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Emmerdale's brilliant Steph Stokes


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Old 15-10-2004, 23:14
Drifter
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Okay so maybe some scenes are dragging on a bit, all this, "you've got to keep your strength up" etc, but it seems to be moving on again now with Alan twigging on to what she's doing. Am I right in thinking he was awake at the end of tonight's episode when she said he might be going the same way as Shelly?

She just gets funnier/better/creepier by the episode, especially tonight talking to herself at the bar quite chirpily saying how she does all this stuff for him and he doesn't appreciate it. All very Annie Wilkes!
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Old 15-10-2004, 23:16
Mephistopheles
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She is the female Richard Hillman in the making
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Old 15-10-2004, 23:29
Cristo
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Sheer genius! Lorraine Chase has proven herself to be a brilliant actress.
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Old 15-10-2004, 23:45
SULLA
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Originally Posted by Cristo
Sheer genius! Lorraine Chase has proven herself to be a brilliant actress.
Brilliant is a bit too much.I agree that she has done very well but I still hate the character
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Old 15-10-2004, 23:49
Drifter
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I think she looks stunning for her age too to be honest.
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Old 15-10-2004, 23:50
Golden Virginia
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Originally Posted by Drifter
Okay so maybe some scenes are dragging on a bit, all this, "you've got to keep your strength up" etc, but it seems to be moving on again now with Alan twigging on to what she's doing. Am I right in thinking he was awake at the end of tonight's episode when she said he might be going the same way as Shelly?

She just gets funnier/better/creepier by the episode, especially tonight talking to herself at the bar quite chirpily saying how she does all this stuff for him and he doesn't appreciate it. All very Annie Wilkes!
I think shes fab.

Alan was awake tonight, he'd started to twig to her as we saw him spitting the pills out earlier.

I loved the scene at the end when she assumed he was doped up & couldn't hear her etc. Can't wait to see how this works out.
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Old 16-10-2004, 12:33
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Originally Posted by TRLuk
She is the female Richard Hillman in the making
Except that Brian Capron can act...

Sorry but it's not working as far as I'm concerned. In the hands of an accomplished actress the story could have really motored but Ms. Chase simply doesn't have the range to pull it off. A pity.
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Old 16-10-2004, 12:42
Agent Krycek
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Originally Posted by Byronic-Hero
Except that Brian Capron can act...

Sorry but it's not working as far as I'm concerned. In the hands of an accomplished actress the story could have really motored but Ms. Chase simply doesn't have the range to pull it off. A pity.
Thank god, I thought it was just me. Much as I like the plot I really find Lorraine Chase incredibly wooden and very very pantomine in the role
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Old 16-10-2004, 12:45
kimindex
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I think she can act and better than Brian Capron too. She looks still very much the ex-model so it's a shame they didn't make her an ex-model in the show who got involved in some shady , unspecified stuff in the 70s.
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Old 16-10-2004, 12:51
kimindex
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Originally Posted by Agent Krycek
Thank god, I thought it was just me. Much as I like the plot I really find Lorraine Chase incredibly wooden and very very pantomine in the role
It's funny how people can see the same thing and think completely different things. I think Brian Capron was very pantomime too but it didn't affect my enjoyment. I suppose it's hard to play a role like that without being like that to an extent. How many of use know how someone behaves when they slip into psychotic murderer role? I suppose I find her more plausible because of her behaviour in the past - the character clearly was clearly deeply selfish and sociopathic before this ever happened.

I think the best evildoer was Trevor Jordache. He was creepy, very creepy.
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Old 16-10-2004, 12:56
Agent Krycek
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Originally Posted by kimindex
It's funny how people can see the same thing and think completely different things. I think Brian Capron was very pantomime too but it didn't affect my enjoyment. I suppose it's hard to play a role like that without being like that to an extent. How many of use know how someone behaves when they slip into psychotic murderer role? I suppose I find her more plausible because of her behaviour in the past - the character clearly was clearly deeply selfish and sociopathic before this ever happened.

