Was it just me, or was anyone else shocked and a little angry regarding Sinead's conversation with Ken earlier this week? Ken tries to speak to Sinead, but she's having none of it. 'I don't want to talk about it - it's private and embarrassing,' Sinead tells Ken. Ken does his best to make amends but Sinead, who is quite vicious to him, tells Ken that 'All you were thinking about was yourself,' suggesting that what Ken wanted was to bask in the reflected glory of a child of his going to Oxford. Sinead accuses him of going on about it being a golden opportunity for Daniel and that for Daniel to be stuck with a 'dizzy tart' like her, would ruin his chances.
Throughout this encounter, Ken is totally non-aggressive and is seeking understanding. Was Ken so wrong for trying to encourage his son to go to Oxford? It is the undeniable truth that an Oxbridge degree is worth having, so from Ken's point of view, a man who values academic achievement and a man who maybe regrets not having aspired more to educational achievement for himself, it makes sense. Isn't it completely normal for parents to want their children to achieve their full potential?
Sinead told Ken that at one time she had trusted him and that she had looked up to him, but that now, he makes her sick. Strong words indeed. Ken remains conciliatory, but must be smarting from Sinead's hurtful comment.
It is unfair of Sinead to blame her termination on Ken. It was also out of order for her to have said, 'I don't know who did this to you, but whoever it was they have my sympathy.' Not your finest moment Sinead - not at all.
Maybe it is old-fashioned to respect our elders, but here, sadly, Sinead showed that she could do with respecting Ken a good deal more.
By Ruth Owen, twitter: @Ruth1722
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16 comments:
Bonnie in Canada:
I'm probably the wrong person to comment because I absolutely cannot stand Sinead. I have no idea what Daniel sees in her and I can't imagine waking up and hearing that awful voice every morning. And now she's blaming Ken for her actions. Ken wasn't very nice about it when he found out she was pregnant but Sinead was the one who decided to have an abortion. She did it in haste and likely regrets it now, but it was still her decision. She's one character I wouldn't miss at all if she left.
I haven't liked Sinead for quite some time now. Ever since she split from Chesney actually. And I am rapidly going off Daniel, there's something very sneaky about him. In fact, I much prefer Adam to Daniel, at least with Adam what you see is what you get.
And I agree totally with you Bonnie!
While I can agree that any parent would want the best and going to Oxford is an excellent opportunity, Ken shouldn't have slagged Sinead off in the process of encouraging Daniel especially not to her face, calling her a tart and telling her she's trapping Daniel. In this day and age, there's no reason why they couldn't have moved to Oxford and had a baby. She could get work, use a creche, he could go to school. Ken took his own frustrations out on Sinead and he was nasty about it. He made her feel guilty enough to have the abortion because she didn't want to hold Daniel back. Yes it was her decision but she knew Daniel was willing to be a father and they would have worked it out.
Ken was harsh with Sinead, but Sinead should have really and truly realized that an offer from Oxford doesn't come around every day, and Daniel is a bookish chap whose path doesn't seem destined to end in Coronation Street. Sinead and Daniel are not a great love story - I don't buy for minute the idea that the two of them plus the baby could have gone off to Oxford together. They don't know each other very well, and Daniel would have to put a great deal of time and effort into his studies. What would Sinead do during that time? I mean, of course she would be raising the baby, but would that be enough to keep the three of them together? If Sinead had chosen to have the baby (and of course it would have been her choice to make), she would have been fine raising it herself (she has a steady job and her Auntie Beth for support), and Daniel could have kept in touch and once he had a decent job, after Oxford, he could have helped financially and morally, without them having to be a couple. Things happen...people have sex, and sometimes people get pregnant. That's life...you deal with it and move on. Why make it worse? Sinead went from being a carefree, slightly hippie-ish but warm, confident person to a shrill, depressed person - she and Daniel did not bring out the best in each other.
Jeanie (anon): Her words were pretty harsh and out of character, but not unfair (in my opinion), other than the final comment about her giving her sympathy to Ken's attacker (which was just gratuitous and something no one is likely to say no matter how angry). Ken DID wax pretty poetical about what a waste of space she was before bemoaning the way Deirdre had dragged HIM down! But his words were out of character too--I think it's just a case of writers trying to ramp up the drama, to the detriment of the actual characters.
