Nowadays though we seem to be gawping at a Corrie peopled with fine actors saddled with depressing storylines. Is Corrie representative of the world we live in? Is it portraying life as we live it? All soaps have to embellish reality, otherwise we would be tuning in to six episodes a week featuring Fiz doing the school run, Sean hoovering the stair carpet (a meaty storyline for him) and Rita putting a rinse on her hair. While the dramatic situations can be outlandish, the viewer ( i.e. me) wants to cheer on my favourites. I want to will them to success when life gets the better of them. Or so I thought.
Corrie of late though has drained this particular viewer of empathy and I'm jabbing my old fart's finger in the direction of Eileen and Billy. For the hapless Mrs Phelan, her demise has been something of a slow burn. From a bright, cheery start way back in 2000, M'lady of the Miseries has compounded her stupidity on an almost monthly basis. The woman is an idiot. Had it been the seventeenth century, Eileen would have been hopping around with a bladder on a stick yelling 'hey nonny nonny'. With her life falling to pieces around her (daft son seeking out a living in Erinsborough, sly son on the run, serial killer husband), our hearts should be breaking for her. 'Come on Eileen!' we should be crying and indeed, often, as the scriptwriters managed to crowbar that hoary old reference in a couple of times last week.
Instead, I find myself on Schadenfreude Street. Maybe Eileen will have the last laugh (although unlikely as if she cracked a smile, civilisations would fall) and save the day. Sadly though, the well of sympathy is as dry as a Carla one-liner. I find myself wanting Eileen to fail. What future for her anyway? Other than Liz a-rasping and a-gasping her vape fumes over a bottle of house red, will there be anyone left to be bothered with La Phelan? She's been a mother, fag hag and wife. What next? Will she end up bumbling around number 11 with Billy and Summer? It's hard to see how Eileen can fight her way back from this unless her neighbours are particularly forgiving. Maybe it's a phase. Remember, much the same happened to Gail a decade or so ago. The woman seemed to be downing idiot pills on a daily basis but is now a calming presence for her family. At least she can offer Eileen a shoulder to cry on. Who better?
The Billy saga and his descent into a personal hell has been particularly difficult to watch. Here we have a man who a couple of years ago was organising jumble sales with Emily and is now shooting up in a church. It's not been fun to watch and it's been difficult to empathise with a character as weak as Billy. Daniel Brocklebank has worked wonders with this most depressing of storylines and doubtless we will now see Billy's journey of redemption. It's a mighty big ask of viewers to forget how hopeless and hapless he has been though. Has it made for good drama or just over-the-top melodrama?
I think we are all now aware of the commercial considerations that now dictate the road that ITV and Corrie must follow. We are advised that the demographic is younger and that they demand, devour and imbibe stories where disaster and misery lurks around every corner. Many will recall a long-defunct Channel 4 soap called Brookside. In it's heyday it trounced both Corrie and EastEnders in providing contemporary, relevant storytelling. Then it decided to up the ante and slip in a few sensationalist plots - a hostage taking, the shocking rape of a central character, drug addiction. Boxes ticked and with an increased viewership, Brookside then had to raise its game. The original premise of the show was long-forgotten. Out went the gritty drama and in came week after week of murder, explosions, religious cults and the regular question of 'which building will the helicopter crash into this month?' Eventually this became too much for any soap to sustain and the programme was cancelled. More really did become less.
I love and, despite everything, continue to love Corrie. Not quite as much as I did but it's still there. No one wants to see the show stagnate. As Classic Corrie has shown us, there may have been iconic characters and slow-burning stories but there was also a reliance on daft old women in hats and long-winded tales that outstayed their welcome. No one want to go back to that. Please ITV, treat Corrie with care. We really don't need the bed-hopping merry-go-round, the endless litany of murder and the never-ending melodrama. You have a team of excellent writers and actors. Let them shine. You never know, the younger demographic might just like a well-told story and if they like it then so will the advertisers. So will we.
By Clinkers to Riddle
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2 comments:
I agree with you, David, but would differ about Gail. She has been saved from total drunken lunacy but now we hardly see her. She and Audrey are wasted. I don't want to go back to the old Corrie which could be quite stagey, not surprising when several actors came from the theatre or the clubs. These days, Corrie can be quite cinematic. Different times, different audiences and different drama training, probably. When a character drifts into theatre-mode, we notice and say they're panto or OTT.
There's a big divide between fans. Some want to care about characters, rooting for underdogs or wanting villains punished and gone. Others want excitement, don't go in much for caring and will delay come-uppance until it's absolutely necessary. It isn't just about an age divide. I know several people in their 60's upwards who love horror - Stephen King, for example - and have turned back to Corrie simply to watch Phelan. They're not interested in other characters. I think the high octane storyline bubble will burst after Phelan's exit. Impossible to sustain but Corrie will duck that one and say they've listened to fans. We will be left with grim storylines like Billy whom nobody cares about anymore. In fact, I now only care about Tim and Sally, believable characters played
by excellent actors.
You are on point, Humpty Dumpty. I don’t like Phelan’s story for the who’s gonna get it next aspect. I like the complex character, the carefully managed twists and arcs, and great acting. It almost doesn’t matter that it is so preposterous, it’s well constructed, maintains a reality and is engaging. Same goes for Sally and Tim’s relationship. The problem is that so many other stories are choppy and quick and full of holes that destroy any hope of viewers developing an emotional connection.
When Peter holds a drink and then dumps it out, that’s a triumph and we cheer. It took time to build up our connection and we know his struggle. But with Billy, blam, a retcon puts him in a murder. Blam, a stupid healthcare set up makes him an overnight addict. Peter had the support of his family, Billy was abandoned by the church he gave his adult life to and his partner is on the lam; other than dimwit Eva he has no friends. No time for his inner struggle to develop, no connections to flesh it out, it’s no wonder nobody cares and just wants this story over.
The same could be said about most of the other story lines. Blam, Kana. Blam, Alya in mourning. Blam, years of fear and struggle ending with a quick, awful trial. I would like a story about Gail the older worker struggling to find a job after years of un/underemployment; that’s huge and real. Leanne wanted but was denied a baby of her own for years; where’s her story of being torn between spending time with Oliver and getting a job she desperately needs? What about bright Sophie and/or Bethany getting some type of further education and making something of themselves in spite of their families constant need of babysitters, et al? How’s the book going, Daniel? Instead of those more complex tales that have been building within characters about whom we care, it seems we’ll be treated to Michelle and Ali’s tale of woe, which returned, blam, out of nowhere.
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