What's going on with Adam?

I don't like Adam Barlow. Never did. He was whiny and petulant in his first stint on the street and he's arrogant and sneaky now. I applaud that they've brought him back to flesh out the Barlow clan. It's clear that Adam has some sort of agenda or secret and I look forward to finding out what it is even if Adam will never be a favourite character of mind.

Adam is the son of classic character, Mike Baldwin. Mike was arrogant and a business force to be reckoned with. When he got knocked down, he always managed to come back. He was a womanizer, and he had a cheeky grin, especially when he was winding up a rival, knowing he would have the upper hand. He usually did! Adam is trying to be like his father, I think, but he's a pale imitation. Mike always had the edge of a survivor, having brought himself out of a less than priviledged childhood. Adam is missing that, he's never really wanted for anything and he certainly has an air of entitlement that a lot of spoiled children grow up to have, especially on soaps.

When Mike died, his illegitimate son Danny got his hands on the factory but there was a newer will which divided the factory between Danny, Adam and (I think) Mike's other son, Mark Redman. Not sure about that third heir because he had fallen out with Mark over Mark's affair with Mike's wife, Linda. Leanne was the one that handed Adam the current will in the end and Adam then owned half of Underworld.

However, he and Danny didn't get on and Adam really didn't want to be bothered with the factory. In a fit of pique against Danny, he decided to sell his share but not to Danny. He was approached by Liam Connor who was in the rag trade with his brother Paul who would provide the financial backing. The Connor brothers conspired to undercut Adam's asking price with a bit of deft handling. They managed to get the factory for just over half what Adam wanted but after another row with Danny, Adam (who was legally an adult, not a minor) signed and walked away.

Here he is back on the street. He lived in Canada where he apparently became a lawyer. He was quite ill a few years back and Grandad Ken went to take care of him for nearly a year. Now he's back, recalled to the family compound after Ken's stroke. But there's something off about him. He seems to be broke. Strange state of affairs for someone that was a lawyer, you no doubt think. I know I did. He started off straight away scamming a rental car company when he arranged for his car to be stolen and sold. He conveniently avoids buying Christmas and birthday gifts. And in the past few weeks, he's been intent on claiming his birthright to the factory.

You may be as surprised as I was to hear that. Adam never showed any interest at all in all these years. Ah, but there's the rub. He's after a settlement, not after his share of the factory, claiming he was young and foolish and deliberately ripped off. All of that is true but he was an adult and he made his own mistakes. Did the Connors take advantage of him? Yes but he was stupid, too. He was too anxious to get one over on Danny. Now he blames the current Connors but they had nothing to do with it.

There have been several owners and partners of Underworld in the past 10 years of so, including the ferocious Carla. I can pretty much guarantee that Adam wouldn't be left standing had he been trying to get a settlement out of her! She'd have had him for breakfast. Johnny and Aidan are just as savvy, and with Alya's help, set up Adam for a confrontation and a convenient blackmail scheme. His attempt to steal documents from the company's computer blew up in his face and his bid for cash was shut down triumphantly.

Just as an aside, however, regarding Adam's assumption that he could get his hands on pertinent documents, either via the computer or even the filing system.  Remember, Adam signed off on the factory 10 years ago or more. Would the exact same computer still be running? I think not. Very likely they're on the 3rd or 4th computer since then, what with software upgrades etc. Don't forget, the factory has also had numerous fires which would cause possible meltdowns or at the very least smoke and water damage.  If the paper contracts were stored on site, it's likely they would be ashes if not in a fireproof safe with the digital backups if that was something they had a chance to do before any damage was done.

Whoever the original solicitor was probably has a copy, that's where Adam should have gone. And having said that, why wouldn't they have given Adam a copy of the document he signed back then? Legally there would have been two documents, one for each party to sign.

Ken was right. It was all about money, not his birthright. He sternly disapproved and Uncle Daniel was amused that Adam, the cocky and irritating relative, has got his comeuppance. Adam really hasn't got any smarter has he? Now Adam seems to be honing in on Ken and his will as the next possible avenue to money.

I don't know where this is going and I do wonder why he's so skint.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Inquiring Minds Want to Know - The Nitpick Post

Ah yes, nitpicking on things that ITV would rather we just ignore because they can't be bothered to fill in the details. But God is in the Details, right? Or the devil is. And this inquiring mind wants to know...

Is anyone visiting Maria in prison aside from that one time Aidan showed up? Has Eva found a replacement slot? Audrey or David? What about Kirk? Kirk never mentions Maria yet he is close to her and was very protective of her when she was going through the trial and everything. I imagine he probably is visiting her but this is the kind of thing I wish they would throw into a random conversation, something like Audrey telling David he'll be on his own this afternoon because she's visiting Maria. Poor Maria, it's bad enough being locked away. Imagine not having one visitor? And what about her parents? You'd think they would come to see her, wouldn't you? I wonder if we'll ever know if they deported poor Pablo who was too frightened of his own family's reaction to just marry his boyfriend in the first place instead of having a sham marriage with Maria.

