't know why they put the Slaters back in the Vic, I miss Elaine there. Kat could have been a barmaid there again.
I did love the Nigel episode though, I thought that was great, I wish it had been the Christmas episode. Everyone keeps saying it would have been depressing on Christmas, but I disagree.
I'm currently watching 2009 eps on U&Drama channel in the UK, and it's so much better. The Christian/Syed storyline is playing and it's one of my favourite ever storylines. It's exactly what EE does best, pushing social boundaries/commentary, this time a gay Muslim character. They wrote it really well too, they let it breathe - Syed was introduced after being estranged from his family, they allowed those characters to reacquaint, Amira was introduced and she was an actual character, not just a complete plot device to keep Christian and Syed apart. What works is that I care about all the characters; Amira, Christian and Syed. I even liked Syed and Amira together. So when there's the revelation that he's attracted to Christian, you're invested. You had a strong player in Zainab. EE thrives on these types of huge controversial storylines, but when rooted in character. We fairly recently had the Tony/Whitney storyline from late 2008. A hugely dark EE storyline, the show does these so well. I think the Nigel storyline has been done really well too, and a huge part of that is the writing and especially the character writing. Julie has been brought back and has been made into a good character in her own right, and is pivotal to the story as she should be. It doesn't matter that she was only a minor character in the 90s, she's a big part of Nigel's life and the direction makes sense.
I also think the way soaps are run is so out of date. Someone needs to come along and axe a lot of characters. I loved Kim in the past but they're only capable of doing the cringey OTT stuff with her. I don't see a point to Linda now. Why are Jean and especially Lily still there with Stacey gone? There's no bravery in the decisions.
It's so cold. Where are the friendships? Why is Chelsea ignored when she's played by one of the strongest actors? Her and Vicki could be friends. In the 2009 eps, one of the best things about Christian is his friendship with Roxy.
Going back to what @DRW50 has been saying, I think social media/internet has ruined soaps. There's so much noise and everything is so reactive or too inspired by online chat. I bet Chrissie was brought back because everyone online was saying she should be. Loads of people are saying online that Ronnie and Roxy should come back, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that happened even though it shouldn't and even though we saw their dead bodies on screen. Producers aren't able to carve their own vision anymore, or look to the future.
As a side note, it was so lovely to see Pat back. Honestly the biggest mistake they ever made was killing her off, she would still be there now. The show has never been the same without her and the other stalwarts like Dot, Peggy and Pauline.
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Skylover ·
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