HOLLYOAKS: The Best of the McQueens'

This week over on Hollyoaks, evil Pete Buchanan has finally been revealed for what he is, and it's been an emotive and hard-hitting beginning of the end to the story.

The McQueen family have always been a favourite to many viewers, including me, for their funny, ditzy way and outrageous names! But there have also been times when they've shown grit and heartbreak, and this week for me outshone then rest, because they were united in a situation that affected them all in one way or another.

When the newest of the McQueen girls (Porsche, Celine and Cleo) were introduced I wondered whether they work, but they soon slotted in - and I think the enormity of Porsche and Lockie's train crash (in more ways than one!) wedding really helped to cement their arrival.
Then came Zoe Lucker, who always plays a blinder, arriving as the girls mum Reenie. And Pete soon followed...

As the abuse of Cleo began to get darker, it was made clear by Hollyoaks bosses that Pete would get the justice he deserved.
And this week, after weeks of Pete manipulating Cleo and beginning to groom newcomer Jade Albright, Cleo's ex, and now good friend, Harry Thompson revealed all on Reenie and Pete's wedding day, after seeing an exchange between Pete and an upset Cleo.

The two episodes which follow are gripping, I think. We have Reenie, who began by throwing anger at her daughters, which was maybe denial that they had gone through the same abuse which she did at the hands of Nana's husband when she was a child. Zoe Lucker's performance so far has been amazing, along with Twinnie-Lee Moore, who plays Porsche. The scene of the pair being interviewed by police came across so emotive, it was difficult to distinguish between real and soap life.
Cleo's now still in denial, and that has also come across as frustrating viewing, which I hope is the point the writers are trying to make. You want to give Cleo a good shake, and hope that the penny finally drops that Pete has groomed and abused her. Even after seeing him deny their 'relationship', the teen still thinks that he's the good guy. And that's the fact, I think, Hollyoaks are trying to make here - that this kind of abuse is also a form of brainwashing.

Celine's experience with Pete, on the other hand, is very different to that of her sisters'. Having collapsed after injecting herself with medication to make her lose weight, Celine has been in hospital since the reveal.
You can already see the survivors' guilt creeping in on her - and I think this is another great way of showing another important layer of how sexual abuse can affect family members who weren't physically assaulted themselves.
Pete always told Celine that her puppy fat was 'cute' or beat her down psychologically about her insecurities. Until now, Celine thought that Pete was being kind and willing her on, to make her feel okay about being bigger than her sisters. It's Myra who makes her understand that this was still abuse, albeit in another form.

As I mentioned before, Pete will be bought to justice in the correct way, and will face trial in the new year.
After trying to go abroad with a runaway Jade, who finally escaped his clutches after her sister Sonia (aka Lisa Loveday) told her that the police were after him, Pete was last seen laying unconscious after being hit by Darren's cab, in a revenge hit and run. Whether it was Darren who did it, or not, it's clear that Pete will survive to answer his crimes.

It really has been the best of the McQueens' this week, and I think this storyline deserves all the credit possible for highlighting such an important topic in such a way.

In closing scenes the other night, John Paul and Theresa spoke to their young children, promoting the NSPCC's 'Talk Pants' message.

It's an important one, so I'll leave you with it:


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