David Platt is breaking my heart

Say what you will about David Platt, from cheeky lad to tearaway troubled teen to family man and back to psycho Dave, he's never boring. I've been amazed to see how he's evolved and pulled himself through his troubled years to become a husband and father. He's even managed to have decent relationships with his brother and sister and his mother when you never thought you'd see the day. The only one of his relatives he seemed to pay any notice of was his grandmother Audrey and even then, it was (pardon the expression) hit and miss.

Now, after the death of his beloved Kylie, he can't cope. He's so filled with anger that he's retreating into himself and pushing everyone away including his children who need him so much. He nearly killed the brother of the young man that killed Kylie and would have if he'd not been interrupted by a nurse. That shocked me, that David could have gone to those lengths, because I don't want his character to leave the show and murderers always have to pay one way or another. Kylie is a case in point, even if she only killed Callum to save Sarah.
 

This storyline has also brought the rest of the Platts in to try to help David. Even Sarah, David's former nemesis, has shown that down deep, she does love her brother. The scenes between Nick and David have been wonderful. I never thought I'd see those two develop a real brotherly relationship and even his spiky relationship with his mother has softened. It's shown that David does love his mother even though they've had a very rocky relationship, but even his mother hasn't been able to help in spite of knowing what he feels like, she having a spouse murdered, too. 

As I write this, we're about to head into a week where all will be revealed. It appears David is going to try to kill Clayton and expects he will die as well. The video he recorded was one of the best scenes ever on Corrie, loaded with despair and sadness and resignation from a character that spent most of his life as a cocky, cheeky git. He feels his life is over and even the prospect of being there for his children isn't enough to pull him back from the edge.

I have no idea what's going to happen. I'm pretty sure Jack P. Shepherd isn't leaving the show so somehow David will be prevented from executing his plan, no pun intended. Apparently, Gail and Nick are going to take action to keep David safe. Locking him in the basement of the Bistro could work but David is slippery and he'll probably find a way out. Short of parading his children in front of his car or a traffic jam keeping him from his goal, how's this going to come out?

We'll know by the end of the week. Top stuff, Coronation Street, keep it coming!



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

RIP Kylie Platt

I've just finished watching two very emotional episodes of Coronation Street. I don't think I've seen better performances all year.

As I speculated yesterday, Kylie got stabbed while defending Gemma from Clayton. I was leaning towards David being threatened but it was Gemma after all and the yobbo tried to rob the shop after Gemma gave him short shrift earlier on, full of the confidence that Kylie'd given her. He returned, tried to rob the shop and Gemma wrestled him out the door, getting knocked unconscious for her trouble but Kylie came charging around the corner to help her old mate and got it in the chest. No surprise that Clayton was carrying a deadly looking knife. His sort usually do.

I thought, Oh heck, that stab wound is right at the area of the heart, she won't last long. Surprisingly, it wasn't instantaneous and she had enough time to tell David everything she wanted to tell him, pouring her heart out with his tears washing her face. That sounds so dreadfully theatrical, doesn't it? My tears were flowing, too, I am not afraid to admit.

It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to come. But wait, she fell about 30 feet from the medical centre. Surely they have doctors in there? I don't think they could have done much either, but perhaps they could have eased the pain a little if nothing else.

When she died and David howled, I gasped and was in floods. I've seen the best performance from Jack P. Shepherd in particular tonight and I've seen Jack P. Shepherd put in some mighty ones over the years.

All around, everyone was amazing. Between Gail's heart breaking for her son and the daughter in law she grew to love to the neighbours being profoundly shocked. Roy attempting to help but seeing there wasn't a thing he could do. Craig feeling horribly guilty that he didn't do more when it kicked off. We all know he's just a kid himself and I bet Beth is thanking all the Gods and Goddesses her son didn't try to be a hero. I hope he can help and be a credible witness but Gemma survived so she will be able to tell the police Clayton's name.

I'm also very glad that Gail brought up the similarity to Brian Tilsley's death and how she made a mess of telling Nick about his father. Nick was about the same age as Max and Sarah Lou was probably close to Lily's age. Gail is going to have flashbacks about that one for some time to come. She admitted she didn't handle telling Nick the right way and urged David to be very clear about Kylie's being dead, not just gone away. I think he did a pretty good job. He did tell the children she was dead though in heaven waiting for them. There may or may not be a Heaven but children don't have to think about that aspect.

This is the kind of Coronation Street that we fans want. I know they can't do high emotion like this all the time, but it's what they do so well. When we see the mundane and the rushed, the over-sensational and the underwhelming, we get frustrated because we know it can hit these stupendous heights of greatness. And it was great. Top stuff.

David has to find a way to carry on. He's got kids to keep him going, often that's the only thing that gets a person through something like this. I expect he'll go off the rails at some point, raging against the night in his grief.

