A haven for couch potatoes everywhere

Thursday 10 July 2014

Predictions

A lot of last night's Corrie was predictable, in a good, reassuring way. Soaps are, after all, not supposed to be thrillers. It's engaging and comforting when characters act as you expect them to. It's like having friends who do the same brilliant and/or awful things time and again, because that's just what they're like. In other words, it's like life.

The most predictable thing that happened last night was Gary and Izzie splitting up. I'm really glad they did that. If there's one thing I've learnt over the years it's that it's better to end a boring, loveless relationship rather than, say, accidentally move in together through some kind of misguided politeness.

I hope Gary now comes on to and gets spurned by Alya, and Izzie has wild sex with Luke.

Other things I predict might happen on the Street soon (aka things I want to happen)...

- It will turn out that Michael didn't steal that big TV he gave to Gail (of course). He won it in a raffle, or got it on HP from somewhere. Then Michael will do something brave and kindly like stopping Max getting run over by Steve McDonald's campervan (dodgy handbrake plotline... Something similar happened to Henry Ramsey's ute in early-90s Neighbours, I believe*). Then Kylie and David will love Michael, after remembering that they both have dodgy pasts too and, after all, everyone forgave them. (Well, not exactly everyone, mainly just Audrey after a bit of sighing.)

- Gail will want to bonk Michael, get shy, and seek seduction advice from Sally. Somehow Rita will become involved in the conversation. Alan Bradley will get a namecheck.

- Andrea's boring husband will find out about Lloyd and come and tell him about her being married (either in a public location like the Rovers, or via a sinister back-seat-of-a-minicab whisper). Lloyd will confront Andrea about it and do an amazing emotional crying scene.

- Todd will form an unlikely yet genuine friendship with Kylie.

- Someone told me Cilla's coming back? I can't wait. Brilliant character, brilliant actress.

- There will be a Manchester Gay Pride storyline which knocks the (cock)socks off the dreadful scenes EastEnders set at London Pride a couple of weeks ago. I've never used the word cocksock before, but I just remembered an ancient EastEnders vignette where Dot and Ethel somehow ended up at a kind of Ann Summers party, and Ethel dived with glee into a box labelled "Willy Warmers", under the assumption they would be winter coats suitable for her dog (though the idea of Ethel believing that any company would sell a product specifically designed for and named after her specific dog (who was called Willy; you're following this aren't you?) speaks volumes about either Ethel's character (who I believe was NOT that naive), or serves as a historic** example of poor writing in EastEnders).

I need to go and look this up on YouTube. 
Laters.

* I don't just "believe" this. I know it for a fact. 

** I almost wrote "an historic" because I'm a bit of a pretentious twat.

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Asides

Fantastic double episode of Corrie last night, after some recent episodes that dragged a bit. As ever with ace Corrie (and particularly with episodes written by Jonathan Harvey), many of the thrills were all in the asides: Kylie worrying her client was dead, and Gail marvelling over the efficacy of Michael's beanbag tray.

I also loved (and hooted out loud at) Nick standing in front of his new bistro sign wearing a top-to-toe face and stance of vengeful glee. I like how Nick's recent malice has shocked even David (usually the chief malice-maker of their household). It's been the death knell for my crush on Nick though. I can't being myself to fancy someone so spiteful, even if it is linked to his brain injury and heartbreak. So now my only Street crush is Rob (I'm choosing to overlook his murderousness). Oh and Lloyd, obviously (I've had a Craig Charles crush since the early-mid 90s). I read a preview which says Lloyd is shortly to find out the truth about Andrea (the truth being that she has a husband and a university-age child). I hope it doesn't mean Andrea's departure from the Street. Surely she can leave the husband and come to live near Lloyd; she could live with Eileen in her roomy and stress-free lodgings, perhaps. And get a job at the Rovers or the factory or Just Nick's (hoot!) Bistro! (For more on Weatherfield residents' inability to find work more than four steps from their front door, read the post before this one, written by my friend Tom in a fine return to blogging form.)

