Coronation Street episode review, Weds 16 December

Well. what a surprise! It's me again with this week's Wednesday review.

In tonight's episode, we start off around the Platt's breakfast table, often a hotbed of sniping and sighing and this breakfast time was no exception. Gail senses that something is wrong between Kylie and David when David sharply insists upon taking Max to school. Bethany, however, is not at school- yet again. Thanks to a rather convenient 'coursework day' just before Christmas, she ends up in the back room in the salon with Audrey doing her nails. When Audrey goes for lunch at the Bistro with Gail and Sarah, David and Kylie are unaware that she is still there and, along with customer Todd, begin another discussion about the elephant in the room- or rather, the baby in the Sarah. Bethany being her hot-headed self marches to the Bistro and spectacularly drops the bombshell. Needless to say, Gail and Audrey are dismayed, even moreso when Sarah adamantly announces she is going to keep it. However, I have to question Gail's rather harsh accusation that despite all stupid things Sarah has done this 'takes the biscuit'. I would say that getting pregnant at age thirteen, getting kidnapped by a cha troom stalker and framing her own brother for the use of ecstasy tablets are just a tad worse than being unknowingly pregnant.

"I've had time to think of this. It's a good thing"
"A good thing? You, up the duff, by the monster who terrorised our whole family?"

(I think you mean one of the monsters, Gail)

It is after all this drama that things to calm down. Somewhat, anyway. Bethany decides to apologise to Sarah after a chat with Kylie and David. Things turn sour again though when David tells Kylie that he thinks they should separate, leaving Kylie bewildered. I can see why Kylie and David should split up in the short term; it would be a natural occurrence after the stress of killing a drug dealer and hiding his body underground, but I really hope this isn't the end of the what is so far one of the longest running Platt marriages ever (a whole four years!)

"Once the kids are in bed, I'll pack a bag and I'll go. Our marriage is dead".

Tracy laments to Robert about her lack of sales in the shop and plays the doting girlfriend, groaning when he has to leave her for work. But there is something else on her mind. She's clearly in a good mood when she insists Todd goes home early, after lying through her teeth that she had a lonely quiet night in planned as Robert is at work. And then the phone goes. It's Rob- the other one, calling to confirm her prison visit. It will be interesting to see Tracy visit Rob again, now that he knows she has a Robert, but she seems to want both Rob and Robert. An interesting storyline, I guess, but I don't really see where it's going. And with a Rob and a Robert, it's like Bet and Betty all over again!

"I'll be there. I've even bought something nice to wear. I thought you might like it if we tried to
make the other inmates a bit jealous"

There's more secret keeping in the Platt family, as Gail knows about Michael's guilty secret regarding Dee but Eileen is still in the dark. This pleases Gail no end, I am sure. Eileen is pushing for Michael to attend the award ceremony on Friday at which he has been nominated for the Weatherfield Good Samaritan of the Year award, even going to the trouble of writing his speech. At the pub, Michael leaves Eileen in a booth and goes to the bar to confide more in Gail. He still doesn't feel comfortable receiving an award for which he was nominated by a woman he once  burgled. Gail gives him a Platt pep talk, reminding him that we just have to learn to deal with whatever life throws at us. She's right; I think she's done remarkably well dealing with what life has thrown at her. And being widowed four times is just the tip of the iceberg!

"And it was all thanks to the generosity and open- what does that say?"
"Open mindedness."
"Open mindedness of my partner Eileen Grimshaw, who has always been at my side encouraging and supporting my tireless work for the community"
"Brilliant! Even if I do say so myself" 

Elsewhere, Anna receives some naughty texts from a man she met at singles night, Billy only takes Sean on a date because the event at the church has been cancelled and Andy rants about driftwood.


A good episode tonight, especially with the revelation for the Platt family. Performance of the episode goes to Lucy Fallon as Bethany. She plays the fiery teenager brilliantly. Even though I was rooting for this pregnancy to disappear as soon as possible, I am now looking forward to see if it adds any dynamic to the already messy storyline.


As always, thanks for reading!


Jordan, follow me on Twitter- @JordanLloyd39


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Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 14 December

What a moral minefield Sarah finds herself in. She must decide whether or not to terminate her 21 week (approximately) pregnancy. A few more weeks further on, at 24 weeks, and the abortion would not be legal unless there were really dramatic circumstances.  In addition to the trauma of an abortion, Sarah has the anxiety of the baby’s father being the man who attacked her savagely and who was killed by her sister-in-law, Kylie. And, there is the anguished knowledge that Callum’s body is decaying under her mother’s bed.

Now 2 people know about Sarah’s pregnancy, both of whom are urging her not to terminate her pregnancy. Todd reminds Sarah just how upset Sarah was when she lost baby Billy, and Kylie points out that Max is Callum’s son, and she loves him, despite his paternity.   

