State of the Street: April 2017

 By the end of April, we're still no wiser as to who it was that attacked Ken Barlow. Or are we? All the Barlows are pointing fingers at each other and they're all baring their teeth with suspicions. It's quite funny to watch. I think almost all of the prime suspects were arrested or were a serious consideration for the attacker, weren't they? Peter, arrested. Daniel, taken in for further questioning. Adam, arrested. All of them had opportunity and somewhat of a motive.

Tracy probably had the lesser motive. She was disappointed in her father and crushed, thinking he was putting her last, favouring his blood relatives but I don't think she was in a murderous rage. You may say she's got form, after killing Charlie Stubbs but she planned that for weeks, setting him up to look like an abuser so she could claim self defense. But she suspects Amy because of Amy's lies about the money she was going to give Adam. My money was going to be on someone like Seb who could have been in the house trying to steal something. Phelan was  too obvious, too. If it's going to be a surprise and one of the family, I'd go with Adam. He's probably the most expendable of the lot.

But. But....there's a wrench thrown  into the mix with the return of Rob Donovan, escaped prisoner. Tracy was separated from Luke on the night of the assault, the police wanted to talk to her but not about the assault though we never found out what that was about. Then Craig mentioned a prison van crash and a missing prisoner presumed to be dead and Tracy going around looking for antibiotics. Yep, She had Rob stashed in the remains of the gym which had been shut down. So it's also quite possible that it was Rob that tangled with Ken. Someone was coming in the back door, you may recall. That could have been Rob and though he's listening to Tracy's worries about who hurt her father, including her suspicions about Amy, he's not giving anything away. We already know he's a cool customer, though, and is a very good liar, just like Tracy. I think we're going to find out very soon one way or another.

I do have to hand it to the new producer, Kate Oates, she's managed to keep a few secrets under the hood so even releases to the media don't contain them. Sometimes the papparazzi catch photos of filming and that might spoil things but even then, not always. One thing is for sure, ITV has a history of presenting a group of characters as key in a storyline and there's almost always someone else thrown in as the actual keystone, i.e. murderer, for instance. Remember, Who Killed Frank Foster? Peter, Carla, Sally were all in contention and it turned out to be his mother, a secondary character. That's why everyone is betting on Seb or Chloe but Rob is a strong contender now, too.

Kevin's money woes continued. Rosie was going to do some glamour modelling to help out but that was kiboshed. David inherited a goodly sized chunk from a client and decided to give it to Anna as a sort of settlement. Gary was being a bit sulky though, shouting at David for giving Anna *only* 19 thousand pounds which is 19 thousand more than she had the week before. Yes, if she sued, she could sue for a lot more but she'd have to whistle for it because David wouldn't have the money. He did the right thing giving Anna what he could and it's saving Kevin from bankruptcy although that's Kevin being a bit presumptive. What if Anna decided to keep it for her and Faye? But she won't and she didn't. He and Tyrone made up finally, as well. Case closed. Can we move on now?

The other main Webster-related, (ok, Metcalf) storyline has to do with Sally's troll. The troll's vindictive and frightening attacks have left Sally nervous and scared to go out in public and Tim is worried someone may actually physically try to hurt her. Trolls don't tend to do that and Sally hasn't actually had a death threat because if she has, the police would most definitely take it a lot more seriously than they are.

But this is developing into something quite interesting. Rosie and Sophie tracked down the address of someone that is allegedly doing the harassment, to a young woman called Leah who protests, it's her step-mother, no really it is! But it turns out her step mother is none other than Sally's sister, Gina! Wow, that's a turn up for the books! Is her sister doing all these nasty things or is it the step-daughter, resentful of how much Sally's family seems to have vs. perhaps her own family being down on their luck? Intriguing, to say the least.