More observations from last night:

- Eva gets increasingly brilliant. I reckon she'll be around for years to come. She's Leanne's rock, Jason's true love, and will become the nation's sweetheart. Then they'll hit us with a massive traumatic storyline for her, and it will be amazing. 

- They need to give Steph more to do than eat chips and release balloons. Looking uncomfortable at Nick's rage is not making the most of her character.

- Sally + Tim = brilliant. Just brilliant.

- Deirdre complaining about Freshco's self service checkouts ("They scare me") and cigarette-buying process ("All those sliding doors... she sees me coming") while wearing what we can only describe as a classic Deirdre belt = brilliant.

- Peter Barlow has the same hipflask as me! I'd never use mine in a pub though, especially not a pub run by my best mate (as was... What actually is the status of Peter and Steve's friendship at the moment?).

- I like Tracy's non-appearance on screen being explained by her eating a burger in bed while pretending to be having a bath. Makes a nice change from going upstairs to play tapes. 

Sunday 6 July 2014

Unreal


Corrie and Eastenders seem to have put their main storylines on the back-burner for the moment, presumably to give the viewer - and the writers - a break from the drama and intensity of recent weeks. Both storylines have actually been handled pretty well (Tina balloon release notwithstanding) but both soaps now seem to be struggling to know what to do with the remaining narratives, which range from the sublime (Sonia’s life-imitating-art Fatbusters club) via the ridiculous (Gail and Les Dennis - more on that later) to the downright dull (Roxie’s two-timing Latvian).

One of my current favourites is the EastEnders gay storyline which has been handled with a good mix of sensitivity and humour. Johnny has been struggling to come to terms with his sexuality and the doting attentions of his overbearing mother, played quite wonderfully by the girl from The Upper Hand. After quite a bit of soul searching on both sides they seem to have made their peace with the situation.  Of course, this being EastEnders, Johnny can’t just be allowed to get on with his life; oh no, he has to be ceremoniously dropped off by his mum and sister at a rainbow flag-festooned pub in Soho in the middle of Pride whilst people throw glitter from an upstairs window. Within seconds he has met what we presume will be his first boyfriend, a slightly wonky-toothed chap by the name of Gianluca.

So now, instead of being hunched over his iPhone exchanging boudoir pics with the other boys on Grindr like any normal gay person, he’s tapping nervously away at some museum piece Nokia waiting for this mysterious foreign chap to call.

This is why soaps are such a guilty pleasure for me: as much as they try to comment on the big topics of the day - sometimes in a genuinely touching and though-provoking way - they tend to come unstuck when trying to play out the minutiae of real life.

In real world, people get jobs in shops or offices which are not usually located on their own doorstep. In Corrie, practically everyone lives a 30-second walk from work; no wonder you never see anyone on the Weatherfield Wayfarer. How that line continues to turn a profit is beyond me. Likewise, EastEnders has a rich history of highly unrealistic and madcap get-rich-quick schemes, the latest of which being Alfie Moon’s accidental venture into the world of gourmet ice cream (with flavours including bacon and egg, duck, and stout). In true Walford style, after a shaky start and a bit of banter, the non-speaking extras were queuing up, grinning and nodding their approval and thrusting crumpled fivers into Alfie´s meaty palms.

Soap’s recent portrayals of alcoholism haven’t rung true either. Actual alcoholics don’t usually roam the streets gurning, brandishing bottles of generic spirit and passing out on car lots. Nonetheless, Shirley and Peter are both frequently to be found sneering and slinking around like a pair of Victorian villains before falling asleep clutching their beloved bottles of ”VODKA” and “GIN”.

More recently, soaps have developed quite a penchant for referring to real-world events, so it was interesting to see EastEnders and Corrie having a crack at working Ramadan into the scripts. I think the aim was to for it to be nonchalantly dropped in, which in the case of Eastenders worked fairly well.  Corrie was a different story: it was like a sledgehammer going through a wedding cake. The toe-curling “What? Not even water?” line was Corrie at its most dire: slapstick meets clunking attempt at inclusivity. Not good.  

To be fair neither soap really reflects the geographical areas they are supposed to be set in. The dialogue in Corrie is more ‘eckky thump than Shameless and can it really be that we only just got our first glimpse of Walford’s Polski Sklep ten years after Poland’s accession to the EU? 

