Karl's Nicked!

It was six months ago that Karl Munro burned down the Rovers Return, killing fire fighter Tony. A few days later, he killed Sunita in hospital and the game was on. When Dev was becoming obsessed, inching closer and closer to the truth, Karl pedalled furiously to try to keep calm and carry on. It seemed to work at the time when Dev had to back down for his own and his children's sakes though we, the viewers, knew he was only inches away from that last clue that would reveal Karl's dirty deeds.

That gives Karl breathing room but it wasn't to last. Enter a 14 year old lad with a guilty conscience. The house of cards slowly came down as Karl tried to keep Craig on an even keel. The poor kid! That was a lot for a child to carry, thinking he caused two people's deaths and it was enforced by Karl who was desperate for Craig to keep his mouth shut. He knew that Craig could place him at the scene of the crime, with keys he wasn't supposed to have as he used them to lock the back door of the pub behind him.

Jason never trusted Karl and after Karl admitted to torching the van and threatened Jason's life (with Dev overhearing from the other room), he put the pieces together and knew Karl had caused the fire but there was still no proof. Inch by agonizing inch, though, it all came together. Missing from photos from the Full Monty night, and then the realization that Craig had something to do with it. But then we had a few episodes where there were near misses, trying to talk to Craig and Craig avoiding it, even running away and who is the one that finds him? Karl!

Finally, Craig confessed and was whisked off to the police station while Dev headed to the chapel. The race is on, can Dev stop the wedding? Jason's on the way to the police with Craig, Dev is zooming to the registry office. It obviously isn't very far away because Dev got there in record time. The registrar declared them husband and wife and presumably, they signed the papers. It's a done deal.  So why didn't Dev say anything?! Was that a Judas "kiss" when he hugged Karl? Mice touch!

It took far too long at the police station to get someone to take statements, typical police procedure snarling things up. Why didn't Jason text Dev to get the name of the detective right from the start? Come to that, Dev should have told them when they left the shop. I do think that was dragged out too far but it's typical. Dev stalked around the edges of the party observing and waiting.  I didn't think Dev should have warned Karl at the Bistro, but he did.   Loved Dev creeping up silently behind Karl and cornering him in the pub.

Jimmi Harkishin played it spot on, not too over the top as he usually does. That quiet rage held him back. He laid it all out, Karl knew he couldn't hide and he confessed. There were no excuses that made any difference. Trash talking about Sunita was a big mistake even if it was true. Why did he think Dev would take that lying down?  Dev was going to out Karl to Stella so he can feel what it's like to lose what he loves but Dev ended up bleeding on the pub floor instead.

Oh I loved it that Stella caught Karl trying to leg it with the cash. He lost his rag when she tried to help Dev while we waited on tenterhooks for the police to untangle all the infernal red tape. She threw his ring away, annullment in the offing while he fought with her. Couldn't you tell how creeped out she was when she tried to placate him, stalling, and keeping him calm while he was holding her and stroking her, her making him think she was on his side, biding time until help comes.

She went a bit too far and he could see through her. Dev came to and dialed his phone... to Jason, who saved the day, just before Karl had a chance to flame up the pub again. That was a bit stupid, really, surely they could have put out a fire quickly enough but I suppose Stella was worried that Dev would come to further harm with the flames. I read somewhere else that Stella only had to blow out the flame of the lighter, it was right in front of her face, after all! But Karl dragged Stella back into the cellar, back to the scene of the crime, which was also odd. If I was her, I'd be down there chucking bottles at him like a mad thing.

Let's just pause a moment to add up Karl's charges. Arson, manslaughter, murder, assault (Grievous Bodily Harm judging from Dev's injury), and surely there must be something they can charge him with for terrorizing a child? He better not get one of those shifty solicitors that manage to charge Dev for assault and use Karl's attack on Dev as "self defence"!!

Come out! you're surrounded! For heaven's sake, he's not armed! Just go get him! Exciting stuff!

John Michie was so good. He really was the star in all of this through the whole storyline. It's too bad his talen makes Michelle Collins look even more stiff. It was painful watching her try to force that cardboard face into something resembling emotion and straining to push her whispery voice to a normal talking level when really, she should have been shouting and screaming at him!

Jason was a bit annoying, with all his shouting and angst but you could see where he was coming from. I really thought Beth was good, as well, heartsick, worried and guilty for her boy. She might be a gobby mare but she *is* a good mother.

Stella did persuade Karl to give himself up.  There wasn't much more he could do. Can you imagine the chaos of the police trying to storm the barricades, having to file down the cellar steps one at a time and crowd around between the crates and bottles, trying to apprehend Karl? I always wonder why they make the person they're cuffing lie down on the ground. There doesn't seem to be a point to it in most cases. Handcuffs can go on just as easily if  you're standing up if you aren't struggling which he wasn't. I guess in this case it was so that we could have he and Dev face down, face to face, Karl defeated and Dev quietly and justifiably triumphant.