State of the Street - March 2013

Wow! What a month! Brimstone and fire! Lies and damned lies!

You could see Karl being set up to be the villain of the piece from a mile away. Some might have said it was too obvious and it would turn out to be loose cannon Kirsty or something like that, but no, we saw Karl light the fire. One person, the expendable crew member (Toni) is dead and Sunita's life hangs in the balance. Karl can now be arrested and sent down for murder, possibly two charges of it once it all comes out and it will, of course. These things don't tend to drag on too long. Karl will let something slip.

I wonder if he'll actually be "eaten alive by guilt" or if they've totally ruined the character and have him feel a little bad but think it was a means to an end. He got to be the hero and if he and Stella get back together as anticipated, he's got the result he wanted there, too. He's already causing a lot of trouble between she and Jason and he's got his feet under the table at home. But it's a house of cards and it will come down around his ears one way or another.

It was horrible how everyone ganged up on Jason without a thought. I suppose if they could do it to Tyrone, why not Jason and later, Sunita? He checked and checked and checked it again. It couldn't have been him started the fire! Well, we know that of course. Usually they can tell if a fire has been started by an accelerant and indeed they could. Karl is setting up Sunita by putting the spare keys in with her things and pressing her *burned* fingers on the keyring which would more logically have been in her pocket once she'd "let herself in" so how did burned fingerprints get on them? That's too CSI for Corrie though.

The one thing that annoys me though, is everything assuming Sunita had it in for Stella and was trying to burn her alive. But Sunita was ushered out of the Bistro after their argument and she didn't know that Stella returned to the pub shortly after. She wouldn't have had murder as a motive. Ok, on the surface, it's possible if she *had* been out for revenge, that she might have set the fire not intending anyone to be hurt but of course our Sunita would never have done that, either. 

I liked the little touch of having Rita be very upset during the fire, taken back to the tram crash. I'm surprised more of the residents like Peter or Nick didn't have similar moments. Poor Sunita probably thought "Oh crap", not again! It was the tram crash all over again, sort of! I also liked the little scene where Dev went to the cab office and confide in Lloyd. You forget that Lloyd was a really good friend to Dev after Sunita left and they got to be good mates.

I've had more blogging about the fire along with a quick history of the Rovers
The lead up
The first night
The second episode

And why did they introduce us to Toni, Paul's friend? To kill her off and that will cause trouble between Paul and Eileen who only barely got over her jealousy of Toni. Now she's got to compete with her memory (just like she did Lesley's at first). Is Paul's grief going to have him pushing Eileen away like he did when Lesley died?

Tyrone's trial began on the last week of the month. The month progressed nicely with Kirsty's mother finding out about what was going on via Tina and Fiz. Kirsty even admitted it to her mother, because you know, it's hard to lie to your mum and her mother *really* understands and has her own guilt to deal with. She backed down and stood behind her daughter when she found out that Fiz is actually the one that Tyrone was in love with. Down deep she still knows the truth about Kirsty and her lies but maybe she's self-justifying it by telling herself that Tyrone cheated on Kirsty and pushed her too far. It's not true but you can make yourself believe anything to defend your chick. Deirdre Barlow is proof of that!

But after that, the stress started to get to Kirsty. She started losing control and screaming at the baby which scared her. A lot. She foisted Ruby off on Julie more and more, locking herself alone in the house with her own fears and doubts, making sure Ruby would be safe from her, I think. It worked it's way through her and eventually she slipped in front of two friends and slapped the one that's been her strongest defender, Julie.

That did it. That opened the door for Tyrone to be freed. I didn't see that twist coming, I didn't expect Kirsty to blow the lid on the trial. I thought Julie's testimony would do that and Kirsty would later admit it but I'm glad she did it for Ruby's sake. She wouldn't want Ruby to go through what she did as a child and she could see it happening. The cycle has to be broken and she's done that.

