State of the Street - August 2012

Ryan. Drugs. Dull. I don't care. But I'm also very glad that the rumour about Sophie getting involved with it wasn't true. Ryan is a liar and a manipulator and a tosser and a toerag and what else can I think of that's unflattering on a family-oriented blog?  He sucks everyone in, even Steve who needs to keep his mother sweet. I hate, hate, hate him! I know, I know, we're not supposed to like him. Good thing, and all.




This surrogacy storyline isn't going to be as straightforward as it seems. It was a nice gesture and in a perfect world, Katy would be an ideal candidate. She's young and healthy and has had a healthy baby already. But it's very expensive and even with Owen pouring poison in Chesney's ear to get him on board on his side, it may all come down to the cash. Owen certainly isn't going to hand over money if Katy's going to be the bio-mom but maybe he might if there was someone else chosen. Hey, maybe Kylie would go for the dough! or Fiz? I bet Beth would do it in a heartbeat. It also occurred to me that there's another young woman on the show in dire need of cash input and it seems I was right. (Spoiler)


Jason and Maria, part 2? I can't see it lasting for some reason. Maybe she's settling for Jason because she can't have Marcus?

Michelle and Steve, part 2? I can't see that either. They never did suit but again, nothing else to do with Steve I guess. It *is* a good storyline having Steve trying to look out for Ryan. It's just too bad he has to be involved with Michelle at the same time. He was moaning about blowing it with Michelle but five minutes ago he was hollering at Tracy that he still loved Becky. Rebound much?

I don't even think it's all about Steve and Michelle, I think it's all about Tracy, yet another go around with Tracy lusting after Steve and Steve lusting after someone else and giving Tracy mixed signals when he KNOWS what she's like! It's pretty clear that the powers that be don't know what else to do with Tracy, as one dimensional as she is. It's old and it's boring. Get rid of her or give her something new to do. And no, making her use Ryan as revenge against Michelle isn't anything different.

The domestic violence storyline has moved along.  It's so painful watching Tyrone blame himself for Kirsty's violence and blaming her hormones. She needs to remember, he's lived with a pregnant woman before and she didn't beat on him.  But it's been done in a very realistic way. After a few more incidents and Tina finding out accidentally, Tyrone and Kirsty argued and she stumbled and got hurt and now Deirdre, at least, thinks that Tyrone is the culprit. Well, that's the usual way of it so that's what people would think by default.

Kirsty left Tyrone but was persuaded back in the end by Tommy himself and Tina finally admitted to Tommy what she knows and Tommy has admitted to Tyrone that he knows after Tyrone injured himself. Tommy, bless'im, assumes Kirsty was at him again and tried to defend his best mate. Tyrone and Tommy are now officially on the outs. It's too bad that Kirsty is managing to push all Tyrone's friends away (though that, too, is a typical move in these situations...isolation), he's going to need all the support he can get. 

This storyline is really, really well acted and thought out, I think. Although it's a grim subject, it's a rivetting storyline. Again, and I can't say this enough, major kudos to Natalie Gumede and Alan Halsall!

What's all this palaver about Karl's debt being Stella's and now it's Sunita's? Karl's debt is Karl's and isn't anyone else's responsibility. If he'd used the pub as surety against something, yes it might be Stella's. If he used a credit card with both their names on, then yes, some of it might be Stella's but the whole debt isn't and it certainly can't be transferred to Sunita but Karl is willing to bend to Stella and he signed his share over to her anyway. Eva getting Karl fired was well out of order, as well. Doesn't matter what he's done, she had no business getting him fired. She lost a boyfriend over it and she should have lost her job. 

It's really clear that Karl doesn't want to be with Sunita and he didn't have anywhere else to go. I don't even think Sunita loves him though she thinks she does. He was a way out of her marraige and it's a crush or infatuation. She's really going to hit bottom hard when it all falls apart. Playing petty games like drinking in the Rovers in front of each other and canoodling with tarts from the cash and carry is just childish. So is taking money from the joint bank account to finance a dodgey business deal. Stop it. Grow up. Get on with things. It's clear Karl and Sunita aren't going to go the distance. Should the two couples reunite? It's a soap, at least one probably will, if not both.

Roy survived Mary's infatuation. He was completely oblivious to it though Anna clocked on what was happening and Hayley went for Mary in a jealous rage. Well, I say rage, it was more like a snit but that's a emotional as Hayley gets. It was a nice storyline, though. Nobody expected that Roy would ever be unfaithful to Hayley and it showed Hayley's insecurities bubbling up. She trusts Roy and trusts their love but clearly still has a frisson of fear that Roy will prefer a "real" woman if she throws herself at him. Sometimes you just can't help yourself when those old insecurities haunt you.

