At first, I wondered about the introduction of drug dealer Rich to the canvas. After the whole accidental stabbing incident with Chesney, I thought it was just an elaborate ruse to get Chesney and Sinead firmly back together. Daniel saved Chesney life but Sinead thought he'd been the attacker, further pushing Daniel away from her. But, no. That doesn't seem to be the reason Rich is lurking about on our screens.
It seems to be bringing up Robert's murky past. By 'eck, he's squeezed a lot into the nearly 13 years between Tracy walking out on him at the end of 2002 and him reappearing for Deirdre's funeral in 2015, hasn't he? He's changed his career from carpet fitter to fully qualified chef, been married again (and divorced soon after he returned to Weatherfield, at least I assume so), owned a restaurant before he returned as well as developing and kicking a drug habit that also involved yet a different girlfriend than the one he married. A drug habit that has also made an enemy of his former dealer, rich.
Rich rocked up in the Bistro, not knowing it was Robert's restaurant and it wasn't the happy reunion you might expect. Robert seemed quite unsettled. Then there was the incident with Daniel's overdose and later, Chesney's stabbing. Robert managed to set Rich up and he got arrested but has threatened Robert.
Now those threats seem to be a reality. In 24 hours, the Bistro has had graffiti sprayed on the inside wall, a Molotov Cocktail thrown on the movable sign outside the Bistro, Robert has been mugged and the flat was broken into. All warnings, all threats, nothing that can proved Rich had any hand in it. Michelle is frightened and she's right to be. There will be further incidents, if the spoilers hold true.
And you know what? I don't care. There, I said it. I am absolutely not invested in this storyline one bit. I find it tedious and over-sensationalized. Why is that, I wondered to myself. Myself answered, because you have no interest in Michelle or Robert, that's why. Oh sure, I had a lot of sympathy for Michelle when she lost her baby and found out Steve had a child with Leanne. But I lost it again when she started being bitchy to Leanne, even as recent as this week when she tore up the registered letter. I do know where she's coming from and I do realize that resentment and hurt doesn't go away quickly. Her reactions are perfectly within the realms of reality. Look at what Eva's doing to love rat Aidan!
But with Michelle, I just want to tell her to suck it up and move on with your life. Which is not really fair because what she went through was a much higher level of betrayal than what Eva discovered about Aidan. The difference is that I like Eva and I don't like Michelle. It's not reasonable but it is what it is.
I don't like Robert much, either. He's got a nasty edge to him these days with a temper that has probably got him into a lot of trouble in the past and isn't about to stop. He apparently likes to gamble and that could end up being a major problem. This isn't the first time he's gone off to the casino in a strop. The last time he did, he ended up drunk and in a hotel room with Carla! Some might say Robert is just passionate. I say that Robert has a dark side to him and I wouldn't want to get on it. Michelle is starting to see that, too. He does keep leaving her alone where she ends up facing all this trauma by herself with no support from him, the man who keeps saying he'll look after her. That's going to erode that relationship fast. I don't think they'll make it to the end of the year at this rate.
Wherever this storyline is going, whatever Rich thinks up to terrorize Robert and Michelle with next (and it does seem like Rich is behind it unless Zeedan's gone completely psychotic after Robert shouted at him one too many times over the spice rack), I have no interest and will take the opportunity to make another cuppa while those scenes are on.
Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)
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16 comments:
A busy, enjoyable week in many ways. but for the first time in my many years of watching Corrie, I was so distracted by the background music in the Rovers and Bistro scenes, I could hardly concentrate on the storylines on Friday's eps.
Did anyone else notice this? I watch on my computer with headphones, so I can hear the actors, but the songs were actually louder than them for the most part. Just awful! I used to enjoy the songs in the past when they really were part of the background, but this is too in your face. Or ears, in this case. I hope production is reading this.
Oh dear, I meant to put my above comment in the weekly summary.
While I'm here though, I agree with Tvor about this Robert and Michelle thing going on. I think the whole story development has a dark edge that isn't really working for me. Maybe we'll get some relief as Robert's past resolves somehow. I hope we don't just get a shift, like with Phelan, where we have to suffer through the brooding, the nasty old friendships, and more cocaine confessions, and then the mist rises and the Bistro gets redecorated.
