The Big Week, The Big Reveal

Wow! ITV really pulled out all the stops this week, didn't they? There were a few smaller fill-in storylines but mostly it was one major surprise after another. Big things were revealed, one or two which were superbly timed.

First we had Ken remembering Daniel was his assailant. The viewer knew by the end of last week and watched as Daniel quickly fell apart, guilt, pain, long held damage and resentment, it was all there as he attacked his father but wait, the door opens, that bookcase blocking the way shudders as someone tries to push through...just as Ken is accusing Daniel of killing his mother, his mother shows up on the other side of the door! I knew Denise would be back in the show but I had no idea it would be just then. Excellent stuff! Now to find out why she left and why she stayed away. A breakdown? That lasted for 6 years? And she had no friends at all in the  world she could send to check up on him?

Denise's reveal was that she'd had a breakdown and stayed away because she thought he'd be better off without her and still believes it. If she could see throught he walls of that bathroom to see her son trying to cut himself, scald his hands and shake and cry in a little heap in the corner, maybe she'd rethink that statement. *I* wanted to smack her for that. Daniel was about to have that discussion with his mother when he finally came out but the police showed up. Sinead had found the bloody book and oh too familiar inscription and the penny dropped there, too. But in the end, it was her that called the police.

Daniel turns himself in. I wonder if he could claim temporary insanity because he certainly is a damaged boy, no thanks to his mother. The detective is  practically spitting coins because Ken won't press charges. I didn't expect he would so that wasn't a surprise. Now the way forward is to find a way to help him. I think this was my favourite of the big stories this week, because I've been following it with great interest from the first, spellbound especially by Rob Mallard's performances.

Next up, Craig inadvertently revealed to Shona exactly who Bethany's boyfriend really is. Nathan was the ex that Shona was running from at Christmas, the ex that she has told people abused her, with at least one burn scar to prove it. When she confronted Nathan, she got away but was attacked and left for dead. Craig proves yet again to be the hero and rescues her, just days after helping a lost Bethany.

Nathan is feeding Bethany drugged drinks, just enough to keep her pliant but she kicked off so he dragged her outside and wielded his control by shouting, physically burning her arm and then blaming his actions on her. Typical abuser. She'll do anything to make up to him now, convinced she caused his anger. This really is painful to watch, painful in that your heart breaks for her.  The next reveal was Shona managing to get out of the hospital to warn the Platts about what Nathan was doing with Bethany sending them running en masse to rescue her.

They weren't in time to prevent the 3-on-1 in the bedroom, which was quite chilling to see, those men filing into the room behind her and Mel ensuring she stayed there. I didn't expect that. It's one thing to imply that she's heading into the bedroom and has had sex with a crooked copper, it's quite another thing to put her in a Three Men and a Bethany situation, even if it is after the watershed early air time but they went there, apparently. Bethany was "rescued" though she doesn't see it that way and refuses to take against Nathan. But I wonder if, at the end of the last episode when she looked at the burn on her arm and then her engagement ring, a little flash of doubt passed her mind. Just for a brief moment. One more reveal, Shona told the police that she ran away from Nathan when she realized what Nathan was trying to do so it sounds like she wasn't used sexually after all.


The thing is, now that we know Nathan's cohort in the whole scheme is a police officer, it's going to make things more difficult to prosecute him even when he was arrested at the flat. I'm not sure where the raid came from but I suspect one of the Platts probably called them while on the way. This ongoing story has been very interesting to watch, too, even if the subject matter is difficult. This happens. It's important because it might help someone. And, again, the performances, especially by Lucy Fallon and Chris Harper as the creepy Nathan have knocked it out of the park.

Nick's a good man with the kids, really he is. He did try to help bring them all together for Simon's sake but couldn't resist getting into it with Peter yet again, trying to prove he's the better football player. With Simon walking away in disgust, Nick's in the bad books again. When Leanne overheard that he could have provided Peter with an alibi the night his father was attacked, that was the last straw. He was willing to say nothing if it would get Peter out of their lives, not caring what the effect on Simon would be. He says he trusts Leanne but he feels like he doesn't belong. He would if he was able to accept Peter and Steve and be a decent man instead of someone that always has to have all the prizes.

