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)

Plot Hole Hell

I initially thought this storyline with Caz and Maria was good. It kept my interest as Caz became more obsessed with Maria, manipulating and lying. But in the past few weeks it's getting rather bizarre. Now Maria is being suspected of Murder with no body (because we know Caz isn't dead) and plenty of evidence that isn't even strong enough to be considered circumstantial. I can usually suspend disbelief for the most part but this storyline is starting to get out of control. I hope when Caz is discovered alive, Maria gets an apology from the police and from that self righteous Kate but I doubt it will happen.

Caz was only gone a few hours and everyone was hopping up and down saying she'd disappeared mysteriously. Then, after the bloody handprint and blood on the wall (surely a blood splatter expert could tell something from that), Fiz finds a bloody rug in their wheely bin. I don't understand it, though. If it was Maria that had really killed Caz, she wouldn't hide the bloody rug in Tyrone and Fiz's bin. I guess where it's a set up by Caz, I can see her doing it to bring more attention to doubt Maria's state of mind. It's not as if that bin was near either end of the ginnel, it's in the middle! Wouldn't any old bin do?

Caz must have an Invisibility Cloak. She's been hanging out and lurking in the ginnel.

She must have slipped into Maria's just after she left for work. Nobody saw her. Maria was at work, left again, went to the pub, left again so she wasn't gone all that long and there was Caz about to make her escape from the flat in broad daylight. Yet, Maria got pulled away for a cuppa by Eva so Caz didn't leave after all, she went back upstairs. Why?

She ended up using Maria's scissors to open up a cut that was already on her hand and then replaced the scissors in Maria's case with a half-hazard swipe at the handle of the scissors and later, another swipe at the top of the case, presumably to wipe fingerprints off.

In this day and age of technology and DNA, it would be pretty obvious that wouldn't get rid of any evidence that Caz had touched the case. You just know that the police will not find a thing, though, right?

And another thing. How long was Caz in that flat? Must have been hours, yet we saw her put the scissors in the case and later, much later it must have been, after we saw Maria finish her police interview, Caz was only folding up the case just then. I do wonder why Maria never had the locks changed in the flat once she got home and all this started up.

Oh yes, the case. It's a bit odd that someone that has a permanent job in a salon would carry their work gear back and forth each day, especially when she only lives over the shop anyway. We've never seen Audrey carry hers in of a morning nor David nor anyone else in the history of the salon.

We also found out that Caz has installed a remote webcam and is monitoring it on a tablet from a room somewhere. At the very least it might be a shelter or hostel though it looks much nicer than that. Caz is broke, no job, no mates. The stolen credit card explains the table and webcam but Maria was in London a few weeks ago now, was she planning on video spying on her even then? Caz doesn't seem like a planner, more of an off the cuff kind of woman. And did it take Maria that long to cancel the credit card? If Caz's paying any sort of rent, I'd like to know how. Was she on benefits? I doubt the army would have given her a severance if they dishonourably discharged her. Perhaps she had pension money due.

The police turned up to search the flat and the salon. They claimed it was a tip off. Doesn't that raise alarm bells? And Aidan managed to get the bloody scissors out the door and into the nearest bin, the one outside the factory. Yet the police didn't find the scissors case which still had blood in it, in the flat where it wasn't really well hidden.

It's all confusing and though I did like the storyline, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore the plot holes, as deep as the Mariana trench.



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Marcus and Todd up a tree

Like the prodigal son, Todd came back. Todd came back in disgrace and he's changed. Not for the better. When we first met Todd Grimshaw, he was a gentle, nice boy without a malicious bone in his body. He tried to do the right thing, make his Mum proud, and do what was expected but it just wasn't in him. He gave it all up for a girl, and then gave all that up for a boy.

Todd realized and accepted he was gay but in the wake of that discovery, his life and that of lover Sarah's was looking like ground zero after the wars. He left for That London to make a new life. Turns out that new life wasn't quite the climb up the ladder of success that he thought it would be. We saw a glimpse of that when he returned with posh Jules in tow. Todd was acting very snobby, trying to be like Jules but Jules took him down a peg or two for disrespecting his family.

