It made my blood boil watching Nick lay a shedload of guilt on Leanne this week and then proceed to flirt with the hen party in the Bistro all the while keeping a close eye on how Leanne was reacting. I've often seen Nick use passive aggressive methods over the years to manipulate Leanne and it is a very nasty side of his personality.
Leanne keeps pushing him away because she's pregnant with someone else's baby so he made his speech, forlorn face, resigned to her never loving him back as much as he loves and always has loved her. "Never mind, I'll get over it. It'll take time but if that's what you want, I'll go along with it. *big sad sigh*" All the while, Leanne's tearing up and feeling more and more guilty because she does love him and wants to be back with him but can't deal with telling him about the baby.
And that's another thing. I do believe that Leanne is the love of Nick's life. He has loved others, and I believe he did love Carla. She was even harder work than Leanne could be! But for him, it always comes back to Leanne. But while I do believe she was over the moon about him when she was 16, caught up in the excitement of it all, running away to get married, I also don't believe he is the love of her life.He was just her first love and I always felt that when he insisted on her having an abortion when they were first married back in the 90s, he broke something in her. Add on to that, he put her in harm's way when he set her up to be the one that met the man that killed his father. That hurt and betrayal never really left her and he never truly apologized for either action and neither of them rarely mention it, too.
Every time Leanne went back to Nick once they'd both grown up, it felt like she was either running from commitment (the affair when she was about to marry Peter) or rebounding (after her divorce from Peter). I felt like she settled for Nick. She does care for him, he's familiar and safe in her mind, and she probably does love him after a fashion though it doesn't feel like a grand passion. I think Nick pushes and manipulates and uses passive aggressive methods to make her rethink how she feels about him.
I'm sure there are Nick and Leanne fans out there, but I'm not one of them. If Robert hadn't turned out to be a bit of an arse, I'd have said they would have made a much better couple and I'd certainly bet Leanne could stand up to Tracy better than Carla did. You don't mess with a Battersby. Alas, I think Nick and Leanne are probably Corrie's Ken and Deirdre for the future, the couple that will go around and around, on and off many times over the years and end up settling for each other in their old age if both characters stick around.
Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)
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13 comments:
For what it's worth,I always thought Nick was a spoilt momma's boy and Leeanne was too good for him.
After he slept with his brother's wife and blackmailed David into doing a DNA test with both he and Gail he was the father while he was married to Leeanne I may add,it will be vert hyporcritical for nick to go off on Leeanne when he finds out Steve is the father of her baby and I hope Leeanne or better yet David reminds him of that!
Nice analysis, Tvor. I think I've come to a different conclusion, tho'. Maybe Nick and Leanne work for me because they work well together. There's no giddy romance with them, they just take on life's little dilemmas and muddle through them, with kindness and consideration most of the time. She has a temper, he has brain damage. Her real family is absent (no, she did not grow up with Eva, so not quite a true sisters relationship), he's got the clingy and ever more ridiculous Gail, plus two siblings with full hands and their own psych issues. They've got some contrived issues to work out (her pregnancy, his snarky nastiness), parting gifts from the last producer. They'll never be the fairytale couple, just the steady one that cares deeply for one and other. If the writers tone down the nonsense, I look forward to seeing what happens with them.
Completely agree!
Nick's problem is that he can't stand up to his mother. He needs to totally put her in her place and, only then, will he grow up. But he can't do it on his own. Nick's soul-mate will be the woman who takes no nonsense from Gail. For all her apparent self-confidence, Carla was afraid of Gail's sickly sweet hostility. Leanne's much tougher: she doesn't turn to drink when things are rough, she's bringing up a child on her own, she's had to cope with an alcoholic husband. She must have learnt a few lessons from Janice so if anyone can take Gail on, it's Leanne. She will earn Nick's undying gratitude and respect, and for that reason, Nick and Leanne will eventually make it as a solid couple.
Oh yes. Leanne always did stand up to Gail even when she was a kid! No wonder Gail never liked her :) Nick shows a bit of backbone every now and then with his mother and I do like how he and David have become true brothers even after everything they've done to each other. I don't completely dislike Nick, more of a like to dislike I guess. He's not particularly likeable on the whole but he's a good character and I like Ben Price. I always liked LEanne and Jane Danson quite a lot.
Excellent analysis Tvor. I'd also prefer Leanne to be with Robert if the writers hadn't given him a personality transplant recently. But it looks like she'll get stuck with Nick.
Can you remind me about Nick setting Leanne up with Brian's killer?
I've never seen any details on how Nick got Leanne into prostitution. How did that happen?
I can't be the only one who thinks that Ben Price is the worst actor in the programme? I just can't summon up any enthusiasm for any story or relationship involving him. Not sure which makes me cringe most. His "hey I'm such a nice guy" schtick or that furrowed brow which he uses for any serious emotion. Oh,and by the way,why did his brain injury disappear again the moment that Carla left?
Very interesting take, Humpty. I think you're spot on. Carla was afraid of Gail in that she did crave her approval (the way she knew she had Diedre's, when married to Peter). Leanne doesn't give a toss. One of the reasons why I've long been a big Leanne fan (that and JD's always solid and often remarkable performances.)
Carla left ;)
I wonder what the casting people were thinking when they cast Ben Price. He's not particularly like the previous actor in appearance, and he's also about 10 years older than the character. Nick is 35 now I think, yet Ben is mid 40s.
And it shows!
I agree with70sStreetFan. He always has the same expression - gormlessly puzzled.
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