Totally agree with this comment. This sort of stigma is what the storyline aims to squash. However, my original point is that the storyline starts to lose its message if it gets dragged out too much.

I'm in agreement with you but they seem to limit the experiences/expectations of people in the soap.

Don't get me started on people working outside of the 'set' and/or going to college.

BIB - they basically destroyed Abi as we knew her so that she would not have to be off screen going to college to be a Vet. The old Abi was sweet, clever and well motivated unlike the mardy underachieving cow we are now stuck with.

At least they are allowing Johnny to go to college off screen although how that non-entity has the brains to do Law is beyond me.

I agree 100% with this. Hardly aspirational.

Applicable to most soaps though. Corrie - most people work either in the factory, bar or Rovers.

EE - Billy - undertakers; Carters - Vic; Martin, Kush, Carmel, Donna et al - market; Dot was laundrette; Denise & Honey - Minute Mart; Kathy, Ian, Jane, Steven - businesses including cafe; Phil - Archers; R&R; Vincent - bar. Jack - properties (most probably the most topicl of routes in 2016)

At least with Emmerdale the location allows for jobs- Rhona & Paddy are vets as it is set in a rural area. Moira runs a farm; Eric - B&B as it is touristy

Anyway, it would be good to have more studious characters and a middle class family move into the Square

Yet EE have Lee working off the square in the call centre and loads of people are complaining about it.

The normal catch 22 situation

But only as part of his leaving storyline. Otherwise he would be stuck in the Vic or out on the Market.

Most of his jobs have been off the square tho

He may go missing in 2 weeks is my guess. When us babe leaving. She is the inly leaving character whose exit story still is unknown and not playing out on screen yet.

I think it starts next week, the lead up to her exit that is

So true soap-lea. I like the fact that we've seen different settings but I suppose it's expensive

Its actually a terrible storyline for depression. Showing him stealing off friends and family, putting his family in danger with robbers, and generally being a lowlife lying piece of scum who you have ZERO sympathy for.

Tellling Lee to man up is ridiculous if this is all about his depression, but quite a realistic response. So many people do not understand depression - and try as you might you can never get such people to understand. I know this from bitter experience.

I didn't see Lee's previous depression storyline. However it appears to me that his depression this time around has come from his own lies and deception. Maybe that's not the case but that's how it has come over? Depression often comes from nowhere or can come from tragedy or trauma or hardshp. None of these apply to Lee this time around.

Sadly this story seems to of wrecked its credibility by choosing Lee in the first place. He is an unsympathetic character who is spoilt and is a pathological liar - depression isn't an excuse for these things. He has parents and a wife who he could turn to due to his past troubles with depression. A lot of people with depression don't have family or friends they can turn to as their loved ones just don't get depression. Such people feel alone and they have got that aspect right as Lee does feel alone - but in his case it is all his own doing. If he had just been truthful from the start he would not be in the mess he is in now.

Having Lee set up the raid on The Vic was the final straw for many people. When did he actually talk to Oz to set it up? We didn't ever see him engage with Oz other than when he was being bullied. So how did that whole situation come about?

It is a shame the audience didn't see what he described to Whitney, the scenes where he tried to get Oz and the others to like him. Yes I know TPTB wanted the shock value to add to the end of what was truly a dull episode up to that point.

If they really wanted the auidence to get inside Lee's head, then they should of shown the scenes where he tried to befriend Oz and the others and in his efforts he got carried away and before he knew it the situation had gone out of control and he was in way over his head

Sadly, for many, all sympathy was blown for Lee when he arranged for his family to be threatened without showing how that point was got to. Depression isn't an excuse for criminality.

As to me, Lee is just a character I have never been able to engage with so giving him this all important storyline to tell hasn't worked for me - despite my own dark battles with depression and those of others close to me.


Straight to the point but true.

oh my god how hard was it to find this thread that's not even a week old!

anyways DS has updated its soap movers page and Lee now shows as early 2017, so I wonder if he will leave in the next few weeks? I just think that given the other things that are meant to happen early 2017 also show as early 2017

I had at least 5 spells of depression last year where one of them I talked about openly here and most people on DS know I have depression. I kind of relate to this Lee SL as I was receiving counselling once this started. I have been saying stuff from my own experiences and it is not nice depression.

When is rightly asked but another question is how would Lee leave as I honestly thought suicide now I am not so sure

yes, I have seen your posts, I hope the counselling worked or at least helped you.

I think that we will see a period of Lee seemingly getting on top of things. there was a bit of an interview with Danny Boy in the mirror a couple of days ago that gave me that impression (saw it earlier when looking for this thread via google).

but at this point we don't know when he leaves, how he leaves or why. I am going to keep watching and try and be as spoiler free as possible

Babe is leaving too? Yessssssss