Inquiring Minds Want to Know - The Nitpick Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Revenge of the Stupid

Late last year we had a storyline that was a bit different for Corrie, that of the "revenge porn" photos that Steph's ex boyfriend Jamie used to blackmail her brother into illegal car racing. It didn't go on too long  but it was long enough to paint Jamie as a selfish idiot who seems to be one of those men who feels entitled and is ticked off if the world doesn't comply.

He got himself into debt and used Luke's ability as a racer boy to try to get himself out of it. Luke was coerced because of Jamie's threats to post online some intimate photos he'd taken of Steph when they were together. Once online, it's there forever. You might take them down off the original site but these days, things get saved, shared, posted and otherwise filtered around the interweb.

Steph finally found out and was horrified, mortified and pissed off, but more the first two, initially. Taking sexy photos isn't a new thing. Lots of couples do it, in addition to things like video-recording themselves. You are in love, you are passionate about each other, you trust each other, so why not? Age is no restriction on this either. You don't have to be young and naive.

Back to Jamie. Steph found the courage to call the police, with Leanne's support and he was arrested. It's illegal to do that, you see, post photos with the intent to embarass or blackmail or bully someone. That's what Jamie was doing, on all accounts. He said he was very sorry but he was desperate and when Luke and later Steph wouldn't give him what he wanted, he followed through with his threats and he'll now have a criminal record. He's also down one girlfriend because Luke and Andy busted him in the bar where he hangs out just before the arrest.

Jump ahead a month or so. Luke and Andy have discovered that Jamie is out on bail. I'm not sure why they were so shocked and outraged. He was likely bailed shortly after the arrest, which is pretty normal. He might be a toe rag but he's not a dangerous axe murderer. The dynamic duo decide Steph's honour hasn't been completely defended, find out where he's working and proceed to get him and his mate who vouched for him sacked. Job done, right?

It's interesting to remember that the girlfriend that was told about the photos dumped him immediately and the bar manager, also female, did likewise.  Part of that was him not telling her about the arrest and pending trial. It might have been more interesting if the manager had been a male and been equally outraged about the reason for the arrest, just to put both sides' points of view out there, that it isn't just women that would hold this sort of thing against you, but never mind...

Now we come to the most recent chapter. Jamie is pretty ticked off that he's lost his job and he drags his friend along with him to suss out the area where he knows Steph, Luke and Andy live and work. Jamie may have said he learned his lesson but he hasn't and we can clearly see that. He's still intent on revenge but now his bullying side shows up again. He's not going after Luke and Andy who are the ones that caused him to lose his job (and previously, his girlfriend). He's going after Steph to teach her a lesson because he thinks she sent them to do her dirty work. Teach *her* a lesson. Because it's easier to go after a woman than two men, isn't it? Easier to go after a woman you've already victimized.

He wants to scare Steph so he decides to stage some sort of robbery or invasion of the place where she works, probably at closing time but they sit in the car over several days, for hours at a time watching the place. I'm not sure why nobody actually noticed and questioned it. If i saw two men in a car on my street  or in the vicinity sitting there for hours on more than one occasion, I'd be calling the police. It's a soap so we would have to suspend disbelief on that point. At the last going off, it looked like they were parked outside the Kabin (see photo below, you can tell by the type of things in the shop window), with Jamie watching the Bistro through the rear view mirror. Surely Norris would have been in there like a dirty shirt!

That was also the day that the Bistro was closed most of the day due to the power cut. They must have missed the lunchtime event when the restaurant had emptied out. They sat there, and for hours never really questioned why there were no customers going in our coming out, nor staff or deliveries. By the time they saw Robert come out, it was now later in the day and getting dark. They knew, somehow, that he was the chef though how they knew is another mystery though I suppose they had been in and out of the Bistro a couple of times back when the blackmail was going on. They still didn't figure out that the restaurant was closed. Jamie still thought Steph must have been inside all day.

Let's do it! Though Jamie's friend wasn't too keen on it by this time, he went along with it instead of walking away. In they go, into a dark restaurant with nobody there except Carla who decided, after a confrontation with Robert, to stay on and drink by herself. She'd locked the door when she arrived but Robert had unlocked it to leave, giving her the keys to lock up behind herself. I wonder if she was going to check the door in the kitchen? that was open because Tracy was able to let herself in and out when she heard them burst in. Why didn't she make an anonymous call to the police? Well, that's Tracy for you. She could have said she had gone there to surprise Robert and didn't have to reveal she'd overheard the conversation between he and Robert. But then we couldn't have had the action that came next.

Jamie was in a rage, now, because there was no Steph, no money in the till (duh, closed most of the day, why would you leave the money there?). At least there was a woman there you could push around and scare but Carla being Carla, with a good gutfull of red wine in her, did put up a good front. Because Jamie hadn't already seen the candlelight bouncing off that huge rock on her finger when he first pushed her on the ground, she slipped it into her handbag to prevent it being taken if they did notice it but they end up stealing the whole bag instead. They didn't really hide much of their faces and Carla would have a very good look at their eyes and their face a few times, and the other guy mentioned Jamie's name at least once.

Jamie finally realized he ought to get away from the scene of the utter disaster he'd wrought with  armed robbery (baseball bats) and  assault now added to his criminal record, not to mention the possibility of attempted murder when Carla ran after them to retrieve her bag in a pretty stupid move, really, but again, you can probably blame the wine and the adrenaline for that,  and she got dragged along by the car until she landed on the cobbles. I couldn't see whether she got the bag or not but she's in pretty serious condition.

Jamie is obviously a bully and obviously not the sharpest tool in the box. This is not out of the realms of reality. A lot of law breakers are not very smart. I expect this is the last we'll see of Jamie. I hope Steph is strong and testifies at his trial but I don't suppose we'll get to see that.

