Flashback now to August 1977, courtesy of Youtube. Gail Potter and Suzie Birchall, all glossy hair, cheeky grins and short shorts, peddling off under the viaduct on Stan and Hilda's tandem. I know 1977 is some time ago now but the Gail of today is almost unrecognisable.
Was it Ivy Tilsley's fault? Or her Brian's? It seemed that as soon as Gail moved from under Elsie's roof to Tilsley Towers, her youth evaporated. Within months she was pregnant, boasting the very best in hideous late 1970s maternity wear. Suzie Birchall was long gone and Brian's acting talents were soon to be phoned in from Qatar.
Life was very soon one long drudge for Gail. She spent her days running after Nicholas, and between dishing out unappetising dinners in the cafe and ditto at home for macho mummy's boy Brian. It didn't leave enough time for so much as a bitter lemon in the Rovers under Ivy's watchful, disapproving gaze. Gail didn't even pick up any tricks from her flighty mam Audrey, more's the pity.So the victim seeds were sown back in 1979. Look what followed. Gail and Brian get divorced. Gail and Brian remarry "for the sake of the kids": more doom and gloom. Brian gets stabbed. Gail's mother in law from hell becomes a martyr, then an alcoholic, then runs off to a convent with a new face and dies off screen.
Then along comes Martin, whos major achievement was giving the nation David Platt. Throw in a crazy Irish Cusack nanny and an affair with a Geordie nurse and Martin scarpers to Liverpool never to be mentioned again, despite the fact motorways have been invented.
We then enter more modern times which can be summed up as a cycle of never-ending doom and trauma, both for Gail and the viewers. As an aside, how can Helen Worth always appear to be so cheerful? Richard Hillman. Joe McIntyre. David, on countless occasions. Sharing a prison cell with Tracy-luv Barlow. Being conned by that posh bloke from Don't Wait Up...Kylie summed up Gail's life in Monday night's episode to a fairly stunned Police Support Officer. I love it when Corrie references the plainly ludicrous tragedies that have plagued its characters. Where would Emily be without moist-eyed memories of Ernest? Up a tree probably, with Spider.
Download our App | Follow on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog | Like on Facebook
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
I suspect time has worn Gail down a bit and she is much older now so her outlook on life is a bit different from those carefree early days.
ReplyDeleteWhat worries Frosty is that Gail is clearly frightened and upset but of course the burglar is to become her new love interest which is a bit of irresponsible writing - never mind if you get threatened or broken into - you could end up with the intruder as your lover - stupid stuff.
I liked Kylie listing all the troubles that Gail has been through. It's good to see the show acknowledging it's past. The scenes where Michelle and Carla talk about Carla becoming a mum were just weird as Michelle's baby-swap is never mentioned any more.
ReplyDeleteToo right Gilles. Especially since she speaks so much of loving her Ryan but sent the real one packing. lol
ReplyDeleteThe old Gail would have chased him down the street with a cast-iron pan. I think Joe M's death must have addled her brain because she went into Nick's bog one day and came out an entirely different person.
ReplyDeleteWe all get more nervous as we age, we just start to see things from a different perspective and that can bring a lot of vulnerability. However, Gail seems to be going OTT - she barely reacted to discovering her son tossed her down the stairs... happily living under the same roof (pushing for it, even).
ReplyDelete