I can't wait

When  I'm watching Coronation Street, There are storylines that really engage me. I watch with relish. I anticipate. I wait for the next thing that's going to happen. I speculate. I really look forward to seeing some things such as...

Phelan is now a murderer. He will be taken down and will have to face the music.
I can't wait.

Will his vendetta against Anna ultimately be his downfall? Or will he kill her? Maybe he will and then get caught. However it happens...
I can't wait!

Nicola is having Gary's baby. Sarah will have to find out at some point because these things never stay secret for long. I like Gary and Sarah together, and I don't think Gary and Nicola suit as well. So what's going to happen when this all hits the fan?
I can't wait!

Rita finds out tonight if the tumour operation was a success. I've got a good feeling  about this. But she sold her flat to that odious Colin so she'll still have to contend with that. Surely her being under the influence of a brain tumour is a legal enough reason to back out of the contract. Come on Adam, you're slithery. You can sort it out.
I can't wait!

Mary's finally got the family she always wanted but it's off to a very rocky start. There's a lot more going on between she and Angie than she realizes with Angie having trouble bonding with baby George and upset that her new mother-in-law seems to be taking over ably. Poor Jude is getting stuck between a rock and  a hard place. Her new BFF, Toyah, is a councillor, maybe she'll be a help?
I can't wait.

Sally is now the mayor of Weatherfield. What does that make Tim? Surely there will be a lot of conflict when she needs him by her side at formal functions. If last week's episodes are anything to go by, she's going to have to make sure she doesn't let politics overrun her family life. She did say she needed to keep her priorities straight. Someone's going to have to keep her grounded. I hope we get to see a bit of Sally the Politician and see her be successful at it.
I can't wait!

The factory is in ruins. Will it ever rise like a phoenix again? Surely it will. I'm hoping when Carla comes back, she'll put that factory back on the map.
I can't wait!

The whole Connor family seems to be in disarray. Maria made a fool of herself over Aidan who made a fool of himself right back and Eva played them both for fools and she ended up with a flat and a car. An empty victory, I think. Johnny and Jenny got married but starting up the factory seems to be too much for him to think about. Kate's in love with a married woman. They all need their collective heads knocking together. It bears repeating...

Carla's coming back!!
I can't wait!


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Here's how it should go down

Tracy is holding Carla hostage and it just isn't right. Carla is nobody's bitch and there's no way the Carla we all know and love would put up with Tracy's blackmail. The funny thing is, I think if Nick had found out about Carla and Robert's one night stand, he'd have understood. He knew that Carla was in a bad way and he knows that she lashes out and gets self destructive when she's in a state. I don't think he'd have dumped her for the infidelity though he might have sacked Robert.

Now, it's gone on too long and Carla is manipulating Nick at Tracy's command. Tracy wants to be the Lady of the Manor, ruling the Bistro with an iron fist like she had hoped to do with the Rovers. That fell through and I sincerely believe that the powers that be will not allow Tracy to "win" and be the pseudo-owner of the Bistro. So, something has to happen to blow her out of the water. I think Nick will ignore Carla's nudging and will sell to Leanne in the end. He may accept Robert's bid in theory but for once, maybe real estate transactions won't be pushed through unrealistically fast as is the norm in Weatherfield.

I would like to see Carla get a grip. Barring that, I would like to see Nick overhear something or otherwise find out about Carla and Robert but not from Tracy. A miss-sent text from Michelle, perhaps? I want him to be the one to confront Tracy and Robert, or just Robert, tell him what his beloved has been up to. Have it out with Carla. I'd like to see him want to marry her anyway, give her a happy-ever-after but it probably won't go down that way. He'll probably finish with her, with a great puppy-dog sad face and she'll do what she always does and skip town.

If there's any justice, Robert will finish with Tracy once he finds out what she's been up to, and he and Leanne will get together. I think they're a much better fit.

How do you think this *should* play out? Do you think Robert and Tracy will end up owning the Bistro? How will Nick find out about Robert and Carla (because it's going to happen, it's soap law!)


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

A bit of a stretch

Carla's 40, nearly 41. Aidan, the older of the two Connor siblings must be about 30 and Kate is 26 I think, or thereabouts. She was 4 when their mother died 22 years ago, I seem to recall. Aidan wasn't much older, still a child so though I don't think it's been said, I'm going to put his age at 30 as stated. If he was 8 when he lost his mum, he'd definitely have memories of her.

