Julie, Julie, Julie, you film videos with the camera positioned above your face. Think of the chins, hun! It's Julie's last stand, or rather sit, as she makes vids for her nearest and also dearest. Instead of going to the Lakes, she and Eileen go to a lake, which is pretty although it seems to be frozen in time where it's forever March. Julie talks about her life, saying she wouldn't change a thing (maybe the time she mistakenly got off with her nephew?) and how Eileen is like a strong cup of milky tea, three sugars. Eileen takes the hint and goes in search of a tea room and when she comes back, Julie is gone.
It's a shame that Eileen's leaving story also means the end of Geileen as Julie begs her sis to leave Mr Shuttleworth Jnr. Hang on Jules, Eileen's been out with a man who left her for Janice Battersby, a man who was cheating on his wife with dementia, Jesse the cowboy-magician, Sean Hughes, and a serial killer! George is a saint in comparison. Mind you, he does forget he's the driver for Julie and Eileen's day out and he does watch a video that Julie says is "just for you, sis". But when Julie dies, he tries to comfort Eileen by saying how Julie passed away with the person she loved best in the world rather than hooked up to machines in a hospital bed. What's going to happen to George when Eileen leaves? I'd love to see him move back into his house with Glenda and some odd couple storylines to follow. Come on carpenters, make a new set!
Meanwhile in further Grimshaw storylines, Theo gets drunk and into a fight with everyone's favourite scally, Mick, and is rescued by Ronnie, Ed and Billy. To the latter (and Todd), Theo confesses that his religious parents put him through conversion therapy and he thought it had worked, until the Grimshaw charms won through. So the (inhumane practice of) conversion therapy is Issue Of The Week, I guess. Todd says Theo can stay at his, which isn't really his, although I guess after Eileen goes, he will have his own pad to bring troubled young men back to. Todd decides to make Eileen's day worse by telling her that Julie knew it was her last day on earth because she didn't die naturally but by suicide.
Meanwhile Deedee is bonding with Laila at the same time as James's return from the US. None of the Baileys enquires after Danny or how he's doing after his crash. Poor old Danny, the actor probably thought he was getting a two episode payday, but nope, he's in traction off-screen, a mere plot device.
Rachel Stevenson - on blueksy
9 comments:
It was a sad, miserable episode, yet while it's pretty warm out now, everyone's wrapped up in winter coats and jumpers!
The park was eerily quiet for a bank holiday. No dog walkers, no kids playing.
The flowers and gazebo looked like they'd been hastily installed and the grass was still very muddy. I couldn't understand why they weren't sitting on a bench instead of lying on a creased, thin blanket in the mud! It didn't look very comfortable.
I feel sad that we're going be hauled through yet another suicide story before Eileen goes. Is it really necessary?
As this blog points out, George has been the best partner she's had, compared to the rest, so why an earth Julie was urging her to leave him is beyond me! It just doesn't make sense.
This storyline has been written in order to give Eileen a reason to leave Weatherfield. Julie has been urging her to follow her passion. This could turn out to be a new man or maybe a project which ties in with Julie's death. Could be that Eileen inherits quite a bit of money and learns that Julie was active in some cause. Eileen goes off to fight whatever it is on Julie's behalf. I don't feel this is an issue storyline about suicide in the way Hayley's was.
Yes, two late middle-aged women lying on wet grass was just ridiculous. Parks have benches. And there should have been other people, and dogs, even if only in the distance.
At first I thought Todd was being mystical, suggesting that Julie had a premonition she didn't have long. Suicide doesn't fit her character. But there should be an inquest anyway. We really don't need another (assisted?) suicide investigation.
Why can't Theo stay with Billy? That would be neutral territory. Or rent a flat?
All those fake flowers totally distracted from any poignancy the scenes may have had. Why do they think any old crap scene design will do?
Who's going to man the switch when Eileen leaves? We can't have two Brenda's on the show. Jenny could be at a loose end soon.
Brenda hadn't been mentioned in years and we rarely see any scenes in the kabin, either.
Exactly...she had the heart pumping stuff with the other fellas...George came along and was a safe spot in an otherwise stormy life. He may not say it, but it's obvious that he's smitten with Eileen. Guess you don't always know what you have until it's gone.
Terrible story line. We have enough terminal illness and general misery on the street without bringing someone back specifically to die on set. And everything felt so phony and emotionally exploitative. I mean, I'm sorry but Eileen doesn't have the right to rage on about losing her sister when she hasn't made any effort at all in the last 10 years to visit her and never mentions her. Ditto for Julie and Brian, if they were such soul mates how come neither has seemed to miss the other much?And finally Julie herself...you just haven't earned the right to have a final monologue reflecting on life and death or to advise re George when you've only known him for 2 minutes. You haven't been on the show in 10 years!
Exploitative is the word, Anon 19:04.
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