Why I've had enough of Corrie's Carla Connor

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog December 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Our blogger Graeme wrote a cracking blog post last week about why he's had enough of Corrie's Leanne.  Now then, in my book, Leanne can Do No Wrong.  And so I've challenged Graeme to a cat fight on the cobbles cheered on by Team Leanne and Team Carla as we fling insults and hot pot at each other across the Street, wearing our dressing gowns of course.  Well, I would if I could. But as I can't, here's my blog post about why I've had enough of the car-crash that is, Mrs Carla Connor herself.

Now then, I'm bracing myself for the slings and arrows from the Carla Connor fans around the world, of which I know there are many.  But I have to get it off my chest and down in writing, I've had enough of Carla Connor and I'd quite like her to leave (and take St Ella with her of course).

Alison King is a fantastic actress and her portrayal of Carla is believable but Carla is not in the vein of strong, feisty Corrie woman we need back on the show. She's weak.

I can accept that she's flawed because that's what makes her interesting and the alcoholism is a huge part of that. But she's weak-willed in a way that, say, Elsie Tanner never was. She's got no mates apart from someone she knows on the other side of the world, in LA. She's just a worn out joke, a caricature, a spit in the face to what Corrie's real, strong, matriachs should be.

When Carla first turned up in Corrie, married to Paul but loving his brother Liam, there was a bit of fire about her. She started at the factory working with Paul, wanting to branch out and create her own line of children's wear, and had to struggle to have her voice heard with husband Paul who wasn't receptive to her ideas.  Now, with neither Paul to rail against or Liam to lust over, both fellas are dead and buried along with Carla's spark.

So all we're left with now is a dark shadow of the Carla we stared off with, one that's hooked up with Peter Barlow, and who tries to knock ten bells out of Leanne every time she crosses the cobbles to get in and out of the knicker factory. As our blogger Chewy posted here - is Carla nearing the end of the road?


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