Todd and humble apparently had a parting of the ways. He's back in Weatherfield, tail between his legs, having turned into a manipulator and a user. His mum is not proud and can see it as much as it pains her to admit it. He's been using people for jobs, drinks and money and now he seems to be using Marcus. He strung Sean along for a bit before letting him down and started making eyes at Marcus. But we can see that he's not falling for Marcus and indeed, he admitted to Eileen at one point that it was more of a challenge. He didn't think a gay man could have a successful relationship with a woman and seems out to prove it.

Enter Marcus. He's a lovely bloke. He is gay and still insists that is true even though he's fallen in love with Maria though to be honest, it's probably more about the little family package he so badly wanted. Still, it must be working in all aspects of the relationship. She seems happy enough and all loved up. But the clouds are on the horizon and it looks like Maria's about to realize she's chosen wrong yet again.

Todd started off flirting with Marcus and he's continued to make inroads. It seems like Marcus is starting to warm to Todd. Why doesn't he see that Todd is a scheming toady? And why hasn't Eileen warned him yet? She's fully aware that Todd is playing with Marcus.

Todd is a very good looking man. Marcus would have to be blind if he hasn't noticed. And when a good looking man chats you up and it seems like they really fancy you, it's flattering. You may develop a crush, an infatuation, and under those circumstances, you don't usually look at the negative traits. After all, Bad Boys (or Girls, depending on your choice) are always more attractive, right? They have that element of danger, of excitement. I wouldn't really class Todd as a Bad Boy. I'm going to be blunt here. He's just an asshole. But a lot of people are still attracted to assholes as much as or even more often than Bad Boys. Unfortunately true.

I know Todd "confessed" to Sean that he was falling for someone but I don't believe it's true. He's using Sean again, knowing that Sean, as Marcus' ex, doesn't approve of M&M. When Todd lures Marcus away and back to the gay bus and Maria's heart is broken, Marcus is going to lose that family he treasures. Todd will be triumphant and have no further use for Marcus who will be humiliated that he was suckered by Todd into his schemes and Sean will probably be used to engineer the discovery. The scales will fall from the eyes of all concerned and Todd will be the Street "pirhana" (Les Battersby reference, there. Anyone remember that?).

Will that change Todd? Will it 'eck. He'll smugly revel in the chaos he's caused, if the actor is planning on staying. If not, he'll swiftly fade into the night in a black cab in disgrace. At this point, as far as we know, the actor is staying so I wouldn't bet on that second scenario. He will likely stick around to cause more embarassment to his old Mum.

As much as I don't like Todd, I don't mind this storyline. I know it's facilitating Charlie Condou's exit but even if it wasn't, it's a good storyline, I think. Or maybe it's like watching a tram crash. Either way, it's holding my interest. That might be contrary to a lot of viewers but that's ok. To each their own, right? I'm waiting to see the inevitable fallout to see if I'm guessing correctly, and poor Maria, another lousy relationship up the pipes. She's far too naive when it comes to men, isn't she? Kirk will look properly disgusted at Todd and Marcus and Audrey will have her work cut out for her supporting Maria again, mmm???

A new twist on the standard love story

Soaps are all about love stories, affairs, triangles. Star crossed lovers who are destined to be together no matter who they are with in the meantime. People fall in love with a bad'un who hurts them emotionally, or worse. Some people have a long history of losing in love. Sometimes love is found in unexpected places.

We've had all that on Coronation Street and are about to explore a new twist on the "unexpected places" type of love story. We have a pretty hairdresser, a single mother in her late 20s. She's not had much luck with men and seems to choose the wrong one over and over. We have a kind, gentle gay man in his early 30s, recently split from a partner and longing for a family of his own. The two of them have become close, best friends, and are sharing a flat. He gets on really well with her brother who also lives in the flat and her little boy, a mutual admiration thing going on there.

He was her rock when she thought she had breast cancer. He was terrified to lose his friend and was overjoyed when she was given the all clear. They had champagne, she kissed him, and... what? He kissed her back? And he really did kiss her back, properly. They were then, in the tradition of soaps, interrupted by her boyfriend, local builder who has also not had a lot of luck with women over the years.

