Well, aren't we all having a lovely time with the surrogacy storyline? It has certainly engendered one or two comments and has made us re-assess one or two of the characters. The cobbles' very own 'everymum' Anna Windass is now a shrewish old trout. We once felt sorry for Izzy but of late she's morphed into some gimlet-eyed harridan. Okay, she has her reasons, but enough already. Gary has gone from being moody to creepy and as for Tina, well it's a case of 'me me me'.
Unfortunately there is someone else who has begun to rattle my cage of late. It's a controversial one too as the person who I am pointing at is Rita. Dear old Reet. We've travelled down the years with her and watched from a distance as she settled into her village wise-woman persona, dispensing advice and cheques with abandon. For others though, she may simply be a meddlesome old ratbag, buying her way into the affections of others and peddling her sanctimonious views from the moral high ground.
Of course, Rita has mellowed with the years but look back to her golden years in the 1970s. She wasn't much to shout about - a second-rate cabaret singer, living over t'brush and with a line of spite often aimed at her dithering assistant Mavis. We remember Reet and Mave, quite rightly, as one of the Street's classic double acts but Rita could be nasty to her at times.
Fair play to Mrs Littlewood-Bates(kind of)-Fairclough-Sullivan-Tanner though. She worked long hours in the Kabin and managed to drag husband Len up and out of his squalid existence at number nine. Rita is no stranger to sadness and maybe this has sharpened her edges and gives her the confidence to dispense tough love where needed. With Dennis Tanner she seems to have found, we hope, lasting happiness. As we watch her moral compass wobbling all over the place, thanks to the confused and misguided Tina, Dennis will be there to steady the ship.
A bit of advice though Rita. Put that cheque book away, ditch the young fogies (imagine waking up to see Tommy's face every morning - it must be like finding an Easter Island statue parked up in your front room) and show the likes of Gloria that being in your golden years does not mean you have to become an unpleasant baggage.
In Rita we trust . . .
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15 comments:
I'm a big of Rita as everyone knows and any screen time she gets is great! And so this surrogacy storyline means she's been on screen very often.
I do think that Rita and Dennis' marriage should be explored though. What about a visit from Dennis' ex Jenny or summat?
I'm also a big fan of Rita - always will be and have always been so - and I do believe she will do the righ tthing in the end, that is, tell Tina to get a grip. Might take a while, but she'll do it and I think Dennis might help her.
I have always liked Rita too but this storyline is wrong. Rita is enabling Tina to take the baby. If it had been Tina's egg then I would have a totally different viewpoint. I just do not understand why people are on Tina's side.
Even though I am in my "golden" years, I don't think that Tommy can be construed as anything other than HOT. Quite frankly, if I woke up to his face every morning, I would have to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't died!
Bev
I think we're seeing Rita's support of Tina begin to falter. She ought to listen to Dennis and give Tina some tough love, but MK has another year to go so there will be lots of twists and turns in this story. Assuming Tina wins the court case, maybe the baby has inherited a disability that is detected at a check-up. Izzy will have to become involved again, and Rita will point out to Tina the implications of bringing up a disabled child. Tina gives Izzy and Gary the baby and leaves town.
Perhaps Rita sees a bit of herself in Tina and feels motherly towards her, particularly in trying to understand and support Tina's need for family? I do find it odd though that she offers to write cheques left, right and center when she was so upset about Dennis over-using his Debit card. Or was that meant to be a public service announcement about cutting back during the recession? Maybe she feels no one should be spending her money but her but then I doubt Dennis will be able to reason with her, if that's the case.
I have to say Tina lost me when she told Rita to go to hell. As much as I dislike Izzy, I can't say I like 'little miss know it all' either right now.
No wonder Gail will have nothing to do with her anymore. Remember when she made Gail's life hell blaming her for Joe's death.
But as this is soapland and I dislike Izzy more...wouldn't it be funny if Tina and Gary ended up raising the baby together? lmao
Anyone here watch Eastenders? Remember when one of their characters stole someone else's baby to replace her dead one? The storyline had to be cut short as viewers were so totally disgusted.
In the meantime....this storyline is certainly bringing about a lot of attention, opinions, and I would guess ratings too.
Anon 23:16, the Eastenders storyline you referred to was the exact reason why I stopped watching the show! That was the most ridiculous and unbelievable storyline I had ever seen! How that foolish woman could say nothing while a husband and wife were grieving for their lost baby.
Frosty thinks Rita's constant pandering around Tina sometimes borders on the unnatural for someone that is not related or the daughter of an old family friend. She used to be the Websters sugar mummy at one time attaching herself to the family when the girls were younger and throwing what seems like her bottomless pit of money at them. I dont like the belittling way she is beginning to talk to Dennis ordering him about, she treated Norris in the same patronising way. I dont dislike her but this attachment to the selfish not very bright Tina makes her go dowen in my estimation Her hair seems to have a life of its own as well.
Sorry to go off topic, but I cannot believe no-one has commented on the ludicrously-large collage Inspector Clouseau (aka Dev) has put together detailing what MySunita was doing on the fateful day of the fire.
Her day could be described on the back of a postage stamp, yet Dev has somehow managed to compile this huge chart.
Was I the only one to will Karl on to smash Dev's skull in last night?
I don't understand that when Saunita died that nobody bother to look at the security camera that usually in an Icu room. Karl was in and out of that room when felt like it. Then this thing with GAry and Tina is dragging on and on, it is a good thing he did not kiss her we would watching it forever.
Rita is blind when it comes to Tina IMO. Tina had an abortion when she was preggers with David's baby, lived with Grahame (who was the love of her life so she says but let him marry another woman) moved on to Jason..on and off with Tommeh...has no home, is a mardy mare..cannot seem to grow up or get a grip on reality at the best of times and tells Rita, Tommey and Dennis that they can go to hell if they don't think she'll be a good mum?..and then the grand exit...what an awful character..right from the start. I hope she leaves sooner than later.
Annons' above..the EE baby switch was the reason the actress left the show..but she's returning..I guess $$$ talks. The show is now a total joke...only 1/3 of the viewers they used to have..maybe less. Corrie writers better watch this storyline doesn't drag on too much longer...Tina needs to give Gary and Izzy thier baby back...the writers better get this right or there'll be no reason to bring the Tina character back, when the actress' amazing career goes nowhere ... Helen Flanagan who??
I think MK has a brighter future as an actress ahead of her than Helen...then again, she's no Suranne Jones or Katherine Kelly either.
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