Not posted here in a while after falling away from all the soaps last year but thought I'd throw in my 2p as the year draws to a close and now Oates' work as started to come through more and more onscreen.
Looking back at where Corrie was a year ago, for me, the programme has come on immensely. I randomly watched a few episodes back from between January and April this year and struggle to actually believe it's the same year. The writing is so dull, ridiculous (I'm looking at you slavery storyline) and the lighting makes everything look so incredibly dowdy. There's still a heck of a long way to go but if you watch an episode from November back to back with an episode from the first quarter of the year, I think it's clear there's been quite an improvement.
At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I do genuinely feel excited about Corrie's future again for the first time since 2010 and the lead up to the tram crash. In hindsight, I think the excitement back then was a bit daft as Jane Danson, Ben Price, Alison King and Chris Gascoyne were virtually carrying the show and the tram crash was nowhere as good as it could have been in my opinion. Now, it feels finally like attempts are being made to use all the cast in some capacity and Corrie actually feels like a community show again rather than just a bunch of stars with supporting characters so I hope this time around my excitement for the show doesn't fall away again after a few months.
Originally Posted by
notdebbiedingle:
“I half agree with you Boogie, it is far fetched, particularly the police involvement but I'm stiill enjoying it for what it is and Samia is just about managing to carry it off for me, especially the scenes with Aidan & Maria & the scenes with Eva on monday night!!
But yes I can understand why someone who isn't a diehard Maria fan who has been starved of storylines for her over the last few years would not be particularly enjoying it!! 
I do still like the way they tied in the Pablo s/l & the Tyrone stalking s/l though, both of which were appallingly badly finished at the time!!”
It was a good chance to acknowledge two quite poor stories but instead of writing them off as never happened, use them to backup a current story so props to them for that. It's just a shame that they were used to prop up a story that may be consigned the same treatment down the line. I don't think the Maria/Caz storyline was as bad as some people have said - it finally gave Samia something to get her teeth into and, for me, it's given me something to remember Aiden and Eva as a couple by (that Marta the slave storyline was just woeful), but it could have been thought out so much better. I suppose it didn't help though that Rhea Bailey isn't largely convincing in the role (she wasn't much better in The Bill unfortunately) but as something that seems to have been thrown together as soon as Oates started, it wasn't horrendous.
Originally Posted by skteosk:
“That pretty much sums up everything that's wrong with Kate Oates. Her ridiculous attempt to redeem a character as evil as Robert Sugden, just because she was convinced the fans were all wetting themselves over him and Aaron, destroyed that show. I said at the time it was as if Coronation Street suddenly decided Phelan really was a hero, just because a few people who don't take the show seriously have adopted a vile bully and quasi-rapist as their "favourite". And now she seems to be doing exactly that. Phelan is pure, unadulterated scum. He's not supposed to care about Eileen, he's not supposed to care about anyone but himself. Even Connor McIntyre has spoken in the past about how he's a bit worried that some people seem to like Phelan, a character whose sole purpose is to be as unlikable as possible. I suspect he's shaking his head at Kate Oates once more making the mistake of pandering to the more vocal elements of fandom at the expense of the show and the storyline. The whole reason for bringing Phelan back was that he didn't face the consequences of his actions last time and there was a feeling that he needed to get a long overdue comeuppance, and now this idiot woman seems to have decided to completely subvert that and go for what she thinks is the popular decision.”
Originally Posted by boogie woogie:
“I really don't think that she's trying to redeem the character, simply make him more fleshed out and three dimensional. He is human after all, and it's not inconceivable that there might be some semblance of a conscience lurking (albeit very deeply) in there somewhere. Nearly all Corrie villains have some human side to them:
- Richard Hillman: loved his family unconditionally
- Maya Sharma: a desperate longing for Dev to accept and love her
- Charlie Stubbs: standing up for Roy when he was being bullied by a nasty customer at the cafe
There are some others like Frank Foster who are just rotten to the core, but by and large there is a human side to many Corrie villains. There are even some who I could never consider true villains, e.g Kirsty Soames was just a very damaged individual and Karl Munro was driven to the point of desperation in trying to cover up his crimes.”
Spot on for me there, Boogie. I'm so sick and tired of Corrie having villains that come in, are supposed to be all evil under the surface but no-one believes that they are, then suddenly having them turn nasty, have everyone be shocked and then getting rid of them. It's been going on for the last decade now and it's so dull. Connor McIntyre ha been the most convincing baddie the street has had since Maya - why would you not want him to stick around as long as possible? It's good writing to me that viewers are beginning to question the motives of a character rather than the character themselves if that makes sense. We're not sure if he does really care for Eileen where as with previous villains it would have been spelled out in black and white for us as to whether that was the case. It keeps him interesting. I also slowly like how other members of the street are starting to cast their doubts on him too, rather than just everyone believing Anna to just be a crazy person.
