State of the Street

Bye Bye Becky, Goodbye

2012-01-24T18:14:00.000-04:00

Becky Granger McDonald flew out of Weatherfield and Manchester last night in high style after wreaking havoc on the lives of Tracy and Steve McDonald. She cleared her name of the wrongful charges that she pushed Tracy down a flight of stairs causing a miscarraige and it looks like she's found love and a family of her own. Perfect!

Becky has always been one of my favourite characters. Not from day one, when she was pretty much a lowlife, making Kelly Crabtree's life hell. She left for awhile and when they brought her back, they put her under the wing of Roy and Hayley Cropper and it was golden from then on.

Becky came from a very rough home life filled with neglect, abuse, years in and out of care and then survived on the streets as best she could. She was fierce and wild, drinking, drugs, sex, you name it. She was in and out of prison but she stood up for herself, too, when she was wronged. That big bald police officer discovered that to his career's expense. She had no confidence in herself and had no idea what love was or how anyone could ever love her when she hated herself.

Little by little, with the faith that Roy and Hayley found in her, she began to believe in herself. It took a long time, though. She had lots of setbacks and when she felt threatened, she would lash out violently. Time and again, though, Roy and Hayley would gently point her in the right direction. Little by Little she made a life for herself but it never seemed to be enough.

She nearly married Jason Grimshaw and it seemed like they would be a pretty good couple. But then came Steve McDonald, her white knight. He lied for her in court, saving her from another stint of time inside even though she really did do the crime. It ruined his relationship with Michelle but it turns out, he found himself massively attracted to this loose cannon, good time girl after the misery that was Michelle's life was dragging him down. It's not surprise, Becky was just like his last wife, Karen and not that far from his sparky mother, Liz. Seems like Steve often gravitates to the same type of woman.

Becky even managed to make some friends over the years, something else she didn't really have before. Not real, true friends. And the friends she did make, she defended with staunch loyalty. Roy and Hayley became like parents to her and she would brook no criticism of them. She would even face down Roy's mother and if anyone dared hurt Hayles, watch out. Hayley discovered she'd fathered a son when she was Harold but the son, Christian, didn't want to know her and he'd pushed her and bruised her. Becky returned the punishment in spades.

Claire Peacock, not the sort of person you would think Becky would have anything in common with at all, turned out to be a really good mate, especially when Becky first got pregnant and Claire was fully supportive when Becky herself miscarried. Becky was one of the instigators in helping Claire skip the country so she wouldn't be arrested for assault on Tracy Barlow (it was accidental but Tracy was pressing charges anyway).

Even her on again off again war with Liz had it's kind and gentle moments. Liz was there for Becky when she miscarried and Becky was kind to Liz after Jim was arrested for bank robbery. It was tenuous, but Becky knew when to back off and be giving. Becky and her sister Kylie even found a peace between them, putting their painful past behind them.

Steve really seemed to be exactly what Becky needed. His faith and love really made Becky bloom. She drove him mad, sometimes, because she still had that self destructive button that would go off when least expected, and it took them two tries to get wed but they made it in the end. Love's young dream didn't last long. The wars between Becky and Steve's mother, Liz, sparked off. The mother of Steve's daughter, Tracy, though she was in prison at first, caused as much trouble as she could and even more when she was let out. Becky suffered two miscarraiges and the subsequent adoption quest ended badly when her long lost sister bitterly gave a horrid reference.

Oh yes, Kylie, her sister came into the picture with a dear little boy Max who would prove to be Becky and Steve's final undoing. Becky, once she got her head around being a mother, was heartbroken that she couldn't carry a child and latched onto little Max, nominally to save him from being raised in care since Kylie had not been able to cope herself. She fell in love with the wee boy and did anything and everything she could to keep him, including giving in to Kylie's demands for money even though it put Steve in deep debt, even though Steve's father Jim decided to rob a bank to get the money to buy the pub which would help Steve out of that debt and ended up in jail, even though Becky stole cash from the Alahan's in the aftermath and wreckage from the tram crash to pay Kylie off one more time.

With Kylie's new husband David Platt making noises about wanting Max back for Kylie, and Tracy causing as much trouble as she could, blackmailing them because she knew about the payments, Steve broke. He called Social Services, thinking the truth, once out, would set them free and when they saw Max was being well cared for, nothing would change. How wrong could he be. When Becky lost Max to the Social, she lashed out with a sledghammer, thinking Tracy Barlow was behind the call. Finding out it was her husband? That was the end. The ultimate betrayal.

After that, even though both sides softened eventually, both sides apologized (at different times), they just couldn't make their way back together, especially once Steve turned to Tracy for temporary comfort and ended up getting her pregnant, another knife in Becky's heart.

Tracy miscarried but as "luck" would have it, she fell down the stairs at Becky's flat just a few days later, feeling wobbly and dizzy after an argument. She took full advantage, blamed Becky and Steve believed her. More betrayal. Becky couldn't understand how Steve could believe it. Everyone else believed it too, and that had more to do with her volatile past than their love for the tragic victim. It must have been a difficult choice, who to believe? Becky, who had caused a lot of damage and broken a few hearts, or a convicted liar and bitch?

Tracy, though she's a nightmare, was a lifelong resident of the community where Becky is not and it seemed most of the neighbours closed rants. Most, but not all. Kyle and Becky had made up their differences and with a little help from her friends, and Tracy's enemies, Becky cleared her name and threw Tracy's lies in Steve's face after he married Tracy.

Becky leaves Weatherfield in triumph, looking to the stars in hope for a bright future and I hope she gets it. She seems to know she's worthy of being loved, she has a lot more confidence in herself these days though you know the party girl is still close to the surface. Getting to be a step-mom to little Billy, son of the gorgeous Danny is going to be the making of her. She'll get to be a mom, something she wants with all her heart. Billy won't fill the Max-shaped hole but she knows Max is going to be ok with his mum and David now and Billy will make his own space in her heart as will delicious Danny.

Becky had to leave with her head up. I would have hated for her to leave with her name besmirched, her head hung low, without hope, tail between her legs. Katherine Kelly, the wonderful Katherine Kelly who played Becky, wanted to leave Coronation Street. She's spoken about how they would probably not have split up Steve and Becky if she hadn't wanted to go but she gave them plenty of notice to work up a good storyline, rather than slap something together half-hazardly.

Katherine Kelly is an amazing actress and she'll go far. She had chemistry with everyone she worked with and, for me, made Becky entirely believable. I know some people gave her stick for overacting, and they didn't like that Becky was always screeching and going off the rails, loud and violently, but I always felt that was entirely within character for Becky. Everyone has their own opinion but my place on Team Becky has never wavered.

Sunita has boobs!

2012-01-22T17:13:00.000-04:00

What the heck happened to Sunita!?? We've known her for a long time now. She's dressed up and dressed down, she's a sexy woman but never in all her years has she exposed that much cleavage, even when she was bent on snaring a man like Ciaran or Dev.

Yet one hissy fit and one new job later, behind the bar, and her cups runneth over. I wonder if she dressed so provocatively specifically to wind up Dev who had been treating her like a doormat...for years, really. I can't blame her for getting fed up and quitting her job in the shop. Dev is a sexist twit for all he thinks of himself as a modern playboy type of guy. It's ok for him to dress sharp and speak softly and smoothly, flashing his hooded "bedroom" eyes at the "Ladeez" but it's not ok for his wife (no, they aren't actually married) to display herself in front of drunks and punters.

Ok, in a way, I can see his point. I'd be uncomfortable with people giving my partner ogling looks, too. Still, it's not as if she's working in a lap dancing club or a strip bar either. But... on the other hand, Sunita has *never* dressed with such low cleavage and an industrial strength push up bra! I can only think she went out and bought them on purpose because I doubt either of those wardrobe choices were in her closet prior to that.

Did she look hot? Yes she did! Her heavier-than-usual makeup looked smoky and sexy, too, as did her shiny, beautiful hair. It just struck me as way out of character for her to be falling out of her top like that. Maybe she was making a point as Dev suggested and we will see her ramping it back just a bit from here on.

Personally, I don't really think Sunita suits the pub as barmaid. She seems out of place there and the bar doesn't really seem to need the extra staff, either. I have a feeling that they have Sunita in place to take over the food service when they write Betty's death into the show, though she would still be working as barmaid too, as Betty did. I can see her in that role as cook/barmaid for some reason.

Thoughts?

A summary of 2011 storylines

2012-01-19T11:09:00.000-04:00

Summary of what happened by family, as much for my own memory as anyone else's.

Platts:
David married Kylie (Double wedding with Graeme and Xin), heir apparent to the Salon. Kylie and David get custody of Max, in time for Christmas
Nick encouraged Peter to drink to get Leanne to leave him, reopened Bistro, fling with Becky, got together with Eva Price.
Gail - jobless for most of year, then cleaner at Bistro, war with Kylie
Audrey - Dated transvestite Marc. lovely man. Terrible taste in clothes and wigs

Windasses:
Adopted Faye
Eddie left
Anna and Owen get together
Gary suffers Post traumatic stress (confined Izzy to house to "protect" her and subsequent break up.) Gets back together with Izzy at Christmas

Websters:
War of the Websters divorce wars
Lottery win for Kevin. See above
Sally takes Kevin in after injury, temporarily.
Sophie caught in scam at homeless shelter, involving some of Kevin's lottery win
Sophie fell off church roof
Sophie splits with Sian after asking her to marry her, then reconciles. Kisses Amber on night out and develops a crush, re-proposes to Sian who finds out about Amber on wedding day because of Kevin's big mouth and jilts Sophie, leaving the street. Amber is not gay, Sophie is broken hearted.
Rosie - continues to model, living with Jason, kidnapped by Stape again
Bill - engaged to Pam, heart attack, disappears again
Sally dates Jeff, Rosie's boss, dumps him after he encouraged Rosie to speak to press about Stape business, spilling all family's secrets. Laid off from Factory, works for Frank Foster's new factory.

Barlows:
Tracy: blackmails Steve and Becky because she knows about them buying Max. Works at pub, finally drives wedge between Steve and Becky, sleeps with Steve, gets pregnant with twins, becomes an item with Steve, miscarries twins and blames Becky.
Deirdre: took up pottery, gets tangled in Tracy's lies about the miscarraige.
Ken: takes in grandson James, horrified at homeless shelter scandal that James is part of, falls out with neighbour Kevin over lottery scam
Amy develops an allergy to dairy products but deliberately drinks milk to make herself sick to get her parents to be nice to each other.

Peter and Leanne: Tracy tells Peter about Nick and he humiliates her at wedding vow renewal but they get back together. Leanne has miscarraige. Carla still hankers after Peter. Leanne's mother returns. Leanne suspects Peter and Carla of affair, but later in the year, Peter and Carla do start an affair

McDonalds:
Jim wants to buy pub to help Steve's finances but robs bank to get the money and goes back to jail. Liz leaves.
Steve and Becky: Battling Tracy over Amy, Max. Becky wrecks Barlows house. Leaves Steve after finding out he called Social Services over Max, divorce.
Steve sleeps with Tracy, gets her pregnant, gets together with her as a couple to help raise kids.
Hires Stella Price and family to manage Rovers.
Becky moves into taxi flat, buys into Streetcars when Lloyd wants out, argues with Tracy and is blamed for her miscarraige. Nearly dies after a fire starts at Christmas. Nick rescues her.

Stape/Battersby:
Chesney moves in with Katy, get pregnant. Move back to Number 3 while...
Stape accidentally (?) kills Joy Fishwick and has a breakdown. Fiz uses some of Joy's estate money (because lawyers think John is Colin). John kidnaps Hoyles and Chesney, tries to get Fiz to run away with him after Colin's body is unearthed. Jumps off hospital roof and escapes. Fiz goes to prison as accessory to the murders and for fraud. Trouble with inmates over drug ring. Convicted. When John returns, kidnaps Rosie, crashes car and confesses on deathbed, Fiz is out on bail, pending investigation.
Chesney loses Schmeichel. Katy gives birth to baby Joseph on Christmas Eve.

Alahans
Money problems, sold off all shops except Corro one because there's no insurance on the ruined shop.
Amber returns, moves into shop flat, having failed out of uni. Amber flirts with Tommy and later Sophie.
Dev proposes, Sunita turns him down.
Aadi may be golf prodigy. Storyline is forgotten.
They discover Becky looted the shop after thinking Steve confessed to it to cover for Becky. Steve repays them.

Dobbs
Tyrone gives baby Jack to Kevin.
He takes in Tommy Duckworth, Jack's grandson, and gives him a job at the garage.
Gives Tina a place to live after breakup with Graeme.
Dates Kirsty, a cop, who moves in. Tina and Kirsty at loggerheads.
Decides to stop drug dealer whose girlfriend is hassling Fiz in prison. Assisted by Kirk and Tommy and Gary.
Nearly kills Kevin after he takes a crowbar to a hydraulic lift and damages it, causing it to collapse on Kevin.

Grimshaw
Eileen arrested and fined for defrauding Owen
Eileen works at Underworld, but is laid off and then works for Frank Foster.
Sean and Marcus reunite and look after little Dylan over summer. Discuss adoption.
Rosie living with Jason
Dennis Tanner discovered to be a distant cousin to Eileen via his mother Elsie Grimshaw Tanner. Julie delighted.
Julie gets together with John/Colin's coworker Brian, victim to UFO joke by Ty and Tommy.
Eileen dates Paul the fireman after he rescues her from being stuck in factory railings but finds out he's married. His wife has Alzheimer's. Eileen keeps seeing him as a friend only.

Peacocks
Claire leaves Weatherfield after revealing she pushed Tracy who fell and got head injury New Year's Eve. Number 13 is sold to Lloyd and Cheryl and later to Steve.

Croppers:
Roy's mother Sylvia arrives after her husband dies. She moves in with Croppers and causes trouble with them and the neighbours. Locks Norris in loo overnight. Uses a competition slogan thrown out by Norris and Mary and wins a cruise. Croppers support Becky, Fiz, look after Hope while Fiz in prison until she gets spot in mother/baby unit.

Miscellaneous

Lloyd and Cheryl buy number 13, rebuild and move in. Cheryl's ex, Chris, moves in after he is discovered to have a brain tumour which he uses to get sympathy with Cheryl. They start an affair. She finds out he's getting better but lied saying it was worse. She leaves alone with Russ. Chris is run out of town when everyone else finds out about his lies. Lloyd is so heartbroken that he leaves Weatherfield for awhile, selling his half of Streetcars to Becky who uses her divorce settlement from Steve.

Maria dates Chris who dumps her when he finds out he has a brain tumour.
Maria works at Underworld but is scared by client Frank Foster who she feels attempted to rape her and she quits and returns to salon. Supports Carla after Frank rapes Carla.

Frank Foster buys into Underworld, gets together with Carla who doesn't love him but can't have Peter. Takes the blame for Carla drunkenly running Stella down. She calls off the wedding the night before and he rapes her. His mother takes over his role in factory. Carla attempts suicide, saved by Peter. Frank starts his own factory and steals business and workers from Carla.

Kirk gets job at Underworld, as does Becky but Becky, Eileen and Sally work for Frank after being laid off by Carla.

Tina makes Graeme marry Xin for immigration. Graeme and Xin fall in love and leave town. Tina moves in with Tyrone and Tommy, dates Dr. Carter

Dennis Tanner returns after 40 years. Moves in with Rita.

2011 "Awards"

2012-01-19T10:41:00.001-04:00

Rather than the usual "Best Actress", "Best Storyline" type of awards that you usually see at the end of every year, I like to pick out awards or shout outs that are a little on the
off-centre side of things. There are the occasional "Best" awards but mostly just the highlights/lowlights catagorized. As always, they're my own opinion and just as they occurred to me. There's probably loads more. Feel free to add your own!

Without further ado:

Realistic storyline:
Gary's post traumatic stress. Very well done.

Regrettable departure:
Eddie Windass

Best use of an attack tool:
Peter threatening Nick in the wreck of the Joinery with a metal pipe.
Becky trashing the Barlow house with a sledgehammer.

Dirtbag/Slime bucket
Frank Foster for raping Carla
Nick for encouraging Peter to drink so he could get Leanne back
James Cunningham for being in on the homeless shelter scam resulting in Sophie stealing money from her father.

Best/Worst Wedding
Peter found out about Leanne's fling with Nick and humiliated her at their wedding vows
Sian and Sophie's non-wedding. Father of the Bride questioned her doubts. Pretty dresses, though.

Cow of the year
Tracy Barlow
Kirsty Soames
Runner up Tina McIntyre (McIntiresome), Eva Price

Good clean fun: (funniest scenes/storylines)
Stape instructing a tied-up Rosie on the murder timelines and quizzing her
Beth and Steve's reunion, complete with moon-faced muteboy
Deirdre's World of Pottery
Kirk, Tyrone and Tommy, Drug Dealer conquerors (ludicrous, yes, but it made me laugh)

When is it going to end aka Dullest storylines:
Graeme and Xin and the immigration scam
Departure of the Gray family.

Was that such a good idea?
Letting Chris move in with Lloyd and Cheryl due to his brain tumour.

Guinness record for most years without a spine
Steve McDonald

Romantic moment:
Peter and Leanne at the train station.

Best Twists and Turns storyline
Stapewich/Stapegate

2011 annual award for Unjustly Imprisoned:
Fiz Stape taking the "I didn't do it" trophe from Gail who got it from Deirdre.

Horror Storyline
Unearthing rotting Colin Fishwick, Fiz had to help John dispose of the body

Rocky Road
Peter and Leanne's marraige. Her affair, his injury, his boozing, his wedding revelations, her miscarraige, his boozing again, his affair.

Shocking revelations
Fiz found out her husband killed Charlotte and Joy and hid a body under the factory. He then left her to take the blame

He/She's just not that into you
Tommy didn't really fancy Amber once he laid eyes on Tina
Tina doesn't fancy Tommy (yet)
Becky and Nick quickly decided they weren't really meant to be a couple
Chris dropped Maria like a hot potato when he was diagnosed with a tumour

I'll miss you
Liz McDonald
Graeme Proctor
John Stape (hated the character, loved the storyline)
Eddie Windass
Lloyd Mullaney (temporarily)

I won't miss you
Xin Proctor
Claire Peacock
Ryan Connor
Marc the transvestite
Ciaran McCarthy - gone so long that his return and departure was a non-starter
Sian Powers - Sweet kid, spare part

Overstayed your welcome
Michelle Connor
Mary Taylor
Dev Alahan

Fashionista award:
Julie Carp wins again, always decked out wonderfully.
Runner up: Carla Connor, even makes leggings and a long baggy top look chic.

Well matched:
Kylie and David

Double act
Aud and Claud. (Audrey and Claudia)
Julie and Brian
Eva and Kylie (double trouble)

Cutest baby award:
Baby Jack, Baby Hope

Pointless character
Jeff
Matt Carter

Best new character
Sylvia
Beth (squeaked in just under the wire, a shoo-in for 2012)
Karl (I think he's got potential)

Best/Worst return:
Best: Dennis Tanner. I wish they'd do more with him!
Worst: Amber. She's not as sparky and fun anymore. Just annoying

Most annoying
Dev Alahan
Tracy Barlow
Tina McIntyre

Dropped storyline
David's epilepsy

Saddest moments:
Death of Schmeichel
Leanne's miscarraige

Much Ado about Nothing
After all the hullaballoo about Michelle Collins joining as Rovers Landlady, she's turned into a bland character, injected unnecessarily into every storyline as the Earth Mother, the Confidant, the Saviour.

Boarding House Rules:
If Jason still owns the flat and must be paying a mortgage on it, why is he living with his mother? If Nick is running a successful restaurant, why is he still living with his mother?

And see a summary of the 2011 main storylines by family here.

Mad Kirsty - What's up with her?

2012-01-10T08:51:00.001-04:00

At first, I wasn't too sure about Kirsty Soames. I thought maybe I liked her. She did seem sparky and fun and lifted Tyrone's spirits. She had an awful lot of hair, though, even more than dull Cheryl so I worried...

Needlessly, as it turns out. Tina and Kirsty started off on the wrong foot and at first it seemed as though it was merely that. But you know, with soaps, there's always more to it than what's on the surface. Sure enough, Tina's claims that Kirsty was causing her grief began to sound more and more like a petty grudge with Kirsty coming off as the innocent party, victim of Tina's accusations for no apparent reason. That means, in soap terms, that she's the "little girl who cried wolf", aka, Tina's not just whistling Dixie.

It's becoming clear that Kirsty is actually doing things to sabotage Tina, and she's isolating Tyrone from his friends, especially female ones. She's showing signs of possessiveness and jealousy, beyond the norm. She's taking Tina's accusations and then throwing smug looks and icy stares back at her. Nobody believes Tina yet, Kirsty is that good at covering her tracks and making herself sound like just a bit on the jealous side.

The fact that Kristy is a police officer ups the game. This has happened before on a lesser scale when a cop boyfriend of Janice Battersby set up Les. He used his power to make it seem like Les instigated an assault on him when Les was just defending himself. But he forced Emma Watts to back him up, cops' honour and all that, and Les spent time in jail for it. Kirsty is using her position, too, to have Tina's car clamped, or having her harassed as a shoplifter. That puts a different spin on the pseudo-stalker storyline, I think.

She could very well turn out to be a nutter like some of the classic Corrie nutters of the past. There was nurse Carmel Finnan who became obsessed with Martin Platt. There was whack-job Maya Sharma who blew up Dev's shops, one with Dev and Sunita in it! There was Casey, Claire's friend who aimed at taking over Claire's life. Will Kirsty end up being another wild eyed bunny boiler? Actually, I hope not.

I hope they take this in a bit of a different direction. Kirsty obviously has control issues and she is most definitely possessive and jealous beyond the point of just being a bit protective of the one she loves. I don't want this to be an obsession. I don't want her to break Tyrone's heart though I fear she probably will.

Kirsty is turning into a character I love to hate and that's down to the actor, Natalie Gumede who plays DC Kirsty Soames. She's great at those smug looks, when Kirsty manages to keep Tyrone on side and get one up on Tina. She does that icy look so well that the hackles on the back of *my* neck twitch when she gives Tina one of those looks-that-could-kill behind her back. "I'll get you and your little dog, (Tommy) too!!!" you can almost hear her cackle. Any time now, I expect to see one of her eyes twitch with a full on psychotic wide-eyed stare.

It's getting to where I feel like everything Kirsty does and says is all an act to keep Tyrone under her thumb but once in awhile you see a crack of vulnerability like when Kirsty brought home an artificial Christmas tree but the rest had already bought a real tree and decorated it. She felt hurt and left out and it showed. But then the tree lost it's needles and she got to use hers after all. It was back to feeling smug that she got her own way again!

I think we've got a lot more story to tell when it comes to Kirsty Soames. I hope they make it interesting with layers, not just a plain bog-standard psycho yet again. Kirsty and Tina will probably never be mates but I hope they soften her a bit as she becomes more confident of Tyrone's love and she can make peace with some of his friends, maybe even make one or two of her own. If they don't, we won't see her for long. She'll burn out and become a villain instead of a complex character and that would be a shame.

State of the Street - December 2011

2012-01-01T09:49:00.000-04:00

Now that Carla's back, Underworld has staggered to its feet and is soldiering on. The feud with Fosterworld continues with a slight edge to Carla's lot but Sally has developed the inevitable crush on Frank. No surprise there, is it? She's always had a soft spot for a cultured voice and a man in a suit. It's part of that upwardly mobile wannabe gene she's got. And speaking of Fosterworld, Sally told Fiz that Frank might be hiring but we've seen nothing of Fiz since. Did she get hired? Is she working? Did she go back to Underworld? Don't leave me hanging!

With the anniversary of the tram crash upon us, Peter freaked out with flashbacks and memories and the urge to drink gets stronger and stronger until he tumbled off the wagon. Carla tried to hang on to her emotions while waiting for the rape trial and the pair of them shored each other up. Looks like that old black magic has done it's work. Peter and Carla were having an illicit affair by Christmas. I guess it was inevitable but I don't think it will last either.

Peter promised Carla but when it came down to it, he couldn't tell Leanne the real reason why they should split up and he tried to turn it on her, making it sounds like she's nagging and unsupportive. Obviously all his excuses rolled off her shoulders and she's determined to stick by him no matter what. If she knew about Carla, she'd have chucked him out before he had the chance to leave. Peter couldn't really do much in the face of her determination. Not yet anyway so the affair goes underground with Carla the perennial other woman, crying and alone when Peter has to spend time with his family.

And just like every other affair, it's going to be conducted in secret because he can't leave his wife and Carla will put up with what little time she can get from him. And we have to suffer through them being all mushy and loved up for the duration. Peter's had prior experience juggling two women so it's kind of second nature to him and he, like his father, doesn't really have the backbone to leave what he knows for what he doesn't unless forced (i.e. wives throwing him out)

Well Owen is sure taking over at Anna's and Faye doesn't like it one little bit. I know the shed was probably an eyesore and apparently the floor of it wasn't safe but couldn't he just have replaced the floor? He *is* a builder after all. Instead we have big, bad, Owen building a fish pond in the back garden. Would you credit it? Do you think he's softening up with his involvement with Anna? I think he's still got that bully boy underneath it all and if Faye continues to push his buttons like she's doing, she could be in for a shock, especially with David and Kylie already pushing his buttons. He'll be running hot under the collar and it won't take much.

And that feud? A bit childish isn't it? I gotta say, though, as much as one is just as bad as the other, I rather enjoy seeing Owen get bested every now and then. He deserves it for being such a bully and a plonker. I think it's kind of funny at times but I also think the devil spawn Faye may just take advantage of it.

I felt so bad for Becky this month. She started the slide downhill with the divorce and though was trying so hard to get her life back in order and start again, it must have been horribly hard. There's Max back living under her feet practically. That has to hurt. And Steve flaunting Tracy who flaunted her pregnancy. Then of course Tracy manages to get Becky accused of pushing her down the stairs causing her to lose the babies she lost the week before already. Becky only really bought into the cab firm because she was hoping she and Steve would make a new connection and get back together.

Never mind that everyone knows that Tracy has a hate on for Becky as bad as Becky has one on for her and never mind that Tracy has been caught out more than once scheming to wind up Becky and push her buttons. And never mind that even though Deirdre has often suspected Tracy of misbehaving, this time she knew damn well and yet she still let Tracy accuse Becky, succumbing to lame blackmail. Shame on her!

Becky really hit rock bottom and nearly smoked herself out, life threatening to go down in flames, literally! Nick to the rescue! Maybe now Becky can sort herself out and find something happy. She's got nowhere to go but up and partnering with Streetcars probably wasn't the smartest move since it keeps her in contact with Steve which is what she wanted. First move is go to the police. She laid it all out. It really wouldn't make sense if it were true that Tracy wouldn't go to the police though I don't know why Tracy was so bothered. Why not just lie to the authorities? She's done that before except, I suppose, a jury didn't believe her anyway and she got banged up.

I can't get over how vile Steve and Tracy are being to Becky. I know, I know, if you thought someone pushed you and caused a miscarraige, you wouldn't be inviting them for tea. Steve should know Becky better to think she'd do it deliberately. Though it wasn't, it could have been an accident. Tracy could have got away with that but she wants the best-for-her outcome. Deirdre has almost cracked a few times but Tracy is very good at emotional blackmail. It was telling that she didn't go to the police and that should have make her parents suspicious right from the start, Ken at least if not Deirdre as well. Would Tracy have been arrested if she'd falsely accused Becky and it could be proven? Not sure. But the truth will come out, it has to.