His lifelong sense of entitlement is his downfall. He's always taken advantage of Leanne when she's been vulnerable, knowing she always leans on him when she's been heart broken or let down. She's continually the one that gets away, that one that keeps leaving him when he messes up, trying to be her one and only. That's what happens when one person loves more than the other, when one person's definition of love is possession and triumph. He lost her again and knew it. Peter was a bit harsh, suggesting he throw himself into the sea. He didn't really consider it but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and nearly drowned under the quicksand.

Peter was then the one that kept Nick talking, trying to make him angry enough to fight to live. It worked and Nick was rescued just in time. Acrimony aside, there was no way Peter nor Steve would ever let Nick drown if they could do anything to help or get assistance. Nick would do the same for either of them. I think. Nick says he wouldn't but I think if the situation was presented to him, he would. Don't forget that Nick saved Peter's life after the tram crash. Then again, he also lured Peter back to drinking afterwards and had been having an affair with Leanne who was engaged to Peter at the time. Peter, flawed as he is, is definitely the better man.

Previously, as far as spoilers went, it was left up in the air whether he'd survive or not. ITV was very cagey about it. They're getting a lot better and keeping some things back as surprises which is a good thing. We knew the actor was leaving, would they actually kill off Nick? I really didn't think so but it was a close call, wasn't it? Nail biting stuff.

In the end, Nick gave up and walked away. Leanne was ready to stay with him after nearly losing him but she was that close to walking away before that. If he hadn't nearly died, he wouldn't have changed his attitude and even if they got through that day, it would never have gone the distance. He knows that very well. He told his mother that he didn't like the man he was turning into, and he wasn't coming back. I can't think of anyone that needs a fresh start more than Nick Tilsley and maybe he'll even manage to get Leanne out from under his skin. Will he be gone forever? Probably not. I would imagine that they will recast Nick some day and bring him back.

But for now, that's the end of Nick on our screens. At least he said goodbye to his mum! Yet another really good storyline. As much as I really dislike Nick, the chemistry between Ben Price, Jane Danson and Chris Gascoyne especially just leaps off the screen. Georgia Taylor and Jane Danson still have that sibling dynamnic, too. While it might have felt a bit out of character for Leanne and Steve to have sex in the first place, it certainly kicked off a lot of drama and a long running storyline.

In the minor leagues, Cathy finally kisses Brian after him faffing around his superstitions for half the week. I fail to see what she sees in him. It's Anna's 50th birthday and Kevin's organized a surprise party for her with Erica's help in keeping Anna out of the house until the appointed time. Anna's still finding it difficult to get close to Kevin due to her low self esteem over her burns. Careful, luv, Kevin doesn't respond well to partners who find reasons to shy away from his advances, even if they're good ones. Just ask Sally.

What a week of Corrie! I think this was one of the best "big weeks" I have ever seen on Coronation Street.There wasn't a lot of lightness or fun, very little humour and mostly what there was of it, Brian's buffoonery and susperstition, was just annoying. I wanted to get back to the drama and there was plenty of that.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Let's Play Detective - Who tried to kill Ken Barlow?

Ken nearly came a cropper again but it wasn't a stroke this time. Surprisingly, really, considering the stress and shouting going on there over the past month. I really did expect another stroke. He's been losing his temper left, right and centre. Adam and the drug dealer, Daniel chucking Oxford away, Tracy giving him grief, Peter maybe drinking and cheating (he wasn't but Ken thinks he was). It hasn't let up.

But no, all these people are building up grudges against him and he's landed at the bottom of the stairs in a right old mess.The police have been called to the hospital. They say he's got bruises on his wrists consistent with a struggle and a bash on the back of the head that looks very much like someone hit him. He bruises easily due to medication but I think someone still has to have grabbed his wrists tightly and I think that leaves off Amy at least.

But who could it be? The publicity photo above shows all the suspects that ITV is suggesting. I don't think it's any of them. The most likely suspects would probably be Peter, Phelan, and maybe Daniel. They were harbouring the most anger.

