Hollyoaks

A blog for Hollyoaks obsessives everywhere! Visitors

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So what did you think of the week. I personally loved the Brookside moments and the twist with Donny (though it was easy to guess) However I think the 30th episode should have been a 1 hour special because 20 minutes felt a little rushed. Was surprised they killed off Grace (Jez and Peri was much less surprising) but they did a great interview with Tamara Wall who said the character was now completely irredeemable and there was nothing they could do with Grace now.

I thought it was okay. The stunt wasn't up to their usual standard but I appreciate that there's been quite severe budget cuts since the last stunt and they did the best they could with what they had. I was just delighted that Diane made it out of the week alive!

I agree that it felt rushed and as much as I enjoyed the Brookside scenes, I would have preferred them to have been in a week or so. The immediate aftermath of the crash could probably have benefited from another episode.

I wasn't expecting Grace to die so that was a shock for me. If it had happened a couple of years ago, I would have been gutted but I agree with Tamara that if they weren't sending Grace to prison, there wasn't really any other option. I read that interview and felt really sad for her. They've really put her through the wringer! We know how devastated she was to be axed a couple of years ago so she must have been over the moon to be brought back, only for them to write Grace into a place where she was completely irredeemable.

Final takeaway from the week is that I'm looking forward to seeing more of the Hutchinson kids now the new actors are in place. What's the betting that the big story coming up for them is that one of them shot Tony?

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Any last minute predictions for the deaths this week?

Peri or Tom, probably leaning more towards Peri after tonight's episode. They've been laying it on thick with her and Tom finally deciding that they want to be together so something is bound to spoil it. Plus the fact that, other than Darren, she's the only person who knows James is alive. I think the show will wait a while for Ste to find out, so Peri dying means that it can stay a secret for longer. Peri's death also carries on the trope of Tom losing everyone he loves.

Diane (although I'm really hoping not!) Judging by Hannah Cheers' interview in Inside Soap last week, she seems to have a real soft spot for Tony/Mercedes as a couple and I wouldn't be surprised if that was where we're ultimately heading. We know there's something big coming up for Ant/Ro/Dee Dee and I could imagine that being something to do with Diane's death.

Marie, although she was pictured during the filming on Brookside Close and we know that she was interested in buying a house in Liverpool, so she might just leave and go there instead. If Tony has to lose one of his 'girlfriends' this week, I would rather it be Marie.

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Could this be cleared up because I'm not convinced I have this right. After Tony's cancer treatment in 2013, I thought he was meant to be infertile, (which is why he was 100% certain he wasn't Hannah's father in 2015). But now he seems to have fathered at least two more children since then (Morgan and Mercedes unborn child) and Marie is now claiming to be pregnant by him (though I doubt it). Also I am deeply unimpressed about Tony being Morgan's father as it makes little sense.

You're right, Tony was said to be infertile and they made quite a big deal about it when Sinead found out she was pregnant with Hannah. I think it's one of those things that we're just supposed to forget now!

I'm also not a fan of the Morgan twist. A big selling point of soaps is that you follow the same characters over a long period of time and you see what's going on in their lives. Tony and Nancy are major characters and to suggest that this huge thing happened between them but we just didn't know about it, doesn't sit right with me. It's also completely unnecessary because they can get enough drama out of Tony fathering Mercedes' baby!

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What do you think of this Hollyoaks/Brookside crossover that will be happening for its 30th anniversary? I personally quite like the idea of Revisiting Brookside but it might be amusing considering two of the current main cast are former long term Brookside cast members!!

I'm really looking forward to it and I'm very intrigued to see how it all plays out!

I don't envy the task they've got in pitching it just right, though. Too much Hollyoaks, or someone's favourite character not included, and the Brookside fans will complain. Too much Brookside and the Hollyoaks fans will be confused. At the end of the day, though, it's Hollyoaks' big anniversary and Brookside fans will just have to manage their expectations. Who knows, it could even lead to something else for Brookside later down the line!

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Thank you!! Glad I am not the only one thinking the time jump has been a massive mistake by the show producers. Since the 'time jump' the show has been a mess to be honest and the way Ethan was killed off today was dreadfully produced- also than didn't seem such a big fall since Ste seems to escape being blown up by a car. Even the sibling abuse story twist has not gone down well in the slightest now. I have this feeling the show will struggle to get to the 30th at this rate

I'm at the stage where I'd be very surprised if the show made it much beyond it's 30th anniversary. The whole thing is an absolute mess...

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What are you thinking of Hollyoaks now that we're a few weeks post time jump? I don't know about you, but for me something really isn't working.

So far, I'm not impressed. Other than the sibling sexual abuse, there's not a single story keeping me interested and I'm still really bitter about some of the departures we've had. I really question the competency of someone who decides to axe Cindy, Charlie, Leah, James and Ethan and not only bring back the Roscoe's, but put them front and centre.

I'm also really struggling to see the justification for the time jump. We were told that they were doing it because they had to write out so many characters and having some leave during the missing year would save them from having weeks of exit scenes, which Hannah Cheers argued would be unsettling for viewers. However, that's exactly what we got and as far as I can see, the only characters we seem to have lost in the time jump are Sally and Charlie (and Charlie will apparently be back for an exit story).

