State of the Street - November 2010 (and speculation)

 As we head into Anniversary week, November sees storylines hot up, twist and turn and so along with some discussion of those, there's also some musing and speculation about the upcoming carnage.

So...Kevin is baby Jack's father and he instantly regrets finding out. I really wish the baby had been Tyrone's but it's a soap, and and affair or a one night stand with someone you should not be with always ends in a pregnancy and 9 times out of 10 the father is the one you've flung with. Thing is, Kevin has no intention of leaving Sally and if he wanted to raise the baby himself, Sally would have to find out and he'd lose her, very likely. I hope the truth comes out soon and i hope Sally throws Kevin's sorry ass out on the cobbles.

In the meantime, Tyrone has to deal with the grief of losing Jack who died in his armchair, dancing with his Swampduck as he faded away. *gulp* Watching Jack find out about Molly's betrayal was hard too. You could see it broke his heart, just simply crushed him! I'm sure it probably just hurried on his death, though it wasn't much longer in coming anyway. The funeral was dignified but I kept expecting Terry to crash it no matter that he wasn't invited and didn't want to come anyway. Now another long time character is gone.

When push comes to shove, Molly still wants Kevin. She seems to think that because he wanted to know if he was the baby's father, it means he wants to acknowledge it and be with her. It's weird though. He was all horny to find out if he was the father but then he's backing down and doesn't want to know Molly. So why did he want to know if he wasn't going to want to be any part of the baby's life? He certainly doesn't want Molly, he wants Sally (see above). Molly figures feelings of love don't go away. They didn't for her but probably hers were more genuine than his. I always said he was just infatuated.

Molly's leaving the show so odds are that she's going to be a tram victim. Will Tyrone raise the baby himself? How could he work side by side with Kevin? He'd have to leave as well. Still, Molly reached the end of her rope and it looks like she's planning to leave Tyrone and take the baby. It seems to me now that she's going to have to die in the crash. That way Tyrone still has the baby but if he ends up knowing it's not his, will  he convince himself Molly just said it to hurt him? The truth has to come out eventually, it's a soap but when and how is up to the writers.

I suspect we'll see a few more of the older guard characters leave over the next couple of years now that the fuss over the Fiftieth will soon be over. I hope they don't kill them all off, though. I would like to see some of the "oldies" go off to retire. Betty Driver is certainly due and I suspect Barbara Knox won't be long either. I do hope Rita isn't going to be trammed, but the crash is going to destroy her flat. Let's just hope she isn't in it! We'll find out in a week!

I really didn't want them to do it. I really hoped Leanne and Nick wouldn't jump in the sack but they've gone and done it. And ok, i can almost buy into a one night stand, but continuing on with it really isn't working for me. It feels forced. Carla is after Peter too, after he's been so helpful to her over the drinking thing. Very likely a dependency thing rather than actual love or something like it. What a bitch, too, knowing Leanne is shagging Nick so feeling free to persue and try to seduce Peter.  Spoilers tell us there will be a wedding so I can only hope it's Peter and Leanne. It's refreshing to see that Peter is on the moral high ground and resisting Carla who's broken hearted, he of the weak will and Barlow womanizer genes. Hmm.. what was i just saying about shagging someone you aren't supposed to ending up in a pregnancy? Doh. Well, if that happens, they can't have Nick be the baby's father if she's marrying Peter. First of all Nick'd be insufferable and second of all, they'd have duplicated Molly and Kevin.

Claire and Ashley are soooo tedious! Ok, he lied about having a heart condition for a day and she decided that was it, she was leaving him and moving to France. Well, she should have packed up and left then and there and in with her mother. Sticking around isn't doing any good if you're planning to go. But of course, that's not what's going to happen, naturally they were going to get back together. They plan to move to France and where does that leave poor old Graeme? Could he manage to buy the shop? Maybe Ashley could keep the shop and let him run it though i expect Graeme would probably run it into the ground, he just doesn't have the experience.

More spoilers have Number 13 in flames after the tram crash. Will any little Peacocks die? Chances are pretty good that the children will be ok as they probably wouldn't kill off the little ones. I would prefer to see them be ok and all move away together but again, as the adult pair are leaving the show, chances are one or the other will be under the wheels or in the fire. I have heard that the night of the incident is the hen/stag night so perhaps Claire and Ashley are both out and there's a sitter! Eek! That might be Sophie and Sian! Danger, Will Robinson! Or maybe the little'uns are at Sunita's? Oh i'm going to worry about this one!

