Not sure if I'm right, but didn't tptb at the time manage to involve Maddie in the Silas aftermath. All soaps and EP have this problem of favouring a group of characters and it pisses me off. There are other characters I would like to see get sls, but they are either in the background or used in other people's sls.
Yes, almost immediately after Heidi's murder Maddie and her cronies dominated focus even arranging a candle-lit vigil. Real shame after the gripping Halloween and WAG Wedding episodes.
Yes, almost immediately after Heidi's murder Maddie and her cronies dominated focus even arranging a candle-lit vigil. Real shame after the gripping Halloween and WAG Wedding episodes.
Yeh I remember now, apparently her family were going to part of the show I'm glad that never happened. Though we did see her dad in the awful abersoch week and her mum who tried to seduce Rhys after Phoebe punched Maddie
I mean they weren't the best characters ever, but they weren't as god damn awful as people make out on here? They offered some good SL's [Esther's bullying counts as one!] and generally I don't think they were all terrible characters. As a group, they did get annoying at times, but they offered decent material at times I thought . TBH I much preferred them to the Uni lot, a load of bland characters shoved down our throats at once!
I do wonder a little bit if opinions on the groups are based on the age of viewers at the time?
I was about 20 at the time these two groups were regular features in the show and I was at university and I much preferred watching the Uni students. I found them to be believable, and more interesting than the (younger) teens because not all was laid bare- it felt to me like there were more layers to each of them that would unravel over time. For me, the weak link in the Uni group was Ash- for some reason I found her very cringeworthy, especially initially, and at the time I actually liked Will.
As another poster has said the "we are family" kind of mentality amongst Uni students in my experience is not uncommon. It's not meant to be literally, like "you are my brother, I have known you since you were born, I know your favourite colour and how old you were when you stopped wetting the bed!!" It's more natural and relaxed than that, more a state of mutual appreciation and existence (particularly important when living in halls!!). I just felt like with the Uni lot they weren't as forced as the younger lot. I thought they were believable as a group of flat mates (because isn't that what they were originally? And then they became friends?) and so they weren't forcing the whole "luvyababezzzzzz!!!" Type stuff.
With the younger ones I just used to cringe when they were on screen in their group all trying to insert their heads further up Maddies backside. As for the language and vocabulary they used, my sister in law is 16 now and I have never heard her (or her friends) talk in the way the teens did, although I did also wonder if that could be a regional thing? My sister in law is southern, I'm from the midlands, and we do have quite different vocabulary (plus a seven year age difference) so I am wondering if perhaps the way they spoke was specific to a particular region, and so it sounded unnatural to me because I haven't been around teens from that place.
I'm still not sure I would have liked the teens if I was younger, although I do remember when Theresa, Newt, Lauren, and Anita were in the show as a group, I was about two years older than them, and that was one of my favourite groups at that time.
Anyway, / long post. Very interesting discussion to read through, good call OP!
I do wonder a little bit if opinions on the groups are based on the age of viewers at the time?
Yes that's the conclusion I was coming to - or if you happened to be in neither age group - their acting skills or lack of. It is an interesting discussion because it clearly marks how much age/background and experience directly affect how we react to what happens on screen. If you follow the discussions on these forums it soon becomes really clear exactly how easily the audience can be manipulated - fascinating
I'm still not sure I would have liked the teens if I was younger, although I do remember when Theresa, Newt, Lauren, and Anita were in the show as a group, I was about two years older than them, and that was one of my favourite groups at that time.
Anyway, / long post. Very interesting discussion to read through, good call OP!
Really interesting, but I don't think it is just age. I left my teens behind aeons ago, but I remember really liking the Duncan/Ricky/Esther group at the same time because they just seemed nicer people. And Seth. They never sneered or bitched at other people, they were the lovely geeks. And I used to like the Sarah/Hannah/Nancy group, and Amy/Michaela. Just more rounded, human characters who drew you in, instead of feeling like I was being "forced" to like them.
I could not stand them, although Jono grew on me at the end. Callum was perfectly fine before he joined their crew. Maddie got what she deserved although there was talk of Neil having a hidden camera so would have liked to have had that come out that she left him for dead. Tilly was the worst, all sweetness and light whereas she was actually the most self centered, self serving teen out of all of them and she consistently dropped Esther for someone 'better'. Bart- just don't- awful character, awful actor, awful SL.
Comments
Yes, almost immediately after Heidi's murder Maddie and her cronies dominated focus even arranging a candle-lit vigil. Real shame after the gripping Halloween and WAG Wedding episodes.
Yeh I remember now, apparently her family were going to part of the show I'm glad that never happened. Though we did see her dad in the awful abersoch week and her mum who tried to seduce Rhys after Phoebe punched Maddie
They were terrible. Sorry.
I was about 20 at the time these two groups were regular features in the show and I was at university and I much preferred watching the Uni students. I found them to be believable, and more interesting than the (younger) teens because not all was laid bare- it felt to me like there were more layers to each of them that would unravel over time. For me, the weak link in the Uni group was Ash- for some reason I found her very cringeworthy, especially initially, and at the time I actually liked Will.
As another poster has said the "we are family" kind of mentality amongst Uni students in my experience is not uncommon. It's not meant to be literally, like "you are my brother, I have known you since you were born, I know your favourite colour and how old you were when you stopped wetting the bed!!" It's more natural and relaxed than that, more a state of mutual appreciation and existence (particularly important when living in halls!!). I just felt like with the Uni lot they weren't as forced as the younger lot. I thought they were believable as a group of flat mates (because isn't that what they were originally? And then they became friends?) and so they weren't forcing the whole "luvyababezzzzzz!!!" Type stuff.
With the younger ones I just used to cringe when they were on screen in their group all trying to insert their heads further up Maddies backside. As for the language and vocabulary they used, my sister in law is 16 now and I have never heard her (or her friends) talk in the way the teens did, although I did also wonder if that could be a regional thing? My sister in law is southern, I'm from the midlands, and we do have quite different vocabulary (plus a seven year age difference) so I am wondering if perhaps the way they spoke was specific to a particular region, and so it sounded unnatural to me because I haven't been around teens from that place.
I'm still not sure I would have liked the teens if I was younger, although I do remember when Theresa, Newt, Lauren, and Anita were in the show as a group, I was about two years older than them, and that was one of my favourite groups at that time.
Anyway, / long post. Very interesting discussion to read through, good call OP!
Really interesting, but I don't think it is just age. I left my teens behind aeons ago, but I remember really liking the Duncan/Ricky/Esther group at the same time because they just seemed nicer people. And Seth. They never sneered or bitched at other people, they were the lovely geeks. And I used to like the Sarah/Hannah/Nancy group, and Amy/Michaela. Just more rounded, human characters who drew you in, instead of feeling like I was being "forced" to like them.