Someone to watch over me

Now then.

Single men are starting to pile up on the corner of the cobbles, have you noticed? We have Ken, Norris, Sean, Brian, Roy, Chesney, Craig, Luke, David, Adam and now Steve. There are a number of single women at the moment, as well. Liz, Tracy, Rosie, Sophie, Alya, Cathy, Yasmeen, Kate, Rita,  Gail, Shona, Audrey, Gemma, Mary.

Since soaps don't seem to want to keep anyone single for long, it's a pretty safe bet that a few of those men will find someone to warm the cockles of their hearts before too long. I had time to let my mind wander around on the subject. See if you agree or disagree with my ideas.

Brian and Cathy are already making eyes at each other, we can probably pull them off the list though I really don't think they will go the distance. Brian is far too selfish and oafish. Cathy and Roy really would have been ideal but Roy isn't ready and maybe he never will be and that's ok.  Maria isn't on the list because of her affair with Aidan. We might reserve the more senior characters for the moment as well. Please, Romance Gods, don't put Audrey and Ken together now that Freddie has gone!

There has been speculation that the Powers that Be will throw Shona and David together. I kind of hope not because it would be weird for David to be romantically partnered with the mother of the man that killed his wife. But stranger things have happened. They are about the same age, actually. We were told that Shona was just about 13 when she gave birth to Clayton who was 15 when he killed Kylie. I think I'd rather see David single for a little while longer and then meet someone completely new.

But you know, I think Shona might make a good partner for Steve even if she's almost a generation younger than he is. (and a couple of Coronation Street Blog commenters seem to have agreed with me just as I was writing this!) That never stopped a romantic pairing on Corrie. Most of Deirdre's men were yards older than her! Shona has that earthy no-nonsense attitude and she's not self centered or a drama queen like Michelle. I think she could suit Steve very well and throw in the added bonus that a new partner, a much younger model,  would put a knot in Michelle's face even if she does say she doesn't want Steve any more.  I like her, I do. There's something about her. What I don't want is for Steve to end up with Leanne with the only thing they have in common being wee Oliver. Leanne needs someone responsible, someone that isn't jealous and insecure. I used to think she and Robert would have made a good couple but I don't really like him much anymore. Leanne and Peter are water under the bridge, too.

I think Rob Donovan was the love of Tracy's life. He really "got" her, accepted her for all her faults and they really worked well together. They also had more than the usual things in common. Murder, much? But since that's a no-go now that Rob is back inside, I wonder if Luke can forgive her? They weren't a bad couple though Luke is probably too honest for Tracy. I think we should suggest that Luke and Alya get together. Alya has ambitions but maybe she'd like a steady guy who is good with his hands, eh? They need to use Alya or lose her because on the rare occasion we do see her these days, she's got her nose in the air or a scowl on her face. They've made her dislikable and I'm afraid she probably isn't going to be around long if they can't think of something soon.

I would have suggested Gemma and Chesney get together but I really don't think they would make a very good couple. Gemma would have him for breakfast. I'm pleased that Gemma is trying to gain some confidence and turn her life around, I really am, but she's far too much for Chesney and he's too much of an old soul for her.

I don't think Kate and Sophie should get together but what happened to their friendship? It seemed to go the way of the dodo after Caz left and Kate got embroiled in her father's fling with Jenny Bradley and is now pursuing her father's health problems. Mind you, when Kate first arrived on the scene, I did think she would be a good partner for Sophie. She has a sense of humour and is a lot of fun and would bring Sophie out of her surliness.  Rosie should not be with someone like Adam because he wouldn't treat her well. He'd look down on her and treat her like an object. She and Jason were really good together. Jason adored and cherished her and They were pretty much equal in the intelligence department. I do think Rosie needs to mature a bit, though, because she's getting too old to be this daft bimbo. She's got to find a direction for her life or a hidden talent.

I'd also like to see Sean find someone that truly appreciates him. I did think he and Billy were good together but I'm sure there's a match out there for Sean somewhere. Maybe someone a little older who can give him a bit more confidence in himself so he won't be such a slave to his own insecurities. It would be nice to see him reconnect with his son, Dylan, too. Maybe find some who has a child of his own, something they'd have in common.

While it's lovely to see some of the senior characters find love, it feels too incestuous for any of them to fall for any of the others. They've all been friends for far too long for it to  believably morph into love.

Finally, it seems very much like Nick is spiralling into his jealousy again over Peter and Steve both. Nick's jealousy and insecurity is going to be his downfall I think. Leanne is already showing signs of him being instrumental in putting her between a rock and a hard place constantly by not being able to compromise.  Leanne should stay single for awhile, please. Don't put her with Steve just because she's got Steve's baby.

Who would you like to see some of the Corrie singles matched up with? Someone current or new? Someone unexpected?



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)

David Platt is breaking my heart

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

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

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

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

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

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



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Who's Conning' Who?

Vinny came to Phelan with a scam, pretend to sell luxury flats to naive punters, run off with the deposit money and they're quids in. Phelan snapped his hand off at the chance. But things are not going according to plan. Todd has been keeping a close eye on Phelan, not trusting him an inch and is now on the sales team. He's supposed to be on board and willing to go along with the scam but I'm not buying it. I think Todd is planning to find a way to bring Phelan down from the inside and thus remove him from his mother's and brother's lives. Todd isn't exactly twirling his moustache and looking shifty but he has been caught looking thoughtful after various encounters.