Brian and Cathy continue to make lackluster attempts at dating. I don't care. I think Brian's a brilliant character even thought I really dislike him. I do enjoy watching him and he does make me laugh. As a person, Brian is a greedy, selfish, snobby prat. In a relationship, I think he'd end up being a taker, not a giver. He has the capacity for romantic gestures but I don't think he'd sustain it over time. And her job in the kebab shop is faintly ludicrous, frankly. Mary and Tracy are opposites and Mary is definitely an oddball. I wonder if they were trying to recreate that magic with Gemma and Cathy? It doesn't work. Gemma and Rita are magic. Rita gives Gemma confidence and support for her quest to turn her life around. Cathy seems too daft and somewhat foolish and it doesn't work a foil for Gemma's wild and crazy gal. Why do we never see Cathy and Chesney in the kebab shop working together? It's always Cathy and Gemma. I think because there would be no comedy in Cathy and Chesney.

Michelle's back and Robert wasted no time in giving her a job even though Leanne is his manager, albeit on maternity leave at the moment. I'm sure both Leanne and Nick should have had stronger objections. (round 2 of her nasty invictive? I sympathise for her loss and the way she found out about Steve's new baby, bad situation all around. I guess you can't really blame her for going off the rails a bit but I still detest her snarky, sarcastic attitude towards Leanne and Steve. )  I wondered how long it would be before she was in Robert's bed and it was practically a minute or two after she got back! He's certainly willing to take her on the rebound and that's faintly abhorrent and it makes him seem like a man that's willing to take advantage of a vulnerable woman. He did the same thing to Carla, jumped in bed when she put it out there for him after she had a shock about Johnny being her father.

The sale of the pub seems to have taken a bit of a back seat lately. I wonder where that will go. Meanwhile, Steve is finally getting to spend time with baby Oliver, much to Nick's frustration. If Nick keeps letting his jealousy and insecurities weigh him down, it could spell the end to Nick and Leanne. She always seems to try to be the peacemaker. I'd like to see her put her foot down and tell him to put up, shut up or go away. Nick is selfish and he's passive aggressive and he's sneaky. He had it in for Peter for years and now he's turning his attentions to Steve.

Speaking of Peter, somehow this business with Chloe has to work itself out. On the surface there doesn't seem to be any way to prove or contradict Peter's truth with what she says hers is. I still wonder why she left her house in a wreck for two weeks before she had the cops come. She said he trashed the place on the night he supposedly assaulted her but of course, she did the damage herself a long time after to prove her point. Why aren't they questioning that? It's one of the bigger loopholes. Someone has to catch her out somehow.

I'm not impressed with Toyah's return, either. She used to be a lot more feisty. I suppose if you've been trying for a baby and having it fail time after time, it wears on you and changes you and yes, it's entirely likely you will become obsessed. But obsessed isn't pretty. I hope she doesn't go doo-lally and walk off with baby Oliver. That would be a very soap-like thing to do.

Bethany's association with the creepy Nathan is turning into a spider's web. He really is insidious, isn't he? What great casting they did. It frustrates me that Sarah won't or can't do more to prevent the relationship. She doesn't want to lose Bethany and yes, the more she forces the issue, the more Bethany is going to cling to Nathan unfortunately. She's 16, almost 17 and I don't think it's illegal, at least the sexual relationship. I think 16 is the age of consent? On the surface, anyway. Does it also mean she can live where she wants outside the family home? I'm not sure of all the legalities.  But as it gets darker and darker and he starts letting his friends have sex with her, presumably for money, then there might be legal recourse.  I think this one is going to run most of the year.

I do think Shona must come into this at some point. Not only does she have a connection to the Platts which she revealed to Gail but she has a connection to Nathan. She referred to an ex when she first arrived and she seemed anxious when Gail spoke about Bethany's boyfriend, Nathan but since Gail hadn't met him at the time, she didn't know how old he was.

