Hayley's got a son

So we've come to the storyline where Hayley has discovered that she fathered a son when she was Harold. The basic premise was taken from the movie Transamerica where a woman was just about to have her reassignment surgery and discovers she'd father'd a son. She meets the lad but doesn't tell him who she is until much later in the movie when it blows up in her face. Well, the same idea here. Hayley discovered through a letter that was written to her late Auntie Monica that she'd fathered a son via a one night spent with a good friend back in the day. She doesn't tell Roy this because she'd told him at the start that she and Harold both were virgins. She does tell Becky who has been a tower of strength. I really think this is where Becky really comes into her own as a character and cements her place. But that's a story for another blog.

Hayley finds out where her son Christian is and when she steels her nerves to meet him, tells him she's his auntie and there lies the rub. When Roy finds out, he's very angry that he's been lied to but also upset that Hayley has lied to Christian. Lie begets lie. I do agree there, that Hayley needs to tell the truth to Christian. I don't agree with Roy's holier than thou attitude and harsh demands that if Hayley doesn't tell the truth, their future is in dire jeopardy. I think he probably could have forgiven the lie about viriginity even though he figures a relationship built on a lie is not worth having. It's not that serious a lie, really. Not enough to destroy 10 years of solidarity.

If i were i Roy's shoes, i'm sure i'd not be too happy with my partner's lies and would strongly urge the truth be told, not just for the partner's sake but for the lad's. He does deserve to know the truth, and should be told. I wouldn't threaten and emotionally blackmail my partner into it but then i don't see the world in black and white like Roy does. As good a man as he is, he can be very santimonious at times. He doesn't deal well with emotions. He doesn't compromise easily, not on the big things. He'd be utterly lost without Hayley yet he's pushing her away. For her own sake, he'd say. That's not being supportive and i can't blame Hayley for turning a bit cold to him after what happens.

I'm writing this the afternoon before a particular episode airs on CBC but i'm going to spoil it as i don't think a lot of people read this straight away anyway. But you've been warned. The rest of this post will contain spoilers for this storyline. Look away now if you don't want to know.

Last night Hayley finally told Christian that his father is still alive. Tonight she will tell him the whole truth, but knowing Hayley, it won't come out in a straight line. Christian isn't going to take it well. He walks away and she follows, pulling at him so he turns around and lashes out, smacking her across the face with the back of his beringed hand. That of course causes bruises and cuts. She thinks he thinks of her as a freak. I don't think that's the case really. I think it's anger at her letting him think his father was dead. Lie begets lie and he's angry when it all comes out. As anyone would be. I also think he's horrified at hitting her in the heat of the moment but he walks away and when Hayley gets home, Roy is horrified and wants Christian arrested.

Some might say it's partly Roy's fault for forcing Hayley into telling the truth when she wasn't ready. That's not right but he should feel guilty just the same. it's a very hard situation, really. Yes, Hayley should have told Christian from the start. This wouldn't have happened. He'd have been shocked and surprised but I think he'd have come round to it. i don't think he's a violent man as a rule, i think this was accidental but boy, oh boy, Becky sure reacts in true Becky fashion. She beats the crap out of him in retaliation. Roy doesn't know how to react other than directing his guilt and anger at Christian.

There's no right or wrong here, not really. Hayley should have told the truth from the start but it was a very difficult thing to do. Roy should have been more supportive and not so hard on her with his high morals. But encouraging her to tell the truth was right. Just not the way he did it. Christian shouldnt' have struck out but it's understandable.

The thing is, it more or less rewrites Hayley's whole history. Everything she'd told us over the years. The mother of her son, Cath, was supposed to be a sort of kindred spirit. Both young people were loners, outcasts. Yet what about Ruth? That friend that Hayley went to see years ago when she and Roy ran off with that little boy they were fostering. That was also supposed to be the same sort of best friend. Sounds like Harold had more friends than he knew what to do with. It seems the powers that be went with this storyline because of the popularity of the movie and because of the sensation it would cause if beloved Hayley was assaulted. Indeed the newspapers and ITV themselves were putting put publicity about Hayley being "brutally beaten" when in fact, it was one smack across the face. Hardly brutal. Jez Quigley was beaten by Jim McDonald and he died from his injuries. *That's* brutal.

In spite of that, though, as always, Julie H and David N have put in fantastic performances. Roy and Hayley stories are always good because the writers always do believable dialogue and the actors really know what to do with it. Even if watching Roy makes you angry, as it does me, i can appreciate the skill of both the actors and writers here. If it's a bit unbelievable that Hayley would have had such a good friend, had sex with her and then pretty much never see her or keep in touch with her within weeks of it for the pregnancy not to have come to light (Ok, maybe Cath just upped and left town without telling her best friend why and never kept in touch, that doesn't make a lot of sense either), that's television and you have to suspend disbelief, i guess.

This is the main thing i really dislike about tv shows that rewrite character history. Nothing adds up. When they gave Mike Baldwin a son with Susan who, surprise, didn't have an abortion after all, they failed to explain how Tracy could have visited Susan or Ken who must have called her or visited even though we didn't see it, how come nobody ever heard of or saw Adam, or even a photo of him in her flat? When they gave Mike a brother and therefore Danny Baldwin who became his son, they forgot that Mike's father was on the show and they used to talk about how it was just the two of them against the world when Mike was younger. Tsk. There is documented history here that's being thrown out the window. If there was an absence of a character or they were never known to the show or never talked about their past, you can get away with it. Bet Lynch was discovered to have a son from a teenage pregnancy who was given up for adoption as did Audrey. Both were believable because of the character however.

Oh well, i could witter on and ramble for a long time. i better quit. i've probably already lost any readers i might have had by this point! Sorry about that. Corrie isn't the only show that has done this and it always annoys me. But the performances keep me coming back for more. Corrie does drama like nobody else does. Long may it reign