So far, Sarah’s baby seems to be a tough little soul. He/she has survived Sarah’s heavy drinking and her being knocked down by a car. Now, that baby might just find that it gets the chance to live its life, after all. Explaining to the baby who its father is and what happened to him could be left until later.  

At the nativity play, more of which later, Kylie heads out ‘for some air’, but in fact she is going to the clinic to try to prevent Sarah going through with the abortion. She tells Sarah how in the Nativity play she felt ‘so full of love and pride for Max that she could burst.’ She adds, ‘That baby could be the one good thing that comes out of all this.’ Kylie has a point, in that an addition to the family may be wonderful for everyone.

David, however thinks very differently. Sarah tells him, ‘I’m pregnant and it’s Callum’s.’ David is visibly shocked and in discussion with Kylie tells her that Sarah should have an abortion and that, ‘One day, she will thank us for it.’ Kylie tells him that he is being naïve. Kylie thinks it will, ‘all work out.’ David asks her, ‘Now who’s being naïve?’   

The nativity is a fertile breeding ground for some of the most irritating people on the planet –the pushy, competitive parent. Dev’s children play Mary and Joseph but it is Max who steals the show with an adlib. He says to Mary and Joseph who ask for a room, that there is ‘a stable around the back if you don’t mind donkey-poo – it gets everywhere.’ Mary is clapping every syllable Asha or Aadi utter and perhaps sees future Oscars awaiting them.

Johnny is preoccupied and as the woman who may be his daughter says, he is ‘twitchy’ which amounts to the same thing.  He chooses Liz for his confidante – a future romance here? -  and tells her that Carla may be his daughter. He is in turmoil and admits, ‘I feel like I’m cracking up.’

 As Liz says, a DNA test will be required and that he can’t just ‘swab her mouth or yank some hair out of her head’ so she will have to be informed. But luck strikes. Carla’s chewing gum is in the bin, but the letter she has just licked to seal it he grabs hold of and tears off the strip she has licked.

Aidan arrives to see his dad and Liz in cahoots and they cover up what they were really talking about, making out that they were talking about having a Christmas ‘do’ at the Rovers for the factory’s clients.

 Having found out that Johnny has been summoned by Rob to the prison, Tracy wants to know what is going on. Johnny doesn’t let on and succeeds in fobbing Tracy off. Robert is a little anxious about Tracy having interest in Rob aroused, but Tracy lies. Robert asks Carla, ‘Have I got anything to worry about?’ Carla’s reply is, ‘You’re going out with Tracy - you’ve got everything to worry about.’

Erica and Anna are off to the Singles Night and both scrub up very well indeed, especially Anna. Erica always looks glamorous, but Anna looked lovely and so different from her daily café incarnation. Before the evening Kevin is told by Erica to get a babysitter and ‘go live a little.’

Kevin is here too and after claiming he’s there for Quiz Night, has to admit his real purpose. There is chemistry between Anna and Kevin, unless I imagined it, and it seems Kevin agrees with Faye, who tells her mum that she is not a ‘munter’ as young people say today. Anna was pretty successful - Barry the plumber, with 1 child and an interest in Martial Arts, seems keen.

Finally, Michael is persuaded to go to the awards evening, after vehemently resisting. Dee even gives him her dad's cufflinks. Is he going in order to please Eileen, or to please Dee or has he just decided he'll go?

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Coronation Street double episode review, Friday 11 December 2015

There’s another visit to Rob on the cards for Tracy, but in the meantime, Johnny attends for his. It transpires that Rob has seen a photo of him in the paper connecting him with Underworld, and this, combined with a memory of his drunken mother telling him about a one night stand she had with Johnny in his Vauxhall Cavalier, is enough for Rob to presume Carla is his daughter. Johnny’s reaction is all that remains to convince him that it’s true. Johnny’s weak deflections are not enough to dissuade Rob, and £10,000 is the price to keep him quiet. While Johnny seemed ruffled, his departure was somewhat triumphant, revealing that Tracy is shacked up with someone else, and announcing that he’s off for a pint.

To me, this feels like a storyline that’s been wedged in, with explanations peppered about to justify it. Why haven't we seen so much as a glimmer of this possibility in any scenes between Johnny and Carla? Why did Rob never tell Carla about his mother's confession? Apparently because he never believed her. Why would Rob, who was so traumatised at the prospect of going to jail again and whose sole motivation for keeping his murder of Tina a secret was keeping out of prison, risk adding time to his sentence by engaging in further illegal activity? Who knows. What we do know, is that his deviousness arises from boredom. The insertion of a Bill Clinton-esque line from Rob, “Did or did you not have sexual relations with that woman?” seemed rather odd as he was referring to his own mother, and didn’t appear to be making a joke. I did enjoy what were strong scenes between Johnny and Rob, however, and it’s great to see the return of Marc Baylis.