Has Sarah told Gail or any other of her family anything about Nathan yet, like his age? I don't think so and I want to know why she hasn't. If she wants to get Bethany away from Nathan, you would think she'd have all hands to the pump, so to speak. David, Nick, Audrey, Gail and even friends like Craig,Todd and some of the big lads on the street, like Robert, Tim, Tyrone, Luke and even Phelan. Phelan might be a lot of things but I think he'd tear apart someone like Nathan that was preying on a kid.

I think Shona will ultimately be one that saves Bethany from the evil, oily Nathan in the end. It will certainly redeem her in the eyes of the Platt family. Craig is starting to reach out to Bethany, too, and he might be Johnny on the spot when it comes to rescuing her, now he's a constable.

Johnny may or may not be having health issues in the lead up to his wedding to Jenny who seems to be oblivious. Kate has noticed her father being rather reticent and isn't sure if it means he doesn't really want to get married but it may have to do with health issues more than anything else. I do hope we won't lose Johnny, I do like him.

The odious Seb is in Juvenile hall after attacking Jackson but Faye is still sneaking around to see him. At first, it was clear he wasn't particularly nice to Faye but in the last few weeks, he has been showing signs that he's having a problem with rejection. It's ok if he strings her along but the minute he thought Jackson was a threat that might take Faye away from him, he lashed out and he's made other remarks that actually seem sincere about her not leaving him.  Are they going to redeem him and have him be the victim of a bad home life? Anna sure isn't going to approve of her daughter hanging out with Phelan let alone Seb.

There are rumours about Seb who will turn out to be Phelan's grandson by a daughter he didn't know he had. That could be interesting and it means that the actor playing Seb is making a very good impression on the Powers that Be. They've already hinted at this by having Phelan working with Seb and seeing a lot of his own characteristics in Seb, I think. He seems to be taking the lad under his wing and promising to teach him to be smart about being shifty! I think that's a hint that Seb is a chip off the old block so to speak. And if Seb's mother, Phelan's daughter is a chip off her old man, she probably does leave much to be desired in the parenting world.

I'm loving having Rosie back. She's daft as a brush, the actor isn't all that great but she's such a breath of fresh air and I laugh at her silliness all the time. Yet, Rosie is fierce when defending her family and her heart is in the right place. I'd love to see a storyline that actually gives us a more mature Rosie, as perhaps she's been all along but has just been putting on the bimbo as a "front". We need something that could be the making of this woman. She'll be getting close to 30 in a year or two and this vapid persona is going to get old really quickly after that. Maybe if we ever get Jason back, they'll reunite. I always thought Jason was the love of Rosie's life.  Perhaps that's what she needs, a serious, grownup relationship to show us a new side of Rosie Webster. Now, if we can just find something to put a smile on Sophie's face.




Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Storyline rambles

A few random thoughts, theories and little amusements have been rattling around in my head lately and I've just got to write about them so that they won't keep nagging me! Yes, I'm that much of a Corrie-obsessed nutter. That, or I've had too much Easter chocolate.

This past week, Maria told David about her fling with Aidan and he said something to the effect that she doesn't go around nicking other women's blokes. Um. yes, yes, she does and David should remember it very well. He nearly got drowned in the bath by one of them after Maria was shagging Charlie Stubbs who was living with Tracy Barlow at the time. We've had a recent reminder that she had an affair with Toyah's boyfriend once, a university professor. She got pregnant and had a termination that time. In a way, she took Liam off Carla. She was with Liam before she knew he fancied Carla but she then did everything she could to keep them apart and get him for herself. It kind of counts. She was also obsessed with a Fiz-committed Tyrone after she had a breakdown when Marcus left her, she certainly encouraged Marcus away from Sean and now she's all over Aidan.So yes, she has made a habit of going for men already in relationships with other women (and men!)

It also made me chuckle when Anna decided to sell her clothes to help the financial woes in the Webster house. I thought "How is a tenner going to help in any way? It's only going to buy a couple of loaves, a bottle of milk and a packet of coffee". It's not as if Anna has been swanning around in designer gear, is it? She probably buys most of her clothes off the market or the charity shops. Even her few nice dresses are likely only from a high street shop.

