Coronation Street

[garlicbutter]

let's yank this thread to somewhere nearer my level Notice I didn't say "down"!

For non-viewers, Carla the factory owner is dependent on new business partner, Frank, for her business's survial - it employs half the street, this being a soap. Frank fancies Carla's assistant Maria and, after a supposed business dinner, tried to rape Maria. He's now putting pressure on Carla to bring Maria on-side, meaning tell Maria to be "nice" to him. This evening, Carla brought out all the old victim-blaming chestnuts and Maria walked out.

Summary & video centred on Alison King, who plays Carla.

I'm finding this story especially interesting, as it reflects some of what happened during my advertising career. Imo Corrie is way more feminist than Stenders or Moanerdale - I think it covers more real-life issues, with more balance, than soaps generally do.

So what could Carla do to dig herself out of this hole? And, incidentally, what do you really think of TV soaps?

[garlicbutter]

I agree with your summary of Stenders, SGM, though I still watch it! Since the actresses are usually dressed in character I assume the semi-nude appearances are part of their personal career path. I would go but it seems to have worked for Kate Middletoon -

[K999]

This is so weird that you have posted this. I watch Corrie and tonight I actually watched it with the sole purpose to see (from a novice feminist to be) position if this programme was sexist etc...and I was actually shocked at the way Carla treated Maria...but then are the soaps not meant to reflect reality (in some kind of bizarre way) and is the reaction by Carla representative?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheChocolateGoes]

I'm an avid Corrie watcher, haven't seen tonight's yet,but this storyline has been bothering me, it is quIte uncharacteristic of this soap, the women tend to be stronger characters than the men for the most part. Carla is very feisty but has a habit of employing her friends and then treating them extremely badly, she has hung Maria out to dry I think.

What should she do? Well, she has managed to pull back from the brink of catastrophe both financially and personally before many times. She told Nick to sling his hook and seriously jeopardised the business but survived, really she should do the same to Frank and show some respect to Maria. She (Carla) seems to be a totally crap friend to have if you are female, she is totally self serving both in business and her personal life. Maria maybe should walk away, but presumably she needs the money too much.

[garlicbutter]

Brilliant, K999! Well, I'm talking a couple of decades ago now, but I was demoted by a woman boss for being insufficiently flirtatious with male clients. Pissed me off no end, as I got just as much business as the ones who put out.

Carla's struggling to survive in the current cut-throat economic environment, so I guess she would feel highly driven to trya nd resolve the Frank problem - even if that means prostituting her friend! I like what the actress said about Carla's having to compromise her values along the line to get a worthwhile life, so she's torn between being a better person now and feeling Maria should just grit her teeth, as that's what she did ...

I'm also really liking the way they're showing Fizz being endlessly duped by John, her good nature informing her perceptions as his crimes get worse & worse, and Sally Webster gaining personal ground the more she realises what a wazzock Kevin is :)

[K999]

Bring back Annie Walker and Elsie Tanner!!

[garlicbutter]

WhoKnows, I hope Maria keeps on walking too! I'm having to guess at the writers' perspective, but I suspect she will. Carla might then have another crisis to deal with - but that's par for the course with narcissists, innit?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheChocolateGoes]

I feel worried for Maria also in that she has been through an awful lot in the last few years, isn't the brightest card in the pack and the scriptwriters have seen fit to pair her up with a man who used to hit his ex-wife, has criminal connections and tried to fit his ex's new man up for burglary. Seems the scriptwriters have it in for her.

As for Fiz, I am a bit sad that she has stuck with John TBH, after he had the affair with Rosie and then kidnapped her, that should have been it, game over with Fiz. It is interesting the way she has got sucked into a life of dception and lies, she tried so hard to stop John taking the other man's identity but has ended up colluding with it all. John has treated her appalingly in so many ways, she should walk too.

[meditrina]

The first thing to remember on this storyline is that it was originally going to be for Michelle (but the actress who played her went off precipitately on maternity leave) and it was hastily reworked for Maria - quite a different character.

