State of the Street - May 2014

Maria seemed to be doing a good job is shoving that wedge in between Fiz and Tyrone. It's all about rebounding for her but poor, oblivious Tyrone didn't have a clue for the longest time even though Fiz's suspicions were raised early on in the month. But Maria couldn't leave it there. She'd sent one more text and Tyrone smashed his phone. The police are involved and it turns out Kirsty has left the building. er. country. Can she do that? I thought when you first got out of prison, you had to check in with a parole officer. Maybe not if you've served the whole sentence. And of course, she does have connections.

She manipulated and practically stalked Tyrone, showing up at the garage constantly and pouring poison into Fiz's ear, lying to Audrey and to Fiz that she and Tyrone were in love. All this time, David looked on bemused. That's kind of tacky, not saying anything to anyone but it's pretty normal stuff for David. And Fiz finally decided to call the texter's phone number.

I'm also surprised the police never phoned the number rather than just investigate it. Maybe they did but Maria didn't answer any unknown numbers. Also surprising that neither Fiz nor Tyrone never called it either. Fiz did the once when David heard her voice but she hung up. Anyway she did and Tyrone saw the phone and her name on it and the jig was up. Maria is finally busted and is scuttling off to Cypress to clear her head.

I liked this storyline though i know a lot didn't. It made sense that Maria went a bit doolally after all the men she's had that cheated on her or were murderers. Tyrone was the only one that treated her properly and she latched on to that. On the edges, Todd managed to get Marcus and flaunted him in front of Maria at every opportunity. Smarmy. Tosser. Petty. Mean. He deserved that smack Tyrone gave him (yes, normally violence is not the answer but it's television and didn't we all want to smack Todd soundly?) I'm pretty sure that now Todd has Marcus and proven his point, he won't want him. Marcus isn't the love of Todd's life, he was a game to Todd.

I'm also enjoying Anna and Owen's story but I do wonder what's happened to Phelan. I realize it's not really about him anymore, it's about Anna and Owen but it feels like he's been let off the hook. Anna finally told Owen the truth and he looked like he'd been kicked in the gut. He backed away from her and looked stunned. Even worse when he realized Phelan didn't force  her. Well, not physically at least. She did go willingly but it wasn't like she felt she had a choice. Owen pointed out that it was still her choice and they could have sorted it out but when you find your partner about to burn down the project and your son having a flashbacks and panic attacks, you might not feel like you have a choice.

And the biggest story of the month was the culmination of Peter's affair with Tina that ended in Tina near dead on the cobbles at the end of the month. Peter's rehab didn't last very long when he found out both Tina and Carla were pregnant. Tina wasn't, in the end, but it was enough to send him back to the bottle. He struggled with that the rest of the month, letting people down. Alison King and Chris Gascoyne were powerhouses. The scene where Carla attacked Peter when he missed the first scan because he was drunk made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He couldn't keep away from Tina but he loves Carla the most and it's destroying him.

Tina guessed that Rob and Tracy were doing dodgey deals with Tony. It kind of surprised me that they would because Rob was so adamant that everything be legal because he really didn't want to go back to jail. The hair dryer scheme seemed to go ok and Rob first seemed to think that was pushing his luck and that was the end of it but  no, he got lured into more. Tracy egging him on didn't help, I suppose. Tina guessed the truth even without any real evidence but it would certainly be enough to get the police to investigate, at least. That threat and the fact that Tina and Peter were cheating behind Carla's back were enough for Rob to go after Tina.

The inital fall off the balcony was accidental. The iron bar to the back of the head was not. And still Tina lived and as we head into June, she's clinging to life, by a spider web of a thread. She must be part Terminator. We know it was Rob but Rob is trying to get Peter banged up for it and Carla's a suspect as well. Tina must have Peter's dna under her fingernails after scratching him. Roy overheard them arguing. Carla was seen on the balcony over Tina and had announced to the whole pub she was going to kill Tina. I know. It's just something you say but she was angry enough, in the eyes of the police. Peter had the opportunity before he went to the engagement party though timing-wise, if Tina had been on the street unconscious for that long, someone would have seen her. Surely the police can tell if the injury was from landing on the street or from a blunt object, though.

In time, of course, Rob's guilt will be revealed and we'll lose Marc Baylis, sadly. Rob has grown and in turn, has grown on me and I like him and the character. I won't be sad to see Tracy Barlow dumped again, though. I only hope she doesn't make another beeline for Steve again. That's done like dinner.

What's really interesting is watching Peter. As always, he makes all the excuses he can find to avoid really taking responsibility. He's weak. Tina chased him and he just couldn't resist. He drinks. He just can't change. The women he loves try but they just can't save him. He can't save himself either and in the end, he's a tragic figure. All the things he said to Carla when he was backed into a corner and confessed the affair were very similar to the kinds of things he said when he was juggling Shelly and Lucy and when he was cheating on Leanne. He tells them all what they want to hear and it's never the truth, or maybe it is in the moment he says it. Carla accused him of changing his mind to suit the situation and that's pretty accurate. Peter Barlow is one of the most flawed and interesting characters on television these days and a lot of that is down to Chris Gascoyne's talent.

In other news, Leanne and Kal have been circling each other all month. This is Kal's first involvement since his wife's death. Boy can he pick 'em! I bet he never thought he'd have to carry all Leanne's baggage. I could see this coming months ago but it's a really bad idea because of Nick's friendship with Kal. You have to wonder about Kal's common sense or lack thereof. He's made friends with Nick who confides in him and yet still follows through on his attraction to Leanne. Under other circumstances, I would like them as a couple but it's just too messy.

Lloyd had a heart attack during the charity run and that seems to have dropped into the Corrie closet. Aside from one time in the gym with Lloyd on a treadmill, surpervised by Andrea, we've really seen nor heard of it again and I'm sure like most medical issues, it will be swept under the carpet. I think it really wasn't about the heart attack. It was about creating more conflict between Jenna and Andrea and to make us realize that there's something going on with Andrea, some secret that's going to lead to Lloyd's already damaged heart getting broken again.

The fallout surrounding the end of Tina and Peter's story will play out in June. Everyone's a suspect. Owen is off to Aberdeen for a couple of weeks (the actor, along with Mikey North who plays Gary was touring in Canada). What's going to happen when he gets back? Is the family Windass irreperably shattered? Can Fiz and Tyrone put all their troubles behind them and finally be happy when Maria gets back? Kal and Leanne are trying to find the right time to tell Nick about their budding relationship. How badly is that going to put Nick's recovery back? Stay tuned for the next issue of State of the Street for June, next month.