Eileen has gotten involved on behalf of Jason, eager to be part of the exciting project that she believes is real but she's been inadvertently putting expensive roadblocks in the way and Vinny's not happy about it, not one little bit. Phelan has impressed on Todd that you do not want to piss Vinny off, he's connected to some dangerous people. I think Phelan discovered just how real Vinny's connections might be and it has given him pause for thought.

I think Phelan is happy to rip off his neighbours and any other person quick to fall for the ruse but while he's a bully, and he's manipulative and he likes to threaten people, I don't think he's got the stomach for *real* violence unless he was defending himself.

Think back. Gary beat the living crap out of him. Did he jump Gary and catch him unawares, with revenge in kind? No he did not. He got back at Gary by using his mother, blackmailing her into sleeping with him so he'd let Gary off the hook. He used the people he knew he could rather than go physically up against a younger man who already proved he could fight back hard. He also hesitated when Kevin gave him a blunt warning not to mess with Anna when he tried to intimidate her and I think he knows Kevin isn't afraid of a fight, either. Again, he tried to blackmail Anna to back away from slagging him off to everyone or he'd tell Kevin about their previous encounter. Bully tactics, right?

He's sly and so is Todd though Todd may be in a bit over his head. Phelan is clearly a master at the manipulation trade. He's got no scruples, even willing to go so far as to pull Alex into his scam though he did seem to be slightly reluctant until Alex insisted.

So how is this all going to end? As far as I know, Connor McIntyre is staying on the show so when this scam all blows up, and it will because that's how things work on a soap, I figure Vinny will be the one taking the fall. I have a feeling that Vinny will double cross Phelan and disappear with the money, leaving him behind to take the heat.  Maybe Phelan will turn Vinny in to save his own skin and will pretend that he knew nothing about it being a scam or that Vinny had a hold on him somehow and forced him into it. He could say that he invested a bit of cash, too, and lost it. Maybe he'll cut a deal with Todd to go along with it since Todd was in on the scam and is as guilty of suckering folk as Phelan.

The part that I found hard to get was the money they're spending just to fool people. They have glossy brochures and a model flat they're building to show people, in a building that... who owns? They have a temporary project office set up outside that old building, too. That's a lot of money spent to rake some deposits in though I suppose it's still going to net them quite a lot, depending on how many they're pretending to sell and if they're reselling the same flats to people.

I'm very interested in this storyline and am enjoying watching it unfold. Pat Phelan is one of the best villains Corrie's ever had and seems to be multi-faceted. He's not really very sympathetic and you don't believe a word he says even if he's telling Eileen he loves her. He's very good at saying what someone wants to hear at the right time. He's expert at timing what he tells to whom, whether it be a "confession" or admission or just bullshit to smooth things over. I love to hate him and that's a testament not just to the writers but to McIntyre himself who can convey 1000 words and the image of the wheels furiously turning in his head with one glance while his back is turned to his prey.

I like that they've paired him with Eileen who is always falling for the wrong fella, this being one of the worst. Yes, she's being played for a massive fool and she's going to pay for it. It was even better having Todd involved in the storyline Fantastic!


I can't wait to see what happens next.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

More Kylie Speculation

The last blog post here was speculation on how Kylie will die. I'll admit, and it was obvious, that my guesses were all in fun. This time, I'm using my imagination and educated guesses based on soap cliches and laws.

Let me say right here and now, I have absolutely no idea how Kylie will die. ITV are being very cagey about it, even in future spoilers. I do wish they hadn't spoiled that she was going to die at all but they did and cats that are out of the bag cannot be put back in.

Soaps follow a pattern, and there are clues you can follow if you want to guess what's going to happen. There's the Phrase of Doom where someone expresses hope for the future, or how happy they are, or how happy they are together and will be together forever. Uh oh. That's it, they're doomed. Something's going to happen and it isn't going to be pretty.

If someone faints, they're usually pregnant. All sorts of situations that are unusual pop up which are out of character or out of the ordinary. You can bet they're contrived as a means to an end. That brings me to my speculation on Kylie's death.

It wasn't surprising that Callum's druggie sidekick Macca showed up at his funeral. But since then, he and his ne'er do well brother Clayton have been mithering Gemma in the kebab shop. Since she hasn't been out of touch with them all along, mentioning nights at the Dog and Gun frequently, they would have known where she was working in all likelihood so why show up now? Because somehow, their presence is going to contribute to Kylie's death.

Kylie's been feeling more and more guilty about the effects that her killing Callum has had on her family. Sarah's had a breakdown. Bethany has been bullied and hasn't be coping well trying to keep it to herself. She's now living in the annex where they stashed Callum's body and seemingly feeling unsettled. Even little Max seems to be out of sorts though he said he wasn't bothered that Callum had died. Guilt, upon guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders.

I don't think she's going to commit suicide. She wouldn't leave her family on purpose again. One idea I had was that she might turn to drugs and accidentally overdose, drugs she could get from Macca but that doesn't quite ring true either.

I think this is what will happen. I think Macca and his brother will threaten Gemma in some way,  or possibly David, because Gemma still suspects he was the one that killed Callum. That actually makes more sense because there really doesn't seem to be a reason they would be out to kill Gemma at this point.  There will be weapons or violence involved and Kylie will get in the middle of it, defending David and get killed by one of them. Possibly it could be one of the men attempting to run David down with a vehicle and Kylie pushing him out of the way.  It is possible that last scenario could happen without the intervention of the "Chuckle Brothers" and Kylie could be pushing David out of the way of a generic car or bus but the interviews and media are saying it's something we've never seen on a soap before.

