Hollyoaks Video Update: “For Pete’s Sake”

Last week on Hollyoaks, everyone was feeling the aftereffects of Rae losing her baby. Rae continued to blame Brendan for the miscarriage. And while Ste didn’t, there was still a strain on his and Brendan's relationship Meanwhile, Rae decided to move back in with Ste as friends, and Brendan struggled to hide his jealousy.

Elsewhere, Brendan strong-armed Doug into selling drugs for him. Unfortunately, Doug hid the stash where new thug in town Gaz could find it. The bad boy stole the drugs and promptly went into business for himself.

If things weren't complicated enough, Mitzee’s mother breezed into town for a surprise visit and insisted on meeting her daughter's new ‘boyfriend’…

This was a pretty busy week, with a number of various events taking place in several different storylines… all centering on Brendan. It’s really become apparent how much of this show and its stories focus on this character and the people in his life. And that can be both good and bad, I think.

It’s no secret that I really like Brendan a lot and I think actor Emmett Scanlan has done wonders to make a character that could so easily be unlikeable both appealing and compelling.

Brendan’s problems make it hard for him to even enjoy a cup of coffee…

And as I’ve mentioned in previous columns, he’s become the show’s leading male figure in a short time, pretty cool for a gay character. I am a bit concerned though. Soaps have the tendency to take popular characters and play them too much at the expense of the rest of the show. As much as I love him, I just don’t want the show to overuse the character, and there are few plots these days on Hollyoaks that don’t somehow touch upon Brendan in some way. You can have too much of a good thing.

Brendan and Mitzee had a hilarious dinner from hell…

As for this week’s shows, I thought it was a very entertaining week all around. The dinner between Brendan, Mitzee, Cheryl and Mitzee’s mom was a lot of fun. There was lots of memorable one-liners and plenty of zippy repartee. I’m loving the growing rivalry between Cheryl and Mitzee. I’m still not thrilled however, that the show has chosen to go the oh-so-tired route of having Mitzee fall for Brendan and scheme to get him.

She knows that Brendan is gay, and she knows about his deep feelings for Ste. Trying to bust up Brendan and Ste so she can have him for herself just makes Mitzee look stupid, and I think the character is much smarter than that.

I think it would be more interesting if she was determined to keep Brendan tied to her for business reasons or some other plot device. But to have her falling for him is just lazy on the part of the writers.

Speaking of lazy, can we get rid of Rae? She is and always has been a plot device-- and not a very good one. I really wish the show would divest itself of this thoroughly dull and unappealing character. I was hoping once she lost the baby we’d be rid of her, but no such luck. Is it bad that I hope she falls into the path of the show’s serial killer, assuming Hollyoaks ever remembers that storyline? Ah well.