Therefore, a solid 10 years between Carla and Aidan. We know that Johnny and Carla's mother had a one night stand, producing Carla 9 months later. Therefore, nearly 42 years ago, 20 years before Mrs. Connor (Lou) died and probably about 12 years before she had Aidan. We don't know how old Lou and Johnny were when they got married and there's been no comment that they waited a long time to have children, either by choice or by nature taking its time. It seems like Lou must have been into her thirties when she had her children unless there were miscarraiges before that, more information we don't know.

It's all conceivably fathomable (yes, I know, terrible pun) but it feels a bit patched in and contrived which is almost par for the course for Stuart Blackburn's reign on Corrie. It would have made a lot more sense to have Johnny unmarried at the time of the fling, perhaps being a good friend to Carla's dad (though, yes, we've also had that before with Lloyd and Mandy and her husband, Lloyd's good friend). Or perhaps he could have been a teenager, unmarried, part of a group of mates from the housing estate that included Carla's mother and her future husband, and living an 'on the edge' lifestyle of drugs and booze which he was able to kick, something Carla's mother never did.

It's bad enough that a long lost parent is one of the soap cliches and almost always feels less of a shocking surprise than a "Here we go again" storyline. At least they could use a bit more imagination. I'm not even going to bother discussing Aidan and Kate's predictable reactions and what will probably happen. You can all guess without too much trouble.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Analyzing Peter Barlow

Peter Barlow is a bit of a hound dog when it comes to women, just like his father. He's not quite as excitable as Ken, though. Ken Barlow had a much higher relationship count by the time he was Peter's age, mid to late 40s, but he never married two women at the same time, either.

Peter, like Ken, finds it hard to resist when a woman starts batting her mascara at him. No, I shouldn't say that. Blinky Gail has been doing that for years and it's never moved Peter to flirt with her though at least, she's a little closer to being a similar age than Peter's latest object of lust, Tina McIntyre, who, by the way, is Gail's erstwhile step-daughter.

Tina is young enough to be Peter's daughter, a fact that's been mentioned on the show by Tina herself. It's not stopped her obvious interest. The last time something like this happened was between Kevin and Molly and the nation cringed. Partly, that was because Kevin had teenage daughters not that much younger than Molly herself. It certainly added an element of squickiness for sure.

Tina's on the rebound from Tommy. Peter's had a massive kick to his ego and self esteem in recent months. He loves Carla but she's a force to be reckoned with and while Peter may like that in a woman, he must also take the down side of that, her love of being the one to wear the pants in the family. After he went bankrupt (ouch!) she bailed him out and then hired him at the factory, making him a minority partner, not equals. (ouch!) She bought her own engagement ring because the one she wanted was far more than he could afford and she's paying for a posh wedding for the same reason. (ouch!)

She isn't very maternal so with all the problems Simon has had dealing with an injured and angry Nick and with the bullying he's gone through, she's not really been a lot of help. In fact, Peter sees her as being unsympathetic and cold, being more focussed on the wedding and angry at him for letting her do all the work to put it together.  Simon is his priority and far more important to him now than flowers and napkins. Why Carla didn't hire a posh wedding planner in the first place is beyond me.

Poor Peter! I kind of anticipated this might send him back to the bottle but this time, he's looking for a different sort of vice to iron out the kinks. So to speak. 

Enter Tina, someone to help out with Simon, someone for Simon to take a real shine to, unlike his feelings for Carla which live in the general realm of resentment and contempt most of the time. She does like Simon but she doesn't know how to relate to a child. Tina is a mate, and understands what it's like to be a troubled kid. Tina shows affection freely. Tina is stunningly beautiful, probably the only one on the Street that can rival Carla aside from maybe Eva who's equally lovely but a bit dim. Tina is razor sharp.

The age difference? Yep, it's wide enough for concern even if there were no Carla involved but there's a vast difference between Kevin Webster and Peter Barlow, both of a similar age to each other. Kevin Webster is no poster boy, and Peter? Peter is downright gorgeous! (in my opinion!) When Peter smiles, those brown eyes and dimples are captivating.  With Kevin and Molly, it was a case of a mild flirt on his part which sparked Molly into chasing him into the ground shamelessly. Peter and Tina are coming to it on equal terms. There's interest on both sides but at the moment, neither one is really pushing it though Peter may become the instigator. I guess that's the male instinct oozing out.