Originally Posted by skteosk:
“I hope not. I guess it depends how long she plans to keep Phelan around for. Tracy Barlow aside, Corrie doesn't really do the "resident villain" thing where a character sticks around indefinitely doing constant evil things without consequence. Making Phelan three-dimensional is one thing (although I'm on the fence as to whether he genuinely cares for Eileen or was just going through the motions; one episode later he's sneering about having to put up with her for appearance sake and snapping at her for touching his things). Trying to turn him into a "good guy" or even a permanent character would be a huge mistake. There needs to be an end.”
I can't agree there, they should get as much out of Phelan as they can in my book, as otherwise, they'll just bring in another villain afterwards and continue the cycle. It's good they're giving some three-dimension to a villain.
Originally Posted by boogie woogie:
“It was great to see the Barlows back in force this week as they rallied around Ken. Cheesy as it was, I actually liked the audacious and cheeky style of Adam returning with the less than subtle nod to Mike. Let's not forget that he was an audacious character himself, so it was actually fitting that Adam's entrance with the flash motor, the cigar and the whiskey paid homage to those elements of his character. Daniel's entrance, as is true to his unassuming and reserved nature, was much more understated and it was great seeing Peter stand up and include him in the clan. Speaking of Peter, I'm loving the direction they've taken him in so far. He's rising to the mantle of now being head of the family and is taking more responsibility, which he never really did before. Being the flawed character that he is, trouble is never far behind, however, and I'm intrigued to know the connection between him and the stranger peering in the windows at No. 1.
Why oh why resurrect Bumbling Brian? I really don't see the point of him without Julie. Sadly, it looks like he's around to stay when he starts lodging with Norris and Sean. I think that Oates sees a lot of the old style Corrie comedy in him a la Reg Holdsworth and Archie Shuttleworth but I think she's seeking out the light-hearted in the wrong places. I'd much rather see an archetypal battleaxe on the cobbles passing judgement on everyone else.
I personally liked Michael's exit and thought it was quite a fitting way for him to go. We again saw more layers to Phelan with the dark anecdote about shooting the rabbit when he was younger and blessing himself when he saw that Michael had finally died. Whilst Michael was never one of my favourite characters, he did enjoy his scenes last night and actually found it quite poignant when he was gasping Gary's name, but he didn't see him as he lay dying.”
I'm loving the Barlows at the moment. I thought that would be the end for them once Deirdre died but I'm really interested in them again for the first time since all the Karen/Tracy stuff. Peter being brought back without his alcohol addiction is brilliant. Chris Gascoyne actually looks like he's enjoying playing the character again and it's great to see that him and Leanne have got past their issues. Sam Robertson seems to have improved as an actor and I'm interested to see how Adam's changed in the last decade. Daniel is also shaping up to be an interesting character. All of this is starting to do wonders for Tracy as well. Hopefully, with Amy growing more into her own person, she'll take a bit of a backseat from being solely a bitch for a while and become more integrated into what's likely to become a very complex bunch of Barlows.
I can't believe the hatred for Brian, I think he's brilliant. A classic 80s/90s Corrie character which we're lacking so much these days. I think him being without Julie is giving him a new lease of life too. I always saw them as the Derek and Mavis of the modern Corrie but on his own, currently, he reminds me of a more Reg Holdsworth type of character.
I never warmed to Michael and didn't like Gail around him either but his exit was superb. Far better than anything that Carla or Jason got, which says a lot to me about the type of exits we can expect now.
Originally Posted by boogie woogie:
“Yes, I quite often enjoy the standalone Wednesday episodes more for the very reason that there isn't the same pressure as there is on the first episodes we get on Mondays and Fridays to drive towards what can quite often be rushed, ham-fisted cliffhangers. The writers definitely have more freedom to be more character-driven rather than forcing characters into illogical situations in a misguided attempt to generate drama.”
I'm really hoping that when the show goes six episodes a week, they'll spread it across Mon-Fri with a double episode on one day like with Emmerdale. I think this would really allow the stories to progress naturally but I doubt that will happen somehow unfortunately.