Thus we have Maria, Marcus and Jason. In comments from blog readers, there has been dismay and even outrage. There is concern that the powers that be are sending the wrong message, that a gay man could be "turned" by the right woman. That this never could happen in real life. They're wrong, at least about that second statement. It could and has happened in real life. People can't always control where they find love. Sometimes it's with the least expected person. Sometimes it's still not Forever After but even so, it does happen.

Poor Marcus was stunned, shocked and confused that he reacted the way he did. He had the biggest WTF look on his face I've ever seen! Marcus had never even tried to kiss a girl or woman ever, he protested, where has this come from? They've decided to write it off as a one -off, a reaction to the stress, relief and alcohol. But it isn't going to go away. It's going to be the elephant in the room even while Maria tries to make a go of things with Jason and Marcus tries to keep his relationship going with Aiden.

I don't know where it's going and I don't know how long it will last. I am, however, confident that the producers are not going to send the wrong message out. I believe that Marcus and Maria will not be Love's Young Dream in the end. I do hope their friendship will not disintegrate because of it but that they will agree that it isn't working. Marcus will know down deep that this isn't right for him and it's not who he is.

Marcus has always known and been confident in himself as long as we've known him. We also know Marcus would dearly love to have a family and has fallen in love with Maria's little family as much as anything. She offers him a son, and he loves her as his best friend. I really think this whole situation is going to be handled sensitively and realistically, as much as television ever can be. This doesn't feel to me to be played for sensation. Charlie Condou who plays Marcus has supported the storyline and I think that he would object strenuously if it was not played honestly.

Marcus and Maria truly seem to be an Odd Couple at the moment but that's not new for Corrie. Roy and Hayley were truly one of life's Odd Couples and they fit together like a scissors, working perfectly together and are one of the show's most and probably only stable couple.  Anyone with Kirk makes an Odd Couple but, oddly, it usually works. Could there have been an odder couple at first glance than Alf and Audrey?

I think that the early objecters and worriers should sit back and see where it goes and how it's handled first. We've only just cracked the seal on the storyline, it's far too soon to decide it's been a really bad idea. I don't always have faith in the producers because they certainly have come up with clunkers in the past, but I'm willing to wait and see on this one and am optimistic that it will be an interesting take on love stories. Marcus and Maria will probably not be the next Roy and Hayley, but I will find their journey interesting.

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?

Character Study: Maria Sutherland Connor

We first met Maria Sutherland in 2000 when she was working at her family's kennels. Tyrone Dobbs went there to find a breeding stud for his greyhound, Monica and the two shy young people instantly liked each other. They were sweet together, holding hands and making doe-eyes and eventually cemented their love with a physical relationship which led to an engagement. Tyrone asked Maria to marry him while they visited the top of the Blackpool Tower. Jack and Vera approved and thought Maria was perfect for Ty. It wasn't a smooth ride, however. Tyrone's jealousy caused a few ructions when Maria made friends with both hunky Sam Kingston, a mechanic at the garage and Jason Grimshaw but she was faithful to Tyrone and proved he had nothing to fear. This changed, however, when Fiz Brown arrived and set her cap at Tyrone.

Tyrone's previous jealousy had made him more susceptible to Fiz's forceful pursuit and eventually Maria and Tyrone broke up. By this time, Maria was working in the salon, forging a new career for herself. She may have been meek but it didn't stop her from giving Fiz a hard time under the salon styling scissors. She also worked behind the bar at the Rovers.

She didn't lack for fellas, though. She went out with Jason for a while and moved into the salon flat with Toyah Battersby. She met Nick Tilsley at Richard and Gail's wedding and was instantly attracted. The feeling was mutual. Maria's always been impulsive and not always very smart about men but it seemed like Nick was "The One" so she decided to quit her job and move to Canada with him. She soon got bored and again, impulsively, left Nick and came back home without even telling him. She got her job back at the bar and decided to change her image and her life.

No more the shy, sweet girl, she started to dress as trendily as she could afford, and as skimpy as she dared. She wore short skirts and dated fast men. She moved back into the salon flat. Fiz had moved in while she was gone but the three girls managed to live together without too much contention. That is... until Maria fell under the spell of Toyah's two-timing boyfriend. John was a university instructor and enjoyed seeing how many lovely young college-age students he could seduce. The only problem was, Maria got pregnant. Unbeknownst to Toyah, it was, of course, John's baby. Toyah was a good friend and supported Maria through a termination but when she found out who the father of the baby was, she was so horrified that she left town.