Johnny later attends Nick and Carla's engagement party at the Bistro. After telling a concerned Carla that Rob merely wanted to know how things were going at Underworld, he looks wistfully on as she asks Roy to give her away. I found this to be a rather awkward scene. Roy saying it would be an honour was lovely, but Carla made some rather strange expressions in response. Considering their friendship, and Carla’s ever confident demeanour, I didn’t think her response to a question she had posed would cause her to feel so uncomfortable.

Elsewhere at the party we had ill-wishing Gail swilling the sauvignon, Sally discussing Tim’s toenails, and a frankly bizarre set of scenes involving Aidan’s missing silk seal-pup-like socks in which emergency phone calls to Spain, thievery and flirtatious sock related one-liners all played a part. In fact, I can’t decide which was the stranger; the socks, or Johnny buying a green shirt on the basis that he heard Liz liked Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood. In any event, she likes the shirt, and almost hears a confession from tipsy Johnny, but Carla interrupts and her parentage remains a secret for another day.

Ever the good friend, Roy is disappointed that Ken doesn’t make it to the ball. After Audrey deliberately gives Nessa the updo from hell, and Amy has a good laugh at her expense, Ken's lady friend swaps her party frock for Tracy’s dressing gown and a takeaway. He can’t say or do anything right, and judging by the disgruntled looks on his face throughout, he appears to be wondering if all this is worth the hassle. He still agrees to her staying a second night, which leaves me wondering, who’s looking after Alex?

Sadie Shimmin is doing a great job at portraying this playful, nosy, coy, yet strangely insecure character. Nessa has a presence about her, and I can see a role for her on the street, but not with Ken. At least the Renshaw twins thought her hair was "chic", and I would pay good money to see David Platt cutting their hair simultaneously.

Sarah Platt seems to be under an unwarranted amount of surveillance with Kylie now getting in on the act by reading her phone and searching her bag. I’m not sure what Kylie ran out of the pub for on finding an address for an abortion clinic in Sarah’s purse, as she didn’t urgently impart the news to anyone, and the next we saw of her she was calmly doing her make-up at the kitchen table. In any event, she squeezes an admission from Sarah and sympathises with her at the news that she has booked in for an abortion.

It’s a bit of a contradiction to find Rita joining in with Norris and mocking Mary and her “crackpot convention” while at the same time showing concern when she realises Brendan is married. While she is coming across as interfering, she seems to have Mary's best interests at heart, and one of my favourite scenes of the two episodes was when she revealed the news to Mary only to learn she is already fully aware.

Mary proceeds with their day out together, and as they talk of their mutual enjoyment of the convention, the pair kiss. There was a point some time back when Mary’s character took an unwelcome turn, but in these scenes, and over the past few weeks, she has been one of the highlights of every episode. From confessing that her favourite part of the convention was the moment when Brendan put his hand on her knee, to bashfully telling him “I’ll be thinking of you”, she was a joy throughout. I never would have had Mary down as a mistress and can see her character being vehemently against infidelity, but I feel the manner in which this has played out justifies a change of heart on this score. She is focussed on what she wants it to be rather than what it is. As Mary continues to reside in the afterglow of her magical day, Rita persists with home truths telling her Brendan doesn’t love her, and won’t leave his wife. “I can’t stand back and say nothing” she tells Mary who replies, “You can and you should" and accuses her of being sanctimonious and bitter. 

While I'm no fan of infidelity, you can't but feel sorry for her, as I do fear things will turn out as Rita predicts. Here's hoping the outcome is that it won't be long before Mary meets someone who deserves her, as being loved and in love certainly becomes her.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.wordpress.com

Twitter: @ELHynes

Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.

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Coronation Street Weds 9th December episode review

Hello and welcome to this week's Wednesday review. The first thing to say, of course, is Happy 55th  Birthday, Coronation Street! Here's to the next 55 years!

We start off at number 1, where a certain someone has spent the night. The Loch Nessa Monster has wormed her way into Ken's bed and makes sure we all know about it, dishing up a slew of innuendos along with fried eggs. When Tracy realises who has stayed over, she is less than pleased. In fact, she wastes no time in demanding answers. Ken simply tells her that there had to be a first time. I think this may be the first time that the audience have been on Tracy's side. We're not supposed to like Nessa. Over at the salon, Nessa is in high spirits and unwittingly fires daggers at poor Audrey with even more innuendos and her joyous singing. She even manages to annoy Cathy at the café , who can see right through her sister. Cathy knows that Nessa changes her men more than her underwear but is unfortunately powerless. However, Nessa has decided to become a vegetarian for Ken so there's no telling how long this could last.

