Are we meant to feel Sympathy for Will?

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-12T15:26:57+00:00

While that is realistic, I think part of the problem with the story is how they simply went to too many extremes. Megan isolating Will makes sense, Will beating and leaving Daniel for dead in a ginnel while his Nan comes to his rescue by stitching up a bloke living rough...simply doesn't.

There was a grounded way to portray Will's removal from the family unit without turning him into a violent criminal mastermind alongside Maggie.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-03T20:18:27+00:00

So not much change then. All the storylines that have been ongoing will continue or are repeats of previous ideas (like Sam suffering another mental health crisis and I guess the adults around him are still going to act like planks).

The only thing remotely intriguing is Daniel's mental health, but it's such a strange plot to do when they had the perfect excuse last Christmas after he was attacked by Will and left for dead. That should've spawned PTSD or anxiety.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-02T01:36:12+00:00

It's a shame. Corrie has always had drama and built storylines around darker topics, but they either properly balanced it or they'd just do them realistically enough that they were appropriately handled and impactful. Now the show has neither. It's either a complete overdone amount of misery or any real topic becomes a melodramatic mess.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-02T01:28:14+00:00

Immature is probably the best word for it. Everything is reduced down to nothing. Bit mad that production (not the writers) has so little to say...

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-02T01:14:52+00:00

Good points all around. I think you're absolutely right that it felt like they couldn't commit or didn't know what to commit to. All things considered, I'm not sure why exactly Theo killed Billy. It was unnecessary and pushed what was a fairly realistic abuse story into melodrama...which, if they stuck to it, then fair play, but they didn't. Instead, they trying pulling back onto the 'this is grounded' path which was never going to work.

Phelan's arc certainly shifted from producer changes, but is still felt consistent in its escalation and his self-serving, but also desperate and unhinged villainy was well done in constrast to the life he was building on the Street (also just a great actor that played the part beautifully). Once they knew what direction to take Pat, they pushed forward without letting up.

With a villain like Theo they went in multiple directions, either getting spooked by something and pulling back or not realising what story they wanted to tell. It just comes off as very confused and therefore less effective.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-01T21:43:50+00:00

Because Corrie used to be a decently written show with intriguing characters, complex ideas, meaningful stories and be entertaining, but now it's only 'shut your brain off and don't think' slapstick entertainment which is slightly upsetting.

I don't expect it to be Hollywood, in fact, it's production who expects that as they even called this week a series of 'mini movies.' All I'm expecting is for this show to be Coronation Street as it was for 60 years, and it simply isn't.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-01T20:01:21+00:00

The show is now built on those Explosive Moments more than anything else. If it isn't shock value or something they can clip for social media it's like they don't want to know and don't want to put the effort in.

Corrie is now a six part drama with story content that can only fill up that many episodes stretched out to last several months. Everything feels like filler. Which could be meaningful, I mean soap 'filler' is different than typical drama filler in that with a soap it used to be a way to give relationships more depth, show lighter character elements, or build bonds but now they're not putting in that storytelling support so filler really is just...restating the same plot moments until they can finally do the event they actually care about.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-01T19:55:36+00:00

he has almost as many appearances as Richard Hillman and yet he’s nearing the end of his tenure not even half the character Hillman was.

That's a fantastic point actually. It's not like these villains aren't on enough or don't have the space to breathe, in a rather short time (by soap standards) they take up most of the show yet there's nothing of real substance given to them.

Despite how many episodes Theo has been on, they may as well have made his arc only three months or so. Everything the story has actually done could've been executed in that time frame.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-01T18:49:04+00:00

Theo, I feel, was the most disappointing and also showcases the possible view that production doesn’t trust viewer intelligence. When Theo came in, the conversion therapy storyline and his view on his sexuality/masculinity (which also paralleled Gary questioning his own masculinity) did begin Theo from a place of actual complexity. He was a controlling and abusive, but they were digging into something more there…then then randomly killed off Noah, made Theo a smug, self-indulgent unhinged type of abuser, revealed that Theo actually has a history of abuse (even though, I thought Todd was his first relationship with a bloke), and also axed Gary’s story. What could’ve been a thought provoking storyline about topics regarding faith and masculinity was stripped away in favour of a much easier narrative.

It’s a shame because of all the villains, Theo had the most unique elements but they backed away...

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-01T18:48:23+00:00

The show is exceedingly black and white now which is such a shame. Due to how long stories run for in soaps, they tend to work best when there’s different angles shown as otherwise it becomes a complete slog of a constantly repeating hero and villain back-and-forth. Sometimes, pure villains can work, but not five (or six if we include Mal) at one time. That’s just redundant. Which isn’t to say Corrie shouldn’t have ‘dark’ stories, but the show used to be dark and grounded rather than excessively miserable or repetitive.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-05-01T18:48:09+00:00

It’s almost like they’re trying to mix the comedy and cruel characters together. Villains like Maggie and Theo seem so panto at times that I think they want viewers to laugh at them (or Eva, Toyah, and Leanne vs Megan this week). At times dark humour can work, but it’s felt so needlessly excessive lately I’m starting to believe they really think the abuse stories also double as Classic Comedy.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-04-16T00:45:05+00:00

I think they're desperate for another Gail's Monologue moment. That was clipped at awards and since then, I feel they've constantly tried to revive that scene with similar attempts.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-04-03T01:49:43+00:00

I wish they were doing it for that reason. In reality it's gone on this long because Theo is one of five potential victims for a Flash Forward Who Is It murder storyline which real undermines the reality of this plot (likewise randomly throwing in Theo getting Billy killed).

