Yes, folks, forget about Groundhog Day, this was Groundhog Week, or Haven't We Been Here Before?
The Ballad of Roxy and Aleks
Well, Bonnie and Clyde, they're not ...
Roxy must have the worst judgement in picking men in the history of the show. Roxy is one of my favourite characters, besides possessing traits that annoy the hell out of me. She's an abysmal mother, who relies on her daughter surviving on the disciplary and care-giving skills of the relatives who surround her, even if one of those relatives is a murderer and a psychopath. Poor Amy drew the short straw in parenthood with Amy and Jack. Her mother can't quite get over the fact that she's the wrong side of thirty, and she would rather party down with the latest boyfriend than act the responsible mum with her daughter. She's selfish. That said, Roxy is warm, kind, big-hearted, and loyal, but high-maintenanced. If Nikki Spraggan were sticking around (and I'm gutted that she isn't), she and Roxy would make an excellent friendship, but then - as we know - Roxy doesn't do friendships outside of Mitchelldom.
The worst-kept secret in all of this mediocre week was the fact that Aleks was married. Not just married, but married and with a child in Latvia.
That was bad enough for Roxy, who has a penchant for being attracted to the wrong man - her sister's boyfriend, the local bully, a psychopath, someone still in love with his wife - you get my drift; but worse was the fact that the news had to come to her - by way of Tamwar - from Alfie, her husband of about five minutes.
Rita Simons and Kristian Kiehling have great chemistry, and I love the fact that Roxy's being given a storyline at last - albeit, it doesn't seem that she gets any sort of real storylines whenever her Sugly Blister is around. I like Roxy and Aleks, but I have a feeling that this is just another Roxy cock-up from which SuperSis will rescue her, waving an expensively manicured admonitory finger in her face, reminding her that only Ronnie can run her life effectively.
One of the best things about Rita Simons when she first joined the cast were her excellent one-liners and her subtly muggish facial expressions. We had some of these on show in Thursday's hour-long episode, when she invited Aleks around for her revenge specialty - curry laced with laxative. Her face, as she pulled away from Aleks's embrace was a picture of disgust and later ...
Aleks: This is good. Really, really good. I'm serious, you should cook more often.
Roxy (deadpan): Really? Is it as good as Anita's?
Friday's episode found Roxy re-discovering her idiotic Mitchell mojo - when someone annoys the Mitchells, that person simply has to leave town.
It's as if the Mitchells aren't mature enough to support anyone who's hurt or insulted their massive ego hanging around reminding them of their frailty. So what does Roxy do?
She buys Aleks a one-way ticket back to Latvia - for his daughter's sake, you understand.
That's right - ne'mind the man has a job with responsibilities, a flat with rent to pay, ne'mind he's working here to provide a better life for his child - he simply has to go. Now. Tonight.
Friday's episode was a weak one, but it provided a good balance between the older female characters in the programme and their younger counterparts. In this instance, the slightly tipsy Cora - she whose daughter was a teenage marriage-wrecker, herself - had a sound piece of advice for Roxy.
So what if he is married?
I agree with her, however; Roxy and Aleks were good together, and I suppose she meant Aleks could divorce his wife, but we learned at the end that, whilst Aleks is perfectly happy to retain what he has with Roxy, he won't divorce his wife. In fact, he absolutely refuses. He thinks his child will hate him if he does that, but I wonder how much it does have to do with religion? If he's from the Eastern part of Latvia, he's from the Catholic region. So Roxy, effectively, becomes his bit on the side.
How long before the wife and child show up?
Simply (in the) Red Again.
Guess who's taken out a loan again?
Liam, I done somefink really stupid.
That's right. Bianca's in the red again to the tune of 3 grand,and she can't even afford the first instalment, which has led to copious letters and a pony-tailed bailiff turning up at the door.
As vile as she can be sometimes, I realised that I'm going to miss Bianca, and I wish she were staying far more than the po-faced, morally self-righteous and judgemental Sonia, who irks the hell out of me. Natalie Cassidy has two stock expressions as her party pieces - the sad tragic one and the indignant one, and both look as though she's constipated and in need of Roxy's remedy for Aleks's lies.
Since Patsy Palmer's departure was announced, TPTB have gone into full Paulinisation of her character, making her as feckless and unlikeable as they could. I'm not au fait with benefits, but surely the Butcher-Jacksons, especially Carol, would have qualified for assistance, especially with payment of utility bills and the like. Bianca's not the brightest lightbulb in the pack, but she's far more likeable than the abysmal Tina. Bianca tries to do what's right, but - as she said this evening - she couldn't manage on her own in the wake of David leaving and, literally, taking Janine's blood money - which begs the question: has anyone contacted Janine? I know Carol was more than a bit of a bitch to her after and during the trial, but Janine wouldn't see her nieces and nephews suffer.