Sinead was drunk but she was on her way to see Ken to give him a piece of her mind. No, it wasn't her. Tracy was angry that Ken wouldn't back her and help her buy the flower shop from Peter but though she might have struggled with him, I don't think she'd have bashed him over the head no matter what she's done to Charlie Stubbs in the past. She was out looking for Amy and didn't have an alibi but I think she's off the list, too.

Phelan says he came in the back door to shout at Ken and found him at the bottom of the stairs just as Daniel arrived. I know he's got history, having left Michael to die and having presumably killed Andy but I think he's too obvious.

That leaves Daniel, Peter and Adam. If any of those actors were known to be leaving the show, I'd have said that would be the person. But as far as we know, that's not happening. Adam has a grudge and Amy was going to slip him some cash. Adam knows where the spare key is and was going to go in and get the money. Did he? Did Ken find him at the top of the stairs? Adam pretended to get a flight back to Manchester the instant Tracy texted him and timed his arrival at the hospital to make it seem like he did just that but we know he was skulking around the night before. I don't know if he'd have shown up at the hospital if he thought Ken might remember it was him, though.

That could be said for Daniel or Peter, too. Daniel has a temper, we've all seen it. But Daniel was on his way to Number 1 after seeing an inscription from Ken on a book. That doesn't seem like a guilty man. Peter was pretty close to the edge over the Chloe stuff. He nearly drank and it looked like he was about to do a runner when he saw the ambulance. He didn't look guilty to me though in the hospital the next day when the police got involved, he did look worried. He does blame his father for ruining his life yet again. He does have the best motive of all of them.

But that's the thing. In soaps, the most obvious or likely usually isn't the perpetrator of a crime though they're usually the one arrested. Therefore, Soap Law says it can't have been Peter.

So who was it?

I have two suspects with a third runner up in a pinch. The guilty party is almost always a secondary character, an expendable  crewmember that we can lose easily unless we know an actor is leaving the show. Barring that, and we haven't heard anything to that effect, there are two.

Chloe. She is obsessed with Peter. She could have done it to set Peter up in revenge. Another one it might have been is that young whippernsipper, Seb. He might have got into the house to try to steal something. He's tried that before. Ken might have caught him. Either of those chartacters are unnecessary to the plot. Chloe's involvement would stitch up Peter so that might be the more likely. The outsider is Adam, in spite of what I said. Or maybe it's wishful thinking because he's not a character I enjoy at all.

The next few weeks or months will tell. I don't know how long it will take. The new producer has been quite good and springing surprises on the viewers and that's a good thing.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

The Abandoned Barlow Brothers

Peter Barlow lost his mother to an electrical appliance when he was only a small boy. That's going to affect any child but then his father gave up trying to look after twin children and gave them over to their grandparents who raised them in Scotland. If you watched Corrie through the 70s and early 80s, you will know that Ken rarely visited them and rarely had them back home to visit him. They were mentioned from time to time and I'm sure he sent them birthday cards and Christmas gifts even if it wasn't shown on screen.

Daniel Osbourne's father, Ken Barlow, barely had a look in when he was growing up and his mother went walkabout 6 years ago, with no further sight nor sound. These two men certainly have a lot in common and I think they've kind of bonded over that.

Peter, especially in his Chris Gascoyne incarnation, has shown all the signs of having abandonment issues which have manifested themselves in a fondness for the drink. He's also got his father's "any woman any time" gene and finds it difficult to make a long standing commitment.  He regularly berates his father for dumping him and blames a lot of his failings on his father's non-participation in his life yet has always craved approval from his one remaining parent and yet resented the hell out of him at the same time.

Daniel is very secretive born from having to pretend his mother was not gone while he was too young, really, to be living on his own. Should the authorities have found out, he'd have been taken into care. He obviously had no contact or relationship with his mother's sister (she whose husband Denise had an affair with back in the day) and no other family it seems. He's been on his own for a long time. We don't know if he's got abandonment issues as such but he's bound to when you think of it. We just haven't seen how they've manifested themselves yet.

