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"Hollyoaks" video clip: Crauling Away
The first of today's two Hollyoaks clips opens with Niall finding a letter that Kieron had written to Myra before his death. Reading it, it appears that Niall actually might feel a pang of guilt (but don't worry, it'll be gone by the end of the second clip). John Paul has brought some of Kieron's things over to Myra's, and when she sees the plane ticket that Craig gave J.P., says "that boy!..it's like Kieron never even existed!". Strangely, though, in the very same scene she seems to be giving her blessing for Craul, when she and J.P. have this conversation: Myra: "I know you loved Craig, and maybe you still do, but that don't mean you never loved Kieron. Something something* happiness, whether it lasted minutes or months...who I am to deny you a chance at that?" J.P.: "Turn my back on Kieron, mum? It's too soon!" Myra: "Baby, Kieron's gone. Don't let guilt ruin your life." J.P.: "He deserved better, mum" * I couldn't understand the first part. So, is it just me, or did Myra just do a huge about face in the span of a minute? The rest of the first clip involves Craig making final preparations for leaving, as he sends J.P. a last ditch voice mail, and says hasty goodbyes to his family (who are desperate to keep him from discovering "the secret of the living corpse"). Niall has a hilarious mini-mad scene (twirling..TWIRLING..TWIRLING!), and when J.P. gets the message on his phone from Craig, Niall deletes it before he can hear it. The second clip involves more goodbyes for Craig, but most of it is about J.P. and Niall, who is realizing that his control over the lad is unraveling, and he...must..do..something. The rest we'll leave to you, but suffice it to say that it involves a certain beverage, and a definite sense of deja-vu. You can see the second clip after the break, and let us know what you think? I have to admit to being a bit startled by the seemingly abrupt change of heart from Myra. With the "sunset ending" coming next, do you think the show has set it up well? Let us know in the comments, and come back tomorrow...but make sure you have plenty of tissues handy. Submitted by on Thu, 2008-09-18 14:43. |
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Why watch it on TV?
I have to say that I'm not really a big fan of these TV soaps (even though I had to watch Hollyoaks when JP and Craig might have made it onto the plane to Dublin in the first place). Now however I have the perfect excuse, I get to keep up with the interesting bits here and then just ignore the rest of it. Poor Kieran, I think I would have prefered JP and Kieran to JP and Craig.
I can't wait until Niall eventually gets his comuppance, all slightly deranged murderers do on British soaps. I just hope JP is the one to do it, or possibly Myra, actually just get the whole McQueen clan in on it to get back at him!
Poor John Paul
John Paul just comes off as so confused; James really has a knack for making people feel sympathy for the character. How can I take any SE seriously, when John Paul can't make up his mind if he's going to stay at Niall's, his mom's or go to Dublin. It seems that whatever anyone says, then that's the direction he goes. He just seems so unsure of himself.
And Myra's sudden change of direction fits this storyline. To force this SE, many of the characters have had to undergo personality transplants, so that their behavior fits the storyline.
I do love hearing Kieron's voice again, and his line about there not being fear in love was incredible.
Hah, talk about being
Hah, talk about being self
Can you answer these questions
This is so tired. Regardless of how long the storyline was planned, there's no excuse for the poor way that it has been written. Why can't you all address the issues that I'm raising. Look I'll even number them for you:
1. It has only been two weeks since Kieron died, yet I am supposed to believe that John Paul would run off to start another relationship.
2. John Paul and Craig haven't spent a lot of time on screen during the past three weeks, and they haven't discussed the issues that prompted John Paul to leave Craig at the airport last year. In fact, on several instances, Craig blames John Paul for leaving him, as if it was John Paul's fault.
3. Characters are acting in ways that aren't true to their characters. They are being changed to suit the storyline. As Snick's said, Myra is one example, but we can look at the behavior of Sarah, and John Paul and Kieron's actions after we left the three week break.
4. John Paul and Craig look like they haven't matured over the past year.
I would be happy if those who keep saying that this SE was in the works for a year would answer these questions. And can you tell me why would the writes have the SE overshadowed by Kieron's death? Why have they shown John Paul in such a vulnerable and confused state, right before he makes this big decision? Why haven't the past three weeks been about John Paul and Craig, and them rebuilding their relationship? And since the past three weeks haven't been about them, how can anyone take a SE seriously. The act of the two going off together may look sweet, but that doesn't mean that the writers have built a believable story to support a sweet scene.
Thank You, cadence!
I could not agree more. The pacing of Craig's return, the character inconsistencies and this purported SE have been so off base so much so that the only character that remained recognizable in all of this is... NIALL. I'm not even sure if it's been over a week since Kieron's burial, and off goes John Paul to be with Craig? The writing was a mess but James Sutton did the best he could in spite of the material.
The pacing of John Paul's exit from Hollyoaks is just as bad as when Noah Mayer suddenly went from straight to gay in two episodes on ATWT last year. Not good, especially since Hollyoaks has shown in the past that it can sensibly write for its characters without losing their integrity in the process.