Originally Posted by boogie woogie:
“People on here will know that I was initially sceptical about the Mary storyline when I first heard about it. However, I have to admit that I have been impressed with how they've developed it so far. The unspoiled twist of Mary actually giving birth when she was 14 as a result of being raped was a genuinely shocking moment that I never suspected was coming. It really was a powerful revelation and the understated scenes with her revealing the horrible truth to Norris were tenderly written and excellently acted by Patti Clare and Malcolm Hebden. It's not often that we see Norris's more human and compassionate side, but when we do it really is a treat: his genuine loneliness a few months back when Kirk moved back in with Beth, that brilliantly subtle scene of him clearing Betty's Gazette account after she passed away, his devastation when Ramsay died etc. I think seeing this more serious side sparingly is integral to the character remaining fresh.”
Along with Gail and Tracy, the other character I've noticed a real change in since Oates joined is Norris. He was beginning to turn into a really nasty character where as now he's been softened and become much more likeable and human. I'm really pleased that Mary's finally getting a story that is actually giving her something to do - it's only taken eight years! And while I'm not sure that this is the right story for her, I'm glad it's proving that Patti Clare is a good actress. Same goes for Shelley King as Yasmeen too - and I'm actually finding Alya an interesting character which has never happened before!
Originally Posted by boogie woogie:
“I was going to post this in another thread (getting ready to be shouted at here) but I wanted to consider the Christmas Day episode in the context of Oates' tenure to date. For me- as stated before- there have been plenty of positives to her reign so far, but I really do think that she misjudged the ingredients that should go into a Corrie Christmas Day special.”
I don't want to spend too much time talking about the Christmas episodes but I thought they were surprisingly bad. I definitely think Toyah's return should have taken more of a center stage. For me, I would have sacked off the Maria storyline well before Christmas Eve (or carried it over into 2017) and had Toyah arrive back on Christmas Eve. Then we could have had some time with Toyah fitting back into the street, explaining what's been going on since she left and have a bit of a reminisce before playing out all the drama of her and Peter in the gap between Christmas and new year. Was that meeting between her and Eva the first time the pair had met because they both seemed so uninterested in each other which was really surprising?
Originally Posted by James J:
“If I were in charge I would have made sure well in advance to plan the production to ensure the majority of the cast featured in the episode. It is totally unacceptable we did not see Liz, Rita, Kevin, Gail, Audrey, Yasmeen, Dev and kids, Tyrone, Fiz, Maria, Kirk, Beth, Chesney, even Cathy and Nessa, all of these people should have featured in some form. The cast list was so small for what should have been a special ensemble episode focusing on the families with drama permeating through it.
Awful. Truly awful. I can't imagine Kate Oates is happy with it, there must have been behind the scenes issues preventing cast being able to feature, I wouldn't rule out some mini crisis / rewrites as it just didn't seem like that was the plan IMO for that many cast members to be absent.”
Oates' three Christmases at Emmerdale all seemed to be quite cast heavy, so yeah, it was quite strange that her first one at Corrie would be so light on characters appearing.
Originally Posted by lou_123:
“I've found Kate Oates' reign pretty underwhelming so far to be honest.
There have been a lot of positives and improvements regarding character, writing, etc. But I can't help but compare Oates' first year on Emmerdale to what we are seeing now. Emmerdale improved almost overnight with Gennie's death and killer Cameron. I can't see Corrie being unmissable for the foreseeable future, which is a shame as when I heard Oates would be producer, I presumed she'd drag Corrie right back to the top!
Blackburn was pretty awful, but he knew how to handle the 'everyday' type of stuff and give the show a community feel most of the time. Oates tends to be doing the very opposite. Fake and extremely contrived drama. I ageee it felt as if they were just cramming in as much as possible last night and it just didn't ring true. It wasn't festive and could have passed as your standard double Corrie.
I imagined the show would be entering 2017 very strong, but it isn't. The only unmissable thing that's happened since KO took over was in my opinion the aftermath of Michael's death, and even that wasn't much to write home about when you look at the shows past stoeylines.”
The one thing to remember is that she took over Emmerdale when it was halfway through the Cameron story (and I believe it's mainly down to her that the story picked up in pace so much) and was able to concentrate on other aspects of the show whilst running with that main story. With Corrie it seems that she's come in without that many storylines in progress and is sort of having to juggle everything at once which is why I think some of it is coming across as slightly disjointed. I reckon this will start calming down as we get past the first few months of 2017. If not, then that's the time to be concerned I guess. I'm hoping (or possibly deluding myself :P) that Oates will be able to flag the problems that she had at Emmerdale and eventually turn them around while at Corrie and bring the show back to the place it was around 2003/2004 and honestly believe that if she isn't able to do that then we'll be lucky to find someone who ever can.
Thanks to anyone who stopped with me through all that.
