From her dismissal of David as heartless compared with loveable naif Grahame, to her sowing the seeds of doubt between Leanne and Peter, to twisting the knife in with Nick and his work colleagues, Natasha became the kind of bitch goddess we have all wanted her to be. No more cringing and cowering; her evil side was finally released and she tore into every enemy she saw with cold, brilliant precision.
Of course, her greatest cruelties were saved for Gail. Even if La Potter-Tilsley-Platt-Hillman-Platt-McIntyre hadn't hacked into Natasha's records, she still would have been top of her hit list. As it was, Natasha got to wrench her away from her smug middle-class high horse and deposit her back in the gutter. Watching her wreak havoc was blissful; having Betty as a silent, but none the less reactive, witness to the whole thing was the icing on the cake.
Natasha's long been one of those characters who have filled in the gaps in Corrie's cast (think Poppy, or Minnie) but unlike them, she's been a firebrand when she's got a plot. The whole pregnancy storyline has been tragic and disturbing, effectively showing her unravelling sense of reality and her desperation to keep the one person she loves. Rachel Leskovac has been superb throughout. Having her turn her back on all the false promises at the end is a real high point for the character, and leaves her return gloriously open. What if she got pregnant in her last few days with Nick after all? Wouldn't that be a twist..?
She was absolutely brilliant in both of Monday's excellent episodes. "How old are you, Gail? 103?" was one of many highlights for me. I'm so glad Rachel Leskovac was given such a great and memorable Corrie swan song by the writers. The faking pregnancy, attempted suicide story has been really good, and these two last episodes were the icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant ending! I always wanted this instead of suicide, for her to leave with her head held high after destroying everyone else
ReplyDeleteHere, here!!! Brava!
ReplyDeletevery well said and yes, a nick baby - wonderful, let's hope that happens and she and the baby return in force in a few years time!!
ReplyDeleteWhy be so nasty to Leanne, who did nothing but support her? Reminds me of why I had little sympathy with the character of Natasha in the first place! Having said that she is a good character and a great actress and its a real shame to see her go, while the pointless Michelle embarks on a will she/wont she with the barman - who actually cares??????
ReplyDeleteYes, Rachel was terrific - great exit and great that Gail got the boot. Hope she comes back.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she was nasty to Leanne,I don't like her and she gets way above her station considering her past.
ReplyDeleteI loved the bringing down of Gail, she deserved it, the nosy interfering bitch. So glad the doctor finally saw her for what she is.
I will miss Natasha, never thought I'd hear myself say it though!!
A superb exit for a really good character, who let's not forget was only driven to her lies because Nick had been such a heartless bastard to her when she told him she was pregnant.
ReplyDeleteBy the time she was heading to the medical centre it was obvious we were in for a treat, and she certainly didn't disappoint!
Once again Natasha has proved that characters that are introduced slowly generally work better than when entire new families are brought in and given major storylines straight away.
And I for one hope she does return with a baby in tow to wreak yet more havoc... and maybe get Gail sacked from her next job too!!!
Didn't care much for the Natasha character UNTIL last night. Now I wish she's stay, or at least return in the future. What an exit! She'd morphed into a wild west gunslinger going round settling old scores.
ReplyDeleteAs rewarding as it was to see Gail get her well earned comeuppance at the hands of Natasha in the doctor's surgery scenes, I never fail to become surprised at soap scriptwriters lack of real world experience when it's needed. They all seem to have survived as part-time waiters etc., until their big writing breakthrough - none of them appear to have held a responsible management role that would have informed them better on UK employment laws, had they held a managerial role in a large company.
I'm referring to the stretching of credibility that a doctor, (a doctor no less!) would sack an employee, on the spot, without requesting to see both the accuser and the accused in private at a convenient time, to give both parties time to prepare and to consider what both parties have to say more fully, and the employer time to consult with others - rather than to decide on the spot and in public, under direct public gaze, with the person making the accusation giving a running commentary throughout, ending with the triumphant Alan Partridge like, "Back of the net!"