I'm skeptical about that, and even Kylie dying while defending or saving David isn't really new but it's the only scenario that really works considering the introduction of the two scallys.

We have two more days to wait!



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

How Will Kylie Die?

Now that the spoilers have hit the media about Paula Lane's exit and the death of Kylie Platt, the speculation begins. I'm kind of ticked off that ITV decided to spoil this one. I really did think she'd end up having to go to jail but I suppose if the actress was not planning to return, they couldn't have her away for life. Her crime wasn't killing Callum, that was self defence, but the treatment of the body afterwards, that's the biggie.

Logically, you couldn't see Kylie leaving David and her kids again, not permanently and since we haven't been told that Jack P. Shepherd was leaving, it was also a given that it would be only her leaving the show. Death is probably the only possibility, then. But I still wish ITV had kept that as a surprise.

Duncan Lindsay at the Metro.co.uk has put forth 15 theories as to how Kylie might die.  Some are a bit silly and some are a pretty good guess. Odds might favour the car crash. Publicity and interviews from Lane herself say it's going to be something we've never seen before. While I have a hard time believing that since pretty much everything has been done, I'd be interested to see what that is. We've seen car crashes. Revenge at the hands of Callum's mates might also be a possibility though again, nothing new there.

My imaginative guess: There have been rumours for months that Callum really isn't dead in spite of all the statements from ITV and the actor himself to the contrary. But maybe Callum really is alive. Maybe Callum lurches around a corner just as Kylie and David and family are loading up into the cab that's going to take them to their new start in Barbados, points a gun at her and kills her. I don't think we've seen that before, a supposed dead character return to kill someone. Returning from the dead has been done but not quite like this.

My absolutely stupid guess: Ok, just for fun, here's another one that's really stretching credibility. Nick has another psychotic episode and strangles Kylie. Since he has brain damage, no real motive is needed and he isn't responsible for his actions. He will only spend some time sectioned in a hospital in the room next to Sarah with Gail drifting woefully between the rooms of her two children.

What's your theory?


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Jenny and Johnny - I can get behind them

It's increasingly clear that Jenny Bradley and Johnny Connor are headed for a romance. We can already tell they're both starting to fancy each other and Jenny is looking for ways to entice him without making it seem like she's chasing him. "Keep 'em mean, keep 'em keen" is how Kate described the type of women Johnny likes and it seems Jenny is going to take that under advisement.

I don't think she's being underhanded or manipulative as such. Don't we all try to do things that will encourage someone that we are attracted to in order to bring them closer to us? Some people are more obvious about it than others, of course. Peacocks shake their glamourous tailfeathers, many females of the species in the animal world reject or tease the male, and stags lock horns on a mountain top. People really aren't that different.

I like Johnny and I like Jenny. I think she's grown up and matured and the tragedy she went through, losing her child, doesn't seem to have made her angry and ready to lash out like perhaps the younger Jenny might have done. Jenny is getting her spark back and is starting to stand up to bullies like Sally and that's a good thing. Johnny has been around the block a few times, done dodgey things but seems to be a good man at heart. He reminds me a bit of Danny Baldwin, don't you think?

I am pretty sure there is romance in the offing and I hope it lasts longer than a minute or two, like some relationships. I hope they don't put stupid and frustrating obstacles in the way, but it's a soap so I'm probably hoping against hope. I'd like Jenny to have a baby, too, even if Johnny is a bit long in the tooth to take on the responsibilities of being a new dad. I guess I just want Jenny to have a happy ever after, after all the heartache she's been through.

Time will tell.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Here's how it should go down

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

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

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

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

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


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Baby....Bathwater

Now, I'm not saying Faye should throw the baby out with the bathwater, not literally. But the suggestion has been brought up that the paternal grandparents take baby Miley and raise her themselves. Jackson's parents seem to be implying that Jackson also doesn't really care a lot and that they'd be doing all the work, much like Anna is in the Windass flat.

From the time she found out she was pregnant to this date, Faye really didn't want anything to do with the baby. She planned to have Craig leave the baby at the hospital doors anonymously so nobody would have to know she ever gave birth but it didn't work out that way (much to Craig's relief). Anna has been doing her best to support Faye and encourage her to bond with the baby but it's clearly been of no use. Anna's tired, stressed and angry and Faye is indifferent which only makes Anna more tired, stressed and angry. Something's got to give.

And give it did, at the christening and Tim realized that Faye really can't handle parenthood. He intially resisted the Hodges' suggestion that they take the baby but he sees Anna at the end of her tether and he knows how Faye feels. Tim would hate to give up the baby because he's besotted and isn't it a grand thing to see him so over the moon about little Miley? I love it! He would never let that baby go unless he was guaranteed to be a continuing part of her life.

This week, Anna will talk to the Hodges and Faye will be told what's going on. Anna is Faye's legal guarding but if Faye, as the baby's registered mother, wants to let the baby's father's family bring her up, I'm not sure Anna can stop it from happening. I'm really mystified why we haven't seen hide nor hair of Social Services since that one visit after the birth. They knew then that Faye was uncertain and you'd think they'd be following up. I hate when that sort of thing might be happening but it's in the background and we viewers know nothing about it. There's been no scenes, no references, nothing.

Never mind. I don't know at this date whether Faye will give the baby up or if she'll realize at the last minute that she does want the baby after all. I haven't seen any sign of it at all. There have been no secretive looks, no loving smiles when nobody's looking, and Faye has been resentful and impatient whenever she's had to be in charge of the baby for any reason. I really want this storyline to be different. I really want Faye to say to Anna, I do not want this child and I cannot care for her. Take her away.

