Wednesday 5 September 2012

Forget me not

With all this angst between Michelle and Ryan lately, I kept expecting him to scream at her "You're Not My Real Mother!!!". Along with everything else he hurled at her in various bust ups, that would probably hurt the most. Because it's true, isn't it?

I've blogged about this before but it bears another outing in this context. This recent situation would be the perfect time to resurrect that whole painfully awful storyline and I suppose that's exactly why they aren't doing it. The powers that be would prefer us to forget that ever happened. We celebrate Ryan's birthday with nary a mention of Alex, and Ryan never seems to have contact with Nick, his biological dad with whom he had started to build a relationship at one time. All that has been swept under the rug.

I know sometimes they come up with storylines that they think will be "gripping" and then realize that they're more of a damp squib, or even judged by the fans as the worst storyline ever. The infamous baby switch was certainly one of those as was Hayley's long lost son, lost again to the mists of time. Another storyline best forgotten.

But the fans remember, unfortunately, and it's irksome at times when it seems as if these things never happened. Are we supposed to just forget? Well, yes, in cases like this, we are.

Of course there are hundreds, nay, thousands of storylines, short and long that are never referred to again. But there are a few that were promoted as major storylines that ran over months and those are the ones I'm thinking about here. 

There was a Post Office in the Kabin and for a couple of years, we saw the little kiosk, in a space across from the cash register. That, too, became a phantom lost to memory and now that the Kabin has been rebuilt post-tram crash, there's no longer a Post Office sign on the the building. It's gone quietly into the rubble, with Rita selling the occasional stamp from a roll she probably gets at the main PO.

Another that I hope has left town with the rest of the Baldwins, never to see the light of day again, is the near-incestuous affair between Frankie Baldwin and her stepson Jamie. It was referred to in an argument between Violet and Jamie in that London special, mind you, but as long as any character involved or related to them is not seen again, we should thankfully be able to delete that from the vaults without worrying about reminders.

There are some storylines we wish we could forget. Some of them have a fallout that will echo for years, like the outcome of the awful Molvin affair. Baby Jack is a constant reminder to Sally of Kevin's betrayal and I'm glad they didn't allow her to take Kevin back and bring that baby up as her own. Now they need to find new partners for both of them, Kevin in particular, I think. Enough of him pining after Sally and begging her to forgive him yet again.

I suppose when a television program has been running as long as Coronation Street has, there's bound to be misfires. Not every storyline is going to appeal to everyone. Not every storyilne is going to work out the way they thought it would. Some couples end up having no chemistry after all. Some awful storylines have major repercussions. Some fade away, best forgotten altogether and written off as an idea that should have been corked along with the whiskey bottle that seems to have inspired it.

My most memorable storylines were the rise and fall of Richard Hillman, the rise and fall of Tony Gordon, Stape-Gate from start to finish, the complex twists with Des, Raquel, Tanya Pooley, Bet and trucker Charlie.

2 comments:

Margot said...

Another great post, Tvor. Thank you! On the subject of Kevin and his affairs, do you recall his relationship with the mad Allison who got run over? If I remember correctly, she gave birth to Kevin's son, Jake, who died just after he was born. Either before or after this relationship, Kevin was also involved with a nurse who was called Molly! I don't think this relationship lasted for very long though.

One storyline which was very similar to Molly #2 and Kevin's affair was when Martin Platt fell in love with Katy Harris. I really disliked this story and it got out of control when Katy killed her father and then ended her own life. Along with Kevin's insipid relationships, this is one story I would rather forget. I often get the feeling that some characters (and the writers) actually forget just who they have had relationships with in the past.

Many of the most memorable storylines for me date from the 1990s when I was growing up. I, too, loved the stories involving Des, Curly, Raquel, Tanya and Des's biker chick Sam. I also have fond memories of the MacDonald family's early days, Jack, Vera and our Terry, as well as the Gilroys and Vicky at the Rovers. Loved, loved, loved these characters.

Tvor said...

Oh that's a good one. There has never been a mention of the baby that Kevin lost, little Jake. You'd think there would have been. Of course many characters have many forgotten affairs and relationships, that's really just a matter of convenience. You can't bring them all up, i suppose! I agree with the Katy and Martin storyline. Awful! And the actor himself hated it.

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