Children take on so much and learn what they see.  Neither of them ever had a father figure that was ever present in their lives. Peter certainly didn't grow up learning how to be a good father and so has never found it easy being one himself, often at a loss when things get difficult. He grew up seeing or knowing that his father flitted from woman to woman and he mirrored that behaviour. We don't know why his first marriage broke up though he has been known to blame his absences due to being in the navy but I think there's a pretty good chance he had a welcoming bed in every port.


Peter's been a lifelong screw up, or at least as long as he's been an adult from what we know and what we've seen. Just maybe, though, he's starting to take responsibility and grow up. A bit. His father's sudden illness seems to have affected him deeply. It seems like Daniel's reaction has been to  take refuge in books and in his schoolwork and keep his head down.

Daniel was an unplanned child but Ken in his middle age was anxious to do things right this time around. He and Denise were not love's young dream nor were they soul mates in any form. In fact, in the cold harsh reality of the aftermath of the affair, Denise realized she was most definitely unsuited to life with Ken and a baby so she left the baby with Ken initially and walked. Ken tried, he really did but he was a single middle aged man who had no clue how to deal with an infant. He hired a nanny and that helped but he never had the chance to see if he could make a go of this parenting thing. Denise returned and took baby Daniel away, to Scotland because her sister's husband happened to be from that country.


Ken tried to make an effort  at first but gave it up as a lost cause and thus, Daniel really had no memory of him.  Yet another of Ken's children was lost and cut loose from a paternal influence. We next saw Daniel when he was a boy of about 10. Ken and Deirdre were having difficulties and Ken began to think he'd like to make an effort with his son. His son resented Ken's efforts as too little too late and Ken soon gave up again. We would hear Daniel's name on occasion over the intervening years, usually when Tracy or Peter wanted to call Ken's parenting into question.

But Ken apparently had a contact number for Denise in his address book. After he had the stroke, Peter went through the book to contact family and left a message with Denise, or so the dialogue went. Daniel got the message eventually and came to see his father. Before you think this was a plot hole, it's very possible that telephone number was the landline in the flat where Daniel was living. Since he didn't want people to know he was living alone under aged, he would have left the answering machine message on there that his mother recorded.

And where was his mother? Daniel says they weren't getting along, typical teenage stuff and she became more and more agitated and decided to leave. He thought she was coming back but she never did nor did she ever get in contact. It does seem strange. On comment I've seen suggested she could have been bipolar and could have ended up on the streets. That would be an interesting way to take this. Her abandonment had to have been devastating to him.

He's been keeping secrets so long that it's no wonder he's reluctant to open up now. Peter has taken him in hand and has been very supportive. He's a big brother and he's also old enough to be a father figure, really, and Peter seems to really like his little brother. It really seems like there's a weight finally lifting off Daniel's shoulders, relieved to have told the truth and to have someone that he might actually be able to depend on (he doesn't know Peter well yet!) for once in his life.  He was almost in tears when Peter assured him he would be there, as if Peter was a lifeline to a young man near the end of his rope that sorely needed one.

This chemistry between the two brothers who seem to have bonded quickly, able to relate to what the other has been through over their lives is evident. We've long admired Chris Gascoyne's acting abilities and the young man playing Daniel, Rob Mallard, is really showing his acting chops, too.

It will be interesting to see where they take this.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Has the worm turned?

Since Ken's been away, Deirdre's character really has come into her own. She's been funny, daffy and interesting. She's been wary of Rob but they've grown quite fond of each other. She's supportive but she'll tell you off if you need telling. I've really enjoyed her blossoming out of her shell.

But now Ken's back and I feared for Deirdre. For a few scenes, I thought my worries were going to turn out true. Ken found out the hard way that Deirdre kept most of Peter's troubles from him and he blew his top. I don't blame him for that. She should have told him a long time ago that she needed him. Adam might have been very seriously ill at first but over time, he was recovering and probably didn't need Ken there full time. It sounded very much to me like Ken stayed longer than he needed to, as well.