Kylie and Gail are building bridges after Gail found out about Kylie's dual baby-daddies. She's horrified that Kylie has cheated on David and it's worse because it's Nick. She had all the ammunition she needed to get rid of both of the daughters-in-law she hates but could she do that to her sons? The children? It was quite a conundrum. I thoroughly enjoyed her sniping and snarling at Kylie. The thing is, now that Sally knows the truth, too, you just know the secret is going to come out. Well, it will anyway because secrets always do and the more people that know, the more likely it is.

I have a guess... I think Sophie will overhear the truth and take it upon herself to tell David because she believes he really needs to know. Is she a mini-Ivy in the making? Or just terribly immature and naive? I really love this storyline even if it is a classic soap cliche. I suppose there will be a little lull in this storyline while the pregnancy progresses with just scenes of Gail scowling behind David's back. I like all the actors involved and I look forward to more of it playing out.

And another horribly dull and pointless storyline, constructed to give a couple of actors something to do since they have them on the payroll. Can you guess? Katy and Ryan. You can't even made a decent "couple" name out of it, that's how unsuited they are. Kyan? Raty? Ryat? See? Can't do it. Chaty (or...Chesty? *snork*) at least has some sort of resonance. Chesney really did overreact. Ok, kissing Ryan was not really the smartest thing to do and admitting she wanted more? I can understand why Chesney was upset, especially when he had just proposed to her but throwing her out? A bit much. Now he's got to worry about the stall *and* look after the baby. I guess it was that ginger temper. Maybe they really do need to be apart. They were just too young, we all knew that.

What else was going on? Those were the main storylines, really. Faye continues to manipulate Anna and Owen so that she can spend more time with her biodaddy. Forgettable at this point. Eileen's jealousy over Toni seemed a bit out of character but she *does* have low self esteem so perhaps it's not so unlikely. I enjoyed the brief Full Monty.

I enjoyed Flashgate, always good to see Steve and Lloyd humour. Gloria being a grasping grieving almost widow was almost a bit too much even though I've liked Gloria. This was a bit much but she has redeemed herself with her bedside vigil by Stella. That's the kind of acting I was looking for with this actress. The end of the month also began SpacecakeGate with Sylvia getting dreamy over the soap bubbles and getting the munchies after "herbal" brownies. I am going to enjoy this! Anything that gives the older set something fun to do is great in my book.

Speculation gone wrong

I was wrong. I freely admit it. On the whole, I'm pretty good at predicting how soap stories will unwind. But of course, I don't always get it right and I didn't this time.

While I did know that Tyrone would not be convicted, (soap law and all that) I had thought that Kirsty's mother would be instrumental in her being found out. I had seen papparazzi pics of them outside the courtroom and later, we saw Kirsty admit the truth to her mother. AHA! But no. It didn't unfold quite that way.


While Alison did show up at the trial and her appearance did throw Kirsty off, she didn't turn Kirsty in and Kirsty kept up the pretense and committed perjury. That alone will get her banged up even without wrongful charges against Tyrone. Kirsty herself was the one that hoisted herself by her own petard when she lost her temper at Julie and Julie realized that Tyrone's defenders were right. It was a brilliant twist and it was the best way to show that everyone was backing the wrong horse. What I was further surprised at is that Julie's testimony was not considered admissable.

Luckily, Kirsty showed up and dramatically confessed. I thought that might happen but I thought Julie's testimony would be the turning point with that as a wrap up, on the stand perhaps. It was a great twist. Even though I persue spoilers rabidly, this was not leaked and I still appreciate surprises like this. I'm kind of glad I didn't know! Chaos ensues and everyone is screaming and hurling accusations.

I hope the apologies that come to Tyrone and Fiz for this are profuse and unending. Tyrone probably won't have to buy a pint for himself for a year at least. I was going to say "in the pub" but obviously, it'll have to be the Flying Horse of the Weathy Arms for the time being, the Bistro notwithstanding.