And marrying Tracy? Seriously, Steve? He's gone from Karen to Becky to Tracy? Does anyone else spot the pattern here because he sure doesn't. Well, I really don't think this wedding will happen because the truth has to come out. I can't imagine why he would stay with her in the face of yet another nasty trick discovered. I also can't imagine why he wouldn't try to get custody of Amy and use a little blackmail himself to do it.

Max is back and Kylie wasn't very happy about his bond with Becky. She never did have a lot of confidence in her own ability to be a mum and it was only David pushing her and supporting her that got her to agree to try to get him back. She doesn't have a bond with Max and she knows it and I hope they continue to show her trying hard to form that bond, sometimes not quite getting it right. I also hope David continues to be as supportive as he has. He's turning his life around and this marraige and now little Max both seem to be the making of him. Finally!

Tina's really really REALLY annoying me and her mouth is getting gobbier and gobbier. And this feud with her and Kirsty is a non-starter. Tina needs to move out. Why is she still there? It was only meant to be temporary! But the more we see of Kirsty, the more we are realizing that she's not quite what she seems. Tina just might be right now we are seeing more of Kirsty's uber-possessiveness and jealousy of any of Ty's female friends. Any person that isolates you from your friends is to be deemed suspicious.

And the month ended with Sophie and Sian's wedding. The dresses were fairytale lovely. Why on earth would Sian take offence just because Sophie seemed a bit nervous reading her vows? Immediately, she thinks Sophie has doubts and the wedding's off. Huh? Looking at it from Sian's point of view, she has no reason to think that. Looking at it from the viewers' point of view, of course we know that Sophie had a crush on Amber and Amber was pushing all her buttons. Most of us grown ups watching are all thinking "Well they're both too young to get married anyway!"

Katy gives birth while playing Mary at the Nativity play, rather ironically, and almost literally in a manger. Didn't any of the mothers in the audience twig that Katy was having contractions. Owen was taking out his worry on everyone and being vile. Nothing new there, then. The birth was like most soap births, a bit of screeching and then a somewhat greasy baby presented and everyone's happy. Never mind. Katy was home in an instant but then they do that these days. I keep getting the feeling that Chesney and Katy look like kids playing house with a doll. At least they admit to being scared but they're so young! I know Chesney has had a harder life than most and he's had to grow up to survive but Katy has been sheltered and it's not going to be easy for them. I hope that's brought out in storylines in future.

Wedding Blues

2011-12-31T11:07:00.002-04:00

The brides looked really lovely in fairytale frothy dresses. The house and the church were decorated in white flowers, white for innocence. But one of the brides had doubts and in the face of God, couldn't manage to get the words out. The father of that bride spoke up. He knew his daughter had some collywobbles. So did her friend/employer, even more than her father. And the bridesmaid who was at the root of the doubts knew that the bride was making a mistake.

I think the guests at Coronation Street weddings must be getting used to weddings getting interrupted and not coming off. We had two this year alone! No wonder Rita hasn't bought a new hat for one in awhile. She's worn that black furry thing for most occasions in the last few years.

Sophie might be over her crush on Amber, but it served to show her that maybe she's not ready to settle down. I do believe she loves Sian and loved her all through everything else she was feeling but at 17, is that enough? Kevin didn't think so. He tried to talk to her in the conservatory with that sad Adele song in the background and then he was the one that stopped the wedding when Sophie was hesitating.

Sophie herself tried to talk to Sian but Sian overwhelmed her with loved up words and gifts. Most of us grownups have been watching this unfold and thinking that we knew 17 was far too young to get married and it will all end in tears and that's what happened. Kevin and Sally both felt that way about it but when the girls tried to elope, they backed off and went along with it. Sometimes you have to let your kids make their own mistakes but faced with them running way, they were in a hard place. I'm sure both of them felt it was a mistake, too, even before Kevin discovered Sophie was having doubts.

And it most definitely did all end in tears. Wailing, crying, sobbing, shrieking on the street. Should Kevin have interrupted the wedding like that? Did it hurt him like a knife through his heart to see his little girl in a white, frothy, soggy heap on the pavement with her heart in pieces all over the cobbles? I bet it did but I also think he did the right thing.

Sophie had a crush on Sian and she had doubts. By the time she got to the altar, she was over it but the doubts were still there and before her God, she couldn't say the words. She's 17. She's a kid no matter that she wants to be considered grown up. Sian was her first love and it was difficult because coming out as a lesbian is not going to be easy for anyone much less a teenager. All of that is a lot to get your head around at the best of times but at 16 and 17 when your hormones are all over the place and when you aren't as mature as you think you are, marraige a disaster in the making.

It's telling that Sophie wanted to hurry along the wedding to prove to herself that she didn't love Amber. Amber was only winding up Sophie at first but she knew Sophie was making a mistake. I think she just went about it the wrong way, trying to play on her emotions. Or maybe that was the only way she could have done it to really make Sophie think.

Sophie and Sian were a really good couple, I'm not saying thatthey weren't. Best friends turned into lovers and they were really sweet together. But they were still kids. I think the same way about Chesney and Katy, moving in together and planning a baby. They really aren't equipped to handle the really tough times that are going to happen. Relationships are hard work and even harder at that age. Chesney might be more mature than Sophie because he's not had a sheltered life. He's had to learn how to survive in spite of Cilla so maybe he's grown up a bit faster but Katy has been most definitely sheltered even though Owen has brought her up on his own. I don't know if they can survive as a couple, as sweet as they are together.

But this isn't about them, I only mentioned them to point out some similarities and so you know I am not approving of one and not the other as "too young".

I still felt bad for both Sophie and Sian and had to swallow hard a few times watching Sophie in a heap on the ground and Sian crying her eyes out in the car. Sophie is blaming her father but down deep I think she'll realize she really only has herself to blame. She's got to find a way to pick up and make a future for herself. She's had a bad year, too, what with the revelation of her parents' breakup, the tram crash, dropping out of college, falling off the church and now having her relationship blow up. I'd like to see her go back to school and maybe university. She always had the potential before and would have been ok in college if her life hadn't got on top of her.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Streeters!

2011-12-23T20:13:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone that visits us here a very happy holiday season, whichever holiday you celebrate! All the best for a peaceful and happy New Year!

Defending Peter and Carla...sort of

2011-12-19T09:36:00.000-04:00

I've been reading a lot of really negative reaction to the pairing of Peter and Carla and I'm here to defend them. Kind of. I am not a fan of the couple. I really prefer Leanne and Peter together but I don't think this is the worst couple "ever", as I've read some people declare. One person even said it was worse than Kevin and Molly.

At the risk of coming over all Panto, Oh No It Isn't! Nothing could be as cringeworthy as "Molvin". That had to be the most ill-conceived pairing every and that is most definitely pun-intended.

I think Peter and Carla do have a certain chemistry and and I like both characters as well, just not as a romantic couple but you have to have triangles on soaps, it's a stape plot device. We could see this one building up for over a year so at least it didn't feel like it was thrown together. Kevin and Molly should never have been a full blown affair. It would have been understandable if Kevin had developed a middle age crush on a cute young woman but all the rest was repugnant even if it did provide storyline fallout and fodder for another whole year.

Some people don't like Alison King as an actor. I didn't at first but she seems to have relaxed into her character and they've written some vulnerabilities into her character as well. I've long been a fan of Chris Gascoyne and I find he has chemistry with whoever he's on screen with. I do find it a bit out of character that Peter would disappear for 24 hours without letting anyone know he was ok, mainly for Simon's sake but he's an addict and I think he's about to replace booze with Carla.

I don't think they'll end up together long term but this will again create a catalyst for the storylines without which we wouldn't have much to watch, now, would we? With Leanne fighting her corner, and Ken lecturing Peter on his failures and Simon's disappointed little face tugging at our heartstrings, we will ride this one out as we do everything else, waiting for the outcome and fallout.

Why Peter and Carla won't work out

2011-12-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

Right. So after that blog post from a few weeks back about who Peter will choose and who he *should* choose, he's now gone after Carla. He loves her, he thinks maybe marrying Leanne was a mistake and is going to leave her.

One of the things he said on Friday night's episode was that he was treating her like he did booze, like a bad thing he had to stay away from. That is it in a nutshell. That's why this isn't going to work in the long run.

Peter is a man of addictions and I think Carla is one of them for him. It may or may not really be love but then he really loves booze too, in a love/hate sort of way. He thinks it makes all his problems go away but really, they only make them worse and that's what is going to happen with Carla, too.

Carla understands him in ways that Leanne doesn't because she's flawed like he is. So is Leanne but it's different. Carla has a drink problem and can identify with Peter's. Pity the writers seem to have forgotten that Leanne was once addicted to cocaine but then, that was only a flash in the pan thing anyway and probably best left in the past.

If I was Leanne's friend, and Simon wasn't involved in the equation, I think I'd tell her to leave him and let him stew in his own boozy juices. Love him she may but he's going to drag her down eventually. But Simon is involved and if he's going to have to watch his father's ups and downs like this, at least he's got Leanne to hold on to and help keep a little normalcy in his life. If she can stick it out, that is. And if she can't, then she might almost have a case for getting custody. Too bad she's not formally adopted Simon yet. I know there was talk about it but I don't think it went any further than that.

You know all this business about Leanne having trouble getting pregnant, already having been assured by the doctor that though it may take a bit longer, it could still very likely happen? Don't you think it's pretty obvious that she's going to get pregnant and quite likely Carla will as well? Standard Plot device. They used it before with Maria when Carla nearly took Liam off her. Maybe that's Weatherfield's cure for infertility, have your fella fall in love with Carla and bob's your uncle!

I really don't think Peter and Carla are suited, not for the long run. I think Peter needs Leanne and Simon a lot more than he realizes. I really don't think this relationship with Carla is going to go the distance but whether he and Leanne will manage to salvage anything is still up in the air.

State of the Street - November 2011

2011-12-01T20:35:00.001-04:00

Fiz was sentenced but don't worry, She was later released pending an appeal which of course, she'll get. Meanwhile, Chesney lost his beloved dog and nearly put him and Katy in the poorhouse. One question was answered, I see Ches and Katy did in fact give up their flat to move into Number 5 because that's the flat that Brian and Julie are now renting. I guess they're all sharing the house now. Gonna be a bit crowded when the baby comes along!

John's funeral was appalling, only in that Sally really made a show of herself. I can understand her anger but for someone that thrives on appearances, she sure made a nasty scene. The man is dead, for whatever he did, his funeral is not the time to muck rake. She didn't like Rosie airing the dirty laundry all over the newspaper. Was doing this any different because she wasn't paid for it and there was no photographer? And the Vicar asking for memories? Surely Chesney who arranged it would have given him a heads up to keep the service short.

It's not even as if John really did threaten Rosie's life, ever. Both times he kidnapped her, he never harmed her. It doesn't make it right and of course Sally was scared witless but she really did blow it all out of proportion but that's typical Sally. At least she finally backed off and realized what she'd done but did she apologize? Of course not, she had time to think about it and when Fiz came back to the Street, she started right up again until Fiz found her inner Cilla and nearly put Sally in hospital and she'd have had it coming if Fiz actually did hit her! I kind of wish she had really. Sophie, Rosie and Rita brought Sally up short and maybe made her think even if she never will change her mind completely.

And nobody really thought Fiz would leave the Street, did they? So what happens next? Surely Fiz must be able to get some job seekers' benefits now she's out of prison, at least until she gets a job with the rapist. Does she know about Frank and Carla? Surely someone has told her. But she's desperate for a job at the moment. Even so, I really don't think she would ever consider working for Sally who's the supervisor nor would I ever believe Sally would actually hire her, having to work under the same roof as the woman who was married to the man that kidnapped Rosie twice, and who she believes knew all about it no matter what she says or how she may have backed off a bit. Sally did recommend Fiz check at Fosterworld but we haven't seen Fiz since. Did she apply for the job? Is she working?

Speaking of flats, Jason's and Tina's flat went forgotten since it was rebuilt in January/February. No word about how difficult it was to sell. Why didn't Jason just move in there since he's been paying mortgage anyway? Rosie might not have liked it but surely it was better than staying in the Grimshaw Boarding House? Besides, rebuilt, it isn't really the same flat he stayed in with Tina. And why doesn't Tina ever mention it? Why didn't she stay there instead of Tyrone's? She must be contributing to the mortgage too so would be equally entitled to it. Now, neither of them have can use it since it's Chris and Cheryl's love nest. For a minute. It was hardly worth them moving in, they moved out again so quickly. I consider it my Christmas miracle that they were gone before then.

Eileen has been dragged into Pitiful Paul's life again. He wanted her to help him find his wandering wife. But he had the police on it and he could have had the whole Fire Department at his disposal. I guess he really does care for her and I'm sure is a very lonely man. Tugs at your heartstrings doesn't it? I'm sure it's a tough position to be in. The lady playing his wife Leslie is very believable.

Michelle and Ciaran are back and it seems Michelle has got her degree from the S.S. Carribean Cruise line, that offshore floating college where you sing for your qualifications. She's running the factory and loving it and Ciaran's feeling like dead weight. He likes life on the high seas and it just wasn't meant to be. I think even if they had got married, he'd have ended up hating Weatherfield and feeling tied down. It wouldn't have lasted.

I've already blogged about the exit of Cheryl and Chris and Lloyd's hearbreak here.

Peter's choice

2011-11-30T10:33:00.001-04:00

Spoilers say Peter Barlow is going to drink again and is going to finally give in to his feelings for Carla. This makes me sad. I know that happy families on soaps are said to be boring and hardly anyone stays married for long. Love triangles are the staple of soaps and with Peter and Carla sniffing around each other for so long, I guess it was inevitable. But it still makes me sad.

I really liked Leanne and Peter and Simon as a family. They've managed to overcome an awful lot and still stick together. They're a far better family than Peter and Carla and Simon would be even if Carla discovers her inner maternal gene. I don't think Simon will take to her easily if it goes so far as to have the three of them move in together. There's no word on the horizon yet what the outcome of this all will be but if and when Leanne finds out about an affair with Carla, will she be able to get past it? Or will she take it as Karma after her fling with Nick?

And does Peter truly love Carla? We know he probably feels she understands him better than Leanne because she, too, has a drinking problem. But then, she's never really completely accepted she's got one and has never stayed sober for very long. She's not a raging drunk, but she does drink too much and she knows it but she doesn't really consider herself an alcoholic, I think.

Carla always seems to me to be the epitome of "The Other Woman" with her dark, exotic and sultry looks. She's not the type you would expect to see in the kitchen with a pinny on, busy baking chocolate chip cookies is she? She always looks more like the glamour girlfriend of a footballer. Leanne, on the other hand, is pretty but less glamourous but she really does have that homemaker ability.

Both women are strong and both women came from a rough background. Both are flawed and have made some big mistakes in the past but have clawed their way past them to make better lives for themselves. They've loved, lost, loved and lost again. Leanne is softer, less brittle and Carla just might have the edge in determination.

What of Peter? Certainly he's not a strong man. He's definitely got parent issues. He lost his mother when he was a child and his father sent him away to be brought up by his grandparents. It felt like he was abandoned by both parents. He seems to have inherited his father's gene for the lack of ability to resist women and he's carrying a chip on his shoulder the size of the Blackpool tower. He's an alcoholic, one still prone to lapses and he means well, but he doesn't always manage it. He's a screw up and a bit of a nightmare but somehow, he and Leanne really fit together.

Carla seems to have touched something inside him. Maybe it's two damaged people reaching out, trying to keep each other from going under. For her, it does seem like she's grown to love him. This is at least the second time she's fallen hard for a man that she shouldn't. The first time, she was with Paul Connor when she fell for his brother and this time, she's gone for Peter who's married. She runs to other men that she doesn't really love (Tony, Frank) when she can't have the ones she really wanted and look how that's turned out? Also, two of her lovers/husbands have died with rumours of a death in store for Frank as well. Should Peter be worried?

Each coupling has their fans. Some do think Peter and Carla are better together than Peter and Leanne but I don't. It makes me sad that the little Barlow family may be split up. I'm also not surprised that Peter will start drinking again, though it's unknown as to whether it will be a long stretch or just a short lapse. Peter being the type of person he is, is more likely to fall off the wagon numerous times. He's weak when it comes to resolve for anything and seems to be able to resist anything except temptation.

Speculation:

If Peter leaves Leanne for Carla, I suppose it will provide storyline ramifications to play out which is what they need. How will Carla cope with a very unruly Simon who will resent her for ousting Leanne from his life? We'll definitely see little Simon acting out, maybe running away, getting into trouble. Will Leanne fight for Peter? Will she even want to ? Or will the classic soap twist happen all over again, same as when Liam was going to leave Maria for Carla... Will Leanne get pregnant just as the marraige crumbles? Carla may see her nightmare happening all over again. This time, though, maybe Leanne will refuse to take Peter back and raise the baby on her own.

In soaps, it all goes around in circles. There are only so many storylines you can tell but you can tell them each in different ways. People complain about repetitive storylines. Why do they never complain about yet another love triangle? They are the stuff soaps are made of, with standard plots and plot devices. Marraiges will always fall to the influence of another woman or man. Babies will be conceived via a fling with someone, usually ill-advised. Alcoholics usually fall off the wagon. Murderers die or go to jail. Long time "villains" (like Mike Baldwin) always have some redeeming qualities. Some people are perpetual losers in love.

Thus, Peter falls off the wagon and is going to have an affair. So it goes.

edited to add: On a very related note, Inside TV has a great interview with Jane Danson and Chris Gascoyne on just this very thing!

Lloyd's Heartbreak

2011-11-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

Usually when a man gets his heart broken on a soap, he gets drunk, he gets angry and maybe he shags or at least snogs someone else, someone he shouldn't. He might stare off into space moodily. He might snap at his mates. Maybe, just maybe, he might squeeze a little tear out or punch a hole in a wall.

That's why it's refreshing to watch pool Lloyd in bits and pieces. I don't mean that in a smug way. I just mean it's unusual to see a man barely holding his feelings back and it's unusual to see him baring his soul to his male friends and even a female friend without there being any other agenda or mis-placed snogs. You just don't see that side of a male character on a soap.

When it first happened, when he found out about Cheryl and Chris, we saw Lloyd and Steve in the bog of the pub, Lloyd crying in Steve's arms. Have you ever seen that before, one bloke holding another comforting him, in a bog no less? Girlfriends, yes. Absolutely. Then one will help fix the other's runny mascara and shore her up to go face the world again with her brave face on. But two men? Straight men? Never! Most of them are written to be far too macho for that. It's booze and broken knuckles and shattered glass usually.

I also loved the scenes with Lloyd and Becky, who wanted company to drown her sorrows the day she got her final divorce papers. The two of them listened to sad soul music ("What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" comes to mind) and downing shots of tequila while comparing notes.

I feel so bad for Lloyd! I want to cry every time I see that adorable puppy dog face with tears brimming over. If Lloyd were a woman he'd have had mascara streaks down his cheeks for weeks! It makes it seem so much more real, seeing a man in that much distress over a bimbo that broke his heart. He really loved her, body and northern soul.

I never really believed that Cheryl loved Lloyd genuinely. I believe she liked him but he also rescued her from a bad relationship and I always thought it was more of a rebound than true love on her part. Lloyd was the knight driving a shining taxi. He stood up for her, he loved her kid, he was kind to her and gentle with her. He loved her and she deluded herself into thinking she loved him back.

Nobody suggested that Chris' tumour was to blame for his violence and indeed I don't believe it was. I think that's been going on long before there could have been any inkling of a tumour though medically, I could be wrong. Still, it wasn't brought up as a reason but as he dealt with it, he seemed to be the "old" Chris she fell in love with. In reality, he was milking it, using it for all he was worth to gain her sympathy. Sympathy and the old magic lured her back into his bed but when she found out about the lies, she went crawling back to Lloyd. To me, that's one of the worst things you can do and I'm so glad he didn't take her back.

A man's got to have his pride. He'd never trust her again and he knew it.

Lloyd has always been a really brilliant character and Craig Charles always puts in a hugely impressive performance with dramatic scenes like this. He and Simon Gregson make a superb double act and he pretty much has that sparking chemistry with anyone he's in a scene with. Except Cheryl. I'm sorry to say that I never thought the pair of them had any chemistry but that's also not down to the actress. The writers just created a character that was bland and uninteresting and it all went downhill from there, unfortunately.

Anyway, I digress somewhat.

As much as the whole Lloyd/Cheryl/Chris triangle was dreadful, it did show off Craig Charles' acting chops and gave Lloyd some great scenes, real Classic Coronation Street, I think.

Kirk plays a blinder this week

2011-11-19T12:54:00.000-04:00

Kirkeh. He's gormless, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he's true, honest, loyal and the best friend you could have. Kirk has been on Coronation Street screens since October, 2000. He is the older brother of Maria and worked at and ran the dog kennel his parents owned for quite some time.

He's shown time and time again that he can be relied on as a friend and brother and this week surely proves it. As someone that's spent most of his life working with dogs, he knew that Schmeichel was gravely ill and he knew that Chesney wasn't ready to hear it. He took the dog to the vet and broke the bad news and supported Chesney even though he knew Chesney was trying to save a dog that couldn't be saved. But he quietly waited until Ches came to the right conclusion and was there to help the lad grieve.

Later, he paid the vet for the cremation and gave Chesney the urn. What a sweet thing to do! Kirk might not always have a clue but he's kind and generous and he can be thoughtful like that.He also tried to lead a prayer moment in the pub in dedication to a great Dane which had Peter, Karl, Dev and Ciaran giggling into their pints along with me and it was a Classic Corrie moment, that!

After the kennels went out of business, Kirk worked with Ashley in the butcher shop, but I don't think he was all that good at it. Probably frustrated Ashley to no end but even so, it was hard for Ash to lay him off when times got hard. I found it very unfair of Ashley not to rehire him. He hired Graeme instead, when Ashley was already trained and he'd promised Kirk the job back if things got better. Probably Graeme was less clumsy with a cleaver, but that's not the point. How could you look at that puppy dog face of Kirk's and not feel bad?

Now he's working at the factory in the packing department. Probably safer than running a machine. This week he also proved that he's not that bad a poker player. He did learn from Les and said he never could beat him, but I reckon Les cheated! Kirk proved he had a great puh-puh-puh-poker face (sorry, couldn't resist the Gaga moment there). He bested the odious Devster and then got out while he was ahead, claiming priorities. He was hungry!

Over the years, Kirk has provided much amusement for this Corrie fan. What of the matching leather jackets he and Jason got? yes, that was a bit boyfriend/girlfriendly but it wouldn't have dawned on Kirk. He's always been the pawn in various schemes, victim of Les, Cilla, and even Tyrone and Jason, his other best mates. Recently he helped Tyrone and Tommy collar a drug dealer to help Fiz out!

Kirk is one of the lads, mates with Jason and Tyrone from away back but makes friends easily. He's the best brother you could every want. He sure has been there for Maria when it counts.

Kirk also took the blame when Gary got into a fight outside the pub, reckoning that Gary already had a record but Kirk, being clean, would get off with a caution. He hardly knew Gary but stuck his neck out because that's the kind of guy Kirk is.

I laugh at gormless Kirk but I also love him. He's such a steady guy, open and kind, honest to a fault sometimes, and he doesn't know how funny he really is. Kirk is played by the talented Andy Whyment. I've met Andy and of course he's nothing like Kirk but when you see him smile, you can't help seeing goofy Kirk. However there's a lot more behind Andy's sharp eyes than Kirk and he doesn't bumble or stumble and man, can he ever sing! That's when you realize just how much talent he really has.

What's your favourite Kirk moment?

Chesney's got to grow up

2011-11-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

It's devastating to lose a pet. I feel for Chesney, I really do. He's desperate to hang on to his beloved Schmeichel, but there comes a time when you have to do what's best for the dog and for your family.

This storyline, to me, shows me how young Chesney really is and how much more he's got to mature. It's not a criticism. It is what it is. Chesney has always been an old soul in a young body and has had a rough life. He's been in and out of care and had his mother and Les both leave him. His sister, in his opinion, has ruined her life by hooking up with a nutter like John Stape.

But rather than give the dog up, he and his teen love decided they were old enough to move in to a flat together and have a baby. At 16. I've no doubt they'd love the child, but that's an awful lot of responsibility to carry at that young age. Chesney works in a market stall, not the most steadiest of incomes and Katy was trying to finish school before giving birth.

Now Schmeichel is very ill. Chesney is over his head in debt already, not able to keep up the rent payments on Number 5 while Fiz was in prison. He's been distracted and worried about his sister so hasn't been working. Bills are going unpaid. He swallowed his pride and accepted money from Owen for the back rent but then stole it for the veterinarian bills and is about to rack up more with an expensive operation that isn't going to really help the dog in the long run. Chesney is very emotional but Katy can't understand why he can't take responsibility for his bills and provide for her and the baby. That would be the mature thing to do. Chesney doesn't feel very mature right now but right now is not the time to have a meltdown, not with fatherhood impending.

Schmeichel was the only stable thing in his childhood for awhile. It's understandable that he'd be emotional. But if he believes he's old enough to be independent, to be a father and hold up his end of a relationship, he also needs to realize that he has to make hard decisions. Sometimes it's kinder to put an animal to sleep when there's no hope. It's the right thing to do. Everyone else knows it but Chesney can't accept it. It's as if he's reverted to being 12 again and there are no parents left to make him understand that. He won't take advice from Owen who wants to help but has his daughter to think of first.

Poor Ches. I feel bad for him but he's got to grow up and face the reality of the situation. It's going to be the most difficult thing he's had to do to date but we all know it's going to have to be done. Perhaps this will push Chesney into adulthood a bit further. He's going to need every ounce of it he can get with all his other problems on his young shoulders.

State of the Street - October 2011

2011-10-30T10:10:00.002-03:00

The buried fact of Jason and Tina owning the flat over the Kabin has finally reared it's ugly head but only so that John Stape would have a place to tie up Rosie and try to persuade her to testify to his crimes so Fiz will get off. Yeah, right. It was contrived of course but then you could make the argument that a lot of the Stapewich Chronicles was. Now, after yet another kidnapping, Rosie can be smug and bray that she told them all so, yet again. Because it's all about Rosie, right?

It was kind of funny watching John and his flow charts and diagrams and explanations, trying to teach Rosie all the facts surrounding all the murders and crimes. Yet again, though, John continued to blame Rosie for it all, didn't he? She was to blame for his downfall. It wasn't my fault, M'Lud! Why didn't John just write a letter and send it to the judge or something? That would be too easy.

Except now it's all over but the legalities. It's so frustrating watching a trial when the testimonies all get twisted and turned around on the testifiers. You can see the case building up and you can see all the people that mean well have what they say turned into a death sentence when we all know Fiz is innocent. Innocents don't usually get sent down but Fiz was convicted on circumstantial evidence on the same day John's car crashed, persued by enraged Kevin Webster (but then, when isn't he enraged?). He manage to gasp out his confession to Fiz and hold his baby before he died and the lawyers are going to have to hash it all out but you know Fiz will walk free. There's too much reasonable doubt.

Fiz blamed herself. And in a way, she's right. She got sucked in by Stape and he manipulated her emotions. If she hadn't taken him back, she wouldn't be in this position.

Kevin thought he was in there with Sally after spending one night with her. He made up with Pam and let her take Jack for the night so he and Sally could talk. Of course he thought she was going to take him back and he got a shock. He thinks it's only because he told Sophie and jumped to conclusions but of course he is again not accepting responsibility and he's using guilt, bringing the girls into it as well. I do get the feeling Sally's conflicted but in my opinion, I really think she needs to be apart from Kevin. I'm not altogether sure Jeff is the right one but he might be ok for an unserious relationship. A bridge, so to speak. Now Kevin's back to glaring at Sally from the garage or across the Rovers. I don't want them to get back together but in true soap fashion, that could still happen after the long game.