Australian soaps always excelled at unbelievable overnight transformations. Put a bad boy under Helen Daniels’ or Pippa Ross’ roof and they’d wake up the next day a shining paragon of virtue. UK soaps have been less keen on such miracle redemptions but Corrie seems to have strayed into those murky waters with the whole Les Dennis storyline - I refuse to use his character’s name for two simple reasons: firstly because I’ve had too much generic spirit and can’t remember it and secondly because the character is Les Dennis, in full Big Brother meltdown mode, a quivering, stuttering wreck of a man. Les Dennis was at his best when doing impressions of Mavis Riley on the Russ Abbott show; he should not be appearing on Corrie doing impressions of himself. I can only hope his stint in Weatherfield will be merciful in its brevity.

One recent transformation I did enjoy was when EastEnders’ Mick went from being  scared to put his head under water to olympic swimmer in just one lesson with Ian Beale. Personally, I think they could have put in a Footloose-style time-lapse sequence there. That would have been truly excellent backed with a bit of pacy music. A missed opportunity.


In any case, I’m enjoying the soaps meander down a few false paths at the moment; after all, nothing can be consistently excellent but Corrie and EastEnders are certainly proving consistently entertaining, if not always for the right reasons.

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Loss

I'm not normally one to get personally bothered by the death of a celebrity, but the passing of Rik Mayall has shaken me up. The Young Ones and Bottom were a big part of my childhood and teenage years, and I watched them time and again with my family and friends. I didn't realise at the time how groundbreaking The Young Ones was, it just made me laugh a lot. Rewatching it recently, I saw there was a lot to admire in all who wrote and performed it (and still a lot to make me laugh). 

Bottom was the programme of choice for me and my friends during my mid-teens. It coincided with my discovery of booze (though I never drank the pernod, ouzo, marmalade and salt cocktail the characters invented, of which I have just tried in vain to find a clip), and my friends and I watched endless episodes while drinking Diamond White. I also wrote poetry at the time; in fact I was not unlike this:

  

RIP Rik Mayall, you were brilliant. 

(With thanks to the friend who posted this quote on facebook yesterday which reminded me of the above clip.)

Monday 2 June 2014

Fashion

I can't decide which fashion item from tonight's 7.30 Corrie I prefer: Liz McDonald's red bandeau top with black chiffon neckline, or Carla's lawyer Pauline's amazing monochrome outfit complete with black patent quilted chain-strap handbag. If I ever get arrested I'm calling her.

Friday 30 May 2014

Aftermath

Coronation Street, Thursday 29th May

I'm a bit late with this one, but here we go anyway...

The episode started with lots of silence, not unlike EastEnders in the aftermath of Lucy's Beale's death. My favourite thing about Corrie is the dialogue (closely followed by Rita's wig, Deirdre's belts, and the theme tune), so the silence unsettled me a bit. It was good and tension-inducing though, as was the later experimentation with camerawork: point-of-view shots as Rob went to pick up the weapon and the trinkets he'd taken from Tina's flat (one of which he dropped in the ginnel/entry... sleuthing ahoy), and I think there was a low-angle zoom on him at one point. None of this is standard on the Street, but I think a special murder week calls for such variation, and I was not displeased with the effect. I liked Rob's choice of burial spot for the evidence: under the viaduct. Now there's a potential location for a nighttime dig-up / confrontation / screaming match. I bet that stuff won't stay buried for long.

I loved the fact that Rita and David were keeping a vigil by Tina's hospital bed. Actually, I loved the fact that this episode skipped the tedious hospital check-in procedure and Rita's sleepless night, dropping us into the action in the cold light of day. The doctor treating Tina had a lovely kindly, relaxing voice. I don't think he'll be able to stick her brains back together though, sadly. Actually, gladly, given that she's not a real person and as a character she's much more excitement-producing when dead.