I think the best evildoer was Trevor Jordache. He was creepy, very creepy.
Trevor Jordache was superb, especially well played as the actor had always seemed to play loveable rogue type roles before. I agree there was an element to pantomine to the Richard Hillman character as well. I just don't like Lorraine Chase as an actress, which is probably my problem with the character.
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Old 16-10-2004, 12:57
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I found all those mentioned - Richard, Trevor and Steph - very pantomime, added to which Steph is very camp. But that adds to the enjoyment of her performance for me. I don't see how else she could play it really, and I would guess that's how she's been directed. Lorraine isn't the world's best actress but I think she's doing a good job with this storyline. There was a 'still' shot of her on Thursday's ep where the camera just stayed on her face for a long while - that can't have been easy but I thought she dealt with it well.
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Old 16-10-2004, 13:07
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As good as the storyline is, I cant help asking myself questions about the whole plausibility of the thing.
Would all the villagers really believe Stephs version of Alans condition after all the things she has got up to in the past. I cant believe its only Emily who is slightly suspicious and wheres Marlon in all this?
Where is Steph getting all these pills from? If they are from the doctor then she would have to be getting a repeat prescription and the way she is going through them would raise suspicions.
Is there no district nurse or any sort of doctor to make regular checks on Alan?
It is too much of a dramatic leap in the character of Steph to expect us to believe she is capable of some of the things being hinted at.

I am still enjoying the storyline but it could be in danger, before very long, of becoming too long and drawn-out.
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Old 16-10-2004, 13:47
Drifter
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I don't think there's anything wrong with being pantomine, Lorraine I find switches between that and "serious" very often, which I quite like. She can do evil and deranged well, then she play it really camp and comical too. When she joined the show she was an appalling actress, but for me she is one of those people who have found their feet and got better with time - like Janine Butcher. So I do find her very convincing now, and as has been said, the character has always shown signs of being a tad unstable not to mention very manipulative and nasty.
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Old 16-10-2004, 20:21
anderson24
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But is Shelly dead?
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Old 17-10-2004, 12:33
Lippincote
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Ah now, if you're talking about whether it's convincing or not - then no, it's not! Steph is a spiteful controlling bully, but I don't know that we could believe she is truly evil (and I don't think Shelley is dead).

I may have missed something here (I don't see every episode) - WHY is Steph doing this to Alan? Is it for his money, or what? I can't really see her motivation. She 'won' the Shelley contest, so she shouldn't have any axe to grind.

Perhaps the reason he doesn't get a visit from a doc or nurse is that he should actually be well by now & not in need of medical attention - but again, where is she getting the medication?
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Old 17-10-2004, 13:05
Drifter
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Originally Posted by Lippincote
I may have missed something here (I don't see every episode) - WHY is Steph doing this to Alan? Is it for his money, or what? I can't really see her motivation. She 'won' the Shelley contest, so she shouldn't have any axe to grind.
I'm thinknig she basically wants him to herself and for no one else to get close to him. At the same time she hates the fact he doesn't approve of her and said some nasty things (deserved though), so she's punishing him as well. And thirdly she is selfish and wants to get his money whilst she can. So basically she's getting cash out before it goes to someone else maybe. And because she can.
It's interesting that Alan Turner wasn't quite a cuddly nice guy back in the day, so arguably you could say he's had a hand in Steph's personality.

Perhaps the reason he doesn't get a visit from a doc or nurse is that he should actually be well by now & not in need of medical attention - but again, where is she getting the medication?
We still don't know what type of pills they are. They could just be general things you can buy without a prescription? . After all, they're only making him pass out and go all drowsy, they don't appear to be damaging him.
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Old 17-10-2004, 13:58
Lippincote
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Originally Posted by Drifter
I'm thinknig she basically wants him to herself and for no one else to get close to him. At the same time she hates the fact he doesn't approve of her and said some nasty things (deserved though), so she's punishing him as well. And thirdly she is selfish and wants to get his money whilst she can. So basically she's getting cash out before it goes to someone else maybe. And because she can.
It's interesting that Alan Turner wasn't quite a cuddly nice guy back in the day, so arguably you could say he's had a hand in Steph's personality.

We still don't know what type of pills they are. They could just be general things you can buy without a prescription? . After all, they're only making him pass out and go all drowsy, they don't appear to be damaging him.
Thanks for the info Drifter. It makes more sense if she is just doping him up to get cash out of him - I thought she was intending to gradually kill him, which didn't make much sense. Of course she is now in more trouble now with the business rip-off, so maybe she will try to increase the dose .

You're right that we don't know what pills they are, but I don't know of anything you can get without prescription which would have the doping effect Alan's experiencing - unless taken at huge dosages, more than the four tablets he's being given (he's a huge guy so would need a horse-size dose ).