Well done to all involved. Rest in Peace, Kylie.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

The Body under the Grannex - Day 5's revelations

While this was also the final exit of Carla Connor, most of the episode focussed on the discovery of the body of Callum Logan.

The stench from that dead body is already permeating the room. I thought David was going to hurl into the hole.

Carla is getting out of Dodge, probably to Devon but where will she live? Not in the restaurant she was buying with Nick, that's for sure. She's way more upset about Roy cutting her off than she is about Nick at this point. But it looks like Cathy isn't dead, at least.

David's telling Sarah and Kylie the bad news.

Oh don't make it about you, Michelle. Nobody gets you like Carla does? Not even your husband? Oh, she annoys me. Carla's determined to leave and it's not as if Michelle can't go visit and Skype her all the time. Understandably, Carla really thinks she's burned all her bridges and at this point, she probably has.

Tracy is definitely making it all about her. Locked up. Nearly killed. Poor thing. Amy! You rock. yes, get your violin. Fiddle while Tracy's life goes up in flames. Johnny's not going to admit holding her in the storage room and everyone else will lie to back him up!

Platts en masse look at the damage in the light of day. David runs away to get teas and coffees. Now David thinks Nick should leave as well, even if just to escape the pity party. Go on your honeymoon alone. No dice, He's going to stay around and take the pity, I guess.

Now. Robert has had enough. He admits making a mistake but Tracy took it and ran with it. He already knew that but let himself be talked into going back with her when he dumped her a few weeks ago. Maybe this time will stick. I certainly hope so. Never liked them together. Even Amy's jumping ship, doesn't want to be with her mother. At least that's one thing that can make Michelle smile today. Amy really told Tracy a hard truth. She knows exactly what her mother's faults are and she's not having it anymore. Yep, the ship is sinking all right. Will Ken throw her out? It wouldn't be the first time.

Still no body discovered. But the breakdown truck is finally extracted and the workmen found a body under the truck. Poor Tyrone probably thinks he ran over it! He did say last night he thought he bumped over something. It wasn't of course, but he did say. Meanwhile, Kylie and Sarah are bricking it!

Oh look, Cathy's awake. She's more concerned about the failed marriage proposition and Roy's ignoring the subject. Carla.... probably shouldn't have come but I think Cathy won't be too hard on her. Roy isn't going to be so forgiving. Cathy's trying to make peace. He's saying things that make it seem like he might forgive though he's still angry, it's clear. I don't think he realizes she's not just leaving the hospital, though.

And there we have it. There's a body under the breakdown truck and Gail's going to have nightmares about that body under her bed. Tyrone is relieved it wasn't him that ran over the body, at least. Eileen cracked a joke about it being one of Gail's husbands which was pretty funny but under the circumstances, probably not the best thing to say. Tyrone is relieved he didn't kill anyone and David, he came back and ran off again. What's he up to?

Jenny has given up the "hard to get" method, it seems. It's full out flirting between both sides.

Maybe Roy does realize Carla's going for good and there's Cathy knowing he'll regret it if he doesn't see her off. He is angry enough to have had a gut full of her crises. Still, I'd be surprised if he doesn't show up at the last minute.

Meanwhile, it looks like Carla might just get out of town momentarily. At least her family cares and they're seeing her off. Nick just ran past. I feel the worst for Johnny. He's just been able to acknowledge his daughter and he's losing her. And that's the first time she's called him Dad. Michelle didn't stick around after that, off in a flood of tears instead of seeing her BFF off. I understand what it feels like when your best friend moves away, I really do, and you do feel like you're being abandoned, but you keep that to yourself and wish her the best, promise to come, cry just a little and wallow afterwards. It's difficult enough for the person leaving.

David took the tickets to Paris off Nick and thinks they can escape. What, and leave Sarah behind? Yes, that's what he was going to do but Kylie thinks they should all confess. David still wants to go, Kylie wants to stay and face the music. Sarah thinks she's been through the worst and can be ok as long as they all stick together. Somehow I doubt that.

Oh but there's still one more person to confront. Maybe Tracy did want to be Carla. She's won in the end as far as her quest to get rid of Carla, but it looks like a very hollow victory.

Ohhh. Roy got home on the bus in time!

And here come the police. They found a credit card and they are pretty sure it's Callum. Kylie's reaction was good. Could even seem like genuine surprise.

Roy seems to accept Carla after all. The moment that got to me, though, was him suggesting she should try to love herself as much as "we all" do. That's really what it comes down to. He's right. And she can go away knowing he doesn't hate her.

I do think it's kind of sad that the great Carla Connor left with her tail between her legs, totally defeated. I suppose one woman can only take so much and knowing her habit of self destruction has been the ruination of her life not just this time, but a series of times, did her in. I also question her retreat to Devon where she was going to start a new life with Nick. Isn't it going to feel like rubbing that sea salt in the wound?