Tracy had some good lines, notably commenting on Tina being pretty ("Not any more she's not") and passing comment on the identity of the murderer in an investigative style which would not have been out of place in Sheerluck Holmes, the racist comedy play produced by my secondary school when I was in Year 10. "It's an open and shut case as far as I'm concerned," she said. All she needed then was a group of thirteen-year-old girls dressed as prostitutes (in frocks made by the textiles teacher) singing "Illicit Solicit" behind her to really recreate Stretford's arts scene in the mid-90s. Tracy and Rob's tense agreement to be each other's alibi, while both accusing each other's sibling of the head-bashing crime, is going to make good viewing over the next few episodes I think.

Meanwhile, over at Anna and Owen's, Anna has revealed to the girls that "Real life can sometimes be a letdown". Lots of meaningful glances and barbed comments passed between her and Owen before he went off laying tarmac. Katy was sad that the couple had left the hotel early: "Me dad was proper looking forward to it," she said. Is it just me who thinks that a dad shouldn't be telling his daughter how much he's looking forward to bonking his partner in a hotel room? This follows on from an episode a few weeks ago where Owen cried in Katy's arms because Anna was refusing to do it with him. I just don't think this is a realistic father-daughter conversational topic, and it grates on me a bit. 

There was a lot of Carla brilliance in last night's episode. Top acting, top writing. "You chose to drop your trousers," she said to Peter. He cowered in a sniveling heap. His lines and performance are doing a great job of painting him as a truly self-serving horror. I hope Rob and Carla gang up and frame him for the murder.

Other things I enjoyed in the episode:

- Liz sticking up for Tina.
- The male police officer's short tie.
- Reference to a panama hat. (Is that restaurant Panama Hatty's still there in Manchester? I used to love it.)
- Reference to a pasty. (I think I'm homesick.)
- Kirk telling people he got dropped on the head as a child, but "got away with it."

BUT... where are Kal's glasses? I do like a man in glasses; when he takes them off in preparation for a clinch, he immediately sees his partner in soft focus, which is nice for Leanne (casting no aspersions on her attractiveness, I'm just thinking of the insecure preoccupations which sometimes go hand-in-hand with taking a new lover).

I'm looking forward to the next episode, hopefully the glasses will make a reappearance.

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Dead again

Coronation Street, 28th May 2014

Noise-wise, Rob's frightened breathing at the start of tonight's episode was matched only by Tina's very-much-not-dead groans. She fell silent soon enough, of course. Rob eyeing up the lead piping in the skip turned this into a lifesize working-class game of Cluedo. So much more interesting than a bunch of toffs in a mansion; even though there's no whodunnit mystery left for viewers, there's plenty of exciting suspicion amongst the characters.

I loved Rob and Tracy accidentally meeting at the back gate as they both snuck home from their illegal activities. The sound of sirens signalled a mutual agreement to not talk about where they'd both been, for now at least. 

My favourite scene though was Steve trying to cheer Peter up with the thought that it might "all blow over", while Michelle and Liz laid into him, both clutching glasses of Chardonnay. It was like a Salfordian version of Kath and Kim's "wine time", especially when Liz proclaimed Peter a "jellyfish".

Talking of Salford, I've been having discussions on Facebook about Rob pronouncing Ordsall wrongly in last night's episode. I'm surprised that happened... Not Marc Baylis's fault, but there should be a local pronunciation expert to hand, surely? Actually, I've had conversations recently about whether the ginnel (that all-important location) is even called a ginnel in Salford. Some suggest it's called an entry. Further research needed. 

The quick cut to Beth popping a cork at the very moment Rob bashed Tina's brains out was a nice touch. Seems she's hanging on in there though. All that glossy hair must offer some protection. 

Elsewhere, Anna has told Owen about what happened between her and Phelan. Excellent writing and performances in those scenes, capturing exactly what it's like when things fall apart. 

Carla's falling-apart dialogue was perhaps less convincing: a few cliches and un-Carla-ish comments, though I guess cliches are what comes out first in times of real-life crisis. There was one killer line though: "I have never felt so pregnant." It made me gasp.

Peter's lines did a great job of making him come across like a wimp and a chump and a truly deplorable person. Great performances from both actors as Peter finally came clean, seemingly in an attempt to duck any further responsibility for anything, ever again. If anyone wants throwing off a balcony, it's him.