"Why are you wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday? Did you...?"
"I might have done. Oh it's wonderful, really. Ken and I connect on so many levels. Spiritually and physically"

Later on, Nessa offers to take Ken and Amy to the Christmas market. Ken declines, but Amy jumps at the chance, telling her all about how much Deirdre bought her last time she went. Nessa paints on a smile and reluctantly goes. Hours later, they arrive back with armfuls of shopping bags, but Amy can't resist sticking the knife in and declaring candidly that Grandma Deirdre bought her more.  It's a case of like mother, like daughter as it becomes clear that Amy can't stand Nessa either and is not shy about making this clear, especially to Nessa herself. 

"I really hope you're not gonna hurt my granddad."
"Of course I'm not..."
"Because if you do, I won't be held responsible for my actions"

Bethany talks Sarah into letting her skip school again so they can spend time together and go Christmas shopping. I'm not sure why the school haven't taken action towards Bethany's 2% attendance rate, but at least we got to see Sarah looking uneasy again. She's bound to be feeling strange. It may be her third pregnancy, but only her first as an adult.  After mumbling a vague excuse to Bethany, Sarah rushes round to Barlow's Buys to confide in Todd. It seems as though she has made her mind up to have an abortion. And to be honest, I think this is the best way forward. Unwanted pregnancy has been thrown into storylines countless times and it's becoming tiresome.

"If your heart's telling you it's the right thing-"
"My head's telling me, not my heart. I  know I can't do this. I cannot have this baby"

Elsewhere, Mary is struggling to accept that she is now a 'mistress'. Brendan is married, albeit unhappily, Connornation Street continued tonight as Johnny received a visiting order from the rugged Rob, who receives a warm welcome back from me and Yasmeen is running a 'cupcake' masterclass at the community centre. However, I, like Roy prefer the British term of 'fairy cake'.

"I've got a dilemma. A dilemma that you might have an opinion on. You knew Rob, didn't you?"
"Carla's Rob? Of course. Why?"
"He's just sent me a visiting order"

Overall, a bit of a 'bridge' episode if I'm honest but the performance of the episode definitely goes to Elle Mulvaney as Amy. In some ways, it is the younger members of the cast who are making the show right now (Amy, Craig, Faye etc) and sometimes outshine the adults. I really hope we get to see Amy grow up and spend a lifetime on the cobbles. Read more about the kids on Corrie here.


As always, thanks for reading!


Jordan, Twitter- @JordanLloyd39



Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.

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Coronation Street Weds 2nd December episode review

Hiya!  It's Jordan again with this week's Wednesday review. Apologies for my lateness - I was busy treading the cobbles myself last night with the other bloggers.

Last night, we were treated to an hour of Corrie and it feels great to say that comedy reigned supreme. It also incorporated a bit of shock drama and a hell of a bombshell to finish with. Classic Corrie. Well done, Mr Rochefort.

Sarah books a hair appointment especially for her date with Aidan. David is far from pleased for his sister; he is terrified that she is going to spill the beans about the skeleton in the closet. I mean, the body in the manhole. Sarah is adamant that she won't and later flirtingly saunters into the Rovers, asking Aidan who she has to snog for a drink. She would have been better off asking who she had to snog for several drinks, as that is what silly Sarah ended up having. It always sounds odd to me when someone orders shots in the Rovers. Thankfully, Sarah manages to keep the Callum secret, but she does get very drunk very quickly. When she breaks a glass, Aidan breaks off the date and she storms- I mean, stumbles, out of the pub, with Billy trying to keep her upright. David whisks her away and bids Billy off to sing a few hymns with Emily. He needn't have worried though. All Sarah had slurred to Billy was her hilariously disastrous history with the Grimshaw brothers.

"Do you know Todd? I thought he was the love of my life and he went full Tom Daley on me! No offence. And Jason climbed out of a bog window so he didn't have to marry me"

David attempts to get Sarah across the road and home safely. However, Sarah is doing the 'I'm fine' routine (one of my personal favourites) and is, in true Corrie fashion, knocked over. Tim tried to stop his van but Sarah did a rather fantastic roly-poly across the windscreen. At the hospital, it turns out that injury-wise, Sarah has nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. However, the nurses did spot something that was most definitely not caused by the accident:

"We got your test results back and everything's fine. You're as healthy as a horse. And so is the baby"
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"I thought you knew. You're about four months pregnant"

There's a bit of downgrading for Carla in this episode as she happily volunteers to help out at the bistro when Nick is severely understaffed. All insurance issues ignored (much like the Kasia case back in 2006), Carla ties up her hair and grabs a notepad. Having drank in plenty of bars in her time, Carla is sure she'll be dab hand at waitressing. Unfortunately, her eager attitude is put to the test when she has to wait on Sally, Queen of Snobbery, who is thrilled at being able to boss her boss. After being addressed as 'waitress' by her own employee and quizzed on the origin of the pork belly, to which she is totally clueless, Carla looks ready to kill.  Of course, her demeanour isn't completely quashed. When Sally's wine fussing gets to much for her, she simply fires a death glare at Kate (at that moment, a customer) and orders her to take the glass of wine over to Sally.