"Craul" Has Got to Go
Wow, a lot of venom being spewed here. While I acknowledge the weakenesses in the writing, mainly that they haven't devoted enough screen time to either John-Paul-Kieron or John-Paul-Craig, I can still enjoy it on its face value. The acting has been superb throughout and it's exciting to finally see a gay soap couple have a happy ending, even if it is bittersweet.
One pet peeve, though. Can we please get rid of "Craul?" It's really a tasteless name for a storyline that means a lot to many of us. "McDean" has been the most commonly used phrase-- why can't we use that?
Full circle...
This episode was great! Ok I'm slightly biased over here :) but I liked it.
I loved the voice-over from Kieon ( I miss him!!!) and especially when he said that 'Perfect Love has no fear' and the camera panned over Craig- that was HIS story. Last year we saw a scared, confused teenager who was too scared to show his love for JP in public and to face up to his feelings for another man; this year we see a mature 20-year old , who's learnt from his mistakes in the past and come back willing to fight for the love of his life.
If thats not a perfect love story, I sure as hell don't know what is!
McDean
I agree with Vague, BSGnut and Jason - even though things were rushed a little (probably due to time constraints in bringing Guy Burnet back), I think the writing isn't that bad and the actors and their chemistry is just superb. In the end that is what made this storyline and it is also what makes the end of it so beautiful. As an anonymous commenter on another blog said "imperfectly perfect".
It's a blog so the writer is entitled to his own opinion, the more critical the better I suppose, but I agree that "Craul" should go.
ah well - I guess people
ah well - I guess people like me were simply not the target audience in this.
To me it seems, like this was done for relationshippers (as a species of viewers so to speak).
TPTB surely were very aware that no matter what they delivered the JP/C-fans would be happy as long as it ended with some sort of sunset - and that the JPK-fans might not buy it no matter how believable it was done or how much effort was put into it. No matter what storyline they would have come up with, the only story that counts would be the one that already existed in the heads of each fanship)
So consequently they didn't much bother with trying to win anyone over. I imagine them putting elements of the story on a scale to see how it will weigh out: Not much actual JP-C action but a happy ending for the McDeaners, no happy ending but at least much Kieron-appreciation for the McHobbsters. Fine, well done! I can see that.
I'm simply no relationshipper :-(
I like characters on their own and how they develop and like to watch and discuss storylines, how and why they are done and where they will lead to.
I'm no sucker for too much drama and (sadly) tend to giggle at cheesy love-scenes when I'm supposed to get tears in my eyes. Okay, at least I enjoy them in a way :D !
But I was so looking forward to if and how they would manage to win me over and simply would have loved to see more interaction between JP & Craig. I still think if they had done the cemetery-scenes earlier, they could have made an actual storyline out of it. I would have loved to see the issues JP & Craig had last year discussed and solved on screen. Not just being presented with the result.
But well - seems like it wasn't necessary for the target audience - so they didn't show it. It wasn't a storyline with any flow and maybe wasn't meant to. Instead they went for showing sort of pictures, elements, individual scenes not necessarily connected - which is okay and all were very well acted, which was great.
I simply wasn't touched by it - but I guess I wasn't meant to be. Collateral damage in a soapy kind of way :D
Ah well - so I don't bother any longer and am simply looking forward to what Niall is up to and if I had thought I couldn't appreciate Barry Sloane more than I already do he proved me wrong with his hilarious backstage-video (contains some mild spoilers with a scene between Myra and Niall)
"Niall [...] he's gone a little bit nuts " no shit sherlock
"subtle - isn't it?" oh I think I love him :D
Barry Sloane's BSV = Awesome
Barry IS awesome, because even HE knows that his character is over the top in his psychotic behaviour (as all soap opera villians should be). Bringing it back to James Sutton (I just love him), I do hope that he gets his wish of being able to portray a villian in whatever new project comes his way.
Ah well - so I don't bother any longer and am simply looking forward to what Niall is up to and if I had thought I couldn't appreciate Barry Sloane more than I already do he proved me wrong with his hilarious backstage-video (contains some mild spoilers with a scene between Myra and Niall)
"Niall [...] he's gone a little bit nuts " no shit sherlock
"subtle - isn't it?" oh I think I love him :D
This is a spot on
This is a spot on analysis. I especially agre with you about TPTB knowing that people who have been asking for a SE for over a year would just be satisfied with a three to five minute scene of Craul going off together. They really didn't care about a build up to the ending, they just wanted the ending. And, I don't begrudge the writers for giving it to them, but I still think they should have put in the effort to make it believable and entertaining.
One of the reasons that many of us loved following John Paul'sjourney is because the HO writers treated this gay character like any other character on the show, and we aren't used to seeing that, especially in US soaps. But, during the last four weeks, the writers changed all of that just to force an ending. We are used to seeing this type of writing from ATWT, but HO was suppossed to be better than this.
Probably
Something something* happiness, whether it lasted minutes or months.
I guess "Something something" is "Holy came out"
Holy came out happiness, whether it lasted minutes or months.
I may be wrong.