At the moment, Michelle is too consumed with grief to think of anything besides her loss. I would like to see, at some point, either that she's heard from Maria or maybe see a scene when Maria finally gets out where Maria comforts Michelle. Does anyone remember that Maria went through the same thing? She went to the doctor because her baby stopped moving and was told the baby inside her had died and she had to deliver it, knowing he was already dead. I don't remember how far along she was, past Michelle's 23 weeks but she wasn't much farther along I don't think. The baby certainly would have been premature but a good couple of months though likely would have survived if he'd been born alive. But of anyone in the show, Maria would be the one whose situation is the closest to what Michelle has gone through.

I applaud Corrie when they bring up old history and they have mentioned that Liz has lost a preemie baby, her Katy, with a lovely conversation between she and Michelle, sharing similar emotions. But I also think they could pull out history a little more often. When Faye had her baby and then rejected the child, Anna might have had Sarah talk to her. It might not have changed Faye's mind but that nod to Sarah's teenage pregnancy would have been nice. I know Sarah didn't know Faye but it still would have been nice to have a mention.

Doesn't Brian still own half of the flat next to Rita? He and Julie bought it off Jason. When they split up, there was talk about Julie not being able to afford to buy Brian out of his half but she continued to live there until she left as far as I recall. They left together at the time and have now broken up. Are we to presume they sold the flat at some point? I think so. But if they sold it, why isn't there anyone living there? Poor continuity there, I think.

Why did Adam post Daniel a birthday card? They live together in the flat over the corner shop. Or did he just say that because he forgot to buy one? Probably this. Speaking of Daniel, I hope we eventually find out what happened to his mother and why she left. Surely a bit of teenage angst couldn't have sent her out the door without a word for all those years? Maybe Daniel has killed her. It's the quiet ones you have to worry about, you know! He's already showing signs of being his father's son by quietly flirting with Sinead even though she's already involved in a long term relationship even if it *is* with the old-before-his-time Chesney.

Peter moved back into the flat over the flower shop which he owns, you may recall. He is only renting the shop premises to Tracy and was renting the flat to Anna. Anna had her own furniture in there, I think. But if she moved in and was using Peter and Carla's things, then what did they do with her stuff from Number 6? Storage? Sold? If she moved her goods in, then when Peter first moved out and away to Portsmouth, he must have arranged for his things to be sent so there was room for her stuff. Now she's living with Kevin and he's got a house full of furniture. What did she do with hers? When we've seen Peter in the flat, it looked like it had been emptied with only a few things in it. The case of the disappearing furniture. I think someone's playing a shell game with it.

I'm still confused about the money Sharif owes. (and what is Yasmeen using to live? Just her own pension plus whatever Zeedan and now Rana bring in, (some of which is going to pay Dev back, apparently)?) Sharif paid for the down payment on the flat that never happened and he gave Alya about the same amount for the specialized machine for the factory (which doesn't really seem to be earning its keep, does it?). He took some of the money from the gym's accounts but surely not for both things so some of it must have come from his and Yasmeen's own bank accounts or investments which would appear to have been substantial at some point. It seems odd that there is no money to repay the gym.

And if Dev had to pretend his car was not his car (he gave the keys to Chesney when the bailiffs were carrying out gym equipment), why didn't the bailiffs go after his other businesses? It was said they couldn't take the sewing machine because it wasn't related to the debt directly so why was the car, a personal belonging of Dev's under threat? Dev as a long time business man would know whether it was or not, wouldn't he? So if he thought there was a chance of his personal belongings being confiscated, then so would his house and shops. Oh, I don't know. I'm willing to suspend disbelief but I hate being confused.

Mary didn't go to South Africa after all. So where is she? We haven't had so much as a glimpse of her let alone a line of dialogue. She might as well have gone! I think she should have, too, if just for a holiday to get to know her son and his wife. I think we had a throwaway line that she was pregnant, not that they already had a child but I could be wrong. What would keep her from at least going to meet her grandchild or be there when the baby comes? Maybe she will do that. Seems a waste of the ticket Jude must have bought her. I know nowadays she can talk to them every day via a video app which she likely is doing and it's a very good way to get to know someone. I hope he's not completely forgotten and that she mentions him from time to time and visits.

Where did Phelan bury the body and when did he have the time? When he arrived late to his wedding, there was a bit of dry dirt on his shoe. When he fought with Andy, time was already getting a bit short for him to make it to the church/registry office on time. Are we to believe he had time to dig a hole somewhere, dump the body and still make it to the wedding not quite too late? Also, bashing Andy over the face at arms' length is not going to be clean. He should have had blood splatters all over his coat, tie, collar and cuffs even if the coat protected most of his wedding suit. I did notice he came into the wedding venue without his coat on. I guess we'll have to be satisfied with that.

That's it for the nitpick rant this time around, gang. I try not to be too negative most of the time but sometimes, I just can't help myself. There's a lot of good to Corrie, far more good than bad in my opinion but it helps to get the little everyday picky stuff off my chest now and then. I'll just get me coat.

Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)