My next prediction? Well, we all know Karl started the fire in the pub and really, he's not evil, just obsessed with Stella and getting his old life back. All this guilt is going to eat at him and he'll break down eventually. There will be an act of desperation and he'll either get caught at it or he'll confess. Right now he's covering his tracks and everyone now believes Sunita started the fire. Even Dev is having doubts. I'm not surprised. We've already seen everyone on the Street believe the worst of Tyrone and pretty much anyone else that's ever been arrested. I'll give the Price clan a break because they haven't known Sunita for years.

He'll have to go to jail, of course, because I don't think he'll die and it'll leave the door open for his return. I do like actor John Michie. He was wasted in the Sunita affair storyline mainly because it totally trashed Sunita's character. No fault to either of the actors however. They do what they've been scripted to do. Now he's really playing it well. You can see all the emotions Karl is feeling all the while trying to desperately hang on to Stella's growing regard.

My last prediction is how the truth about Kylie's affair with Nick will come out. Sally knows the truth. I have a feeling that Sophie could overhear she and Gail discussing it and decides it's her Christian duty to tell David. Maybe she might not know about Nick specifically. Sally is often one to let her tongue get away with her too, though, in moments of stress.

I've been watching various soaps for so long that you can spot the signs and you know the drill. Bad guys pay. Happy couples aren't usually allowed to stay happy for long. Most weddings and funerals don't go smoothly. The wrong person is always arrested and jailed. The guilty or the ultimate victim is either an actor that's leaving or someone unimportant to the show. Or both. A one night stand with the wrong person will end in pregnancy. Most babies are born in unusual circumstances (storm, remote location, at home, in a taxi!). The list goes on. It's fun to predict, and speculate, isn't it?

Anyway, that aside, now Tyrone has to rebuild his life and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. He'll have to go back to work at the garage now because Kevin will be off our screen for the foreseeable future. He and Tommy will be running things while Fiz and Tyrone settle into a new life together with the babies. Hope is in a day care/creche so probably Ruby will go there as well. Maybe they'll even get married. Fans have been clamouring for these two to get back together for years and it's finally happened!

Will it be happy ever after for them? Is it ever, on a soap?

There she blows!!!

And there it went, up in a ball of fire exploding out the front window. The Rovers WILL rise from the ashes but it may take some time.

And here are a few comments and observations on the episode from my sofa:

I've really been impressed by the special effects. They did a very good job.

Karl covering St. Ella's body and whispering "We'll die together" kind of creeped me out.

It was strange not seeing Roy and Hayley manning the teapots in the cafe, when everyone went to the Bistro instead.

Shout out to the fire in 1985:
Someone went for a ladder from the builder's yard.
Stella, a blonde, came out the same bedroom window Bet Lynch did.

Paul got Stella out and then Toni went up for Karl, got him out but then the ceiling collapsed on her and there was a big explosion. Norris later wondered what there was in a pub to explode. It was probably a gas line. Yet, I bet there won't be one crack in the wall of Number 1. A little smoke maybe. Paul's taking out his grief and anger out on Eileen already, nothing she says sits well with him at all. He's in shock and has lost a good friend. Probably something that they all dread when they go out to fight a fire.

Both of the most serious victims were described as "very poorly indeed".  That's putting it mildly. They're clinging to life with Sunita appearing to be the worse off if her brain has been starved of oxygen for too long according to the hospital staff. And if this is what we've got to look forward to for the next week or so, I think I'm going to lose my mind. What was all that triple-sniffing Dev kept doing? Worst. Acting. Ever. You call that crying? And boring the bejaysus out of Karl who was just itching to pull the plug on Sunita, couldn't you tell?

Gloria had a lovely scene talking to Stella. That's the kind of thing we wanted from Sue Johnston all this time. Her acting makes Dev look like one of those kids on the Bessie St. productions.


Poor Rita was having flashbacks to the tram crash and feeling guilty about it. I think if you're over 80 and survived something like that, a bit of forgiveness is due if you have a wobbler. Just when I wondered where Dennis was, Norris mentioned he was away so that answers that question. It was nice that Rita thanked Norris for fussing over her. This time.