In any case, that's the last we'll see of Carla. Good luck, luv.

Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

The year of the Platts

2013 was definitely the Year of the Platts on Coronation Street. What began on Christmas Day, 2012 had repercussions that are still having an impact today, early in 2014. I, for one, have enjoyed the ride!

We began with Kylie and David "on a break" and Nick jilting Leanne at the altar, having discovered that she'd ran after Peter earlier that day. She could possibly be forgiven, as Peter, thinking Carla had left him, made a beeline for the other woman he knew he could charm. Carla came back, Leanne was a distant memory but she didn't know it until she went to Peter to offer to call off her own wedding and saw Carla behind Peter. What to do? Marry Nick anyway and hope he never found out. Fail.

Nick and Kylie had a one night stand to soothe their pain and it all kicked off from there. Nick and Leanne made up and so did Kylie and David but, this is Soap land, and one of the prime Soap Opera Plot Devices states that if you have sex with the wrong person, you will get pregnant. Yep. And ironically, the main reason Kylie and David had temporarily split is because he wanted a baby and she didn't. Now she's up the duff and doesn't know who the daddy is.

Thing is, she'd confessed all to her mother-in-law, which was probably not such a good idea and was then persuaded not to give up the baby like she planned. It might be Nick's but it might be David's. Kylie began walking the tightrope.

David found out and went right off the rails, but since he couldn't face losing Kylie, who should carry equal blame for the fiasco, he directed his rage against Nick, the older brother he'd always resented anyway. He tried to ruin Nick, both in business and in his marraige to Leanne (which had taken place a few weeks after the jilting), all the while playing up to Nick's sympathies and pretending to be the concerned brother. That culminated in a near-fatal car crash when Nick finally figured out David was behind all the tricks and confronted him. David tried to take control of the steering wheel to stop Nick from telling all to the family. They came to a stop in the middle of an intersection and a large truck (lorry) was unable to stop and smashed into them on Nick's side of the car.

I still don't believe that David tried to kill Nick even though everyone else has accused him of that (once the truth finally came out because it always does). But even so, his actions did result in the crash so he was still responsible for Nick's injuries.  Nick survived but is suffering from brain damage which has caused him to have uncontrolled rages and is breaking down his marraige as Leanne struggles to cope.

While Nick recovered, he insisted that David do a paternity test on the little baby girl that Kylie produced. The test was sloppily done, in my opinion with only a sample from David and the baby sent away. Why not one from Kylie and Nick as well? Nick would have been happy to contribute and he could have managed a few strands of Kylie's hair from a hairbrush. Never mind. It turned out that David was the father, much to Nick's disappointment.

When Kylie found out about the test she went ballistic, realizing finally that David had known all along about the paternity issues and that he was behind the hate campaign and accident.  She outed David in front of the family at baby Lily's christening in classic soap style.

The whole family turned against David. The only reluctant friend he had was Tina but even that friendship caused her own relationship to blow up so she pushed David back out again. Rather than see him homeless, Audrey took him in at Gail's request even though Gail wasn't ready to forgive him. Maternal instincts are strong!

Inch by inch, David has been working his way back into his family and job at the salon. He's very, very contrite and remorseful but Nick was having none of it and insisted on the family taking sides. You can't blame him, he feels David has ruined his life. Kylie was angrier and angrier and when she saw that the family was beginning to warm up to David again, albeit reluctantly, it was her turn to go off the rails.

Kylie never had any self confidence. She never thought she was worth having a good life because she was brought up to believe she was less than nothing. She thought having a family of her own, a home, a job, all of that was too good to be true and now she's been made to pay for it. She spiralled downwards into a bottle until she hit bottom. Finally, David and Kylie were able to be honest with each other. Kylie took her share of responsibility for her fling with Nick and she and David have reconciled, much to Nick's dismay.

It's not quite over. Nick is still struggling and he's pushing his beloved Leanne away because he fears he'll hurt her after lashing out and slapping her on Christmas Day. She's just as determined to stand by her man but it looks very much like things will get worse before they get better. I'm glad they're not having Nick experience a miraculous recovery. It's far more realistic and it's continuing to have twists and turns. I have been speculating for the past few weeks that Leanne will have a fling herself, probably with Kal, Nick's new trainer. After many months of worry, stress and anxiety, and add Nick's rejection of her at the moment, and she's ripe for it.

Will Nick and Leanne manage to come out of it happy? It's hard to say. Nick has loved Leanne all his life and surely would want nothing more. If she has a fling, he'd be devastated but would probably blame himself for pushing her to it. We'll get more huffing and puffing from Gail who would certainly believe that Leanne is no better than Gail ever thought she was for hurting her baby boy yet again.

