I don't like Michelle much, I never did. I always thought she dragged Steve down with her drama. Having said that, I do feel badly for what she's been through, losing a baby and then finding out her husband has a newborn by another woman, not even a woman he had a proper affair with. There was no love between Leanne and Steve, it was a pity party. It didn't matter that Steve thought he lost Michelle. She was on her way out of town, and turned around a few hours later, that's barely enough to qualify being "on a break". He didn't know that at the time but he didn't waste any of that time, either. She's allowed to feel angry and betrayed.
Yes, I felt terrible for her. For about a minute. Until she laced into Leanne and gave her a bloody nose. My sympathy slipped a little but her reaction was understandable. The instant she went shrieking it all out to everyone in the pub, she lost a bit more of my sympathy and when she assaulted Eva, she lost it all. I can't blame her for being angry but her attack on Eva was uncalled for and I don't care that she was miffed that Eva knew about the baby.
So did Liz, so did Toyah and they came away unscathed. Locking Liz and Steve out of the pub and threatening to take half of everything was vindictive but a less violent reaction but I doubt very much she has a legal right to take half of everything. Liz owns half of the pub so I do hope the writers remember that and only award her half of Steve's share. I don't think she should have half of Steve's share of the cab firm either, because he owned it long before he married her but again, where Tim owns half, she should only get her manicured mitts on one quarter.
She's out of control and all the things she's doing and will do in the near future are not winning her any votes of sympathy from me in spite of her situation being indescribably dire. I get that she's out for vengeance. What Steve's done is much worse than her flirtation and near affair with that Will fella. Had he told her from the start what happened, he probably wouldn't be in this mess. Would he have lost Michelle if he'd told her about the one night stand? Possibly but possibly not. When Leanne then found that she was pregnant, it would have hurt Michelle, but she probably wouldn't have got pregnant herself. She'd have been too angry with Steve to want to have a baby with him, providing she was even still living under the same roof as he.
We all know Steve is a bit of an idiot. He continually lies, thinking he's doing it for the right reasons. He's not vindictive, he's not dishonest for the sake of being hurtful, he's just a weak person and doesn't want to upset the applecart. Yet his lies always, *always* make things worse when they're found out. He didn't tell Michelle about the one night stand and therefore, when Leanne found herself pregnant, he was in an impossible situation once Michelle got pregnant as well. He really did think he could keep away from the baby, and had their Ruairi lived, he probably could have managed it. But he held that child and he knew it was his and his heart melted. He did the right thing but it was far too late.
From spoilers, but without giving anything away, Michelle is going to wreak havoc on Steve's life, I think, far more than is necessary but she doens't do things by halves. I have a feeling I'm going to be doing a lot of shouting at my screen for the next while.
Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)
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I think you're being unreasonable Tvor. Michelle is hurting and when there hurting they do terrible things.
ReplyDeleteThe people who do terrible things because they're hurting are usually the same who do terrible things all the time. What exactly was her excuse for letting Robert hang about for the past couple of months? For all she knew there was nothing wrong with her marriage and then Steve was grieving for their baby just as she was. It wasn't because she sensed anything was amiss, she's just self centered and rude.
DeleteI'm really not happy when the female characters have cat fights. It seems the writers want to hark back to the early days both of the Street and society. The actresses always say how much they enjoy filming the fights so perhaps it's written in a s perk.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with everything you've said here. I just can't wait for it to be all over. Yes, she suffered a loss and a betrayal, but her reaction is irrational to the nth degree. Grow up, Michelle.
ReplyDeleteYeah you're right she should be completely hunk dory about it. Lost baby and found out her husband got another woman up the duff, happens all the time.
ReplyDeleteReading your post its almost as if youre on Steves side or as if Michelles not in the right to be completely livid. Just cause Steves the 'clueless idiot' doesnt mean he does not have all of this coming to him, and then some.
ReplyDeleteI am 100% on Michelles side, and in fact I probably would do the same and would not stop until he felt half the pain I did.
