And as that realisation sank in, we watched Gail on screen absorbing the enormity of how utterly and ridiculously, pathetically stupid she's been over losing her loot to Lewis. She's losing the home where the drama of her life has played out over the years.And I thought to myself - what we need now is a Flashback!
Yes, a Flashback! That exclamation mark is not optional, by the way. The camera could pan to Gail sitting on the sofa with her head in her hands, sobbing her little heart out, while viewers are fed a Flashback! of scenes from her life played out on screen.
There could be sights and sounds from the past. David with his hand ready to push his mother down the stairs, Nick returning, Sarah Lou leaving. There could be the deep boom of male voices - Richard Hillman offering his 'portillo' to Jack and Vera at Gail's tea table, Phil the foot fella offering to rub Gail's corns, Martin Platt leaving. There could be the wail of the cop cars as they swoop to her front door, blue lights flashing through her cheap and nasty nets to bring all manner of bad news to her door - David's in the canal, Joe McIntyre's drowned, her dad Ted Page has gone AWOL.Has Corrie ever used a Flashback! before? If not, why not? And surely it's time to start now.
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13 comments:
They've only used voices over the years: when Elsie Tanner left, when Ken contemplated suicide, when Liz left and when Betty. Voices can be as powerful as images.
Brilliant idea, and maybe a flashback could be used as a 'haunting' - no weirder than anything else that's been used! Take a scene from Richard Hillman's time where he may be saying to Gail 'this is all your fault and one day you'll pay' etc. She keeps seeing his face in the bathroom mirror and, come to think of it, other accusing faces could pursue her. Gail is convinced her latest disaster is payback time and eventually she has a breakdown. Lots of ways it could go thereafter.
Why has Gail spiraled downward into a total blithering idiot? No wonder the actors in these soaps get fed up and leave.
Hate to state the obvious but if they incorporated flashbacks we would be reminded of how often stories are recycled.
The way Gail carried herself up the stairs last night, I think a suicide watch might be in order, so voices in her head would make sense. Awful and hard to watch as that would be, and Helen Worth could carry it off, maybe it would be the wake up call Audrey and David need for the dreadful way they've been treating her. (Sorry, Audrey fans, she has been disproportionately vindictive to her daughter.)
One other thing that rarely happens on the street is a police investigation that goes right. I really wouldn't mind seeing Lewis' capture and Gail's funds restored.
Elsie Tanner had a flashback in 1970 and they used black-and-white footage from a 1960s episode in which she kissed Bill Gregory. So visual flashbacks have been used before.
I was expecting a voice flashback in the scene with Gail alone in the house. It would have been a perfect and realistic moment for them to employ the technique.
Gail absorbed the MAGNITUDE of her stupidity, not the enormity.
An enormity is what was committed by Richard Hillman.
The whole story line is off-putting. It's out of character for Audrey to treat Gail so shabbily. Audrey would get angry but she also always helped Gail. And Audrey would certainly reason that the Kylie/David disaster team would not be able to pay the mortgage and upkeep long term so her investment will be unwise. And Gail and her Sally buddy are so cynical - this story line (as the Tyrone/Rubeh story) is stoo-pid. Thank you.
Nathan is right, I also remember the flashback involving Elsie and Bill Gregory. I'm sure I can remember another flashback of Elsie's in which they showed an early 60s scene where Elsie had a huge row with her son Dennis.
I think a half an hour programme dedicated to the Gail years could be quite good. However, the producers need to stop this lunatic-ising of Gail. Its becoming uncomfortable to watch unless they are building up to a story of having her sectioned. The scenes of her pulling faces in the Bistro whilst begging for a pay rise and a place to live and bleating she was all alone made her look mentally deranged. The actress is beginning to lose dignity now, STOP IT.
Agree with you Frosty the Snowman -the story is getting very uncomfortable to watch. Gail is hitting the bottle too much although she has no money to do so. doesn't Nick know that you don;t let your mother to move in with you - oh I can see the couch becoming your bed till she moves out again... Why doesn't Audrey ask her to move in with her she could have her own room and only socialise when necessary.
Come on writers - please catch out Kirsty and get the story finished -
I'm sorry, but Gail has behaved appallingly towards Audrey and I don't blame her one bit for not coming to Gail's rescue, nor should she, or at least not for a while yet. Let her stew in it for a bit. Consequences people!! ..............or lack of them being the reason for a lot of crap that's going on these days.
Now as for Kylie and David, as much as I love the comedy duo they seem to be becoming, they do owe Gail for putting up with their past crap for so long, and while disapproving of what she's done, they should still be a bit more supportive of her at this time.
KC, the problem is that older, wiser Audrey is acting like a petulant teenager. Gail wasn't nice to Audrey, but the whole revenge, both Lewis' and Audrey's parts, is totally out of proportion. You stop being friendly to her and maybe don't invite her to Christmas dinner because she pranked your boyfriend. You don't push a vulnerable older person to the brink of financial and personal ruin.
Kylie & David are evil and immature by nature and they are behaving as expected. For them to be supportive would be totally out of character.
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