I want Miley to be brought up by the Hodges. I do want Faye to see the baby, have visits and such and when she's older and more mature, she will grow to love the baby even if she's not the primary caregiver. That's ok. I don't want this to descend into a sentimental schmaltzy heart rending sobbing at the idea of giving the baby away and see Faye clutching the child out of Mama Hodge's arms with Anna looking triumphantly smug.

We'll know soon enough.

Be afraid, Tony, be very afraid

Did you see the way Tracy took that yob out the other night? He sold off stolen goods, fancy countertop mixers, and when Tony told her they were stolen, somehow she got hold of the seller and told him she wanted her money back. He wasn't about to and she provoked him into roughing her up. If that had been Todd, he'd have given the man the keys to the kingdom and run away screaming but not our Tracy.

It pains me to admit it, but I had to admire her. She's not afraid of anyone much less a posturing little toerag like this guy. She's brought down bigger and badder men that that with a blunt instrument and she used another one, her knee, to reduce this one to a snivelling muppet. Tony set the whole thing up. as we discovered, and his plan was to be the hero, saving Tracy from a dire fate worse than death. But there she was, all red lippy and defiance flashing in her eye and his plan went south. You can't really rescue a dame that can hold her own in the ring and yours in her handbag.

Tony's just going to have to get his hands on her business some other way but if I was him, I'd rethink that plan. He might think he's not stupid enough to fall for any of her tricks but he doesn't know Tracy Barlow like we do. She may end up allowing him to own part of the business so that she doesn't go bankrupt and she may end up coercing him into her bed so that she's not cold at night, but I reckon Tracy will get the upper hand in the end, don't you?

Corrie predictions for 2015

I love to speculate on what might happen on Corrie. Some of it is based on standard soap plots but some speculation is based on pure, off the wall predictions. So, just for fun, here's what *could* happen on Coronation Street in 2015:

Nick and Carla get together and surprisingly, it's a really good match. After all, he's not a rapist, he's not a murderer, he's not cheating on anyone else (that is, if Erica is out of the picture. I don't think that's going to be anything long term). I think Nick has enough of both arrogance and sympathy to work well with Carla's personality.

Kylie gets her life back together, perhaps after a rehab stint or a stay with Becky to get her head and body straight. I think someone will find her working in a run down caff or pub somewhere, maybe in Weatherfield or maybe somewhere else like Liverpool or Sheffield or Leeds, perhaps Eva or even David himself. She'll be pregnant with David's child, she'd have left on Christmas Day not realizing she was pregnant so will be about 6 months along, depending on how long Paula Lane's maternity leave is. She will eventually prove to him that she's left the old life behind. David will take her back for the children's sake and the new baby, a boy.

Julie and Dev marry, with Mary's blessing, having gone through a rough patch of adjustment with Julie and Mary at odds. Mary moves into the corner shop flat, finally getting a home and Julie works in the corner shop which puts Sophie's nose out of joint.

Maddy decides to go back to school to make something of her life. Sally approves. Sophie gets jealous and stroppy when Maddy makes new friends and finds out she's really good at her classwork. Sophie spends all her time sulking. No change there, then.

If Sean can keep control of his jealousy and insecurity, he and Billy might just have a chance at happiness but it won't be smooth sailing. Billy's church will have objections and it will be difficult for Sean to accept that Billy's committment to the church will be at least as important as his personal life, probably moreso. Emily will be Billy and Sean's champion in spite of her own personal misgivings because she still believes everyone has a right to love whom they choose. Instead of a tree, Auntie Em climbs the church bell tower in protest, hanging a rainbow banner off the belfry.

The real Gavin is either already dead from the heart ailment or will show up and be a real wrong'un, full of resentment and contempt for his father. The Gavin we have now will admit he pretended at first as a joke but got tangled up in the situation and grew to really like the Platt family, and Michael's heart condition is making it even harder to admit he was an imposter. Either situation causes Gavin to collapse but luckily, he's able to get a heart transplant. He survives and marries Gail. The real Gavin will try to push out the fake one and will treat Michael and Gail badly, perhaps trying to rip them off but the fake Gavin will prove to be the real hero.

Sarah Lou and Bethany will return from Italy. Bethany will be as all the young teens are that are new to the street and be a real handful, spoiled and contemptuous of this little back street neighbourhood after the glamourous life in Milan. She's going to be 15 this year so is just the right age to have the boys drooling. Craig has a crush but she makes a beeline for Zeedan, who, in spite of her not being Muslim, finds himself in the same boat as his father and sister.

Sarah will cut a swath through a lot of men and will be a Tracy Barlow clone. She'll set her sights on Luke, Gavin, Gary (probably just a one night stand), and will be entangled in one love triangle after another. Maria will be yet again dumped after Sarah and Luke have a go.

Tracy will continue to pull Tony's chain and end up in a full affair. When Liz finds out, there will be hell to pay. Deirdre will return and will finally stand up to Tracy and not make excuses for her anymore. Ken will sigh and retreat to the library.

Katy leaves the Street, looking for a life. Alya's knicker designs are a huge hit and she and Carla become very successful partners. Yasmeen becomes a good friend to Roy, offering a supportive shoulder. Roy starts to pick up the pieces of his life and even, finally, gets his driving license as Hayley always wanted.

Fiz returns and we find out that looking after Cilla has driven her to drink. She struggles with booze addiction until one of the children is injured because she was drunk and neglectful. This finally pulls her up and she admits she has a problem.


