Soap Discussion - December 2011

Okay, not the last blog for 2011 but the last soap related one for this year at the very least.

Coronation Street: Well, this has been a better month than most. Still not loving the whole Peter/Carla affair or the increasingly pained rivalry between Tina and Kirsty but the rest has been good. Trust Tracy of all people to use a miscarriage to drive a further wedge between Steve and Becky and also trust this show to use a wedding between Sophie and Sian to ultimately be the couple's undoing. Well, that and Amber of course.

EastEnders: An excellent month. After becoming well too drawn out, Boxing Day finally done us all a favour and ended Yusef's reign of terror on Albert Square whilst taking the lazy route and revealing Ben to be responsible for Phil being stalked. On the plus side, there's something delightfully gratifying in seeing Denise dropping Phil in it for Kevin's death and Bianca's return was also another well done moment too. All that's left now is Janine's little surprise and the death of a beloved character to kick 2012 off in style.

Emmerdale: I remember there was a time when someone could actually kill someone on this show if they put their mind to it, but alas, Cain had to survive being clobbered and we'll have to wait a while before they reveal the actual culprit. Still, it would take Cain as a character to use a near death experience to drive both Charity and Jai apart, wouldn't it? And that's the best plot we've had because Ashley/Laurel's marital woes due to Marlon paled in comparison as did the latest spat between Debbie and Alicia.

Fair City: Yeah, I've more or less given up on this one and won't be discussing it from next month onwards. The affair plot with Tommy and Jo has taken up too much screentime and I have no interest in Leo and Dean's love lives either, though the Christmas episodes and Denzo's brief comeback were alright.

Hollyoaks: Another strong month for the programme - the Freshers became more integrated into the show, both Warren and Ethan were given reasonably good exits and Mitzeee managed to actually survive betraying the former while Doug got some ghostly advice in order to stay alive. All of which was better than the constant back and forth with Riley and Mercedes and the writers attempts of giving Dodger some depth.

Soap Discussion - November 2011

Last blog for the month, so it's a soapy one ...

Coronation Street: I think I've had it with this show. There hasn't been much of an exciting plot for weeks now, even since Stape breathed his last. Ciaran and Michelle came back, the former blew their wedding fund away and both of them left just as promptly. Not really a bad thing but it seemed almost pointless them returning. Similarly, the whole Sally vs. Fiz fiasco isn't all that fun either or the Amber/Sophie/Sian triangle but on the plus side, at least the writers have finally gotten rid of Chris and given Dennis a storyline but either way, it feels like the show is treading water at the moment.

EastEnders: Arguably this show's strongest month. I mean, don't get me wrong - Yusef needs to go and I'm of the persuasion that Christian and Syed should never get back together and Amira needs to do one, but the stuff with Amy's near death experience, Tanya's cancer coming to the fore for everyone, the arrival of Derek Branning, Phil being blackmailed (I think it's Denise) and the deepening of Janine and Michael's strange relationship certainly gave this show it's strongest performances in a long while.

Emmerdale: Question - is Cain actively trying to alienate himself from the entire village and make enemies en masse? Answer: Er, yes. Unfortunately that just makes Cain aggravating to watch rather than enjoying him as a bad boy. His relentless campaign to break up Charity and Jai has gone on long enough and even I'm finding increasingly impluasible that nearly every female character finds him irresistible - Moira and Priya being the latest two to succumb to his odious charms. And the less said about Amy's traumatic giving birth and Marlon/Laurel's badly thought out affair the better.

Fair City: Another deathly dull month. Tommy and Jo has been exposed and two families are at loggerheads - big whoop. Similarly grating is Orla's further desperate attempts to improve her rubbish financial position by failing to get Leo as a sugar daddy of sorts. I don't even think this show is trying anymore. At least The Republic Of Telly are having fun at this show's expense.

Hollyoaks: Surprisingly, even with the Silas plot being resolved and Gilly finally admitting that he raped Jacqui, this has been a solid month for the show. Warren's growing paranoia over Brendan's disappearance has been amusing to watch, Joel has potential to be a decent character and the band of freshers have become more of an improvement to watch, even if Ethan running over Rob didn't feel as dramatic as it could've been. Plus I do like the set up for Jason's imminent departure and Mitzeee continues to be a bright spark as well on the show. Overall, good stuff.