Final mention for Drunk Deirdre, hollering up the stairs to Rob and Tracy's empty bed, then returning to the pub to bash on the lounge door while Peter cowered inside. He really is a jellyfish. 

Revelations

Big night on Corrie last night. Who knew Kal wore glasses?! I was as surprised as Gail was by this.

Oh and Rob killed Tina, in an accidental manner during a tussle. His facial expression after she fell seemed to say "Ooh 'eck" rather than "Take that, bitch" (he'd have been allowed to say bitch; it was a post-watershed episode).

The tussle went on too long for me really. Tension was waning rather than building as the tussle continued. I could have done with that being a shorter scene. The characters kept repeating themselves (which obviously happens in real-life arguments, but if I wanted to watch one of those I'd knock my lounge through to join that of my unhappy neighbours).

However: a good, engaging episode, and I'm looking forward to the fallout (hopefully lots of sleuthing and screaming will ensue).

Tracy's encounter with the Scouse scally ("Be careful in doze eeeelzz") was enjoyable, as was her driving the van with music pumping out: subtle as ever, love her.

And I'm glad Tina got a chance to mention the stolen hairdryers just moments before her death. I like the hairdryers storyline, it puts me in mind of Valerie Barlow (RIP).

Not sure about the "You could have done so much better Tina *caresses her face*" line from Rob. Seemed a bit half-hearted. I think we're going to be invited to sympathise with his post-murder turmoil, hence not making him too awful on the night.

Plenty to look forward to: Tracy covering her criminal tracks, Peter and Carla as murder suspects (not sure about Peter's uncharacteristic simultaneous honesty and sobriety last night though, and I wish Carla had got more screen-time). And most importantly, will Deirdre ever get a chance to find out what Rob's favourite film is? (EDIT: Just been reminded it was Jaws, I must have forgotten that in all the excitement. Also... THE CAT EXCUSE!? Nice one, Peter.)

Monday 26 May 2014

Pace

That was the fastest, wittiest, most dramatic and exciting piece of TV I've seen for ages. 

Tonight's Coronation Street set the scene for Tina's murder and subsequent tensions. I have to go to bed so here's a quick list of the highlights (no spoilers, don't worry):

Reference to Deirdre's chain-link belts.

Tony's obvious ill-intent towards Tracy.

Tina and Rita's honest conversation in the Kabin.

Liz's instructions on how to drink sambuca.

David doing Tracy's up-do for the party.

Rob and Tracy's celebratory engagement banner (I want that on my wall).

Anna's and Owen's nervousness in the hotel room. I love them.

Leanne avoiding Nick and Gail by inventing a celery crisis.

And of course the brilliant dialogue and performances from everyone involved in the murder storyline. It seemed like the actors were buzzing that it is finally all coming to a head and they gave sparkling, riveting performances. 

Oh, and Norris and Rita's discussion of the engagement card Rita was sending to Rob and Tracy was also enjoyable.

A classic Corrie episode combining high drama and sharp lines. Can't wait till tomorrow. 

Fixer

Since when has Phil Mitchell been a neighbourhood do-gooder and emotional roller-coaster mechanic? 

In the EastEnders omnibus that I just devoured, he went from telling Max that he wasn't welcome at any of a long list of businesses and hangouts on the Square (he delivered this news with Alfie hanging behind him like an awkward henchman) to later trying to fix Shirley's dreadful family relationships via a session with a cut-throat razor (the scraping put my teeth on edge; I once saw Phil described as a pink Weetabix, and the sound of his face being shaved really reflected that texture). 

The best part, though, was his facial expression when he witnessed Shirley drunkenly apologising to her "baby boy" (on his advice, only it wasn't the boy he was expecting it to be). It was a semi-gormless, cogs-turning face, betraying a flicker of surprise as he mentally pruned Shirley's family tree. Or added a branch. Or trained it up a trellis. This metaphor isn't working, I'll move on. 

Other highlights from last week's episodes included Tamwar pocketing a card from the floral tributes at Lucy's funeral which said "Rot in hell". I sense some sleuthing ahead. Similarly, we saw the policewoman whose name I have forgotten also mentally plotting some sleuthing when she witnessed the public unveiling of Max as Lucy's lover. We didn't get to see Max being questioned about this. I'm quite glad about that really. There's only so much cringe I can take.