It seems Tracy is having twins and Steve, probably out of excitement, thinks it's a good idea that he and Tracy give it a try together. He just doesn't want her to have an abortion or run off with Amy. And she's being all mature and reasonable, making out she's a changed woman. Now we all know that's bollox and she's a nightmare, evidenced by her throwing Becky's infertility in her face. Poor Becks, I do feel sorry for her. She may have been somewhat the author of her own misfortune, with her jealousy and stealing the money to pay Kylie off after the crash but it takes two and Steve isn't completely blameless in their breakup either.

Where *is* Kylie anyway? And David? They've dropped off the face of the earth and back into the forgotten storyline cupboard after one visit with Max awhile back. Presumably, she's still visiting the lad. Is David as well? He should be so he's not a stranger for Max. Inevitably, Kylie will probably get Max back. I predict a Christmas joyous return.

Carla hit rock bottom, and is dragging herself back up. It's hard for her to keep relying on people, she's not used to that. Now she has to battle Frank in a he-said she-said rape charge and she's got to battle his mother in the factory and Frank is doing everything he can to get his revenge to ruin her. I don't think Carla is going to give in though, she's risen from the ashes before and she'll do it this time. Frank raped her and he will pay for it. Setting up on his own, nicking her laid off workers, taking business away. Will Frank be able to ruin Carla altogether? Of course not. She'll fight him tooth and nail and she'll come out on top in the end, I'm sure of it.

In the meantime, Peter keeps sniffing around her and to me, that's really sending mixed signals. How on earth is Carla supposed to move on if he keeps hugging her and caring for her? Under normal circumstances, if they'd only ever been just friends without either of them having feelings for the other, it wouldn't be a problem but her feelings are well known and he shouldn't be encouraging it, not just for her own sake either but for the sake of his wife! I can't blame Leanne for going off on him. Her jealousy isn't unreasonable this time around. He's got form.

Why did Eileen have to get involved with yet another loser? It's too bad because I did like Paul but chronic losers in love are never going to be happy. The storyline has a twist, though. His wife his Alzheimer's. So it's ok to carry on with someone who's wife keeps forgetting all about her husband anyway? That's pretty low, isn't it? I mean, I can see how hard it must be for him and how lonely he feels with his wife physically there but not. Still, though, he should have been up front about it. It's a tough spot to be in and purists would say he's married and that's an end of it. But sympathetically, and emotionally, that is one man that badly needs a mate. Eileen's right, though, they'd end up in bed. And because this is a soap, she'll justify it through her sympathy for his plight and that's exactly what will happen.

And in case you've been away, or hiding in that storyline cupboard, you already know we've lost Betty Driver at the age of 91. She will be missed very much. Betty could steal a scene with a raise of an eyebrow and a reshuffling of her blouse over those matronly bosoms and light up the bar with a laugh. Her character's death will be written into the show and we'll have a proper sendoff for her on screen. I shall start stockpiling hankies now, I think I'll need them.

So all that hullabaloo about bringing Pam and Bill back on the show to what... shove them back in the cupboard again after Bill has a heart attack? What the heck was that about? Was that putting the spin on the bad publicity because they were unceremoniously let go? TPTB (The Powers That Be) didn't want to seem like they were being callous so they tossed the fans a bone? Will Bill and Pam be back? I'm guessing probably not or only briefly if we are to see a wedding. They'll have the ceremony and fade away yet again. Why bother? Well I know why. It was contrived so that Sally could give Kevin a pity shag giving Kevin a reason to leap to all sorts of conclusions.

Sally, luv, cut out the dead wood. Kevin is dragging you down. I think these two are going to be the Ken and Deirdre of the future. Don't know what to do with them? Get them back together or split them up. Surely there's more to them than that? Maybe they should have put Sally together with Paul the fireman, dealing with his tough marital situation. Or maybe Anna could have developed sympathetic feelings for Kevin instead of Owen? What would you do with these characters if you wouldn't put them back together?

Goodbye Mr. Chips

2011-10-28T20:47:00.001-03:00

I can just see the writers in the back room of a pub somewhere in deep Salford, a bottle of the hard stuff on the table, a laptop open, and pissing themselves laughing at all the twists, turns and bizarre little details they've come up with while writing the saga of Stape. This was their final shot, the worm at the bottom of the bottle of tequila.

For those that don't know, there were two classic movies (based on a book) about a much beloved teacher called Mr. Chips, the name John used to book the flat viewing. The most famous of the two was called Goodbye Mr. Chips. Brilliant!

We've seen the end of John Stape. For real this time. I always knew he'd be back after that swan dive off the hospital roof, but I actually thought he'd do the right thing and turn himself in. Or, if he was that concerned about going back to prison, (or the psychiatric ward) why didn't he write a letter? He certainly spent enough time documenting all the timelines on charts! But noooo. John had to commit one last crime and kidnap Rosie, who of course would go along with any scheme he would dream up. Wouldn't you?

Ludicrous of course. And contrived. But oh, so appropriate for the ending of a story with more twists than the F1 track in Monaco. "Pour another round, lads, what else can we dream up to do with John Stape?"

I have to say it irked me to no end seeing John hiding behind a tree when Fiz arrived at the courthouse. I called him more names than can be uttered in polite society. He skulked and lurked and you could see the madness in his eyes but that's not why he couldn't persuade himself to do the right thing because when has he ever?

Everything he's ever done was self serving. I won't go into the history because I've done that many times. You can tell he'd gone completely bonkers. After all, he'd been hiding out in Anglesey. Case proven, M'Lud! Actually, I jest. It's quite pretty there and in fact, the actor himself spent some time there over the summer so sightings of John Stape near the battlements of Beaumaris Castle could be true!

With his deathbed confession (to the lovely DC Redfearn, no less!) leaving things up in the air while the solicitors and police mull things over, are we to be biting our nails worrying whether there will be a miscarraige of justice? Oh, of course not! It's a soap. Fiz is innocent and justice will prove her so. Besides, even though John is dead, I refer you back to the aforementioned charts and lists and the quizzes he was making Rosie write up in the flat. Surely that backs it all up so it's not just Fiz's word even if Rosie's word is considered hearsay?

Maybe now that John is gone, Fiz can find some sort of life for herself. I'm sure it will be a long time before she can trust anyone. Chesney and Katy have been living at her house, maybe they should all bunk in together with both babies and be one big happy family for awhile. It will keep her mind off things.

I've enjoyed the Stape saga, though I know some have not. I loved the farce, the black comedy, the ludicrous twists and turns and I've enjoyed hating John Stapewick. Kudos, Graeme Hawley, you were brilliant!

We'll all miss Betty Driver

2011-10-18T06:53:00.000-03:00

Another of Corrie's legends has passed away. Betty Driver died on Saturday morning and the Rovers Return will never be the same. I know I'm a bit late jumping onto the blog wagon with this but I still wanted to mark her death on this blog. I've been reading everyone else's and didn't get round to it, I guess.

I've been watching Corrie since 1989 and of course, Betty has always been there. She harumphed, she criticized, she scolded, she joked and had a laugh. She was always a comfort and had a wise word for those who needed it and always took pride in her hotpots. I wonder if anyone has ever counted over the years how many times Betty has quit the bar in a huff, waiting until someone inevitably came on bended knee to beg her to return? Quite a few in my short memory, mainly via Alec Gilroy and the Duckworths but a few others have been on the receiving end as well.

She did not suffer fools and she told it like it was. Yet she was kindness itself. One of my favourite Betty moments was her cuddling poor devastated Claire Peacock after Ashley's death. Another of my favourites was when Betty dressed up as the Fairy Godmother for the panto the other year.

The tributes from castmembers current and past are pouring in and rightly so. She's worked on the show longer than most and has surpassed prior legends such as Pat Phoenix and Julie Goodyear and Jean Alexander. 42 years is nothing to sniff at! Rest in Peace, Betty love.

Stella, we hardly know you!

2011-10-11T09:53:00.000-03:00

Like Flaming Nora over at Coronation Street Blog, I've been willing to give new Rovers licensee Stella a chance. I've not got prior "history" with Michelle Collins since EE was never a regular show for me and I can barely remember her on it as Cindy Beale. (It's only been shown in Canada sporadically over the years).

At first, I found her a bit stiff and awkward. I didn't find her put-on accent that bad though again, it felt a bit stiff but I thought she'd relax into it as she got more experience and I do think that's happened a little. I can't say I'm overwhelmed by her acting skills and her obviously unwrinkled and frozen features hamper her emotional scenes. (yes, I know that's a bit catty but it's sad that female actors feel the pressure to have plastic surgery or freeze their features with Botox in order to look younger)

But have I grown to like Stella Price? I can't really say. She's not really been on the screen all that much since all the fanfare of her arrival back in early summer.

Stella had a few weeks of storyline where Leanne discovered that Stella was her mother. Angst, tears, anger, longing looks. Then Stella and her fella Karl went on holiday. Gee, how many jobs do you get where you can take off weeks after you start?

Stella came back and there was a bit more angst between she and Leanne and then she got knocked over by a drunken Carla. She lie in hospital a week, woke up, sat on the sidelines of the pub or lounged in the back room where we hardly saw her. Things seem to be better between she and Leanne but, Oh Wait! She and Karl are off on holiday again so she can recover. She's been employed as bar manager for about 4 months and between hospital and holidays, she's actually done her job for about half that time.

So what was the point of her big arrival? But how can we warm up to her if we aren't given the chance? You can hardly make fans and influence people if you're never there. Is Ms. Collins finding this acting gig more difficult than she expected? The Powers That Be were fully supportive of her when the media and fans showered criticism on her for her acting and accent but how are they feeling about her performance now?

Stella needs more storyline than reciting her past history and being a stereotypical advise-giving Landlady. She is the Landlady of the Rovers Return, the heart of the show. She needs to be front and centre and involved in storylines, not just on the peripheral. She needs to make friends. Stella has made a connection with Carla, maybe the two of them can be mates. Carla certainly needs one and Stella really hasn't made any close friends yet. She needs to let her hair down with a bottle of wine and a few of the other ladies on the Street. I think Gail could use a gal pal. She's got Sally but you never see them hanging out much anymore. Maybe Stella could give Gail a few hints on how to handle a stroppy daughter/daughter-in-law!

I do like Karl, he really seems like a natural and he's obviously devoted to Stella but we need to know a bit more about him, too. Stroppy daughter Eva is just annoying at the moment though I did like her new friendship with Kylie. They seem suited as mates. Let's see them hang out more.

The Webster Chronicles, Part 753

2011-10-02T15:23:00.002-03:00

Last week, Sally called Kevin "devious". She's right of course. He always was. He was always able to use passive aggression to work his wiles on Sally and it looks like he's tried it again. Did you notice that look of triumph when she said he could stay one last night? How he preyed on her emotions and they ended up in a clinch? Kevin always thinks sex solves everything. And if it doesn't, a healthy serving of guilt just might do the trick.

Even when Sally had found out about the affair and the baby when Molly died, Kevin sunk his teeth in and tried everything he could to keep Sally from throwing him out and he used the first opportunity that came along, his injury, to get his feet back under the table. Surely, she'd realize what she was missing and they'd get back together? Surely?

He keeps saying "I made a mistake" Well... yes he did but it was a very big one and yes, both of them are guilty of affairs in the past and have overlooked and/or forgiven the other for it but this one seems different, deeper. Sally knows Kevin would have left if he hadn't found out she was ill. That's probably the part that cuts the deepest. I never felt Kevin was truly in love with Molly and finding out about Sally's illness thumped him back to earth brutally but it was too little too late.

It's the thing that bugs me most about soaps, the never ending back and forth between a couple that's "meant to be". Horse hockey! When couples have gone through what they have in real life, there would be no going back. The writers say the fans want the couples to stay together so they put them back together and then break them up again because happy couples are boring to watch on television. So instead, we have endless circles of the Websters. Ken and Deirdre are another couple like that. It's almost as if they don't know what else to do with the characters on their own. If one actor isn't leaving the show, the writers will inevitably put these "star crossed" couples through their paces endlessly.

With that in mind, not because she should take him back, but because the writers will make it happen, Sally will probably take Kevin back in the end and raise Jack with him. More fool her. And him, probably.

Read a character study of Sally, Kevin and a blog post about the loves of Sally and Kevin, Part 1 and Part 2.

State of the Street - September 2011

2011-09-29T06:53:00.000-03:00

September was a bit grim wasn't it? Car crashes, Rapes, Bickering.

More drama for Leanne and Stella. This might be the turning point, the accident. Leanne even turned to Stella after a row with Peter over Carla. Leanne and Stella and Eva will be one big happy family soon I suppose. Well, maybe not Eva and Leanne. I think that's going to be a rockier road.

Meanwhile, Frank and Carla's relationship blew out of the water. Frank can hold it over Carla that he took the blame for her dring driving and that relationship went from bad to worse, ending in the rape. Nobody likes to see that sort of storyline. It was tough watching when it was Toyah and it's tough watching now. Because she can't have Peter, Carla took on Frank and then dumped him almost minutes before their wedding. Well, with anyone else, that would have been the smart choice. Back out before it's too late. But control freak Frank didn't take it very well truly believing she was having an affair with Peter and Carla got the worst of it. What is it with her and controlling blokes?

A bit more about this over on this blog post. The more i watch of this, the more i'm very impressed with all the performances and how it was written. Will Peter and Leanne fall apart over his defence of Carla? It looks like it at this point and I can see how she'd be suspicious. You need to trust your husband but he's sure putting out a lot of wrong signals and she knows how Carla feels about him. Frank hissing poison in her ear, too, is adding to the problem. What could really break them up is Peter getting pissed that Leanne won't trust him. Frank is pathological, isn't he? That could be his undoing.

Of course it's another round of Becky, Steve and Tracy. I don't know if i can stand it! Tracy gloating. Becky glaring. Steve looking gormless. How can he stay upright without a spine? I suppose he's got lots of practice. As much as i like Katherine Kelly, this storyline is getting dull. We know she's leaving so wouldn't it have been better to cut and run now rather than drag it out? They'll probably put Steve and Tracy together which is absolutely awful but what else could they do? There's nobody left to put him with and there are children involved. She's not going to soften, not really, she's only pretending so she can get her claws into him. He's going to be saddled with yet another loose cannon woman and will wonder why it all went so spectactularly wrong. Let's just hope he's not wondering it after that blunt instrument comes out of the closet.

I like Kirsty and i think she's probably quite good for Tyrone but she has an awful lot of hair! Would a police officer really have that much hair? And why did they have to hire a Cheryl clone? Though I have to say, I like Kirsty. She's feisty and strong and probably very good for Tyrone. Will it last? Who knows. It's Tyrone's first foray out of the gate since Molly.

Meanwhile, Tina and Kirsty are at loggerheads over car parking mishaps and Tina's being a real cow, as per usual. I used to like her but she's getting up my nose now. She's not very pleasant most of the time. I do think Kirsty wouldn't block someone in even if she thought it was Tina's car. She's a police officer after all so it made no sense that she wouldn't have noticed Rita's car there. All these accusations Tina keeps making, I hope Kirsty arrests her for slander! That would teach the opinionated little madam. And if Tyrone is going to be Kirsty's boyfriend, Tina isn't going to have a home very much longer if she keeps this up.

Two storylines started the month, then dropped suddently out of sight.

Once the Keystone Cops kidnapped the drug dealer and Norris managed to get him jailed, Fiz was free to release her inner Cilla and I guess isn't having any more bother since she's not been mentioned or seen. I am looking forward to having this all over with and Fiz coming home. She's innocent and will be set free at some point. I'm not going to spoil how it comes out if you don't already know but it will finally be time for Fiz to look to a new future with her baby.

One visit with Max and we've not seen barely hide nor fingernails of David and Kylie aside from the brief mobile nail pimping in the pub once, I think. You didn't really think David and Kylie would move out, did you? Not when the welfare of wee Maxie was at stake and after all, Gail would brick them in the house rather that let another one of her precious little boys leave the nest! I don't know why the Social Worker was worried about all that change for Max. Coming back to his mother and another new home etc, what's the difference which new home it is? Gail's or a new flat? I'm sure we'll get back to this, in fact, I'm predicting that will be one of the Christmas Storylines, Max coming "home" to his mum.

It's Grim up North

2011-09-23T09:07:00.002-03:00

You don't see Carla crack very often but ripping at clothes and sobbing in Maria's arms this week, the poor kid. I know the rape storyline was controversial but I think it's been done really well, with a lot of realism and sensitivity. It's made for a fairly dark week on Corrie but I don't think it's been over the top, either. Coronation Street does drama really well and in spite of all the loud and obnoxious headlines you see in the tabloids when the spoilers first come out, the storylines are usually always handled with a much more even hand.

We didn't have to see the actual event to know what happened. We saw the aftermath, the police and doctors and questioning. We saw Frank released pending further inquiries and all the questioning. And we saw Frank push Peter into an assault that would further back up his own claims that Carla and Peter were having an affair and setting him up for this charge. Frank really does believe that Carla and Peter have and are continuing to have an affair, I think, but using that as an excuse to say they were setting him up for a fall is just him justifying his actions, I believe.

Frank was so creepy! He almost immediately had himself convinced he'd done nothing wrong yet you could still see flickers of doubt cross his mind now and then. Down deep he knows what he's done but he's not going to admit it even to himself. He is determined to take his revenge, mainly out on Peter so far. He whispered to Peter that Carla had "it" coming, he then hissed that Carla liked it rough so that's what he gave her, and he got what he wanted. Peter blew his stack and got arrested for laying a beating on Frank.

Meanwhile, Carla has made amends with Maria, the only person that really knows what Frank can be like. Her newly patched up friendship with Leanne is probably not going to stick together, not with accusations and suspicions still very much forefront in Leanne's mind. It's pretty hard to believe in Peter when you know Carla wanted and probably still does want Peter and his actions seem to be a bit more than necessary for a mere mate. Even if she believes that Peter hasn't actually had sex with Carla, she'd be stupid to think he doesn't have feelings for her. Peter and Leanne's marraige had a big crack in it when he found out about Nick and it's been in a fragile state ever since. Could this break it open again irreparably?

Because it seems like Peter does have some feelings for Carla even though I truly believe he does love Leanne and his little family. I think he is attracted to Carla and maybe even loves her a bit. Infatuated, perhaps. It's a very strong pull. Leanne really is his true love but if he can't get Carla out of his head, it's going to go pear shaped and fast. I really hate to see he and Leanne break up because they really are good for each other but on soaps, there can't be a happy relationship for long.

The performances have also been rivetting, I think. All four of the actors are really giving it their all. I'm sure it must have been a huge challenge to do. Carla isn't really one of my favourite characters but I have grown to like her over the years. Peter and Leanne are two of my favourites and I always enjoy their storylines. I hope they really show all of the bumps and struggles Carla is going to have getting over this, between the rape itself and the trial and dealing with Frank (and his harridan mother, from all accounts).

Confident Carla is going to take a real knock back and we should see how she can manage to get back on her feet again. Will we see the same old Carla after awhile? The one with the brittle shell? Or will she finally reach out and take the support offered and accept new friendships so she won't be so isolated. Having Maria on her side is a good first step.

Over the next weeks we'll see if Frank is actually charged and if he is, I expect we'll see a trial. Maybe Carla will manage to stitch him up or trick him into a mistake that will help her case. He did rape her. He can't get away with it. It's a soap law! But it's not over by a long shot.

Who should Peter choose?

2011-09-10T09:43:00.000-03:00

This sort-of triangle has been brewing and bubbling under the surface for a year. Every now and then it breaks the seal and bubbles over. It started off last year around this time when Leanne was busy getting ready to open the Joinery with Nick and Carla's drinking was getting out of hand. Peter was helping and supporting her but in secret, because she didn't want anyone to know. We could see Carla developing feelings for Peter, whether that was a false dependency or not, it was hard to say.

She even made a pass at him, just weeks before he was due to marry Leanne but he gently rejected her. She used her knowlege of Nick and Leanne's affair to try to drive a wedge between them and it's because of her that Nick and Peter were in the office at the club on the night of the tram crash. She'd encouraged Nick to spill the beans to Peter and he'd taken Peter in there for a quiet word just as the explosion and crash trapped them in there.

All the dirty little secrets came out and Leanne has been resentful and defensive about Carla all year. Peter has always been awkward around Carla but has always been faithful to Leanne. Lately, Carla's feelings have simmered over again and we saw Peter and Carla in a smokin' hot kiss in the flat while Leanne was in hospital, having lost her baby. Was Peter really giving in to his inner feelings or was he feeling guilt and pain over the loss and needed someone to reach out to?

Because she can't have Peter, Carla is feeling cornered into marrying Frank, a man she doesn't love, in much the same way as she married Tony Gordon after losing Liam. Now she's got all that guilt over having run over Stella and destroyed the betting shop and she's trying desperately to get Peter to see that he loves her, not Leanne. Is this yet another reaction to knowing she's marrying someone she doesn't love? Does she truly love Peter or is it still that dependency attachment and infatuation?

That's what I believe. I think Carla became infatuated with Peter and is attracted to him but I don't think what she feels is true love. She's always hankered after men that she couldn't have and married the ones she didn't really want as compensation.

Does Peter secretly love Carla? I don't think so. I think he does care for her and I'm sure he is attracted to her but I really think his heart and soulmate is Leanne. When he tries to talk sense to Carla, it seems to me that he isn't really torn between two loves and is staying with Leanne out of a sense of duty or guilt. He loves Leanne and they are a strong couple. Sure, he messes up sometimes as does she but they're good for each other and they're there for each other and they both know it.

I think Peter would have liked to be mates with Carla if Leanne hadn't been so insecure about it, but who could blame her? She knows Carla wanted her husband and she knows Carla still does. Women know these things. Should Peter have told Leanne that Carla was still after him? Probably, but it wouldn't really have helped the situation. It would only serve to push it back into out and out war and when they've all got to live and work and drink on the same Street, it's counter-productive.

So, I think Peter should choose Leanne. There maybe Peter/Carla fans out there, though. Anyone? What's your argument if you are on that side of the fence? (and I refuse to make those silly co-joined names of the couples, k? Just sayin'!)

State of the Street - August 2011

2011-09-01T17:17:00.001-03:00

Where last month was Barlow month, this month was Fiz month. Make sure you remember, she's got a suspended sentence on the fraud charges, that was thrown in there but the murder charges still stand. I guess they figure they could get her on that so more or less forgave the other charges that she actually admitted to. We have seen her dealing with the drugs dealer, Ruth and, having snitched, she's now terrified for her safety and that of her baby. It might be prudent to give that baby back to the Croppers now. I do wonder, though, as much as these women threaten to hurt Hope, if they actually would harm an infant. I think there's some that would be hard enough or damaged enough but overall, I don't think most women would have it in them to hurt a baby. Fiz can't be sure though.

I know a lot of people are tired of Becky but I'm not and I find it sad though inevitable that she and Steve have split. Now she has to face the prospect Max back on the street again with Kylie, Becky's worst nightmare. Meanwhile, Kylie and David are trying to modernise the salon with spa treatments that Kylie is supposedly learning in college. I think they've only just told her about them. It's good fun to watch though. Poor Kylie jumped from the frying pan into the fire with her attitude, lashing out and blackmailing Audrey. I knew from the first I would enjoy Kylie and Gail at each other's throats and I've not been proven wrong. I'm also not surprised that Kylie and David make such a really great couple. Kylie just goes from strength to strength as a character, played by the most excellent Paula Lane.

Seeing Becky bond with Hope was nice, too. The media of course screamed that Becky was going to run off with Hope when all she did was consider it but in the end only went to the park with the baby for a bit. I never thought she'd do it. You really do have to take the tabloid headlines with a grain of salt sometimes. It's a shame that there are people willing to sell storyline leaks to the tabloids and it's shameful the way the tabs try to manipulate readers.

And it looks like we'll soon see the end of the Gray family. I won't be sorry to see the three of them go. Dull, boring, pointless, just like their name. Gray. Dropped the plot of Chris's domestic violence though when he first came on the scene, Cheryl did say it only really started when he was unemployed and feeling very down on himself. I suppose you could use that to get round the apparent turnabout. Now he's grappling with a brain tumour. Heavy stuff and really, the actor isn't a bad one. But the problem is he's acting circles around the one that plays Cheryl. So the Gray family will be leaving and Lloyd is going to be stuck living with that awful bright pink sofa and that tatty pink flowered wallpaper! No wonder he'll be hiding out for awhile (in real life, the actor will be off for a bit filming a new series of Red Dwarf)

Frank is another character I don't really care about. I don't imagine he's in it for the long haul and he's being set up as a villain but having him pant after Carla like a puppy in heat is unworthy. No complaints about the actor, he's fine. But villains need to have a bit more about them and I just don't buy it. He doesn't have that edge like Tony did or even Richard Hillman. And for a smart (supposedly) man, he's pretty stupid. He proposes, in the middle of the pub which is pretty much tradition on Coronation Street, and when she turns him down, he figures she's still in love with Peter. Which she is. But when cornered, she says she'll marry him and he goes all gooey eyed.

Marc decided to come out on, coincidentally, Manchester Pride weekend. Sounds like calculated timing on the part of the Powers that Be. It was a brave move but unfortunately, everyone's including Audrey's reactions are more often the usual. At least, though there were a few jokes made at Marcia's and Audrey's expense, they weren't really mean spirited. Stella showed perfect landlady aplomb, she's probably seen it all anyway and Mary just wittered on idiotically as usual. I'm starting to this this character is past her sell by date.

Back home, once the shock and initial anger wore off, Audrey was calm and honest with Marc about not being able to cope the way she thought she should and the way she wanted to and tried to but couldn't, knowing that she just couldn't do what she knew was the right thing. It's sad to see her heart broken again but she handled it all the right way at least, rather than screaming and shouting though still angry at the start.

The storyline might have been ill-conceived and badly cast but I thought the concept was good. And, while these situations often will have a happy ending, (think of Roy and Hayley's situation which is different, but not all that dissimilar in some ways) having it end this way shows that things don't always get tied up in neat little packages, Happy Ever After and it was the right ending for a storyline like this that involved a character like Audrey and was very true to the character herself.

Character Study: Gail Potter Tilsley Platt Hillman McIntyre

2011-08-26T11:17:00.000-03:00

Many Coronation Street fans these days regard Gail Platt as a bitter, miserable, bossy woman, a clone of her horrible mother-in-law, Ivy Tilsley. I think Gail is a wonderful character and she's one of my top characters. She's also another one, like Sally Webster, whose personality hasn't really changed all that dramatically over the years, just progressed in a logical pattern due to life circumstances.

Gail Potter was the second child of teenage Audrey Potter. Audrey had a son, Stephen, a year or so earlier and was forced to give him up for adoption. She dug her heels in and insisted she keep her daughter. Audrey was not the most responsible single mum and Gail pretty much raised herself with some help from Audrey's parents while Audrey spent her time gadding about and chasing boys. Gail was the responsible one, and as a result, Gail had to be tough, strong and independent. What Gail missed most was the security and support of a real family.