Soap Discussion - October 2011

And here's a soap blog. I'll have something different as my final blog for the month of October.

Coronation Street: The sad real life death of Betty Driver aside, October did seem more eventful for the show than it has been for the last while. The aftermath of Carla's rape and the arrival of Frank's horrible mother certainly made things difficult for Underworld's running but the return of John Stape for the billionth time and his subsequent death did make for some oddly entertaining viewing, even if his quest to get Fiz out of jail didn't really go to plan. I think that will be Stape's legacy as a character - a man whose plans never take off the way he wants them to.

EastEnders: Definitely a good month for this - both Eddie/Vanessa left with no fuss, Michael and Janine realise they have a tolerance for each other, Amira's timely returned to create more havoc with Christian and Syed and everyone is still stupidly being manipulated by Yusef, though that one is set to change. Also, I have to praise the show for the surprising way in which Phil handled Ben's sexuality (though did we really have to see him and Lola test it out?) and Ian and Mandy's bumbling romance is way better to watch than Kat and Alfie's deteriorating marriage again. Oh and it looks like Pat's exit has well and truly been set up too.

Emmerdale: Did we need a new family in the village? Maybe not but so far, while I can't stand Sean (one Aaron is more than enough on this show), I do like that we have an older gay couple with Ali and Ruby and I haven't really minded Rachel or Amelia either. Speaking of Aaron, this has been one of his better months with less antics than usual. As for the Marlon/Laurel and Cain/Moira affairs, neither are compelling and seem to be there to fill up airtime rather than anything else.
Fair City: Not that interesting a month. Suzanne's pregnancy seems to have clogged up most of the storylines as Carol seemed to have given birth with little fuss while the Bishops have seemingly petered in the background, apart from Sasha's mother arriving. Oh and no show, I really don't care about Dermot and Jo's financial problems.

Hollyoaks: Yes, it was Fright Night and in a month where Silas toyed with Lynsey, abducted Mercedes and generally seemed to dominated the voiceovers on Channel 4, even I didn't expect the twist on Friday's E4 episode. Not spoiling it here, because you can see it tomorrow on Channel 4 but either way, this really should be instrumental to Silas's downfall as a murderer. As for the fallout of Carl and Mercedes's affair and the departure of Lee - better than the Freshers antics for the time being. Good month overall.

Soap Discussion - September 2011

And here's a penultimate blog for this month.

Coronation Street: The biggest storyline this month has been the quick devolution of Frank and Carla's relationship. It's almost a shame the writers decided to make Frank a baddie because him and Carla actually made a decent pairing. The rape part was certainly shocking, more so considering that it also now has consequences for both Peter and Leanne (and the injured Stella as well) and storywise, it's the show firing on all cylinders. The rest of the month hasn't been quite as good with Tracy's all too convenient pregnancy Pam reigniting her feud with Kevin. Mind you, she's not exactly wrong about Kevin's ability at bouncing back though.

EastEnders: I've never been the biggest fan of Darren and Jodie as a couple and I can't honestly say the show will suffer without him but the near wedding/sleeping with Lauren, coupled with Vanessa's inability to keep her opinions to herself made it more interesting than expected. This was also a month for more of Mandy's antics, Kat and Alfie losing another baby (really, show?), Ben kissing and being dumped by Duncan in quick succession, Yusef being his manipulative self, Lauren finding out about Tanya's cancer and preparations for Amira's return with some red button antics as well as a new Moon in Craig and another series of E20 with Mercy's annoying sister, Faith. Well, at least it's been busy.

Emmerdale: Dear writers - just knock it off already. I am bored shitless by your constant attempts of putting Aaron through the ringer. Now we can add self harming into the mix. Seriously show, in terms of dramatic storylines, learn to share the wealth a little, alright? And progress the Amy is pregnant plot because that's becoming similarly tedious to watch at the moment as well. I don't know but for me, this soap is in need of some better structuring because only Nicola and Jimmy's reunion was the best thing to happen in the last few weeks.