There were some lovely scenes where Mary bared her soul to Hayley, admitting she knows what people think of her and was so happy that Roy didn't see her in the same way, "Scary Mary". Hayley was the one that persuaded her to stay even thought Norris was clearly upset that she might leave. I don't think Norris has any hidden "love" for Mary but I do think he considers her a very good friend.

SurrogaTina?

I have to say I really didn't see this coming though I should have.

I didn't think that Katy would end up carrying a baby for Izzy in the end. I thought it would probably come down to the cash. It's so expensive and neither of the couples has any money. Katy doesn't have a job, Chesney sells dog collars on the market, Gary works with Owen as a builder and Izzy sews knickers. I thought there might be an outside chance that Katy carries the gene for the syndrome that Izzy has and that might come into play but my money was on the cash. So to speak.

Now it seems that Owen does have the cash but he's not willing to part with it to give Katy the opportunity to give her sister a baby but he is willing to donate it so that Izzy can have the baby she wants, just with a different surrogate mother.


Enter Tina McIntyrel

Her boyfriend Tommy owes Tyrone big bucks and he was working several jobs to try to pay him back but he's going to be injured in a car crash and won't be able to work. The debt is hanging over their heads. Owen is offering money to the one woman on the Street who really needs it and it looks like she's going to consider it. Why didn't I see that coming? It does make sense, doesn't it?

Tommy's not going to be too happy, though I reckon he'll come around in the end. Will she be able to get pregnant the first time? That's £7,000 PER SHOT, as it were. Owen isn't made of money.  Will she be able to carry the baby full term? Will we end up with yet ANOTHER sprog on an already crowded cast of under-5s?

Some have said this storyline is very unbelievable. I don't think it is, necessarily. What's wrong with Katy and Izzy, Chesney and Gary exploring the possibility? Family members certainly have gone this route for each other so it's not out of the realms of possibility. Is it probable in this case? Not likely, because, as many have pointed out, none of them have the money, and there are a lot of huge road blocks in the way to make it more difficult.

For once, I'd like to see the storyline play out but not with a happy ending. It's a soap, it's allowed. I don't want things to work out for them. I think there are more than enough little sprogs on the street now. We don't need yet another one. I can understand Tina making this huge decision to help Tommy. He won't be happy with it. Will he find some other way to stop it happening? If she's only doing it for the money, will someone else step up to the plate and lend it to her? Rita's been known to do that for Sally and Kevin, why not Tina, whom she thinks of as a daughter/granddaughter/great-granddaughter?

I still don't think it's going to happen in the end. I'd like for it not to happen in the end.

But I could be wrong.

No more babies on Corrie, please

We're heading into another baby storyline. Izzy recently miscarried and decided she didn't want to risk a pregnancy but Gary really wants a baby. They're about to investigate adoption and were told that because of Gary's criminal record, they will not be qualified.

That's a direct turnaround. Have the writers forgotten that Becky and Steve, both holders of criminal records, were told that it wouldn't necessarily be held against them? They were turned down in the end but there was no particular reason specified and that wasn't it or they'd have never got as far through the process as they did. And I'm pretty sure it was mentioned that Eddie Windas had a record, anyway.

So, ok, they're looking at adoption and then the prospect of surrogacy comes up with Katy offering to carry the baby for them. I say no. And it's got nothing to do with Izzy's health or criminal records or any other objection on screen or off so far. My objection is that there are too many children and babies on Coronation Street at the moment.

There are always a few, so that as the show progresses and the children grow up, there can be a new generation of characters (if the show lasts that long!). But currently we're almost overrun with the little blighters and I think we're more than reached our limit.

Let's examine the current roster, shall we?
School aged kiddies: Max, Asha, Aadi, Simon, Amy, Faye, Craig though the last two are a bit older than the first group, but they're still attending Bessie St. I think, yes?
Babies: Liam, Jack, Joseph, Hope, and Kirsty's pregnant and due soon.

I don't think I remember ever having that many little ones on Corrie, do you? This leads me to believe that I don't think this baby will happen.

As an aside, while writing this, it occurred to me that Leanne could be the next one up the duff, with a baby by Nick which would make up for the one he insisted she get rid of when they were first married. And there's a possibility that Carla could be pregnant when she returns. (Oh gosh I hope not!) Again, I'd object on the above mentioned overpopulated cobbles.

What say you?