I couldn't help noticing, again, what an abject child Bianca was, when she was crying to Terry about the bailiffs ...
They'll come and take the telly and all.
IIRC, it was a loan to get a new television that got Bianca in trouble the last time. The number of childish and child-like adults on this show increases by leaps and bounds - Bianca, Tina, Shirley, Linda.
Tina's childishness is deliberate, however. She uses it to her advantage. A more dishonest, lying, feckless and irresponsible character I've never seen. I'm sorry Carol's felt desperate enough to take the route of pushing cannibis and going in with this piece of human detritis and her equally vile Aunt Babe. Give me Big Mo's casual dodginess any day instead of Babe. Ian was desperate enough to meet her wage demands and take her back into employment, but I wonder how he'll feel when she's caught dealing behind the bar of the cafe and his business is shut down. I hate this character. I want her to go. And take Sonia with her.
Ian's dynamic with Carol has changed since David's departure. Carol would be too proud to ask for help, but he is Bianca's uncle, and she should feel that she could approach him to inform him of the family's circumstances in the wake of David's departure.
Highlights from Thursday: The Carol-Dot scene. There aren't enough scenes between these two actresses. Dot referenced having cancer before meeting Jim. I know that, about a decade ago, she lost a kidney to cancer, but she was married to Jim then. I do think that in the early 90s, prior to her first departure, she had intra-uterine pre-cancerous cells and may have had a hysterectomy. But I thought the exchange between Dot and Carol poignant and very well-enacted and written.
Low Points from Thursday: Sonia mouthing off to Bianca. Sonia comes around the Butcher-Jacksons with cakes and moral platitudes, but I recall a time when Carol subtly broached the subject of finances, and Sonia launched into a litany of her mortgage, Rebecca yadda-yadda. No one's expecting her to pay Bianca's way, but when David left them high and dry, the most Sonia could do was cover Carol's shifts at the cafe, and that came to an end pretty sharpish. The odd twenty quid here and there left with Carol might not have gone amiss, especially since Carol looked after Rebecca whilst Sonia was off getting drunk with Tina the lout.
Whitney - that's it, Whitney. You do your part by bunking off work and helping Bianca on the stall, especially with Aleks on the warpath about unregistered people working as casuals on the stall. Put your real job in jeopardy. And did I hear rightly when Whitney offered whatever money she offered to help with the debt - I live here too? Does she not pay room and board? She's working full-time, the family is on the breadline, and she doesn't contribute, at least, to housekeeping?
Just a couple of points about Friday's episode which seem to be in contention - Carol is not going to deal drugs for the retarded Court Jester and that foul piece of obese flesh known as Auntie Babe. I don't know how people read ambiguity into the fact that Carol said no to Tina's offer and her decision to have a double, rather than a single mastectomy.
The whole bone of contention between Sonia and Bianca was about whether Carol should have the lesser surgery, meaning a quicker recuperation period (meaning Carol would be at work sooner) or the full whack, meaning a longer convalescence and more thorough physiotherapy.
Carol initially wanted the lesser of the two, thinking she could help her family out financially, even though everyone from Dot to Cora to Big Mo were telling her it was better to do the double and have a better chance at being cancer-free. Finally, it was Pam Coker, who got through to her.
And that's my second point. A lot of people thought Pam's final approach to Carol, the scene on the bench, was agressive and intrusive. I thought it was anything but. Pam thought she'd offended Carol previously at the community centre,and her first remit was to apologise. Her conversation with Carol assured Carol that she knew what it was like to be afraid to do something, but to face that fear and go on living with hope.
In the end, all we have is hope.
Then she gave Carol a slight hug and a motherly kiss on the cheek. Sometimes, the kindness of strangers can help someone see something in perspective. Carol is the prickliest of people. Had she been offended by Pam's proximity, she would not have hesitated in telling her. She didn't. Instead, she listend and took on board what Pam had to say.
Others are grasping at straws, saying this is a nod to Les being the Mad Undertaker who killed Lucy Beale out of greed. That's too silly to warrant comment.
The Ballad of Roxy and Aleks
Well, Bonnie and Clyde, they're not ...