I have enjoyed the storyline, long though it was. All the actors involved were excellent and I felt that even Kylie's weeks of self destruction was completely understandable and far better than just one or two drunken nights with epic hangovers.  I realized that on top of the storyline covering Hayley's terminal illness, Corrie has been rather grim overall of late, but with performances like these, in both storylines, it's Corrie at its best.

It's about time Nick saw the light

FINALLY!

Nick finally figured out that David is behind the hate campaign!

It is a storyline that began on Christmas night when Nick blew off his wedding to Leanne because of her last minute wobble over Peter, got drunk and had sex with Kylie who was equally at odds with David. Kylie made up with David the day after and Nick soon patched it up with Leanne and they got properly married.

Since Soap Law dictates that an unwise shag shall result in pregnancy, there ensued a "Who's the Daddy" thread. David found out about the unfaithful wife and possibility that the baby might not be his and has launched a revenge campaign against Nick. He can't accuse Kylie because he's afraid he'd lose her but your brother is always your brother and why shouldn't he suffer for what he's done? That's David's justification, anyway.

He stole keys and trashed their flat in the aftermath of initial discovery, full of classic David anger and rage but he decided to take a more underhanded approach. The campaign was very clever. There's been little innuendos to Gail, Nick and Leanne, all geared to stir up suspicion. He's been subtly playing Nick and Leanne off against each other, hoping to break them up, bringing Gail and Leanne's ex, Peter, into the mix as needed. The problem is, even though they would temporarily be at odds, they managed to find their way back to each other, leaving David more and more frustrated.

Each step of the way, the risk got higher but the payoff remained tantalizingly just out of reach. Viewers have been shouting at the screen, wondering why nobody has suspected David of any of these tricks. If any of the subjects involved just talked to each other, they'd hit on the common denominator in a minute. "David told me that..." and "Well, he said to me that..." and the jig, as they say, would have been up. But it doesn't work that way on telly. You have to draw it out.

David's most recent and most aggressive move was to send Leanne an anonymous note, hinting that Nick did something with someone on Christmas Night after the aborted wedding. That was his mistake. Leanne believed it and it could have done what David wanted but Leanne, though she knows Nick was lying when she confronted him, now realizes that someone really is out to get them and it has to be someone they know, someone that was at the wedding. Her chance remark that it was going to turn out to be someone obvious.

Nick turned around and saw his brother and Kylie laughing at the bar.

The light went on.

David. David.

And millions of viewers jumped up and punched the air.

Ho Yuss!!!!

Gail's Conundrum

Gail now knows that Nick may be the father of Kylie's baby so she's the baby's grannie no matter which way it goes. Part of her must think that all of her Christmases and birthdays have come at once! Imagine! She could blow the lid off both marraiges and get rid of both of her detested daughters-in-law! But there's a very good chance she'd also lose both of her darling boys.

What's a monster-in-law to do?

She's got ammunition to hold over Kylie's head for the rest of her married life. It's too bad someone didn't remind her that she had an affair once and Sarah Lou's paternity was in doubt. That was a full blown affair, too, not just a drunken one night stand. Hypocrite, thy name is Gail (add  last name of choice here).

While Gail is thoroughly dislikeable these days, I am really enjoying this storyline. And, trying to look at it from her point of view, she's lost a lot. She's been humiliated and financially wiped out and has found someone that significantly contributed to that. You'd want revenge if it was you, would you not? You'd want the person to pay. If Kylie had done it out of spite or a cut of the cash, Gail would be well within her rights to go to the police but Kylie got herself into this mess due to her own bad judgement and was blackmailed into getting Gail's bank details. It doesn't make it right but the circumstances are a bit more sympathetic.

I know you're all saying, "But Gail got herself into this mess". You'd be right, of course. She made a huge error in judgement when she connived to break up Lewis and Audrey. By jumping to the wrong conclusion, she jumped right off a cliff. With her lousy track record in the romance department, of course she was wide open for a con no matter that she knew his history so well she used it against her own mother. Gail just isn't that bright and is too desperate for a flattering word.  She, like most of us, wants to be swept off her feet and Lewis swept all her doubts out from  under her. The tarnished knight pulled her up onto that big, white, horse and it's a long fall down from there.

 Now Gail has to decide whether to break up both of her sons' marraiges or suck it up. If she keeps quiet, how on earth is she going to be able to keep it in for long? We all know these things come out and always at the worst time. Now that Sally knows, too, there are even more leaks in the dyke.

It might have been easier for Kylie to tell David she'd had a one night stand if it hadn't been Nick who stood with her. David and Nick are at loggerheads a lot and David, though he does love his brother, resents him and is probably jealous down deep that Nick is mummy's first born and the apple of her eye, in his mind at least. Gail has a firm grip on the apron strings on all three children though Sarah has managed to loosen them considerably.