There were two little "asides", one when Tina spotted Kirsty looking out her window and then griping to Tommy that you wouldn't know she was an ex-cop. What's that got to do with anything? And there was a bit of an armed truce between Gail and Kylie and Gail's been persuaded to go back home so David doesn't keep asking so many difficult questions.

Favourite line was between Peter and Rob who was persuaded to take Tracy and Eccles in over night.
Peter to Rob "If she starts wimpering you just have to let her out for a wee." Rob "I was talking about Tracy" Peter "So was I"

On the edge of my seat

The warm up to the Full Monty turned out to be Sunita tearing chunks out of Stella for ruining her reunion with Dev who rightly realized that Sunita really doesn't love him anymore and was agreeing to get back together with him for all the wrong reasons. Even though I can't blame Dev for putting the blocks on the reunion and even though it's clear that if it had gone ahead, sooner or later, Sunita would probably have left him, I still think it was none of Stella's business to stick her nose in it and eventually, Stella thought so too.

Here's how the Full Monty went: In order to spread out the event and use up valuable time, we had the introduction of each of the lads for a solo turn on the stage. Karl didn't like it, Rob reveled in it. Jason sure got the women going but the doctor and his stethoscope seemed to be the hit of the night. Tommy really got into it. I think he's done that before! Toni upped the ante to get the boys down to the brass tackle and the audience was suitably worked up for the main event, the troupe of dancers whipping their kit off to the tune of Hot Stuff (coincidence? I think not).

Sunita got drunk and laid into Stella, vowing to get even, along with the traditional drink thrown over the object of her venom  and the loud argy-bargy was entertaining to the punters who were waiting for the charity show to start. A guilty Stella's left the show for an early night in a hot bath.  Earlier in the day, Jason got the electrics working but Karl nicked the keys to the pub from behind the bar and was seen looking slipping out before the main event, after his solo.

(an aside: Did you notice in the Bistro when Karl returned that Paul seemed to sense something off? I reckon he smelled smoke on Karl but didn't quite put his finger on what he subconsciously detected.)

I thought Kirsty might have been the wild card to the fire but no, we saw Karl light the cgi fire and be discovered by Sunita and naturally during the argument between them, she went hurling down the steps and he left her there when the fire got a bit hotter. Did he really think that would be the answer to his prayers? Did he not realize that Stella was upstairs? Obviously he didn't see her slip out. I do wonder why there isn't a smoke detector in the cellar where the electrics are. It would have gone off long before.

But alas, Norris spotted the fire and the lads were saved the dignity when Norris that broke up the party just when the kit was coming down to the bare essentials and we're in full disaster mode.

While it was nothing close to the tram crash, I still think the pyrotechnics *were* impressive. It looked very cgi while Karl was in the basement but from the outside of the Rovers on the outdoor set,  and even with the indoor set fires and the stunt person standing in for Sunita, it looked very good. It was established that that most of the Barlows were out at an ice show but Tracy was rugged up in bed with a bad cold. Pity she did get out in time. Ok, that was mean but spoilers did say someone would die. Was there any reason why I shouldn't have hoped?

Karl played the hero and now he and Stella are both trapped upstairs while Sunita is inhaling possibly fatal amounts of smoke downstairs. Karl didn't even tell the others that she was in there, the bar steward!!!

Previews for the next episode look even more exciting! Wednesday will have us on the edge of our seats for sure. Well, me anyway!

A Potted History of the Rovers Return

To commemorate the destruction of the heart of Coronation Street, the burning of the Rovers Return, let's look back on it's history a bit:

The name over the door when the show began was John (Jack) Walker and he and his lady wife, Annie, reigned supreme. At the time, the pub had a small main bar and a little cubbyhole called The Snug and there was another room, the Select, used for parties and private functions. There were bedrooms upstairs and a sitting room and kitchen behind the bar.