Peter's hormones are perking up. His genes are kicking in. Ken would probably be proud and disappointed in equal measures though he wouldn't admit to the pride bit. "Oh, Peter!" he'd sigh. And if Tracy gets wind of it, you know everyone else is going to hear about it. She hates Tina already and she's got history. She's the one that knew he was a bigamist and she's the one that outed Leanne's affair to Nick to Peter. She won't sit still if it means she gets to cause trouble even if it ends up breaking Carla's heart and causing Rob to rake her over the coals for it.

 

 As it is, Liz can already see the train wreck about to happen. She won't be quite so indiscreet as Tracy would be but it looks like all her warnings will be ignored and she'll end up mopping up Tina's tears more than once. 

It's all going to end in heartbreak but this pairing, at least, isn't making me cringe. I think the actors involved are far better than the Molvin disaster although, admittedly, seeing Sally throw Kevin out and seeing Tyrone knocking Kevin into Molly's grave were supremely satisfying.

Fact: Carla stole Peter from Leanne.

Carla should probably remember the old saying "If he runs *with* you, he'll probably run *on* you".

Peter's Choice

It was a rough old week on the cobbles for Peter Barlow. He's returned with a Zen attitude and found himself right in the middle of a conundrum. He's had to choose between his child and his partner and it's a tough spot to be in.

He wanted to see Simon for Christimas and that was that so Carla came with him, against her better judgement. As she accused him, it's always what he wants. It does seem to be that way, too. One whiff of a little boy's puppy dog tails and Carla was hitting the bottle though Peter seems to be doing well on that score. She spent most of the next two days on the sauce including a rerun of the plot where she goes to the school to pick up Simon while drinking. He grabbed her keys and ran off like a smart little boy. Peter hollered at her, why did she take the car when it's only around the corner. Indeed.

I did think the fight between Leanne and Carla was a good one. Lately a lot of the squabbles on the cobbles have been a washout but this was right up there with Sally and Natalie and the classic one between Gail and Eileen in their dressing gowns. No, nothing can really beat that one but Leanne really did round on Carla and wallop her. You can't take the Battersby out of the girl and Leanne was furious that Carla was going to drive drunk (or near enough) with Simon in the car and you don't rile a mother hen, do you! Carla also made things worse and pretty much had that left hook coming. 

Why does anyone pick up their kids and walk them to and from school when it's only around the corner and they're not 5 years old? That's one thing that's long irritated me.

But I digress.

Carla can't take the pressure and there are a lot of bad memories for her in Weatherfield, to be sure. I wonder if some of it isn't the spectre of Leanne. Surely someone like Carla can handle a child not liking her. The feeling is mutual with most children for her anyway but having Leanne around is another thing. After all, if they run around on their spouses with you, they could very well run around on you and Leanne and Peter have unfinished business and unresolved feelings, it's pretty clear. She's more of a threat to Carla than Simon.

Then again, an awful lot of new couples have a very rocky time when it comes to step children who put the natural parent in a tight spot. Children should be the priority but a lot of kids know it and play on it, like when Simon got angry that his father was leaving again and said that Nick was his new dad. He knew that was the worst thing he could say. Add to that the healthy (or unhealthy) amount of guilt Peter has about leaving Simon and you have a recipe for disaster. Peter has let down Simon more times than Carters has little liver pills in his short life and well he knows it.

Again we have Ken's abandoning of Peter making inroads as well. Peter doesn't think him leaving Simon is the same thing. It isn't, but it is, too. Maybe Simon has a mother to care for him where Peter didn't but after all the times Peter's let Simon down, with this on top of it all, doesn't Peter think that Simon would group up resentful every bit as much as Peter did? Don't repeat the cycle, man!

Simon is very good at playing Peter and did so when he ran off to find his dad at the airport. It came down to a final choice and Carla knew it as soon as Simon ran through the doors. Peter had to put Simon first and  Carla made him do it. Simon had no empathy whatsoever when Peter saw Carla off tearfully.

I did have to laugh though, after Carla and Peter checked in and later, Carla was running for the boarding call? They filmed that in the walkway between the terminals at Manchester airport. She was still outside of security, in the next terminal actually. She had quite a hike to the terminal from the look of how much moving walkway was behind her, and from the terminal, a good distance from the gates once she got through the lengthy security lines. Trust me on this.