Maria continued to party and her lacklustre time-keeping and personality clash with Shelley's mother, Bev, ended up getting her the sack from the bar. Audrey took her back on at the salon and she's been working there ever since.

Nick returned to town and after they worked out their differences, they got back together. They even got engaged but Nick's ex-wife returned to Weatherfield and when she met Maria, sparks flew. Leanne was intent on causing trouble as revenge for how Maria had treated her sister, Toyah and succeeded in breaking them up. Maria had been living in the flat over Streetcars with Nick and stayed on there, but Steve moved Liz in as her roommate. They rubbed along all right but eventually Maria moved back to the salon flat.

She and Tyrone went around a second time. But Maria, not being very clever, seemed to think Tyrone was not quite trendy enough and set about trying to change him, subjecting him to body waxes, new clothes and facial care. They were going to get married but Maria had another pregnancy scare. She admitted she didn't want a baby yet though Ty was over the moon at the idea. Tyrone eventually realized that he and Maria weren't really suited and finished with her.

Maria still hadn't got the message. She lurched from man to man and had a very ill-advised affair with Tracy Barlow's boyfriend, Charlie Stubbs. But this time, at least, when she realized that he had no intentions of being with her openly, she broke up with him and told Tracy about the affair. She moved back in the salon flat with Fiz once again, bemoaning her lack of sense when it came to men - which didn't last long as she then had a brief fling with Peter Barlow when he returned for Tracy's murder trial.

It wasn't long after that when she caught the eye of Liam Connor. He was also interested in his sister-in-law, Carla, who was recently widowed when Liam's brother Paul was killed in a car crash. Again, Maria showed about as much sense as a soap dish when she decided to present Liam with a puppy, quite a committment for a boyfriend she had only been seeing a few weeks. Then, once again, she got pregnant. They discussed what would happen and Maria had pretty much decided on having another termination but Liam suddenly proposed to Maria and it seems to the viewer that it was on the rebound, to show Carla that he didn't have feelings for her.

Maria soon realized that there was something between Carla and Liam but Liam denied it and stayed faithful to her. But her insecurities ran rampant when, after a hiking accident, Liam murmured Carla's name. Maria managed to move the wedding date up and though Carla tried to interfere and nearly succeeded, married Liam. Tragedy struck when the baby was born too early and didn't survive. In her shock and grief, and worry that she'd lose Liam, she didn't tell him for a couple of days and he found out from someone else. Her bad judgement nearly ended her marriage but they managed to pull together and recover their old feelings. At least, she thought so.

Maria and Liam tried for another baby and Liam sold his share of the factory to Carla's new man, Tony Gordon so that he could cut ties with Carla for Maria's sake. Unfortunately, Liam still had feelings for Carla though he did love Maria. During the few days after the baby's death and Maria returning to him, he had a short fling with Carla. Rosie Webster caught the pair snogging in the morning and before long, Tony found out the truth and exacted his revenge. He arranged for Liam to be killed in a hit and run accident. Maria had just become pregnant again and is going to have to face a future as a single mother whose husband hadn't had a chance to find out about the baby and who was about to leave her but was callously murdered by his lover's fiance. Pretty bleak as it stands now, but it's a soap.

Having said that, it seemed very weird seeing her first vehemently accuse Tony of the murder (she was right!) and then become dependent and the fall in love with Tony, her husband's murderer but grief and hormones can do funny things. Knowing what we know, we viewers gasped in horror when Tony proposed to Mary on the anniversary of Liam's death *at the cemetery, no less*!!! It's all going to go pear shaped, though, because Carla's back and Tony's getting desperate. She knows the truth and with Samia Smith soon on maternity leave herself, the truth is going to come out sooner than later and Maria is going to flee for the boggy moors of Ireland or to sunny Cypress in short order and Tony will be summarily dumped. Back to being a single mum for our Maria when her world comes crashing down. I'm hoping this will probably be the making of Maria, giving her the strength and maturity she was somewhat lacking before. But knowing Maria and her tendency to lean on men rather than be independent, I doubt that's what's going to happen. After all, one of her earlier loves, Nick Tilsley, will soon be back on the scene!