When we met Gail, she was 16 and working in the Mark Brittain warehouse. She was soon living on her own, sharing a flat with Tricia Hopkins (photo above), and later with mate Suzie Birchill. Gail liked to have fun but always seemed to be the more sensible of the two, going along for the ride rather than instigating the escapades. She had her heart broken early by an older married man, Roy Thornley, the first of many. Career wise, Gail has often been in a supervisory position, even at that young age. Clearly she had the personality for telling people what to do!

She met her future husband, Brian Tilsley and he appeared to be everything she wanted. Good looking, with a full time job and a loving family, he was the ideal man; someone she could settle down with and have a family of her own. Gail's strong and bossy side soon came out, trying to force spendthrift Brian to save every penny for a house and her independent side surfaced when she insisted on working, even after her children were born. She had to stand her ground many a time over the years against her interfering mother-in-law who never really approved of her.

She and Brian even split up for a time after she turned to his cousin for comfort when her marriage was going through a rocky patch. A single mother, something she never wanted to be, was a hard row to hoe and in the end, she and Brian reconciled. She soon realized she made a mistake. She couldn't be the wife Brian wanted, someone like his mother who would cook and clean and look after him and his children above all else. After a massive row over a potential divorce, however, Brian was killed in an alley outside a club and Gail was now a widow.

Not only did she have to deal with her own and her children's grief, but she had to deal with guilt and even worse, Ivy's grief and anger. Strength and determination helped get her through this period and she soon found herself leaning on young Martin Platt who was a great help with young Nicky.

Even though she found love again, Gail's stubborn streak caused many a ruction in that house. She was always afraid she'd lose Martin to a younger woman and nearly terminated a pregnancy because she didn't want the young man to be tied down but he persuaded her to have the baby, David. They married, Martin adopted Gail's two children and they bought a house on Coronation Street, all of which Gail had initially not wanted to do, preferring the safe to the unknown. Martin's optimistic youthfulness was good for Gail, it helped lighten her a bit and he was more than willing to take on his share of responsibility.

But in the end, Martin let her down and did indeed leave her for a younger woman. Gail then had to deal with the shock of having her 13 year old daughter become pregnant. Gail was not only a single mother again, but helping to raise a grandchild.

She lost one of her best friends to cancer and it wasn't long after that when she married again, a man she thought would give her the security and love she was always looking for. He turned out to be a murderer, nearly killing her whole family and leaving her in debt and doubt about herself. Is it any wonder she started clinging to them and insisting she knew what was best for them?

The next really serious relationship was with Joe McIntyre, who was the father of David's first proper girlfriend, Tina. Gail really liked Tina who seemed to be good for David though didn't change him all that much. Joe and Gail seemed to be a good couple but Joe is also prone to depression and after a back injury, got hooked on pain medications.

Even then, Gail seems determined to try to make a go of it though her trust was severely dented. Joe also had money problems and signed his soul to a dodgey loan shark which came back to haunt both him and Gail. It's didn't end well.

Joe and Gail got married but, desperate for cash to pay off the ever increasing balance he owed to the shark, he first borrowed money from his father-in-law, Ted and then decided to forge Gail's signature on a life insurance policy. He attempted to fake his own death, but drowned when the boom of the little boat he'd restored swung around and knocked him overboard. Unfortunately, Gail thought he'd gone ahead with the plan and disappeared and, with David's help, covered up Joe's disappearance. This led the police straight to her door when the body bobbed up in Lake Windemere with injuries that were also consistent with someone bashing him on the head with a rolling pin.

They arrested Gail on circumstantial evidence and sent her to trial with the aid of additional lies told by inmate Tracy Barlow who pretended Gail admitted the murder to her. Tracy was hoping for a deal to get out of prison early!

Luckily, though at times the trial seemed to go against her, she was found innocent.

It wasn't long before her Ivy instincts kicked in. Golden boy Nick was seeing hairdresser Natasha and she was pushing Nick into a committment, which Gail thought was inadvisable. Then Gail found out that Natasha wasn't pregnant after all and had terminated the pregnancy but told Nick she was still with child. Gail tried to force Natasha to tell the truth and assuming she had, burst Nick's bubble herself. Natasha tried to kill herself but survived though Gail didn't seem to feel a lot of guilt over her part in it all. Natasha took verbal chunks out of Gail before she left the area which caused Gail to lose her job because she'd snooped in Natasha's medical records to unearth the secret.

She seems to have made peace with her mother over the years but the old bitterness still bubbles over once in awhile. She's also finally met her biological father, a lovely man called Ted Paige who lives in London.

When her own life has been filled with turmoil, she pins all her hopes on her children, her only constants in life. She's become the woman she always swore she wouldn't, her mother-in-law Ivy! Ivy doted on and spoiled her only son but Gail's children were part of her survival instinct, they are what got her through so much tragedy.

Gail grew up knowing she could only depend on herself, that's where her "I know what's best for you" attitude comes from. She wanted nothing more than to be the mother that she didn't have but has gone too far the other way and over compensated. She was determined that her children would never have to fend for themselves but never figured out how to let them go and do just that when they were old enough. She has hung on too tightly and seen her offspring slip through her fingers and in David's case, go right off the rails at times. With David's marraige to the grasping, greedy Kylie, Gail just might have met her match.

She makes excuses for them and seems to have blinders on to their negative traits because she feels guilty about making decisions that affected them badly. The Gail we know today is a product of years of guilt, tragedy and survival. She has built a wall around her heart and has made her children her life, even when there's a man in her bed, to the point where she's got blinders on to their faults because it's too hard to face her own. (Martin Platt should be thankful he got away!) As she gets older, her choices in men haven't really improved and her blinders seem not to have shifted any when it comes to her boyfriends' faults until it's obvious and even then, she'll do everything she can to hold on until the bitter end. She's buried three of her four husbands.

She's had a number of friendships over the years. Her first best mate was Tricia Hopkins. The young women shared the shop flat and worked together and played together. After Tricia moved away, Suzie Birchill became Gail's mate. Suzie was a lot more outgoing and determined where Gail tended to be The voice of Reason. I think Gail had a lot more fun when she allowed Suzie to lead her astray to some extent but the girls got into a lot of mischief as well. Who can forget the time they decided to clean out Elsie's chimney and plopped a brick through Hilda's chimney instead, throwing soot all over Hilda's house!

Eventually, though, Suzie ruined the friendship herself when she tried to chat up Gail's husband, Brian and she was out of Gail's life. When Gail moved to the Street and bought Number 8 with Martin, she and neighbour Sally Webster were pregnant at the same time, she with David and Sally with Rosie. Though Gail is the older of the two, the women bonded over their pregnancies and have been really good friends every since. Gail was also close to Alma Halliwell Sedgewick Baldwin when they worked in the cafe for years and Gail was heartbroken when Alma died of cancer.

Gail has a few enemies as well, the main one being Eileen Grimshaw. Gail always felt superior to Eileen though I don't know why. Eileen might have two children by different fathers but so does Gail! (Three by two different men!) The arms-length acquaintance turned into high end rivalry and nearly a charge of aggravated assault when Gail's daughter, Sarah, was Eileen's son Todd's girlfriend. Eileen accused Sarah of luring Todd away from higher education but when Sarah got pregnant by Todd and was subsequently dumped by her when he admitted to her that he was gay, the two mothers had it out in a hair pulling barney on the cobbles. Literally, in wonderful Coronation Street tradition!

Gail has done a lot of jobs over her lifetime. She worked in Mike Baldwin's retail outlet and she's worked in the Rovers and the corner shop. The cafe took up many of her years and caused more than a little contention between her and her first husband, Brian and his mother Ivy who both felt she should stay home to raise her little'uns. Gail was even a partner in the cafe but sold her share to Roy Cropper after Sarah got pregnant and she needed to spend more time with her family. Gail has also worked in the medical centre but lost that job due to her interference with Natasha's medical records. She is now helping her son Nick at his bistro, cleaning mainly.

What will happen to Gail next? She's most definitely replaced what is missing in her life by interfering in her children's lives. She and son David have come a long way from the days when he pushed her down the stairs in a rage. He still holds a lot of bitterness against her but they have made a sort of peace. Most of the time. But her relationship with David's new wife is rocky at best. She's long since made peace with her mother and they've supported each other through good and bad.

Gail is still one of my favourite characters. She's bossy and interfering, she's strong and determined. She's a survivor because she's had no choice.

You can see other character studies here.

Cross dressing Dennis?

2011-08-18T08:04:00.000-03:00

There was a blog post on Coronation Street Blog about whether Marc/Marcia was a good storyline or not. That's not under debate here, but a comment by "ChiaGwen" mentioned Audrey and Dennis as a better pairing and my imagination went wild. Everyone seemed to agree that Andrew Hall was sadly miscast and has been very unconvincing as Marcia. Wouldn't it have been fun if Dennis Tanner had turned out to be a cross dresser?

Oh come on.... Why not? It's not really a retcon. We have no idea what Dennis' life has been like since he left the Street in 1968. Maybe he discovered that dressing in women's clothing was relaxing. I think that Dennis would have made a far more convincing cross dresser and he's got the cheek and charm to pull it off. Probably has better dress sense, too, considering how well turned out his mum Elsie Tanner always was!

He'd have picked a far better wig, too. Here's a rough Photoshop mock up of Dennis in an Audrey 'do just for a laugh.

Thoughts on Becky and Nick

2011-08-06T12:27:00.000-03:00

I'm still a Becky fan no matter that a lot of people are getting sick of her. This week was a great Becky week for me. I really thought the whole scenario and storyline of her working at the Bistro, having a fling with Nick and winding up Steve and Kylie and David was great! It didn't last an eternity or get dragged out farther than it should have been. It was just right.

The Bistro seemed like an odd fit and as we know and as Becky finally admitted, she's not a cocktails and tapas kind of girl. She also had to face demons in the personae of Kylie, David and Steve through the week, all of which tested her and found her failing her patience exam. Kylie and David in particular made a point of rubbing Becky's face in it letting her know that they were going to get Max back. There are so many great restaurants in the Greater Manchester area they could have gone to to celebrate but no.... they went to the Bistro. Of course that's because there has to be more conflict in the storyline. It would have been pretty dull had they just gone out to the Chinese at the precinct or something.

I felt bad for Becky. Yes, she's somewhat the author of her own misfortune. Steve might have called Social Services on her but she was out of control.

Then there was Nick. They almost made a good couple. Odd but oddly not so bad but her volatility would soon have him running for the hills had they managed to stick together. He's right, with all her baggage along with her rocky relationship with his sister-in-law, and the fact that she's on a massive rebound, it just isn't working. I have to say, though, I thoroughly enjoyed Gail's and then Kylie's reactions seeing Becky there in the morning. Gail was horrified! I'm glad she brought up his tryst with Tracy. So often they forget these things happened. And Nick might accuse David of being the family weasel but he's just as capable of using people to wind up others as well. He certainly enjoyed his mother's discomfort every bit as much. Odd to see Gai defend Kylie after all this time, though.

There were some nice scenes on the last of the episodes with the two of them talking. I can't stand Nick, he's just as weaselly as David and he can manipulate and lie with the best of them. He's arrogant much of the time, too, but this week he was almost sympathetic. I think Nick could be a good friend to Becky. She needs friends besides Roy and Hayley.

And of course Steve's date from hell was hysterical. You know without asking that this gorgeous woman was going to turn out to be the lowest form of tacky they could dredge up. Brilliant stuff! And that moon-faced ginger kid! First of all, he really looked like he could have been her son. Second of all, Steve said he dated her once 10 years ago, that kid had to have been 10 or 12. But aside from that, what a perfect casting choice and he was scarily and hysterically perfect, staring at Steve, slurping his drink and not saying a word. He had me creeped out and laughing all at the same time, watching him!

State of the Street - July 2011

2011-07-29T19:47:00.001-03:00

July was full of Barlows which is never a bad thing. James proved to be quite the opposite of his upstanding father and pillar of community grandfather and gave charities a bad name. He dragged Sophie down with him too. Everyone is shocked that Christian Sophie could possibly steal from her father but she did have every expectation of returning the money. Remember, it was only meant to be a short term loan to help get the new house for the shelter, so she thought. It also shows up how young and naive she still is. It also showed up Kevin as the obnoxious bully that he his. Ok, he's allowed to be pissed that he lost that much money, who wouldn't be? But he could be a little more understanding of his daughter after the initial shock wore off. He treated her like she was a habitual criminal and he also took it out on Ken and Deirdre and Peter which wasn't called for.

As for James, he's a sneaky so and so isn't he? corrupting young teenage girls, scamming his grandfather, threatening children, lurking on the doorstep with shifty eyes waiting for the postman and being completely unrepentant. Tracy's suspicions twigged though, and as awful as Tracy can be to her parents, if she catches someone doing the dirty on them or on her kid, they won't know what hit them! James had better hide the statues and other heavy objects.

And Tracy is after Steve as well. As always. But this time she made serious inroads. What is it about Steve always turning to a woman to make himself feel better after losing the one he really wants? And with Tracy of all people? You might know. And knowing how Tracy feels about him, you would think he'd know better if he has no intentions of being with her properly. It's no wonder she continues to have feelings for him if he's giving her signals like that. Scarpering off to London with Amy is not that nice but it's certainly understandable after him using her like he did and then dumping all over her when he thought she told Becky about their one night stand. Her reputation preceded her and she probably would have in yet another confrontation with Becky eventually. I'm not saying I'm warming to her at all because I'm not. But even so, to be fair, she didn't deserve this.

The month was full of Stella too, interacting with the junior Barlows. Yes, she is indeed Leanne's birth mother and said she'd had a baby too young, had to get away from Les (that, I *do* believe), with him and his family keeping her away (that, I don't). A bit of a retcon there, methinks but all in all, ok, we'll just tuck that to one side. It seems like Stella has a lot of regrets and Leanne isn't so quickly inclined to accept her mother back into her life so easily. Those cracks in her and Peter's relationship that they patched over are showing the strain, too. It takes a miscarraige for Leanne to crack and accept her mother's comfort. I saw that coming but it was touching just the same. It doesn't mean it's going to stick, though. They may get to a good place eventually but it won't be for awhile. As always, Jane Danson never ceases to amaze me. She and Chris Gascoyne were the powerhouse stars of the month.

There's been a lot of stick about Michelle Collins' accent but I don't find it all that awful, not to my Canadian ear. I can't say I think highly of her acting though. She feels a bit stiff and any attempt at emotion is just painful, for me! I just don't understand why actresses (mainly) feel the need to get face lifts and Botox. I suppose the pressure is great on them and the competition fierce but I would much prefer looking at a normal aging face like Sally Dynevor or Helen Worth or Anne Kirkbride than one that's barely able to crack.

But I digress...

I just wish this all wasn't going to lead to another round of Peter and Carla but I suppose, there really is unresolved stuff there and it isn't going to make Frank very happy either. More conflict. I hope Peter doesn't start drinking again but it would be realistic if he slips. It happens more often than you think in real life.

Carla has already made her play for Peter, taking advantage of his vulnerability. Leanne had thrown him out of the hospital room, he had serious doubts about the baby anyway and he wanted a drink badly. He was tempted, that was quite the snog they shared, but he really does love Leanne. Unfortunately he's also got Ken's genes. This could be bad. Looks like he's going to be struggling with his demons for awhile, especially if Leanne can't stop pushing him away and now he's given Carla a bit of a ray of hope no matter what he says to the contrary.

Right. So Jerry's selling his house, the one that Anna lives in and rents, and she told Owen. Who couldn't see this one coming? Owen buys the house and next thing you know, he's sniffing around Anna and the month nearly ended with a snog! I bet Faye isn't going to like that. Frankly, though, I think Owen and Anna make a better looking couple than she and feckless Eddie. At least Owen is a bit more stable and successful. Drawback is his temper. But maybe Anna would soften him a bit. Mind you, that temper was of good use when he had to kick down Izzy's door when Gary freaked out. What amazing stuff it was watching Gary break down, heartbreakingly sad, too.

Fiz is in the nick. She's at the end of her rope and all the circumstances are loading up. Sally is having a field day but everyone else is supportive. The police say that Colin had a fractured skull, I can't remember... did Chesney witness when that guy came to the house in a rage looking for Colin? That would lend credence to Fiz's story. Some people are sick and tired of Fiz and her moaning but I continue to enjoy the storyline. Of course Fiz is always upset and crying, wouldn't you be? Is it a predictable story? Of course it is, it's a soap standard, whoever gets arrested is very rarely the actual guilty party and is either cleared in the trial or set free by some other circumstance. Guilty people always pay. Everyone out there is now shouting Tracy Barlow's name. But she did go to jail for several years so she didn't get off completely even if the verdict was turned over on a technicality. Since Jennie McAlpine isn't leave the show, we'll be in for the summer of Fiz and into the fall as we start to see what life in the Big House (copyright J. McDonald) is like for her.

There's Gail and Kylie wars brewing and it's dead funny. I knew I was going to enjoy seeing Kylie wind up Gail. I really think David and Kylie should move in somewhere on their own, they must both get a salary from the salon, enough to pay rent. If Tina the barmaid and Graeme the window cleaner could afford the shop flat, surely David and Kylie could.

So Audrey has a new fella. But she's still got better dress sense than he does. I like that she's got her own storyline and I even think the storyline is a good one for her to have. I just think it would have worked better if Marc didn't have such a very deep voice! I do wonder why so many tv shows have cross dressers with such awful sense of style and terrible wigs. There's no excuse, you know. There are shops that sell women's clothes in larger or taller sizes and they're very nice and very stylish. Audrey could at least take Marc in hand there. They got together properly on her birthday. Makes a change from last year's when Gail found out Lewis was a male escort!

Gary Windass breaks apart

2011-07-26T20:09:00.000-03:00

Last year, we saw Gary Windass go off to Afghanistan and return, having lost his best friend, with a bad case of Post Traumatic Stress. He was edgy, he lost his temper easily, and was volatile. He freaked out in small, confined spaces. But eventually he settled down. Or did he?

But did he? He found love with gently Izzy but more and more, he feels the need to protect her, especially as he sees her as more vulnerable in a wheelchair. There are bad things and bad people out there and he wants to keep Izzy safe. But Gary has gone from over protective to manic about it and this week we saw him over-react to her mugging by keeping her helpless in the flat. He figured that if he just kept her inside, nothing bad could happen to her.

Poor Gary, but I'm glad they haven't completely forgotten the Traumatic stuff from his stint in the war. You could see him breaking apart little by little. He'd get all emotional then shut down completely and act like nothing's wrong. Then he'd lose his rag again and it wasn't even a matter of being controlling, it was trying to keep her safe after his whole world had blown apart. Heartbreaking to watch him even go so far as to close the blinds to keep out the light and the rest of the world, watching through the slats for the enemy. then his eyes are glazed over and he's confident she'll marry him and everything will be ok. He was completely gone by that time. Brilliant camera work, shaky, hand held, giving you that unstable feeling, just like Gary's tenuous hold on reality. Then swift cutting back and forth, like an action film, or shattered pieces flinging around the room.

In the end, Izzy's dad, Owen, broke down the door and Gary, too, broke down. For once, Owen actually realized straight away that Gary was in trouble, not a danger. I don't mind admitting I was in tears by the end when Gary begged for help.

We've blogged before about how amazing actor Mikey North is and he just continues to amaze me more and more. He did a lot of research into this type of situation, meeting with soldiers who've been through it, and it shows. Kudos also to the writers and storyliners who didn't let this drop and fade away. If he doesn't get any awards for his performances, there is no justice.

Defending Corrie

2011-07-12T09:36:00.002-03:00

There's been so much garbage in the media lately about Coronation Street - low ratings, bad accents, too many gay characters, and all of it's pure rubbish. As reported on t'other blog, ITV has stoutly defended it's flagship soap. Some question why they even need to. I reckon it's because the media, once they've got something in their grip, don't want to let it go and they all pick it up and run with it. Nothing better to do, I guess.

I've been enjoying the show of late.

Do I like all the characters? No, but then I never do. I've never liked Norris Cole. I've never warmed up to Michelle Connor. I don't like Eva Price so far but it's early days yet. I've not always been too fond of Kevin Webster. There's some characters that have always been kind of pointless for me, but partly, that's because the writers never really did much with them so they never really gelled. (Chris, Cheryl, Russ for a start but they're clearing out soon anyway, and Tommy has never made much of an impact either.) Since the Graeme/Xin debacle, Tina is getting on my nerves. I can't stand Tracy Barlow and I hate that they've brought her back. Mary seems to have lost her quirkiness of late. I don't like Owen but I'm hoping that Anna will soften him up a bit.

Do I like all the storylines? No, but then that's also normal. I never enjoyed the immigration story and am very glad that's over. I'm not too happy about the return of Dennis Tanner only because they've really not done much with him and I'm afraid he'll get fed up and leave. I've never been all that keen on Chesney and Katy's romance and the direction it's taken. (Oh, and now Fiz is in the nick, have they moved into the house? If so, have they given up the flat? There were murmurings but it's all confusing me.) So far, Sean has had minimal struggle dealing with a little boy, even with Marcus' help. Chris and Maria have not clicked, either but that's nearly over.

As always, most of the actors do an excellent job, whether I'm enjoying the storyline or not, whether I like the character or not. There are always weak links, but everyone has different opinions on what they are. I have never felt that Kate Ford is a strong actor but she's apparently a very nice person so perhaps she is better than I think?

Michelle Collins seems to be a bit weak on the emotional scenes but perhaps that's to do with the chemically frozen features that seem to be increasingly common in women of a certain age although, thankfully, Corrie doesn't seem to have many. I don't mind her Northern accent at all, and since I was only ever an occasional EE watcher, I don't see her as Cindy Beale. And anyway, wasn't that a lot of years ago? Surely she's got past that typecasting now? I'm looking forward to seeing how she and Leanne get on. I think it was a great move to make her Leanne's mother and there's lots of emotional potential there. I really like Leanne and Peter and I feel emotionally invested in them as a family. I'll not like that they seem to be throwing Carla into the mix again but conflict is what soaps are all about. I just cross my fingers that the younger Barlow family will manage to stick together.

I've been enjoying the Stape, and now, Fiz storyline. Some people hate that she's moaning and crying all the time, but wouldn't you if you were in her shoes? Her life has completely crashed around her. She married an asshole and he's done nothing good for her and left her holdling both the baby and the blame. We all know she won't be convicted because it's soap law and as soon as John walked away from the 6 storey fall (oh, come on, it's a soap, you really do have to expect these things!) I knew he'd eventually come back to confess and keep her from jail. That's predictable as well but I'd have been disappointed otherwise. My only fear is that when he does that, Fiz will soften and bleat "See? He does love me!" and forgive him because he's the father of her baybeh! Stupid woman. I hope she gets angry. Really angry, and gives him the telling off of his life. I'll help.

I'm enjoying Sophie's misadventures with the homeless shelter. It seemed harmless enough but then it took a twist and turned out to be a scam. Angry young man James is about to be revealed as a scam artist. Maybe his father Lawrence was right about him all along! He certainly won't be surprised to hear his son is about to try to rip off his newly found grandfather. I don't think he'll get away with it, though.

I'm eagerly waiting for Brian the teacher to come back into Julie's life. I think he's one of the best new characters. He's feckless and silly and a real classic Corrie bloke and I think he and Julie are absolutely made for each other. I really like her and this will give them more airtime. I love how she's forging ahead and has determined that Dennis Tanner is indeed a relative while Dennis is quite clearly not quite enthralled with her and her antics but is bemused and slightly exasperated in conjunction with much eye rolling. I think the two of them could become quite good mates in the end, though, don't you?

I'm loving the arrival of Roy's mother to put the cat in amongst the pigeons. We've needed the gruff older battleaxe as Greek Chorus, acidly observing the comings and goings from one of the key neighbourhood meeting points. She will be developed and has already shown that there's a bit of a kinder underside to her. She's no Blanche. But then, Blanche was no Ena. I think, in fact, Sylvia is probably closer to Ena's character than Blanche was in some ways. Little by little, they're having her make "friends" with a few of the older characters who are including her in their circle at the Rovers. There were rumours of a romantic triangle between Dennis, Rita and Emily but I rather think Sylvia may replace Emily in that, if it happens, though I still have a hard time wrapping my head around Dennis being old enough to date women in their 70s as his peers!

The breakdown of Steve and Becky, while it saddens me, was probably inevitable. He is attracted to women like her but they are loose cannons and very self destructive. Has he not made a connection to the fact that Tracy has been instrumental in both of his most recent marraige blow outs? Steve is weak and spineless, he always was. It's frustrating seeing him buckle under the least little bit of pressure from any of the women in his life but that's who he is. I never used to like his character but the actor has come along so well and about the time he and Jim started the building business, about 10 years ago or a bit more, I started to come around. As Steve matured (and I use that term loosely!), the actor has really settled in and Steve is now one of my favourites in spit of, or probably because of his flaws.

I miss Liz but since she's barely been on screen for over a year, her parting was less of a wrench that it would have been. I wish she'd have been able to go off happy with Jim, though. That made me a little sad.

Although I hated the Molly-Kevin affair, as did we all, you have to admit it had a lot of far reaching consequences. I'm very afraid that Sally will soften towards Kevin and take him back. After what he's done, she really shouldn't and I don't care how much history they have. She may be a shrew, a snob and a pain in the arse, but Kevin doesn't deserve her and he doesn't deserve to get his whole family back after his betrayal. I shall be very disappointed if this happens. I love Sally always sniping at him and cheer every one of her backhanded remarks at his expense. I do find it hard to believe that he and Tyrone could possibly continue to work together.

In a real world, Tyrone would have sold his share back to Kevin and left. It would have been too difficult working with the man and too hard to see that hated man bring up the baby he thought was his. It's not the real world, though, so sometimes things just have to be accepted. I'm glad they're going to give him a new love but i don't think it will be smooth sailing and so it shouldn't at first.

One last thing I'm really loving (yes, I know this is rambling on!) is Kylie and David. I always enjoyed Paula Lane, I think she's a fabulous actress and the character of Kylie is great! One of those you like to hate because she's so gobby and full of attitude. Perfect for David who really gets her. And I love her battles with Gail, the mother in law that is a carbon copy nearly, of her own ex mother-in-law, Ivy, the woman that couldn't let go of her children because her own life was empty. I've always liked Gail and I'm just chuffed that she's still getting great storylines. It looks like Helen Worth is having a lot of fun with this one!

There's a lot more that I like about the show, lots of characters, and other storylines but I've run on long enough for today. Watch this space!

Praising Dennis Tanner

2011-07-04T08:05:00.000-03:00

ITV, Thanks for bringing back Philip Lowrie as Dennis Tanner. Now for heavens' sake, DO SOMETHING WITH HIM or you're going to lose him!

While I only "know" Dennis via videos of old episodes, I'm absolutely tickled to bits that they've brought back this classic character. I think it's amazing that we've now got two on screen characters from Episode 1.

Dennis Tanner was always a "Jack the lad", a cheeky charmer and he's lost none of that. Though we don't see too much of him, what we do see is absolutely magic. Philip Lowrie is such a natural, and he's slipped right back into character as if he's never left it. That's a gift and the RADA trained actor certainly has it in spades. The episode where Dennis and Rita discussed his mother, Elsie Tanner, and her final days was magic. It was only a little scene but Lowrie put so much into it that I really believed Dennis was going to cry at one point. Grief over a lost parent doesn't leave you, even over time and that was more than evident.

We're supposed to see some sort of triangle between he, Rita and Emily according to spoilers and I hope they follow through on that. I always thought that Emily had a bit of a crush on Dennis back in the day though he was a good 10 years younger. He's younger than Rita as well but by the time you are all pensioners, it doesn't really matter.