Elsewhere, I did enjoy Denise's rather blasé approach to breaking the news to Dean that Pat has gone to the great pineapple ice bucket in the sky, and nobody had bothered to let him know. No wonder he cut his finger on that razor later: delayed shock.

Best of all though, was Max's optimistic placement of a chocolate cake on the kitchen table in the hope it would be the talisman which brought his disgusted daughters back to him. The cake lay untouched as the hands on his pastel kitchen clock whirled round (some nice editing there). I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't such a complete git. 

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Weatherfield and Tonga

Coronation Street (ITV)
Jonah From Tonga (BBC)

I was going to start this post by saying that, due to reasons, I never get to watch things when they're actually aired, I always watch them on catch-up. But then I realised that everyone watches lots of things on catch-up all the time, not just temporarily expatriated people.

Talking of which, I am very much enjoying my new subscription to ITV Essentials. For a few quid a month I get all the Corrie episodes on demand, without adverts. It's amazing. I also get Emmerdale (which I haven't seen for years and need to get back into), Loose Women (I do like some of the regulars so will give it a go) and Jeremy Kyle (no chance. He does not deserve my eyes). Expat interests in a nutshell, according to ITV's research. Who am I to argue?

I just watched both of last night's Corries, and am feeling really sad for Carla. She's brilliant, Peter is a mess, and Tina just needs to drop dead (seriously, when will this happen?!). The scene where Carla ended up at the baby scan alone was heartbreaking, and the final scene of the episode where she confronted Peter about not turning up was really well-written and well-performed. 

Meanwhile, Beth's popped off to Latvia for a boob job. Not sure where this storyline's  going. Is she going to run off with a Baltic hunk? Or even better, bring one back (like Deirdre did with Samir)? I quite like Beth, but she's no Cilla. Everyone in her household is a walking yawn apart from her though, so I hope she comes back soon. 

Other recent Corrie thoughts: I'm becoming a big fan of Tim. I love him telling Sally off for being a snob, and I love Sally sort of trying to be nice to Maddie. Todd's become awful in ways I can't get my head around, Steph's brilliant (and I look forward to her inevitable sleuthing once Tina finally dies), and for reasons I still can't put my finger on, I fancy Nick Tilsley. Send help (or a day pass for the Weatherfield Wayfarer, so I can go and get it out of my system).

I'm really enjoying the Lloyd and Andrea storyline, and I hope Andrea's mysterious life turns out to be a good kind of mystery. Maybe she has twin orphaned nephews to care for, or an ageing parent. I wonder what will become of the love square that is her, Lloyd, Steve, and Michelle though. Maybe (hopefully) it'll all kick off in spectacular style.

I do watch TV other than Corrie, by the way. This evening I have also seen the first episode of Jonah from Tonga. I'm a big (big! Massive!) fan of Summer Heights High, to an almost evangelical level (there was not a student I taught during my last year in Argentina who hadn't seen at least one episode of that show). Summer Heights High is actually on my list of the top five TV shows ever (ever!), with We Can Be Heroes (its never-aired-in-the-UK predecessor) probably in the top ten. Chris Lilley has an eye for detail and an ear for language which makes SHH incessantly watchable, brilliantly funny, and incredibly touching. I must have seen every episode ten times and could happily sit and watch them again right now.

Since SHH though, I haven't enjoyed Lilley's other shows anywhere near as much. Doubtless producers/networks have had an influence, as they rightly should, and it seems now that the target audience for his work is much younger. I gave up on Angry Boys after a few episodes, and couldn't get past the first twenty minutes of the recent Ja'mie: Private School Girl, despite having loved her (very well-observed) character in both SHH and WCBH (apologies for the initialisations, I'm writing this on my phone). It seems Lilley's shows now aim for immediate, big laughs, whereas what I enjoyed about his earlier work were its subtle, slow-building qualities and complex characters. And having worked for a long time in education I maintain that SHH is the most realistic school drama I have ever seen. 