Anyway, now Peter is staying in Weatherfield, in Carla's flat, I assume, for now, and Nick isn't going to be too happy about it. He knows down deep Leanne still loves Peter in spite of the hurt and pain though he won't admit it. Peter might be all calm, cool and California Collected but I happen to think he's also had a Zen course in smug. He smirked when he found out the Vegas wedding was off and had another one of those smirks when telling everyone he was staying. With Carla out of the picture, is he going to try to work his way back into Leanne's heart if only to get his own back on Nick?

Nothing would surprise me. 

Peter does the right thing

For all that Corrie has had a habit of featuring overly sensationalized storylines in recent memory, it still presents us with good, old fashioned soap fodder like this recent custody case over Simon. Regardless of whether you think Leanne, who is not blood related or related by formal adoption, should have Simon, or not, the fact remains that Simon considers her his mother and she's mainly the only mother he has any clear memory of.

The whole divorce was filled with acrimony from start to finish. Carla had been a thorn in Leanne's side for over a year where Peter's concerned and Peter tried and tried but couldn't keep away from Carla. The way the affair came out, with a photo in court, couldn't have been any worse than if Leanne had walked in on them in bed. Because Simon steadfastly refused to give Carla any chance at all, Peter dug in his heels and he thought taking the hard line would have the desired effect.

Of course, it had the exact opposite effect and a little 8  year old boy was torn in bits in the middle of the slanging matches, the rages, the upset. He was forbidden to see his grandparents and his mother and his whole world was in tatters at his little feet. Every time he acted up, every time he cried, i thought for sure that would make Peter realize that he wasn't putting Simon's needs first. He'd say he was but would t hen dig his heels in further after yet another argument.

Carla, surprisingly, has been the most sympathetic character of the trio. She often tried to play peacemaker for Simon's sake, appealing to Peter, Leanne, Ken, anyone that she thought would help the situation even though Simon would reject her over and over. She was the only one that tried for the sake of the child to be reasonable. But her weakness for alcohol was the result it all blew up in the end. She bought the bottle of wine and hid it.

I don't blame Leanne for going for custody. Peter and Carla are on and off the booze regularly. Peter was ready to confess to a murder he didn't commit (after yet another alcoholic blackout) which would have abandoned his child. Peter put Carla first time and again. You have to sacrifice when you've got children and he hadn't got that through his hazy skull.

But finally, Simon reached out and found a bottle of wine (which must have had a screw top on it) and, seeing his father turn to the bottle over and over, thought that was the way to make your troubles disappear. And finally, Peter listened to his son and realized the example he'd shown and did the right thing. He gave Simon to Leanne's care and collapsed in tears in Carla's arms.

The whole storyline was interesting to watch, pretty realistic and true to the characters' personalities. It was painful to see Leanne and Peter taking chunks out of each other, with venom, jealousy, hate, hurt, exasperation and anger. People really do fight that way and there's every emotion under the sun in play. The final week in all of these ups and downs was classic Corrie and it goes to show you what they really can do when they try. Put soapy storylines, real life problems, cracking acting and spot on writing altogether and you get gold.

There's a really good interview with Jane Danson on this storyline here in the Daily Mail. 

Carla, the Black Widow of Weatherfield.

cross posted from The Coronation Street Blog

As has been mentioned by our commenters and in previous storylines, it does look like Carla is becoming the Black Widow of Weatherfield. Death seems to follow in her wake. Nearly every man she's been involved with in her sojourn on the cobbles has died.

Husband Paul packed call girl Leanne in his boot and rushed off to prove to Carla that he didn't in fact actually have sex with *this* particular prostitute. The car crashed and Paul died.

Carla persued her brother-in-law Liam, the man that she admitted to having feelings for since they were young. But she married his brother instead. She tried, but he married Maria instead but it wasn't long before Liam succumbed to those old feelings himself and they began a steamy affair just as she was about to marry Tony Gordon. Tony found out and had Liam killed in a road accident on Tony's stag night.


Tony? Well his nefarious deeds were discovered. Carla ran off to L.A. but returned when she found out that Tony was romancing the widow of the man he had killed, Maria. She decided to put a stop to it but Tony set his henchman on Carla who fought back. Tony pretended she'd killed him and off she ran again but Tony turned himself in after an aborted attempt to kill Roy Cropper. Tony later escaped prison, intent on revenge. He held Hayley Cropper and Carla captive in the factory. Persuaded to release Hayley, he was determined to blow he and Carla up in the factory but she barely managed to escape. He decided he'd rather die in the disaster than be taken by the police again.