Dennis was homeless and Rita's giving him a place to get back on his feet. I'm sure he must get a pension but knowing Dennis' propensity for schemes, he probably got way over his head in debt, leading to his bout of living on the street. I'm a bit baffled as to where Rita found all the clothes he's been wearing but perhaps he's had them stored somewhere or been carrying them all about with him in bin bags. He was only homeless for about 6 months apparently so likely was able to stash his belongings somewhere or other.

I'd like to see him rent one of the older flats that are still empty such as Janice's or the soon to be empty Tina's over the shop. I'd like to see a bit more interaction between he and Ken. They were polar opposites in the day and didn't have a lot in common but surely they could find common ground now. They would have a shared childhood, after all, though Dennis would have been the younger of the two. (Linda, his sister, was Ken's age, and Elsie's oldest)

I'd not like to see the character wasted. Do something with him. Give him a storyline other than winding up Norris. You can't keep a man like Dennis down for long, give him a new scheme to get involved in. Having him be a relative of Eileen and Julie is great so I hope they do establish that. It gives him more of a connection and more characters to play off. Dennis hasn't mentioned that he ever had any children so this would give him a proper family even if they are not closely related. He could make friends with Jason. The lad could use a father figure, someone to confide in. Let's have some of the other neighbours reminisce about Elsie with him. Gail lived with Elsie, after all and Deirdre knew her as well.

Come on, ITV, give us more Dennis please!!

State of the Street - June 2011

2011-06-29T17:46:00.000-03:00

This one's got spoilers....Just so you know.

June started off with a bang, didn't it? Becky smashing up the Barlow house when she thought Tracy was the one that was responsible for Max being taken away and John going boom off the roof of the hospital. I really didn't want to see him being carted off in a straight jacket and having him survive means they're going to pull out an old standard soap plot. Fiz is going to trial for being an accessory for the three deaths so having John alive means he'll come back to save her from going to jail and turn himself in. I guessed that and apparently it's going to happen. Damn, I'm good!

Poor Fiz got arrested for the fraud she did admit to committing. But oh wow, look who showed up! Brian, Stapewick's former coworker, the married one that Julie fancied and I forgot how much fun he is! What a great Corrie character! He came and went but I hope he comes back. He and Julie are a laugh together. He's almost like a male version of her!

Becky walked out on Steve and I can understand why. Whatever his reasons were, it was quite a betrayal, anonymously tipping off Children's Services. How come buying a child is illegal yet paying someone to be a surrogate parent or paying for a private adoption is not? Yes, i know, they didn't go that route which is deemed legal and Kylie *was* blackmailing them for it. It's a soap, we aren't meant to take it too seriously and it doesn't have to strictly adhere to reality, either. It is what it is. And with Steve finally having enough of her, she spent most of the month lashing out and acting up. Now it seems as though they're going to share the same living space but apart. Yeah, that's going to work. Poor Stella must be regretting taking the job as manager already!

It's all a Typical Becky Reaction. I know a lot of people are very tired of her and her tantrums but for me, I still like the character and it seems pretty in keeping with the character for her to lose her rag so completely after being so hurt and so let down.

The other thing I do hate about this storyline is how spineless Steve had been with Tracy. It's nothing new, of course he can't stand up to her. He doesn't stand up to anyone but it's annoying that he allowed Tracy to blackmail him and lead him around by the nose because of Amy for all this time. There's a lot of rumours and spoilers around, and I hope they don't come true but i fear they will and it'll be a rerun all over again. For a minute, he managed to stand up to her and what's he going to do? Becky's gone, he gets drunk and sleeps with Tracy one night. Just like what happened when he and Karen had a split. And as much as i dislike Tracy, she apparently loves him or at least is obsessed with him and this is really unfair to her and it's only going to give her more ammunition for revenge.

Kate Ford was only meant to stay six months but they've talked her into a bit longer. Steve needs to get Tracy out of his life and keep Amy. He also needs to start getting connected with a woman that's not going to be so volatile but that seems to be his type. I think he gets it from his mother who likes dangerous men!

Now Steve, finally, has someone new to manage the bar. Probably something he should have done ages ago since Liz had left and I don't think he's really supposed to have a legal licensee who's A. not living there and B. not planning on coming back. Bringing in fresh blood is probably the best thing with his marraige in tatters and you don't want to give Tracy any more room to get her feet under his table.

So what's my first impression? I think Stella is ok. There's been a lot of guff about her accent which doesn't come naturally to her but i don't really find it too jarring. Perhaps that's because i'm not a native of the U.K. and my ear is a bit more forgiving. She's a good actress and she's jumped right in with a local family connection. Yes, she's Leanne's mother and i think that has a lot of potential. In fact i think she's a better actress than we're getting out of her so far, probably because she's concentrating so hard on the accent. Sometimes she seems a bit stiff and I think that might be why. I think she'll settle in once her storyline gets well into gear and it will do in July. She was great standing up to Becky when she jumped into the fray with both feet when Steve was away. She was in a hard spot and knew there wasn't a lot she could do until Steve got back to deal with Becks. I think i might like her boyfriend, Karl, too. He's not bad looking and he's a bit feckless but then again, aren't most Corrie men?

Can't stand the daughter, Eva. I am not sure why she's there. Do we really need another mouthy cow stirring it with the locals and throwing herself (no doubt) at all the available men? We've got Tracy Barlow for that and Kylie if she puts her mind to it. And Becky. Oh, and Tina. Sheesh. I suppose she's there because she's going to be Leanne's half sister and they've already established an enmity between the two women. Down the road, as is again, a standard soap plot, the sisters will probably make it up but not for awhile if the spoilers have any say in the matter. If Eve does indeed go after Nick, that's going to rub Leanne the wrong way and drive another wedge between Leanne and Peter who will probably take refuge in Carla. And so it goes around and around.

Graeme and Xin *finally* left. It's unfortunate that they had to lay this dreck on us for Craig Gazey's leaving story. He's worth so much more than this. It would have been more believable if they had introduced Xin a lot earlier and we'd seen the friendship between the three of them grow and develop. Then it would have been more of an emotional wrench for both Tina and Graeme to realize Xin would have to leave the country and give them a lot more motivation to enter into the fake marraige. But no, they dropped us into it and though the actors did the best they could, the vast majority of fans have really disliked the storyline. I'll miss Craig Gazey and Graeme and wish him the best but I'm glad to see the back of that storyline. Seeing the back of that story seemed to give Corrie a bit of new life, brightening it up.

John Stape: It wasn't the end

2011-06-21T19:11:00.001-03:00

It ain't over til it's over and the saga of John Stape ain't over yet. Why? Because John Stape miraculously survived a fall six storeys from the roof of the hospital and was last seen staggering towards the ferry to Ireland. I wanted him to die, but that wasn't in the cards.

The saga continues back in Weatherfield, because his long suffering wife, Fiz, is suspected of being an accessory in the deaths of three people for which John is responsible. All she's really guilty of is fraud, no matter what her excuses were for claiming Joy Fishwick's money. That probably wouldn't send her to prison on it's own but murder? Off with her head!

Well, no, not really. But she is going to have a difficult time proving her innocence because there are no witnesses. We know that John accidentally killed Joy Fishwick, trying to keep her from calling out to a neighbour at the door. The police will be thinking that Fiz encouraged John to kill her so they could get their hands on the money.

We know that Colin Fishwick died of a heart attack at John's feet. He hid the body but didn't kill the man. You could make a case for it though. If John hadn't stolen Colin's identity, Colin wouldn't have been there and been upset and furious. The police reckon Fiz helped John hide the body in the first place. I'm not sure a post mortem at this late date would show that Colin had a heart attack but it might.

I'm not quite sure how they reckon she was an accessory to Charlotte's death, though. Admittedly, Charlotte was hammered by Stape before the tram crash but Fiz was attending a hen do at the time in front of many witnesses. After the crash, she went looking for John and then went into labour.

Because John didn't die, I'm going to speculate that he's going to find out about Fiz's trial and come forward and turn himself in. I'm sure John, no matter how far into insanity he's twirled, would not let Fiz go to jail for crimes he committed.

We all rue the day poor Fiz re-involved herself with that man. She gave him chance after chance and nobody could understand why. Love Schmove! He continually lied to her and badgered her into letting him do whatever he decided he wanted to do, illegal or not. I won't go into all that again. I've been pretty up front about that.

But I've enjoyed the ride. I don't know how it will all come out but it's soap standard issue stuff that Fiz won't be convicted for a crime she didn't commit. Somehow she'll get off, whether they capture John, whether he turns himself in or there just won't be enough evidence. It'll be a bumpy right in the meantime until we get final closure on Stapegate.

Edited to add.... DAMN I'm good! Seriously, I did NOT have any advance notice, I'm just a really good guesser!

Corrie Originals

2011-06-12T15:10:00.001-03:00

I was looking up the character name of the recurring character of the detective who's been on Corrie recently in conjunction with the Stapewich mess that Fiz is in. That's D.C. Redfern, if you're interested. Anyway, I was scrolling down the cast list on Imdb.com and the name of Dennis Tanner slid past my view.

Philip Lowrie plays Dennis and he is also the same actor that played Dennis when Corrie first started in 1960. In fact, he was in the very first episode along with current long standing record-breaking William Roache. Now, I know Mr. Lowrie isn't going to break any records as far as that goes, but isn't it cool that there are now two actors who originated their roles over 50 years ago who are on the current cast list playing the same characters?

There's a third actor, Eileen Derbyshire who has been playing her role for over 50 years as well. She first appeared as Miss Nugent on our screens in January, 1961. That's quite an achievement! In fact, if you watch episode 4 of Coronation Street, you will also spot a woman with Leonard Swindley (see photo right) and he distinctly refers to her as Miss Nugent though it's not the same actor, just a non-speaking extra. So you could argue the case of Miss Nugent being a character in the show even before Eileen Derbyshire played her as a speaking part.

I think that it's wonderful that the original actors have been available to revive old characters such as Dennis Tanner and, a year or so ago, Jed Stone. There aren't too many of them left alive from those early years or who are able to revive the part.

Corrie's "big" week - Yay or Nay?

2011-06-03T20:27:00.003-03:00

There's been a lot of negative comments about the Street lately but for the most part, I don't agree with them. This week has seen the culmination of two major storylines with the inevitable slide down the slope to the end of another one. In all cases, the acting has been excellent and I have nothing but praise for the performers. In most cases, the writing has been good, too, even with a few plot holes but nothing really that I can't overlook.

Let's get the one negative out of the way first. Graeme and Xin have been limping along this week. They've been filler in between the other two major storylines and it's been dull, dull, dull. Torn between two lovers has been Graeme's theme this week and I just don't care. No criticisms to the actors but they're so much better than this drivel but the whole storyline has been an epic fail all along, all in the name of an exit storyine for the wonderful Craig Gazey who was wonderful as the quirky Graeme, double act to first, David and then, Ashley.

There. That's that done and dusted.

On to Fiz and John. I've enjoyed this storyline and all it's twists and turns from the start even if I've loathed and detested the character of John and hated what he's done to Fiz. All the emotional blackmail, the manipulating, the selfish obsessive single mindedness he laid on her infuriated me, as it was supposed to. The story and the actors kept me rivetted to the screen. This week has been a fantastic denouement. The digging up of the body was horrific. The van accident looked a bit lame but didn't you think John reading Paradise Lost in the loft was a touch of genius?

Stape babbling on about them being able to run away, insisting he had a plan but never really explaining it because, of course, he didn't really have one. He was just in the throes of madness and desperation, completely out of control. Oh, Sally Webster is never going to let anyone forget she was right about him all along! I hope she's a bit more sensitive to Fiz, though.

The kidnapping of the Hoyles and Chesney might have seemed hokey and people have pointed out that though he did seem to manage to visit once a day to feed them and let them have "comfort breaks" that wouldn't be nearly enough. Point taken but I'm willing to overlook that. You would have thought that Chesney would have been able to break through the door eventually or, even though the room was soundproofed, one of the neighbours would have heard the banging on the basement door at least. Surely it wouldn't have been a steel door?

That aside, of course we knew Chesney would get out in time to stop Katy from terminating the pregnancy, that's just a soap standard plot. Having that bubbling in the background the first few days added to the urgency. I can understand Owen's horror finding out his 16 year old daughter was pregnant and, Owen being Owen, isn't going to be the most sensitive Dad about it all. Emotional and sick, Katy would be likely to lose a bit of faith in Chesney with her father insisting that Ches ran off on her. Young love won out in the end. Is that a good thing? Time will tell.

Then we come to the final confrontation at the hospital. I wondered why Fiz took so long to ring the nurse's buzzer! But then Fiz wouldn't have heard the full confession. She did ring it, finally, but it took her long enough! The stupid thing was there should have been police all over that hospital and some stationed out front of her door. John never should have got in the room much less get out of it!

That aside, didn't Graeme Hawley play a blinder! That last scene on the roof was spellbinding! It was already obvious that he wouldn't die. There was a point to mentioning earlier in the week that he had his passport with him but the thing is, there would be no use. If he tried to run and leave the country, the minute he tried to use it, he'd be caught. I still wish John had died. It feels like unfinished business that he is out there somewhere. Fiz can never really move on with her life and she'll be looking over her shoulder always.

Lastly, we've got the crisis in McDonald Mansions. The truth burst out of the closet about Kylie selling Max to Steve and Becky and the Social Services investigation was put into motion by Steve himself, not the usual suspects, David or Tracy though Becky doesn't know that. Steve had had enough of it all, he'd reached the end of his rope, financially and emotionally and called up the Social after night of drinking. David has been obsessed with getting Max back for Kylie for weeks and she's been trying to cover the fact that A. she isn't being bullied by Steve and Becky B. she blackmailed them for the money and C. She doesn't really want Max back. She says he's better where he is and though she says she wants him back, it feels more like she's saying it because that's what David wants to hear. It doesn't seem to me that her heart's really in it.

I don't think Kylie ever really bonded with Max. The circumstances of her childhood, with abuse and neglect, didn't really give her any idea of what a parent should be like and though it didn't sound like she was pregnant from her abuser, she certainly was a wild child and probably got pregnant after a drunken night out with someone she probably barely knew. It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense why David is suddenly all fired up about being a step-dad but you may remember how gutted he was when Tina aborted his baby. Maybe it goes back to that, and maybe David really does want to be a dad.

He didn't even blink, hardly, when he found out Kylie got money for Max but he still doesn't *really* know the truth about his grasping wife. Will he? Will it bother him? Maybe not, considering what he's been like in the past. He would probably understand where she was coming from and she could probably convince him well enough that she was in no fit state to be logical anyway.

Now Max has been taken away while they investigate the problem. That's another apparent plot hole. It doesn't seem like they would do that normally if Max is in no danger but Becky trying to take Max back from the foster family certainly didn't help matters. Katherine Kelly has been playing a blinder this week. Up to tonight, she's been quiet, tense, anxious but has held it in. Finding out someone turned them in, with all the jealousy she's had over Tracy, flipped the switch. And let's face it, Tracy could easily have been the one that anonymously tipped off the Social even if, this time, she didn't do it. Becky thought she did, though, and that was all it took.

When Karen snapped over Tracy, she burned a car and Tracy thought she'd killed Amy. Becky took a sledgehammer to the Barlow house though not to Tracy herself. Are we spotting a pattern? Tracy likes to wind up her so-called rivals for Steve and it always lands her with a backlash far worse than she expected. Tracy didn't cause this outburst, mind you, but because she'd spent so much time blackmailing and emotionally throwing the red rag in front of the Becky Bull, it was Becky's natural conclusion and after a slow burn and a confrontation with Kylie, who rightly pointed out she would never have deliberately caused Max to go into care, she was off with a sledgehammer.

Ken should have called the police the minute that glass broke. David had a great time recording it for evidence. oh heck, Becky, don't break the Barlow table! That's original props, that is! But Steve was too late confessing to save the table.

I can understand Becky leaving him no matter what Steve tried to say to justify it. I can understand why he got to the end of his rope and really, it's better that it's all out in the open. Tracy can't hold it over their heads anymore which can't be a bad thing. But why did the Barlows NOT have Becky charged for the damage? (or maybe they will next week and if not, they better take it out of Steve's hide!)

Aside from the Graeme and Xin filler, and a few plot holes, It's a big Yay from me. I'm used to soaps and plot holes and you need to suspend disbelief to some extent for storylines like this. They kept me interested, they kept me coming back every night to see how it would all come out. I was most interested in the Stapegate story, with the McDonald's coming in as runner up.

Judging from a lot of comments this week that I've read on t'other blog, there will be a lot of negativity but surely there are a lot of kudos out there too?

State of the Street: May 2011

2011-05-31T20:17:00.000-03:00

I was on holidays for a few weeks but luckily was in the UK so i could see Corrie. The only drawback is that I didn't get to make notes as I watched episodes so, using the lovely weekly updates that Glenda Young writes, I can refresh my memory and pick up where I left off.

The Graeme/Xin/Tina triangle is limping along quite painfully. Oh God is this ever going to end? Well yes, it's ending in June with the exit of two of the three. The inevitable is happening, you could clearly see Xin had a thing for Graeme and he's becoming quite fond of her, torn between the two women at the moment but the more day to day living he and Xin spend, the more they get to know each other and the more he likes her. Makes a change from pouty, stroppy Tina who's really ruined, I think. She was great when she started but she's swanning around with her nose in the air and a God Given Right to be everyman's fantasy, it seems like.

The return of Dennis Tanner was lovely, especially to get the end story of his mother, the legendary Elsie Tanner who had a fabulous death, dying in a red convertable, fag in one hand, her fella's hand in the other, after speeding through the mountain roads of south Portugal. We haven't seen much more of Dennis yet but I suppose they're easing him into it. Norris is already apprehensive and I suppose we're going to get more of Mary's hissy fits as his attention can't be made to focus on her. She needs more story. She's getting to be a one-dimensional character and that's a shame.

Anyway, Dennis. He's apparently going to be featured with a relationship triangle between Rita and Emily, both of which are too old for him, by the way but at that age, it probably doesn't matter. He's still got that old Dennis Tanner spark, too. Cheeky and charming. He even flirts with Roy's mother! She won't have it, (though I bet she secretly loved it) but it would make for some funny stuff! Ken's grandson, James, was brought back to facilitate Dennis' arrival. I don't expect he'll be in the show long unless they're thinking of creating a triangle with Sean and Marcus. Have they met James yet? I can see either of them fancying James as he's a nice looking man.

Gail is taking apron strings to new heights, isn't she? That woman really needs a life! Poor Nicky is going to be burdened with his mother for life at this rate. David is making inroads and seems to be wanting his wife to have her son back. Kylie sure isn't comfortable with it, in fact, she's panicking. She probably figures if he finds out she sold him to Becky, he'd dump her but when he found out, he had no thoughts of it, just figured on using it for their own advantage. Classic David. I didn't think he would because as bad as he has and can be, he was horrified that Tina aborted his baby and I think he'd love to be a dad, even a step-dad (He was always fond of little Bethany, remember) and he's figuring they can now make it happen.Watch Becky melt down again and David and Kylie picking up the pieces. Granny Gail gets another grandbaby!

I can never figure Kylie out. I'm sure she loves her son, but she was way too young and just couldn't handle it. In an ideal world, would she want Max back? She might now that she has David and a chance at a stable life. She doesn't seem to yearn to be with him or cast longing glances across the cobbles, much. She doesn't seem to snatch the opportunity to give him a hug when he runs to her on the street. But yet, somewhere down deep, I think she's just afraid to show her feelings.

Steve-Tracy-Becky... it's actually a bit boring, isn't it? I do sometimes get so tired of Steve's spineless act. He won't stand up to Tracy for fear of losing Amy and it's causing just as much trouble in his marraige as Becky's insecurity and hate for Tracy but he doesn't see that. He thinks Becky should just sit back and accept what he has to do to keep Amy living next door. Personally, I think he needs to take a good part of the blame for Becky's jealousy and acting up. That whole Blackpool business was stupid. They didn't have to stay over, he could have sent Tracy and Amy back on the train.

And now, after 8 years or so, Amy has developed an allergy to milk products. Where did that come from? The kid seems to have some of her mother's manipulative genes, too, because she's deliberately making herself ill by drinking milk so that her daddy can come round more. Will Tracy stop and realize what she's doing to the child? No. Of course not. She want to take the child away from her father and her family. Yes, that's going to help. It won't happen, of course, because Steve can find a way legally and Tracy, as he pointed out to Becky, really doesn't want to raise Amy all alone without the safety net her parents provide.

And that brings us to the final countdown for John Stape which is peaking as we speak. This last week of May into the beginning of June sees the end of his character's run on Coronation Street. I really didn't like him at first. He was dull and he ruined Fiz. He was a liar and a manipulator and narcissistic. The Rosie kidnapping thing was all part of that. But then.... along came Colin Fishwick and things started to turn around. There were more twists and turns than a twisty and turny thing and the farce and black humour were rampant. John got himself in deeper and deeper, all because he just wanted to teach! He nearly lost Fiz but then she got pregnant and decided to give him another chance.

People keep dying around him and he is always in the wrong place at the wrong time but he did actually kill Charlotte and probably contributed to Joy's death though it did seem an accident as he tried to stop her from calling out. Because he's not really criminally minded, the guilt did him in. He does desperate things like kidnapping folks and now he's about to go completely over the edge, quite literally as well as emotionally. I don't know if he's actually going to die but we'll find out in a few days. I don't like him any more than I used to but the story has held my attention.

The vision of John frantically digging and uncovering Colin's body in that dusty old carpet, the look of horror on Fiz's face as she's discovered it. John musing over the moonlight while Fiz is shaking beside him, a dead body in the trunk... Everything hitting the fan at once. Graeme Hawley has been amazing in this whole storyline and will be missed, but Stape can't get away with the things he's done, it's soap law. He must die or be put away and pay for his crimes.

Wedged into this is Katy and Chesney, barely able to afford to eat, yet planning a baby. Silly children. Owen is trying to bully her into a termination and since she thought Chesney has run off, she nearly did it. I can understand Owen being horrified at a teenage pregnancy and given his history, not surprising that he was aggressively pushing her to get rid. He's another control freak and I don't like him very much. I think Eileen had a lucky escape there, as did Liz though she does like men with an edge. It's possible they're going to thrown him at Anna going by the few scenes we've seen of them already and that might be good for him, perhaps, if she can find a softer side to him. Maybe that's all he needs is the love of a good woman? They appear to have reformed Chris though that still might rear its ugly head but as it stands now, if they don't soften him, I think Owen has far more chance of being violent towards a wife/girlfriend.

Maria is back in the salon, and that whole factory debacle is done. Mostly. Frank is still around, has dumped Tracy, so who's next? I don't like him, not that we're supposed to, but he doesn't seem to be a fit, does he? I've enjoyed the Audrey/Claudia/Marc stuff, too. Some people haven't but I always like the older cast members to have a storyline of their own. I still say Marc and Claudia look like twins, especially with her deep voice! I doubt either of them are going to be around long.

Tommy Duckworth. Dull. Kevin and Tyrone's feud. Dull. Totally unrealistic that they'd keep on working together. Unfortunately, it makes Tyrone into a spare part. Anna is now a spare part. As is Owen. It's inevitable and it remains to be seen whether it will work. Jeff and Sally are getting dull too. She needs to dump him. Maybe now she's turned down his proposal we won't see much more of him. She can't get back with Kevin though. So totally wrong after all he's done.

Die, John, Die

2011-05-26T11:24:00.000-03:00

I want John Stape to die.

That sounds harsh, I know. But he has crimes to atone for. He has to pay one way or another. He didn't kill Colin Fishwick but he did steal his identity and hide the body when Colin dropped dead. He did kill Charlotte and he most certainly killed Joy even if that was an accident. She was having a heart attack or something similar and he held his hand over her mouth so she wouldn't call out to the neighbour at the door. I don't think he intended to kill her but it happened.

Now he's kidnapped the Hoyles and Chesney and has them tied in the cellar and the circle is complete. It started with a kidnapping and has ended with one. The body is going to be dug up from under the floor at the factory and John's going to lose the plot completely. All his misdeeds will come out because he won't be able to keep his mouth shut. And the rug that Colin is wrapped will probably be full of John's DNA as well so he'd get found out anyway.

The spoilers tell us he's going to take off with baby Hope. Fiz, chasing him will get hit by a car and end up in hospital where John and Fiz and the baby will be on the roof. Apparently he is going over the edge but some spoilers say he will survive and escape and go on the run.

NO! I really hope this isn't going to happen. He won't have paid for his crimes and that's just wrong in the world of soaps and is too much like a plot from the American soaps. Fiz will never be able to move on with her life if she knows he's out there somewhere. If he does survive, he has to be taken into custody and either jailed or locked in a hospital for the criminally insane. Unfortunately, with the kinds of things Phil Collinson is throwing at us these days, we could be in for just what I fear.

We're going to find out next week as the storyline plays out. The spoilers I've read are still circumspect, not letting out the secret which is a good thing. I like to be surprised now and then!

You find Coronation Street in the most unexpected places

2011-05-24T12:30:00.000-03:00

Don't you just love seeing Corrie references when you least expect it?

On my recent holiday to the U.K., I stayed in Manchester for a week and also visited London for a weekend. You would probably expect to see Coronation Street references around Manchester but it's still pretty cool when you come across one.

This photo is in the upper level of a pub on the main city centre street, Deansgate. The pub is called Moon Under Water and the building used to be a cinema which first opened in 1914. You can find it when you go up the stairs to the toilets, it's on the wall there along with some other photos, one of which is Emmeline Pankhurst, one of the early Suffragettes who was from Manchester. I assume the photos are homages to famous Mancunians or Manchester culture.

The next Coronation Street reference may not really be a Corrie reference in fact but whenever there are three flying ducks, what Corrie fan doesn't think about Hilda Ogden?

We went to London to see a Doctor Who exhibition in the Olympia Two exhibition centre on Hammersmith Road. One of the costumes displayed was the one that Tom Baker's Doctor wore in the 1970s and looky what I saw on the lapel of the coat!

Finding little touches like that always makes me smile. Have you come across anything similar?

State of the Street - April 2011

2011-04-30T17:18:00.001-03:00

The double wedding? Well I've already gone over that. No point in rehashing it. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy Kylie winding up Gail, though!

Then there's a lot of angst and handwringing that Maria's doing about Frank.

The War of the Websters continues with the recent windfall of Kevin's thanks to a lottery scratch ticket. He has been scurrying to win back Sally's favour and not doing well at all. Flowers. A car that she sold back for cash. But she still insists on half of the money he won. Well, he gave it all to her and she gave half back but I hope she took the cost of the car and the money she got for it in mind when she wrote that cheque. It didn't make Kevin very happy, though, it loosens his hold over her. I think it really is over between them and rightly so. Just too much water under the bridge.

Nobody really thought that Steve and Becky would end up leaving because we already knew Liz was going. It's too bad they had to have Jim try armed robbery to try to get the money to buy the pub. It was probably the worst thought out plan he could have devised. No mask, for one thing. Even if he'd managed to get out of the bank, there would have been CCTV footage of his face. All for the love of Liz, really, and now he's well and truly lost her because he's going to be behind bars for the rest of his life and though she said she'd be waiting for him, she's high-tailed it to Spain. She may come back for the trial and she seems to have given him some hope in a letter but really, I think they both know down deep it ain't gonna happen. Goodbye Liz! Off in a traditional black cab.