He was right in telling her off and getting angry. But when she tried to tell him how she felt, he accused her of turning it around on him and blaming him. He was putting words in her mouth, to use a cliche, but some of the time, it was exactly what he was doing. "You're not listening. You never have" she accused. And she's right.

Of course, she did blame him a bit, that's only human nature. For whatever reasons he had, and at least for most of the time he was away, they were valid ones, she did feel abandoned. He wasn't listening. She was trying to tell him how *she* felt. All he continued to do was holler at her and berate her for trying to make him feel guilty when she was entirely at fault for not telling him Peter had been arrested.

Then. It happened. She looked him in the eye and screamed at him. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!! I cheered. Boy, did that take him aback! Yet did he apologize?

Did he 'eck.

He changed the subject to Peter and continued to make her feel bad for doubting Peter when he hadn't been there to see the evidence mounting up and Peter, with alcoholic blackouts nine to the dozen, circumstantial evidence mounting, bleating ineffectually that he didn't do it. (He should have taken lessons from Deirdre, though, thinking back, that didn't do her any good, either. She went to prison as well!)

Deirdre was a mess after Ken gave up and went to bed to sleep off the jet lag. I hope she doesn't back down. I hope she doesn't give in. I hope this 18 months of enforced independence has given her the backbone to stand up for him and give him hell when he gives her flannel. But you know, he won't take any notice of her anyway. Ken's found a new crusade and he's going to save his son. And so he should.

It's easy for him. He's not been in the thick of it and maybe had he been around, Peter might not have got in so far over his head in the first place. Ken was always Peter's touchstone. The other good thing is that Ken doesn't like Rob. He's not been on the receiving side of Rob's suck up attempts. He wouldn't be won over so easily in any case. This is a man that held a grudge against Mike Baldwin for 30 years. He may have come to terms with Mike but he never trusted him and he doesn't trust Rob. He'll be the one to see behind Rob's agitation, his continued attempts to stitch up Peter and take attention away from  himself. Ken's coming at this from the outside so will be able to see things more clearly.

It's only a matter of time, now, Rob. I hope you look good in orange, me laddo.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

 Honestly? I feel a bit sorry for Steve at the moment. He dragged Peter out of a bar, discovering him drunk as a Lord. He tried to do a good thing, in his eyes, by taking Peter somewhere to sober up in hopes that it was a one off. Peter blabbed his secret. He's having an affair with Tina and now Steve is really in an awkward position.

Steve found out that his mate is cheating on Steve's girlfriend's best mate. Does he tell? Does he keep the secret and hope that Peter's promises to end the affair are not false hopes? He keeps the secret.

I know on the surface, it's going to look like "You men all stick together" but let's face it, we women all stick together, too. It's a tough spot to be in. You're placed in a position of confidence and it's just not the done thing to betray a confidence in most cases. You don't want to be the messenger that got killed for the bad news he imparts. You have to live a double life, knowing your partner is going to feel like you betrayed her trust by keeping the secret, too.

Steve McDonald is not really known for having the best judgement at the best of times. He's dropped himself in it more often than not and has had other's throw him under a bus, figuratively, as well. Heck, he's been in the same situation Peter's in. He had an affair on Michelle with Becky and Blanche knew about it, albeit by accidental discovery. Blanche didn't tell on him but that's probably only because she was able to wring free drinks out of him.

But to turn this around, think back to when Liam was married to Maria and having an affair with Carla. Michelle knew and never told Maria. At that time, she wasn't Carla's bezzie mate and was more a friend to Maria but still didn't spill the beans. Hypocrite, much? 


I'm not saying that Steve did the right thing not telling, I'm only saying I understand his position. If he'd told the truth as soon as he knew it, Peter and Carla's marraige would have been busted wide open but he gave Peter the benefit of the doubt at first. Peter didn't end up staying away from Tina and by then Steve had kept the secret too long. Plus, Steve was told in confidence and that's important stuff. He was damned if he did tell and damned when he didn't.

Now the truth is going to come out and Michelle is apparently going to walk out. Frankly, he's better off without her but that's another story.

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!

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'!)

Peter and Leanne, Together again!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Political Incorrectness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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