Frank Foster has turned out to be another bad choice for Carla. Even though she knew he had already tried it on roughly with Maria, she decided Maria had overreacted and took Frank on as a business partner. Later, in a case of "If you can't have the one you love, love the one you're with" (a common pattern with Carla), she took Frank on as a lover and agreed to marry him when the one she loved, Peter Barlow, insisted he loved his wife. She couldn't go through with the wedding and dumped him the day before the nuptials whereupon he had his way with her on the floor of the flat. He had a good solicitor and barrister and managed to get off with a not guilty verdict. Soap law dictates that he must pay and as we are aware, he's going to be found dead shortly.

Ah, but you say there has been two other men that have not met their deaths. Think about it. Peter Barlow, the latest love of Carla's life, has resisted Carla's temptations, mostly. He insisted he loved his then-fiance, Leanne.

He didn't know that Leanne was having a pre-marital affair with her ex-husband, Nasty Nick but Carla knew and she pushed and manipulated and just when it looked as if she persuaded Nick to spill the beans, a tram came careening off the viaduct. Peter Barlow nearly did meet his maker and it was only the heroics of Ashley Peacock and a very good surgeon that saved his life.

A year later, and Peter has finally walked into the fire and is with Carla. This can't end well. Peter, You'd better get out while you can, lad!

Lastly, there was Trevor the binman. Sweet Trevor. He made it out alive. But he made it out with Janice Battersby. Some might say that's a fate worse than death!

Thoughts on Frank's trial

Here's a few random thoughts and ideas about Frank's rape trial last week:

The opening arguments really exaggerated Frank's personality and the incident. But you have to do that to make him look as guilty as possible. Calling him a sexual predator implies he makes a habit of raping women. Maybe he does but maybe he doesn't. He's certainly a vile ratbag for doing it even once, don't get me wrong.  He's no Mr. Niceguy.

Carla's testimony was riveting, wasn't it? She was really believable and it looked like Frank even had a moment or two of guilt flash across his face.  His face started off cold and stiff, impatient, dark eyes snapping.  The more emotional she got, and when she described the actual rape, you could see a subtle change on his face. It softened, he swallowed hard, he looked away...it showed a definite look of regret. You could sense he still loves her and maybe, down deep, he realizes what he's done was wrong when he heard how scared she was of him. He may not accept it, and he justified it by his utterly positive belief that she was in love with Peter and carrying on with him all the time.

The prosecutor really raked Carla and her reputation over the coals. She practically called Carla a prostitute for allowing Frank to invest in the business, knowing he fancied her. The more the prosecuting attorney lambasted her, especially about Peter, the more Frank seemed to shore himself up and recover his resolve. Forget sentimentality, he's back baying for her blood.

It made me very angry that the prosecutor used Maria's attractive dress and the fact that she was drinking, to imply she should have expected his reaction. All of that does not justify anything, anyone's history, background or what they were wearing, none of that should enter into it ... but that's what happens a lot in these kinds of trials so in that respect, I found this realistic though it made it difficult to watch.

Unfortunately, Peter having to admit he now is having an affair brings doubt on Carla's testimony even if they insist nothing was going on then. When Anne passed Leanne the photographic evidence in a very measured and planned way and she hollered out in court, that sealed the deal.  There's always at least one obligatory outburst in a soap trial and if it isn't  during the testimony with someone outraged at a lie or some other such injustice or shock,  then it's someone screaming that the verdict is unfair! And even though that outburst  technically could be construed as wrongly influencing the jury because it wasn't evidence actually presented in court. I think they could even be charged with perverting the course of justice if it could be proven Frank and his mother were in cahoots over it. We know they were but proving it is their word against the law's.

Peter admitted the affair under oath. You can tell the jury all you want to disregard it but you can't unhear something.

Once the affair came out in court, I knew he'd get off. It put reasonable doubt on Carla's testimony. Frank was found not guilty and walked free.

Now Peter and Leanne have to deal with the fallout. Leanne is willing to get past the affair because she knows he did the same for her and Nick's affair but Peter's determined to be with Carla. I guess he can keep that promise even if he's rubbish at keeping them long term. There's Simon to be considered and if Peter thinks he and Carla and Simon can be one big happy family, he's got another think coming.