Fair City: I haven't been watching this one as actively either but I have liked the fallout over Barry's murder of Sarah and how it's affected most of the main characters on the series but apart from that and more stuff on Carol's pregnancy, it's been a rather dull month for the show in general.
Hollyoaks: Ooh, what a month. two sets of college kids (Maddie and her mates returning for Bart and Sinead, Ash and company for Will/Theresa/Dodger), the death of Rae, Brendan being set up for said death by Silas, Lynsey isolating more people with her Silas vendetta and the return of Gilly, plus the antics of Hollyoaks Later, I have to admit that this has been another strong month for the show. That being said, more people need to start waking up to Silas, it's getting a bit unrealistic at this point.

Soap Discussion - August 2011

And to end the month, here's a soap blog ...

Coronation Street: I've found this month extremely dull. Maybe it's my lack of investment of Fiz as a character that prevented me from caring about her ordeal (and if the place is such a danger, why bring Hope into it?) in prison or even Becky momentarily considering child abduction as an option. Even Frank proposing to Carla and Kylie's exposing of Marc as Marcia didn't really hit the spot either. I hate to admit it but maybe the soap is going through the motions at the moment. Something like Sylvia and Norris's rivarly should be entertaining but it's not as much as I hoped it would be.

EastEnders: Okay, a better month. Well, both Anthony and Tyler are duds, played by extremely rubbish actors but they might improve if we're lucky. Thankfully, Michael is still at his scheming best and trying to use an exiled Vanessa to take down his father is pretty interesting - well, more interesting than the pressure of Darren/Jodie's wedding but it's also overshadowed by ridding us of both Ryan and Rob and exposing Max/Tanya's affair in a nicely explosive fashion. And then there's Ian's involvement in the return of Mandy. I hope for the show's sake this doesn't end up the same way that Claire's return in 2008 wound up.

Emmerdale: Oh, Aaron, ever the ray of sunshine, isn't he? When he isn't trashing Jackson's grave in anguish, he's nearly killing his own mother in a car crash. I get that the writers have a strong actor in Danny Miller but the neverending angst with Aaron has made him into such an unlikeable, it's actually hard to care about. I cared more about Leyla's hasty departure and Amy's pregnancy this month than the latest in the saga of Aaron angst. Still, the lower points of the month were revealing that Jai was Mia's dad but at least boring Adam/Ella affair is out in the open and destined to be forgotten soon, right?

Fair City: Did anything really happen this month, at all? There was still the tedium of Jo and Tommy's badly thought out affair, some rubbish with Mark and the Bishops and Suzanne revealing that she was pregnant and that was it, really. It does seem that next month will finally deal with Barry admitting that he killed Sarah, so that should be interesting. Well, more interesting than this month anyways.

Hollyoaks: Okay, this did have an exciting month. Brendan's insistence on staying in the closet, due to the presence of his son might be dull as fuck but at least the Silas storyline finally got it's ass in gear. Loved the mind games between Silas and Lynsey during the month, even if it would've been nicer if Lynsey hadn't been so easily pushed out of town because of it. As for the Jason/Bart/Sinead 'triangle', it wasn't that bad but it's not gonna end well. It's also more plausible than the forced obstacles they kept chucking at Carmel/Francis and Lee/Amy as well.

Soap Discussion - July 2011

And here's a soap blog to end the month of July ...

Coronation Street: It's been a strange month for this soap. Unfairly picked on in the press and by former actors for being too gay/crime fuelled/humourless, it's almost a shame that the actual storylines themselves were overshadowed. Ken's grandson turned out to be a bad egg and fleeced him, Leanne suffered a miscarriage, Gary held Izzie hostage and even Tracy got her own back when Steve rejected her for the millionth time. Still Amber returned, there was less of Becky and Fiz and Sylvia remained amusing, so the month wasn't all bad.