I have no idea how this is going to come out. Will Kylie reveal her secret to David before Gail can? Will she be able to find out the paternity of the baby first? If it's David's, then the secret might die. But if it isn't, and in soap world where you need to keep the conflict going, there's a very good chance it will be Nick's baby. Now that Sally knows, there's more holes spurting water to be plugged but I have a feeling Sophie's going to overhear a conversation and we all know how righteous Sophie can be. She may well end up spilling the beans. Also, according to the way soaps usually work, David and Kylie break up, there's an outside chance that Nick and Kylie could end up together with Leanne glaring and David snarling at them from across the cobbles. I hope not, though. I do like David and Kylie together. It'll be interesting to see this unfold.

Time will tell.

The Little Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'

There's a fable about a shepherd boy who, probably in a bid for attention or out of boredom, used to pretend a wolf was threatening his flock and would run to the village crying 'WOLF!' for help when in fact there was no wolf. When he finally did see a wolf and ran for help, nobody believed him. The moral of the story is that you should always tell the truth, and habitual liars are never to be believed at their own peril.

David Platt is one of those liars. He's told a lot of tall tales and lies over the years, mainly to cover up his own misdoings. He always gets discovered and has a reputation now for lying and causing trouble and being violent when he doesn't get his own way.

We know that he still loves, or at least is obsessed with Tina McIntyre and the other week, he misread her friendliness for a renewed romantic interest and became aggressive with her. She was afraid he would rape her but when he realized, he backed off, truly sorry that he scared her. Naturally, Tina's boyfriend and David's best friend, Graeme found out and naturally, he was very angry, confronting David in the pub. Off David goes, taking Audrey's car without permission and later, when he was coming back, it looked very much like David ran over Graeme on purpose.

Oh dear! But David claims not to remember anything! Another lie, no doubt, that's what everyone is thinking. Everyone except his mother but Gail would defend her chick to the death in spite of their past conflicts, some of which were pretty major. If David says he doesn't remember, then that's good enough for Gail even if she knows what he's usually like. This time, there's a suspicion of a possible epileptic seizure that could have made David pass out. In the past couple of episodes, he complained of being tired and a bit spaced out so they're setting it up for that. David will again be the Street pariah and assumed guilty by everyone but this time, it seems he will probably be proven innocent.

David Platt is a character that they've had do a lot of horrible things but you can only go so far with a character if you're planning on keeping them in the show. You can't cross the line because soap law insists that if you do, you must leave (prison, death, etc) They couldn't have David actually rape Tina and they can't have him deliberately run his best friend over, nearly killing him. David will be proven innocent on that basis.

Tina was quick to accuse Gail of killing her father with very little evidence. She's quick to accuse David, albeit on somewhat stronger circumstantial evidence. What really pisses me off, though, is Claire Peacock. She jumped right on the Accuse David bandwagon with a vengeance and it was only a month ago that *she* was the Street Pariah, accused of harming the Alahan child...so much so that she is now intent on leaving the Street. You'd think she would be the one to give David the benefit of the doubt.

David had been showing a lot of signs of maturity this year, since his mother was in prison. He still has impulses and a lot of anger issues but he's not gone off the rails as much. Will being falsely accused take him off the green and into the rough again or will he manage to rise above it and change his life? He's a good character, one you like to hate but if he's going to be in the show long term, he's going to have to grow up and make something of his life. Steve McDonald was quite a tearaway as a young man though not as much as David but he managed it. I think David can too.

The State of the Street - June

I really fail to see what Molly sees in Kevin! I've been dreading this thing between Kevin and Molly, I really have. If they had to do it, couldn't they just have Kevin with a one-sided crush and Molly firmly kicking him into touch? A crush, I can understand that happening. It can happen to anyone. Molly is loyal and she loves Tyrone and even him having trouble accepting Jack's friendship with Connie shouldn't be enough to push her into his best friend's coveralls, not even on a soap! But the more I think of it, you know... Molly does have form being the "other woman". She chased Kirk trying to take him off Fiz and she chased Tyrone as well, when he was still keen on Maria so maybe it's not so out of character after all! And Tyrone... Well I understand that he thinks the world of Jack and he misses Vera terribly but he has to understand that life moves on and he should be glad Jack is happy.

David set up Gary over the burglary and the Windasses try to band together with fake alibis, as per usual, until there's more serious charges then Len cuts and runs. You know, Gary as a character is settling in a bit and i do like Anna but the other two, Eddie and Len, can go pound sand and I don't think the family has gelled at all. Maybe that's why Len has already been chucked out of the house by his brother. I don't foresee them lasting the year out. Ted of course is ever the Voice of Reason, willing to forgive anyone (easy for him to say knowing it was David that set it all up and he wasn't about to turn David in, was he?)