So now that Kevin has been given 19 grand from David, is that it? Crisis over? We'll say no more about it? Probably, in true Corrie form, it will now all be forgotten and swept under the rub. I did wonder. Kevin's debt was partly personal due to Sophie's bills and partly professional because the insurance wouldn't pay out on the fire for the other garage. If he went bankrupt, I wonder how that would affect Tyrone. Tyrone owns half of the garage and if Kevin had to sell his half, Tyrone would still be ok though probably couldn't afford to buy Kevin's half. Maybe Luke could have obtained a loan, even if with his father's backing.

I don't think Sarah has told Gail or Audrey how old Nathan really is, has she? Rana has seen him and I think has noted that he was older but hasn't really said anything to anyone besides Sarah. I keep waiting for Shona to find out because we're all pretty sure he was the abusive boyfriend she got away from and I'm dead curious to find out more about her story. It's a good storyline mainly because Chris Harper is so very good at playing Nathan. He's very believable and making Nathan really creepy. Bethany has had so much self esteem knocked out of her  after all that bullying that it's made her a perfect target for him.

It does irritate me that there are so many near misses. Nathan has been curb crawling around Bethany in his car for months, and popping in and out but Shona hasn't seen him, nor has Gail got a glimpse. It's always like that on Corrie when there are secrets. In such a small neighbourhood that normally has people out and about and looking out windows, nobody ever sees anything they shouldn't until it's time for a secret to come out. That's just the way soaps are, I know.

As for Ken's attacker, ITV are now pushing Amy out as another suspect but I really can't see it. They could go that way but I think that, while Amy is quite a little madam, I don't think she's cold enough to whack her grandfather over the head and not show more signs of being upset after. Even if it was accidental struggle and fall, and his head injury is only from the fall, Amy would still be upset especially with other members of the family being accused.

Regarding this week's episodes, the spoilers say "Amy phones the police, telling them to check the fingerprints on the new kitchen worktop that Phelan fitted on the night of Ken's accident. " which then gets Adam arrested on the fingerprint evidence.  That is very easily disproven. Adam has been working on the kitchen and all the rest of the Barlows can testify to it. I think it was all set up so that Tracy is suspecting Amy but Amy probably did it to deflect suspcions from her mother and neither is revealing it to the other.
 
Who dunnit? I am still going with a secondary character, probably Chloe.

The story about Sally's troll is also very good and is keeping me interested. This past week, the troll upped the game with the obituary and the gruesome gift and you have to assume this person really is suffering from a mental health issue. Being nasty online, hurling insults is one thing but this is going the next step into stalker and there are definitely laws against that. Again, spoilers are pointing to Sally's sister, Gina as evidenced by her step daughter, the one Rosie and Sophie track down but I wonder if it doesn't turn out to be the step daughter after all. It will be interesting to see how it comes out. I love seeing Rosie and Sophie involved in trying to help. Rosie even seems to be the more aggressive of the two and I love that. She might be daft, but she's determined. Sally Dynevor really is putting in another powerhouse performance, in any case.

Don't get me started on Michelle's rebound with Robert. I sympathise with her on one level, after losing a child and finding out her husband had another child with someone else, and it wasn't even a grand love affair which, at least, might have been more understandable. I can understand her bitterness and rage and wanting revenge but since I've never really liked Michelle, it's difficult to be on her side and the less reasonable she is over the divorce, the less sympathy I have for her.

Producer Kate Oates says there will be a new name over the Rovers' door. I think that leaves Michelle out of the picture because her name is still over the door as co-licensee. That would be nothing new, just leaving Steve's name off it. I would like to see Dev buy Steve's share and put Erica in as co-manager with Liz. Aside from the Connors, nobody else really has the money along with any inclination. Dev might have lost out on the gym, but he still owns the flat Nick and Leanne live in, doesn't he? And the shop and number 7 so he's got the collaterol. Or perhaps Erica's mother dies and leaves her enough to buy it. I'd enjoy seeing Erica and Liz run the bar together.