EastEnders: You lose a Mitchell, you gain a Mitchell. With Ronnie getting sent down and finally ending this ridiculous baby swap nonsense, Billy and Julie gained a mouthy granddaughter in the shape of Lola, whose only purpose so far is arson and getting between Jay and Abi. Meanwhile as Max and Tanya's affair continued, Lauren made a tit out of herself and Rainie spiralled yet again, the arrival of Eddie's other sons, Tyler and Anthony proved that some people really do get hired on this show without the need of basic acting ability. On the plus side, at least I managed to go through an episode where Zainab managed to get her points across in relation to Christian and Syed's adoption process that I could agree with.

Emmerdale: Aw, here I was hoping they might actually send Aaron down for his part in Jackson's death. Nope, I guess we're stuck with the misery guts for another while. I know the acting in this storyline has been great but it doesn't mask how much I've hated Jackson's death and how bored I am with the never ending angst surrounding Aaron. There are limits and Paddy and Chas's overprotectiveness as well has been more headwrecking than endearing too. In other storylines, it doesn't take much to see that Leyla's inches away from telling Jacob who his real mother is and even I'm confused about Sarah's bruises. Could Samson really have done it? The stuff involving Declan and Ella on the other hand is boring me senseless.

Fair City: Bit of a dull month on this show. Carol's pregnant and we're still not sure who the father is, Jo and Tommy's affair is still nonsensical as it's dull, while I struggle to see what David sees in the miserable Suzanne. At least they sort of progressed the Sarah arc a bit by introducing her mother, even if Barry was a little too successful in getting her off the scent.

Hollyoaks: Ah, Bart and Sinead - love's young dream those two certainly aren't and the Romeo And Juliet style antics were not all that amusing to watch either, well, at least not as funny as Ethan getting his comeuppance via Theresa, Liberty and Rae publicly humiliating him with milkshake. Less impressive was Noah's crappy exit at the hand of Brendan once again finding away to sabotage Ste's love life. Oh and wasn't there a serial killer supposed to be looming about the village?

Soap Discussion - June 2011

And now my usual way to end the month ....

Coronation Street: Becky McDonald - in six years, I've gone from disliking you to tolerating you to absolutely despising you to the point where I'm hoping your exit at the start of 2012 results in death. The sulky, tantrum throwing bitch seems to becoming more and more of a pain in the arse every time she disgraces the screen, that it's amazing new manager Stella hasn't smacked her one yet. Michelle Collins Northern accent might be dodgy as hell but the character's likeable enough and the storyline involving Leanne is interesting enough too. Also interesting this month included Carla's meltdown over her mother's death and Sylvia's acid response to learning about Roy and Hayley's relationship.

EastEnders: Another month, another influx of Moons to descend on the square. Okay, while Tyler falls into the cute but bland category, at least Eddie actually has made a decent impact and Michael has becoming a far more fascinating character. Actually, this has been a great month for the show - the disastrous mendhi, Yusef's reveal of being responsible for Zainab's scars, Janine losing her grandmother and even Max and Tanya's affair have all been good storylines. Less good is surly Shirley and her jealousy over Phil and Rainie but you can't get everything right though.
Emmerdale: Okay, I am not congratulating this show on Jackson's death because like a certain baby swap storyline in another soap, this storyline did not move me - it annoyed me deeply and there's a part of me that doesn't give a damn if Aaron winds up being sent down for it. The acting was fine, great in parts but the whole storyline in general has left a bad feeling for me and it hasn't help that the rest of this month's storylines haven't been interesting. Did I need to see Gennie get rejected by Nikhil or even Debbie miscarry or the tedium of Adam and Ella? Sort it out, show.
Fair City: Otherwise known as the month for an affair between Jo and Tommy that came out of nowhere or the fling between Yvonne and Dean that similarly came out of nowhere. Or the month where Carol wound up pregnant and doesn't know who the father is or the month where Mark snapped, beat the crap out of Suzanne and she briefly went out with David, the son of Esther's we previously knew nothing about. Funny enough, apart from the first storyline, the rest of them have been enjoyable.

