Looking at that list, I can’t help thinking of the missed opportunities for real drama, as opposed to unsubtle shouty nastiness.
F’rinstance:
Matt’s return. Given the Three Go Mad In St Petersburg shenanigans—especially the final scene where Matt sacrifices the money for the sake of Lilian—how huch more interesting it would have been had his sudden disappearance been because there was some threat from the Russians, and he wanted to protect her. Huge SL potential with Lilian being completely conflicted. (Or not. Would anyone choose Idiot over Matt?)
The Rob SL would have been far better had it been Rob and Jess, and spread over a much longer timescale—which would be far more realistic. Two unknown characters, apparently the perfect couple, but every now and then something “off-key” suggests that perhaps all is not as it seems. The SL could have developed over years, without dominating the entire programme in the way it did with Helen. (The way Jack Woolley’s decline was handled proves that they can do it if they try.) As it went on, suspicions would grow, people would form opinions, take sides… Is Jess a victim? Or paranoid and delusional? (“That nice Mr Titchener would never do a thing like that…”)
Not on the list (since it happened in 2015!) is the departure of Mike and Vicki. I remain convinced of what I predicted as soon as Bethany’s DS was announced: the SWs simply didn’t want the hassle of the research required to portray her development accurately and sympathetically. I suspect that was also the real reason Nigel was killed off, when there was so much potential in making him a paraplegic: coming to terms with his disability, making LoLo wheelchair-accessible… Given how he used to get involved with all sorts of campaigns, it’s a safe bet that he would have been a very vocal advocate.
Where has Lewis gone? Have the SWs forgotten that there is someone on site in a perfect position to keep an eye on Elizabeth?
And is Jamie stuck up a tree somewhere? Wouldn’t he be a useful person to consult if anyone locally were thinking of, say, planting a lot of trees? Certainly he’d have a better idea of what varieties are suitable to local conditions than a blow-in with an agenda.
I could go on, but frankly, I can’t be arsed.