Steve really needs to get a solicitor and get access to Amy down in writing, especially now that Tracy has all that ammunition against him, not that Tracy would pay any mind to legal papers, I suppose. Tracy threatens to take Amy away and she could but down deep she still hopes that she'll get Steve back in her bed. He's such a lily livered weakling that he could succumb to temptation as far as sex goes but I'd be very disappointed if he ever got together with her properly, citing a long time "I just can't fight it anymore" feeling. For one thing, it was never like that, it was only ever about sex between them and for another, what makes her any different from Karen and Becky, really? Another "mad, bad and dangerous to know" woman, obviously the type he likes. Somehow I doubt even a solicitor is going to be much help now. He's mired in debt, made some impulsive choices. How is he going to get out from under? We hear he's hiring a new manager but he still has to be able to pay her.

The Yummy Mummy competition seemed to be a non-starter. Cheryl and Leanne at odds over their boys. As far as the school play goes, I would think Simon would be far better at getting into character than the morose and silent Russ. I don't know why some people are thinking this is a terrible storyline. Many of those are the same ones that moan because Corrie is one sensational ratings grabber after another. This type of storyline is the kind we always used to see on Corrie. No murders, no hostages, two women in an argy bargy over their kids. I don't think we'll see them rolling about on the cobbles but I for one am just itching to see Leanne grab a hunk of smug Cheryl's hair and give it a good yank! However, after all that, it seemed to fizzle out unless we're going to get more when the play actually happens.

Eddie seemed keen enough on adopting and then when Faye finally came to stay, he seemed like he was tired of the whole thing already. I suppose he was just going through it for Anna's sake and never thought it would actually happen but he seemed like he liked the little girl until she caused a bit of trouble stealing. Now he feels overwhelmed with it all. You'd think he would be used to that sort of behaviour. I'm quite sure Gary was not an easy child to raise, and he certainly got into trouble. So in the end, Eddie and Anna just had too many differences though they still love each other, I'm sure. It was so sad seeing them part and again, a few episodes later when she put the last of Eddie's cakes in the bin, closing the lid on their life together.

When you're dropped into a trouble child's life, it's not going to be easy and I think Eddie didn't really realize what it was going to be like. He now does in spades and is probably thinking he's too old to go through parenting a difficult child again.

Unfortunately, he's off to Germany, leaving Anna to hold the baby, so to speak. Will Social services let her keep Faye now that Eddie has gone, though? And if they take her, I'm hard pressed to see how Anna fits in to the community on her own, with Gary all grown. She'll have lost Eddie because of Faye and lost Faye anyway. She might as well go to Germany after all if that happens. I really like her though, and I hope they find reasons to keep her. They'll probably throw her at the first single bloke that happens by, probably Owen. Then she'd have Katy to fuss over. Good bye Eddie. I think it's a huge mistake to let Steve Huison go.

Roy's mum, Sylvia has arrived and I love, love, love her already! She's just the thing to put the cat among the pigeons. I hope we get to see her reaction when she finds out that Hayley used to be a fella. She's not a replacment for Blanche but I do think the show needs a cantankerous old biddy like her to keep people on their toes in the tradition of Blanche and Ena Sharples.

John is in a very bad way. It's the beginning of the end, we all know that from the spoilers and because it's Soap Law. The truth about Colin under the factory floor *has* to come out. John spent quite some time in hospital and he certainly didn't take things easy when he got out, dumping his pills in the bin as soon as he was away from the doctors and nurses' watchful eyes. It's that selfishness again. He knows what's best. Except he doesn't and he flipped out again when he found out about the money from Joy's estate. Poor Fiz is at the end of her rope and Chesney is upset, too, for her and there's nothing he can do, especially now he and Katy are pregnant. Doesn't that just make you shudder? 16, on their own, not making ends meet and now a baby? She'll be quitting school and living off the Social in no time if this keeps up. And Owen will be inside for murder because he will do one on Chesney! It'll peak in May and we'll see it all come out.

Easter in London... I liked it! But then I love London and it's very neat to see all the places I've been. I did wonder about Violet and Jamie though. Awhile back when Sean was first back in touch with her and got to see the little one, he said she and Jamie had broken up. I guess they got back together and it's obviously not been a smooth road. Sooooo nice to see Marcus again, too. He was a lovely character and he and Sean really worked as a couple. Toddley and Jools weren't all that much to write home about, I was hoping Jason would hit Todd just a little harder but he did manage to knock some sense into him verbally. That part of the Easter Sunday show all seemed kind of flat, really.

We've ended April with an immigration inspection to check whether Graeme and Xin are really married or not. They reckon someone told on them and that's what happened but even so, you would think there might have to be an interview anyway. Maybe not but leave it to Mary to stick her beak in. Tina and Graeme are falling apart, with suspicions telling them what they already know down deep. There's no going back. It's clear Xin is falling for Graeme and if he's continuing to have arguments with Tina, it's inevitable he'll fall for Xin too. She didn't get a job that she'd interviewed for but, with the near departure of Craig Gazey, I recon she'll get one that will take them somewhere else, London perhaps, or Wales. I can picture Graeme in Wales, can't you? It'll facilitate them moving away together and he'll have discovered he's got feelings for her after all, which most of us already suspect.

How do you solve a problem like Maria's

2011-04-24T11:30:00.001-03:00

It's all been he-said-she-said at the factory. Maria has been moaning and bitching about Frank for weeks and Carla has been pandering to him, keeping him sweet to keep the work on. Carla is in a tough spot, do you side with your staff and let the factory go under? Hard call. She's now believing that Maria overreacted and Maria blames Carla for making her go to Frank's that night, all dressed up. I'm kind of with Maria there. Work on his crush, get the order, not really the way to do business.

She certainly didn't ask for his attentions but he also picked up what he thought were signals. You fancy someone, they come to your house dressed in a sexy little number and share a few drinks. You might think you have a chance and move in. But no means no and he shouldn't have tried again. Frank just thinks he tried it on and got knocked back. Would he have raped her? I don't think so but obviously Maria didn't know that.

What Would Carla Do? If Carla had been in the same position, I think she'd have snogged him but manage to extricate herself before going further, leading Frank along and charming him until he thought that it was his idea to "wait". I don't really think Carla is all that savvy a business woman, like she thinks she is anyway. She never thought much of Maria in the past, why would she hire her? Maria might have been ok as a regular Assistant, much like Rosie was. Handle the phones, do some computer work, answer the mail, send out the bills. But handling a client? On her first day? Carla is as much to blame for the situation as Frank is!

Did Maria overreact? If you put yourself in her shoes, no she didn't. I think she's right in going to the police based on how she saw the situation but she should have gone straight away, not weeks later. Now the police dodn't see it her way and unfortunately, that's probably right. Frank certainly wouldn't get convicted for attempted rape though possibly sexual assault.

These things can be very hard to prove in a court when you're a woman if there's no actual evidence...torn clothing or bruises and the like. The fact that she's kept it secret from most people rather than going straight to the police that same night would go against her too. Maria's not wrong for feeling the way she did. Frank should have taken the first No for an answer. No excuses. But I also think Maria overreacted a bit after all was said, done and apologized for. I do think Frank was genuine in his apology, realized he'd crossed the line and regretted it.

Where should Maria go now? Well, not back to the factory, that's for sure. Maybe Audrey (and David) will take her back at the salon. Maybe she can work with Peter now that John's freaked out and ran for the hills. Maybe something new? What do you think?

Nodding to Coronation Street history

2011-04-22T11:38:00.000-03:00

We are being treated with another nod to the great history of this great show that we all love. Another character from the distant past is returning, played by the same actor and it's a wonderful thing! Everyone knows the name of Elsie Tanner and everyone remembers or remembers hearing about her wild child, Dennis.

Dennis Tanner, when we met him in episode one, was only a few weeks out of Borstal, a juvenile prison. He was a young man that had got into trouble. He wore his hair a little long, liked a leather jacket and had a slight air of danger about him but he was a pussycat really. He had big dreams and not always the means to make them happen successfully. He was the often the bane of his mother's life but everyone seemed to like the scallywag anyway.

There was always a rivalry between Dennis and neighbour Ken Barlow. The boys would have grown up together though Dennis was a couple of years younger, more the age of David Barlow. Ken was studious and smart, and he went to university. No doubt Dennis felt that his mother compared him unfavourably to Kenneth and Dennis did seem to have a chip on his shoulder about it all. I think Ken pretty much ignored Dennis as much as possible and did seem to look down on him. But then, Ken looked down on pretty much everyone in his working class world, somewhere he never thought he really belonged but couldn't quite seem to leave.

Emily Bishop knew Dennis. She was older than him by 13 years and an "old maid" or spinster. Women were supposed to be married and raising a family by the time they were Emily's age but Emily was not fortunate enough to find that life for herself. These days, most young women are discouraged from marrying too young and encouraged to establish some sort of career for themselves first. Indeed, women can decide not to marry and are not thought to be strange. But those were different times.

Although Emily seemed to have a crush on Leonard Swindly and even proposed to him in the leap year of 1964, she realized neither of them truly loved each other and backed out. She seemed to regard Dennis as a naughty schoolboy but I also think she might have harboured a little crush on the "mad, bad, and dangerous to know" Dennis, the type of feeling where you look at a younger man, sigh and wish you were 10 years younger that maybe, just maybe, they might notice you.

Dennis knew Rita Littlewood, too. She was a club singer and exotic dancer and he was into managing entertainers though wasn't her manager. She, too, was about 10 years older than him but in her initial appearance, seen above from 1964, was said to be just a friend. She returned in 1972 as a regular character, several years after Dennis left in 1968. We never really knew how well she knew him but they were comfortable with each other so likely were "mates".

Jump forward, now, to 2011. We're about to encounter Dennis Tanner again, still played by the original actor, Philip Lowrie. Over the years, we would hear the occaisional remark from his mother, Elsie. We know he was in jail at one point for scamming senior citizens. He left the show with a new bride, Jenny, but very likely that didn't last. Rita is set to encounter him and will remember him and apparently Norris is not going to like this intrusion into his safe little life one little bit.

That brings me to my next point.

It seems to me that Norris has turned into Percy Sugden. Norris has very high regard for his landlady and good friend, Emily and we know he's harboured romantic unrequited feelings for his coworker Rita. She gently turned down his marraige proposal several years ago. Any time either of them makes friends or becomes close to another man, Norris feels threatened just as Percy did with his place in Emily's life. He seems to think his place in their lives is about to be usurped and decides that the offending man is only trying to scam one of his friends and is not genuine. Emily's friendship with Ed Jackson from her church did turn out badly when he revealed he was the one that killed her beloved Ernest though was trying to repent for his sin. I wouldn't say Norris had anything to crow about though he did anyway but Emily was barely able to forgive Ed.

Norris' half brother, Ramsey was the biggest threat. Emily fell in love with him and this, on top of the resentment Norris already felt towards the man he felt contributed to their mother's death, had him apopletic with insecurity and rage. Ramsay was genuine in his feelings for Emily and that probably scared Norris even more.

Jed Stone, another long time ago character, landed a temporary bed with Emily, too and Norris was highly suspicious. It wasn't really a problem with Jed, though, it was his contact with Tony Gordon that caused the problems and brought trouble to the house of Bishop. Ray Langton took advantage of Mrs. Bishop's good nature (in Norris' opinion)

He was right about Richard Hillman, however. Richard's financial scheme to fund Emily money and gain control of her house after her death is not an uncommon or illegal practice but when he tried to kill her to get his hands on it, well that most certainly is! He's even felt that way about Spider Nugent, Emily's nephew and wasn't too happy when young Graeme was offered lodgings with Emily nor did he wholly approve of Tina staying with Rita and was proved right the second time when it was revealed that Tina and Graeme had staged their breakup to engineer an immigration scam.

I hate it when Norris is proven right! ;)

Now, Dennis is returning. An old friend of both Rita and Emily. Are we taking bets that perennial landlady Emily will offer Dennis the spare room much as she did Jed Stone? Are we wondering if Charmer Dennis might turn his affections to flame haired Rita? Norris is sure to get a case of the wobblies and go around moaning portents of doom, like he does. I dislike Norris, who's a jumped up, nosy, annoying little berk, but this storyline will bring the veteran actors into the forefront and that's never a bad thing. I'll be interested to see Ken lording it over Dennis or Dennis snarking at Ken for his perfect life and the fact that he's still living one door down from the house where he was born. Dennis might have fallen on rough times but he'll have put in a lot more adventure into his life, no doubt. I'm looking forward to hearing the fate of Elsie, long dead, I'm guessing, but having lived the rest of her life, happy in the Portuguese sun with Bill Gregory.

With 50 years of history to draw in, it's wonderful when they remark on a character long gone or an incident that happened in the past. I've really enjoyed the short lived returns of past characters like these and it's especially nice when they're played by the original actors (there's a great blog post here about recasting characters). The more this happens and is well received, maybe the more we'll see pop up on our screens. Corrie uses the sensational storylines and the younger set to try to attract new viewers, but they need to show the long time fans appreciation too, and this is just the ticket! Balance the high drama by featuring the veteran actors who can be just as popular with the younger set as the teens. It makes everyone happy!

Bye Bye Becky

2011-04-18T17:08:00.001-03:00

Yes, another post about Becky McDonald and Katherine Kelly!

I've never been shy about my support for both the character and the actor. A lot of people think Becky is over used and pushed into every storyline. They don't like her histrionics and they don't like her "me me me" attitude. I think because I like Katherine Kelly so much, I don't notice that it's "All Becky All the time" like some people do. I'm just as glad because I enjoy watching the character.

Now we've heard that Katherine Kelly is leaving the show by the end of the year or early next year. I"m gutted that she's leaving but I'm also not really all that surprised. Becky's been a loose cannon at the best of times and she's been spiraling into self destruct mode more and more, especially since Kylie showed up with Max and she persuaded Steve to get the money together to pay Kylie for custody. You just knew that was going to come back and bite her in the ass and it has, several times already. She's now got her worst enemy, Tracy, keeping her and Steve in line with threats of revealing her secret. Becky is being backed into a corner.

She's been dragging Steve down more and more. He's ended up covering for her, lying for her, putting himself in debt for her, and he's close to losing the pub and Streetcars, all because of her. The war with Tracy looks to be going the same way that Karen's war with Tracy went. Tracy pushed and pushed until Karen went over the edge and it looks like she's going to do the same thing to Becky. I reckon this marraige is going to end the same way, with Steve getting fed up finally and throwing her out, wondering why this keeps happening to him! Well, if you *will* keep marrying the same type of woman, exciting though she might be, you're just asking for trouble.

I just hope Tracy doesn't get her claws into Steve. I really *really* don't want them to end up together, and I don't care if it's for Amy. It's wrong, wrong, wrong but that isn't going to make Tracy stop trying. For her, Steve is the prize.

How will Becky leave? What will be her end-story? It's apparently going to be put in motion soon and carry out through the rest of the year, so says ITV. They say Becky will lose Max when Social Services finds out she bought him from her sister. We don't know yet who grassed her but she's going to think it's Tracy and is going to go on a rampage against Tracy. (see above). It could also be David, Kylie or even Gail if she finds out about the payments. Dev and Sunita know, too, as does Lloyd, Liz and Jim. That's a lot of places for it to leak out.

It's not all over yet between Becky and Kylie, either. They're either cut each other to pieces or maybe they'll make their peace before Becky leaves. I have a feeling that Kylie and David will end up with Max and maybe she'll grow up a bit and settle down. Or not. But she might. A bit. Being a dad might be just what David needs.

Oooh, I just had a thought! Another way Tracy could get the upper hand in Steve's life... Tracy still has that money that Blanche left her (presumably). I bet she's going to invest in the Rovers! I don't imagine she's got enough money to completely clear his debts but she's got enough to keep him from sinking and it gives her more of a hold! Watch this space! Don't you think it's a possibility?

I love speculating!

T'ra Elizabeth.

2011-04-14T21:03:00.001-03:00

She had a weep. She knew she wouldn't keep her promises to Jim. Lying alone in a cell, I think he knew it too, down deep. She sends Steve and Becky to bed and listens to the echos of her past.

Then it's last orders and turn out the lights

The inevitable and traditional taxi, red shiny case in hand.

"Airport, please.... Go for it"

And off she goes. Good luck, Elizabeth!

Character study: Elizabeth Jane McDonald

2011-04-14T10:39:00.001-03:00

Now that we're about to say goodbye to Liz McDonald, it's fitting that we look back on her life on Coronation Street.

We first met red headed Liz McDonald in 1989 when she and her family moved to Coronation Street. Her husband, Jim, had just got out of the army and was determined to give his loved ones a more stable family life and a fresh start. Liz and Jim were married very young when Liz got pregnant for twins at 16 and by all accounts they've always been passionate people, both in love and marital war. Jim had a violent temper but Liz had a fire to her too and their battles were legendary. Liz was a strong woman, having to be both father and mother to her two energetic tearaway boys because Jim was off on maneuvers and courses much of the time.

During their first few years on the show, It was never stated for a fact that he was physically abusive to her or the children. Later on, it was implied that he sometimes would get a bit physical, maybe a bit of pushing around, especially when he was drinking. Liz was definitely not beaten down and victimized by Jim, so I always believed that he did more shouting and wall-punching than knocking her or the children around. Liz has never said that Jim was an abuser, either and she was not afraid of him. She would stand up to him toe to toe if the situation called for it, especially if she was defending one of her chicks and wasn't above a roundhouse slap across the chops when he really messed up. Most of the time, Jim seemed to know just how far he could push her and mostly only crossed the line when he was roaring drunk.

She stoutly defended her lads but she also knew when they were to blame, as one or the other would often get into trouble. When they arrived, the lads broke Alf Roberts' shop window twice accidentally. They later started a pirate radio station that made fun of local teacher, "Captain" Kenny "carpet slippers" Barlow. As they got older, Steve emerged as the main cause of trouble, getting on the wrong side of the law more than once. The stress of this may have caused Liz to go into early labour when she was pregnant unexpectedly. The baby, wee Katie, was born too early and died. Liz still has moments of grief for her lost daughter.

In 1993, she was hired by Alec Gilroy to help with the food in the pub and often worked behind the bar as well. This eventually led to an offer to run a Newton and Ridley pub, the Queens. Liz was thrilled. Finally, something she could find of her own! She had spent years being wife and mother and now that Steve and Andy were grown, this was something that she could do and do well. But Jim's endless jealous rages spoiled it for her and after a blazing row, she threw him out and handled the pub on her own. On the rebound, she even had a fling with Des Barnes' brother, Colin. She had to give up the pub when Jim knocked ten bells out of a brewery executive but she eventually forgave Jim and they gave things another try. (In a little nod to history, this was actually revisited recently when Liz and Jim met with the manager, Richard Willmore and Betty Williams told Tina behind the bar about the time Jim gave him a thumping.)

It wasn't to last. On the way home from an army reunion, Jim discovered that Liz had had a brief affair years ago with his best mate, Johnny. In a drunken rage, he lashed out and hit her, leaving her on the side of the road at night. That was the end of their marraige. Spitefully, Liz even enhanced the bruise to mke it look worse and went out in public so people could see what he'd done. Liz struck out on her own, barely tolerating Jim when he would turn up, wanting to reconcile. She'd have none of it or his temper anymore. His jealousy and temper were dragging her down. The lads waivered their support between their parents but mainly disapproved of their father's antics, especially when he broke into the house in another rage. She had him arrested for that.

To be fair, Liz had done her fair share attracting attentions of other men and though she didn't do it deliberately while she was married, she also knew it would bait Jim, both before their split and after. She worked in the betting shop for awhile. Flirtations with Des Barnes and his boss, Sean Skinner caused Des to lose his job.

Liz always kept herself in shape and always dressed attractively. But as she got older, she's clearly decided that she is fighting advancing age with her hair and wardrobe choices. She continues to wear the same trendy hair do's that women in their early 20s sport and continues to wedge herself into short tight skirts and low cut tops.

At one point, she became involved with criminal Fraser Henderson who had been in prison with Steve. Fraser's interest in her then got Sean Skinner beaten up as a warning to leave Liz alone. She worked for Fraser later in his wine bar, and though knew he was on the shady side of the law, didn't seem to realize how deep he was in. When she did, she half heartedly passed on information to a police detective, Alan McKenna who was dating Fiona Middleton, another of Steve's on-again off-again girlfriends. It all blew up when Fraser skipped town and his henchman held Liz and Andy hostage. Never one to cower, Liz helped take him down with a lethal stiletto!

Jim had an accident that left him in a wheelchair for awhile and it seemed like Liz's sympathies were leaning his way. Jim even bought a ring to ask her to marry him again but by that time, Liz was having it off with Jim's physical therapist. She broke Jim's heart when she left town with Michael Wall. We didn't see her again until a few years later though we did hear that she and Steve's new wife, Karen, absolutely did not get on well. Too much alike, I would hazard to guess. I think Liz saw a lot of herself in Karen and it seems like Steve basically married a woman just like his mother!

In 2000, Steve was badly beaten by Jez Quigley. In retaliation, Jim beat Jez badly who then died of his injuries. Jim confessed and was sent to prison. Liz returned to see him and the old spark was still there. They remarried in prison and Liz vowed to wait for him. She worked in the Rovers for awhile but ended up leaving town again to move closer to the prison where Jim was transferred.

She popped up on our screens a couple of years after that, in a bar in Blackpool. Jim had been suspicious of her relationship with her boss and escaped prison to confront her. Liz was indeed having relations. You can't keep a passionate woman down for long, so it seemed. In the end, Liz decided to try to run off with her husband but they were thwarted when, on a boat to Ireland, they encountered the young Peacock family in trouble in a small boat. They rescued them and Jim was arrested on the wharf and sent packing back to the nick. Liz went to Brighton with Bet Lynch for a time.

She returned in 2004 for Karen and Steve's second wedding. There was a bit of upset because she was spending time with her new granddaughter and Karen didn't like that one little bit. It also caused a bit of tension between Liz and her old best mate, Deirdre who was little Amy's other grandmother. Liz worked at the Rovers for awhile until she came along the wrong side of Charlie Stubbs who was living with Shelley at the time. She left there for the Weatherfield Arms and roomed with Maria for awhile in the flat over the cab office since it was owned by Steve. She also tried to get Steve and Tracy together, for Amy's sake but Steve was having none of that until he thought it might get him custody.

Eventually, she divorced Jim again because his temper kept getting him into trouble in prison, and his sentence was extended. She was lonely and wanted to find someone new. She had a few disastrous dates but has landed with a musician, drummer Vernon Tomlin who is the complete opposite of Jim in temperment. Vernon is mild and peaceful, if a bit feckless. The only problem is, he's also a lot less passionate than Liz herself and Liz was often bored and less than respectful of Vernon who cared for her quite a bit.

She had a fling with a delivery man, Derek but finished that when his wife found out. Vernon wasn't too happy about it either but forgave her and she decided to accept his marraige proposal, thinking that at her age, she really did need to settle down in a stable relationship, even if it wasn't as full of fire as she was used to.

Finally, too, she had her dream job. Steve bought the Rovers from Fred Elliott and Liz was the one that got to have her name over the door. There was one hiccup when Jim was released from prison just before her wedding. He seemed to have changed. He seemed to have accepted that she moved on.

Liz always remained close to her lads, as they grew up and settled down. She has always been fiercely loyal and though does admit that they don't always make the smartest choices, will defend them with every last breath, even if she's smacking one of them up the earhole for doing something stupid (usually Steve!). She's never really got on with any of Steve's wives. Karen was probably the most like her but Becky is just over the top troube, in Liz's eyes. She maybe right. Time will tell.

But Big Jim still loved Liz and so he always would. When he tried to convince her that she shouldn't marry Vernon, Vernon caught him attempting to kiss Liz and pulled him away. Red rag... bull... Vernon got a bloody nose for his trouble and Liz ejected Jim from her life altogether. Although she still had doubts about marrying Vernon, she knew she would never reunite with Jim either. She nearly called off the wedding but after Vernon took an injury for her, knew she couldn't hurt him and married him. He discovered she was going to call it off and was very hurt but they seem to have made up their differences and they were happy for a short while.

Liz was yet again tempted by a handsome man and realized that Vernon really wasn't the man for her, even though good looking bookie Harry wasn't either. Liz has found herself with affable Lloyd for a time but in the end, felt he wasn't the right one for her, either. Rough and Ready Owen might have been the closest to being someone Liz could really fall for, since he's cut from much the same cloth as Big Jim but due to Bev Callard's absence, that died a quiet death as did a potential clash between Owen and a brief return by Jim.

Liz returned from Spain and walked into a financial crisis. Steve and Becky were backed into a corner,having got themselves way over their heads in debt because Becky's sister, Kylie, insisted on 20,000 pounds to let them have her little boy Max. Becky stole an additional 3000 from Dev and Sunita's safe, which was broken open after the tram crashed into the corner shop. Tracy, recently released from prison, found out about Max and was holding it against them, using it to keep Amy from Steve.

Jim came back into the picture. It looked very much like there was a reconciliation on the books. Jim suggested that Liz buy the pub off them but she was unable to raise the cash. They tried to get the brewery to buy it back and when that was unsuccessful, Jim tried to get Kevin Webster to invest some of his recent lottery win. No dice. In desperation to give his beloved Elizabeth her dream, Jim committed armed robbery, was caught and went back to prison. There is nothing left for Liz in Weatherfield now. She blames Becky for all the bad things that have brought her to this point and there's no pub, no Jim and no dream.

Spain beckons and she's answering the call once and for all.

Digital Spy has a good gallery of McDonald photos.
ITV has a nice good-bye gallery here.

The postitive aspects of Coronation Street

2011-04-14T08:40:00.000-03:00

Coronation Street evokes strong feelings in it's fans. The show has been around for 50 years and for the most part, has been brilliant even when it's not been about a big dramatic story. These days it seems more about sensational stuff than every day stuff but they've pretty much got to do more of it to keep the increasingly fickle audience. People have so much more choice as to what to watch and the stakes are higher these days.

I know there's been a huge amount of negative reaction to recent storylines and a lot of people are saying that Coronation Street is barely worth watching anymore. I would disagree. Although I can be critical of the show, of plot holes, of dull or ill-thought out storylines, overall I still think Coronation Street is the best thing on tv and I wouldn't consider ceasing to watch, not in the least. If a storyline or characters are not very interesting, I can skip over them. This too shall pass. You can't please everyone with every single storyline.

Maybe I'm just easy to please. For all the people that say Corrie is crap, they mostly stick with it because they know it can still be so good and they wait for it to get back to what they know it can be. For me, it does sometimes have periods where it's in a bit of a slump but it always comes back up again. Storylines don't always have to be sensational or dramatic but neither do they always have to be high comedy either. It's true it seems like they reuse plot lines but then, after 50 years, it must be difficult to come up with something completely new. Sometimes the best you can do is take something similar and put different aspects to it or tell it from a different point of view. What's wrong with that?

They have a really large cast and you've got to give everyone a turn so sometimes your not-favourite characters are featured and you probably won't like that storyline. My main pet peeves are when I have to assume background information, such as when Lloyd and Cheryl seemed to be a loved up couple when there really wasn't any warning or discussion between them to stop being just friends/roomies. Someone suggested that when he thought she was trapped in the Joinery in the crash, and got out safely, they realized their feelings for each other. That's probably true but there was nothing on screen about it before they were snogging and giggling together. I hate it when I double take and say "Wait... What???"

Plot holes do annoy me (see above) but it's the nature of the beast. Sometimes they have to speed up a storyline for various reasons. Hearing Vicky Binns speak here in Halifax the other night, she said that the affair between she and Kevin was meant to work up over a lot longer, starting from friends and seeing them get closer etc. But the storyline leaked and the decision was made to jump right into it since it was already out in the media. I think that probably happens a lot and forces their hand. She said they know there are leaks but they never really know who or how they get out.

