Better than nothing (Casualty)

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	Casualty
Date:	26/09/09 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Doesn't tax the grey matter

Disadvantages: Unrealistic writing, poor characters

I've watched Casualty since it first began many moons ago in 1986, the show has had its ups and downs, unfortunately it's in one of its downs at the moment, but it still makes for a reasonable drama to fill a Saturday night.

Initially it was a medical drama that had a beginning and an end, the first seasons lasted just 15 episodes each. Gradually the show has grown and now runs virtually all year round, and rather than being a drama, it seems to have taken on the role of a medical soap.

Current Cast
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Charlie Fairhead - Derek Thompson
Tess Bateman - Suzanne Packer
Alice Chantrey - Sam Grey
Dixie Dixon -Jane Hazlegrove
Jeff Collier - Matt Bardock
Ruth Winters - Georgia Taylor
Adam Trueman -Tristan Gemmill
Big Mac -Charles Dale
Zoe Hanna - Sunetra Sarker
Noel Garcia -Tony Marshall
Jessica Harrison - Gillian Kearney
Jay Faldren - Ben Turner

My Thoughts
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I think the BBC did Casualty a disservice when they turned it into a soap, they shifted the emphasis from medicine to personal relationships, which is already covered in EastEnders.

This isn't helped by the current bunch being a bit of a motley crew. Some of the acting leaves a lot to be desired, as do some of the characters. Jess Harrison for instance has to be one of the most irritating characters on TV at the moment, constantly whining and demanding everything be done for her, yet giving little in return, she's the sort of character you want to slap some sense into.

Apart from the shaky characters, some of the storylines leave a lot to be desired as well. Involving Jess again, her husband tried to sneak the children away to Saudi, off to the airport Jess races, but when she gets there she stops to her a total stranger, even though there were hundreds of other people around, and her children were being taken away. Unbelievable to say the least, but not as unbelievable as when she arrived at the gate just as they children were being led to the plane, and she screams that her children are being kidnapped. Did the flight attendant stop the children boarding and call the police, even though the children were straining to get back to their mum, oh noooo, she just stands there looking dopey.

Then in another episode we were supposed to believe that Tess had managed to hold herself at the top of a scaffolding pole, despite the fact she'd been impaled on it and it had gone right through her gut, not for 30 mins, or an hour, but for about 16 hours. Give me a break!

It's this sort of sloppy writing that sent the show into its depression at the moment. Unfortunately there's nothing else on the box on a Saturday night, so it'll continue to get good ratings (mine included), if there was a decent alternative I think the writers would have to pull their fingers out and do some serious writing.

Summary: .