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Who has covered depression better? Corrie or Eastenders?


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Old 19-09-2015, 09:51
SuperSoaper
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Coronation Street had the Steve depression storyline a few months ago, which I thought was pretty good, but it ended so quickly, and now it seems to have been forgotten about, which is unrealistic.

Eastenders is also doing a good job with the Lee Carter storyline.

So which soap do you think has done the better job of covering this issue?
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Old 19-09-2015, 10:03
Adrian_Ward1
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Eastenders so far for me.
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Old 19-09-2015, 10:05
boogie woogie
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Initially, Steve's depression was tackled quite well, but sadly now appears to have been forgotten about.
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Old 19-09-2015, 10:10
soap-lea
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I don't think its been forgotten, he is still showing signs of depression they are just not focussing on it as much as they were.

As Lee's story has barely started it os hard to compare the two, plus they are being told differently.

I thought Steve's story was done very very well and I think Lee's story is now shaping up to be done well, tho you could compare Mick and Liz as both trying to be supportive but putting their feet in it cos they don't quite know how
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Old 19-09-2015, 11:12
little-monster
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Eastenders has done it well at the moment.

Corrie's was awful and to top it off, they gave the storyline to an awful actor anyway
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Old 19-09-2015, 11:14
srhgts
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EE are doing well so far. The CS one was utterly terrible in every possible way.
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Old 19-09-2015, 11:18
SuperSoaper
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Eastenders has done it well at the moment.

Corrie's was awful and to top it off, they gave the storyline to an awful actor anyway
I thought Simon Gregson did a good job, though.
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Old 19-09-2015, 11:29
textpest
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What drives me mad is every time someone on TV is given tablets to take for a mental illness - they put them in their mouths pretend to swallow and remove it once no one is looking. Every time!

Pleased to see the doctor offered 6 sessions of CBT but it would be a 3 month wait. Realistic. Although I did think the GP was rather cold. And didn't want to listen to what Mick had to say.

A well timed storyline considering the mental health reforms and awareness taking place.
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Old 19-09-2015, 11:38
Sunnydays
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I thought Simon Gregson did a good job, though.
Maybe too well considering he is taking a break, what for? goodness knows, but perhaps the storyline has affecting it more than we can tell..
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Old 19-09-2015, 11:54
AlmightyDino
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EastEnders by far.
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Old 19-09-2015, 12:24
soap-lea
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I thought you were a corrie fan when you joined? you are proper going to town on them with your dislike!
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Old 19-09-2015, 12:26
JohnDoe14
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Steve suffered a panic attack due to his depression on his stag night. The best man then took everyone to Liverpool and left Steve behind to check that he's ok and everyone was fine with this.

Don't watch Eastenders but I like to imagine that they'd be a bit more considerate.
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Old 19-09-2015, 12:31
Eva_Coco_May
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coronation street it was a slow steady process and Simon is a fantastic Actor, and Steve is brilliant character with miles of experience. He portrayed it well. It hasn't been forgotten about he's on meds it's been referenced many of time. I expect with the departure of his best mate Lloyd it could make a come back now Simon is taking a break.