And so it goes.

The State of the Street - July

A new baby arrives. Not many people on soaps seem to have normal hospital deliveries, do they? This one was born in a beach hut! I guess it's better than in a cabin in a snowstorm. Tony gets more and more confused and guilty. I still can't decide if he's actually developing feelings for Maria or if it's all in his plan to keep her on board. Maybe it started that way but it's possible that he was so touched by helping to birth the baby that he's developing feelings though it's a classic case of rebound. Yes, he *must* have some kind of feelings because he's getting manipulative and possessive, classic Tony. Problem is, Tony doesn't have a realistic sense of what love really is. Maria, too, is vulnerable and lonely and scared about her future and would naturally gravitate to a man who's handsome, helpful and apparently supportive. I just can't wait for Carla to come back and see all this. And I loved the conflict between Maria and her in-laws. Mammy Connor was definitely being overbearing and pushy but it probably wouldn't have come to a chucking out if Tony hadn't stuck his oar in so menacingly.

Molly's very good at flirting and teasing isn't she? Well, it's a full blown affair now. Kevin in a mid life crisis is not a pretty sight and judging from most of the feedback I've seen and heard, it's one of the least regarded storylines Corrie has come up with. It's very off putting to me, too. It's not the fact that Kevin is having an affair, it's the fact that it's his best friend's wife and someone barely older than his daughters. Given his attitude when Rosie turned out to be flinging with Stape, it's highly hypocritical, too. Kevin being pursued by maneater Natalie at least made a bit more sense. Molly was supposedly so happy with Tyrone and people seem to think it is out of character for her but i do think that it's probably not the case. I've said it before, she had no problems trying to steal Fiz from Kirk and she chased Tyrone away from Maria or tried to. I think it's a game to her, not a crush or falling in love with someone else. It's going to blow up in her face and then it might actually be worth watching. Funny, though, they have Molly and Kevin do the deed and then whisk her away for two weeks of sun and sand with her husband. One night with Kevin, 2 weeks with Tyrone in a romantic location. A sure-fire set up for a "who's the daddy" storyline you mark my words. Standard Soap Opera Plot. And i reckon Tyrone will not leave Molly when he finds out. He's gormless enough to blame himself and succumb to her begging and pleading when she finds she's pregnant and Kevin doesn't want to know. Mark my words. Another SSOP.

Still loving Graeme. He's driving poor Ashley mad but he's so "Greek Chorus" and off the wall isn't he? Jesse and Eileen flirt so much better and Molly and Kevin and it's a joy to see Eileen happy and having fun. Tina and Jason are fun together, as well, and it's back to his usual psycho self for David, between going off on one on Jason when he found out about Jay and Tee and then turning around and playing games with Joe's Addiction. (Sounds like the name of a band, doesn't it!) Nobody expected his reformation to last. The only real stability David seems to have in his life is his relationship to his newly found Granddad, Ted. That may be his salvation or it may not. Time will tell.

Claire and Ashley are in crisis. Again. Talk about loser! How many bad things can happen to one person? He nearly lost Claire and did lose a baby, well miscarraige but same thing really. And then he bottled out of the vasectomy and didn't tell her. Why do they *ALWAYS* keep secrets on soaps!! It drives me insane, it really does!

Becky's in bother. I do like Becky. She's edgy even now that she's a bit domesticated. I don't think you will ever manage to tame her completely. She's come so far from where she was and Slug is her old life and not good for her and it's being proven out. He's in cahoots with the corrupt cop that has a grudge against Granger though I'm going to hazard a guess that the cop is forcing Slug to set up Becky, I don't think he's a willing participant.

Another brief glimpse into Peter's struggle with alcohol. I was wondering where he'd gone. He fessed up and disappeared. He took the whole "fam damily" to a meeting and it all turned into a viewers' delight, and the dirty laundry was overflowing the hampers! Marvellous stuff!

August will bring Steve and Becky and another attempt at getting married but it's not going to turn out as well as they hope. Liz will be back and Jim will make another (welcome) appearance. Jay and Tee get domesticated and there's a new bird on the street. Literally.