That's enough for one session, I think. Coronation Street has been very good lately and I'm really enjoying it. So far, the new producer is getting good marks from me. Keep it up!


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Let's Play Detective - Who tried to kill Ken Barlow?

Ken nearly came a cropper again but it wasn't a stroke this time. Surprisingly, really, considering the stress and shouting going on there over the past month. I really did expect another stroke. He's been losing his temper left, right and centre. Adam and the drug dealer, Daniel chucking Oxford away, Tracy giving him grief, Peter maybe drinking and cheating (he wasn't but Ken thinks he was). It hasn't let up.

But no, all these people are building up grudges against him and he's landed at the bottom of the stairs in a right old mess.The police have been called to the hospital. They say he's got bruises on his wrists consistent with a struggle and a bash on the back of the head that looks very much like someone hit him. He bruises easily due to medication but I think someone still has to have grabbed his wrists tightly and I think that leaves off Amy at least.

But who could it be? The publicity photo above shows all the suspects that ITV is suggesting. I don't think it's any of them. The most likely suspects would probably be Peter, Phelan, and maybe Daniel. They were harbouring the most anger.

Sinead was drunk but she was on her way to see Ken to give him a piece of her mind. No, it wasn't her. Tracy was angry that Ken wouldn't back her and help her buy the flower shop from Peter but though she might have struggled with him, I don't think she'd have bashed him over the head no matter what she's done to Charlie Stubbs in the past. She was out looking for Amy and didn't have an alibi but I think she's off the list, too.

Phelan says he came in the back door to shout at Ken and found him at the bottom of the stairs just as Daniel arrived. I know he's got history, having left Michael to die and having presumably killed Andy but I think he's too obvious.

That leaves Daniel, Peter and Adam. If any of those actors were known to be leaving the show, I'd have said that would be the person. But as far as we know, that's not happening. Adam has a grudge and Amy was going to slip him some cash. Adam knows where the spare key is and was going to go in and get the money. Did he? Did Ken find him at the top of the stairs? Adam pretended to get a flight back to Manchester the instant Tracy texted him and timed his arrival at the hospital to make it seem like he did just that but we know he was skulking around the night before. I don't know if he'd have shown up at the hospital if he thought Ken might remember it was him, though.

That could be said for Daniel or Peter, too. Daniel has a temper, we've all seen it. But Daniel was on his way to Number 1 after seeing an inscription from Ken on a book. That doesn't seem like a guilty man. Peter was pretty close to the edge over the Chloe stuff. He nearly drank and it looked like he was about to do a runner when he saw the ambulance. He didn't look guilty to me though in the hospital the next day when the police got involved, he did look worried. He does blame his father for ruining his life yet again. He does have the best motive of all of them.

But that's the thing. In soaps, the most obvious or likely usually isn't the perpetrator of a crime though they're usually the one arrested. Therefore, Soap Law says it can't have been Peter.

So who was it?

I have two suspects with a third runner up in a pinch. The guilty party is almost always a secondary character, an expendable  crewmember that we can lose easily unless we know an actor is leaving the show. Barring that, and we haven't heard anything to that effect, there are two.

Chloe. She is obsessed with Peter. She could have done it to set Peter up in revenge. Another one it might have been is that young whippernsipper, Seb. He might have got into the house to try to steal something. He's tried that before. Ken might have caught him. Either of those chartacters are unnecessary to the plot. Chloe's involvement would stitch up Peter so that might be the more likely. The outsider is Adam, in spite of what I said. Or maybe it's wishful thinking because he's not a character I enjoy at all.

The next few weeks or months will tell. I don't know how long it will take. The new producer has been quite good and springing surprises on the viewers and that's a good thing.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

State of the Street - March 2017

This month, many of the characters on Coronation Street seem to be angry and unhappy. The ones that aren't just seem a little glum.