Mary will meet a rather odd binman, a tall, thin men who keeps muttering about how things keep coming around full circle. He has a particular fondness for hanging around outside Freshcos, looking longingly in through the windows, that is, when he's not looking up at the stars. He and Mary have a connection, based on their eccentric outlook on life and fondness for trivia. She lets him live in her campervan since she's now living in the shop flat. She finally convinces him to come into the pub one night and he's recognized by a number of people. It's Curly!

Steve hits bottom after the van crash and finally starts getting help. Michelle is so ashamed at how she treated Steve that she runs away to Ireland (we can only hope!). Chesney and Sinead die of boredom. So do Lloyd and Andrea. Unless Andrea and Steve have a fling, Andrea being much more fun than Michelle but far less unstable than Becky.

Gavin's a wrong'un. But what's his secret?

It was pretty clear that Gavin Rodwell  was going to be a wrong'un. Soaps are not produced to have happy reunions and happily ever after, especially for a family like the Platts. Yes, at the moment, I'm including Michael in that family.  Over on the Coronation Street blog, a couple of people have made comments guessing that Gavin isn't really Michael's son.

They were right.

Not only is he not of Michael's DNA, as in, Michael's ex had an unfortunately timed affair, but  this man that calls himself Gavin Rodwell is someone else entirely. That is a brilliant twist! Has it been done before? Of course it has. But I still like the idea. And thinking about it, there had already been signs.

Gavin, when questioned about his mother, was very cagey, changing the subject. Obviously, if he wasn't the real Gavin, he wouldn't know much or anything at all about Michael's ex. Gavin was touted by his ex-girlfriend, the manager of the wine bar, as being a dab hand with cocktails but the man we saw on our screens didn't know his martinis from his cosmos.

 He seemed reluctant to get too close to Michael. On the surface, that could have been attributed to a son, long abandoned by a father, who wasn't so sure he was ready to forgive but in reality, it's actually a man who doesn't want anyone to get to close lest they discover he's not who he says he is.

We know he's not Gavin, now. Gavin's travelling and out of touch somewhere. Could this man be a roommate, a good friend, a cousin or half brother perhaps, or even a partner? He genuinely seems to live at the flat and Gavin's mail is arriving because we saw the man looking at it one night. This man is unemployed and it sounded like he was looking for money but then he looked embarassed to take Michael and Gail's offering.

He even seems like a nice bloke, so far. There's been none of those private sneers when nobody's looking. Here's what I think: Maybe he's been scoping Michael out on behalf of Gavin, perhaps trying to protect his friend from someone that he thought might have been insincere or out to fleece Gavin and now realizes that Michael is the real thing and maybe not the monster that Gavin has always thought he was.  He actually seemed quite worried when he found out about the heart condition and tried anxiously to get hold of Gavin. That felt like the concern of someone who is close.

I applaud The Powers That Be for revealing this straight away rather than letting us stew for a couple of months. Now we get to watch the oncoming train knowing the bridge is out and there's nothing we can do to stop the derailment. Let's just hope this doesn't deal Michael that heart attack he's got floating around the edges before he gets his heart  condition sorted!

There's something about Neil

There has been a lot of contention about Lloyd and Andrea's storyline from the fans. People are really getting tired of this storyline and of Andea who was  breath of fresh air at the start. I sort of agree to a point. The storyline certainly became a bit tedious once Andrea's cliche secret was dragged out of the soap closet.

Neil, the long suffering husband, didn't think anything was wrong but to be fair, he worked away from home a lot, providing for his family. By her own admission, Andrea married young and in haste and once she had her daughter, felt trapped, unable to break up the family for no real good reason. Neil was never a bad man. He held down a good job, loved his family, treated them all well and maybe he wasn't very exciting but he was dependable. But he was gone a lot. I think Andrea became lonely and maybe resented shouldering all the responsibility of being a single parent when she really wasn't.

We see Neil as a wet blanket, a real drippy guy who's boring and kind of plodding through life, oblivious to his wife's unrest. People seem to be finding his near-stalking of Andrea and Lloyd tedious. Let's be fair, his world has fallen apart. He most definitely was taking his life and his wife for granted but he never expected this, didn't see it coming (which he might have if he'd not worked away most of the time). He thinks if he changes, if he gets a job at home, if he reminds her of the good times, maybe she'll realize he wasn't so bad. But he can't love her enough for both of them and she's long since fallen out of love with him.

Watching the show this week, I'm starting to find Neil a bit sinister. We've seen him take a load of abuse, from Lloyd and Andrea, shouting, cajoling, insulting, nothing seems to be getting through to him to convince him that his marriage is over. He's single minded and obsessed. He lets any and all insults roll off him like they weren't even uttered. Once in awhile, one of Andrea's blunt statements on how she feels seems to hit a sore spot but he immediately pushes it away and continues his determined quest to get her back. It's starting to be a bit scary.

I think he will increase the pressure more and more but stay just this side of legal. They won't be able to peg him for harassement or stalking because he's not threatening. Yet. I won't be at all surprised if he eventually kidnaps her and keeps her somewhere.

It kind of puts me in mind of John Stape stashing Rosie in the attic, justifying it because he blamed Rosie for throwing his life into chaos, mainly because he wouldn't accept his own responsibility for his actions. He was single minded and obsessed, too and he's got that glint in his eye. I can't fault the casting. William Travis is doing a very convincing job. I don't like Neil, I don't even really feel sorry for him but I do think the actor is making Neil believable, as far as you can with a soap.