I dont think Eastenders have done all that great with it, Lee isn't a good actor Imo I think they did better with the Linda rape storyline.
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Old 19-09-2015, 12:50
BadLadAsh
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EastEnders definitely, they always get it right with stuff like this.
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Old 19-09-2015, 12:54
Pink_Smurf
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Eastenders for me. I find it easier to relate to and more believable apart from Lee pretending to take the pill then spitting it out. I would have thought he would take the pills. What I thought was realistic was his family ie Mick and Babe trying to jolly him along when they don't seem to understand how he's feeling. They might know a bit about depression but it doesn't help when family say things like "you just need some fresh air and exercise" when that's the last thing you feel like doing. It's true that fresh air and exercise will help but it's very hard for a depressed person to want to.
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Old 19-09-2015, 12:59
mrs.deschanel
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I missed most of the Steve story as it during my "I can't stand watching this drivel" phase that lasted from Phelan to the bus crash. I thought Simon Gregson did quite well showing the numbness and the spiralling into feeling hopeless. There were also some lighter moments too as well as showing how infuriating it can be to care for someone with depression if they are unwilling to get help and you can't force them. I find Steve likeable anyway so some bias may be in there too. I don't like Lee - his character isn't interesting and I find the actor wooden (please don't throw stuff at me EE fans &#128521. It makes it harder to care for what a character is going through when you don't like them so it's hard to judge his story yet. I think Whitney may shine in this story and I'm glad Shona has something to get her teeth into. Her side might be interesting to me. EE is doom and gloom and CS uses some humour (Simon asking Steve about being depressed and Amy's response). I think it's apples and oranges.
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Old 19-09-2015, 13:00
Adrian_Ward1
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Eastenders takes the crown on this
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Old 19-09-2015, 13:22
AlmightyDino
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I thought you were a corrie fan when you joined? you are proper going to town on them with your dislike!
Things change. And I can like more than one thing.
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Old 19-09-2015, 13:35
Oldnjaded
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Maybe too well considering he is taking a break, what for? goodness knows, but perhaps the storyline has affecting it more than we can tell..
Simon Gregson has suffered from depression all his adult life, which is why he says he was glad to take on the sl and raise awareness of it.
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Old 20-09-2015, 00:35
SuperAPJ
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As much as I criticise the show these days, I have to say I think EE has handled it much better and more realistically. It made me feel for Lee. Steve's pulling of sad faces and acting despaired did not.
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Old 20-09-2015, 01:01
Pete Callan
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My post in the other thread seems more appropriate in this actually - my take on the situation..

EastEnders have portrayed Lee's battle brilliantly understated and with a lot less fanfare, while Danny's put in some great performances this week. Well done!

I didn't rate Coronation Street's attempt at all. It was as subtle as a sledgehammer and Simon Gregson hammed it up at every opportunity. I really hate the way he plays Steve these days to be honest, as a caricature. A dim-witted cartoonish fool of a man. He plays it up so much that it becomes jarring to see him playing a serious storyline, it's like giving Joey Tribbiani cancer. I could not take it for the issue that was being shoved so forcefully down our throats, it didn't work and hasn't seemed to have any lasting effect. Like it's been ticked off the checklist and we all move on.
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Old 20-09-2015, 02:50
wwinterj
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Corrie. Besides Steve has it in real life.
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Old 20-09-2015, 05:24
Mel94
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I personally think Eastenders is handling the storyline better. For a lot of Steve's storyline in Corrie, I remember feeling frustrated at how he was treated by his friends and his mother before he was diagnosed. Everything was about poor Michelle and how could he let her go, he was the best thing that ever happened to her, etc. Liz was supporting her more than her own son who was clearly struggling and needed support. When Steve's doctor advised him to talk to Liz about his problems, she just shouted at him and didn't even bother hearing what he had to say. It was only after the mini bus crash when Steve opened up to Michelle about what had been happening to him, that he'd finally had some support. But the problem was, the storyline was mostly about Steve and Michelle, as Blackburn admitted himself. Once Steve started to go to counseling and taking his medication, the subject dwindled down and everything is back to normal. While it was a good idea to show that depression can affect people who would usually be 'jokey,' it wasn't handled too well as a storyline.

