Evening all, sorry I've been a bit quiet. Real life keeps getting in the way...


Interesting theory and a hundred times better than the alternative. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this is the case.

Just like McTango, im glad that seems to have been dropped

I'm not talking just about now, JP has always gotten hate of the particular virulent kind. But I guess it's from a minority, and I guess it happens for every character. It probably stands out for me more because I pay more attention to it!

I always think a character is doing something right if they have haters, worst thing is to be unnoticed and no-one bothering. I love JP and that's all I care about tbh.

Weren't James and Mac separated for a good number of years? It's interesting that none of the other children are afraid Mac will hit them, this is something James specifically is dealing with and I'm really curious to find out why. I hope it's a good reveal!

Yeah I agree and this is what leaves me curious. It was only James that Mac targeted. Thererore there needs to be some kind of backstory, which explains what happened to make Mac take his temper out on his eldest son. At first I thought it was simply because James may not be biologically his. However surely by now Mac would have blurted it out. Plus tonight's scenes gave the impression that Mac actually detests his son.

Now that I've seen the episode I have to say I kinda liked the Marnie/James scenes. There was the usual codependency going on, and it was sad/distressing because of the evident effect Marnie's manipulations have had on James ("I thought I could have felt that way for JP eventually, but you showed me that it wouldn't have worked out and you stopped me from making a big mistake"...how twisted is poor James' reasoning...), but to me they felt also like mother and son for once in a proper way, supporting each other affectionately. In a rare moment of honesty and self-awareness, she even admitted that discouraging James from being with JP wasn't really a selfless act, but a selfish one coming from the fact that she likes having him all to herself.

Interesting dynamic.

Her cuddled up to him seemed too creepy to me, the way she kissed him, could you imagine Myra and JP like that, I liked his reaction to it all as if maybe this isnt normal

Well, Myra always suffocates JP with her boobs! Hahaha

Marnie and James have a symbiotic and unhealthy dynamic that it's not comparable to normal mother/son relationships. But while I see possessiveness (is that a word that exists in English?) and twisted power imbalance, I don't see anything sexual.

I think its the constant closeness, she is always touching him, cuddled to him, he always kisses her, they live together, hes a lawyer in his 30s why is his mum living with him?

That's her way of keeping him close to her, as "her little boy". Infantilizing him is a way to try and keep him from getting away from her influence. She doesn't allow him to develop meaningful relationships with other people in order to keep him emotionally dependent on her.

I really, really don't think there isn anything sexual or incest-y going on here.

I don't think it's sexual either. Thier relationship is unhealthy and there is a lot of emotional dependency there. James constantly needs reassurance from his mum, probably because she was all he had growing up and her opinion is now the only one worthy of taking seriously. For Marnie she left with James and became bitter over the years and ingrained that in her son. She's not alone in her vitriol. She has James. I think it's come to the point that neither know how to function without each other becusse they've spent that long depending and leaning on each other. Had Marnie not given James 'permission' to contact JP, he wouldn't have gone round. James is still very much under Marnies control.

JP should run in the opposite direction the fastest he can, frankly. But this is a soap, so... bring it on!! I just hope it won't end in absolute disaster...

I think Im just worried about what else the poor guy had been subjected to

This song makes me think of our little pairing, its sad and feels like its all about lost love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=251gwcrtSC4

None of the usual channels has uploaded JP's scenes yet (while the EEs and Coronation Street storylines have already been updated). I hope this trend doesn't continue for the
whole duration of the storyline, or it will get very frustrating for me!!

Sigh.

Anyway, I can't wait to see what happens next. It's almost worth the weekend ending, and going back to work! LOL

I just found this interview with Greg that I had never read before:

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/holl...son-bombshell/

Interesting that he thought that "Jarry" was a real thing. I only saw lust.

I wonder what the original plans were for James, if they didn't originally intend to put him with JP (JP/Scott apparently was always planned... ugh eww ugh argh). From the interviews I have read so far it doesn't seem that McNight was planned as the next big thing, so maybe they are making things up as they go, see what works?

ETA: also, if anyone has twitter, tweet Gregory something in support of James and James/JP, otherwise he will still be thinking that most people want him with Harry!! Hahaha I don't have twitter, unfortunatety.

He's probably doing that thing where an actor defends his character and praises the storylines. Since James has fallen for John Paul he's said there's real feelings between them and hopes they can make a go of things together.

There did seem to be a very clear dividing line better James relationships with Harry and then JP. I wonder if they realised how skeevy/sleazy the stuff with Harry was and if they wanted to begin to show James' good side he needed to be in an adult, equal relationship. For that to happen, John Paul is the logical choice.

I think he liked Harry but to the point of a pretty young guy with his future ahead and then Ste who is a homeless HIV positive drug addict with 3 kids and still married is taking Harrys future, harry has already given up his dream of playing football what else will he give up for Ste

and dont panic looking at twitter for a link for you yesterday there was a lot of love for James and people wanting JP to help him

I'm not panicking at all! I was mostly joking about the twitter thing!

And yeah, you are right about Harry. James definitely thought he was throwing his life away with Ste (and who would deny that, honestly).

I think the best thing would be Harry leaving, I hate that characters come in who are wonderful at something ie Harry and football, hes 18? doesnt have a team etc if he was that good he would be in a team, training daily

Harry is too good for Ste, I cant think anything that Ste gives him at all

Harry is too good for Ste, but at the same time I don't like Harry, and he brings Ste's character down for me (or more down than Ste can sunk to on his own). I need them to pair Ste up with a more interesting/challenging partner for me to be interested in him again!!

I think Ste needs to be by himself, he jumps from relationship to relationship, they ruined Ste for me when he left JP for a "woman" that was so unrealistic and silly, and so cruel to JP, I am protective of JP and hate him getting hurt

He should be on his own, but it will never happen.... this is HO.

And yeah, by the end of McHay I hated Ste's guts to the point I wanted him to overdose and die, the way they made him treat JP ruined the character for me too.

He isn't back in my good book completely, not yet.... but Kieron always manages to draw me in and make me feel for him.

I like Harry, I think he's a fine young man who is good for Ste. I obvs realise this is an extreme minority opinion here, but I hope he's not going anywhere and that him and Ste make a proper go of things for the long haul.

I'm so looking forward to Monday's episode, I hope it's very JP and James dominated.

Harry is an awful awful character who has dragged Ste down which you would think is weird when Ste's done a good job of that on his own tbh but he is. Plus Parry is an atricious actor who shoykd have lost his job after he recent instagram post. Both woukd be better away from each other but tptb seem to think that pleasing 1% of viewers is more important than the other 99% who hate Starry. Harry is now turning into Ste's longest relationship and I'm sorry but that's wrong. They have nothing in common and Harry's ruining his life by being with him. Not to mention the unrealistic acceptance by Tony. How could a dad of 3 who's been married twice and still married to his 2nd husband has HIV and is an eternal cheating druggy screwup be attractive to an 18 year old with all to play for in life. I'm sorry but I don't buy and never will buy this big love affair.

I wish tptb would realise they will NEVER work and stop flogging a dead horse with these 2 and split them up. If only to save both characters. Plus Harry should be aced. He's diabolical and Parry's been shown up for the guy he really is recently.