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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 415346" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 481 - 510 8 June - 15 September 1987 This run of episodes has established the presence of the Wright-Gordon-Davieses, with the on/off/postponed dramas leading to the nuptials meaning they’ve been given enough screen-time for us to get an idea of who they are.In theory, at least.Much of the information comes materially, with the imagery and props appearing jn Number Nine clueing us in to the upwardly mobile nature of the household. Exposed brickwork in the dining area. Tick. Cork tile kitchen floor. Tick. Kellogg’s Country Store prominently displayed on the table at breakfast. And the Jonelle wallpaper Damon is tasked with hanging (this is perhaps the most telling. They’re posh enough to shop at John Lewis’s, which was kind of a big deal in the Eighties, but they’re still buying Lewis’s own brand, so there are a few rungs to climb before they enter the “posh house on the Wirral” set).Status symbols aside, though, the news is a little more mixed with this couple. It feels Steven Pinner has quickly carved out his little place on the series. The stories aren’t the most riveting, but I believe him as a character, and I believe his responses. Jonathan’s been just removed enough from most of the neighbours to keep things feeling too safe, while interacting well with them on his terms. And occasionally he surprises with a mellow response when I’m expecting the iron fist (an example was him being quite relaxed about Damon getting paint on his nice suit then trying to cover it up).Jane Cunliffe is less accomplished in her role as Laura. That’s the current impression, anyway. There’s just something that feels a little untruthful. She’s not bad, but something just doesn’t work for me. I think it’s the fusion of writing and performance being a little at odds. To me it feels the actress is quite a different personality type to her character and this tells in the delivery. Laura’s had a few impassioned speeches about her career and her independence, but there’s such an undercurrent of disinterest it feels like someone just saying words that don’t mean anything to them. There’s no passion or belief there.It probably doesn’t help that, by virtue of her place in the series (in all senses), it’s difficult not to draw unfavourable comparisons with Amanda Burton. Like Heather at series’ start, Laura is the young professional on the verge of making her mark in a male-dominated field (her tower block office even feels very much like the one Heather worked in circa 1984. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same building). And like Heather before her, Laura’s career is important enough to affect her romantic life. Already she’s postponed the wedding because of a case in which she’s invested. The lack of passion in the reading makes this a hard sell, but it does make Jonathan’s incredulity palpable, and so some good material comes from this angle.For all her cries of wanting to make the world better, Laura’s behaviour is frequently selfish and entitled. She makes decisions about the wedding that affect many people, then expects Jonathan to at the very least present a united front when breaking this news to people (news that Jonathan himself is frustrated about). There’s promise there, with echoes of the early friction that existed between Heather and Roger when the series began. But it’s nowhere near so entertaining or memorable as, say, Heather “forgetting” to pick Roger up from the station as a punitive measure.The bottom line is that much of the material in Number Nine currently feels very plot-driven. There’s been one “wedding versus work” argument after another in the lead up to the nuptials. And, once the wedding has finally taken place, no sooner is the couple back from honeymoon than there are arguments over Jonathan spending money on his state of the art compact disc system and whatnot. It could be teething trouble, or a sign of deeper problems. It could be because Laura is a spoilt princess and Jonathan won’t let it go. Or it could be that the creators are struggling to create interest by organic means. At this point, it doesn’t really matter which is the case… it’s a little tedious either way.It’s better news when the newcomers interact with other households. Each of them has given Harry Cross a piece of their mind, and the last episodes of the run saw Jimmy McGovern create conflict from the pre-existing awkwardness between them and the Corkhills over noise pollution: a natural avenue to explore, given the homes are the only attached ones on the close, and there’s plenty of scope coming from frequent arguments.  Billy grabbing Jonathan by the collar and slamming him against the wall had nostalgic echoes of the first episode's encounter between Bobby and Paul.Whatever reservations there may be, the Jonathan/Laura material is far from the worst the series has to offer. That dubious honour remains with the tenants at Number Seven, where Pat amped up his grinning obnoxiousness to the limit in a defiant-and-annoying-as-hell last gesture. And just when it seems the annoyance has hit the ceiling, he has also - for pushed his Cockney accent to the limit in these last few weeks. It’s always been a little stereotypical, but it’s now become so broad that it seems almost satirical. Except satire is generally entertaining.The whole bad boy thing has been annoying as all hell.It doesn’t even help that Pat is apparently meant to be annoying to watch at this point as he screws over his bandmates and landlord and housemate. Barry Grant he isn’t. We don’t know or care where it comes from or what it’s all about. Because it’s just the same petulant delivery we’ve been watching for three long years we just want him to stop talking and go away. Adding insult to injury, when he eventually does go away, he gets one that seems endless. He doesn’t just simply exit Number Seven. We watch him saunter across the Close, saying his goodbyes to various characters, then get into a waiting taxi. Even then we stay inside the taxi with him until the Close is out of sight. I’m taking the optimistic view that he was given a definitive exit so we could all be sure he’d really gone for good, with no question of a return. And good bloody riddance. Pat’s crime is a serious one in my eyes. He gave some of Brookie’s best years their most consistently unwatchable material. continued… It happened in #510, which is one for James's pictures within a picture archive.(I must say, the Gordon-Davieses' story seems to be moving at a rate of knots. They've barely arrived but I'm sure Laura's dad is going to be installing the new light switches anytime now.).</blockquote>

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