During the 60s, the Rovers entertained unusual guests, the most unlikely being a pair of seals in the bath, put there by Dennis Tanner while the Walkers were out for the night. They came back early and Annie was horrified to find two creatures in her bathtub when all she wanted to do was put her feet up and have a hot soak.

In the 70s, after the death of Jack Walker, Annie carried on alone, sometimes with the aid of son Billy. She fielded the break-in by a couple of young thugs looking for ready cash. Other uninvited guests were Stan Ogden and Albert Tatlock who found themselves locked in the cellar one night. The pub was in danger of destruction once when a lorry full of wood crashed into the front. Deirdre thought Tracy was under the rubble in her pram but someone had walked away with her just in time. Alf Roberts wasn't so lucky. He sustained a head injury that changed his personality for awhile, making his wife, Renee, despair.

The 80s saw Bet Lynch take over the pub when Annie retired. Bet held down the fort for a couple of years on her own and this was about the time that the Rovers was devastated by it's first fire, in 1986. It was caused by Jack Duckworth who installed the wrong type of fuse which then shorted out. When the Rovers was rebuilt and reopened, it looked very different. The snug and Select were gone and there was only one large bar area. The staircase went to the second level from a different direction, as well.

Bet married Alec Gilroy and they ran the pub together but their marraige fell apart in the early 90s. Bet carried on for a few more years but by the middle of the decade, the brewery decided to sell the pub and she couldn't raise the money to buy it. She did a flit in a cab and the pub's ownership came down to a last minute race between Liz and Jim McDonald and Jack and Vera Duckworth. Jack and Vera got the cash from an inheritance from Jack's brother and managed to snag ownership but they made a hash of it soon enough. Alec Gilroy bailed them out for a bit but ended up selling to Natalie Barnes.

When Natalie's life went into a tailspin she sold to a triumvirate of Fred Elliot, Duggie Fergusson and Mike Baldwin. Duggie ran the place for a few years on his own after Mike and Fred backed out. But later in the first decade of the new century, the name over the door fell to Fred Elliott, local butcher.

By the end of the decade, Fred decided to sell the pub as he was getting married to Bev Unwin but he died on his wedding day. Steve McDonald had already started negotiations to buy the pub and did so from Fred's son Ashley. Steve's mother Liz had the licensee for the pub since Steve had a criminal record from when he was younger.

Liz and her fiance Vernon made the most recent major change to the pub when they built a smoking shelter out in the back yard with a separate exit into it when the law changed and punters couldn't smoke inside the bar any more. Also, during this period, the Rovers seemed to have gained a mini-flat in the upstairs living area, with a sitting room and small kitchen. It hasn't been seen since Stella took over the pub and she spends all of her leisure time in the traditional back room of the Rovers.

Steve fell on hard finances when his wife Becky got out of control trying to scrape the money together to pay her sister Kylie so she could raise Kylie's son, Max. When his dad Jim took desperate measures and got nicked for armed robbery when he tried to raise money to buy the pub from Steve for his beloved ex-wife, Liz, Steve hired a manager, Stella Price and later at the cusp of the second decade of the new millennium, sold the pub to Stella.

Over the years, we've had three babies born in the pub. Tricia Armstrong gave birth to little Brad, Violet Wilson had baby Dylan and recently, Kirsty Soames delivered baby Ruby on the premises. The first death in the Rovers was in 1964 when Martha Longhurst died in the snug of a heart attack. Ray Langton, suffering from cancer, died in a booth at the wedding reception of his ex-wife Deirdre to Ken Barlow. Very recently we saw Eric Babbage pop his clogs in the very same booth.

There have been far too many barmaids, cleaners, potmen and other staff to mention them all. We should take a special mention however, of the very first barmaid, Concepta Riley and the longest standing and best loved barmaid, Betty Turpin Williams who made the Rovers famous for it's Hotpot! The best known cleaner has to be Hilda Ogden whose husband Stan certainly added greatly to the profits over his years drinking and propping up the bar!