Neil's motivations are different but his attitude seems to be sliding into that same sort of madness that came over Stape, the conviction that he was right and he can find a way to "make" Andrea love him again. He may even become suicidal with the view to killing her so nobody else can have her, or at least might threaten it. I don't know if he'd go that far but she may not realize it.

Everything will turn out ok, in the end, I should think but I really do see this escalating into something perhaps a bit more dangerous. What do you think?

Speculating on Tina's demise

Everyone that's been paying any attention at all to the spoilers knows Tina's going to be murdered. It's going to happen the week of May 26 amid a bit "murder week" of episodes. Yeah, I hear you sigh, all the over the top publicity and sensationalism is tedious, right? Well yes, it is but that's just the way it is with telly these days. Coronation Street isn't the only one guilty of that.

Let's look past the sensational trumpeting. A young woman is going to die. We don't know how, yet and we don't know who is going to be the one that dunnit. The Powers That Be are touting different endings to try to fool the public (and probably to put on their website) but you can be sure that they have known all along who the culprit is going to be and the cast know as well. The rest of us have to guess and speculate.

Now most soap veterans can usually spot the one that's going to be the offender. Most often it's a spare character that isn't really meant to be long term. Remember Frank Foster's mother? If it is a major character and we know someone is leaving, that's the next likely suspect. The person arrested for the murder is almost never the one that did it. That's another Soap Law. In this case, to date, we don't know if anyone will be arrested or will confess (sometimes to cover for someone else they think has done it). We do know Chris Gascoyne is going to be leaving the show, at least for awhile. Hmmm....

But I don't think Peter Barlow has murder in him, not even when drunk. If it's going to be him, and I repeat, IF, (because I really don't know for sure) then I think it will be accidental. Even accidental death can put you in jail for manslaughter, and that will give the actor the "out" he wants and a chance to return, if he wants.

The other three front runners are Carla, Rob and Tracy. Of the three, Carla has the most motive should she discover the affair in time. Rob and Tracy? I can't see Rob doing it to defend Carla and though Tracy has form, what would her real motive be? Jealousy? Can't see that and she wouldn't kill on Peter's behalf. Accidental death could cover any of the potential suspects. One news article I ready also threw Michelle in there. Can't see that either.

In my heart, though, I'd really love it to be Tracy because then she'd be back in jail where she belongs! I know convicted criminals sometimes do get out of their sentences due to technicalities like she did but we all know she committed premeditated murder in cold blood. If it can't be Tracy, can it please be Michelle because she's getting up my nose, too. I hate how she's treating Steve! He doesn't deserve it (most of the time).

Nah. I'm kidding.

It's going to be Simon. Look at all he's been through in his young life! One more heartbreak and he's gonna snap! He adores Tina and if he overhears that she and his father had an affair causing his dad to go off the wagon, who knows how he'd react?

Here's what I think about Corrie lately

Owen has insisted that Tina get a roommate to help her make her rent payments. I don't think he has the right and she certainly should have the right to say no, I can make the rent on my own. And what happened to the money she seemed to have leftover? Maybe that's what she's been using to pay the rent. I like Steph, though, I do. Tina's being very rude to her so far but then we know why. She won't have a convenient place to have clandestine meetings with Peter.

It's a never ending reality check for Tina. Just as she says, it's a truth she doesn't want to hear but she hears it straight from a loved up Carla's lips when she was gushing to Michelle about how romantic her husband is. She won't listen to Liz, the voice of experience. She pretends to her friends that her mate is having a fling with a married man and gets a dose of their disapproval, too. She sort of defends her friend and sort of agrees it'll end in tears. 

She tells him she loves him and he can't say a word. Why does she put up with it? Because every time she tries to back off, he turns on the charm and draws her back in and he will this time, too. He's like most every bloke that's cheating. He wants it both ways and doesn't want his wife to find out because he never had any intentions of leaving her.

The Windass disaster is holding my interest, too. Phelan is a wonderful villain and something Michael and Gemma from Conversation Street podcast said this week had me nodding my head in agreement. When Phelan came out of the shadows, all cocky and ready for revenge was a Jez Quigley moment. I think Phelan is probably what Jez would have been had he lived to middle age.

The Windass family is already imploding in on themselves, blaming each other but especially Gary. Really, though, if Anna hadn't kept secret the fact that Phelan came on to her, none of this would have happened. We know we're seeing the slippery end of this and it's going to roll downhill faster than a plastic toboggan on ice and I speculate that Phelan could very well end up dead. Who might be the culprit? My money's on his wife.

She's a fierce thing and may get to the point where she's just had enough of his manipulation and womanizing. She's great, too, though, isn't she? She's hard as nails, calculating and uncompromising. She is fully aware of her husband's shortcomings and sticks with him, probably for the perks and status she gets in her big home. But there has to be money worries if he's had bankruptcy problems even if he manages to slip out of it with loopholes.

Most people seem to really dislike Maddie and Sophie's storyline because most people seem to dislike Sophie herself. I don't mind her and I don't mind the storyline but what I do find fun to watch is Sally's reactions to it all. I also find Tim's reactions interesting. It seems to me he and Sophie aren't as antagonistic as they were at first and he actually seems quite supportive of her. I think Tim is growing to like Sophie and she might even be warming to him. They could be good allies.

I don't like Tony. I haven't trusted him from the start. No matter how many times he pretends he's just there to get back into Jason's life, I keep siding with Eileen. He's trouble. He's already proved it by sabotaging the new builder and stealing his tools so that Jason could get the job back (and probably worm his way in to helping Jason as well).