When he sat in the back room with Liz and said that maybe she could love Oliver as she loves Amy... I was yelling at my tv. Im surprised Michelle didnt slap the words from his mouth because thats exactly what he deserved and I doubt Liz would have tried to stop her.
Watching Mondays episodes I found myself cheering Michelle on. I want her to take half of everything and I want Steve to learn a hard lesson so that when he gets married for the 10th time... and ends up cheating on her like all the others... people dont just chalk it up to thats just 'Steve being Steve.' Steve cheated on their marriage, fathered a secret child, and told her 'if you dont come back to me, you get nothing.' Why should she have to? And why should he be able to walk away from this mess without being punished?
Diane - but that still gives Michelle no right to assault Eva. It's just Steve she should be angry with.
ReplyDeleteThe Eva weave-assault is the only part of angry Michelle I didnt agree with
DeleteI'm giving Michelle a small pass on the grounds that she's emotionally raw, so she'll be irrational.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a quick recap: the reason Steve had a one-night stand with Leanne was because he thought his marriage was over. He thought this because, while in Spain overcoming depression, Michelle reconnected with an old school boyfriend to the extent that they became physical. They didn't actually have sex, true, but Michelle went to his home and knew full well what was on the cards. Only an attack of conscience stopped her. If Michelle stopped to talk to Steve, she might realise that her hands aren't entirely clean. Not to say two wrongs make a right, but the chain of events that lead to Steve sleeping with Leanne started with Michelle's betrayal.
And if we're going to start down the route of "you wasn't that bothered about losing Ruairi because you had a spare son", well Michelle, you've got a spare son too. His name's Alex, and you've paid him no mind for the best part of a decade, so think on!
I"m more on Michelle's side than on Steve's. He did wrong and lied about it. But she's going far over the top and is apparently going to keep on doing it. I don't think she had any right to assault Eva when the one she *Really* wanted to assault was Steve and I don't think that would have been right, either, but at least it's where the anger should have been directed. You're right, she should be livid. I think back to when Sally found out about Kevin and Molly and him fathering Jack. She was furious, too, but was far less violent about it.
ReplyDeleteI've never liked Michelle all that much mostly because she's not an interesting character with much depth. She and Steve were not an interesting couple, either. Her going off the rails at this latest bit of stupidity by Steve is quite understandable and at least we see some raw human emotion apart from all that grief.
ReplyDeleteSteve has always been a weak personality and then mental illness in the form of depression was added to his burdens. Michelle has always been hard nosed and self centered, keeping a folded arms distance between herself and Steve most times. They never had any spark as a couple; have no idea why they got back together other than their characters needed couples stories. Dull!!!
ReplyDeleteThey were apart for a long time when he was recovering and then helping Andy, then she flirted away shortly after he returned. He truly thought they were over. He was lonely, Leanne was lonely, it happened, and if this were France, there'd be no story.
With folded arms in his face, there's very little opportunity to really talk with Michelle. Steve always has hair brained ideas and they always fail spectacularly, so the Ollie mess is no surprise. If Michelle were a kinder person, I'd be on her side but she really is not nice to Steve so I don't care what happens to her. Her behavior Monday night was soapy OTT. Steve needs a lawyer (not Adam!) and honestly, I hope he catches Michelle and Robert together before the paperwork is signed so, yeah, she gets her half of the marital assets (which is not the same as half of what he owns) but doesn't get to ruin him.
I won't feel the same about, say, Eva if/when she and Aiden split. Eva is sympathetic and kind to everyone she meets. Michelle isn't. Never has been. Not gonna start caring now.
I totally agree. I'm dreading the disappointment Eva will soon face from Aiden and Maria but throughout Steve and Michelle's problems I've just wanted the truth to come out so she could dump him and go drain the life out of someone else for a change. Considering that I don't like Steve and his cluelessness, it says volumes about her that I think he shouldn't settle for such a miserable spouse.
Delete