If any of the posters on here work for any organisation of repute they will understand immediately what I mean. The doctor totally failed to follow the set procedures for gross misconduct disciplinary matters, and whilst Gail's dismissal would certainly be upheld, she would be entitled to considerable compensation for unfair dismissal in any employment tribunal. There is a set procedure for dismissing employees for gross misconduct - and Gail's dismissal was not that procedure! Makes for great drama though.
Natasha's last backward look of horror on her face as she realises she was wrong about Leanne - realising too late, she'd burnt all her bridges. Almost Shakespearean.
@Danny-K - I agree with your point about the dismissal - it would never be handled like that in "real life", although it was very satisfying indeed to see Gail getting her jotters ( as we say in Scotland). In fact - I'm not even sure if Gail would be directly employed by the GP but rather the local NHS trust. "Procedures" would need to be followed even in a case of instant dismissal. There might have had to be a police investigation as well, in real life. I also didn't like the "back of the net" comment - over-egging. yours *pedantically!*
ReplyDeleteLoved loved her last scenes. She was so self-destructive thoguh. It was sad to see her realise that she made a mistake about Leanne and Nick. She realised she and Nick may have worked.
ReplyDeleteI hope she comes back with a bay in the future!
baby*
ReplyDeletetv doesn't follow real life procedures most of the time. That's why real estate transactions take place in hours, not weeks and months, convicted murderes share cells with people on remand, etc. It takes too much time for telly and it doesn't make for good telly, either.
ReplyDeleteThe kinds of things that niggle at me are having a tram in the opening credits but not hearing it or referring to people taking it until a few months before you decide you're going to crash it.
I've never liked Natasha. Her character has never made any impact on me, and her needy manipulation of people was hugely annoying.
ReplyDeleteHe little rampage yesterday only made me hate her even more. Good riddance.
(but well done Rachel!) :)
I've always thought Natasha was a thoroughly lovely girl. Why oh why didn't she go out with Graham when he asked her?
ReplyDeleteI am gutted that Natasha has gone. Rachel Leskovac has been superb in what has been an intriguing storyline from start to finish. I am desperate for her to return in the future already!
ReplyDeleteRachel was badly underused for a year after she started. Natasha wasn't seen for months on end and when she was, she was portrayed as a silly blonde bimbo rather than an insecure person. Then came Nick. They finally gave Rachel something to get her teeth into and it was not enjoyable watching Natasha be so needy and throwing herself at someone who obviously really wasn't into her. But there's a *lot* of women (and men, too) that are like that.
ReplyDeleteRachel did a bang up job and made Natasha very believable!
im sorry to say this but the doctor did have every right to sack gail, what she did was totally unorthodox and he could prove she did access natashas medical records, and gail would not be entitled to any compensation at a tribunal.
ReplyDeleteI was annoyed she wasn't wearing a cardigan! Other than that, it was great.
ReplyDeleteMagnificent exit! I've said many times on here that I'm a huge fan of Rachel and I was delighted that her last couple of episodes once again evinced the wit that the character started to display months ago, when the writers were casting around trying to decide what to do with the character, this time combined with the avenging fury. I too was sitting there longing for her to return in a few years. Maybe as a successful business woman, having been hardened by her experience, but the baby notion plays to the character's history with a lovely irony. In the meantime, I'm hoping to see a lot more of Rachel in other roles, as the last few months must surely have put her on every casting director's map. Well done, Rache!
ReplyDeleteNot only do real estate transactions take place in hours, not weeks and months, and convicted murderers share cells with people on remand, but you can ALWAYS get a seat in the Rover's, and people never EVER discuss salaries or terms & conditions when offering or accepting offers of employment.
ReplyDeleteIt's life, Jim, but not as we know it.
:) :) :)
ReplyDelete