I like Michelle, but not for many weeks now. Robert's dark cloud is bringing out the worst aspects of her character.
As sad as those scenes with Toyah were I was totally distracted by that dress(?) she was wearing. It looked like it was 10 sizes too big for her and she tried to make it fit by wrapping the belt round a few times, awful!
Tvor look at what has happened to a lot of characters in thirteen years. Look at David, Sarah, Todd, Eileen, Liz anybody. Frankly this speaks of your own personal prejudices than it does of the Storyline's quality.
We temporarily forgive a character's short-comings (or sometimes the actor's poor portrayal) when the storyline gives the character a tragic experience. Thinking of Carla and the rape; Tracy and her mother's death; now, Michelle and the loss of her baby. Soon, in soap's speeded up time frame, we go back to our default position. Usually, it's because those sad experiences haven't changed the character. That's why I don't care about Michelle and I have never had any interest in Robert. Nice enough looking bloke, but that's all. Together, they really add nothing. As far as I'm concerned, move next business.
Nina. I totally agree. When Toyah was crying outside the consultants room, I too was distracted by trying to work out was it was, that I had to rewind the scene just to listen to the dialogue with Peter. All I could think of was that it was a cross between some eccentric artists gear and a surgical gown. I really hope she doesn't wear it again
Tvor, you are bang-on in your analysis.
Completely agree with you Tvor.
What kind of guy has sex (takes advantage) of a woman on the day of her mother's funeral. A snotty one, that's who, and that's Robert. Michelle has always irked me although I did admire her shiny black hair at one time. No, not much invested in this storyline. Ho hum
Haha @Nina. I thought Toyah was wearing a dressing gown/housecoat! Regardless, it'd look great on her if she was one hundred!
Jeanie (anon):
Agree 100% re Toyah--she has been garbed in some hideous looking outfits in the last month or so--all of these frumpy floral patterns in very dowdy styles. You forget how good she looks in jeans and a leather jacket. My guess is that the ptb are trying to imply, in a not so subtle fashion, a dramatic contrast between Toyah (in all her floral glory) and the glamorous women of Peter's past--to underline that this relationship is DIFFERENT.
In the early morning scenes, I thought it was a bathrobe. Yikes. GT is a very talented actress but not the prettiest; a more flattering wardrobe wouldn't go amiss.
I've been over Michelle for years and if she dies in a kidnapping or runs away to Ireland, I just won't care. Robert, however, Id keep. He isn't the most sparkly character but he does get along well with many. He mentored Zeedan, covered Daniel, was even good friends with Nick for a while. He has a flaw as all characters should but he is also pretty normal, relatively. A couple a male pals (Billy?) and a better girlfriend and he'll be fine. As far as a shaky start, most characters start that way, so the whole Tracy thing is fine.
Tvor you speak for me! This is one storyline that I have no interest in following. And it does come down to the two actors, neither of whom do anything for me.
It's such a bummer after such top class drama over the past few months (eg Bethany Grooming, all things Barlow) that we're going to have this borefest dragging on for the next few weeks.
I think another issue and why so many of us aren't invested in this particular storyline is because we have too many big ones going on at the same time! We've got Eva's revenge, Toyah's infertility, Liz and the boss from hell, Bethany's case, Mary and Norris, the Dev/Kev/Erica, Todd/Billy/Summer. I'm sure I've probably left a couple of them out too! It seems like we jump from one extreme to the next and it's easy to grow weary of a storyline that seems to be strictly for sensationalism and nothing more, especially when there is too much going on. I really hope someone from the show's writing group reads this blog and everyone's complaints.
I don't think the quality of the storyline is bad, if it had been Robert and, say, Leanne experiencing the wrath of Rich, I'd like it more because I Like Leanne. I don't like Michelle and rapidly not liking Robert. It feels like they're throwing a lot more backstory for him than there's room for. 13 years ago he was a quiet, nice man fitting carpets. I'd believe it more if he was a brand new character, someone we'd never met before.
Yes, Phelan's Daughter, David & Shone and erm ... yes, well, Fizz's night classes. Maybe not that one, eh? ;)
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