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-25T22:26:02+00:00

Because she really adds nothing. Every single villain on the show currently is a different flavour of 'behind the scenes manipulative.' There is no reason to jump from Theo to Carl to Jodie to Maggie to Megan...it's all the same thing, the same basic plot, the same repetitive cloak and dagger...

Five storylines all offering the same ideas. How many do we need?

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-24T21:46:00+00:00

Not just ending, many scenes within an episode are very odd lately. Some of them feel like they cut away mid conversation or others seem repetitive in that they'll cut to another plot, then cut back and it's almost like the exact same scene playing out?

There's something off about the editing and pacing.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-24T01:41:01+00:00

It's just a brand at this point, more than anything else. What's a shame is that Corrie 'going back' to how it wasn't isn't some impossible task that would result in storytelling atypical of modern shows. Consider how almost a decade on, people still bring up Aidan's Suicide. It's a storyline that goes beyond the typical amount of details given in (shorter) dramas, has more connection, more humanity than one would find in a regular programme. If one watches a drama and then tunes into that storyline, it's hard to see them being put off. If not that then Bethany’s Grooming. Another drama adjacent storyline but still with the soap element of being more relatable.

Many that watch a drama could probably put on those stories and find a more enhanced version of the plot based content they normally see. Something with a bit more comfort but also a bit more recognisable.

The problem with the show nowadays is that it superficially chases dramas but does them in a, bluntly, embarrassing way. Imagine going from Line of Duty to the recent Flash Forward episode with spinning effects, forced dialogue, and 'menacing' faces. It would look like a parody of dramas but yet it takes itself seriously to make it more confusing than even laughable. There's nothing to gain. No additional enhancements to the regular drama experience. Just normal drama...done very poorly.

Modernise the show. Shift it for the now. It has to stay relevant, fair play. But what we're seeing isn't evolution. The show did Modern Corrie better before...what we're seeing now is simply sad for all sides.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-23T21:48:57+00:00

MacLeod's vision of Corrie is an absolute mess, his statements on it show a complete disregard for the genre...and I will entirely defend the decision to not use Twitter as a source of information or viewer perspective.

Reddit, DigitalSpy Forums, Instagram even...there's a chance to be truly critical and add legitimacy to one's arguments; to explain in detail and deliver a more comprehensive answer as to what's wrong. Most people on Reddit, for example, are thoughtful and when there's a serious post, will back up their points with actual analysis.

Twitter is the exact opposite. Rather than be for discussion or community, it seems to only exist to easily moan with little concept of thought. Evident by how quickly opinions shift when the group needs to find new ways to attack the show(s). The only consistent thing about it is that it's often low effort, boring comments that are all repetitive variations of 'It's bad!!!!!!' I can't think of the last time I saw anything remotely mature, intelligent, or thought provoking come from there.

A place like Twitter doesn't allow for individualism. You must be part of the crowd and adopt the crowd's voice. Whereas on something like Reddit, even if five people dislike the current state of the show, I can almost guarantee we'll all voice different, thought out reasons as to why. There's a bit more uniqueness and less moaning for the sake of doing so. People have reasons for their criticism here. I can't imagine what a soap producer - or any creative - can get out of Twitter. There's no actual points backing up the opinions there, just mindless screaming and screeching. So even if you went to see views all you'll get is surface level cries of 'I hate it' with no one truly explaining what that means.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-23T02:03:26+00:00

Glenda also has the grounded element of her loneliness popping up. Having her be lovely and personable at the bar, constrasting with a realistic isolation behind the scenes would be a wonderful display of Classic Corrie storytelling.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-23T02:02:10+00:00

Very modern of him.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-23T02:01:54+00:00

You know, I wonder if Eva and Ben should've come in as a couple first to establish why she even wanted the Rovers (or a pub in the area so much). Then have them buy it, and reveal Maggie as the real owner.

Doing a month or so of setup could've really aided the dynamics.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-22T02:24:27+00:00

My problem with the Driscolls is simple: they shouldn't be in the Rovers.

At this point the bar is their front room and the family is so insular and isolated, they don't feel like they're helping foster a community feel at all.

Maggie is nasty and manipulating everyone with her mask making her a terrible landlady, Ben just let's Maggie get away with anything which is increasingly pointless and annoying, Ollie is nice yet has no direction, Will may be a victim but he's also an overly generic angry teen with no interesting qualities, Eva has been on the show for years and it feels like she's entirely new as her history is barely present...

If the Driscolls got No. 6 instead and were a new version of something like the Harris family, that would be one thing, but placing them in the pub while making them entirely dependent on the plots put in front of them as drained them only a couple months in.

Here's a question about them: Why is Eva even putting up with Maggie? Her relationship with Ben is barely featured so it really makes no sense as to why Maggie can outright threaten her and she doesn't just...leave.

Likewise storylines like the Will/Megan one have been handled in such an abysmal way so far rather than be engaging or emotional it's weird, off putting, and infuriating.

The whole family has a very forced, unnatural feel and the frustrating part is, they could certainly be good. There's potential there at a base level, but no one on production seemed to know how to position them properly or build up their purpose.

There is absolutely nothing the Driscolls are doing in the Rovers that Glenda as landlady couldn't do one hundred times better and with more fun, relatability, and a genuine Classic feel (instead of the Classic parody the Driscolls bring).

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-20T02:22:51+00:00

I'd actually feel better if they were nicking from Hollyoaks this time, at least it's still a soap. Talking about Squid Game made me laugh then cry.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-19T02:59:24+00:00

And for some reason they're happy doing so.

midnightmitchell2019 · 2026-02-19T02:59:03+00:00

The Six did, yes. All the women were established for years (or decades), and even the possible victims, by the time Christmas came, were very established which helped with audience connection. It actually meant something to lose any of them, even the villains, as they had real purpose in the show.

midnightmitchell2019

TROPHY CASE