Lee is different, we've seen he's struggled with anger and possibly PTSD for a while now, he's a perfect character to use for this storyline. We've seen him struggle with his anger issues and lose it with Ben when he made comments against Johnny before, he's gotten worked up about Dean as a result of him raping Linda. He'd have his experiences from his time in the army eating away at him too, he witnessed a friend/fellow squaddie die in front of him and felt the guilt. Now we know he's also been getting a hard time from one of his superiors due to him preventing a wrong decision being made in an urgent situation. He eventually snapped and reacted violently, losing his position in the army. I feel like Eastenders are showing a lot more realism with their storyline by showcasing the specifics with in dealing with depression - explaining what SSRIs are and that they take weeks to begin any effect, the waiting list for CBT. Also, it seems that Lee isn't just going to be 'cured' and move on quickly like Steve in Corrie, I like how they're showing him struggling to take his medication because it can be difficult to do, it's part of depression. Depression doesn't want you to get better, it tells you you're not worthy of getting better. There's also the shame of having to take medication in the first place just to be 'normal.' It seems like Eastenders have thought this storyline out a lot better than Corrie did and although for me, it's hard to watch because it's a personal matter, I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
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Old 20-09-2015, 06:38
srhgts
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As much as I criticise the show these days, I have to say I think EE has handled it much better and more realistically. It made me feel for Lee. Steve's pulling of sad faces and acting despaired did not.
My post in the other thread seems more appropriate in this actually - my take on the situation..

EastEnders have portrayed Lee's battle brilliantly understated and with a lot less fanfare, while Danny's put in some great performances this week. Well done!

I didn't rate Coronation Street's attempt at all. It was as subtle as a sledgehammer and Simon Gregson hammed it up at every opportunity. I really hate the way he plays Steve these days to be honest, as a caricature. A dim-witted cartoonish fool of a man. He plays it up so much that it becomes jarring to see him playing a serious storyline, it's like giving Joey Tribbiani cancer. I could not take it for the issue that was being shoved so forcefully down our throats, it didn't work and hasn't seemed to have any lasting effect. Like it's been ticked off the checklist and we all move on.
I personally think Eastenders is handling the storyline better. For a lot of Steve's storyline in Corrie, I remember feeling frustrated at how he was treated by his friends and his mother before he was diagnosed. Everything was about poor Michelle and how could he let her go, he was the best thing that ever happened to her, etc. Liz was supporting her more than her own son who was clearly struggling and needed support. When Steve's doctor advised him to talk to Liz about his problems, she just shouted at him and didn't even bother hearing what he had to say. It was only after the mini bus crash when Steve opened up to Michelle about what had been happening to him, that he'd finally had some support. But the problem was, the storyline was mostly about Steve and Michelle, as Blackburn admitted himself. Once Steve started to go to counseling and taking his medication, the subject dwindled down and everything is back to normal. While it was a good idea to show that depression can affect people who would usually be 'jokey,' it wasn't handled too well as a storyline.

Lee is different, we've seen he's struggled with anger and possibly PTSD for a while now, he's a perfect character to use for this storyline. We've seen him struggle with his anger issues and lose it with Ben when he made comments against Johnny before, he's gotten worked up about Dean as a result of him raping Linda. He'd have his experiences from his time in the army eating away at him too, he witnessed a friend/fellow squaddie die in front of him and felt the guilt. Now we know he's also been getting a hard time from one of his superiors due to him preventing a wrong decision being made in an urgent situation. He eventually snapped and reacted violently, losing his position in the army. I feel like Eastenders are showing a lot more realism with their storyline by showcasing the specifics with in dealing with depression - explaining what SSRIs are and that they take weeks to begin any effect, the waiting list for CBT. Also, it seems that Lee isn't just going to be 'cured' and move on quickly like Steve in Corrie, I like how they're showing him struggling to take his medication because it can be difficult to do, it's part of depression. Depression doesn't want you to get better, it tells you you're not worthy of getting better. There's also the shame of having to take medication in the first place just to be 'normal.' It seems like Eastenders have thought this storyline out a lot better than Corrie did and although for me, it's hard to watch because it's a personal matter, I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
Excellent posts, I totally agree.
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Old 20-09-2015, 07:27
LHolmes
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Michelle and Liz were vile to Steve both before and in the early stages of his depression. Yet it was a reunion with Michelle that seemed to lift his depression.

He was noticeably downbeat for ages and Liz, his mother, didn't even notice. I also agree about Gregson being a poor actor. I know he's practically Corrie royalty but he's more hammy than the guy who plays Les in EE.

EastEnders is doing a good job so far.
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