"I quite like the look of the pork belly"
"Great. One pork belly"
"No, hold on. I didn't say I wanted it. Where's it from?"
"The kitchen. Where do you think?"
"What's the provenance? What country is it from?"
"Why? Are you worried it's come here illegally?"

After a few hours in her new (uninsured) job role, Carla's seems to have the hang of customer service. She has mastered all the waitress lingo and realises that she should have worn flat shoes. She's happy, something which she says she isn't used to. Behind the Bistro bar, she candidly asks Nick to marry her. However, before he can get an answer out, Michelle interrupts and Nick has to dash off to visit Sarah in hospital. How inconsiderate, Sarah! Couldn't you have picked another night to be knocked over?!

However, all is well when Nick get back to the Bistro and accepts Carla's proposal. My only hope is that Carla follows in Michelle's footsteps and chooses to keep her name. Carla Tilsey just doesn't sound right.

"The answer's yes by the way"
"What was the question?"
"I believe the question was 'Will you marry me?', to which the only sensible answer is 'I will'"

At number 5, Craig is on the phone to Caitlin.  Beth eagerly snatches the phone off her son and invites her round for dinner, offering a chippy tea or a kebab. Craig is understandably annoyed at Beth, but invites her nonetheless, on the condition that Beth and Kirk clear off for the night. Later on, he regrets being angry with Beth and invites them to join his date for homemade chicken kievs. They gratefully accept, with Kirk expressing his amazement that chicken kiev can be made from scratch.  What follows is a series of one liners from the archetypal embarrassing mother. She's trying her best though. She's even replaced the air-freshener in the bathroom. Understandably though, Craig does not appreciate his mother showing photos of him as a rash-covered infant to his new girlfriend.

"Gosh, you were a big baby, Craig"
"Ten pounds. It were like passing a bowling ball"

Elsewhere, Eileen is *gasp* jealous of Dee, the lady who cannot seem to do anything for herself and Michael always rushes to her aid. Eileen looks, as Todd puts it, an angry air stewardess, having made herself up just for Michael and donned a 'jaunty' scarf. Fuelling Eileen's obvious totally adoration of this ridiculously helpless woman, Dee has only gone and nominated Michael for the 'Weatherfield Good Samaritan' Award. With all the stress of this Dee hussy and running StreetCars alone, Eileen decides to find some light relief in the form of a Rubix Cube, which ironically only causes more stress.

"Let's just keep it low-key, okay?"
"Oh my middle name is low-key"
"Good evening, what can I get you?"
"Michael has just been nominated for the Weatherfield Good Samaritan of the Year Award!"

An absolutely cracking episode. Typical Corrie- a simultaneous sitcom and a drama. Performances of the episode go to pretty much everyone, but I' like to give extra special mentions to Alison King as Carla, Sue Cleaver as Eileen, Lisa George as Beth and Tina O'Brien as Sarah, who puts on a hilariously convincing drunk act.

Thanks for reading!

Jordan, Twitter- @JordanLloyd39



Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.

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Coronation Street double episode review, Friday 27 November 2015

Debts appear to be mounting for Tyrone, with Fiz none the wiser. Considering the manner in which she often treats him, I’m not surprised he’d try to deal with it privately, even though that probably isn’t the best idea. As the battle mounts between what he can afford, and what he wants to be able to, he buys an inflatable Santa for the front of the house, and makes Fiz believe it’s a gift.

The suggestion of help from Roy to inflate it is met with disdain from Tyrone and is followed by some deplorable treatment when they arrive home from the hospital to find it deflated. Sure, the money worries have him stressed, and he wants to give Hope a perfect Christmas, but none of this warranted his behaviour towards someone who has been consistently good to him and, as street residents go, is one of the very best. Nor was it typical of Tyrone, even in the worst of circumstances, to behave in such a fashion.

Cathy continues to be Roy’s champion, and not in the aggressive way some are on t’cobbles when it comes to defending their other halves. She is delicate and subtle, yet solid. Nor does she dismiss the offender, encouraging an awkward Tyrone to stay and chat with Roy over a brew. Her reaction is similar to Roy’s in that he forgives, and remains concerned about Tyrone despite his poor behaviour. Roy feels there might be more to the aggression than meets the eye, however, and guesses it might be money. Calling to their house, Roy tactfully and sensitively offers Tyrone financial assistance, but his pride won’t allow him to take it, and after Roy leaves hoping he hasn’t embarrassed him, Tyrone dials a loan company.

