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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 431968" data-attributes="member: 23">Episodes 723 - 737 2 October - 20 November 1989After the thrill of Doreen’s return, these episodes have been a mostly disappointing return to recent form. It’s a funny old time. There’s a sense of transition, but little sense that any of it will be for the better - particularly with the benefit of hindsight. It’s the absences, though, that feel as though they telegraph the changes of priorities. Certain characters have been rested for long periods. Billy and Sheila, for example, didn’t show up until the last few episodes in the run, the actors presumably taking a breather after the high profile story from the previous run. Other than letter from Doreen’s solicitor agreeing to accept her share of the house, it feels they’re starting over. Sheila’s interview at the school for hard of hearing children was watchable enough, but it’s difficult to see much storyline potential in her new job in the way that, say, her job at The Swan offered. Annabelle hasn’t been seen at all. Presumably this was a period where Doreen Sloane was undergoing cancer treatment, or not well enough to work. If things have been hurriedly repurposed to work around this, it doesn’t show. Annabelle not being around has forced Paul and Louise into dealing with one another in such a way that it could well have been planned this way all along. Gordon, now that I think about it after the fact, is probably taking the Annabelle role as the peacemaker who liaises between Paul and Louise and challenges each of them in turn, but this has had the surprising effect of showing a different side of Gordon that feels more purposeful and interesting than anything he’s done for quite some time. Not only have I enjoyed the protective older sibling energy he puts across to Louise, he and Paul are speaking adult to adult and listening to one another in a way that feels organic and truthful. Gordon now being the only family member around in Paul’s eyes, it seems natural that he would talk over his concerns to Gordon. Incidentally, Paul has spoken the quiet part out loud by again highlighting how wrong it was of Annabelle to take Louise in despite the conflict of interest with her professional life. Even though it’s kind of working, the whole storyline feels too forced and plot-based and not very Collins. And the less said about Gordon’s industrial espionage relating to bad wine the better.Growler has also been absent until the last episode or so, which I’m guessing might have to with Kevin Carson’s schooling. Perhaps he was undertaking GCSEs or something. Now he’s back, he’s in the midst of little Katie’s Grange Hill bullying saga, which has continued the repetitive and dull theme of little girls stealing. Katie; Louise; I think even little Jessica Choi stole something at one point.Sammy has bagged most of the series’ drama and budget with the car chase and crash that left Owen in a coma (I remember this being heavily-promoted at the time). Somehow here the focus on the younger characters has felt as much as anything like Keeping Up With The Ramsays And The Fletchers (I recall seeing parallels between Sammy’s reliance on alcohol with that of Home and Away’s Carly Morris, which was playing out on British screens some months ahead of these episodes). Meanwhile, Frank has had a lot of dull and dry union scenes that make me pine for Ricky Tomlinson’s passion for and understanding towards the material. And Chrissy is as self-righteously strident as ever. Mercifully, Sue has been seen very little, and Terry’s scenes have mostly been with others such as Jonathan or Cheryl. The latter two’s removal from the Close, as realistic as it might be, makes me feel less connected to them, but their material has at least been relatively engaging. Rod’s been mostly holding the fort for the Corkhills with the triangle between him, Kirsty and Tommo. Kirsty has felt like rather like the rash that keeps coming back, and her natural departure point was a long time ago. Still, it seems I’ve watched her last episode, even if it wasn’t acknowledged as such. Tommo, it seems, will be back for a while, so that’s something good. Ralph has left the series after a final “drama” where he and Harry weren’t speaking to one another. It was all predictable and safe in the end, but that’s appropriate for this character.</blockquote>

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