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Carl EE - You would have thought they'd have learned from Derek's mistakes


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Old 24-09-2013, 20:46
Kenkennedykenne
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Well, not Derek's personal mistakes per se but the writers mistakes.

Just like Derek, Carl was brought in with next to no introduction or build up but very quickly started giving it large around the square and trying to move in on Phil's businesses, as well as being intimidating and threatening towards a lot of other people.

Now I know they shared a cell, but in terms of characterisation, Carl may as well be a carbon copy of Derek - the only thing different is that we have seen Carl's mum in a very random scene that has not been followed up on. That's his only redeeming quality, that he has been abused by his mother but even then, you don't at all feel sorry for him giving how much of a douche he is.
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Old 24-09-2013, 20:51
B_C1
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They don't seem to be able to write for male characters.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:00
J-B
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Yet another 1 year lifespan, low impact, 'villain'. Brought in to ruffle a few feathers, make a play for Phil's businesses then leave. There really is no vision at EE anymore.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:15
Kenkennedykenne
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Yeah, the 1 year thing too
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:16
Sora2311
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All he needs is to wear a awesome hat and shag Kat
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:22
Corrie2010
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He is just like Derek..
He has shagged Kat Moon
Make several enemies
Had no build up to his arrival
Was only on show for no longer than a year
Done some dodgy deals
Is badly written
Threatened women as well as men
Looks constipated
Involved in an explosive stunt
Roughly same age
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:27
tenchgirl
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Carl was never going to work all the time Phil is not leaving. The 'Manor' is not big enough for the both of them, if we are to believe in phils 'Manor' then we have to assume all the little back street cons that are carls forte are already run by Phil, whether it be protection money, dodgy booze, blackmail,cut n shuts and the like.

Therefore other than the contrived circumstance for carls arrival - to win back krusty- there is nothing else you can expect from him. Because Phil is staying. Carl can not take over the 'Manor' under this circumstance.

A younger buck or bully boy looking to take over whether it be the likes of carl or Derek or anyone else will never stand a chance till Phil is axed, as that is not likely to happen in the near future any take over bids will last a couple of episodes with the main focus on a love interest to justify the characters existence till the contract runs out.

it was never going to happen, its just a plot device for Max's main story. Krusty was never long term, just another plot device to aid Tanys leaving and Max's main story. This was made plain at the start the actress would not stay forever.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:41
Lizzie Brookes
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He is just like Derek..
He has shagged Kat Moon
Make several enemies
Had no build up to his arrival
Was only on show for no longer than a year
Done some dodgy deals
Is badly written
Threatened women as well as men
Looks constipated
Involved in an explosive stunt
Roughly same age
Carl didn't sleep with Kat. Kat offered but Carl refused.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:43
Lizzie Brookes
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They don't seem to be able to write for male characters.
I agree with this. Corrie's Karl Munro was interesting because we had a man driven to crime by obsessive love. Will in Hollyoaks is creepy and fascinating and I'm looking forward to seeing how that story pans out. EastEnders villains seem rather weak in comparison.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:44
radcliffe95
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I think they should lay off the villain thing for the time being, until the show's back on a solid footing.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:47
priscilla
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Yes, he was a clone of Derek.
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Old 24-09-2013, 21:47
The22ndRachel
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I read that entire post as Carol instead of Carl, and wondered what the heck you were talking about!
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Old 24-09-2013, 22:00
iMatt_101
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I agree. He's come across fairly tiring and un-interesting on screen. They haven't really made us feel any emotion or him yet. I don't hate him, I don't love him, I'm not interested in him, I just don't care about him. The current storyline between Max, Phil e.t.c has been rushed in my view. There's been too much repetitive dialogue and not enough action during the scenes between them too. I do hope that we find out more about him and his mother though, because he has potential.
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Old 24-09-2013, 22:27
ftv
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They don't seem to be able to write for male characters.
Well they certainly can't write for the female characters but I have no doubt DTC will soon change that.A whole new bunch of writers (and storyliners) are needed, the show has just been drifting aimlessly with no sense of direction.
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Old 24-09-2013, 22:38
Hound of Love
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Yet another 1 year lifespan, low impact, 'villain'. Brought in to ruffle a few feathers, make a play for Phil's businesses then leave. There really is no vision at EE anymore.
Spot on!
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Old 24-09-2013, 22:52
JR_THELEGEND
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The thing is with Derek other than the severe boredom the writers clearly had with his character after 2 weeks was that he was played by the worst and most cringeworthy actor in the history of EE and i include the Moon brothers in that!

The bloke playing Carl, while he isnt the best he was just beginning to display something that could have made the character work, but he has fallen foul to EE insisting their villains bully women and cowardly blokes to look hard and then submit to Phillip Mitchell!
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Old 24-09-2013, 23:12
Dream_catcher
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The thing is with Derek other than the severe boredom the writers clearly had with his character after 2 weeks was that he was played by the worst and most cringeworthy actor in the history of EE and i include the Moon brothers in that!

The bloke playing Carl, while he isnt the best he was just beginning to display something that could have made the character work, but he has fallen foul to EE insisting their villains bully women and cowardly blokes to look hard and then submit to Phillip Mitchell!
It's down to the writer's that Derek came over the way that he did. I liked Derek and wish he was still in the storyline.
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Old 25-09-2013, 00:00
kitkat1971
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I'd disagree that there was no build up to the introductions of Derek and Carl. To a certain extent, the spectre of Derek loomed large from the minute that David was introduced in 1994 and he was mentioned many times from 2006 onwards. Likewise, we knew from early on that Kirsty had a nasty ex and was involved with people that Derek and Max wanted to avoid.

The problem has been that they didn't know how to write them once they'd arrived and as others have said, all villains will sooner or later (usually sooner) be proved impotent because they won't take Phil down from his position of Crime Lord of the Square for anything longer than a few weeks. The only long term villains except for him have to be nasty in a different way - rapists, wife beaters like Trevor who the Audience hates but don't come into direct competition with the King.
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Old 25-09-2013, 03:29
Bonymoroni
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Well they certainly can't write for the female characters but I have no doubt DTC will soon change that.A whole new bunch of writers (and storyliners) are needed, the show has just been drifting aimlessly with no sense of direction.
Is Darran Little still writing for EE? I absolutely adored the stuff he wrote for Corrie.
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Old 25-09-2013, 03:36
SellSimilar
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He can't do quiet menace. Oddly, I bet Cornell St. John would be great as Carl - he has real presence, in the Archie Mitchell mould. He doesn't fit Sam at all.
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