What I find interesting is how Sinead never seems to work when they give her a larger storyline. She came in all perky and sweet and feisty but any time she's given an actual storyline she becomes such a whiny, self-pitying downer (like the modelling job, or the relationship with Daniel, or the paralysis and the cute guy in the hospital, or the jealousy over Katie, or the jealousy over Gemma). Whether the story is good (the modelling, an exciting new lover) or bad (the paralysis, abortion), she becomes so shrill and depressing. I used to blame it on Chesney, pulling her down, but now I'm thinking it's the character and/or actor herself. Nothing seems to work or click for her--she's always a long-faced buzzkill. Her best lines have been her sparring with Adam--a little bit of chemistry there, but nowhere else!
Count me in as another person who dislikes Sinead. She chose to terminate the pregnancy behind Daniel's back which sickened me. I can't see the pair of them together for the long haul. I also would not miss Sinead if she left.
I too am not huge fan of Sinead. Personally, I think Ken's initial reaction to her pregnancy, while very harsh, was spot on. What parent wants to see their child or grandchild throw away an Oxford future for a girl he only knew for a couple weeks? It did seem like she trapped him. All those years with Chesney and no babies. Two weeks with Daniel and boom.
She made the choice to terminate the pregnancy, not Ken. Now she just wants someone to blame.They could lose her character very easily. She does not add anything to the street.
I haven't seen this scene yet, so I can't comment on whether she went over the top, but I am looking forward to her striking back at Ken, as he was very cruel in the way he spoke to her about the pregnancy.
Yes, she chose to abort the baby, but Ken heavily influenced that decision, and not in a gentle, respectful way. He treated her like dirt that night, it was wrong, and he should be called to account for it.
And I don't really think it was out of character for Ken to speak that way to her, to be honest. When it comes down to it, Ken has always been a selfish person very capable of casting others aside without consideration for their feelings - or if he did consider them, he determined his own feelings and needs were always more important. It's how he ended up in a situation where he was attacked and nearly every member of his family was a suspect, since he'd given them all motive to do it.
I think we should remember that this was during the 'hate that interfering Ken Barlow' era. He seems to be coming back to his regular self now....but for a time he was really putting his nose where it did not belong. He was harsh with Sinead who was vulnerable at the time.
I don't think Ken should be given a pass for his behaviour. With that said...she could have told Daniel and make a decision together about the baby instead of jumping the gun and getting rid of the baby based on Ken's opinion.
Think back to when Gail paid Kyley not to show up for her wedding to David...what did Kyley do? She used the money to pay for the dress I think! lol So in the end Sinead did have a choice....but Ken at that time was a tremendous bore.
"All those years with Chesney and no babies. Two weeks with Daniel and boom."
That's the one part of the storyline that seemed true to life. Caught up in a new romantic affair, both are likely to want to do it alot, thus a greater chance of mishap when it comes to contraception. Just saying..
Not a fan of Sinead myself but if we think about her wacko relatives, I can see where she's probably developed a disrespect for family members from. If I'm honest, Ken also drives me nuts so not surprised someone bashed him on the head.
Newfy, Ken is a tremendous bore.
As for deserving respect I think one must earn respect and he surely hasn't earned any from Sinead.
PS I don't like the character and she wouldn't be missed by me.
Though Ken was harsh when he told Sinead she'd drag Daniel down and cost him his opportunity at Oxford, I think he was also being honest, he said that he still missed Deirdre every day but they'd had nothing in common.Everyone who knows that couple would have to agree. I always thought Deirdre would have been happier with Mike Baldwin.
Though it isn't the end of the world to have nothing in common with someone you love, it certainly doesn't make things easy. I don't believe for a minute that Sinead and Daniel would still be together in a couple of years whether he went to Oxford or not if they had to deal with a pregnancy just weeks after starting to sleep together.Knowing that Ken was right is why Sinead had an abortion but nonetheless it was her decision and she can't pretend that she would have done it if she was certain that Daniel would happily chose her over Oxford.
As angry as she is at Ken, I think Sinead is lashing out at him because he's an easy target. She's probably just as mad at Daniel and herself for not being ready for a baby but facing the shortcomings of your relationship is a risky thing to do unless you're ready for it to end.
Such great and analytical comments. Thank you all so much for your responses. Makes writing for the blog such a pleasure.
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