Secondly, the alleged rape incident was actually screened. Yes, he lunged at Maria for a snob. She started to protest, and he continued, but only for about 30 seconds and there incident consisted of an attempt to snob and a hand mid-thigh. Clearly unwelcome, but he then desisted, and apologised and he in no way attempted to detain her. So was that "attempted rape"?

He has been apologetic since, accepts his misjudgement, and there is nothing else to suggest any predatory traits. I think it must have been deliberately written so the viewer cannot have a firm opinion on how far he'd transgressed. I find it hard to see it, on what has been revealed so far, as attempted rape - it is more plausible thus far that it was misjudged misreading of messages.

Carla has heard both sides, and has now come down on the side that Maria has got it out of proportion (she was initially more supportive of Maria). Maria's character is such that it is easy to see her as over-reacting. She was clearly alarmed and distressed at the time, but it is plausible to see this as an over-reaction. Had it been the more worldly Michelle, and had Frank not desisted so quickly after his lunge, then the scenario would have been different.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheChocolateGoes]

i didn't know about it being rewritten from it being Michelle. I would agree that you could argue that it was more a trying it on that an attempted rape. But Carla telling Maria to dress up and go alone to a male customers flat in the evening within her first week or so in the business is pretty shocking treatment I think. She seems to have dumped so much responsibility so quickly on Maria who is clearly totally out of her depth. It seems very unrealistic that you would recruit first a binman, then a barmaid, then a hairdresser to be assistant manager of a knicker factory.

[garlicbutter]

You're right. I get wrapped up in the stories and lose track of the overall picture until the writers slap me in the face with it! I have supposed Maria's horrid boyfrined has been simmering on a back burner and, as you say, she's going to go straight from frying-pan to fire ... oh dear.

Fiz reminds me of lots of real-life women (my past self included), who are so in love with the happy-marriage dream they'll compromise all sorts of values along the way :(

Wouldn't it be great if Fiz, Maria, Sally, Audrey, Becky & Tina all flounced off to a consciousness-raising holiday on a Greek island? They could take that dimwit from the factory along, too - she'd have an affair with the boatman, obviously.

[meditrina]

"snob" sorry, "snog"

Yes, I agree, Carla did to set the situation up. And the mixing of flirtation and business is uncomfortable. On the other hand, just before the incident, it was clear that Frank fancied Maria, and that he'd be a much better prospect for her than the awful ex-wife beater who is her current boyfriend. So Carla's motives may not have been entirely mercenary.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheChocolateGoes]

Perhaps a swap, I'm sure Tracey could handle the wife beater.

[BelleDameSansMerci]

I hadn't watched Corrie for ages until this evening and did wonder what on earth was going on... Now, thanks to thread, I know!

[garlicbutter]

Am shocked that Frank's thought a better prospect! Better than the criminal crackpot she's with, yes, but she doesn't know about him yet - he's still in nice mode. I found what you saw as an awkward snog very uncomfortable viewing! He was on top of her in a few seconds and, while I was muttering "Knee him in the groin, Maria", I would have been nonplussed at her age too. She was whimpering and pushing him off - a man with any respect for the woman would have been mortified, not trying to plaster over his ego.

WhoKnows - yep, Tracey would have him beating himself up
(For non-viewers: Tracey is the very pretty, sociopathic daughter of Deirdre Barlow. How the hell did that happen?!)

[meditrina]

I only meant a better prospect than the builder - and at that stage the incident hadn't happened. I wouldn't like to predict at this stage whether Frank will turn out to be a wrong'un, or an OK bloke who made a mistake. His apologies could have been from mortification; I'm sure the ambiguity is deliberate.

Might Maria be better off back with Tyrone?

Will Carla ever choose a decent business associate?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheChocolateGoes]

Frank has got a bit of a nasty glint in his eye to my mind. He sat quite happily in the pub with Tracey spewing her nasty stuff at Maria the other night, he is obviously still interested in Maria although he is with Tracey and Maria is with Chris, I would give him a very wide berth indeed.

Why does Maria never so much as mention her child? Who looks after him? I have tended to asssume Kirk is babysitting, but they were both in the pub tonight (have watched it now).