If you put his refusal to take help down to anything, it must be the manner in which he’s regularly emasculated by those around him, including his own partner. It follows that his inability to stand up to those he should sees him assert himself with one he shouldn’t. I feel the real Tyrone, finding himself in the circumstances he’s in, would swallow his pride, and take Roy's assistance; after all, the consequences for his family of not doing so are too great.

Things go from bad to worse for Steph as she begins receiving messages from friends who have seen the pictures Jamie disseminated online, and her parents find out. As she cries in the Bistro kitchen, Leanne shares her own stories of humiliation, offering words of encouragement about how she can deal with it.

Meanwhile Luke and Andy are roughing Jamie up at his local and revealing his true colours in front of a potential next victim who tips a pint over his head before storming out. As they leave, Steph, Leanne and the police conveniently converge, and Jamie is arrested.

While this was an interesting and important subject to tackle, I’ve not really enjoyed this storyline, namely because of the manner in which it has played out. From the start it has struck me as an issue seeking a plot.

In any event, I found it questionable that, following Jamie’s arrest and Andy’s suggestion of a weekend away, Steph would joke about going somewhere without internet access. I half expected to hear canned laughter followed by some comedy exit music and the credits rolling over a freeze frame. It would have been far better, and more realistic, to see Steph escorted away in tears as she prepares for a period ahead of coping and coming to terms with it all, but thankfully surrounded by those prepared to support her through it. Instead, I fear we will see her back to normal by Monday, breezing around the Bistro in the refreshing way she normally does. I do, however, look forward to many more stories involving the brilliant Steph.

I love how Jonathan Harvey writes for Mary, and she looked positively glowing as she enjoyed a drink with Brendan in the Rovers. She’s overjoyed to be asked to accompany him to a convention; that is until he rather slyly drops the bombshell that he’s married. Patti Clare’s performance was second to none as Mary’s heart broke in her eyes, and she fled to the bathroom. Her dignity in the face of being so cruelly deceived spoke volumes as to her character and showed Mary at her best.

It’s a shame that Norris and Rita have incessantly sneered at her new found joy, and in the aftermath of Brendan’s revelation, Dev proves himself to be a better friend than either of them. There was thankfully nothing patronising about the scene in which he respectfully offered her kindness and a shoulder to cry on if needed without embarrassing her by putting words on it.

I think I was as disappointed as Mary to learn Brendan was married; not so much because I thought they were well paired, but because I feel it high time that Mary had some joy and a storyline that brings out the best in her. I hope she’s whisked off her feet by someone better deserving as she picks herself up from this inexplicable disappointment.

Meanwhile Simon has been to counselling but Leanne tells Robert and Eva that he remained silent throughout. I do love Eva, but it’s as if her funny laugh and often inappropriately timed gags have become 'a thing' now, and I’d find it regrettable if she was to slide into the 'comedy Gail' category. She’s better than that; and so is Gail.

Over at the gym, Sharif still has reservations about Gary, but Zeedan encourages his grandfather to give him a chance, reminding him that it was Alya, not Gary, that compromised their relationship, and telling him that he no longer wants to work there himself. While Sharif accepts his grandson’s desire to move on, what really seems to resonate is Zeedan’s talk of Gary's connection to Kal through the army.

Bolstered by Gary’s discovery and eviction of a gym goer on steroids, and without taking any time to think about the situation, Sharif promptly offers him the job of manager, and Zeedan tosses his badge in his direction. Failing to think has Sharif in a situation where he has offered an irrevocable contract to someone he has doubts about, and so I thought he might at least sleep on this latest decision. In any event, I look forward to seeing what lies ahead for Zeedan as he departs the gym. I have high hopes for one that has fast become one of my favourite characters to watch.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.wordpress.com

Twitter: @ELHynes

Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.

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Coronation Street Weds 9th September episode review

"She tortured you all this time? She let you believe you were responsible for Kal and Maddy?"
"Yeah, well that's Tracy Barlow, The bitch that keeps on giving"

Hello and welcome to yet another Wednesday review. I am sure the happenings in tonight's episode were a relief for all of us agitated viewers.

It's 8am and a panicky Michelle is banging on the door of Carla's apartment. Nick is trying to get in touch with her but to no avail. After much persistence, Carla opens the door and reluctantly lets them in. By the time we are back at the apartment, Carla has broken the still-raw news to Michelle and Nick that it was in fact Tracy who started the fire. I don't like it when this happens - a dramatic revelation happens outside of a scene.

Nick and Michelle instil it into Carla that she simply mustn't let Tracy get away with the fire  Michelle helpfully lists all the people who currently ostracise Carla and tells her this can't carry on. Having only the one bottle of wine and eye mask in the fridge, Carla takes her amigos to the pub.


