State of the Street - July

July was shadowed by the death of beloved Deirdre Barlow. Will Tracy actually turn over a new leaf? If she does, she's going to have to admit to accidentally staring the fire, releasing Carla from her cloak of guilt and misery. Robert might be the key to that. I don't think Tracy is going to turn into Emily Bishop any time soon but perhaps she'll be a little less manipulative. I doubt she'll ever curb that sharp tongue. The Personality Transplant Fairies can't rework her completely, ok?

I want to see Ken really struggle and I want to see his friends rally round to support him. It doesn't look like it's starting off in that direction though he does seem to be wandering, a little lost. I don't want him to end up with another woman but I fear that they've already put Audrey in his path. I can see him turning to her for comfort and whatever else a nearly 80 year old man has to offer but I would prefer if she keeps him at arms' length as merely a good friend. Plus, she's got enough to deal with. Her family is even more of a disaster than his!

Elsewhere, with Kylie back in the saddle, Callum is about to be pooched. From seemingly nowhere, he decided he wanted Kylie back in his life and wanted to be a family with her and the kids. I reckon it was more about getting Max and taking him from David than actually wanting her. She knew it. She went straight to David and then to Sarah, because Callum is clearly using her as we all knew. And David finally took Kylie back for real.

I can understand his reluctance, though. Yes, he was the one that threw her out but she stayed away and she was addicted to drugs. Building back that trust is not easy, especially when you're David Platt and you have had trust issues ever since your step father tried to kill you. Now to deal with Callum. What's their Really Good Idea? Set Callum up to prove to Sarah he's only using her. But in the meantime, Callum is taking aim at Bethany as his next weapon against David and Kylie and that's bound to backfire on his ass big time. Luring a 15 year old into being a drug mule by playing on her teenage crush? 25 years to life, right? I hope Sarah ends up being the one that is key to bringing Callum down in the end. She may not get on with David but he's blood, he's family and maybe in the long run, she'll do the right thing because it's affecting her daughter.

Dan the Brewery Man's storyline was mercifully short. He was a decent villain, well acted but I'm glad they didn't drag that out. It would have been tedious to have months of he and Leanne glaring at each other and quietly arguing in corners. The hostage situation was a bit silly, really. Why didn't someone shout out a window? And if Chesney is used to their normal sorts of noises over head, surely he'd realize the smashing and banging is a sign of trouble instead of ignoring it. At least one opportunity to scream HELP would have arisen if not more. There were three people, two of them adults, against one unarmed man, as well. I don't believe that, with a kitchen full of weapons, one of them couldn't have defended them all before Dan got to the kitchen first. Liz and Leanne together would have been a formidable avenging team.

Never mind. It was all designed to reveal Leanne's past to Simon, giving him one more reason to resent her. We're supposed to forget that he was crayoning get well cards for people just a year ago and is now old enough to understand what a prostitute is and what it means. They've done domestic abuse before, with Kirsty and Tyrone and this is yet another twist on it. Leanne is probably stronger than Simon but he's growing quickly and has anger behind him. She would of course be reluctant to push back and discipline is likely to be ignored or thrown back at her. She really needs to ask for help and she really should get that child some councilling. I think Zeedan is going to come into play here as the good "big brother" influence that Simon badly needs.

Speaking of that, Zeedan may finally be coming into his own after spending a year sulking and whining. Where his mother's death seems to have had him retreat into his grief, his father's death really seems to have him realize his regrets. He wants to prove that he can be the man that would make his father proud. A sign of maturity. And that might be the only thing that saves Simon. Zeedan's not as close to Simon as Leanne so there's more objectivity. Simon would be more likely to listen to him as an outside influence. I'd like to see Zeedan talk to Simon about accepting Leanne's past, too. He was initially much against her for it but came to realize that she has changed her life for the better and his father loved her. Zeedan has lost both of his parents and though Peter is still alive, Simon likely feels like his father is lost to him most of the time, both physically and emotionally. I am interested to see how this all plays out, if that's the direction they're going, but please, PLEASE don't put Leanne and Zeedan together romantically in any way whatsoever, not even as a brief "last night?" or "That kiss? that was a mistake!"

Alya's reconciliation with Gary is going well. For Gary. Alya's still cringing with guilt every time she sees Jason and now that the family approves of the engagement, her guilt factor ramps up another notch. But that's not enough. Then she has a pregnancy scare. She's bound to let the cat out of the bag before much longer. I'm surprised in one way that she isn't pregnant since that's a staple of Soap Law. One inadvisable shag and you're up the duff. Alya and Gary really don't make a good match and are a boring couple. While I am not really a fan of Izzy anymore, she who has really lost that intial spark, Gary did suit her much better.

Roy and Cathy's friendship is growing and I rather like this storyline as well. Right now, Cathy isn't a very happy person, mired in grief and depression but I hope when she starts to move on and feel better she'll be a more cheerful person. That's the kind of friend Roy needs around him regardless of whether it's romantic relationship or not. A yin to his yang so to speak. I think at this point viewers might not mind if it turns more emotional but because the actress is quite well known, I would be surprised if she stays with the show long term. Maybe it will end up being an off-screen relationship or with the occasional cameo but if we got to keep Melanie Hill, who plays Cathy, as a long term character that would be a real coup for the show and would be a great addition to the cast.

Michael and Gail nearly made it back together until he told her about that kiss he had with Eileen and Gail went ballistic. It might not have hurt her so much if it hadn't been her enemy. She got her anger and bitterness with Eileen all mixed up in her tirade and spewed some hurtful things about Michael, things she didn't believe but was trying to put Eileen down further. Michael didn't know that, however, and that's pushed him right back...into Eileen's arms! Did you see that coming? A mile away. I wonder if he and Gail will get back together at all? He might stay alive if he stays away since most of her husbands end up dead and he had a near miss on that score himself.

And let's face it, Gail's right. She sees him coming to terms with what Andy did. In reality, there would be no way that Michael would move in with the man that pretended to be his son. There's far more reason to forgive Gail for keeping the secret out of concern for his heart condition than to forgive the man that stole his son's identity for months. And Gail forgave Michael for breaking into her house, let's not forget. I think she needs to throw that back in his face. I do reckon they'll get back together eventually. I think he does still love her in spite of the fact that he's temporarily had his head turned by Eileen. That's a rebound thing.

It's also appalling that Michelle would encourage Eileen to chase after a married man. She certainly wouldn't like it if someone was pushing their friend at Steve, would she, if the situation was reversed. I realize that pursuing a married man isn't a new thing for Eileen, not after that Paul debacle but still...Michael's already starting to have his eyes opened as far as Eileen's faults which don't sit well with him. If Michael and Gail do get back together, and I hope they do, I reckon it will happen by Christmas.

Robert Preston was made out to be a decent guy but then the age old cliche bounces out of the storyline bag, he's married but it doesn't count because he never got over Tracy! It flatters her but she's got no time for cheaters. After all this, though, the wife will have likely kicked him out. She might have been able to stay married even though, down deep, she knew he still loved Tracy but now that he's been physically unfaithful as well, she should muster her pride and end the marriage. We don't know yet if that's going to happen but it's likely.

I can't decide if I like the character. Maybe he's going to be the catalyst to her semi-redemption as I mentioned previously. He will turn out to be a good man that urges her to do the right thing. It will be interesting to see how far to the good Tracy lands. A little way would be a good thing. You can't sustain an out and out bitch who gets away with murder and manslaughter over and over and never pay for it in some manner.