The pub has always been at the center of the action. There have been many romances begin and end here. There have been bust ups and punches and lots of ale thrown over the heads of hapless victims. There have been entertainment shows, and confrontations which might have been even more entertaining! Babies have been born, people have died, weddings have been celebrated and funeral goers have reflected on the life of the departed over a drink.

There was controversy when Betty Williams died, apparently the de facto owner of the pub as bequeathed to her by Annie Walker but that isn't possible. Newton and Ridley owned the pub and the license is not hereditary. Here's a bit of history about the changeover after Annie Walker died, gleaned from one of Daran Little's books on Corrie's history.

Will the Rovers rise from the ashes again? To be sure it, will. There cannot be a Coronation Street without the Rovers Return Inn. It will be interesting to see how much changes. Will the bar itself be completely new? Will the layout of the rooms change? Will we still have that lovely stained glass in the booths?  Time will tell. 

Eve of Destruction

We all know the pub is going to "burn down". It's not going to burn to the ground literally. It's a brick building. But it will burn and it will be gutted out enough for a total renovation inside. Time to freshen up the set before the ITV studios move, I guess!

While it won't be destruction on the scale of the tram crash, we are heading into another disaster on Coronation Street. This week has the pieces of the puzzle being put into place and Monday will see them on the board in play.

We have the slow burn of Karl's resentment that's been building up for weeks now. Stella refuses to have him back and is flaunting Jason in his face, or so it feels to him. He has tried to make Jason look bad in Stella's eyes, he's tried to ruin Jason's business and it seems he's done that but it's backfired since Jason has moved into the pub and Stella's going to give him a job behind the bar. (What about Tim, I want to know?) He blames Sunita for his downfall, refusing to take any responsibility for his own actions. Now it looks like Dev and Sunita are back together and Jason is in his rightful place in the pub.

The pub had a leaky pipe, made worse by Tim who didn't turn the water off first like he was supposed to. The water went everywhere and Karl made sure it went into the electrical panel to short out the electricity to the pub. There! That'll put a wrench into the pub's business and make it look like it was Jason's fault. It didn't, though. And the pub reopened with water and candlelights and everyone had a great evening. Foiled again!

Karl even joined the Full Monty team because he knew Jason was doing it and maybe he thought he could do something else to make Jason look bad, I don't know.

Sophie has maneuvered Sunita and Dev back together. It was a bumpy road but it looked like it was going to happen. Dev drags Sunita into the pub to show off to the world that they've reunited, exactly what Sunita didn't want, dreading the reactions of the neighbours but mostly, they were surprised but silent.

All except for Stella who curlishly stirred up Dev's worst fears about Sunita. Why did she do that? Aside from asking him was he sure, she had no business as a friend or otherwise to put doubts in his mind and insult Sunita. Stella is supposed to be happy with Jason and Karl is ruined. Why does she feel the need to stop Dev and Sunita from getting back together? Move on, woman and if you can't, what does that say about your own life?

That aside, Dev is now showing his doubts to Sunita who isn't going to take it well. From spoilers we've seen and heard, she's going to blame Stella for ruining her reunion. There's going to be public threats and when the pub goes up in flames, is she going to be the first one suspected of arson? It seems so since Karl has been careful not to make any public declarations where anyone can hear. He's looking shifty, resentful and very, very angry though.

It's a given that the pub is going to burn. Is it an accident due to the water on the electrics? I'm guessing it is. The writers can't really think of a new plot device and accidental destruction worked the last time the pub went up in smoke in 1986 when Jack Duckworth put the wrong fuse in the fusebox. Put a little water in the wrong spot and surely that's enough to spark up a fire?

Ah, except it *was* done on purpose. I don't expect Karl thought it would cause a fire, just enough mayhem to cause trouble between Stella and Jason. It'll have to come out eventually. We've not heard that John Michie is leaving but how can he not after this? It might have been truly unintended so he may just do a short stint in jail instead.

I am looking forward to the drama, the tragedy and the new pub.

