At the end of Wednesday night’s episode, when Geoff fell off the roof, I did wonder whether he was really dead. After all, Alya appeared, apparently unscathed by the whack on the head Geoff gave her, with a metal cash box. So I needed to wait until Friday’s episode to be absolutely certain that Geoff had departed this life. And yes, he has.
Despite all the past
villains that have inhabited Coronation Street, including the murderers Richard
Hillman and Pat Phelan, none has been, to my mind, as insidious, malevolent and
morally bankrupt as Geoff Metcalfe. I’ve tried to analyse why I think this and
I’ve concluded that it was perhaps the prolonged torture, the chipping away at
a person’s confidence, the removal of any choice in her life and the utter
dependency on Geoff by Yasmeen that he created. In addition, Geoff made Yasmeen
believe, again, after constantly chipping away at her, that she was an
alcoholic. Viewers, I’m sure, watched on in disbelief, as Yasmeen, an
occasional drinker, gradually believed the nonsense and sheer lies that Geoff
was telling Yasmeen. Even Peter Barlow was involved, offering well-meaning
advice to Yasmeen, who now believed that she was an alcoholic. If anyone
thought Lady Macbeth was an arch manipulator, well even she had a way to go to catch
up with Geoff.
The cleaning, the jobs
list, the telling red crosses, the killing and cooking of Charlotte, Yasmeen’s
favourite hen, served to her on a plate and which she unknowingly placed in her
mouth – all these vindictive, pernicious actions had me, and I’m certain others
too, yelling in horror and frustration at a monster with the sole objective of
reducing Yasmeen, a once cheerful, independent, lively pillar of the community,
to a mere shell, unrecognisable in comparison to her former self.
And there’s more.
Geoff took control of Yasmeen’s bank account and her business. He paid for
escorts and taunted Yasmeen in the most hurtful way, maliciously informing her
that she was not a patch on these escorts. He cruelly forced her into an
ill-fitting, inappropriate red evening dress, telling her it was bought for his
escorts and making sure that Yasmeen felt humiliated, ridiculed and terrified.
Though a very hard
watch at times, this coercive control story, I very much hope, has sharpened
people’s awareness of its existence and might also be an explanation as to why
someone is behaving in an odd, unexpected way. Of course, it’s not only men who
exert coercive control, women can too, and if viewers remember Tyrone’s partner
Kirstie, Coronation Street made us aware of the fact that women too can be
abusive and make their partners fearful and miserable.
A few times it
occurred to me that Yasmeen should just have left him, walked out, told him to
sling his hook and his cleaning jobs, but Geoff was too clever. In order to
maintain and sustain her obedience to him, bending her will to his, he would
from time to time apologise, implore her to forgive him, tell her he loved her
and would be lost without her. In this manner, he would rid her of any thoughts
of escape. He needed her, she had to clean because of his breathing
difficulties, his heart problems and because surely, she wanted the place to
look nice.
On discovering Geoff
was dead, it was clear that Kathy felt guilty. I don’t really believe she should
have felt that way. So successful in his manipulation was Geoff, that he forced
Yasmeen to reject her friends. I remember one particular incident where Kathy
and Yasmeen were at Yasmeen’s home, enjoying lunch together, laughing and
having a glass or two of wine. Then Geoff arrived. Kathy left and Geoff lay
into Yasmeen, heavily criticising her for her lunch escapades and how it was a
waste of time and selfish. As we know only too well, a decent man would have
been only too happy to see his wife enjoying herself innocently with a good
friend.
What a delight it was
though for all of us when the note came through to Imran in court, and he
smiled in a meaningful way. It was clear what was in that note as Elaine
entered the court room ready to give evidence on the demonic behaviour of Geoff
Metcalfe. What a triumph and what a relief that was for her and everyone –
apart from Geoff and the horrendous prosecution barrister.
Finally, it is only
right to mention Alya and her refusal to give in, her desperation at the
shocking change in her grandmother, Geoff’s true self being exposed to her in
Speed Dahl and his lack of any love or care for her grandmother, trapped in a
nightmare from which Alya could not wake Yasmeen. Alya took him on. She was
brave and unrelenting.
The acting of all the
main players in this story was nothing but superb! Yet still, the snobbery
exists that soap operas don’t have proper actors, such as those you find on
stage and screen. Well, I’ll tell you now, I will refute this nonsense until such
time as I can no longer speak!
Oh, and before I go,
please tune in to BBC Radio 4 on Sunday at 1.30 to hear me and fellow blogger,
the one and only Stevie Dawson on The Listening Project., discussing the
wonders of Coronation Street. Be there!
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5 comments:
Jeanie (anon):
I agree that Geoff was one of the most skin-crawling and disturbing villains to ever slime his way down the street. I think it's because he was ostensibly so normal, pedestrian--this jovial, joking, singing old man. It made him real and so frightening in a way that Phelan and Hillman never were. I've never met or even heard of anyone like Phelan or Hillman, other than in the newspaper, but I'm guessing just about everyone knows someone who, while perhaps not as bad, behaves similarly to Geoff--particularly with the "funny" jokes designed to embarrass and belittle. On top of that, Geoff really invaded Yasmeen's most private spaces--her beloved kitchen, her memories of Kal, her chicken coop, even her body. He really violated all that we take to be normal and safe and nurturing--whether that is an immaculate home, a cosy, well-stocked kitchen, or a seventy year old body. I think that was the genius of this storyline--not to have it play out with an attractive young couple like Charlie and Shelley but with a couple of everyday, unglamorous pensioners! Both believable and profoundly disturbing.
Ooh yes Jean - absolutely. His ‘normality’ when with others was so carefully constructed, even when he ‘mistakenly’ locked her in the box. What a terrifying experience that must have been.
Thank you Jean for your brilliant comment 👍
Totally agree! I love that this story was with the "older crowd". It's refreshing when they have a storyline. It worked perfectly! It was an awful story (not the storyline itself, just the topic itself) but these two actors deserve every accolade available. It was so believable which made it scary as hell.
You are spot on here. I can certainly remember someone who presented himself as the likeable joker type but when you got to know him, his so called jokes had another side to them which attempted to make the other person feel small and himself feel superior.
I also thought of Charlie who controlled Shelley in a very sinister way.
Great piece Ruth,thank you. I really hope that this storyline has helped people who are going through a similar thing, and helped others to notice if someone they know is experiencing this kind of nightmare.
This is a great piece Ruth, the sad truth is we've all met someone like Geoff the nice guy on the surface but beneath the surface they're a nasty, petty, vindictive bully. The comparisons between Geoff and Charlie Stubbs are apt and accurate.
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