Guest blog post by Charles Burns
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Emotions are certainly running high between the Connors and the Nazirs right now as Carla intends to contest Aidan’s will and ensure that Alya cannot take control of the factory. If Alya does become the boss, it could mean yet another big change for a business that has only just got back on its feet, in large part due to the work of a man who is now dead. It would seem that only Johnny can see Underworld for the poisoned chalice it is.
The conflict escalated in Wednesday night’s episodes as Carla confronted Alya before the funeral, and Alya responded by having the locks changed on the factory door. Although Imran tried to calm things, Alya refused to accept Carla’s eventual offer of an 18% share in the business. Carla is struggling to cope with losing what she sees as her brother’s legacy, whereas Alya feels that having been there for Aidan both professionally and personally when few others were, this is what he would have wanted.
There’s plenty of discussion being had about the rights and wrongs of the situation, and it’s certainly making me reassess my views on these characters. Normally I'd be Team Carla, as I generally like her and I find Alya pretty insufferable, but on this one I'm not sure. Although it was cold of Alya to have the locks changed on the day of the funeral, Carla has been such an awful bully throughout all of this that I've been starting to really feel for Alya.
She often makes mistakes at the factory, but she's only young. Carla has much more experience, but over the years has still managed to nearly destroy Underworld through her chaotic antics - after all, that was how Aidan got involved in the business to begin with. I imagine that Alya’s inexperience will work against her, but she’s certainly proven herself to be a grafter in the time she’s spent on the Street.
Prior to this storyline, Alya wasn’t doing much to win viewers over - the fact that her mourning of Luke seemed to last longer than their relationship didn’t win her any fans, and her brief coupling with Josh seemed like a strange move. The criticism of Alya's instant attachment and dialled-up grief is understandable, but it seems like a pretty realistic character trait for somebody who tragically lost both her parents at a fairly young age. The rapid disappearances of her grandfather and brother probably haven’t helped much!
Alya may not be particularly likeable right now, but storylines such as this one will hopefully give her the chance to develop into a more well-rounded character. It's much more difficult to see Carla coming off well in this, especially considering how she keeps trying to physically intimidate Alya. Even if the Connors manage to get their hands back on Underworld, they need to be brought down a peg or two. When the dust settles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carla get the factory, but Alya get the win.
By Charles Burns
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8 comments:
Alya can say that she was the only one who was there for Aidan in his time of need but the only reason for that was because he presented a business opportunity for her. Maybe they developed a personal friendship along the way but it never would have happened had he not been helping her find an outlet for her designs. And she couldn't tell that he has hurting either. So it's not like she has any sort of high ground here.
Carla is a bully, even though Alya isn't particularly likeable at the moment it doesn't give Carla the right to humiliate and intimidate her.
How can Alya brazenly claim a right to the facto. Aiden made his Will when he only had an 18% share. Carla gifted the rest to him because he saved her life. Not Alya - Aiden. And that was only 5 minutes ago. Carla may be being a cow but Alya is no saint either - she is ruthless (blackmailing her own grandfather for instance), disloyal (remember her joint business venture with Sinead where only she reaped the benefits), judgemental and sanctimonious. Nope, I’m #teamCarla all the way.
I don't find the will storyline very plausible. The will is usually read after a funeral but poetic licence was needed to make the day of the funeral explosive. Ben couldn't have done a very good job on the will which should have stated exactly what percentage of the business Aiden was bequeathing to Alya. If it was the entire business, the will would have said 'in its entirety' but that wasn't the case so it should have said 'my eighteen per cent share'. Sack the solicitor. As for the moral rights of the interested parties, they've done a brilliant job of making all the parties unlikable, which is probably quite realistic.
If Aidan left everything to Alya, then so be it. He later got the rest of the factory from Carla and he didn't bother to change his will to give Alya only the original 18 percent. So in my books, Alya's entitled to the entire factory. Even if Aidan was suicidal at the time he wrote the will, I don't know that having suicidal thoughts necessarily means legally that he wasn't competent. It's an interesting question in the real world.
But apart from all that, I think there's a more interesting angle where Susie, Eva and Aidan's baby might be entitled to the whole lot, ahead of Carla, Alya and the entire Connor clan. Aidan would surely have bequeathed the entire factory or a good portion of it to Susie in his will had he known she existed. So I'm Team Susie when it comes to getting her fair share of the factory --- perhaps placed in trust until she's of age. Meanwhile Alya can run the factory. Alya deserves a decent storyline. This character has potential but so far she's been misused.
Cast your mind back to the moment Carla gave Aidan the paperwork giving the entire factory to him. Do you recall the look on his face? I've a feeling he was thinking "Should I change my will before I leave this mortal coil, or should I just let them fight it out?"
I recall, but I really Don't believe that's what his was thinking. More like totally overawed by the prospect of being the sole owner
Jeanie (anon): It's a rude shock for Carla and her anger is completely understandable, but still she gave Aidan the factory as a gift to show her gratitude, so she can hardly be putting conditions on it now. If he had died without a will, everything would have gone to Suzie--would Carla have felt entitled to challenge that? Of course not. She just doesn't like Alya. If she didn't want to lose her 81 percent she should not have given it away. End of.
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