If you've been toying with the idea of seeing what the Hollyoaks fuss is all about, then this is the week to start watching. A long-running storyline has reached its endgame. Niall Rafferty, a splendidly three-dimensional maniac, is finally taking his revenge on the McQueen family. He's been kidnapping the many McQueen siblings, one by one - and all because matriarch Myra left him on the steps of a church when he was a baby. Bless.
Niall's been a great character. The casual viewer might have caught episodes where he appeared to be perfectly amiable and normal, and his mask doesn't slip. This is emblematic of the show's approach to him, making Niall far more than an obvious, perma-drooling psycho. His front of normality made it all the more shocking when he killed Father Kieron, in a supremely disturbing sequence.
Hollyoaks may still be seen as a kids' show by some, but it's certainly more than that. Right now, it strikes me as the freshest, feistiest, funniest, bravest soap out there. This week, it's also likely to be one of the most gripping. Furthermore, let me tell you this: if Niall kills Mercedes or Michaela McQueen, I shall go every available shade of mental.
5 comments:
I agree with you in full there, Sir. I also really liked the way the've handled the old stalker/murder storyline (remember that? It was Toby, wasn't it?) and the gay storylines too.
I believe they are quite aggressive and thorough with their storylining system now, so hats off to the Hollyoaks team.
Have to disagree with the idea that they've handled the gay storylines well, to be honest - it seems that John-Paul (is that his name? I'm a casual watcher) all too often seems to get storylines which relate to the trauma of being gay, which sends a rather negative kind of message, to my mind, but maybe I'm oversensitive.
Don't think they're killing Mercedes, aren't they running an HIV storyline for her?
Actually, I remember seeing a direction Mercedes in one of the scripts which looked as if it came from the series bible on the character: "Mercedes is not happy."
J
Thought last night's, or tonight's if you don't have E4, was a cracker.
I concur that Niall is a fantastic bad guy. Hollyoaks has come along way since the days of Rob Hawthorne. Admittedly at the time I could been high off licking a Peruvian Bull frog but I'm sure there was an episode where Rob Hawthorne terrorised a bunch of them aboard a ship that contained a storm simulator.
Omigod Rob! I've been watching it that long too. And now you mention it, I remember a storm simulator too.
Niall is easily the best bad guy since Richard Hillman in the "Killer Corrie" storyline. Totally into this in a big way. When he killed Kieran: cradling him, crying - amazing!
Is Betty Swallocks still in it? I'm so out of date.
The Russell T Davies book is good though isn't it? It's so heavy I found that I can crack Brazil nuts with it. But it's very, very full. And who knew that RTD was such an ardent and competent doodlist?
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