Anyway, I just wanted to defend the show. I'm still enjoying it in spite of finding one or two storylines disappointing. There are others that provide the interest while waiting for the ones i don't like to finish. There are always little moments where you laugh out loud and moments that echo your own every day life and conversations with friends that you find yourself nodding at the screen.

I do think it may be trying to find it's feet again and keep up to the high of the anniversary peak. Maybe they're trying a bit too hard but I also don't think it's as bad as a lot of people see it. They are certainly allowed to have their own opinions if they aren't enjoying the show but I wanted to put a little positivity out there, too. I love the characters and the actors playing them.

Corrie locations visited: Ryecroft Hall

2011-04-08T20:57:00.001-03:00

There are often outside-the-studio locations used for Coronation Street. We often see weddings and funerals and christenings in a real church. We have also seen this registry office used a number of times for non-religious weddings.

The actual location is , near Salford. Last year when I was in Manchester, I took a coach tour around the area visiting various locations used in filming Coronation Street. Our sometimes blogger Mark Llewellin was the guide. He does many of these tours through the year and our group had booked him and had a great day out.

Anyway. I digress. I wanted to show you some screen shots from the most recent use of the hall for the double wedding of David and Kylie, Graeme and Xin and compare them with the photos I took inside and outside the building.

First the exterior:

Next: You may have noticed a stained glass window behind Rita and Norris. This is beside a staircase on the right.

This shot is down through the railings under the skylight

And my shot from the ground up where you can see the lovely plaster work

Finally from the back of the room looking towards the front

And a photo towards the same part of the room, showing, again, more plasterwork

Wedding Album

2011-04-08T20:40:00.001-03:00

I'm bringing you a few photos from the festivities from last night's double wedding. The hen night was not without it's events, either. Kylie, as expected, got bladdered.

The mother-in-law from hell tried to pay off the bride to leave her son waiting at the altar. She checks back over her shoulder after handing Kylie 1000 pounds, will she take it and run?

No, she will not. She took her time about getting to the registry office on time but she made it and the two couples stood and swore they'd love, honour and ... well, maybe not obey, unless it means David obeying Kylie!

Graeme and Xin looking not quite so much the happy couple. Xin managed to crack a bit of a nervous smile. Graeme was just nervous and sweating buckets, I'll bet! They really won't be able to pull this off, will they? Faced with the authorities interviewing them to verify their relationship, they'll crumble like last week's cheese!

David and Kylie's relationship, on the other hand, may not last long but it will never be boring!

Graeme and Xin might be signing their lives away, for sure! Contrast the two couples if you will. I would pay money to see these wedding photos!

How ironic was it that Tina caught the bouquet?

Graeme's tender speech about his soul mate was directed a tad to the left of the bride who almost looks like she really does believe his loving words. I think the bride is developing a bit of a crush on the groom, don't you?

But alas, Norris found out the truth and told Rita, who felt very betrayed and gave them both a full blast of her disappointment!

They felt the weight of their guilt, and rightly so!Nice shot of them in front of a target! The irony is not lost on me!

Meanwhile, Kylie is up on the tables again, sticking the knife into Gail's back by acting all sweetness and light and she even wants to call Gail 'Mum'. You can see how happy that makes Gail!

Awwwww! Mum and Daughter-in-law time will make such treasured memories!

Praising Paula Lane

2011-04-04T07:54:00.000-03:00

Kylie Turner burst into Weatherfield like a hurricane, causing havoc by selling her little son Max to Becky and Steve and blackmailing them whenever she wants. It seems her main motivation for anything is money, whether scheming to get cash off Becks or urging Xin to pay Graeme to marry her (with a cut for Kylie, of course).

We have seen a few cracks in her flinty shell before. She does seem to have genuine feelings for Max but shoves them deep away because she doesn't think she's good enough to be a mum. She's young and selfish, she's tough and she's had to be a survivor.

This past week, we got a glimpse behind the shell when she described her childhood in horrifyingly brief but descriptive detail. An alcoholic mother and an abusive father who beat and molested her and Becky both, while their mother slept off another hangover, I should imagine. She was pregnant at a very young age and had to try to survive on the streets. No wonder Social Services took Max.

Then, later, she took a deep breath and asked Becky to come to her wedding and was rejected. I think she really does want to make a go of the marraige even if it's partly because it gives her security. I do think she is, at least, infatuated with David and sees him as a kindred spirit. We know Gail is going to offer her cash to leave David at the altar. I think the odds are pretty good that she takes the money and marries him anyway and uses the payoff to blackmail Gail who won't want her precious son to know what she's done.

Kylie could have been another tearaway, another Becky with a wild temper and no self control but we're seeing a different sort of woman. Kylie is hard, at least on the outside, she's greedy because she has nothing, she has no respect for anyone because she's had none herself, she's out to feather her own nest because she wasn't really given much of one to grow up in. She could be a real nightmare to watch but she isn't because Paula Lane, who plays her, is a fantastic young actor who brings electricity to the screen whenever Kylie is on it.

I felt that way right from the start, too. Sometimes it takes awhile to warm up to a character but there's an amazing chemistry between Paula and everyone she's been in scenes with so far. She just sparks off them all and lights up the screen. Kylie isn't a likeable person, but she's most definitely one that I am loving to hate and that's all down to Paula's performance.

Kylie and David might be the couple from hell but I think they're a perfect match. Unfortunately, they're probably too much alike to go the distance but it will be fun watching them rock and roll through their and Gail's world for awhile.

State of the Street - March 2011

2011-04-02T16:42:00.000-03:00

Good Grief! Sophie went off the rails and off the church roof after years of being ignored and months of listening to her parents row viciously. They almost lost her and it looked like they might have been a bit contrite and what do they do? Have a blazing row by her hospital bedside instead of taking it outside. Is it any flaming wonder Sophie has reached the end of her tether? It's given her a wakeup call, so she says, and she's gone back to the Church saying her survival was a miracle. She might as well. At least she won't be ignored there after the poor old Pastor got the fright of his life watching her plummet through his hands. Maybe this just might give him a wakeup call and all! In the meantime....

I knew that Kevin would back down and not sell the house. He just felt too guilty over what happened with Sophie. And he has a hope in the back of his mind that if Sally is still in the house, there's always a remote chance she might have him back. He won all that money and wasn't going to tell Sally until after she signed on the dotted line unless she will come back to him and then he'd gladly share the money with her. Blackmailing bastard. He's launched a campaign with flowers and then upped the game and gave her a car, which, I notice, she hasn't given back yet. So who is right? Should she get half or not? I reckon she shouldn't get half but I also figure he should put what might have been Sally's half in trust for the girls. Sophie is still a minor and Rosie would spend it on shoes and handbags but they deserve to have it as security for their future every bit as much as Jack does.

What a homecoming for Liz, eh? Amy gone to Tracy, the pub in near-financial ruin. I'll agree that it was rough that Steve had to give Amy back to Tracy but I don't think he had formal custody when she went to prison. When she got out, I wasn't surprised that she took Amy back even if it was with an agenda.

Well, Liz shouldn't have gone off so long should she? She *is* the licensee after all. Apparently there are rules about this, rules she should know with all her experience. Still, it's good to see her again. I always liked Liz, me. But what i don't get is why didn't she know *any* of these events? She's been gone since before Christmas. Did her best friend Deirdre not call her with excitement to tell her that her daughter was out of prison? That's big news! Or when Tracy was bashed on the head and they didn't know if she'd live? The Tram crashed, people died, Tracy took Amy back. Becky and Steve went to Spain *without* Amy. Didn't Liz find that odd and didn't they tell her why? Good god, ITV, WE'RE NOT STUPID! What it comes down to is that if Liz had been told about all this, she'd have been back in a flash and if the actress wasn't ready to return, they couldn't do that so we get stuck with a stupidly huge plot hole.

It didn't take long before Liz got to the bottom of it all and she gave Steve and especially Becky royal old hell for it. And rightly so, from her point of view, Becky has done nothing good for Steve. But that should have been the end of it. Steve seems to be reaching the breaking point in spite of loving Becky just like what happened with Karen. He loved Karen but he just couldn't handle her drama anymore and I am afraid the same thing is going to happen with Becky.

I realize that Liz has every reason to dislike Becky, I really do, but there was no need for her to be a bitch to Becky, pushing and pushing her over the edge. She did it on purpose, just so that Steve could see Becky go off the rails again and maybe he'd dump her. Will he? I figure he might within time but a few days later, they seemed to be coming to terms with each other again. Us against the world even if they aren't all lovey dovey yet. Now if she could just get rid of Tracy as easily! Awww but there's Jim back again, "What about yer then?" And the magic and chemistry and sparks were still there, so it is!

Katy wants a baby. She and Chesney figure they're in love and old enough and you just know where it would get them. She's in school, he's got a market stall. Even just getting a flat together is an awful lot of committment at that age but a baby? And that poor dog penned up in a little flat, that's just cruel!

Talk about Love's Young Nightmare...So David and Kylie met....not on Cypress where she headed with that Greek fella. I suppose she scarpered to Teneriffe with the money Becky gave her. And Kylie??? Of all people? But you know, if anyone could replace Tina in David's brain, it would be her and I think she's probably a pretty good match for him, because she's just as devious! Contrast this with...

Is it me or is this Graeme marrying Xin storyline the dullest dreariest most ill-conceived storyline in like... forever? Why do they always seem to reach the bottom of the barrel to contrive an exit story for a character? There's no obvious reason for Graeme to leave the Street so they have to come up with something that makes absolutely no sense. Fodder for the Fast Forward button. Enough about that. It's been analysed to death.

And there's Maria looking all po-faced every time Frank comes around, to the point where he yanked his order because she went telling tales to Tracy. I realize he scared her but it did seem like a bit of an overreaction. If I was Maria, when I heard Frank had yanked the contract, I'd have resigned seeing as it was all my fault that the factory might go under. Mind you, how many times did Mike Baldwin squeak back from the financial edge over the years? I suppose times as they are today, it's tougher to get the business. One weak apology and he's back in the fold and she's still going around with a face like thunder and he's still taking hissy fits every time he sees it.

He's also taking his chances with Tracy Barlow but maybe they're a better match. Thing is, though Frank protests that he's a nice guy really and he just misread the signs (re Maria), we don't know much about him. Will we? And does a buyer have the right to be lurking around the factory all the time? That never happened before. They come in, they deal, they sign and they leave. Sounds like Frank is a control freak, or "control-frank" ! In that case, it's not boding well. I even wondered if that hate Maria has on for him is going to turn into love. Frank was certainly attracted to her so is it possible she'll end up forgiving him and taking him off Tracy? That would be the only thing worth watching, though, as I don't think they make a very good match, Frank and Maria. Still, it's often the way soaps work.

April looks to be filled with wedded un-bliss with a double wedding imminent and the departure of Liz.

Graeme and Xin...it's just so wrong!

2011-03-30T08:24:00.001-03:00

This has to be one of the lamest storylines ever.

Janice's contrived exit was bad enough. Who would believe that Tall Trev would return and, after a drunken snog with Janice, decide he fancies her rotten and asks her to go off traveling with him? Seriously, he's been with Carla and now he thinks Janice is his dream girl? Really????

But putting Xin and Graeme together in an 'illegal immigrant' scam storyline to facilitate the exit of the marvellous Craig Gazey is just wrong.

I am glad they're portraying Graeme as totally uncomfortable with it. He's quirky and eccentric but he's also honest. This storyline seems to have sucked the last of the quirk right out of him. Quirk which was already slowly draining as he sat, all loved up, on the back burner of the Storyline World with Tina. He's has been a hugely popular character, totally off the wall and delightful and it was sad seeing him go more or less mainstream.

Now, the actor has chosen to move on. It's something we face often when watching our very long lasting favourite show. Actors often want new challenges and fair enough but it's hard when you've become attached and invested in a character. At least Corrie doesn't just recast on the fly like American soaps do. Oh, they may recast a character a few years later but it's not so jarring as seeing one face on Monday and a different one on Thursday.

The actor's leaving storyline was ill thought out, though. Xin was supposed to be Tina's great mate when really, she was just a former coworker. I really find it difficult to believe that qualified psychiatric nurses are so thick on the ground that there just is no work for another one. If she's a qualified nurse of any sort, she should be able to get at least part time work, whether in a hospital or with a home nursing service or in a senior's residence even if it's not specifically for psychiatry. Has she tried elsewhere in the U.K.? Thought not.

Seeing Xin and Graeme pretending to be a couple just doesn't work. It's clear to anyone with eyes that they're faking it. They are uncomfortable when they pretend to be affectionate, stammering to get their stories straight, and there's absolutely no chemistry. This particularly applies to the actress playing Xin. She's wooden and flat, no depth at all. It feels like she's reading her lines from crib notes under the teapot. I don't know if that's due to her lack of ability or if she's supposed to play the character that way. It feels like the former. Gazey's performance is a bit better, his character's discomfort with the plot is a bit more believable in that he, as always, plays it bewildered yet with sharp observations, which is part of Graeme's appeal but even the talented Gazey sometimes seems to be phoning in his performance.

Classic Soap Plot #328 *should* have them pretending a little too well and discovering there really is a mutual attraction. The alternative classic soap plot would, and probably should have them back out of the marraige at the altar. If the first is the way they're going, then perhaps after the wedding, they really will fall for each other for real and Xin will get a job in London and they'll leave Weatherfield behind.

Can't come soon enough for me though I will miss Craig Gazey, just not this stupid storyline!

In defence of Becky

2011-03-24T17:48:00.001-03:00

Over a year ago, I wondered if the character of Becky McDonald was over-exposed. It's been a long year of ups and downs for Becky and since the tram crash and her moment of blind panic when she looted the corner shop, a lot of people would probably be answering that question with a resounding YES!

Over on the Coronation Street Blog, people are posting about being bored with the character and calls for Steve to divorce her. But others, continue to think Becky's brilliant. A lot of the comments on those and other posts indicate that the majority of blog readers are sick to the eye teeth and don't want any more Becky. Most agree, though, that it's nothing to do with the performance of the wonderful Katherine Kelly who is a top class actor!

Personally, I think Becky's a loose cannon and she always has been and though yes, perhaps the character is over-used, but I still like Becky. I like her layers, I like her fierceness, her propensity to lash out when feeling threatened, her tender heart and loyalty to the ones she loves.

Right now, she's been backed into a tiny, wee spot between that rock and that hard place and it's way down in a hole that she's pretty much dug for herself due to her overwhelming need for a child. Her sister, even more of a trashy slag that Becky ever was, sold her son to Becky for cold, hard, cash and came back for more. Kylie might have some love for her son but clearly does not have the maturity to be a mother and no interest in trying at the moment. She's had as rough an upbringing as Becky and this could have been Becky herself if she'd got pregnant as a teen. Becky has finally got some stability in her life where Kylie may or may not get it from David but she's only just beginning to get there.

Becky took on the little boy and was desperate to keep him, not just for herself, but save him from her sister's lack of parental skills and interest. She didn't want Max to grow up shifted from foster home to foster home, with nobody really showing him the love he needed and deserved. She has made major mistakes, obviously, in giving in to her sister's demands and it was unfortunate that Tracy managed to find out part of the truth, enough to yank Amy away from the stable home she knew.

Now the McDonalds are nearly bankrupt. Liz is finally back and poking and instigating. She never really liked Becky and is grabbing this opportunity to put a wedge between them. Steve has always been a bit of a mummy's boy and Liz plays on that. Becky's latest rampage was the result of Liz's unrelentless insults and contempt. I'm not saying Liz doesn't have a right to dislike Becky and feel she's not right for Steve, but she didn't have a right to push Becky hoping that Steve might choose his mother over his wife.

I can understand Steve being angry with Becky, I can understand his frustration. He loves Becky but she's as much of a liability as Karen was and he finally told Karen to leave because he couldn't take it anymore. Becky is lurching towards that very same end. Can Becky come back from this? Can Steve forgive her and can they patch things up? With Kylie living across the road, will Becky be able to breathe easy at all? Are we seeing the edge of the abyss?

I for one have never tired of Becky, no matter whether she is off or on the rails and it's all mainly due to the exemplary talents of Kate Kelly. I get frustrated that she continues to shoot herself in the foot, I get angry that Steve can never seem to stand up to his mother or Tracy and call their bluff but I love that he, so far, manages to stay with Becky even when he's really pissed. I resent Liz for interfering. Where does she have the right? She might be the licensee but she couldn't be bothered to show any interest in the pub for months, then comes back and orders everyone around like Queen Bee.

So if I am continually engaged in the character and what's happening to her, I say that I still love Becky and I'm rooting for her!

More Kylie Less Tracy

2011-03-16T10:39:00.001-03:00

Things have been a bit slow on this blog this month, after the flurry of activity that was February. Then again, the show hasn't been that compelling the last few weeks. Now that Kylie's back, I'm sure there will be a bit of stirring going on.

So far, loving the way she's leading David around by the nose. It's her way or the highway and he'll bend to her will like a wet noodle. Also loving how she's most definitely rubbing Gail the wrong way and Gail's walking around with a permanent knot in her face. Careful, love, your face will freeze like that..... oops! Too late! I do love the character of Gail, though. She's brilliant even when she's being a misery guts which is most of the time. She needs a job and she needs to get laid by someone that isn't going to bring more aggro and grief into her life. That's probably an impossibility, I suppose. Still, she's so pretty and pleasant when she smiles. Pity she doesn't get the chance much.

But I digress.

Kylie. Even though the character is even rougher than Becky if that's possible, the actress, Paula Lane, is really good. There are parallels to Tracy's character in that she's very selfish and self involved. She's manipulative, demanding, a bully and just as able to use her child to have the upper hand over people. She can be nasty, insulting and coarse, just like Tracy but one difference is the life she's led. It's clearly been a life of struggle and survival under her own steam whereas Tracy was brought up with anything she wanted, pretty much, and is a spoiled brat to add to her faults. She's never had to struggle to survive like Kylie and Becky did and never had to live rough.

There's another difference and I think it, again, comes back to the performer being miles better. I can watch Kylie gleefully swath a path of destruction across the cobbles but I cringe every time Tracy opens her mouth.

I don't know how long she and David will last but she'll certainly keep him on her toes while they're together. She'll use him for whatever she can get. Does she love him? I doubt it. But you know, that may come in time, it's hard to say. I don't think Kylie loves easily because nobody's ever loved her and David is going to be in the same boat as Steve who has to deal with his own loose cannon on a regular basis. Steve is nearing the end of his tether, I think, and David will eventually, too, if Kylie doen't kick him to the curb when he outlives his usefulness to her.

Still, she's more than a match for David. David has been a live wire himself, full of anger and resentment after his parents divorced and Richard Hillman tried to drown the whole family. Gail should have had him in councilling right away after that and has suffered the consequences ever since. He's shown a bit more maturity since her sojourn in prison but nobody should count him out as a mature and stable man yet. Kylie is probably the only one that can keep him in line. Tina did a good job of this at first but David was too much for her and too obsessed. David may get tired of being bullied by Kylie but then again, he's lived with a control freak all his life, so maybe that's his comfort zone.

Anyway, I think Kylie is going to keep things interesting for the next little while. There's the wedding to look forward to and probably lots of upset with Becky and Max just because there has to be. Kylie may be young but she's a firecracker and a survivor and she can go toe to toe with anyone.

State of the Street - February 2011

2011-02-27T10:05:00.000-04:00

Secrets blew out, as they always do. Peter found out about Leanne and Nick's affair and humiliated her at the altar of their vow renewal. But they're still married (or are they? Peter married Leanne on his deathbed, did he sign any wedding licenses or owt? Maybe they did that after he recovered.) As revenges go, it was a pretty good one, don't you think? Humiliate your wife at the altar and go after the other man with an iron bar in the location where he saved your life. Can't blame Peter for lashing out, emotionally and literally. Let's face it, wouldn't you?

You're struggling to stay sober, your fiancee is having an affair with her ex husband, you nearly die and marry her on what could be your deathbed with everyone close to you knowing about the affair. Then the other man, in a desperate attempt at getting your wife back uses your physical and emotional vulnerability while you're recovering from your injuries and tricks you into drinking again. By 'eck I'd have gone for the jugular, too!

I never expected them to break up completely. Some of that is skepticism because neither Jane Danson nor Chris Gascoyne was leaving the show but they're a love story and they really are meant to be together. They can't be happy ever after because soap marraiges and relationships rarely are but they're a lovely little family unit and they really work together. Plus, it gives me the pleasure of seeing Nick scowl and mope around. Serves you right! I really agree with Ken when he said Nick took advantage of Leanne's pre-wedding jitters and he sure took advantage of Peter's jitters during Peter's recovery.

I wish Nick would just leave and I bet he wishes he had! He certainly came down off his high horse with a crash, nearly literally when Peter had his revenge. I wouldn't quite say Nick deserved it (even if I would almost think it!) I guess the best revenge is Peter and Leanne staying together right under his nose! I knew Nick got the insurance money paid out but there was no mention of him rebuilding and then all of a sudden, the bar *is* being rebuilt but Nick is still whining about losing his business along with the love of his life. Um. No. Business is being rebuilt. Sloppy writing, folks!

Sophie is really heading for a fall, quite literally if you've read the spoilers. It kind of makes sense that she'd be off the rails. The Crash and the explosive news about the Webster marraige, her family being blown to bits and the constant warring around her, it's no wonder she withdrew, lost interest in school and now doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. It's pretty realistic and her relationship with Sian is suffering too because of it. Also realistic. Sally and Kevin were too preoccupied with their own battles to take any notice, but then they never did with Sophie did they? Rosie demanded all their attention and got it.

Over and over I shout at the telly... Fiz... Chesney wants to contribute!!! Let him pay his way for heavens' sake!!! I understand her not wanting to put a burden on the lad but he's not in school and he's making good money on the stall. He *should* be paying something towards the bills, he wants to and you should let him!

Having said that, poor kid, Fiz...She really does have the weight of the world on her shoulders. As far as money goes, wouldn't she be on maternity leave and aren't there some sort of mat leave benefits she should be getting? John is in hospital, therefore he should be getting sick benefits, as well. But you can see where she'd be tempted to accept Joy Fishwick's money. There isn't anyone else to leave it to but Fiz doesn't know that yet. All that business about the body under the factory still has to come out and no doubt it will. It's taking an awfully long time though.

Then all of a sudden, they all disappear off our screens! She may take the money, it looks like she has at least taken the cash if not the proceeds from the house sale, and then... nothing. No wringing of guilty hands, no gnashing of guilty teeth. Wha? Now we are seeing her around in the background and it looks like she might be back at work, possibly part time. Surely maternity leaves last longer than 2 months?

I don't really find this new storyline with Tina's friend Xin to be very interesting. It's really contrived and it's only been cooked up to facilitate the departure of Craig Gazey as Graeme, a real loss even if they've not done anything with his character since he and Tina have got together. Happy couples are usually doomed on soaps and this seems to be no different.

And don't get me started on all the plot holes about the Alahan's money problems. Dev forgot to post the insurance cheque on just one shop? He owns 6 shops, a doner shop, he owns a big house and a little one and a posh flat. Presumably they're all insured, did he conveniently forget to renew those as well? As far as we know, he still owns the big house. Or if he did sell the big house, it should have been more than enough to pay for number 7 which then should be mortgage free.

Even if the other shops aren't doing well, it just doesn't make sense and don't tell me that a mere 5000 pounds is going to cure all his problems because that won't even stock the shelves in the shop let alone pay for the work. And why on earth would he ask Steve for a loan? Couldn't he go to his family or Sunita's? Call it an investment! It's all so contrived, just so that the truth about Becky stealing the cash can come out. I can't stand watching Dev snivel!

Owen, Bully du Jour

2011-02-26T09:49:00.000-04:00

This week's Corrie, or at least the last few episodes, have been non stop misery haven't they? Even the slight bit of humour around Tyrone and Julie wasn't enough to lift it up. Hand wringing, friends falling out, revenge...It felt like non-stop nasty. The Dev/Steve money thing was bad enough but what really got on my tits was Owen getting in the face of Dev and Sunita and then taking his revenge on Eileen.

Owen is such a bully! Oh i really, REALLY dislike him. He's nasty and sly and most definitely has that cocky "little man" syndrome. He treats his daughters like posessions and certainly treated Eileen like dirt.

Her stealing from him was merely lashing back at his attitude. She'd never have done it, desperate for money or not, if he wasn't so horrible to her. And look how he's treating Dev! Only a couple of weeks' non-payment and he tries to bully them and downs tools and apologizes to Jason for taking a day's pay away from him. Why would Jason have missed a day's work just because the shop isn't being worked on? Owen's doing the Joinery and the Kabin as well as the flats over it and he's not finished. Surely he's being paid by everyone else via insurance. It's all blackmail tactics.

I know Eileen did wrong by stealing but she did pay it back almost right away. There was no need for him to be as hard on her as he was. She also shouldn't have told Sunita about his accounts which embarassed him. She should have known better. She should have known he'd have come back at Eileen. As usual, her gob gets her into more trouble.

He made sure he was standing on the street watching when Eileen was taken away and even waved at her with a big shit-eating grin. I'm sorry for the profanity, but he really was horrible. I hope his face freezes in an ugly knot when he finds out Eileen's been cautioned and set free. She's told the police she knew he was fiddling the books though he's got rid of the evidence. I wish they would put him on notice that they'll be checking his tax records and keeping an eye on him but I doubt that will happen.

I've got no problem with the actor, Ian Puleston-Davies, he does a smashing job of making Owen thoroughly dislikeable. I can't even say that Owen's redeeming quality is his love for his children because even that is a power trip.

Charlie Stubbs was pretty much the same but had a little bit of charm at least and he's certainly not cut out of the same cloth as Len Fairclough. Len could be rough but was ultimately a nice fellow. Owen is not. If Owen's not careful, he's going to end up with a statue shaped dent in his head and all!

Peter and Leanne, Together again!

2011-02-19T21:37:00.001-04:00

I didn't really think she'd get on that train. I really did believe they wouldn't split up my current favourite couple, Peter and Leanne Barlow. If i'm skeptical, i'd say i knew it would happen because there was nothing in the papers about either one of them leaving the show and Jane Danson wasn't headed for maternity leave or something like that. So, that's one reason.

But I also think they are a fan favourite couple and people really are rooting for them to be together. Is it Simon's devastated little face? Partly. But I, along with a lot of people, really believe Peter and Leanne are good for each other. As we know, they're both flawed and they both mess up big time and sometimes it's hard to forgive that. Leanne's affair might have been less of a betrayal if Nick hadn't stuck the knife in and twisted it a few times, encouraging Peter to drink so that Leanne would leave and go back to her first husband.

Ken was right, and i've always believed it. Nick and Leanne's affair was about the past. Leanne had some pre-wedding wobblies and Nick knew very well which buttons to press. He's as weaselly as he always was, smug, arrogant and up his own arse. And you know what? His father, Brian, was the same way.

This whole week on Corrie was great! The blessing in the church started it all off with Peter blasting Nick and Leanne, his father, Deirdre and Carla from the altar. They all knew and they all kept it from him. Rock... hard place. It always is if you're in that situation. Should he have done it in a church? Maybe not. But he was so profoundly hurt and betrayed that he lashed out in the most public way he could.