I'm not surprised Liz is attracted to him. She even said Tony's a bit rough and we all know that's exactly Liz's type.  Is Eileen jealous? Perhaps a little though I don't think she wants Tony back. I do think perhaps she still fancies him even though she knows all his bad points. And then there's the fact that if he gets involved with Liz, that's more reason Tony has to stick around, upsetting everyone.

There does seem to be a bit of a turn around in the comedy lately. Deirdre playing peacemaker and referee between Eileen and Liz was good. She's right, they're all too long in the tooth to fall out over men! I also laughed at Steve trying to be romantic after Michelle went a bit green over Peter's apparent generosity with Carla. Steve hasn't got a clue about romance, does he? I continue to fail to understand what Michelle sees in Steve and why she continues to stay with him if all she can do is criticize him.

I felt bad for Dev fancying Stella and getting the wrong end of the stick, and ending up making a fool of himself in front of all his friends. I really did think he and Stella would have a fling but i guess that's not going to happen. It looks like Stella is giving Kal the eye and it looks like Kal is giving Leanne the eye. Three guesses how this one is going to come out.

So there you have a few comments I've had running around in my head over the past week or two. I'm actually enjoying the show quite a lot. Even though I hate the Peter and Tina pairing, it's a classic triangle storyline and it's playing out pretty much the way you would expect, with Peter ducking and lying and diving and all the predictable ups and downs that Tina's having as she deals with the reality of being the other woman.

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???

And so it begins

It's the beginning of the end for Julie and Brian. There's no way he can come back into her good graces after his most recent cowardly stunt. He says he didn't want to break her heart by admitting he was taking a job in Wales and by going along with her plan to foster. He says "IF" I was lying... eh? *IF*??? He's always been selfish and cowardly and Julie now knows it and he's broken her heart. The ultimate betrayal was him sabotaging their fostering chance behind her back. That really was the ultimate in underhandedness. He only admitted it when his back was against the wall in the face of her determination to appeal the decision.

We've already seen the beginnings of Peter and Tina. Whether that will continue after the honeymoon or not, whether we'll be in for a full on affair or a lot of angst, doe eyed looks across the bar and "come here, no, go away" over and over remains to be seen. After everything Carla has gone through to finally be happy, it's only inevitable that her world comes crashing down around her ears. She's uttered far too many Phrases of Doom in the past couple of weeks for it to be any other way.

It's the beginning of the end for Marcus and Maria too, if Todd's lascivious look at Marcus' backside is anything to go on. I applaud Corrie for breaking the mold and showing us the unlikely love affair between a gay man and a straight woman. It does happen, probably more often than we might thing but it's not all that common either. It is meant to show us that you really can be surprised by who you fall for. But in the end, Marcus still identifies as gay and it's bound to come between them sooner or later. I just wish it wasn't with the manipulative tosser that Todd has turned into. Todd may fancy Marcus but I wouldn't put it past this version of Todd to chase after Marcus just to stir the pot and break he and Maria up on purpose. With some people, it's more about the chase than about the catch and I think Todd is one of those people.

I'm going way out on a limb here and predicting another beginning, if not an end. With the arrival of the handsome Kal, everyone wants to know which woman he'll get involved with. There were rumours that Liz would get her claws into him but now that we've seen Kal, even just a little, I don't think he'd be lured by Liz in the least. I'm predicting another L-ady. I'm going to point the fickle finger of fate at Leanne Tilsley who is probably ripe for a bit of fun after the uphill battle she's having with damaged husband Nick. Kal will start working with Nick and be around more and I think Nick's tirades are wearing her down, little by little. I never really thought Nick and Leanne were suited this time around anyway. She might be the love of his life but I never felt that he was the love of hers. That honour went to Peter, in my feeling. I think she went to Nick on the rebound from Peter and while she loves Nick, it was more about stability and maybe to make up for hurting him in the past (the affair just before the tram crash when she had the affair with Nick but married Peter on his deathbed).

I can picture Leanne and Kal together and I think they would have a lot of chemistry. She's already proven she can be a good mother so his kids would be in good hands. He's a dad so he'd be good to Simon, too.



And the last beginning of the end is the final few weeks for our beloved Hayley Anne Cropper. So far, chemotherapy hasn't seemed to have had a lot of residual effect, not that we've seen but I do think that they're dressing her in clothes just a little too big, to imply she's losing weight. She's starting to look a bit more tired and pale around the edges. She's planning her funeral and it's all going to be terribly sad for all of us who have come to love her over all these years. Now that her son has popped up again, only to be just as horrible as it was the last time and the first time, she's at least got some sort of closure even if it's not really a peace made between them. More of a resignation.

And in this, the anniversary week of the tram crash three years ago, I do wish someone would have mentioned the fact. Three people died, one of them integral to the street for many years and who might still count quite a few neighbours as his friends. I still miss Ashley Peacock. It would have been nice for Nick, whose life Ashley saved, or Kirk, who worked with him, or some of the other regulars to make a mention of him.

What's next for Fiz and Tyrone?

I'm chuffed to little mint balls that Fiz and Tyrone have made their way back together. There have been times in the past that I didn't think they would be suited back together but as time went on and both struggled through terrible and hurtful relationships, they grew up Their friendship never suffered though was sometimes forgotten by the writers.

While Tyrone has lots of mates on the Street, none of them were willing to stick their oars in the muck that was the disaster of Kirsty Soames. Fiz was more than willing to help her old friend at the expense of her own safety! Inevitably, they fell back in love and once Kirsty was packed off to prison, they reunited properly and I couldn't be happier.