Tracy has been keyed up all day. Terrified that she is about to be landed in hot water, she bluffs her way through the day and into the pub. All Tracy can do is drink. Unfortunately for her, she and Carla cross paths in the pub. Alya marches in confidently with Zeedan by her side to announce to that she has had a better offer and is therefore resigning from Underworld and will do everything in her power to prevent Underworld  from getting a contract ever again. This is, of course, out of spite because she still believes that Carla is responsible for her dad's death. This fuels Carla to publicly reveal the truth. Naturally, Tracy denies it. However, her attempts at bare face lying to Alya are scuppered when the police march into the pub and arrest her.

"It's a bit early in the day to be getting bladdered, isn't it?"
"When I want advice on appropriate behaviour from somebody that got up the duff at thirteen, I'll ask for it. Red wine. Large"

"I didn't start that fire...did I, Tracy?"

Eileen, Todd and Tony arrive at the hospital to collect Jason, who seems to recovering well from his attack. It looks as though the two brothers have made peace as Todd encourages his older brother to lean on him and helps him out of the hospital. Jason vows that whoever did this to him is going to get what is coming to them.

As the Grimshaws joyfully leave the hospital, the Dobbs-Brown-Stape clan arrive. However, rather oddly, this was the comic relief of the episode. An extremely well-meaning Roy insists on driving them to the hospital, reasoning that there was little point in hm passing his driving test if he cannot use his driving skills. However, Roy's disastrous parking skills cause the family to make a hasty exit from the car, politely insisting they do not need a lift back before giggling their way into the hospital.

"Well that were terrifying"
"At least it took my mind off the hospital appointment"

Elsewhere, Zeedan tries again to get through to Simon, in what is starting to become an interesting brotherly friendship. He and Leanne decide that sending him to stay with Peter in Antigua, hoping this will calm his menacing behaviour of late. Anna is anxiously awaiting the return of baby Miley, who has been on holiday with her other grandparents. Faye is also excited to see her daughter, but has also been rehearsing thoroughly for her audition for the school play. Weatherfield High is to stage a Nazi-ommiting production of The Sound of Music, in which Faye is hoping to play Maria. Now this is a storyline I am looking forward to.

However, Anna is suddenly landed with the news that the Hodges are not returning from the holiday. Josie flippantly tells Anna over the phone that they never intended to come back.
 This is something which is sure to have repercussions for the whole Windass family, especially young mother Faye, who didn't want her baby in the first place.

A rather light episode, but we can finally breath and say that Tracy Barlow has been arrested on suspicion of murder. She does not have to say anything but it may harm her defence if she does not mention when questioned something she later relies on in court. Anything she does say may be given in evidence.


Thanks for reading


Jordan


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Coronation Street double episode review, Friday 4 September 2015

Simon continues to cause trouble for Leanne. This time, he’s sent home from school for getting in a fight. Leanne tries to assert her authority, but after blaming her for the jeers he received about his phone, and refusing to wash the dishes, he attacks her, leaving her bleeding and out cold after hitting her head on the table. Simon may have escaped the flat, but the running bath tells a tale by dripping through the kebab shop ceiling.

Comedy Dev is back, and after a rather peculiar conversation with Tim in which they appear to spend a tad too long imagining Leanne in the bath, it takes the arrival of Mary for decisive action to occur. Finding her on the floor, an ambulance is called by TV medi-drama expert Mary who nearly has to be admitted herself when the men in uniform arrive.

Simon watches from the shadows as Leanne emerges from the flat, but an oblivious Zeedan makes his presence very much known, and insists on accompanying her to hospital. After the concerned nurse leaves her with pamphlets on domestic abuse, Leanne confides in Zeedan that Simon is the cause. The actual confession isn’t depicted, we learn this in the aftermath, and while I usually balk when key moments aren’t depicted, it seemed fitting here as this isn’t a storyline that should be sensationalised. I was so relieved to hear her tell somebody, and Zeedan was a fitting confidante. I’ve long been celebrating his character development into a sensitive, intelligent, upstanding and respectful individual, and I continue to enjoy every scene he’s in. In what is a brilliant scene between the two, he tells her she shouldn’t have to put up with it, but Leanne swears him to secrecy and resigns herself to coping. This will be a challenge for Zeedan’s upstanding character and it will be interesting to see what he will do.