Claire never was overly sympathetic, always a bit headstrong and feisty at times and she certainly rules Ashley's roost with an iron fist, moreso in recent years which really irritates me. But his first wife, Maxine was pretty similar, if you will recall so i suppose that's the type of woman he likes...dominating ones. I reckon he'll be the one to die and she'll leave with the boys with her mother and off to France because he can't be widowed again, left a single dad. They've already done that with his character when Maxine was murdered. No, *if* either of them is going to die, my money's on Ashley. Aw, I would still like to see them go off to France and be happy.

Stape's mishap with Colin has come back to haunt him full blast. There was some speculation that Colin wasn't really dead but it the truth really does have Charlotte doing the "stalking" to get back in John's life and have him for herself and she's getting off on calling him Colin, too! Bonkers, the woman is totally bonkers! John finally found the evidence but she's not letting up. I am actually enjoying all the twists and ins and outs and watching John squirm. I thought the turn up of Colin Fishwick's mother was brilliant! What a morbid old woman! The part i don't like is that Fiz ends up getting the short end of the stick and probably STILL won't leave him when it all comes out. I really hate that he can't stop lying to Fiz, even though she's stressed and pregnant.

There's other spoilers floating around that John is going to kill Charlotte after she attacks him with a hammer. Is he going to end up like Hillman? I can see a lot of parallels. Hillman bashed Emily and Maxine with a spanner and it's said that John is going to bash Charlotte with a hammer after she attacks him with it first. Is he desperate enough to lash out? In the heat of an argument, possibly self defence, he probably could. Richard hid the body of his ex wife in the foundation of a new building. I reckon John will put Charlotte's body in the wreckage of the old ones and hope people believe she was caught in the crash. Either way, though, he has to be found out eventually and please, please, please let Fiz kick him to the curb for good, baby or not!

So there you have it. The tv ad says four deaths and a wedding. My money's on Ashley and Molly and it looks like Charlotte will likely be one of them too. Who will the fourth death be? Again, we can look to characters that are leaving and one of them is Janice. That's a possibility. She's been drinking in the Joinery more since it opened, supporting Leanne. What about Ciaran? Will they have Michelle lose yet another man in a tragic accident? After her husband was killed and both her brothers dying suddenly, perhaps not. Perhaps Ciaran is a serious injury instead. There's a logic behind all this, see. In all my years of soap watching, I've found it's rare for a real surprise to be pulled out of the hat when it comes to people dying. It's almost always an "expendable crew member" or someone already know to be leaving.

What about Nick? Or maybe we'll just see Gail blinking and wringing her hands over Nick's bedside with Audrey feeding her cups of tea and David being moody because he loves his brother, really. And no Sarah to be seen of course. Or, the corner shop and Kabin are going to be destroyed. Rita lives in one flat, Graeme and Tina in another and the shop might have Dev and/or Sunita in it at the time, too, if it isn't late at night. I don't think they're going to get rid of Graeme or Tina, they're the golden couple of the moment and Tina is going to be the new Rovers barmaid.

Possibly either Dev or Sunita could be killed. Would they leave Dev as a single dad with the twins? But it's all been done before. Still... it's possible one of them could be killed or, more likely, seriously injured. We're going to have a few of those too, don't forget. How could you not? Will the identity of any of the dead be a total surprise? I'm speculating that it won't be, though one may possibly. It could still happen, of course, and we won't have long to wait to find out. It's fun trying to work things out, though, isn't it?

Aww i'm glad that Graeme and David made up in the end. I don't think Graeme every really believed that David ran him down on purpose. Interesting to see how David is going to settle down to his diagnosis. I'm sure his horror and embarassment is very natural for someone who's now got to control a disease for life with medication.

And one last related note...

The new Joinery has opened and it's all blue lights and black and silver glowing in the subdued lighting. Very nice. Classy. I think Leanne ought to give up her dream though. First time around, Peter ruined the opening with his drinking and this time around, the whole thing's going to be flattened by an explosion and the tram in a few days' time. I think she'd better get the hint, settle down with Peter and have babies.

He's back, so he is!