This was a bit more realistic than most soap trials tend to be though still some gaping holes. Some great performances, especially by Alison King and Andrew Lancel. The expressions that crossed his face were impressive. From cold to guilt and regret, to smugly satisfied.  Chris Gascoyne and Jane Danson as runners up in the performance accolades as does Gwen Taylor as Frank's bitchy mother. By God/dess,  doesn't she put Gail and even Mammy Connor to shame! Carla's had a lucky escape in the mother-in-law stakes there!

Where do we go from here? I hope we don't see Carla cowering every time she sees Frank. I'm sure they'll start setting up suspects for the forthcoming murder plotline and we can start adding up the clues from this day onward. 

Defending Peter and Carla...sort of

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

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.

Peter's choice

Spoilers say Peter Barlow is going to drink again and is going to finally give in to his feelings for Carla.  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 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. Carla just might have the edge over Leanne 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. He means well, but he doesn't always manage it. He's a screw up and a bit of a nightmare but somehow, I always thought that 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 into the future, 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 marriage 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. Marriages 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!

It's Grim up North

You don't see Carla crack very often but ripping at clothes and sobbing in Maria's arms this week, the poor woman was in bits. 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 very 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 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 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 Leanne 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 marriage had a big crack in it when he found out about her affair Nick and it's been in a fragile state ever since. Could this break it irreparably?

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 riveting, 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,  the trial and dealing with Frank (and his harridan mother).

"Confident Carla" is going to take a real knock back and we should see how she manages 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?

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'!)

How do you solve a problem like Maria's

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?

Quadrangle future predictions

Love triangles are classic soap stuff. We've had what is in effect a quadrangle on Corrie recently. There's Nick, Peter and Leanne forming the main triangle but there's Carla too, who has an unrequited thing for Peter, forming the fourth arm of the geometric drawing.  So what's next for these four?

Leanne dragged Nick off to a quiet spot in hospital to tell him about marrying Peter.  He accepted it but still lurked around in the corridors while the ceremony went ahead. That little snap/crackle/pop sound you heard was his heart breaking.

Leanne really does love Peter, I knew it all along. She told Nick he was the past and I think that's exactly where the fling came from. It was all about unresolved feelings and old hurts and yes, old attractions at a time when Leanne was facing committment, something she doesn't do all that well. She called it the Battersby gene.

I really hope she's not going to get pregnant and we have to suffer another "Who's the Daddy" story so soon on the heels of the last disaster of an ill-received affair. I have a feeling Nick is going to move on sooner than you think in a big rebounder. The two possibilities i see it being are either Carla or Tracy Barlow who is more than willing to put it about. She's been in the nick for a couple of years so she must be feeling like a cat in heat. A cat with big claws, as Steve and Becky are probably about to find out.

Carla? Well she's got a broken heart, too, right? It might be logical for her and Nick to seek refuge together. They could start off having a mutual pity party in the pub, get drunk, and Robert's your mother's brother! Yes, i know Carla is struggling with sobriety but the loss of Peter to Leanne (or worse) could send her back over the edge at least temporarily. Or the horizontal bop (boff?) could happen sober. Either way. It's just a guess, not a spoiler.

This is all hinging on Peter's survival, of course. I maintain my position at this point, with tonight's episodes still to be aired, that they won't kill off yet another of Ken Barlow's immediate family or leave Simon an orphan. Come on, we've got Ashley, father of two, dying and Molly, mother of an infant dying. It just isn't logical for a soap that all three victims will be leaving children behind like that, especially one having lost both parents.

What say you, dear readers? What's next for Peter (if he survives), Leanne, Nick and Carla?

Do they still fit in?

A few days ago, commenter, "Ena's Hairnet", on this post on The Coronation Street Blog, suggested a topic for conversation. When a character leaves for an extended time, do they really fit in when they return? She mentioned characters like Carla, Hayley and Leanne. As this post was getting rather long, I've posted it here on my blog rather than clutter up the other one and linked back to it.

I do think in many cases when an actor returns from an absence, be it health related or maternity leave or when the character is written out but returns down the road, that the producers and writers have to have a clear idea of what they're going to do with the character. Sometimes, I agree, things do fall flat. It's taken over a year for Hayley to get back into the forefront with the fall of Tony Gordon and having her back in the factory (where she belongs!) It seemed like her last storyline before her exit, the revelation of her long lost son (an unfortunate rewrite of history), was a stumbling block for the character. She and Roy are such a wonderful, supportive couple and she deserved to be slotted back into the canvas rather than spend a year being a spare part. I'm hoping we'll see a lot more of Hayley from here on in.

