Saturday, July 7, 2012

Cora

I'm more and more of the opinion that Bryan Kirkwood wanted to remake Eastenders as his own creation, totally obliterating anything that had to do with the show's early days.

Hence, the matriarch problem.

Barbara Windsor left during his watch. Good-bye, Peggy.

So did Pam St Clement. R I P, Pat.

Dot's gone to visit Dotty, or maybe she's gone dotty. (I seriously doubt June Brown will return, and I think the sneaks inhabiting Elstree now are keeping this a secret rather than cause mass pandemonium amongst fans and the press).

Anyhoo, we're left with Cora, Kirkwood's own creation.

Cora's the mother of Yummy Mummy Tanya. Before last year, we never even knew she was alive. Oh, we knew Tanya had a sister, who was once older than she and is now younger. Her name was Rainie and she had a drink (and drugs) problem. Tanya's got a drink problem as well. And so has her daughter Lauren.

So has Cora, as a matter of fact. Cora is a functional alcoholic. She's usually got a drink or a fag in one hand, or one of each in both. She drinks on the job, which is managing a charity shop which no one patronises. She's the sort of drunk who gets through the day in a haze of a nice buzz before tying one on in the evening.

Friday, however, she was full-fledged drunk.

The gene of addictive personality runs right through the family of Cross women from Cora right down to Lauren.

Which leads me to ask why several people, mostly on Digital Spy, are always asking, and some demanding, why Cora shouldn't be landlady of the Queen Vic.

She simply shouldn't. She'd drink up the profits.

Recently, it's been obvious that TPTB are trying to push Cora as the Square's new matriarch. That's something that can't be pushed on the viewers. I've no doubt that, years ago, when Anna Wing called it a day and Lou Beale died, that it was in the minds of most writers to develop Lou's daughter Pauline into the next Wise Woman on the Square. Instead, it was Lou's raucous ex-daughter-in-law, Pat, who slowly grew into this kind of figure, with Pauline devolving into bitterness and petty meanness.

Matriarchs make themselves. They aren't made.

Eastenders should remember that.

Pat was a matriarch. Cora is a drunk.

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