All in all, I thought this was a good storyline and the actors involved were great! It was something different and something relevant for this day and age. Keep your knickers on, boys and girls, the internet is out there just waiting to salivate over your bits and pieces!


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Deception Street

What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

Yep. That pretty much sums up the mess that Andy Carver's in. He was unemployed, skint and a bit lonely. His flatmate and childhood friend, Gavin Rodwell had dumped his own fiance,  stolen Andy's girlfriend and gone traveling. The bills were mounting up. He and Gavin had often competed to see who's dad was more rubbish and Gavin usually won through force of personality if nothing else. When a reconciliation letter popped through the letterbox one day, addressed to Gavin and from his father, Michael, Andy was intrigued.  He thought he'd meet the man, pretend to be Gavin, and find out of all the stories were true.

While he was in a sticky spot financially, he wasn't intending to rip off Michael for any major cash though thought he might cadge a tenner or two or a free pint. He didn't intend to be pulled in by Michael's sincerity and pleasure at finally getting a chance to make things up with his son, the lad he'd left behind when he walked out on his wife all those years ago. He felt sympathy with Michael's regrets and his genetic heart condition that had spurred on his quest to find his son. He didn't intend for the pretense to go very far. But Andy found himself drawn to the man and liking him quite a bit. He got slotted into a much-needed job in the Bistro even though he really had no experience (the real Gavin did). He even got a great new girlfriend, Steph.

The longer the guise went on, the harder it was to reveal the truth. We found out pretty early that "Gavin" was not "Gavin" but Andy and that Andy felt guilty about the situation. It was a couple of months before Steph found out the truth but though she insisted he come clean, it turned out that was impossible.

He nearly did it, he went to see Michael and was going to confess, but Steph stopped him before he could, because Michael's medical condition had worsened and the shock could kill him. Oh great. What next? Andy's former girlfriend shows up but he managed to wiggle out of that one by staging a row with Steph over it. Even after Michael's heart operation, the truth had to stay in the closet until the results were determined and those results weren't very good. Michael now needs a heart transplant.  All stress had to be avoided.

The mire got deeper. The web got more tangled. Michael and Gail were getting married and Andy would be best man. By now, he was growing to love Michael and the new family Michael had gathered, the Platts. They may have their crises and they certainly have their faults, but they were a strong little family unit, more of a family than Andy had had before and they all pulled together when it mattered. As wrong as it would be to continue the... let's face it...identity theft and fraud, maybe, just maybe he could get away it it until Michael's health was better.

But wait! Wouldn't you know it? The real Gavin Rodwell finally shows up, just as we all knew he would someday. Perfect timing, too, on the eve of Gail and Michael's wedding. And he proved himself to be a bit of a wrong'un, also as we all thought he would be. He had to be, to contrast with the lovely Andy who, fraud and impersonation aside, is a very nice guy.

Gavin wasn't very happy with what his mate has done and you can't blame him for that. But rather than immediately reveal the truth to all and sundry, with probable dire consequences for Michael's health (which wouldn't have bothered Gavin) or go to the police, he decides to blackmail Andy. Pay up and I'll shut up. Since Andy couldn't raise all the money, Gavin shows up on Gail's doorstep on her wedding day and now she knows the truth. To save Michael from the shock, she paid Gavin off the remainder but missed her wedding because of it. 

Except Karma is a bitch. And the next layer of the onion/storyline is revealed when Gavin died suddenly, very shortly after Gail passed over the cash. Too bad it wasn't a cheque, he likely wouldn't have had time to cash it!  It first appeared to be a drink driving car crash but, no, it was actually a heart attack. Remember the genetic heart condition?  That was the other reason he needed to get hold of his son, so that he could be tested. Andy did tell Gavin this and so did Gail but Gavin either didn't believe him or hadn't had the chance to get checked out before it was too late. Irony, thy name is Rodwell.

I have been loving this storyline. I always loved Gail's family (always the Platts to me no matter what her last name-du-jour is). I like Michael a lot, as well. Some people find him weak and soppy and pathetic. I know he's not a strong man, but Corrie men rarely are. Michael Rodwell is a kind and sweet man. He is emotional and generous and he's got a lot of regrets in his life. I think he's a really good match for Gail who deserves a good man after all the cads she's been with.  They're going to get married and I really hope she's not going to be a widow again. With Michael's dicky ticker, it's a distinct possibility. It's getting to be utterly absurd that almost every man she's ever married has died.

I love how this storyline has unfolded in layers and twists. The first one was the surprise that Gavin wasn't really Gavin. The viewer then knew for a couple of months before the truth was revealed to Steph and we watched Andy become more and more involved and more and more uncomfortable in various situations. The actor playing RealGavin was superb, too. He really projected Gavin's anger and bitterness believably and was far more believable as a villainous character than Callum, a drug dealer who should be equally scary in his own way but isn't. (Though I do like his touch of the occasional sniff, as if to imply he's got a cocaine habit, but nope, still not scary.)

This most recent twist, with Gavin dying of the same heart condition that Michael has is brilliant as the plot device to move this to the next phase. Little by little, more people will find out who Andy is and Michael will probably be the last to know. Whether the shock is going to kill him or not remains to be seen.  He'll be devastated, not only to find out the truth but that his loved ones didn't tell him, even if it was for his health. (don't click here if you don't want to know who finds out next).

The last storyline that had this many twists and turns was the John Stape/Colin Fishwick saga which was funny and dark and ludicrous at times but very enjoyable. I don't know how this will end. Will the shock of it all kill Michael? Will he get a transplant before he finds out? What about Andy? Will the reveal mean he's going to leave us? I hope not. I like he and Steph together but he's sure gonna have a lot of 'splaining to do.