Gays of our Lives (April 06, 2009)

No Crown for Corrie

It’s hard to believe, but Sean Tully, played by out actor Antony Cotton, has been on Coronation Street for over five years. Alas, most of those five years have involved stories of little significance or, even worse, used Sean as comic relief. However, last year the character, who is about as annoyingly stereotypical as they come – though incredibly popular in the U.K. – finally got a major storyline.

Too bad it was absolutely awful. In short, Sean agreed to have a baby with his best friend Violet. At the time, Sean was simply to be a sperm donor because he had no interest in being a father. Of course, Sean eventually wanted to be a part of his son’s life, which Violet was okay with … until she fell in love with another guy.

As Sean became more and more determined to be a parent to his son, Violet realized he would always be an intrusive presence in their lives. So she and her new man grabbed the baby and disappeared – along with most of Sean’s airtime.

What the show did best: Sean’s cute boyfriend Marcus. He was adorable, likable and ever so patient with Sean’s high strung, high maintenance ways. Indeed, he was the most appealing player in this entire storyline. Unfortunately, we saw too little of him and too much of everyone else.

What the show did worst: The character of Sean himself. It’s fine if a character has traits that might be stereotypically gay and Sean is, quite frankly, a very stereotypical, campy character. But he should also be lovable and appealing, engaging and complex. Sean is none of those things. He is, however, grating, annoying and even hard to listen to.

The writers really need to work on making this character someone you want to see on screen and not someone you wished would have disappeared with his baby. What’s really odd is that the actor had a vital role in the creation of his character.

Random Thoughts: I’m not sure how to feel about the news of Sean getting a new storyline involving a romance with a new character. I want to be optimistic, but more scenes of Sean screeching and throwing temper tantrums are not something I look forward to.

Overall Rating: ½ Nuke.

Where Did Our (Forbidden) Love Go?

What can be said about this powerful, gloriously romantic and wonderfully acted gay relationship that hasn’t been said already? This was soap opera romance at its best from Olli (Jo Weil) realizing he was attracted to Christian (Thore Schölermann) to Christian’s struggle with his desire for Olli to their eventual coming together and consummation of their relationship. Throw in the boxing arc, Olli being gay-bashed, Christian coming out publicly and you have quality television, with nary a false note or bad step taken.

But since those glory days, things have gone rather awry.

What the show did best: The moment Christian admitted he loved Olli for the first time, the first time the two made love, the kiss at the boxing ring - all of these were wonderful. But the best aspect for me, more than any one scene, was the evolution of Christian himself.