First we have Michelle, who, it has to be said, does have a pretty good reason to be pissed off. She was grieving for her stillborn baby boy when she found out that her husband fathered a healthy child with a neighbour after a one night stand. The heir and the spare, so to speak. How could he possibly feel the loss of their child as much as she did if he knew he had another one? That's not fair, mind you, but she's so hurt and betrayed that she'll say and do anything. She's determined to take Steve for half of everything he's got. She even tried to get back at Leanne by shagging Nick but he rejected her advances after a kiss so she fled to Devon to see Carla.

Why do people think that's the thing that's going to hurt them the most? It's only money. Yes, it's Steve's business and really, Michelle only has a claim on his half but Liz is going to sell her half as well to support him. I wonder if that means Michelle would get half of Liz's half? I hope not. And I hope the sale of the Rovers doesn't happen. Because...Peter Barlow? Seriously? If he wasn't an alcoholic, I'd say he might actually make an ok landlord but not with his tendency to slide back into addiction, even if this time could very well kill him after he poisoned himself on Jim McDonald's prison brew. I think Steve and Liz have made great pub owners and I'd be sad to see that era end.

The fallout from the paternity revelation is affecting Nick and Leanne, too. Leanne doesn't know what the right thing to do is. Should Steve stay away from baby Oliver like they originally planned? But if the secret is out anyway, why not let him see his son now and then? Personally, I think that's the right thing to do in this case. Nick needs to suck it up and grow up but Nick is ever the spoiled and entitled brat that Gail brought him up to be. He'll sulk and be sarcastic and moody, using every passive aggressive tool he's got in the box to manipulate Leanne's emotions, already in a mess due to post-partum hormones. He's already used to sharing Simon with Peter, it shouldn't be that far a leap. I guess he doesn't like being the perennial bridesmaid instead of the bride.

Baby news is also germinating for the Barlow family. One shag in the factory storage closet and Sinead's in the club, too. She did say they tried to be careful. I do wonder how that happened, though. Does she carry condoms around in her pocket? Did formerly virginal Daniel carry one in hope? I don't really want to know, too much information. Let's just go with the Oops method of birth control and leave it there. After all those years with Chesney, you'd think she'd have been on something more permanent like a pill, an injection or an implant, though. Even if they hadn't been sexually active for a few months, you don't stop taking a pill if you're in a relationship, just in case.  It would just seem a bit odd that a committed couple would be relying on condoms for years, knowing they're not the most reliable method, as she soon found out.

What to do? They talked about it sensibly and decided on an abortion but Daniel ended up changing his mind because he is pretty sure she actually does want the baby and maybe she'd end up resenting him for pressuring her into it. You know, he also looks a bit trapped. He had his future all mapped out with university and then finding a career and now he's got to be responsible for a child which could seriously curtail his plans, especially after being accepted to Oxford. Now he's going to turn it down, much to his father's dismay. Ken thinks he's just ruined his life, much like he did sticking with Deirdre. Uh oh. That rant is going to cost him.

But the rant also hit home with Sinead who came over all noble and told Daniel she had a miscarriage and he should go to Oxford after all. She lied, she had a termination and her lies didn't last very long. When Daniel found out he really lost his temper and I can't really blame him. They're done and she blames Ken for making her feel so guilty that she went through with it. They had kind of mentioned her moving to Oxford but Daniel seemed intent on staying put and raising the baby. Really, though, they could have moved to Oxford and she could have had maternity benefits. But it's over now, no baby, no relationship. I hope they don't get back together, this issue would be hanging over their heads and the resentment would grow to huge proportions. 

Then there's Peter Barlow. He's no stranger to juggling two women, is he? He's just the boy that can't say no and has a long history of it from that aspect. Lucy and Shelly and bigamy, anyone?  All because he couldn't bear to tell one or the other that he couldn't make a committment because of the other one.  Let's see. Then there was Leanne vs Carla, and Carla vs Tina and now it's Toyah and Chloe who really just tells him what he wants to hear, not the way things really are. She doesn't call him on his unrealistic crap, she flatters and flirts and he eats it all up. Of course he keeps going back for more only this time it's going to bite him in the backside.