Carla's character always seemed to me to be un-Corrielike. A lot of people have commented in a similar vein that they didn't think she fit in the show. After her long maternity leave, it seems a jolt to have her back for a lot of people that didn't like her anyway. She's only just back but has returned in the thick of a major story, the downfall of Tony and it remains to be seen if she'll continue to fit in. Now that she doesn't have Tony, with Leanne her only mate, will she be with us long term? She'll have to make a few more connections to have a reason to stick, I think.

Leanne has been on the canvas since 1997 and has been away from Corrie several times over the years in addition to two maternity leaves. I have found that she always seems to fit in and they always seem to be able to find a return storyline that features her that re-acclimatizes us to Leanne.

When a long time favourite has been gone a long time, people still like to think they could come back but most of them really wouldn't fit in well. Things move on without them and they lose their connections on the Street. Curly is a case in point. I loved Curly, he was always one of my favourites and yes, I'd like to see him back but only for a visit. Say, for a wedding or funeral. It always rubbed me the wrong way that he didn't return for Vera's funeral but it's down to the availability of the actor or whether ITV wants to pay for various and sundry to return for guest visits, as well, I suppose. Other than a visit, though, there really isn't anything there for Curly anymore aside from one or two friends.

Look what happened when they tried to bring Bet Lynch back! As much as I also liked her, I really don't know as she fit in either. Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to find out because the actress found the new shooting schedule too difficult. It was still good to see her, though, for a short visit.

It isn't always the case, though. If the writers have a good storyline in mind to feature the returnee, it can work. Leanne is a case in point and upcoming, we will be seeing Sunita return. I don't know if it's for a long term or short term but I'm looking forward to it. She only has Dev as a connection, really, since her best mate, Shelley is gone, but she was a fixture on the Street for a long time and should slot back in nicely. They're also bringing back Ciaran who has a history with her as well as a history with Peter. Do you think he'll hit on Leanne like he did Shelley or has he learned that lesson? Nick Tilsley is also coming back with a new face. It will be interesting to see how that works.

So what is your opinion on returning characters after either short or long absences? Do they fit in again? Do the writers really need to know what they're going to do with them before they bring them back? (Especially characters who have been away more than a year)

Best week of Corrie ever!

OK, maybe not "ever" but it's been utterly fantastic stuff this week! One of the best weeks of Coronation Street in a very long time. I've already blogged about Monday's episode with Carla's return and it went onwards and upwards from there It was electrifying for me. Carla, Tony and Jimmy kept me riveted through every scene of theirs the rest of the week, too. Tony went back to Jimmy for another "job" and he didn't seem too pleased about it. He could very well be the weakest link. He doesn't want to kill Carla but he'd have no trouble at all offing Tony. Tony is a big bully and a coward, really. He won't do the dirty work himself, he pays someone else to do it.


Watching Tony's stony face through the whole baptism was riveting. He was almost robotic! Do you reject the devil? He does, knowing Jimmy is at that moment attempting to kill Carla who is drinking coffee from the same mug Tony used earlier. Tony finally bottled it but it was almost too late! Exciting stuff! Poor Jimmy ended up on the floor with his head bashed in and Carla believed Tony's lies that he wasn't to blame and that she killed Jimmy which she didn't. Kind of ironic, she used the candleholder to bash Jimmy, the very one that Liam gave to her and Paul. She's off in a black cab but we've not seen the end of Carla. I'm guessing we may not have seen the last of Jimmy either. Murderers don't get away with it.

Helen Connor being a mardy cow all week was fun to watch. Sniping, sarcasm and bullying non stop. She plays the part well!

The spirit of the late Des Barnes wafted through the Street with the arrival of a boat in back nick needing a face and body lift. The ever optimistic Joe doesn't see the disaster, he sees potential. I think he's running away from the reality that is his disaster of a life. The last boat ended up going up in flames. I wonder where this one will meet it's maker? At least it's winding up Norris and that's never a bad thing.

Asides:
Rosie's comeuppance was truly a joy to watch.
Molly's birthday... where was Auntie Pam?
Did Carla not notice the broken office door?
Nice touch having the thunder crash just after Carla left Tony at the church.
When Carla first rang Tony it said unknown number. By the end of the night the phone was showing her name. Did he actually have time to save the number and store it?
Tony lived in the flat for a long time before they got married yet the only name on the door is "Connor"
Maria's calling Tony "Daddy". She's got an awful shock coming to her.