Next up, he saw Nick go into the still-unfinished bar under the viaduct which is finished and the trams are now running again. (I hope we'll now get appropriate sound effects from here on in. We didn't get them for nearly 49 years of the show until they planned to have the disaster then oh... do i hear a tram? And it was only in the opening credits as a computer graphic train for a few years but nobody ever took the tram and you never heard it. But I digress...)

Yes. the Joinery. The scene of the disaster where Nick and Ashley saved Peter's life. I also didn't think they'd have Peter kill Nick in cold blood, even if it might be deemed a crime of passion. GBH is GBH and Peter would have the book thrown at him. Heck, he'd probably confess! He sure put a good scare into Nick though. I bet those designer kecks were ruined! I was glued to the screen, i really was. Then when Nick started rubbing Peter's nose in it, i literally hollered at the telly.

Honestly, the balls that boy has to continue to be such a bastard, to continue to twist words and make Peter think Leanne only married him out of pity. Peter almost believed it, i thought, but when Nick gave him back the bottle of whiskey i prayed Peter would throw it at him and he did! Yay! He did inflict some damage on Nick's leg, or i thought he did, but Nick was running the next morning so it must not have been much more than a graze from him falling over.

Peter finally broke down in his father's arms and admitted he "loved" her. But you knew it wasn't past tense. You know he was just so hurt by what she'd done and she knew it was her fault. She didn't think she could face her friends and neighbours day after day and was about to do what Leanne always does, a runner. I thought he'd manage to get her off the train but in the end, she never got on it and they reunited at the train station.

(Never mind that it was the wrong one. Trains from Manchester to London Euston leave from Piccadilly station, and that most certainly wasn't the modern Piccadilly, it was the much older Victoria station. Maybe they couldn't get filming permission for that day in the other one.)

I digress again. So what's next for Peter and Leanne? Will we have to put up with Nick's moaning and moping and petulant face? Will he go to Milan or will he stay and reopen the bar? I'm telling you, I'd not drink there. I think it's jinxed. First it didn't open because Peter got drunk and Leanne realized it wouldn't work. Then it was the site of a huge disaster with fatalities. He'd have been better off changing it into a rival factory or something.

Anyway. Peter and Leanne will probably have a few rough weeks but it will all smooth out soon enough. I'm predicting by this time next year they'll have a little bouncing Barlow either present and accounted for under the Christmas tree or one on the way. Watch this space!

Who will win the War of the Websters?

2011-02-15T11:57:00.001-04:00

Most people seem to be enjoying the War of the Websters, shots are fired across the bow back and forth, but nobody seems to be winning any definitive battles. There are also a number of legal issues that have not been addressed.

It looked at first that Sally had the upperhand. She is the injured party, she has the moral high ground and milks it for all it's worth.

Kevin mostly seems to be scowling from the garage or a corner of the pub. He nearly pulled the mat out from under Sally by putting the house up for sale. Point to Team Kevin for that. But surely Sally would have some say in that? Surely her name must be on the deed as well? Is it legal for an estate agent to put a house up for sale when one of the two owners objects? I'm sure Sally's job contributes to the mortgage and household expenses, too.

Legalities aside (plot loopholes, anyone?), Kevin had a bit of an edge and Sally's initial attempts to put off buyers by leaving the house a tip didn't work very well. Her next attempt, having the Windasses over during a viewing was inspired. The Windasses, Eddie especially, would be off putting to the most determined buyer and he thought he was only being helpful! Point to Team Sally.

Kevin then tried to show the house to Lloyd and Cheryl who really should have known better, knowing the whole situation. Kevin only did it because he knew Sally had a new fella in the kitchen. It did scupper the date but I thought Team Sally still came out on top. She made Kevin look like a manipulative idiot in front of the neighbours and the ensuing row cause much upset to Sophie. I'd say that was another point for Team Sally.

Speaking of Jeff, I'm pretty sure Sally's just after a bit of flattery and fun and because it winds up Kevin, that can't hurt! He's probably not going to be another "love of her life" anyway. He's a bit too smooth and slick, I think.

The bickering and fighthing is down and dirty and both sides can hold their own. I think if there hadn't been a baby in the mix, it might not have felt like so bitter a betrayal and Kevin's love and custody of the baby (shouldn't that be legally signed and delivered, too? Just because Tyrone gave Kevin the baby, isn't little Jack still legally Tyrone's child?) has cut Sally to the bone. Sally's and the girls' utter rejection of the innocent babe has done the same to Kevin. Point to each, there.

There's another battle yet to come, according to the spoilers. Kevin's going to win some lottery money and hopes it will help him get Sally back but when he sees her with Jeff, decides she's not getting any of it. She finds out, of course, thanks to the wronged Tyrone and it all kicks off again. And so it should! They may not be living together but they're still married and Kevin should be providing Sally with alimony and child support at least for Sophie. There could be a case made for him not having to share the cash with her but most likely it should be taken into account with the settlement.

Speaking of which, Sally should have consulted her solicitor long since. She may have made him leave the family home, but if she's got custody of Sophie who's still a minor, she's due maintenance for her. She's also due a share of the garage, having supported him and helped with the books and administration for years. As I mentioned, she should be due half of the proceeds from the sale of the house no matter that Kevin seems to be implying that he'd get it all and she should be entitled to alimony/spousal maintenance and all of that should be recorded in a legal separation decree right from the get go. She ought to be telling Kevin to go through her solicitor if he wants to sell the house out from under her.

Will the Websters find their way back to one another? There will be an upcoming crisis when Sophie hits the breaking point and that may do the trick. Possibly that will only be a temporary measure. Personally, I hope the Websters stay apart. There's far too much that really can't be forgiven now. I don't want them to be like Ken and Deirdre, always getting back together, always having affairs and flirtations and having to forgive each other because they feel like they're stuck with each other and unwilling to make the break.

Also read, the life and loves of Sally and Kevin Webster. Here and Here
You can read a full character study about Sally here.
You can read a full character study about Kevin here.

What did i miss?

2011-02-12T23:43:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing that bugs me about long running tv shows is the occasional lapse in writing. Ok, there's a lot of things that bug me and this is just one of them. But I particularly hate when the writing is sloppy and you find yourself thinking "when did that happen?" or "Whatever happened to that storyline?"

This week, Gail mentioned that Nick was so involved in rebuilding the bar and suddenly decided to go to Italy. Rebuilding the bar?? Wha??? I missed that. I know he was dealing with the insurance company and said he'd get the money paid out but I don't recall him talking about rebuilding it. I know the viaduct itself would have to be rebuilt but the city of Weatherfield or the transport company would be responsible for that. No word about him checking blueprints or having meetings with Owen about costs. It just seemed to come out of nowhere.

Another incident is the lovey dovey-ness of Cheryl and Lloyd. As far as I knew, she had decided she would only be mates with him. She was going to move out but he persuaded her to stay but he went around moping about their "breakup" afterwards. So when did they become a proper couple? It just seemed to be a fact one day. They hadn't been seen on screen for awhile and when they reappeared, they were together.

The last issue is the disappearance of the storyline about David's epilepsy. He made a few self deprecating jokes about having fits and after the final court appearance where the charges were dropped, aside from one or two more bitter comments, it's been nowhere to be seen or heard. Nothing about how he is managing to cope with it or getting the drug dosage just right. No Gail worrying about him. What's going on? He won't be cured and it wasn't a ruse to get out of the charges.

I hate when Corrie writers do that. It feels sloppy. It feels like none of them know what the other one is doing. Perhaps they don't but they do know the general storyline and write what they are told to. Do they think nobody notices? Because i can assure them that most of us fans definitely do.

Now, I admit, sometimes there's a throwaway line that fills in the holes and I've missed it. But when a couple finally does get back together, it would be nice to have an actual scene about it. And If there was a mention about Nick rebuilding the bar before this week, it must have been pretty subtle. He's certainly not been seen doing anything remotely related to it, being too busy making cow eyes at Leanne and working at the betting shop.

Ah well. I suppose it's a nit pick but I was in the mood for a rant so there you go!

The New Rosie Webster

2011-02-04T12:03:00.001-04:00

Has Rosie Webster changed or are they writing her character a bit differently these days? Rosie was one of the most annoying characters on Corrie, for me. I didn't think much of the acting ability of Helen Flanagan and Rosie herself was shallow, vain and pretty much pointless.

Now? Well, it's not as if she's gained a lot of depth but she's a heck of a lot funnier than she used to be. She's still shallow and self absorbed but lately she's making me literally laugh out loud, not something I often do watching Corrie even if I find something amusing.

This week alone, she had me chuckling when she had Jason hold her mobile for her while her nails dried and then on Friday, for her modeling job, she took advantage of having a baby brother and took little Jack to the photo shoot only to bring home the wrong baby. Last week she came out with a brilliant line, "If I start making food for him, where will it end?" to which Tina sardonically replied "Chaos?" "Exactly!!" declared our erstwhile feminist (that's a joke, before you all start flaming me!)

It seems like Rosie's character has been turned slightly to the left and is heading in the direction of a comedic character, more than before. I think she was meant to be this way for some time but perhaps the writing just wasn't quite nailed down for the character and actor but they seem to be jelling quite well these days.

There have also been some nice scenes between Sophie and Rosie lately, since Sophie came out. Rosie has always loved her family but it hasn't come out a lot over the years. You might see rare moments between she and Sophie or with her parents but for the most part it was all about her. It still is but she's showing a little bit of compassion a little bit more often.

It's too bad they've stripped her of her former intelligence. She *did* have a good education even if she threw it away by not continuing. She *did* hold down a PA job at the factory for over a year and she couldn't have been that incompetent or they wouldn't have kept her on. She was quite bright but you wouldn't know it to hear her these days.

Oh well, the Personality Transplant Fairy has to have a job to do now and then, I suppose.

Between her eclectic wardrobe choices, the improved writing and Helen's spot on delivery, these days I'm actually enjoying Rosie and that's something I never thought I'd say!

Just an addition to the above, something I just thought of... Wouldn't I just love to see Rosie unexpectedly fall in love with baby Jack? I mean totally enthralled with the wee baby, much to Sally's consternation! You might expect it of Sophie but you wouldn't of Rosie and i think it would really work.

State of the Street - January 2011

2011-01-31T10:14:00.001-04:00

How hypocritical is Kevin? Sheesh! He gets all pissy that Tyrone was (he thinks) shagging Sally after what he did? Even if it had happened and even if it was a revenge shag, so what? I doubt it would have made anyone feel any better about the whole thing but it's none of Kevin's business. It's been awful watching these two be so horrible to each other, real "War of the Websters" stuff. Even worse seeing them hurl insults at each other in front of the girls, no matter that they are or nearly are grown up, it still has to hurt them and neither Kevin nor Sally seems to consider them.

But you know, it's fun, (because it's a soap) watching them insult each other and tear each other to bits and play tricks to get one up on each other and Yes!!! Kevin finally threw Ian Davenport back at Smug Sally after all these years!! She didn't admit it, though, kept to the story that nothing happened, lied like a real pro but they both knew the truth.

Some might say that Sally's reaction to Sophie and Sian having a shag shows that she's still not completely accepting of their relationship. But you know what? Sophie is 16. Remember Sally marching a 15 year old Rosie down the street to the clinic for a morning after pill? She had just as bad a reaction to Rosie having straight sex at a very young age. At least Sophie doesn't have to worry about getting pregnant!

Of course Tracy is going to blame Becky, it'll cause the most trouble. Naturally Ken is going to question her motives and it's clear that Deirdre wouldn't even think of considering that Tracy was lying. All so she would then be able to wail "Oh Tracy!!!" I had Claire pegged as Tracy's attacker pretty early on. There were too many "random" encounters between them with Tracy really being insensitive, arrogant and downright nasty to Claire with no respect at all for Claire's bereavement.

Claire always did have a temper that often got her into trouble so i'm not surprised at all she'd lash out. Not sure she should have been shown escaping her bail and high tailing it to France, though, but surely the police could easily find out where her mother moved and figure out where she went? I thorougly enjoyed Ken pointing out that most of the people on the Street dislike Tracy and Becky telling her that half of them helped Claire escape. None of that means anything to Tracy, though, like water off a duck's back. She probably thrives on people hating her!

Anyway Claire is gone now and though it does seem like contrary to Soap Law that she gets away with it, it wasn't an intentional assault and there's always the chance that the police would have dropped the charges or dismissed them. It's also a bit of a plot hole that she figures she's home free in France when they could very easily find her mother and thus, find her and bring her back. I guess we have to suspend disbelief on this one.

Slick Nick is sinking to new lows...As many selfish things as he's done in the past, he's drifting into moustache twirling territory now. Poor old Peter at the mercy of his insecurities and Nick's "friendship". But Ciaran has a pretty good idea what's going on, now will he manage to get through to Peter and/or Leanne or will Ciaran be banished? I wonder if Simon catching Peter has make him realize. I don't think he's been drinking since then, or at least, i don't think they've shown it.

It was bad enough John was having the jitters over Charlotte's murder but then Colin's mother dies on him too. He finally felt compelled to confess to Joy but he held her spray away and put his hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream and then she died! Another Fishwick pops their clogs. Where's a knicker factory with a hole in the floor when you need one? I have to say though, Graeme Hawley was astonishingly good in the throes of a breakdown, little by little he broke apart as it ate at him, inch by inch. John always makes it more difficult than it has to be. Definite sign of him falling apart, he can't even lie with logic anymore. Not that he ever really could. The only way to save John's character now is to send him into the psych ward. He'll be unfit for trial and probably can get off on temporary insanity.

From starting off as a really boring character, they've made John into something a bit more interesting. At least it's enjoyable watching the storyline. (Well, *I* have enjoyed it anyway) And Graeme Hawley is hitting it out of the ball park with his performances.

There's Maria getting in with another nutjob. Thing is, even though she was warned, Chris is very good at a first impression. I'm sure Cheryl knows that all too well. Men like that never show their true colours until they've got you well and truly under their thumb. I hate to see Maria going through that but I think Maria has enough gumption to get out before it gets too awful. I hope.

Is Eileen the new Vera?

2011-01-25T13:11:00.000-04:00

After reading some of the comments on this post on t'other blog, I got thinking about Eileen a bit more.

Nurse Florence Ganderpoke remarked that Eileen could be both nasty and nice, which is very true. What suddenly struck me was that there are some similarities between her personality and that of Vera Duckworth. You might not think so initially. After all her life has been very different to Vera's.

Eileen has two sons that she would defend to the death but she also isn't blind to their shortcomings. Vera always seemed to be in denial about Terry's bad side most of the time. But like Vera, Eileen has played housemother to various lodgers, generously opening her home to them. Vera took in Curly and also, later on, Tyrone and Sean has been a mainstay in Eileen's house for years. Eileen has also taken in other waifs and strays, usually girlfriends of Jason's and the occasional boyfriend of Sean's.

Eileen has a generous side, too. But she can also be bitter and grumpy, and yes, nasty. Vera was much the same way. She could insult a friend and neighbour as quickly as blink at them, she could turn on someone she'd previously been close to, and she'd quickly lash out in self defence. Yet Vera had a lot of sympathy in her heart for people that deserved it. I recall when she encountered Steve on the street just after Karen had a miscarraige and then went off the deep end at Tracy and she gathered him in her arms for a hug when he told her.

Vera and Eileen are both very loyal to the ones they love even if they criticise them, too. Eileen has been unlucky in love and Vera might say she was too but we all know she loved Jack, really, but he let her down a lot over the years just the same.

Both women are strong and every time they get knocked back, they get back up and keep on at it. Both are/were pessimistic and tended to have more of a negative outlook on life than a positive one.

Of course there are more differences than similarities, I suppose, but the nasty/nice combination struck me as very much like Vera was.

Political Incorrectness

2011-01-21T13:27:00.001-04:00

With the news this week that Peter Barlow is apparently going to attack Nick in revenge for the affair with Leanne, people are cheering him on. Nick has been manipulative and sneaky, he persued Leanne until he wore her down and then encouraged Peter to drink to get Leanne to leave him. Lower than a snake's belly in a pothole, that! So in the realms of tv land, Nick deserves it.

Not in reality, of course. But it also got me thinking.... what about Leanne? She may have been persuaded but she participated fully in the affair. It's politically incorrect and morally wrong for Peter to put a physical pasting on her for her betrayal. Men aren't supposed to hit girls! You don't see that on tv, not often anyway and not on a soap. The most you ever see is a slap unless it's a storyline about spousal abuse and the culprit is very much not cheered on.

So why is it that it's ok for Peter (or any man in a similar situation on a soap) to be seen going all postal on the Other Man when he's been just as betrayed by his wife/girlfriend yet it's ok for a woman to scratch and slap and wallop the Other Woman or the husband/boyfriend, too, when the opposite situation happens?

I'm not saying it should be ok, either. Far from it. Violence is never a correct response though sometimes it's understandable why people lash out. But why can't Peter find a way to put Nick through the public humiliation he deserves instead? Ruin his reputation, turn his Mummy and Gran against him and give David another reason to cackle at his brother's misfortune. Even Ken would huff "Violence isn't the answer, Peter!!"

And you know, if Nick had stopped at the affair and not stirred the pot with his utterly reprehensible plan to lure Peter, an alcoholic, back down into the bottle, maybe it wouldn't have turned violent, or just a routine punch up in the Rovers, done and dusted like most people do.

Apparently there *will* be humiliation for Leanne. I think. Another spoiler tells us that there will be a wedding, and they've been filming it this week. However, I also thought I read something awhile back that Peter blows Leanne out of the water at the altar and reveals the affair to everyone. Far more PC with humiliation served up like a grand finale. I don't know if it's a real spoiler or a tabloid-made-up one but I can see it happening. It's standard Soap Opera stuff, jilting at the altar.

If it happens, I'm going to say "Poor Leanne" but *only* because the woman has had more than her share of being publically humiliated over the years. She always bounces back but how much can one girl take? That's the only reason i'd have any sympathy for her because she shouldn't get off scot free. She was in the wrong as well.

If there was any justice, I would have been far happier to see Leanne rip Nick a new one instead. I doubt Peter will kill Nick or even go too far, more than a few blows before someone interrupts the rampage which is apparently going to take place in the rubble of the viaduct.

Character Study: Eileen Grimshaw

2011-01-17T02:10:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite characters is Eileen Grimshaw. She's sarcastic, senstive, strong, usually sensible (us "voices of reason" have to stick together) and she's the kind of mate many of us women would love to have.

She's the heart and soul of the taxi office and a fiercely loyal friend and mother. We don't know a lot about Eileen Grimshaw's formative years though we do know her father seduced her best schoolmate, Paula Carp and it broke up her parents' marraige. Eileen never knew what happened and her mother's bitterness sent Eileen to the side of her feckless father. It was only when she discovered what happened a couple of years ago and discovered that not only was there a fling, there was a child, that Eileen turned against her father and regretted that she and her mother never really made up before her mother's death.

We do know that she has had a string of bad relationships, resulting in two lads who each had a different father. She brought them up on her own because their dads were feckless and not much good. Jason's dad, Tony, has popped in and out of his life but it didn't seem like Todd's father could ever be bothered. Eileen is a survivor who keeps pulling herself back up when she's been knocked back because that's just what you do.

Eileen Grimshaw was hired by Vikram to work at the taxi company and she was an instant hit. The chemistry between her and her coworkers/bosses was immediately obvious. Eileen is reliable and dependable.

Her most prevalent personality trait is her fiercely protective love for her sons. She'll do anything for her lads to help them along or give them whatever start she can in life. She's even gone into serious financial debt to give them what she could, Jason, a car and Todd, a computer. She nearly went to prison when her ex, Tony, stole money from the cab firm and she was erroneously accused of it. She was in dire financial straits and was the logical suspect though this hurt her deeply. She thought her boss, Steve McDonald, would have more trust in her.

She's going to be in another financial crunch now that she's bought Number 11 and will be caught with her hand in Owen Armstrong's accounts in an impulse of desperation.

Eileen Vs. Gail Platt

Eileen's ongoing feud with Gail Platt stems from Gail's daughter Sarah's dealings with both of her sons. When it looked like Todd was headed to Oxford or Cambridge, Eileen was bursting at the seams with pride. The higher they rise, the harder they fall and Eileen was horrified when Todd walked out of his exams and decided to move in with girlfriend Sarah Platt. Eileen saw Sarah as a slapper looking for a meal ticket for her and her little girl and definitely not good enough for her Todd. She blamed Sarah for leading Todd away from the path to academia and it all went downhill from there. Eileen's view is that Sarah trapped Todd into a relationship and if that hadn't happened, Todd wouldn't have left town.

Eileen fought with Todd, Sarah and Sarah's mother Gail to no avail. Todd and Sarah were determined to be together. It was one of Eileen's most bitter disappointments. Even the thought of them having a baby didn't really soothe her feathers. It only meant that Todd would be further tied down. She was still genuinely bereft when the baby was born early and died. It was preceeded by the revelation that Todd was gay but Eileen, though surprised, stoutly defended her son to all and sundry, including Jason who initially rejected his brother. When it all hit the fan, and after the baby died, Todd decided he had to leave Weatherfield and moved to London. Eileen misses him terribly but does visit him on occasion.

Sarah then proceeded to pursue Jason and lure him away from that nice Violet Wilson whom Eileen grew to love as a daughter. Sarah led Jason along a merry path of ups and downs but Jason wasn't completely blameless either, having stood up Sarah at the altar once. More fodder for the feud. Both Gail and Eileen seemed to hold the foibles of their children against each other. Eileen was resigned that Jason and Sarah were getting married on the second try. Jason and Todd eventually made peace with each other even though Jason ended up with Todd's ex, Sarah.

Todd even came home to attend the wedding though that marraige was short lived (Eileen was probably the only one that wasn't surprised). Alas, Sarah let Jason down and showed herself up to be immature and spiteful, just as Eileen always believed. She's more relieved than anyone that Jason is finally free of Sarah's clutches. Eileen and Gail will never be friends, and there seems destined to always been a barbed wire fence between them to argue over.
She liked Jason's subsequent girlfriends, Becky and Tina, a lot more but I think Rosie Webster has Eileen rolling her eyes.

Children and Family

She's usually been supportive of her sons' endeavors when she believes it's going to be the right thing for them. When we first met Jason, he was training to be an Olympic athelete hopeful and Todd was still in school. Jason wasn't as academically adept as Todd so Eileen knew he'd have to find his own way in the world. She's generally been behind him with most of the jobs he's had though gets frustrated when his love life has landed him in hot water, more than once.

Not that long ago, it seemed his love life had come back to haunt him when a young woman handed over a baby girl and said it was Jason's. Eileen latched on to the child and tried to do the right thing. She tried to get Jason to do the right thing too and was very hurt when he really didn't want to have much to do with the baby. Eventually, the mother of the baby realized that builder Charlie Stubbs was actually the father and she took the baby back, breaking Eileen's heart at the loss of what she had assumed was her granddaughter.

Todd now lives in London but Eileen takes regular trips to see him and she's always there to help Jason when possible. She even lent him the cash for a downpayment on the flat that he and Tina restored for sale. now it's rubble at the end of the street, we can only hope it was insured!

She discovered that local factory worker Julie Carp is actually her half sister and though it was a rocky road, she and Julie seem to have come to terms with it and are forging a friendship.

Love Life

One of Eileen's downfalls is her lack of self esteem. This is probably what leads her into more dead end relationships than anything. She is tall and heavy set, she knows that she doesn't have much education and she seems to settle for any man that shows her a bit of attention for all the wrong reasons. She doesn't seem to believe she's good enough for a really decent man. A lovely man that Eileen was involved with was Dennis Stringer. Unfortunately he, like most men in her life, had feet of clay. He fell in love with Janice Battersby but his life was cut tragically short when he tried to stop his mate Les from killing himself and ended up dead himself after a car crash taking Les to hospital.

Even the nice guys end up being the wrong guys, often due to circumstances beyond their control. One such man was Ed Jackson, a quiet church-goer that befriended Emily Bishop. He had a lot of baggage but kept it to himself at first. He had amends to make and couldn't talk about it until he'd done that. Turns out he was the man who (accidentally) killed Ernest Bishop. Eileen was more upset that he kept it from her and her friend, I think, than the actual crime. Emily eventually forgave him though it was difficult and Ed left the Street to start somewhere fresh and new.

Another nice man was neighbour Jerry Morton who developed feelings for Eileen while she was glowing under the brazen chat up lines of married taxi cab punter, Pat. yes, again...married man, unavailable. She knew he was, but went with him anyway. She soon realized her error and they finished. After a break in Malta, she started to see Jerry in a new light but Jerry's life was filled with children and obligations and they never had time for themselves. It seemed a no-win situation and she and Jerry decided that platonic was the only relationship that was going to work for them.

Yet another nice guy was Jesse. Jesse was an electrician by day and a children's entertainer by night. He made Eileen laugh but has had issues with mother's apron strings and his attachement to John the Parrot seemed to take priority as well. He seemed to make everything and everyone else a priority over her. He had to go, too.

Housemother

Years ago, Emily Bishop was the landlady and substitute mum for many a young lodger. Eileen has taken over that role. She's seen quite a few young folks take refuge under her roof especially over the last few years. Violet Wilson was one of the first of Jason's girlfriends to share his room in Number 11 but not the last. Becky Granger has been in residence as has Tina McIntyre and most recently, Rosie Webster.

Sean Tully came along and has turned into a long time lodger on a bed in the front rarely-seen room. Vi's sister Lauren stayed for a short while as well and Sean's former boyfriend, Marcus, resided under the Grimshaw roof as well. Other short term guests included Steve McDonald on a temporary break from his now ex-wife Karen. Eileen has a lot of love to give and since her own lads have needed her less, it spills over to her lodgers whom she takes under her wing.

Friendships

For the longest time, Eileen didn't really seem to have that many women as friends. She was friendly with the ladies on the street but the girly nights out or advice sessions over a pot of tea or bottle of wine were few and far between. Her friends seemed to be mainly men or the various lodgers who have been more like adopted children. Now, however, we see her getting a bit closer to Deirdre and Liz and before that, Frankie Baldwin. It's always enjoyable to see the women in fits of laughter over the foibles of one man or another, passing the wine bottle back and forth and enjoying the supportive company of like minded females.

Eileen's friendship with her bosses, Steve and Lloyd, is just as solid and I think Steve is quite possibly her best friend. They support each other and care for each other (and take the pi$$ out of each other too which is always fun to watch).

Eileen was hugely fond of Ashley and Claire as well, more in a motherly way than in a peer way. She and Jerry helped redecorate their house after a fire and she's often taken the boys under her wing to help out. She and Claire both work at Streetcars and have bonded over the switchboard.

I really think Eileen deserves a truly nice man that can instill confidence in her, who doesn't drag her down with his baggage, and who treats her like a queen. Jesse wasn't that man and her crush on builder Owen was unrequited and in fact, working for him is going to get her in a lot of hot water. I love Eileen and Sue Cleaver, who plays her. Long may she reign!

Elsie Tanner and Pat Phoenix - Unforgettable

2011-01-15T19:09:00.000-04:00

In the UK last week, there was a half hour special on Pat Phoenix who played the wonderful Elsie Tanner, one of the most iconic Coronation Street characters ever. It has been shown before, originally airing in April 2000, but not in Canada. Thanks to the magic of YouTube, however, you can see this documentary that is chock full of interviews from coworkers and friends who knew her. It's great stuff to see old photos and interview footage of Pat and to hear what she was really like. This photo is from her pre-Corrie days when she was acting in reperatory theatre around England. No wonder she was able to instill that air of glamour in Elsie!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Cross posted to the Bluenose Corrie blog and the Coronation Street Blog