State of the Street - October 2010

It's all starting up again. John's former workmate Brian comes back and all the lies start again. Colin's mother is asking questions. And so now John is basically in witness protection, that's why he's called John not Colin and is on the run from Mr. Big to keep Fiz safe. And Brian meets Julie, Fiz's best friend. Then he lands on the Stape couch because his wife kicked him out while Fiz and John were frantically trying to split up Julie and Brian. You couldn't make this stuff up! Well, ok, someone did, obviously. Brilliant stuff, though. Classic Corrie Farce. But now, Fiz has to put up with lies yet again because Charlotte is coming back and I'm looking forward to it.

There's a mystery as to who is putting flowers at the factory. It's obvious to you and me that it's to do with Colin's death but is it Charlotte? She was feeling pretty guilty about the whole business of hiding the body. Has she completely gone round the twist? Or is that too obvious? There are rumours she's going to appear to have a stalker but that she's doing it herself to get John's attention. Maybe, but someone commented on this post on t'other blog that maybe Colin came round and got himself out of the hole in the floor before the workers cemented it over and it's him. It's a damn good theory and what a great twist that would be. If not, though, it probably is Charlotte and I reckon that will end under the tram in December.

Natasha's lies came out and Gail put them there. Ok they would have eventually anyway but Gail's interfering certainly didn't help matters. It's a good thing she lost her job over it, she doesn't deserve to have it after poking into a patient's records no matter who the patient is. I really felt sorry for Natasha and you know, the actor really hit it out of the ball park. After most of the time that she was on the show where they did nothing with her aside from occasional ditsy remarks, they finally give her a storyline she can get her teeth into and it's her leaving story! Well she played a blinder, playing a desperate Natasha, persuing Nick when it was clear he didn't really want her to and then lying about the pregnancy when she finally did get him. I thought it was a good storyline even if it showed Nick is just as much of a love rat as he ever was. After all, no sooner was Natasha out of the picture then he was scratching at Leanne's skirts.

I'm a bit baffled as to why Peter seems to be so friendly with Nick after how jealous he was initially but there Nick was, on Peter's sofa during the whole Natasha disaster, pouring his heart out. There's Peter encouraging Leanne to work for Nick...Wha??? I know he trusts Leanne, but he never trusted Nick and he shouldn't. You can see Nick has rediscovered his feelings for Leanne, he knows he lost the best thing he ever had. And i really dread them putting Nick and Leanne back in business together because i think it's inevitable, don't you? Nick is using Leanne's dreams for the bar to get under her skin. I think Leanne has feelings but they aren't new ones, they are old unfinished business type feelings. Leanne and Peter are a great couple and, with Simon, a lovely little family and they MUST not split them up! I'm hoping it doesn't go all the way and Leanne and Nick end up with no more than maybe a regretted kiss at most.

Seeing Peter help Carla was good too but that could spiral out of control as well. Will Peter be able to keep Carla off the booze? Will Peter be able to resist joining her on a bender?

Kylie led Becky and Steve around by the nose all month, letting them to all the work with caring for Max and taking off on holiday. That left Becky to lie to the Social and pretend to be Kylie so they wouldn't take Max away again. I don't know that they would have, though, considering she's living with her sister and in a more or less stable home. IT's all heading to Kylie's offer that Becky and Steve "buy" Max. Haven't we done this before? Different circumstances but not that far removed. A woman that can't have a baby of her own is desperate to have one so succumbs to the blackmail of a manipulative cow and pays cash for one. Will Kylie leave Max, take the money and run? Likely. Will she come back for more and in the end, take Max away forever? Possibly. Paula Lane as Kylie is very, very good, though and it makes this storyline a lot more watchable than when Tracy Barlow was gurning all over the cobbles. SO not looking forward to Tracy returning!

David is in it up to his eyes again. He attacked Tina, Graeme attacked him and then David ran down Graeme. Or did he? He's saying he doesn't remember, he really seems sincere about owning up that he went too far with Tina but really doesn't think he could have ran down Graeme and the doctor says it could be epilepsy. Sounds a bit like the little boy who cried wolf but maybe this time it's true. True, and nobody believes him. It's just too obvious so he must have some sort of condition. That's what it took for Gail to decide maybe he was telling the truth. I wonder how many other of the outspoken neighbours will actually apologize to him. Claire was sure quick to believe David and only weeks after she was falsely accused herself and Dev is becoming more and more obnoxious every day. Doesn't learn a lesson about false accusations, he just turns around and assumes the worst of David 5 minutes after he had to apologize to Claire.

And speaking of Claire, she's bound and determined to move and move to France no less. Ashley would be *so* out of his element and he knows it. But we know Claire, don't we? When she's determined, nothing is going to stop her, not even Ashley's health. She poked and prodded and manipulated until he gasped in pain. Ok, she was willing to back down but he milked it until he had to admit it when Freddie got into his heartburn pills. If she's that determined to go, willing to bust up her marraige and go alone, he'll give in and that will be the back of them. I did like the couple but I do find her awfully bossy and non-compromising at times. I guess that's Ashley's type though, because Maxine wasn't much different, was she?