A new romance gives Sue Cleaver some good storylines and this has been a good year for her. Nice to see Eileen having a bit of a romance for a change. It's probably not going to be a long term thing, Eileen is one of Corrie's love losers but wouldn't it be nice if this turned into the love of her life? It's also nice to see Jack finding some companionship as well. It's been a good year for all the senior cast members, really. Ken and Deirdre, Rita, Norris, Jack, Bill, and even Emily though she's mostly been the Greek chorus to everyone else's storyline but at least we've seen more of her. The only one that hasn't had a lot of storyline of that generation is Audrey who's been peripheral to things since she and Bill broke up, for the most part.

Pity we have to balance it out with a ludicrously contrived storyline about Stape giving Rosie the procedes from the sale of his granny's house just as Luke came up with an investment scheme for the staff! And by the way, Helen Flanagan's habit of delivering her lines in what she thinks is "uppity" and "snippy" is just speed-speaking and you can't understand half of what she's saying. You can still portray snotty and speak a little bit slower. In fact, it would make the condescension stand out more.

I think Fiz really has hit bottom, proposing to John. What have they done to this once-sparky redhead? I know i've said it before but it bears repeating. What are they doing to this character!!!

Further to the question about why Hayley hasn't had a storyline,Why did it take Hayley months to rip Pam an new one over selling sandwiches to the whole neighbourhood? Even Roy hadn't made any mention of it though the only reaction Hayley's had was a bit of a sneer once up until the last of June. Well leave it to Hayley to compromise instead of bringing the wrath of Health and Safety on Pam's head.

I'm continuing to enjoy Peter's struggle with alchohol. Um, let me put that another way. I'm enjoying the storylines and the performances. At the same time that Peter is struggling with recovery, Joe is sinking into the depths of prescription pain killer addiction. Another good performance here too. Doesn't Joe have a nasty mouth on him sometimes, though? But neither of them has been seen struggling later in June. I expect Joe's story will be ramping up now that Peter is coming to terms with his problem.

A refeshing change. Michelle had two fellas after her and didn't pick either one. Sensibly, she knew Peter still had a thing for Leanne and she wasn't over Steve. (But you know the best way to get over a fella is to get under one or two new ones! I guess that didn't work so well for her!) She's gone for awhile (while the actress gets new knockers and I guess we'll not see too much of Ryan either. But as I blogged over here, I'm guessing she'll be back early, pregnant and won't know who the father is.

It's so awesome watching Tony, the control freak, losing his marbles little by little though he's been pretty stable lately. We know that exposing his misdeeds are going to be at the end of it all. Is he really falling for Maria, or is it another move in his master plan to win her away from her suspicions? Natasha was just a diversion. I maintain that Tony didn't feel guilty about killing Liam but he felt horribly guilty when he realized Maria was pregnant and that might be his one glimmer of redemption. HE'll still have to pay for his misdeeds at some point. Murderers cannot be seen to get away with their crime. Once Carla comes back, she'll make sure Tony pays.

Poppy all of a sudden can't get along with Betty who takes advantage who probably has been doing that for the last 15 years, I suppose, but firing Betty?!!! She can't get away with that. Betty comes with the pub, everyone knows that! When it comes down to an ultimatum, and without Liz there to back up her mate, Betty rules the roost because heaven knows Steve hasn't got the gumption to smack Betty down and he knows that though the younger punters might not appreciate her, all the regulars certainly do and you don't drive your regulars away, do you? What gets me is that Poppy was a perfectly reasonable person until the last few weeks. The Personality Transplant Fairies whacked her on the head because they have to have a reason for her to never darken the Rovers' door again.

Windass-ing me up

Spoilers say David Platt is going to get beaten to a pulp (yet again) after he takes his jealousy out on Jason. A comment on that post by Danny-K mentions how Gary's first beating of David was unusually brutal for early evening telly. Yes it was, but they'd been portraying him as a thug from the get go. Now, it seems, Gary isn't so thuggish. I guess that's the Powers That Be's way of softening him a bit because otherwise there would be no way to redeem him if they want the character to stay in the show for any time. And then there's Gary's "mentor", Uncle Len, also a thug but not quite so thick and ignorant as our younger ginger version.

Considering my experience watching soaps all these years, when there's a mystery and a crime is committed, the party accused is almost never the perpetrator. The guilt almost always lands on the expendable "crew member", aka "Ensign Toast". That goes back to Star Trek days when the "away" team to investige the new planet always ended up with one of them dead or evaporated into phasar bits and that was always the guy that you'd never seen before, never one of the main characters. The expendable crew member. He often wore a red shirt so some people call him Ensign Red Shirt. On soaps, there's always an Ensign Toast. It maybe a major character if the actor is leaving the show like Kate Ford (Tracy Barlow) or it's a villain that has hit the wall and there's no redeeming them. It may, on rare occasions, be a sympathetic main character in a moment of madness or self defence.

