In fact, Michelle is even able to rewrite her entire past and convince herself that it's true. On Monday's Corrie she launched into a tender, emotional soliloquy about how wonderful it was to have a baby. How beautiful it was for her and Dean to spot the little spot of genetic material that was Ryan on the screen. It was all so lovely, she teared up.
Except that wasn't Ryan, was it Michelle? You might have forgotten, but we haven't. We lived through the interminable, never-ending baby swap storyline of 2008. We endured the weeks of gut wrenching emotion and people locking themselves in the back room of the Rovers and clandestine visits in manky cafes. We put up with every tedious second of it and we don't appreciate it being swept under the carpet. Yes, it was a horrible, misguided storyline that would probably have been best off not happening. Doesn't matter. It did happen, and Corrie's continued insistence that it didn't is a source of constant frustration, and the cause of many Gogglebox-esque shouts at the TV. Over and over.
Michelle: "Oh, I do miss my Ryan now he lives abroad."
Viewers: "Go and see your other son!"
Michelle: "It was lovely holding my baby for the first time."
Viewers: "That wasn't your son!"
Michelle: "Let's have a family holiday - me and Steve and Ryan and Amy."
Viewers: "WHAT ABOUT ALEX?!?"
Poor Alex has just vanished without trace. The last we heard of him Michelle was taking him to meet his grandparents in Ireland, which implies he was being welcomed into the bosom of the family. Then: nothing. He just vanished. This psychologically unbalanced, emotional young man who was deeply attached to Michelle after the disappearance of his own mother was never mentioned again. Where is he? Did he just give up? Similarly, Ryan spent weekends with his biological father for a while: that all went out the window. When he went off the rails with drugs and dropping out and all sorts, his father was nowhere to be seen. Wouldn't a quiet word from him have helped?
It makes Michelle seem like even more of a bitch than she already is. It's hard for her to spout truisms about "families" and to criticise Tracy Barlow's mothering skills when she has a son she doesn't give a monkeys about. I accept that Ryan is her "real" son, in the sense that he's the one she looked after his whole life, but Alex is her biological son, a legacy of her relationship with The Sainted Dean. And he needs a mum.
I'm not particularly keen for Alex to come back because, as I said, the whole storyline was incredibly dull. But it would be nice for Michelle to acknowledge it now and then. Perhaps a little "Ryan's off being a DJ in the Med, and my other son Alex moved to Australia to study." Or, "I know how you feel, Gail; my son Alex turned out to be a dangerous psychopath and has been locked up in a secure institution for the rest of his life." Or "I think of Alex sometimes, since he was killed in that terrible exploding sofa accident while I was on my cruise." Nothing much. Just a bit of closure.
I'm guessing that in Michelle's world she just lost interest in him. And since the Earth revolves around her, that's all she needs.
See also: Rewind on Ryan Connor
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17 comments:
Its amazing how she bleats on about pregnancy and how wonderful it is having a child, yet wanted to force poor Steve to get the snip, thus preventing him from ever having children, even with possible future partners if they ever do (and hopefully) split up.
Just wait until she has a go at Steve when the whole affair comes out, although its okay for her to sneak around with Carla when she was planning on aborting the baby.
Brilliant!
I wish she'd just pop out for a pint of milk sometime soon and never come back, better still how about a bit of plot dejavu and have her electrocuted with her hair dryer.
I find Michelle pretty pointless really, and for goodness sakes UNFOLD YOUR ARMS! She is Okish when paired with Carla as her mate but she just doesnt work with Steve and comes across as a nasty bully and never seems to actually ever do any work, despite being "Miss Dynamic Businesswoman" in the Factory.
It is the duty of blogs like this one to never let the producers forget such atrocities as the switched-at-birth and the dreadful Marc./arcia plots inflicted upon innocent viewers. They insulted our intelligence then and they insult us again by pretending it never happened.
Yes but to be fair, it doesn't matter which child she saw on the scan for the first time, Ryan or Alex. that wasn't the point of what she was telling Carla. The emotions were very real for her and Dean regardless of the baby switch later. Ditto for holding the baby for the first time.
I am more ticked about her bleating on about babies after we suffered her giving Steve a hard time and wanting him to have a vasectomy as another commenter posted above.
Yes, when she finds out that Steve knew about Petiner, she will tear a strip off him for keeping secrets from her. But when it becomes known that she knew about Carla's pregnancy and didn't tell him, not a word will be said about that.
Omigod, that was a terrifically written & funny blog!!! You nailed it and you nailed Michelle.
2 thumbs up!
~JB in Canada
Brilliant blog! I have always loathed this character and can see no reason to keep her in the programme. Her behavior towards Steve is vile
I remember when Alex was on our screens, the dynamic between him and Michelle just felt a little off, almost as if he were flirting with her a little. It just added to the general horridness of that whole switched baby affair.
With regards to Michelle's memory game,does she remember or even care that she has a nephew living a few doors away?It seems odd that there's no interaction between her and her late brother's Liam's son little Liam not even at Christmas! Or once it hits the fan about Maria sending the texts as 'Kirsty' will Michelle finally show interest in her nephew thus leading to a custody battle between her and Kirk?
Anon 21:39 very good point. I completely forgot that little Liam is both Carla(by marriage to Paul)and Michelle's nephew! Michelle never acknowledges the little lad whatsoever! I think he is a sweet little boy who needs more family around him. At least Kirk takes an interest in him!
Sometimes Michelle feels like a leftover from an era of Corrie that ran from 2006 to about 2009. It's like she's there to remind us that yeah, there was a whole Connor clan walking the cobbles for a time. She probably should have left a while ago. Nothing against the actress, but it seemed like that family had run it's course ages ago. As for Alex, well, sometimes the only way you can deal with a bad story is to simply ignore it.
It is very ironic that Michelle is going on about babies when every time someone on the show has one, they are immediately stored in the baby cupboard while the thrilled and devoted parent(s) spend time in the pub, at work, wandering the road, in the cafe or anywhere that doesn't involve being home with the kid they were just dying to have.
Great blog and good points from everyone... And stellar photo! Ya! That's funny.
I wonder if there is resentment for the character because we might think she's too pretty to be a nag?
I love Steve, but he can be a spineless bone head at times.
is this just an attempt at old fashioned 'nag' comedy that just isn't working because the actress is goog looking?
To Frosty the character of Michelle is superfulous to requirements and should have stayed gone with Kieran, she brings nothing to the programme but a shouty harridan like spitefullness and if she hits Steve one more time!! I feel she drags the character of Steve down and should disappear off to Ireland to live with Mammy and Daddy Connor.
Simple answer to that......no!
Corrieqooq - are you Kym Marsh?
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