While I still stand by my original hate-filled rant that the woman is damaged goods and needs psychiatric care, there's a chink in her armour now she's let her guard down as Tracy tries to get Steve back: "I don't want you back in my bed, I want you back in my life."
And whose heart didn't melt just a little with that scene last week when Tracy playing her tapes in the Barlow living room. It was Bros singing When Will I, Will I Be Famous? When yer thwump yer good-for-nothing builder boyfriend over the head with an ornmanent and get set down for 15 years Tracy-luv, that's when.
Come on, let's face it, she'll never be Tracy McDonald (or will she, what do you think - that just might be the Coronation Street wedding to end all Coronation Street weddings!) but she might be up the stick with Steve's baby for the second time around.
Anyone else warming towards Tracy the tapes Barlow? It can't just be me, can it? Hmm... if so then maybe I should take more medication. Nurse!
Dare I say this? It's not just you ... oh dear. It's the same old story as far as the producers are concerned. Bring the character in (or back in this case) with a bang and then tone them down a bit.
ReplyDeleteIn this case I guess it can be put down to Tracy realising that she gets nowhere by being a hateful bitch all the time and she stands more chance of achieving her aim by going at it a bit more subtley. As subtle as a stone rather than a brick in her case.
Tracey's had some cracking lines recently that have made me LOL. Calling James "Jessie James" was one of 'em. I like that she's still got that psycho bitch from hell edge to her while softening up a bit cos of Amy. Great character!
ReplyDeleteHeaven help me but it's not just you.
ReplyDeleteI actually slightly want Tracy and Steve to get together. I prefer them as friends, but I do think they work well together.
It did make me laugh when people moaned and groaned last year at Tracy's return - I just knew that in X months they would start to like, or better still like to hate, the character!!! The Corrie producers can read you like a book.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Tracy get involved in a big argument (better than watching Becky), where Steve tries to calm her down and seconds later, she wallops him over the head while making him fall to the ground due to him been in the way. She deeply regrets this and shows her feelings to Steve and tries to apologies. He mutters and she asks ' Are you saying apologies accepted Steve'? and he replies 'Who are you, where am I'? After a few days, Tracy could think that Steve has lost his memory 'no thanks to her' and eventually realises that he was just putting it on to see exactly how she would react to her love life with him.
ReplyDeleteNope....she's a conniving scheming little cow...she cannot possibly turn into a respectable person at this stage in the game..I won't stand for it!!LOL.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE CORRIE!!
Not warming to her at all. The way she uses Amy to get to Steve is despicable and Steve and her getting together just shows contempt for the viewers. She is a terrible character badly acted.
ReplyDeleteI found myself thinking similar thoughts to you Nora. The line where she said that she was who she wanted to be when she was with Steve did it for me. She will always be edgy but is showing a softer side which makes her future in the street more realistic.- Micky
ReplyDeleteThank heavens I'm not alone. I've always had a soft spot for Tracy, given that she's an intriguing character and is often very witty. I'm glad that they are keeping her sassy side, whilst allowing her nuances to come out more.
ReplyDeleteCorrie is all the better when it shies away from moral absolutism, goodies without shade and baddies without redemptive traits. It's part of what gives it a sense of realism at times. We've seen David Platt get more nuanced, good to see the same happen with Tracy. I felt this coming for a fair while now.
no sorry i dont like her and never will it doesnt help that i dont think kate is a very good actress
ReplyDeletesomeone decent might have pulled it off but i'll never warm to her
Nope, not one bit, she's still the little b*#$% who blabbed Ken's personal life to the Rovers, and who takes far too much delight in Becky's demise in public, and who uses her own child as a tool (why is Amy still spending so much time with Tracy and away from Steve, I thought the new custody agreement took care of that???), and who likes to lord it over Stella, and who only has 2 facial expressions, fake pout and smirk. No thanks, I'd have been fine if she stayed locked up.
ReplyDeleteSay it ain't so Nora! Still dreading her return in Canada..she has always been my least favorite character. Re: Amy, are we supposed to forget how long Steve and Michelle/Becky were the only parents Amy knew, and believe that Amy only wants to be with her fickle mother (what kind of a mother uproots her child from school and family who have actually RAISED her just because she can't have the man she wants? A crap mother, that's who...)
ReplyDeleteRebecca in TO
I hate to say it, but me too. I still think she's essentially horrible, and it was pathetically unrealisitc the way TPTB brought her back. But it happened, and yes, now I find myself rooting for Tracy and Steve.
ReplyDeleteNo Sorry, caused too many Becky rows which have caused too many endless dire episodes :) (to name but one reason) and I don't think Kate Ford can act herself out of a paper bag. So she is still very much out in the cold according to this house!
ReplyDeleteI had the same horrid epiphany last night about Tracy too, when she look genuinely nervous about trying to win Steve. Maybe its about time we saw another side to Tracy Barlow though?
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, Tracy Barlow is a character and the actress who plays her reads the lines. The actress isn't showing a softer side in her portrayal - she's simply got different words to say! No real depth to the acting, hardly any expression on her face when she was alone after Steve left her. I've said before that we like our villains to be well-rounded like Tony Gordon who I really felt sorry for. The producers perhaps realise bringing Tracy back as a 2-dimensional b**** didn't win her many fans, so are trying to give her some vulnerability. She needs a friend to confide in (from a dramatic point of view) and then we might see all the different layers of her personality.
ReplyDeleteTracy has definitely improved as a character lately. I think it's the writing that is making the difference - they've toned her down a lot and simply have her reacting to situations that she has a reason to be invested in, rather than being randomly evil and malicious for no reason whatsoever. And it makes a big difference, being able to understand her motivations and see her vulnerabilities.
ReplyDeleteShe actually had a good point the other night when she said that when she is with Steve she becomes a better person. She is much nicer when she and Steve and Amy are all hanging out together, just doing normal family stuff without all their baggage and related issues getting in the way - she is so much more relaxed in those moments. But when things don't go her way...the talons will still come out, no question!
I agree with the comment that it would be nice to see a different side of Tracy and Steve certainly couldn't do much worse when it comes to women! Unfortunately, I'm sure I read something from Kate Ford herself saying she wasn't staying long...
ReplyDeleteI think both the writing and Kate Ford have helped the character of Tracy enormously - I wonder if either of them read these Blogs? Kate Ford's acting is certainly better and less manic these days.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the writing will still let this story line down again because of all the inconsistencies. But Tracy does have some belting one liners! And she is clearly a character in desperate need of attention - pay-back time for all those years spent alone in her bedroom!
Yes, I am warming to her as well. I actually quite enjoy her nowadays
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall saying ages ago something to the effect that stranger things have happened. I can see Tracy and Steve together, except that Steve just doesn't seem to feel the same attraction that Tracy does.
ReplyDeleteHow long would it be before TPTB brought out her darker side again though? I wish they would reserve her bile for the characters who deserve it.
Yes I thought the other night how she was growing on me....slightly. But I'm seriously wondering if it's going to end up as another of her ploys to get what she wants, ie. maybe she's only being nice to Steve to try and get her own back in some way, for him tricking her into signing that paper over custody of Amy!!
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone. I think they've made the wise decision to make Tracy a bit funnier rather than ridiculously evil. Kate Ford's actually not a bad comic actress too. I much prefer slightly camp, funny Tracy of recent weeks to the gurning villainess of old.
ReplyDelete