Yay! Big Jim McDonald is back! I'm always glad to see this character return even if it's only for short visits. I know that Liz and Jim have had a lot of ups and downs and are probably better off apart, but I still see the chemistry there and I'm pretty sure Liz does too. I think it's more than just old feelings. I think she still loves Jim and always will, no matter who else she is with. Now that he's back again, for a bit at least, I'm sure there will be lots of longing gazes across the bar though they haven't clapped eyes on each other yet. There's also sure to be conflict between Jim and Liz's newest squeeze, builder Owen. This time, though, I think Jim might have met his match.

Owen reminds me a lot of Jim. He's feisty, tempermental and has a nasty left hook. If there was a fair fight between them, I'm not sure who would come out the winner. Spoilers say that Owen will have the upper hand and beat up Jim or maybe have someone else do it and if so, it's either going to be unfair odds or they'll have taken him by surprise. If Liz finds out Owen is behind the beating, that will probably be him shown the door in a New York Minute. She knows what Jim's temper is like but does she realize that Owen's is just as bad and probably a bit worse? I do think Liz senses the dangerous side of Owen and that's the big attraction. She always preferred men with an edge which is why Vernon didn't last too long. Too safe.

So Jim is back, and he gets to connect with his Elizabeth and his son Steve and granddaughter Amy. Wasn't he sweet with wee "Maxie"? And, with the departure of Beverly Callard in the New Year, will he and Liz go off into the sunset together? I certainly hope so!

Musing about Nov. 12's Corrie

I do a thing at the end of each month where i touch on some of the storylines that made me go Hmmmmm during that month. It's not a monthly summary as such, though, and i don't tend to do a lot of detail.

Sometimes an episode just stands out that it's worth a bit of rambling commentary all on its own and last night's two episodes are the topic of this blog post. Last night the main storylines were the opening of Nick's new bar The Joinery, the Dobbs and the Websters having dinner and later Molly and Auntie Pam chatting, and Peter and Carla's encounter. There was also a little bit of the Stape-gate storyline with a reveal. The more i think about these two episodes, the more i really enjoyed them and they're going to be keepers for me. Why?

The writing was superb. The acting was stellar. The plot lines moved along into new territory. There was drama and pathos, not a whole lot of humour but a few little smiles here and there.

The new bar opened up, rather early in the evening, i thought, for a nightclub type establishment. After a few hours it was only 8:30. You'd think a club like that would only be just opening their doors by that time. I know they do food but i didn't think it was a proper restaurant. I may be wrong. No matter. The bar looked great! Low lights, blue ambient lights with chrome and black. The music was up beat and the staff all looked sleek and sexy. Even most of the punters turned out in their Friday night best! Julie had on a fab vintage outfit and Rosie turned up in glittery silver and fake fur. Cheryl and Leanne wore little black dresses. Nick looked a bit corporate, though, but then i guess that's him isn't it? He's not really that hip no matter how he'd like to think he is.

Alcoholics Peter and Carla came, too. Peter did just fine but Carla was chomping at the bit and had been all day. Earlier she tried to get Peter's attention but he was busy and she just boiled over at the bar opening. She had three glasses of champagne and left, her complexion looking distinctly green as she watched Peter and Leanne together. Who couldn't see that coming a mile away? I think it's got more to do with her depending on him to help her with her sobriety, that transference thing. Later on, she finally admitted it to Peter and he was gentle with his rejections. He insisted that they could get past it and stay friends and i know he was worried about her staying sober if he just ran away. He was probably right.

Carla's good when she's vulnerable like this, something you don't see very often, and i'm really glad Peter stayed sober tonight and strong though he did seem to kiss her back for a few seconds. Well, he's only human and she's gorgeous! Let's face it, with the Barlow genes Peter's got, and his history, we already know he's not got the strongest of wills when it comes to women! I really like Peter and Leanne together and i hope they don't split them up...

Which could happen because Leanne drank champagne on an empty stomach and ended up, as she said, bonking Nick on a sofa in the bar. He called it making love but i think she's right, it was a bonk. A quickie filled with lust. She's been eyeing him for a few weeks and looking distinctly green around the gills herself when she sees him flirting with other women like Maria. She does love Peter, but i think after the Natasha incident, that churned up old hurts and anger she's been holding for years. You remember he insisted she abort their baby and it ruined their marraige. You might move on but that kind of thing can come back to bite you emotionally when you least expect it and i think all of this is got a lot more to do with that history than actual lingering feelings of love.