She's turning into a proper stalker. She's tracking his phone and telling believable lies about him and like the boy that cried wolf, nobody believes him when he contradicts her lies. He's not drinking and he's not having an affair with Chloe. Not technically, anyway. He blames his father for believing her and spreading her lies and he's pretty angry about it. He was on the verge of leaving, from what it looked like, on the night Ken was injured.

There were lots of people angry with Ken. Tracy overheard him being dismissive about his relationship with Deirdre and she's feeling like he prefers his blood relationships. I can see how it looks from her point of view but then, as Ken said, she has always been self absorbed. Adam certainly has a reason to hold a grudge. He didn't actually go to Canada even though Ken gave him money and ordered him away after he got beaten up by the drug dealer. Even Phelan got the short end of Ken's temper and he was about to go give him a piece of his mind. We saw Ken head up stairs to fill the kettle in the bathroom (the kitchen still being under construction). He heard someone at the back door but kept going. The next thing we know, he's been found at the bottom of the stairs with Phelan standing over him. The police think he struggled with someone and went down that way, either fell or was pushed. Who dunnit? that will be April's story.

There are a lot of theories out in the web world that have Peter being the father of Leanne's baby due to her taking Simon to see his dad around that same time. Is it possible? Maybe so. Steve never asked for a DNA test. Leanne *seems* to believe the baby is Steve's but what if she's saying that because if it's really Peter's, it causes even more trouble than if it was Steve's though I'm not quite sure how that would be considering the earth shattering implosion it did cause in McDonald Land. But while Nick is not happy about Steve being the dad and he has had his jealous moments, he knows Leanne and Steve have no romantic history. He's very intimidated by Leanne's past with Peter and always worries that there is unfinished business and a lingering love between them. If the baby turns out to be Peter's, Nick is going to lose his rag altogether but at this point, it doesn't seem likely.

Maria's out of prison already. That didn't take long. She's still got to wear that ankle monitor for a while longer. I wonder if they deported poor Pablo? Anyway, she's had nothing but time to seethe and simmer that grudge she's building against Aidan, the man that had feelings for her but wasn't going to break up with Eva because Maria would be in jail anyway, right? And he did have feelings for both women. Weak and spineless are the names of the game here and Maria seems ready to bubble over like a glass of warm champagne. It's not going to be pretty.

As much as I love the Platts, it's kind of nice that they've been scaled back a bit and let the Barlows take the front burner but there's still Bethany's dark storyline ongoing. Nathan and Mel continue to work on Bethany and manipulate her. She's so young even if she thinks she's all grown up. She won't even be 17 until June while that ratbag is 35 and as oily as they come. Sarah's in a tough position because if she forbids Bethany from seeing Nathan, she knows she'll only push her daughter right at him. Bethany is over 16 so I don't think the police can do anything about the relationship. You know, in one small way, I almost wish Callum was still on the scene and partnered with Sarah because he'd take Nathan down a dark alley and have his henchmen (and Gemma!) work him over.

There seems to be a connection between Nathan and Shona and I suspect in the long run, Shona will be the one that saves Bethany though it won't be soon enough. I think Nathan will be pimping her and manage that a few times before this is over yet. Creepy storyline, isn't it? The actor playing Nathan is spot on and cast very well. He's very believable.

Sally went on campaign to defend her chick from the obnoxious wolf whistling builders and was successful. If only Rosie hadn't undermined her by giving a naive interview to the press who twisted it for all it was worth. The internet trolls came out from under the bridge and targeted Sally which isn't very fair but that's what they do. The ultimate prank was calling her, pretending to be the hospital and telling her that her cancer was back. Some people really are sick. And I don't mean that in the new,  trendy "good" meaning of the word.

And so it goes.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)