Gail's Conundrum

Gail now knows that Nick may be the father of Kylie's baby so she's the baby's grannie no matter which way it goes. Part of her must think that all of her Christmases and birthdays have come at once! Imagine! She could blow the lid off both marraiges and get rid of both of her detested daughters-in-law! But there's a very good chance she'd also lose both of her darling boys.

What's a monster-in-law to do?

She's got ammunition to hold over Kylie's head for the rest of her married life. It's too bad someone didn't remind her that she had an affair once and Sarah Lou's paternity was in doubt. That was a full blown affair, too, not just a drunken one night stand. Hypocrite, thy name is Gail (add  last name of choice here).

While Gail is thoroughly dislikeable these days, I am really enjoying this storyline. And, trying to look at it from her point of view, she's lost a lot. She's been humiliated and financially wiped out and has found someone that significantly contributed to that. You'd want revenge if it was you, would you not? You'd want the person to pay. If Kylie had done it out of spite or a cut of the cash, Gail would be well within her rights to go to the police but Kylie got herself into this mess due to her own bad judgement and was blackmailed into getting Gail's bank details. It doesn't make it right but the circumstances are a bit more sympathetic.

I know you're all saying, "But Gail got herself into this mess". You'd be right, of course. She made a huge error in judgement when she connived to break up Lewis and Audrey. By jumping to the wrong conclusion, she jumped right off a cliff. With her lousy track record in the romance department, of course she was wide open for a con no matter that she knew his history so well she used it against her own mother. Gail just isn't that bright and is too desperate for a flattering word.  She, like most of us, wants to be swept off her feet and Lewis swept all her doubts out from  under her. The tarnished knight pulled her up onto that big, white, horse and it's a long fall down from there.

 Now Gail has to decide whether to break up both of her sons' marraiges or suck it up. If she keeps quiet, how on earth is she going to be able to keep it in for long? We all know these things come out and always at the worst time. Now that Sally knows, too, there are even more leaks in the dyke.

It might have been easier for Kylie to tell David she'd had a one night stand if it hadn't been Nick who stood with her. David and Nick are at loggerheads a lot and David, though he does love his brother, resents him and is probably jealous down deep that Nick is mummy's first born and the apple of her eye, in his mind at least. Gail has a firm grip on the apron strings on all three children though Sarah has managed to loosen them considerably.

I have no idea how this is going to come out. Will Kylie reveal her secret to David before Gail can? Will she be able to find out the paternity of the baby first? If it's David's, then the secret might die. But if it isn't, and in soap world where you need to keep the conflict going, there's a very good chance it will be Nick's baby. Now that Sally knows, there's more holes spurting water to be plugged but I have a feeling Sophie's going to overhear a conversation and we all know how righteous Sophie can be. She may well end up spilling the beans. Also, according to the way soaps usually work, David and Kylie break up, there's an outside chance that Nick and Kylie could end up together with Leanne glaring and David snarling at them from across the cobbles. I hope not, though. I do like David and Kylie together. It'll be interesting to see this unfold.

Time will tell.

State of the Street - February 2013

Though it began last month, this month we got into the meat of Faye's reunion with her biological dad. I remain skeptical as to how Faye really knows it's him, seeing as she hadn't seen him since she was 2. It could be just some creep that knew her mother. But the Social seems convinced he's the right bloke and he's turned his life around. I KNEW he would end up working on the Street, as soon as they mentioned he was a buildder, if not for Owen, then for Jason who's doing building work on his own now. It wouldn't have surprised me that Owen would give him a job just to keep a close eye on him but he's probably better off with Jason and maybe they could become good mates.

 Faye continues to push all the buttons and push Anna and Owen's patience like any kid does. I can understand her wanting to get to know her dad and I can see Tim's point of view. Anna is worried she'll lose Faye and probably Owen is too but he really does go about it the wrong way and it's going to land him out on his bullying backside. They're probably aiming for Tim to fancy Anna and cause Owen to lose his tiny mind with jealousy.