But anyway, back to Jonah from Tonga. It is pretty good! More new characters, which helps, and I get the idea that the first episode is setting the foundations for some interesting storylines in later episodes. I wasn't entirely convinced though, until just a few minutes before the end, in a scene showing Jonah at home. I won't spoil anything if you haven't seen it yet, but it was very touching and engaging. Who knows, the series may yet build to the emotionally-charged ending of Summer Heights High, which had me crying massive hot tears the first time I saw it, and has still made me weep on every subsequent occasion.

Chris Lilley is incredibly talented. It's not his fault I'm not a teenager, I suppose. I'd love to see him do something more like his earlier work, but perhaps the demand (or money) isn't there.

His acting is amazing though; the way he portrays characters of different ages, sexes and cultures is incredible. We Can Be Heroes is the best place to see him do that. Buy it! It's really ace.

Thursday 24 April 2014

A thing I never expected to see...

...Phil Mitchell giving mouth-to-mouth to a newborn puppy, while Shirley looks on with desire in her eyes. 

EastEnders offered the above scene as part of their recent package of clunking contrasts, structured around the death of Lucy Beale. 

While Ian was receiving news of the discovery of his daughter's body on Walford Common (by a little girl wearing a very nice yellow cardigan; I think she was on an Easter Egg hunt), the rest of the Square was gathered in the pub, ringing the bell with wild abandon and doing shots to celebrate the birth of Lady Di's puppies. A classic soap birth/death episode.

Earlier we had also heard Ian's voice saying vaguely positive things to Peter, mixed over images of crime scene investigators dressed in paper suits passing in and out of Lucy's corpse marquee. I like it when EastEnders goes a bit freeform; such montage and voiceover scenes are enjoyably Hollyoaks via Home&Away in style, and something of which I approve. Though Coronation Street did a Christmas carol happy/sad montage in its Xmas day episode last year I think, which left me a bit displeased. Corrie should not be experimenting with its classic form as far as I'm concerned. 

Talking of Corrie, I am really enjoying it at the moment. The scripts and performances are on top form; it's very pacey and engaging and funny and dramatic and brilliant. Of particular brilliance lately (and for various reasons) are Carla, Eva, and Steve. 

Carla's attempts to appeal to the life-addled (and highly irksome) Simon are very endearing, especially as she keeps kicking off at him every five minutes. I'm glad Peter's done one to rehab, I hope he stays there a while. 

Eva has some great lines and good comedy timing. She seems to be thriving now she's out from the shadow of recently-departed Stella and Gloria (who were both great, it has to be said).

Steve's a long-term favourite of mine, but has been even more brilliant recently as he struggles to keep his temper around Tina, alongside doing his usual comedy japes like making a surprisingly good cake for Michelle's birthday (which was a much better scene than I just made it sound).

I'm absolutely ready for Tina to drop dead now. I wish her death storyline had been fast-tracked like Lucy Beale's. I'm also bored of Maria, though I enjoyed the scene where David confronted her about the texts she's been sending to Tyrone. I quite like David now; that scene a few weeks ago where he and Kylie went to a hotel and pretended to be French was incredible. 

So hopefully Tina will pop off soon enough, and we can do a compare/contrast of her and Lucy Beale's funerals. I haven't been a regular EastEnders viewer for quite a while, but I've been drawn back in by the Lucy storyline and might stick around to see how it pans out. I think Ian did it. He kept saying "She died!"... almost as if he wanted to say "She died when I hit her over the head with a framed photo of my nan!" but thought it best not to mention the second part. 

Edit: I forgot to mention Denise's day trip to Oxford to see her daughter whose name I can't remember but who is basically Saffy from Absolutely Fabulous. Denise did some pondering by a big tree, took a selfie near Saffy's office door, had a small cry and then vowed to dump Ian. But now she can't dump him because Lucy's dead. I liked how they did needless but nice on-location shooting in Oxford for this (or was it just an Oxfordian-looking part of London?).

Oh and deep-voiced Peter's amazing roar on being told of his sister's death. Cue classic EE crane shot. I love soaps. 