After they finished and Rosie and Jason arrived to get Rosie's mobile, Leanne came down to earth hard and horrified at what she'd done. She did blame Nick for working on her emotions and encouraging her to drink but I liked that she took responsibility for it, herself, too. She knew how he'd been feeling and she knows she should have seen it coming. He's been poking and prodding her and Peter's relationship trying to make Peter seem like second best. I don't like Nick, have i said that lately? It's all about him but you know what? I think that's in his genes, too! Brian Tilsley was quite the Big I Am in his day. So yes, Leanne was horrified at what she'd done and though Nick tried to put down Peter and insist that Leanne really wants him, she ran off with a great line about having more dignity when she was charging for it by the hour! Down the road, she smacked him one and insisted she was going to marry her "charity case" and be happy.

Now why don't i believe this is going to be a one off? Because the spoilers say it isn't! Oh well. I really hoped this wouldn't happen. I really wished it would have been a one night shag and the other thing i really REALLY hope isn't going to happen is yet ANOTHER "Who's the Daddy" storyline. It's a standard soap plot that when you shag the wrong fella you end up pregnant. It's 50/50 whether it turns out to be the wrong guy's child or not but there's angst and upset and the truth always comes out eventually. What I'm hoping is going to happen is that Peter does find out about Nick but marries her anyway because A. he loves her enough to forgive her and B. he's guilty about all the secrecy over Carla even if he doesn't end up getting physical with her. I hope he stays on the moral high ground and doesn't succumb to temptation. Anyway there was great acting and writing in both of these storylines that are weaving themselves into one as they go along.

Then we have the Dobbs/Webster tangle. And it sure is a tangle, isn't it? Molly has a huge amount of guilt over Jack dying just as he found out that Kevin is the baby's father. He didn't judge her which made her feel even guiltier and she probably figures the shock and heartbreak Jack felt over it all hurried on his death. I'm thinking she's probably right. She now says she does love Tyrone, as she told Pam, but if Kevin crooked his little finger, left Sally and said he wanted to be with her, would she go in a shot? I think she always did love Ty even when she didn't think she did back during the affair. I think she regrew her old affection trying to make it all work but it's not a be-all and end-all love of her life, either. She was settling, like Sally did for Kevin the second time around but Sally and Kevin do love each other down deep and Sally regained her feelings for Kevin over time.

Sally's words to Tyrone about friendship and being there for him were touching and really, just what Tyrone needed. It stabbed Kevin and Molly in the back, emotionally, of course, but it won't hurt them to have a bit of crow to eat. I don't know how long it's going to take but the truth about that affair and the baby must come out eventually and i really wish Sally would chuck Kevin out. What i am speculating is going to happen is that Molly will get killed by the tram crash and I think Kevin will keep the secret. If there's a shock and awe surprise then maybe Tyrone is going to die too though i hope not. If they both die, then as godparents, i figure Kevin and Sally will end up with the baby but Sally won't know the truth. If the truth does come out, there's no way Tyrone would be able to continue living on the street and being partners in the garage with Kevin and he'd have to leave. I don't know whether he would take the baby or not. He would if Molly doesn't die and they leave town.

We know Vicky Binns is leaving and there's no word about Alan Halsall. With the tram crash impending, surely one or more of the announced departures of some of the actors will see their character's die tragically. A young mother? Pure sensational ratings, sure to tug at the heartstrings. Tyrone will mourn not only Jack but his beloved wife too. Kevin surely wouldn't tell the secret after that. We'll know in a few weeks.

The last little string that got picked up last night was the Stape stalking. There was yet another of those patchwork letters and it was sent to Fiz warning her vaguely of her husband's dastardly deeds. Stape managed to convince her it is just someone playing silly beggars but at the end of the night, a shadowy figure dropped something else through the letterbox and we see through the nets that's Charlotte! I guess that solves the mystery! She's the one that's been sending the letters. She's always been a bit bonkers but i think the guilt over Colin has sent her round the twist. She's still after Stape, too and she seems likely to blackmail him into her bed, or at least try to and spineless Stape is likely to succumb. Poor Fiz!

The next few weeks are going to be unmissable for me!