I'm really glad they seem to have got Gary and Izzy together. I think they make a far better couple than Izzy and Kirk would have, had rumours been believed at the start. Gary as a character has really come a long way. Having him go off to war really is the making of him. I'm sure Eddie is just as worried about Gary as Anna is but he doesn't show it the same way.

We're going to lose Jack Duckworth and it's going to be very, very hard to watch. Giving anonymous gifts, and he's doing things he always wanted to before he dies a la the Bucket List. Except it was only the one thing, wasn't it? Just the lap dancing club. Was there nothing else he wanted to do?

Michelle said goodbye to Ryan and helloooooo to Ciaran. Anyone else get the feeling it's a rebound thing? Well, not in the classic sense, obviously, but now she's on her own, she gives in to all the feelings she's clearly been having and is lonely because her son is gone. That's two sons that will soon be forgotten, I guess!

The Little Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'

There's a fable about a shepherd boy who, probably in a bid for attention or out of boredom, used to pretend a wolf was threatening his flock and would run to the village crying 'WOLF!' for help when in fact there was no wolf. When he finally did see a wolf and ran for help, nobody believed him. The moral of the story is that you should always tell the truth, and habitual liars are never to be believed at their own peril.

David Platt is one of those liars. He's told a lot of tall tales and lies over the years, mainly to cover up his own misdoings. He always gets discovered and has a reputation now for lying and causing trouble and being violent when he doesn't get his own way.

We know that he still loves, or at least is obsessed with Tina McIntyre and the other week, he misread her friendliness for a renewed romantic interest and became aggressive with her. She was afraid he would rape her but when he realized, he backed off, truly sorry that he scared her. Naturally, Tina's boyfriend and David's best friend, Graeme found out and naturally, he was very angry, confronting David in the pub. Off David goes, taking Audrey's car without permission and later, when he was coming back, it looked very much like David ran over Graeme on purpose.

Oh dear! But David claims not to remember anything! Another lie, no doubt, that's what everyone is thinking. Everyone except his mother but Gail would defend her chick to the death in spite of their past conflicts, some of which were pretty major. If David says he doesn't remember, then that's good enough for Gail even if she knows what he's usually like. This time, there's a suspicion of a possible epileptic seizure that could have made David pass out. In the past couple of episodes, he complained of being tired and a bit spaced out so they're setting it up for that. David will again be the Street pariah and assumed guilty by everyone but this time, it seems he will probably be proven innocent.

David Platt is a character that they've had do a lot of horrible things but you can only go so far with a character if you're planning on keeping them in the show. You can't cross the line because soap law insists that if you do, you must leave (prison, death, etc) They couldn't have David actually rape Tina and they can't have him deliberately run his best friend over, nearly killing him. David will be proven innocent on that basis.

Tina was quick to accuse Gail of killing her father with very little evidence. She's quick to accuse David, albeit on somewhat stronger circumstantial evidence. What really pisses me off, though, is Claire Peacock. She jumped right on the Accuse David bandwagon with a vengeance and it was only a month ago that *she* was the Street Pariah, accused of harming the Alahan child...so much so that she is now intent on leaving the Street. You'd think she would be the one to give David the benefit of the doubt.

David had been showing a lot of signs of maturity this year, since his mother was in prison. He still has impulses and a lot of anger issues but he's not gone off the rails as much. Will being falsely accused take him off the green and into the rough again or will he manage to rise above it and change his life? He's a good character, one you like to hate but if he's going to be in the show long term, he's going to have to grow up and make something of his life. Steve McDonald was quite a tearaway as a young man though not as much as David but he managed it. I think David can too.

State of the Street: September

Who would have thought that Neanderthal Kevin would have been so  supportive of Sophie's Choice (so to speak, yes, I know, it's not a choice.) Maybe it's not so surprising that Sally was initially so negative but it was shock more than anything. I like how they have Sally struggling with it. She wants to be supportive but it seems like her heart is broken and she doesn't quite understand. I think she'd be a perfect candidate for PFLAG and would be a crusader once she gets used to it. I can understand it's a surprise and a shock but she does love Sophie and already has defended her. Poor Sian is really feeling the worst of it with her parents, her mother being dismissive and her father being the real neanderthal.

Rosie was just fine with the news and supportive, probably too much. She probably shouldn't have given Sophie money to go away with, instead, tried to persuade her a bit harder to stay. Sally thinks Sian's a bad influence on Sophie and seeing as it was Sian's idea to run away, i kind of agree. Sophie had wanted to come clean about them for weeks now though quaked at the thought of her mother finding out. Her dad and sister were pretty good about it but you know it would be new fodder for the gossip mills and soap storylines can't just happen that easily.