So who's going to be the one that beats up David? I reckon eyes will turn towards Jason but we all know Jason is a softie. Jason's a lover not a fighter. Will it be Joe, in a drug withdrawal rage, discovering that David has nicked his pills again? Not likely. It's going to have to be an expendable crew member and my money's on Len Windass in retaliation for David's lies that put Gary in jail. There's no earthly reason for Len to be in the show as he only ever seems to interact with his family, and occasionally Joe or Gail and there's really no redeeming value to him.

Does David deserve it? I don't think so. He deserves to go to prison himself for setting up someone else, mind you. If Len's the culprit, are we going to then see Joe's fists flying? He *might* be able to take on Len but in his current physical state, not likely. (Come back, Terry Duckworth, all is forgiven! ... well, when you need someone that can apply a good thumping to your everyday neighbourhood thug, Terry's yer man!) This whole "war in the hood" business between David and Gary (and Len) doesn't seem like it belongs on "our" Coronation Street. It's more "The Show That Shall Not Be Named", innit? I think it's a mistake trying to win over the fans of that other show, don't you? Coronation Street is never going to be anything but what it is and always has been. It's got it's own personality and vibe. You may lure a few fans into the fold but they won't stick around.

I don't think the Windass family is going to last on the Street, Anna is the only one that's somewhat sympathetic but she's ineffective and Eddie is just gross. Unwashed, a layabout, I didn't think it was possible to find a character more despicable than Les Battersby but they managed it. Mind you, the actor, Steve Huison, is doing a bang up job of portraying Eddie Windass and he's a far better actor than Bruce Jones was. I actually think if they softened Gary just a little and got rid of Len, that the family might be able to integrate with the neighbourhood but that's a big IF.

The Corrie Cone of Silence

I was watching the show on Friday night and noticed something that i've noticed before. There seems to be a Cone of Silence over the Platt kitchen or at least a sound barrier between the kitchen and the living room. It happened a lot last night as David was home with Joe, but on the phone frequently with, first Gary and then mostly Graeme. He was circumspect with Gary but when on the phone with Graeme, he was using their code names and giving him instructions to "stay there" etc. yet Joe was in the living room watching telly with David just 10 feet away in the kitchen. Or vice versa. The two of them were in various locations between the two rooms yet Joe never questioned David or noticed anything really weird other than saying David was jumpy.

This isn't the first time it happened. Quite often someone will have a conversation sat at the living room couch which, if Gail in the kitchen had heard, would have made her hair stand on end and her eyebrows disappear into that massive 'do on her head. It's all open plan, there's no way it's that sound proof. Nobody whispers. Nobody is discreet. Yet it's only ever overheard if the plot line requires it but it's very unrealistic. All those houses are tiny and walls are thin. You can hear someone clearly when they're outside with a closed door between them and whoever is inside, yet they can't hear someone in the next room with no door and only part of a wall.

It happens in the pub too. The booths along the front of the pub are only about four steps from the bar but does anyone ever overhear conversations between either place? Rarely and most of the time, the pub doesn't seem that noisy nor is the music from the juke that loud. Yet you see people in the booth staring suspiciously at someone at the bar who's talking to one of the barmaids, or someone behind the bar watches a group in a booth with a guarded expression, wondering if the conversation is about them or not. Are they telling my secret? are they talking about me behind my back?

Gah. Soaps!!! I know, i know, i think too much and expect too much. Most of the time it doesn't bother me unless it's *really* obvious like David sighing loudly and calling Graeme by his code name over the phone just steps from Joe. Then it gets on my last nerve.

That is all.

The State of the Street - May

May's been quite a month for Norris, hasn't it? All along, Mary's been giving him the glad eye and it's been clear to everyone that she fancied the pants off him. It ended badly when she finally tried the ultimate seduction, in a motor home of all places, and it didn't go well at all. Off she drove into the adventure of her life, alone. Norris really doesn't have a traveler's heart, you know? Change and spontenaity, thy names are not "Norris". He has a soft spot for Rita and I think he only wanted to leave because she was involved with Colin which put Norris' nose out of joint. I'll miss Mary. She was absolutely, brilliantly off the wall, especially after her unseen mother died. At one point, she told Emily there were times she could have cheerfully strangled her mother. I wonder.....

And now he probably *really* wishes he'd gone off with Mary since his long lost older half-brother has shown up. Did I hear correctly? Was Ramsay adopted out? Norris said that when Ramsay appeared in his mother's life, that's what sent Mrs. Cole into a tizzy, so much so that she died..... a year later! I think it's not about Norris resenting Ramsay for the death of their mother, I think it's about Norris resenting Ramsay for taking her attention away from him! It's also about that thing about Norris not taking change very well. And it's about to happen all over again as Ramsay becomes friends with Emily and Rita, whom Norris regards as *his* friends and he is not about to take a usurpation lying down.