Roxy must have the worst judgement in picking men in the history of the show. Roxy is one of my favourite characters, besides possessing traits that annoy the hell out of me. She's an abysmal mother, who relies on her daughter surviving on the disciplary and care-giving skills of the relatives who surround her, even if one of those relatives is a murderer and a psychopath. Poor Amy drew the short straw in parenthood with Amy and Jack. Her mother can't quite get over the fact that she's the wrong side of thirty, and she would rather party down with the latest boyfriend than act the responsible mum with her daughter. She's selfish. That said, Roxy is warm, kind, big-hearted, and loyal, but high-maintenanced. If Nikki Spraggan were sticking around (and I'm gutted that she isn't), she and Roxy would make an excellent friendship, but then - as we know - Roxy doesn't do friendships outside of Mitchelldom.
The worst-kept secret in all of this mediocre week was the fact that Aleks was married. Not just married, but married and with a child in Latvia.
That was bad enough for Roxy, who has a penchant for being attracted to the wrong man - her sister's boyfriend, the local bully, a psychopath, someone still in love with his wife - you get my drift; but worse was the fact that the news had to come to her - by way of Tamwar - from Alfie, her husband of about five minutes.
Rita Simons and Kristian Kiehling have great chemistry, and I love the fact that Roxy's being given a storyline at last - albeit, it doesn't seem that she gets any sort of real storylines whenever her Sugly Blister is around. I like Roxy and Aleks, but I have a feeling that this is just another Roxy cock-up from which SuperSis will rescue her, waving an expensively manicured admonitory finger in her face, reminding her that only Ronnie can run her life effectively.
One of the best things about Rita Simons when she first joined the cast were her excellent one-liners and her subtly muggish facial expressions. We had some of these on show in Thursday's hour-long episode, when she invited Aleks around for her revenge specialty - curry laced with laxative. Her face, as she pulled away from Aleks's embrace was a picture of disgust and later ...
Aleks: This is good. Really, really good. I'm serious, you should cook more often.
Roxy (deadpan): Really? Is it as good as Anita's?
Friday's episode found Roxy re-discovering her idiotic Mitchell mojo - when someone annoys the Mitchells, that person simply has to leave town.
It's as if the Mitchells aren't mature enough to support anyone who's hurt or insulted their massive ego hanging around reminding them of their frailty. So what does Roxy do?
She buys Aleks a one-way ticket back to Latvia - for his daughter's sake, you understand.
That's right - ne'mind the man has a job with responsibilities, a flat with rent to pay, ne'mind he's working here to provide a better life for his child - he simply has to go. Now. Tonight.
Friday's episode was a weak one, but it provided a good balance between the older female characters in the programme and their younger counterparts. In this instance, the slightly tipsy Cora - she whose daughter was a teenage marriage-wrecker, herself - had a sound piece of advice for Roxy.
So what if he is married?
I agree with her, however; Roxy and Aleks were good together, and I suppose she meant Aleks could divorce his wife, but we learned at the end that, whilst Aleks is perfectly happy to retain what he has with Roxy, he won't divorce his wife. In fact, he absolutely refuses. He thinks his child will hate him if he does that, but I wonder how much it does have to do with religion? If he's from the Eastern part of Latvia, he's from the Catholic region. So Roxy, effectively, becomes his bit on the side.
How long before the wife and child show up?
Simply (in the) Red Again.
Guess who's taken out a loan again?
Liam, I done somefink really stupid.
That's right. Bianca's in the red again to the tune of 3 grand,and she can't even afford the first instalment, which has led to copious letters and a pony-tailed bailiff turning up at the door.
As vile as she can be sometimes, I realised that I'm going to miss Bianca, and I wish she were staying far more than the po-faced, morally self-righteous and judgemental Sonia, who irks the hell out of me. Natalie Cassidy has two stock expressions as her party pieces - the sad tragic one and the indignant one, and both look as though she's constipated and in need of Roxy's remedy for Aleks's lies.
Since Patsy Palmer's departure was announced, TPTB have gone into full Paulinisation of her character, making her as feckless and unlikeable as they could. I'm not au fait with benefits, but surely the Butcher-Jacksons, especially Carol, would have qualified for assistance, especially with payment of utility bills and the like. Bianca's not the brightest lightbulb in the pack, but she's far more likeable than the abysmal Tina. Bianca tries to do what's right, but - as she said this evening - she couldn't manage on her own in the wake of David leaving and, literally, taking Janine's blood money - which begs the question: has anyone contacted Janine? I know Carol was more than a bit of a bitch to her after and during the trial, but Janine wouldn't see her nieces and nephews suffer.
