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.