Hollyoaks: Leanne, you're becoming a bad joke. Your bunny boiling antics with Lee and Amy were entertaining a while ago but now it's just tiresome to watch. And why would she pull the same stunt with Amy this time that she did beforehand? Oh yeah - because everyone's been downing stupid pills and believe that Amy attacked Leanne. Still, it's not as insulting as gormless Liberty and Theresa being two timed by Ethan or Mercedes being daft enough to keep pretending she's carrying Riley's child. On the plus side, I did enjoy meeting Bart's mates, who were far less annoying than I feared.

Soap Discussion - May 2011

And here endeth the month of May with a soap blog ...

Coronation Street: Another month of mixed delights. On one hand, there's the tedium of Steve and Becky's crumbling marriage and Tracy's involvement in matter, except this time around, even Amy is getting a little scheming as well. That couple with the boring Tina/Graham/Xin plot and you have more of a disaster than Kevin Webster's near death experience. On the plus side, the last few episodes have been building towards John Stape's exit and with him involving Fiz into his schemes and holding Chesney and the Hoyles captive, there's a silver lining to a somewhat uninspired month. Oh and Sean and Marcus got back together but that was handled in too a rushed manner for me to properly care.

EastEnders: One of their better months, taking the sheer dreck of Heather's internet dating storyline out of the mix, I liked this month. There was even comedy - mostly from Kim being her usual madcap self and the hilarious banter between Janine and her grandmother, Lydia and the show even gave us a post sex scene with Syed and Christian in last night's episode. Still, this being Walford, misery was still there - Kat laying into a recently bailed Ronnie about Tommy, Zainab and Masood's marriage going down the crapper thanks to Yusef, the temporary departure of Jane and the pernament one of Jim. I have to admit it but the show is starting to improve now. Even Fatboy and Mercy's sham marriage storyline has been surprisingly decent as well.
Emmerdale: Okay, so Debbie's pregnant - great, another thing for her to scowl at and another reason for Cain to cement his hatred for Cameron. Is there anyone on this show that Cain actually likes nowadays? Nope, thought not. Still, this month has it's moments - Jackson's days are numbered, Amy managed to scheme nicely for a bit, Adam/Ella's affair is giving their characters something to do, the Nicola/Jimmy/Kelly triangle is better than it should be and Rhona has finally given birth. And that's including the fact that over the new few weeks/months this cast is going to get a little lighter.

Fair City: Not too bad a month but apart from the whole twisted dynamic between killer and cover up man, Barry and Denzo, not too much of interest happened. Damien and Mark's sister, Laura returned and we learned she's gay, Yvonne/Niamh/Jo/Carol recreated Come Dine With Me again and there was considerable screen time given to both Dean/Caoimhe and Esther/Charlie's relationships as well as Keith and Orla's in case viewers had actually forgotten they were dating in the first place.

Hollyoaks: I hate when this show finally put Silas back in the fray last month, he's now relegated to the sidelines. Come on, show, surely he can kill off some more people - like his gormless grandson, Riley who managed to be duped spectacularly by Warren this month with a robbery over a stupid football cap of Carl's. Warren, thankfully had a much better storyline when he was forced into admitting to Mitzeee that he was responsible for Louise's death and the fact that he managed to derail Ethan at every turn was a lot better than Brendan's attempts of tearing both Noah and Ste apart - those two need to get smart and fast. In lighter plots, Ruby's scheming over her illiteracy and Pete was amusing as was Texas and Mandy's fleecing of Cindy at every opportunity and the rom com elements of Lee and Amy. I guess this was the best soap this month or had the least aggravating plots.

Soap Discussion - April 2011

Another month comes to an end, so here's some thoughts on the soaps from that month...

Coronation Street: Not necessarily a remarkable month for the show if I'm being honest, apart from the fact that John's unraveling should lead to a good exit next month but apart from that and the double weddings of David/She Demon Kylie and Graeme/Xin, the rest of it was rather tedious with the contrived way of splitting up Eddie/Anna and the somewhat rushed return of Todd with posh totty Jools and Marcus and Sean catching up. I already know where Sean and Marcus's storyline is going as well and I'm not sure I care that much. Still, it's better than anything concerning Steve/Becky/Tracy though.

