Fair City [News, Spoilers and Discussion v8] Read Post #1 Before Contributing

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Who is Lee?? Lots of references to him next week.

Ailing O Neil has the handiest number in the country, 100%. Turn up to work, snarl at the locals and bang the gangsters moll routine:

Next week:

Yates finds out that Cathal is an informer for Billy Meehan and co.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Meehan is dead since 2001 and shes still dining off it. What the absolute fcuk are the FC scriptwriters thinking with her pathetic boring storylines?

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Everyone in IRELAND knows shes a gangsters moll, that's all she does!

MsWesterosi wrote: »

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Who is Lee?? Lots of references to him next week.

Ailing O Neil has the handiest number in the country, 100%. Turn up to work, snarl at the locals and bang the gangsters moll routine:

Next week:

Yates finds out that Cathal is an informer for Billy Meehan and co.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Meehan is dead since 2001 and shes still dining off it. What the absolute fcuk are the FC scriptwriters thinking with her pathetic boring storylines?

I loathe the character of Carol too, just the same as I do loads of others, Kerri-Ann being one other example that quickly comes to mind, but there are loads more characters that make me want to tear my hair out whilst screaming at the TV, but the poor actors have to make do with the scripts they're given and do their best to act out a scene whether or not they like it.

If - even though it wouldn't be my dream job - I got a part on FC that involved a lot of smoking, snarling, gangland, out there BS, but more or less ensured job security, I'd play a Carol type part too.

Yeah, it's sickening for we viewers to see continuously recycled storylines which should have been dead and buried years ago, but in that case it's the production team and the slew of writers should be blasted, not the actor who's trying to execute a very poor script and doing their best with what they're given.

FC is notorious for unbelievable storylines, which are half comedic, and those storylines never tear at the heart strings, or induce any genuine reaction within viewers like some of the storylines in other soaps do.

Notable examples of good production/writing being the David Platt storyline in Corrie, Aidan Conner's tragic death and the reaction of his loved ones in the aftermath, and after both were aired calls to helplines increased, owing to the storylines and the quality of writing.

If FC ever attempted to do storylines like that, the writers would make a b***s of it and instead of having a positive impact in real life, we'd all be on here taking the p*** or chatting to friends who watch FC for the laugh and doing the same thing.

Which is why, IMO, FC stick to the same old sh***, because it's safe, and they'd have no idea how to handle a decent storyline properly, and even though the promoters big it up, as do the actors, because - hey - they'd likely be out of work if they slagged it off - they know in their heart and soul that it's as crappy as it is, hence the Carol/gangland, Bishops/gangland they pull out of the box when other storylines have finished.

Look what happened when they tried to do something different? The whole ''cult'' yoke turned into pure comedic farce, and Katy's abduction was a thing so terrible and unbelievable that it made those outrageous American daytime soaps seem like real life - especially in the manner of how it portrayed the Guards i.e it made them appear downright incompetant (which IRL, they are not) - instead of investigting Ciaran, who was a newcomer to the area, and developed this sudden huge interest in Katy's going missing, and ingratiated himself quickly into the daily lives of the O'Briens', Deegan and co. completely the missed the weirdness of it all, and focused instead on everyone and everything but the guy who showed up out of nowhere and immersed himself in the O'Briens' daily life.

I think we all knew it was Ciaran from the first time he started ''being helpful'' yet it dragged on for eight bloomin' months.

FC copped a lot of flack for the storyline, which is why they stick to the tried and tested. I was too young to have any interest in the likes of FC when the Billy Meehan stuff was going on, but according to my mother, it was probably the best storyline FC ever did, and it had people genuinely interested and no one was laughing at it back then, which is why it is dragged out of the cupboard every now and then, because it was the one success FC had.


Actually I feel sorry for actors like Aisling O'Neil, l who I suspect is likely sick of Carol by now, but as I said, it's job security and Carol is more or less a mainstay character who is expected to behave in a certain way.


As I said in another post I made a week or so ago, we can loathe the characters all we want and make fun of them and the storylines, but have a bit of respect for the actors who portray them because they are not their characters. xxx

Remember when Hayley called her ''brother Lee'' to find out why Harmony wasn't doing something more productive with her life and he told her that Harmony had flunked her college exams? Now that the other brother Darragh has been mentioned, we'll likely see him too at some stage.

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Because she is incredibly boring and she takes up way too much screen time when other more talented (and funny) characters could be taking her place. Please, its not a personal grudge that's a sad thing to say. If you remember, I said the same thing about Niamh too, and how lazy and sad it was that she kept on going back to Paul over and over. Its my right to explain my view on a public forum and the fact is she has been dining out on the gangsters moll thing her entire career and this, coupled with the fact that's she in practically every episode, makes it hard not to comment.

If you like the character and the actress then fair enough, I respect that and we have different views but to me, it sounds like you just don't like my criticism of her and that's not my problem. Its pretty lazy to be calling me up for having grudges etc. if you looked at my posts on this thread, you see I also commented on how boring Delores and Paul are etc. Plus I have also praised several actors and storylines too. If you don't like my opinion on Carol then just block me and good luck to you.

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Aisling is a single mother so Fair City might be providing for her kid. It's hard to blame her for coasting along in Fair City!

MsWesterosi wrote: »

Exactly my point re job security.

When someone in an everyday trade is a lone parent it's hard enough to find a decent paying job which covers the costs of childcare too, so it must be doubly difficult for an actor where it's not easy to find regular work, because a guest stint here and there in a short running five parter series is not going to cover a mortgage, childcare, petrol/diesel, or basic necessities.

So, when an opporrtunity like a steady role in something (as bad as FC is it's better than uncertainty and JA or Lone Parent's Allowance) where you're more or less a central, or have, over the years become, character in the aforesaid, then you're going to hold on to it - as much as you might groan when you see the same scripts recycled over and over again - because it's steady, it pays the bills, it covers childcare, etc, and you're not fretting over auditions or how the heck you're going to afford the mortgage or tax and insure the car when you can't sleep at night.

From what interviews I've read with Aisling O' Neill, she seems like a nice person; most definitely not like Carol Foley at all, and Aisling doesn't personally deserve to be slammed for trying to hold onto her job, even if her character is annoying as hell at times.

Yeah, it would be nice to see her play different roles, but being a lone parent, she's not likely to leave FC anytime soon unless any other potential role was more or less a guaranteed long term role. The only way in which I could see her potentially leaving, is when her child is much older, as in the case of Clelia Murphy whose daughter is now old enough to more or less earn her own money.

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Although Aisling O Neill has to work with the scripts she is given, theres nothing to stop her leaving to get more acting work but she wont do that at this stage because she has been completely and utterly typecast as the gansgters moll. Mondo at least tried to crack America, he had a bit of ambition to him even if it didn't work out. By staying in the role for years she is effectively saying "Yes, I will never ever do any other acting job but Fair City".

But I do mostly blame the scriptwriters too. I cannot understand why they haven't just said to her "your character has come as far as we can write, there is no longer a position for you". Its just painful at this stage bringing up Billy Meehan over and over and over again, they have nothing else to do with her. I really thought Robbie and Aoife made a great pairing but its clear they needed 10 months of filler between Trigger Foley and Carol/Robbie getting back together. I used to like Robbie a lot, now his character is a joke, chasing after that wagon who doesn't even like him!