Saturday 12 April 2014

Villain

Last night's Corrie saw Anna reluctantly accepting Phelan's indecent proposal. I was drinking orange liqueur and eating a mini buffet at the time of watching, so unable to take a photo of the best part, which was Phelan, after Anna had zipped up her parka and departed Room 123 of the Hotel Dinge, rolling around on the bed and whooping, kicking his legs with glee while wearing a peach shirt over a white vest.

Meanwhile Anna went home and tearfully told her family she had to have a shower as she smelled of chip fat. It made me sad; I like Anna. And I like Owen too. He's become kind of hot.

I don't read previews so I don't know how this storyline will develop. I expect there are more tears to come. Possibly some more whooping from Phelan too, though I expect he'll get his comeuppance eventually.

Sunday 6 April 2014

Hair

Coronation Street
Friday 4th April 2014

Forgive the four-year hiatus; life is busy, even for potatoes. But let's get down to business.

Hair is very important on Coronation Street. Bet Lynch's incredible do is testament to that. I don't want to make an entirely hair-based post (though I can't rule out a fan letter to Rita's wig at some point in the future), but I do want to talk about the hair factors at play in the Tina-Peter-Carla marriage/ affair/ pregnancy/ non-pregnancy tangle. 

Tina's hair is brilliant. But her chignons and up-dos have become a bit dishevelled lately, as her non-relationship with Peter fizzles out. I thought the scene between the two of them in the second of Friday's episodes was the best thing written for them for a while: Tina's desperation to hold on to Peter, even if that means only ever meeting him in the ginnel, was well expressed and actually made me like Tina a bit. I've been so disappointed with the direction her character has gone in; she used to be great. I suppose there's a message there about toxic relationships (I saw that phrase on the front of a dire-looking magazine once and have always wanted to use it). So as Tina's life flops, so does her hair. I hope Steph can provide her with some Sunsilk as well as a shoulder to cry on.

Meanwhile, Carla's amazing vamp hair has been what I believe a salon expert might call "softened". It's got some sort of feathery layers and caramel tones, the perfect hair for new, unexpected Maternal Carla.

Carla's recent scene at the clinic with Michelle, where she was considering getting a termination, was completely predictable and boring, and not a patch on the early-90s Neighbours termination clinic storyline featuring Phoebe and Todd*. I mean, we knew from Carla's new kindly-looking hair that she wouldn't go through with the procedure. Michelle's previous comments about having a child being the "best thing" she'd ever done had obviously hit home. You know, that child Michelle had that got swapped at birth and then swapped back again when he was a teenager and then swapped back yet again and now I'm confused about who he actually is but I remember Michelle got all annoyed at him when he moved away to university which I thought was very unfair.

Michelle's hair has gone very flat-looking, and her clothes are very ageing and brassy at the moment. It's a transformation I enjoy. Michelle being brassy is brilliant. The highlight in Friday's episode came when she dragged Steve along by his ear, telling him off as he faked a hangover to cover up for Peter. The couple have become a bit like Jack and Vera, which is very pleasing.

The scenes between Steve and Peter as they planned their alibi were well-written and well-performed. I look forward to seeing how the imaginary plant pot full of vomit comes back to bite them somehow.
I have also been thinking about something else which might come back to bite Peter... Ages ago, maybe in January, he and Tina were having a kitchen-sink-based snuggle, and she broke a glass, cutting her finger. We all know that Tina's getting murdered soon, and perhaps the spots of her blood which got onto Peter's shirt during the smashed glass aftermath will be taken as evidence of his murderous guilt. 

And if Peter is to be blamed for the murder, we can only assume that he won't be the actual murderer. I really hope it's Carla, and she gets away with it. She does have a look (and the attitude) of Velma Kelly, after all. 

My ideal scenario: Carla does Tina in, Rob helps Carla frame Peter for it, Peter goes to clink, Tracy gets mad at Rob for framing Peter (not because she likes her brother, just because she likes engineering fiendish schemes and has been left out of this one), Rob and Tracy break up, Rob has rebound sex with Mary in her campervan.  

And Carla gives birth to a child with amazing hair. 

Desiree xx


* Who of course was subsequently hit by a car.