Gail has lost a huge chunk of change to conniving Lewis who has fled to Belize. Does Audrey feel sorry for her? Does she heck! Well, maybe a little. I have to say i've enjoyed this whole charade. Gail had it coming, both for what she did to break up Lewis and Audrey and just for being so man-stupid as always! There was still one loose thread. Lewis found out Kylie and Nick's secret. I'm only surprised Kylie didn't tell Nick before she gave away Gail's password. Audrey's solution to Gail's problem is to let David and Kylie buy the house with a deposit lent by Audrey (probably some of Gail's money, returned to Audrey via Lewis. Oh the irony!)

 Meanwhile Kylie's cracking under the pressure once Gail found out about a one night stand and she landed in hospital where Gail found out the whole truth from her blue eyed boy. Now what will she do? Will she break one son's heart? Will she end up being the cause of two marraiges busting wide open? Her family is barely clinging together as it is. This will shatter it irreparably. She won't mind being able to get rid of both Kylie and Leanne because she hates them both but she'll also lose both of her sons and David will go mental. We all remember what happens if he goes off his nut.

She nearly blew a gasket when Kylie got home from the hospital and David can't understand why Gail is so vehemently against Kylie, seemingly all of a sudden. With Nick making meaningful looks and Kylie shivering and scared on the sofa, Gail's refusal to apolgize has David throwing her out. Gail's rediscovered that Sally is her friend and now she's told Sally. The more people you tell a secret to, the more chances of it getting out. It might not even be Sally or Gail that blows the secret out of the water, it could be sanctimonious Sophie that overhears and decides she has to tell David. We'll see.

Two favourites of mine are back, Gloria and Sylvia! Sylvia developed a bit of a gambling addiction and Roy showed them how it should be done! Superb! Gloria had a fella on her tail, something I think is probably the norm for her! But he's a old dog isn't he? Knew all along that Gloria was only out for his money, didn't love her but probably enjoyed the companionship. Eva has been in a deep blue funk, with a pity party going on that would rival anyone's. He took a shine to Eva who liked the bling, and the flattery and he asked her to go away with him, just as a friend. Life's a bitch, then you die. And he did, in the Rovers. He wasn't the first and he probably won't be the last. I wonder what the point of it was? To show us all how mercenary Gloria is? We knew that already.

Also, things were going far too well between Chesney and Katy, they've been a happy couple forever so naturally, they have to throw a wrench into it and have Katy flirt with Ryan. Because, you know, they're paying the actor and they have to do something with him now and then and Katy and Ches haven't had a story since the post-natal depression she had. I wonder if Katy can understand what Ryan says because I can't, most of the time, and Katy's picking up his speech habits so their scenes are sounding like white nose which makes this storyline a non-starter for me. Fast Forward.

Tyrone did what everyone on soaps does, runs away and drives Kirsty's car through some very big plot holes. Why wasn't he charged with grand theft auto in addition to kidnapping the baby? I thought he had his own car before Kirsty moved in. Why has Kirsty not told the police that Tyrone isn't the baby's father? She's not put his name on the birth certificate, she could use it against him. Mind you, he could get a court ordered DNA test which would prove her lies. He had a car seat for Hope. Where did that come from? Fiz doesn't have a car does she? Stape did but it broke down and I don't think she's been able to afford to run a car. Besides, the seat was in the car before Fiz even gathered her things and joined him. Pah.

I was surprised that Fiz ended up turning Tyrone in which at least truncated this painful "on the run" business and nipped it in the bud. We'll have a court case near the end of March and (minor spoiler), Kirsty's mom will be in the picture, supporting her daughter. Or will she? I don't know what's going to happen but I'm going out on a limb and speculating that her mother will contribute to Kirsty's downfall. I really hope her mother will have found the courage to leave her husband and in turn, be the one that pushes Kirsty to tell the truth and get help. We'll see. We know, because it's soap law, that Kirsty will have to pay for her crimes so we'll lose Natalie Gumede sooner or later. I figure the trial will be the end and include her exit, or shortly after.