So away they went and they dossed down in a grotty B&B where they also worked. Enough is enough and by the end of the month they were ready to come home and face the music. Now the real storyline begins, facing everyone's reactions. Never easy at the best of times, let alone when you're only 16. Everyone is going to think it's a phase or a trendy thing. With Sian, it might be a phase. I'm never convinced that, for her, it was genuine. Rather, I think it's confusing the love she felt for her best friend with someone else, especially after breaking up with Ryan. I'm sure Sophie knows herself and who she is, though, and I hope she doesn't settle for pretending to be something she's not.

Poor Claire, i felt so sorry for her dealing with the accusations and having her mental health problems in her past thrown back in her face. Unfortunately, in a small community, people talk and aren't always nice about what they say even when they *do* like you. She feels like everyone was quick to think the worst of her because of her past but they probably would have thought the same no matter who she was because some people are just like that! So she decides she wants to move away and you know Claire, it doesn't matter what anyone else things. Consult your husband? Never in a million years! She has the red headed temper and stubborness and all I keep thinking with her ragging on Ashley is "Go!!! Just leave!!!"

It was a bad month for Natasha, too. Continuing to pretend to Nick that she is pregnant. She knew that he only came back to her because of the baby and would leave her if he found out she wasn't pregnant or even if she pretended she miscarried. He may "say" he loves her, but he doesn't. You don't go from ambivalence to love in the matter of a week after months of dating. She was in a no-win situation and it could only be disaster. The more people that knew, the more chances the truth would get out. The engagement pushed Gail into doing something that could lose her her job but the truth came blasting out of it's hiding place. Nick was horrible to her but then anyone would in that situation. You couldn't really expect him to be understanding. The scene where Natasha spoke to Gail, Audrey and David after was bittersweet. With everyone against her, everyone knowing the truth, she didn't feel she had a choice and she broke.

So Nick managed to find her in time and spent hours waiting with Leanne and they rehashed all the old hurts. Nick's guilt knows no bounds. I think he has some legitimate reason for the guilt but not all of it. Natasha was just not strong enough and she was desperate to hang on to him and lied about a very big thing to keep him. Of course, Nick's family would take his side. I also liked that David called his mother out on her handling of Tina's abortion. But he did it in a lot more mature way than he ever used to. Maybe he is growing up a bit.

And Gail? She's made the transition complete. She's officially become Ivy Tilsley. It's been coming on for years. She never approved of Natasha for her baby boy and her snooping and interference was every bit the Ivy tradition. She felt no guilt whatsoever in breaking the law and sneaking a look at Natasha's medical records in spite of having been warned. She thinks of it as protecting her son. Well, as much as it was most definitely the wrong way to go about it, Nick certainly would have been in a worse place if Natasha had been allowed to go on with her deceit. Every time she tried to tell him the truth, he'd throw something else at her, like an engagement ring, making it even more difficult to fess up.

It blew up in her face but she nearly got Nick back. He went crawling back out of a sense of guilt after her suicide attempt. Luckily she was convinced to see sense by a few wise words from Audrey.  Natasha pulled herself up by her nylon stockings, told everyone a few home truths and left in the traditional taxi, a bit scared about the future, but not letting anyone know it. Good luck, 'Tash.

In a storyline cooked up to feature William Roache and both his sons, Ken discovers he has a son by girlfriend Susan Cunningham, the one in the first episodes of Coronation Street. Rewriting the past, it seems Ken did sleep with Susan and she had his son. She'd written him a letter but he never got it until Norris found it behind a skirting board. The whole storyline was a bit contrived but the casting was brillian as both of Bill Roache's sons look very much like him. Son Linus plays Lawrence, Ken's son and son James plays Lawrence's son, James who is gay. Unfortunately it was a very short storyline due to other committments by the other two actors. It would really be nice if this was revisited again, though, when there's time. I hope this doesn't go the way of all of Ken's children. Out of sight, out of mind. He made such a big deal over keeping in touch with Daniel once he got to know him again a few years ago, now that they live more locally but other than Peter criticizing Ken for not seeing Daniel, that's the only mention the poor kid gets. Please let Ken mention Lawrence now and then? or at least visit James as he lives in Manchester otherwise what was the point?

So Kylie really wants her son? She's got a funny way of showing it. Get a job in the cafe, work one shift and not see the inside of it for weeks after. Sabotage yourself by stopping out all night and getting drunk. She might think she's a rubbish mum and seems to be letting Becky take over. Perhaps down deep she really is just scared and self destructive but again, she's got a funny way of showing it. Becky is going to get so attached to that child and Kylie is going to realize she's losing him to her sister. I'm guessing in the end, she'll leave and take Max with her and Becky's heart will break all over again. Time will tell. Paula Lane is a really good actress, though. At least she's not as annoying as the stroppy sister like some in the past have been!

Molly finally had her baby and Oh the Irony, Sally delivered it! We know that in the run up to the 50th anniversary the truth about the baby's parentage will come out and Molly will be leaving Weatherfield. Rumour has it that the baby is Kevin's and somehow, he and Sally end up with it. I can't imagine how that's going to work out but at least this dreadful storyline will more or less be over, aside from Sally having to raise Kevin's baby by another woman. God, i hope she tosses Kevin out on his ear but she probably won't.