Emmerdale: Now this was a dull month to be honest that really nothing stood out too much. Cain sleeping with Amy just basically reinforced his inability to keep his dick in his pants and Chariry chickening out on getting even with him irritated me to no end. Also, like Faye, Maisie and Will, Ryan was given a pretty duff exit and the feuding between John and Declan over the farm was anything but riveting. Even the Aaron/Jackson storyline managed to bore but that could be done to my own hang ups about where it's going to go though.

EastEnders: Ah, finally the resolution of the baby swap storyline. Ronnie ended up finally doing the right thing and giving Kat/Alfie back baby Tommy and creating even more ripples as a result. Luckily we had Jean on hand, wasn't it when it came to Kat? Elsewhere, Tanya/Greg's wedding wasn't riveting until she starting kissing Max, Whitney's return just happened and the writers tried to make me care about Heather's lovelife and Mercy being threatened with deportation. Well, I did say tried but it was a better month for the show regardless.

Fair City: Okay spending most of the month being falsely accused of being a paedophile but then ending the month by killing off the rather harmless Sarah was another. You have to hand it to Barry - the man is both horribly unlucky and spectacularly messes up and having Denzo an ally/blackmailer is also just as unfortunate. It's also one of the best storylines they've done this year and anything is better than the show's usual commentary on the character's financial struggles.
Hollyoaks: Silas strikes again. He might have failed to do in Lindsay but he managed to bump off Jenny/Rebecca during her own failed attempts to con him and while I don't feel sorry for either Doug or Brendan, I do like how her death is having major consequences for the characters. Sil;as is definitely shaping up to be one of the best soap villains and given the way he was looking at Mercedes last night, it looks like he has another victim lined up in the next few weeks. On a less positive note though, can the show do away with the Amy/Lee/Leanne triangle already? Maybe Leanne could just bugger off already.

Soap Discussion - March 2011

And here's a look into what happened soap wise during March ... EastEnders: Okay, apart from the Whitney sex exploitation storyline and the Comic Relief scene that actually utilised Janine, Lauren and to a lesser extent, Ricky, Max and Carol, it was another dire month on the Square. Glenda left in underwhelming style, both Kat and Ronnie were frustrating to watch and Jack's jjumping back and forth between businesses was also pretty boring to watch along with Darren and Jodie being on and off again. Still, we got an interesting new friendship with Syed and Tanya and a nice romance between Abi and Jay, so it wasn't all bad.

Coronation Street: Oh Becky, why do you always self-destruct? I guess having to face some consequences from her actions from Dev/Sunita was one thing but Liz, Tracy and Kylie continuing to rub it in was another, eh? Still, frustrating as that was it was better than this hasty marriage plot with Xin and Graeme and David/Kylie really do make for a nasty couple. It was also nice to see more of Sally vs. Kevin, Janice's departure amongsts other storylines.

Emmerdale: Want a soap cliche - give Jimmy both amnesia, the return of Kelly and a son named Elliot from the saucy girl and a rivalry between her and Nicola. Daft as it sounds, it's actually a fun storyline and this month we needed the fun. With the fallout of Lisa's rape and Jackson's further depression, Kelly's return was definitely something of a more lighter affair as well as Chas and Diane going into partnership and Andy/Alicia making for an oddly fun couple as well. Good work, show. Oh but the less said about Cain/Charity/Jai and Faye's rubbish exit, the better though.

Hollyoaks: And the award for best soap of the month goes to this show. From the silly Heat inspired photoshoot to Warren and Brendan knocking the crap out of each other, this one delivered in both the comedy and serious stakes. On the srious note, there was Ste's coming out and putting Brendan in the hospital, Lindsay nearly becoming another of Silas's victims as well as Jacqui and Gilly in the rape trial, which has dominated this week. I won't tell you the verdict but it's definitely an interesting resolve for this different look at a tricky subject matter.

Fair City: It was the month of Louis and Carol being publicly shamed with their affair, thanks to a spiteful Bob and a broken hearted Christy selling his shares of McCoys. It was also the same month of Finn opening up a trendier bar and the Bishops beating the crap out of a dodgy uncle and getting a cousin named Sasha, who manages to be even more chavvier than they are as well as a plot with Cass in pajamas but it was mostly amusing as well.