Who do you love?

Standard issue question, I know, "which characters do you love" but my take on it, out of current summer 2010 cast members is this:

Characters I love to hate: These are the ones that are not likeable characters but are not supposed to be and are still enjoyable to watch. The actors are great, and you just can't wait for their comeuppance!
For me, these include Nick, David, Stape, Eddie (started off just awful but he's grown on me and now I think he's just a brilliant character). Some would say Sally and Gail but though they tend to be stubborn, bitchy, moaning nellies, I don't class them in this category, personally. They go in the Characters I Love category.

Characters I just don't like at all: There are various reasons why I don't like these ones. Some of them aren't necessarily characters we're supposed to dislike, but they rub me the wrong way anyway. These include Norris, Ken, Molly (they're ruined her), Tina (ruined her, too!), Michelle, Ryan and Rosie. I am very, very glad to see the back of Joe! I would include Tracy Barlow as well since she'll be back on our screens and was recently with us as well.

Then there's the characters that I love! I enjoy these characters a lot and enjoy the actors playing them. I love seeing what happens to them, what they'll do or say next, and I look forward to storylines involving them.
These include: Gail, Sally, Audrey, Liz, Steve, Becky, Roy, Hayley, Mary, Julie, Eileen, Leanne, Peter, Kirk, Graeme. I'm putting Simon in here because he's such a cracking little child actor.

There's always characters I like: These are a bit further down the scale. I like them, sometimes a lot.
Give me Deirdre, Emily, Sophie, Anna, Lloyd, Sean, Rita, Sunita, Fiz (though they're ruining her character, she needs to be our Fiz Bomb again and blow up Stape!), Carla. We also need Ted back, so let's hope the actor will become available again, soon!

The rest of the characters are neither hate nor love nor like. I go from ambivalence to "They're ok". A few of the newer ones we don't really know well enough yet but have potential.

A few thoughts:

Natasha is one of these that had potential but I can't decide what I think about her. She was vastly underused for the first year she was on the show and seemed to be a bit of a daft blonde. Do I dislike her character, now, or do I pity her? We know she's clingy and pushing herself on Nick who really isn't into her and she's spiralling into a downward plunge. I expect it's more pity, I suppose.

Dev is another one I have waffled on for ages. Sometimes I really don't like him and other times I think he's fun and goofy and a character that's there specifically to take the mick out of for his old fashioned attitudes and self importance. I am really glad they have Sunita back, though, as she always seemed to be Dev's anchor.

Tyrone has come a long way really. He's still daft and not too bright but he's kind hearted and loyal and way too good for Molly. I really dread the fallout of the Molvin affair. That storyline was one of the most ill-fitting ones ever. Kudos to the actors, though, that did their best with it, but the viewer fallout for me is that I won't be sad to see Molly go and if Tyrone leaves as a result of it all hitting the fan, I probably won't miss him either. There will be nothing left for him really. Shame.

I won't rattle on about Fiz. I've done enough of that! I expect John will wriggle out if the latest mess he's got them all into and I hear rumours that Fiz will fall pregnant, a further cement to the man that has totally put out her sparky personality. The only possible bright spot is that John *has* to pay for his crime of identity theft and hiding a dead body eventually. Doesn't he?



Families:
As much as I'm not a Ken Barlow fan, you really can't do without the Barlow clan on the whole. They are a great family though really missing Blanche, sadly. And I would very much miss the Websters and Platts as well as two other long-time families that really add to the canvas. The McDonalds are also a great clan. I do wish we'd see more of Big Jim. I always loved the chemistry between him and Liz though new man, Owen, just might have that edge of danger that Liz likes and it could be the new roller coaster relationship she's been needing.