The fallout from the reveal that Colin fathered Julie and took advantage of a 14 year old Paula took up most of May. On one level, this had a definite "ick" factor, even more than Stape and Rosie's romps. These things happen and don't come out for years, if ever, in a lot of cases. I can picture how it happened, can't you? A young girl, full of hormones, trying out her kitten claws and being flattered by the attentions of a handsome older man. But that older man should have known better. When it call came out, Colin still didn't *really* seem to think he did anything all that wrong because, in his view, Paula was leading him on, his vanity and ego being as large as it ever was. Paula, though it looked to be out of spite, decided to go to the police. But that's exactly what she should do though the stress of it caused Colin to have another stroke and die. I felt sorry that he died but I didn't feel one bit sorry for his situation. I did feel sorry for Eileen having to cope with it all, not just the shock and revelation but the gossip and jokes at her father's expense. They'll all dine out on that one for a long time, I should imagine.

What it's going to do is give us a lot of good storyline between Eileen and Julie. I don't think Paula is going to be a long term character but she and Julie have a lot of stuff to deal with and work through. Julie has always been overly emotional and impulsive, the exact opposite of Eileen. Julie is going to want the storybook family and Eileen is going to put her walls up firmly. On the surface they have nothing in common and each is going to irritate the other to the eye teeth. At least, Julie is irritating Eileen. ("Eidelweiss"! Can't you just see Julie in leiderhosen leaping around a mountain meadow singing Do Re Mi?) Eventually, I'm sure they'll find a way to be sisters but it's going to be a bumpy road. I've really enjoyed the performances, though. Eileen only shows her feelings when alone or with trusted friends. Julie is over the top, to be a strong contrast to Eileen, and she wears her heart on her sleeve, her collar and waves it overhead on a big, bold flag.

Ken bottled it, just like I knew he would. He didn't have the nerve to tell Deirdre to her face and he didn't have the nerve to tell Martha to her face either. He did exactly what Peter said he'd do and run with his tail between his legs. Martha was supposedly his soulmate but he still couldn't bring himself to leave the familiar, just like every other time he'd had an affair.

He tried to justify his actions to Peter by saying his marraige was one of convenience, (but only when it's been convenient for him!). He gave Deirdre the letter and she wasn't really surprised. He didn't think she should know, he just wanted to feel less guilty. Oh, but it's ok, because he chose her over his soul mate. Yeah. *that's* really going to make her feel better! I really enjoyed his confrontations with Peter, I really did. Peter's got his measure and he was right. This whole storyline was absolute top stuff! Now he and Deirdre are at verbal war. I am *so* enjoying seeing Deirdre finally fight back! Best line ever? Ken "and yes.... I need you" Deirdre "But do *I* need you?" I cheered. I really did!

Peter and Luke both fancy Michelle who seems set to run off for a temporary absence. Peter's drinking problem is lurking in the background and what is it about bad boys anyway? Luke Strong is a hero, he's handsome, he's up front and seems honest and upright. Peter has more baggage than Piccadilly Station's Left Luggage. From what I know, Peter's drinking problems aren't over and he's going to realize he can't do it on his own. I'm glad of that, it's far more realistic. Corrie never really has explored alcoholism before. Sometimes people would have a very short term drink problem but then got over it and were able to have booze when they liked thereafter. Ivy Tilsley comes to mind. Leanne was an instant cocaine addict and though successfully kicked it, still finds she's able to have alcohol and not worry about being tempted to drink to excess. Anyway, I look forward to seeing the rest of this play out for Peter but I wish Michelle would fancy Luke instead of Peter. Wait, no I don't. He deserves better! ;o)

Tara really wreaked havoc on poor old Dev, didn't she? And I really think she went way too far, too. Yes Dev should have come clean but he didn't and Poppy, breaking the barmaid code (off with her head!), spilled the beans and Tara started plotting. Her elaborate revenge scheme ended up with little Simon pointing out that the retail Emperor had no clothes on! And if I lived in any of those posh flats, I'd be a bit miffed that this soft-core wall hanging was covering my windows. Dev's not the only resident, Tony lives there and I think Luke does too. There must be a few others. Tara is her mother's daughter, though, and no doubt she got her vindictiveness from Nina. Glad to see the back of her.

Dastardly David's back again. You didn't think his psycho days were over do you? He's nicking Joe's pain pills, probably a good thing considering Joe's growing addiction to them. He's slowly setting up Gary for another round with the cops but David isn't as smart as he thinks he is. It's a soap rule, bad guys always get caught. Eventually.

So when is Tony Gordon going to pay for killing the lovely Liam?