Heartbreaking scenes unfold as more learn the news of Hope’s illness, and while performed impeccably, and with sensitivity by all, I found myself a tad confused. Wednesday’s Corrie concluded with the doctor telling Fiz and Tyrone the tragic news that a cancer diagnosis was “very possible”. Thursday’s began with the same scene in which the doctor advised that “It could be [cancer], but we won’t know for certain until we have the results of the biopsy”. In a scene which reduced me to tears, Fiz then told Roy it wasn’t good, and they “think” she has cancer. However, in a later argument with Tyrone , Fiz declared “my daughter’s got cancer”. I wondered if I had missed something. Had the final diagnosis been given? My confusion continued in tonight’s double episode when she broke the news to Chesney, Sinead, Beth and Kirk, and nodded when Beth asked if the doctors were positive. As Aidan threatened to sack Fiz in the absence of a sick note, Tyrone intervened and shouted, “do you want to know why she’s been off? Because our daughter has got cancer.” Yet when Roy later sought certainty regarding the diagnosis, Fiz said they were “pretty sure”. This may seem like nit picking to some, but should there be such uncertainty?

Surely the news for Roy, the rest of the family and Aidan is that Hope has a tumour which needs to be tested and the results will confirm whether or not she has cancer. This ambiguity aside, Roy’s contribution has been beautifully heart rending as David Neilson unsurprisingly enriches every scene he’s in. I also enjoyed the scene between Cathy and Yasmeen as they discussed grief, and how to be there for Roy. Cathy proves she’s the perfect support and I’m delighted to see her character blossom after her liberation from the secrecy surrounding her hoarding habit. Indeed, there were strong performances from all concerned with a special mention for Shayne Ward who rose to the challenge with such sensitive material.

If I was a friend of Carla, with the best will in the world, my patience would be shredding at this point. Nick tells her he loves her and will help her despite her essentially stealing from him to gamble, but his reward is to be thrown out of her flat. Having heard about all of this from Nick, Michelle later calls over and orders her to call Steve’s therapist or they’re done. While this seems to jolt Carla out of her rut, she later tears up the business card while quaffing red wine and engaging in yet another spot of online gambling.

After Sally makes Tim believe their wedding will cost thousands, he panics and suggests they postpone it. A playful Sally reassures him that she was joking, and she’s happy to dispense with the frills in order to marry him. While this is endearing, it can’t possibly spell the end of snobby Sally, and I look forward to her quest for a classy do at bargain prices.

By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ELHynes

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Coronation Street Thursday 3rd September episode review

Welcome to the Thursday review, Corristas!

Whilst last Thursday's trip to the cobbles was an episode in its own right, this week's felt very much like the second part of Wednesday's instalment. We start where we left off, with Fiz and Tyrone in the hospital facing the results of Hope's scan and her possible cancer diagnosis. Fiz mistakes Tyrone holding it together for indifference, accusing him of being too calm about his stepdaughter's illness and claiming that he would be far more upset if it were Ruby who had a tumour. Later, Fiz apologises and although distressed, she agrees that at least they have each other as they face an uncertain future. Roy, babysitting Simba/Hope, discovers why she has been in hospital and he is visibly distraught by the news, coming so soon after Hayley's death. Cathy, who is about to go back to her home, pretends that she's not ready and we see that Roy's support of her will be repaid as she plans to stay around to help him through his godchild's illness.

The secondary and tertiary storylines also pay off the set-ups from Wednesday. Carla proves that she's a true addict by stealing Nick's credit card, the one we saw her eyeing yesterday, so that she can drink and gamble the afternoon away. Has Nick bitten off more than he can chew by starting a relationship with Our Lady of the Merlot? Carla appears to be pushing everyone away so that she will remain, like the background song, alone.

The much-needed comic relief is provided by Kevin's party that Sally and Tim were arranging in the previous episode. From Rita claiming that her "instrument is both a blessing a curse" to Sally asking everyone to "sit soft" and worrying if she's got enough "picky bits" after the unfortunate demise of her pigs-in-blankets, Jonathan Harvey proves, once again, that the devil is in the dialogue, something he so excels at. Tim and Kev's bromance falters a little after Kevin accidentally reveals that he doesn't like Tim's present of a (popular with the landed gentry) chunky gold bracelet, but at least it makes him realise that Sally is his partner, and not Kevin, and they agree to set a wedding date. She, meanwhile, is worried that she's being daft spending so much time organising a party for a man whom she left five years ago (but kissed four weeks ago). She seems to have invited several people who aren't close friends with Kevin: Sean, Billy, and Andrea, but then again, the latter has never been shy of inserting herself into situations (or record shops) where she doesn't belong. The purpose of her attendance at the do, apart from eating Sally's prawn vol-au-vents, seems to be to find out that Lloyd and Liz have slept together again, which has put paid to any thoughts of reconciliation (for now).

Meanwhile, Simon mistakes Robert's sympathy towards Leanne for romantic interest and makes a Tracy-type comment that all of his mum's men end up dead or on the other side of the world. Unsurprisingly, Leanne does not take kindly to such bratty behaviour and rescinds her previous offer of a new phone.

Finally, I would love Gail to be the kind of woman whom people beg to sing at parties. Get that woman on Soapstar Superstar!

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