I don't remember Alan in his pre-cuddly days - I am a relatively recent Edale convert.
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Old 17-10-2004, 17:42
SULLA
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Originally Posted by anderson24
But is Shelly dead?
If Shelly is not dead there is no logical explanation why she has not returned...with the Police. I suspect thay may find one though.
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Old 17-10-2004, 18:18
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Originally Posted by kimindex
I think she can act and better than Brian Capron too. She looks still very much the ex-model so it's a shame they didn't make her an ex-model in the show who got involved in some shady , unspecified stuff in the 70s.

Of course Brian Capron was pantomimic. But the difference is that he was deliberately so; it was the skill of the performance. Sad to say that I don't believe Lorraine Chase has the range to be anything but a caricature. Personally, I find her the real weak link in a soap which has improved well in the past 18 months - and the current storyline, which should be sending out a wonderfulfrisson of horror is just coming over as nasty. And, to me, that's down to the weakeness of the performance.

But, as another poster has pointed out, it's all subjective, so no-one is "right" about this and no-one is "wrong".
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Old 17-10-2004, 18:22
Drifter
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I've noticed with characters like this you always get a divide in how people see them. Brian Capron seemed to be equally loved and hated, same with most other murderous types, like Cathy Bradford in The Bill.
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Old 18-10-2004, 07:59
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Marlon and in a lesser way Emily seemed to be a little suspicious last night. Only natural, Alan is their friend and Steph is certainly not, especially after the way she has treated folk previously. They would tend to believe him rather than Steph, surely. Let's hope they get together and DO something to put us out of our misery, let alone Alan!!
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Old 18-10-2004, 10:04
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I thought that the writers parted company with reality and common sense last night. In fact I had to leave the room at one point, it was making me so cross.

I didn't think anyone DID seem suspicious at all, they believed what Steph said. But the worst thing was the way Alan behaved, like a halfwitted five year old, wimpering about Shelley. He's been off the medication for a bit now so he should be in full possession of his brains, yet he just wittered on idiotically.

Surely the first thing he should have done was tell them to call the doctor and ask him to visit straight away.

Why should a broken ankle have resulted in him having dementia? His ankle should be healed by now and he should be having physio (the hospital would want to know why he hasn't turned up), plus, in any case, since when did having dementia mean lying in bed all day? They have the example of Edna, who is surely older than him and yet recovered from a broken hip far quicker than Alan is progressing, yet none of them have noticed this.

And the way Steph keeps saying "we can't expect him to get any better" is preparing people for his death, and I can't believe she would kill her own father. Sorry but the writers haven't kept me with them on this one. I don't think I can bear the watch the rest!
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Old 18-10-2004, 11:43
Drifter
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Originally Posted by Lippincote
I didn't think anyone DID seem suspicious at all, they believed what Steph said. But the worst thing was the way Alan behaved, like a halfwitted five year old, wimpering about Shelley. He's been off the medication for a bit now so he should be in full possession of his brains, yet he just wittered on idiotically.
At first it seemed like no one was suspicious, but Emily did at the end when she said "I'm not so sure". I guess this is where the rumour came from that Emily might be in danger from Steph.
And as we still don't know what drugs he's taking, who knows what effect it has on the brain? Certainly it came across like he was still very, very drowsy.

and I can't believe she would kill her own father.
I think this is the point of the matter - much as Steph is disliked by quite a few (I think Diane would be the first to notice something was up, but as we know she's caught up in her own problems now which is convenient)., no one would seriously believe she'd do Alan any harm. So why would they not believe all the other stuff she's coming out with? Of course the wheels are already in motion for at least one person to figure it out probably.

I don't understand the doctor/physio thing either, that's the one "hole" I have issues with here. It's been conveniently avoided and I don't like that. If they had shown Steph to bring the doctor round to see him, perhaps to confirm that was the last time they'd be seeing Alan and he was better, then it would be fine.
Otherwise I can only imagine the doctor visits to check on his leg, and that's it? In other words the drugging thing goes unnoticed. It's questionable to say the least though...

Oh well, nothing will stop this being my favourite story of the moment by a long way, possibly of the year . Just for the fact it's so different and a mixture of fun, scary and shocking.
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Old 18-10-2004, 12:01
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I absolutely hate Steph as a character. She is possibly the most selfish, scheming cow on the soap for a while and I really hope she gets found out and punished sooner than later. Lorraine Chase isn't the greatest actress, but Edale has done well to introduce her and give her some nasty storylines such as betraying Trisha by getting off with Marlon and her constant obsession with her Father's money. She is playing the money driven psychopath well at the moment but I think the character will have to go after this story line, as I can't see anybody forgiving and forgetting what she's done.
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