I couldn't help noticing, again, what an abject child Bianca was, when she was crying to Terry about the bailiffs ...
They'll come and take the telly and all.
IIRC, it was a loan to get a new television that got Bianca in trouble the last time. The number of childish and child-like adults on this show increases by leaps and bounds - Bianca, Tina, Shirley, Linda.
Tina's childishness is deliberate, however. She uses it to her advantage. A more dishonest, lying, feckless and irresponsible character I've never seen. I'm sorry Carol's felt desperate enough to take the route of pushing cannibis and going in with this piece of human detritis and her equally vile Aunt Babe. Give me Big Mo's casual dodginess any day instead of Babe. Ian was desperate enough to meet her wage demands and take her back into employment, but I wonder how he'll feel when she's caught dealing behind the bar of the cafe and his business is shut down. I hate this character. I want her to go. And take Sonia with her.
Ian's dynamic with Carol has changed since David's departure. Carol would be too proud to ask for help, but he is Bianca's uncle, and she should feel that she could approach him to inform him of the family's circumstances in the wake of David's departure.
Highlights from Thursday: The Carol-Dot scene. There aren't enough scenes between these two actresses. Dot referenced having cancer before meeting Jim. I know that, about a decade ago, she lost a kidney to cancer, but she was married to Jim then. I do think that in the early 90s, prior to her first departure, she had intra-uterine pre-cancerous cells and may have had a hysterectomy. But I thought the exchange between Dot and Carol poignant and very well-enacted and written.
Low Points from Thursday: Sonia mouthing off to Bianca. Sonia comes around the Butcher-Jacksons with cakes and moral platitudes, but I recall a time when Carol subtly broached the subject of finances, and Sonia launched into a litany of her mortgage, Rebecca yadda-yadda. No one's expecting her to pay Bianca's way, but when David left them high and dry, the most Sonia could do was cover Carol's shifts at the cafe, and that came to an end pretty sharpish. The odd twenty quid here and there left with Carol might not have gone amiss, especially since Carol looked after Rebecca whilst Sonia was off getting drunk with Tina the lout.
Whitney - that's it, Whitney. You do your part by bunking off work and helping Bianca on the stall, especially with Aleks on the warpath about unregistered people working as casuals on the stall. Put your real job in jeopardy. And did I hear rightly when Whitney offered whatever money she offered to help with the debt - I live here too? Does she not pay room and board? She's working full-time, the family is on the breadline, and she doesn't contribute, at least, to housekeeping?
Just a couple of points about Friday's episode which seem to be in contention - Carol is not going to deal drugs for the retarded Court Jester and that foul piece of obese flesh known as Auntie Babe. I don't know how people read ambiguity into the fact that Carol said no to Tina's offer and her decision to have a double, rather than a single mastectomy.
The whole bone of contention between Sonia and Bianca was about whether Carol should have the lesser surgery, meaning a quicker recuperation period (meaning Carol would be at work sooner) or the full whack, meaning a longer convalescence and more thorough physiotherapy.
Carol initially wanted the lesser of the two, thinking she could help her family out financially, even though everyone from Dot to Cora to Big Mo were telling her it was better to do the double and have a better chance at being cancer-free. Finally, it was Pam Coker, who got through to her.
And that's my second point. A lot of people thought Pam's final approach to Carol, the scene on the bench, was agressive and intrusive. I thought it was anything but. Pam thought she'd offended Carol previously at the community centre,and her first remit was to apologise. Her conversation with Carol assured Carol that she knew what it was like to be afraid to do something, but to face that fear and go on living with hope.
In the end, all we have is hope.
Then she gave Carol a slight hug and a motherly kiss on the cheek. Sometimes, the kindness of strangers can help someone see something in perspective. Carol is the prickliest of people. Had she been offended by Pam's proximity, she would not have hesitated in telling her. She didn't. Instead, she listend and took on board what Pam had to say.
Others are grasping at straws, saying this is a nod to Les being the Mad Undertaker who killed Lucy Beale out of greed. That's too silly to warrant comment.
Here goes.....
ReplyDeleteBilly's key is the key to the Lucy Beale murder. This key was used by persons (not Billy) to get into Aleks' flat and plant the evidence that framed Jake. This key, known about by the Mitchell's and most importantly Ronnie. Obtained after that incongruous conversation with between not Charlie Cotton and Ronnie. This key is the key. That's how the evidence got in there. I've got a lot I need to add! I don't think it's circumstantial that Billy is working at the undertakers either. (God knows the man needs staff but that's not for now)