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Totally gutted about Ethan! :(

You and me both! Yet another decision that I really cannot see the justification for.

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Do you think Mercedes will die from her cancer? I can’t see the bosses killing her off

I think it's really unlikely. The only way I could ever see them killing her off is if Jen Metcalfe had decided to leave, but even then I think they'd more than likely keep the door open for her.

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Nice to see you back! How are you feeling about the changes at the moment and the time jump?

Thank you!

Very mixed feelings. The time jump is something very different so in that sense I'm quite intrigued to see how they handle it. And I hope it works out for them!

On the other hand, some of the decisions that have been made don't fill me with confidence. Who decides to axe Cindy Cunningham and bring back Freddie Roscoe?!

I still believe that this is ultimately the beginning of the end, though.

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It's amazing. The show has one of its strongest stories in years (JJ and Frankie) which is attracting new viewers thanks to social media platforms like Tik Tok and instead of embracing new viewers and making the most of such a strong story (along with Abe and Cleo and the Ro story) they are throwing the absolute Rubbish that is the Sienna /Patrick/Jeremy story in our faces instead. And this is what they will be continuing with after the time jump!!!

It's really incredible to see how well the JJ/Frankie story has done on TikTok. Some videos have views into the millions!

I really don't know what possessed them to go there with Sienna and Jeremy. What with the return of Freddie, it really feels like the current producers are trying to recreate 2014..

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One thing that I don't understand is that Hollyoaks are apparently having to make all these cuts (20 characters going according to reports) yet they seem to be adding to the cast at an alarming rate. In the last few months we've had returns from Suzanne, Hannah, Frankie, JJ, Grace, Freddie, Lexi, with a return from Robbie still to come. Not to mention new characters like Mick Johnson from Brookside. What's going on?!

It's important to remember that these returns would have been planned months ago, well before news of the cuts was broken. I'd be surprised if any of these characters, other than perhaps the Ashworth's survived. However, in saying that, I did hear that Grace was meant to be back for good, but even this decision was possibly made before they knew they had to cut people. Everything could still change...

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With the news that Cindy is going to be leaving, where do you think this leaves Tom? I know they don't really interact much these days but she's his only family in the show and he doesn't have Yazz anymore. I did think he might be leaving as I saw a post on Instagram stories from the mother of Isabella Hibbert who plays Steph and she said it had been a difficult few weeks for Isabella and that she'd had a meeting with her acting agency. I wondered if she'd been told she was leaving?

I think that Tom's future is probably uncertain because, as you say, they don't seem to know what to do with him (sending him on comedy dates with Suzanne and Sally this week surely proves that!) However, you could argue that Tom is a bigger character in terms of the show's history than Cindy is ('little Tom' was a big part of the show in the 2000s and Ellis Hollins was always winning awards for them) and I'm not sure if they'd want to lose him. Then again, if they don't know what to do with him, maybe they should just cut their losses? It'd be a shame for Ellis as Hollyoaks will be pretty much all he's ever known as he's been there for 20 years now.

Interesting info about Isabella Hibbert. Certainly sounds ominous...

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I have a feeling Glynis Barber will leave Hollyoaks and that Warren will kill Norma

I can definitely see Norma being one of the departures. After Warren goes, there's pretty much nothing left for her.

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Where do you think this Frankie and JJ story is heading? This time jump will hasten the story no matter what but I habe this feeling that Suzanne won't believe Frankie at all and defend JJ completely. I would like to also note that this story has been very strong and so well acted as well. Yes it's so dark but it breaks such a taboo.

I agree it's been very well done so far and the actors playing JJ and Frankie have been brilliant.

In terms of where the story goes next, I think it's a given that Suzanne won't believe Frankie when the truth comes out (however, I would hope she would come round eventually). I wonder if they'll use the time jump as a way of sending JJ to prison and then bring him back looking to make amends? Either that, or he and Suzanne will have moved away and Frankie will stay with the Osborne's.

There's also the possibility that they won't resolve it before the time jump and will have the reveal take place afterwards. If they don't want to rush through it, this could be an option as the abuse has been going on for years anyway.

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I can't believe the news about Stephanie Waring! Gutted!

I know! I totally appreciate that the team are having to make some difficult decisions, but I do feel that this is a mistake. The show is going through a hugely turbulent time. They'll need to make sure that current viewers keep watching and also ensure the quality is there so that lapsed viewers want to tune back in. That's not going to happen if they axe recognisable faces who span several different eras of the show.

I did have an inkling that Cindy might be vulnerable given that she doesn't have any family in the show other than Tom and since the departures of Grace and Zara, she's got no real friends. However, I had hoped that her longevity would mean she'd be kept on.

I can only hope now that they give her a decent exit and Cindy's not lost in the time jump.

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I don’t think Ross Adams left, I think he was quietly axed like the Esther actress

Given that they've just axed Steph Waring, I wouldn't be surprised...

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Grace is coming back!!!! This makes me happy because Tamara Wall should NEVER have been axed by Lucy Allan that was a disgraceful decision by Lucy.

I was also pleased to see that Grace is coming back! I'm assuming it's just a short return, but it'll still be good to see her again!