What's next for the new family? Will there be another baby in the future? With Hayley's imminent demise, the only stable couple on the Street will be no more. I think that Tyrone and Fiz will be the up and coming replacement and I think they're well suited. They'll probably row, they'll have their ups and downs but ultimately, their love will keep them together long term.

I thought this morning about whether they will continue to live in the Duckworth house because for all of us longtime watchers, it will ever remain thus named. On one hand, it would be a nice continuation with tradition, where Tyrone was so close to Jack and Vera. But on the other hand, they have two little children with the possibility of a third down the road. Things will get crowded even though we viewers realize that most of the houses have elastic walls.

That brings me across the road to Number 6 where the Windass Armstrong lot live. Number 6 has long been a transient house. The owners or renters have never stayed there very long so maybe it's fair to assume that at some point Owen will sell up and they'll all move away. Some of you out there may plead for this outcome. They aren't my favourite family by any means but aside from a low level constant annoyance (with spikes for that dreadful Katy) they mostly fly under my radar. I can see Fiz and Tyrone buying Number 6 to have a bit more room and a proper garden for the little ones. I'd only worry that this could spell the beginning of the end for them considering the history of the house's occupants. Yes, maybe they should stay where they are, under the angel wings of Jack and Vera.

There has to be a wedding in their future though I don't picture Fiz in a white frothy dress coming down the aisle in a church on Chesney's arm. Fizz Dobbs has a strangely cute ring to it! It almost sounds a bit like Sean's nickname for her, "Fizz Bomb" doesn't it? Anyway, I predict the wedding will be a low key registry office do, and we may not even get to see the actual ceremony. Perhaps they'll elope while on holiday. It would be a bit of an anticlimax really, after all they've been through.

Whatever happens, I really, really hope the powers that be don't break up this lovely little family. I hope they do let them take the Cropper mantle and carry on the tradition of having that one stable couple that everyone can point to as a good example of how to do it right.

Pure speculation - What to do with Stella?

Heart lifting news this week comes with the announcement that not only is Liz McDonald returning to Weatherfield, but Steve is going to buy back the pub and install her as landlady! Can I  just have an undignified W00T from the gallery? Thank you.

Apparently, when Karl's misdeeds have been splashed all over the Weathefield Gazette and he's languising in Strangeways, Stella is going to put the pub up for sale, unable to live with the memories. I can understand that. Presuming, then, that Gloria will take her share of the sale equal to what she put into it and go bye-bye as we've also heard, what will Stella do?

Will she leave? Maybe not just yet. I hear her contract is not up until next spring. That doesn't mean she won't leave early and it doesn't mean they won't make her leave early, but all things considered and she stays until they push her out the door at the end of her contract, here's where I think her storyline will go.

First off, where does she live? If Kevin hasn't returned, she can probably stay there. If Steve and Michelle move into the pub with Liz, she can stay in the kebab flat. Sorted.

But without the pub and all the punters into whose lives she could normally meddle and without a back room in which  to hold court, what kind of storyline could she possibly have?

I have an idea and it's one I've seen coming for months.

Dev. Alahan. Yes, that's right. Stella has already been all over Dev like a rash, being all concerned he's doing ok and trying to cheer him up. I think they will have a relationship as he tries to console her and be as good a friend to her as she was to him. It won't happen straight away, she'll need a few weeks to brew that fondness into a full on boiling heat. Before long she'll be up that ginnel and sneaking in to the back door of Number 7.

Poor Aadi and Asha will have yet another adjustment. Maybe Mary will meet Stella at the door with a rolling pin, intent on defending her twin charges who are still recovering from the loss of their dear mother. I don't fancy Stella's chances.

In the end, it will all go pear shaped and, if we're lucky, Stella will be off in a black taxi, a tearful Leanne waving her goodbye.

I've never been fond of Stella though not held her in as much contempt as some fans have. She stuck her nose into business where she "didn't ought to", the worst travesty being her inclusion into the aftermath of the death of Betty Williams. Her whispery voice grated on my nerves. Her frozen face did her no favours either.  "Facial expressions? I don't need no steenking facial expressions!" And there's all that beige. I don't even think she uses lippy with much colour to break up that monotony of neutral. I suppose it's meant to be her "signature" like Hayley's red anorak or Deirdre's specs but beige doesn't make you stand out in a crowd, it makes you melt into it.

Stella put up with so much crap from Karl over the years, even before we met them. We've been told he'd cheated on her before and he gambles. He continued to do both. She turfed him for gambling but took him back. Again. And then let the door hit him on the backside for his affair with Sunita. But she took him back after the fire out of gratitude because he saved her life.

Can I just repeat here, once again, he did NOT save her life, he was ready to die on the bedroom floor with her because they were trapped. Toni (RIP) and Paul got them out the window.

Stella continued to be sucked in by Karl over and over. She kind of deserves what she gets, heartbreak and shame and at least one smug daughter who Told Her So.

So, besides Michelle Collins being a friend of former producer Phil Collinson, why were we saddled with her? Well, because Beverly Callard was unable to continue as Liz at the time. She's been struggling with depression on and off for a few years and needed more recovery time. The Rovers has to have a landlady and Steve can't have his name over the door because he's got a criminal record. Someone had to be brought in as manager. I wish Steve hadn't had to sell the pub but we can blame Tracy for sucking him in and turning him away from Becky. If he hadn't wanted to buy her Number 13. Since they had to have someone, MC got the nod.

Soon, we will be back where we started and I for one can't be happier. I do hope Bev Callard will be able to keep up the pace this time around and stay. I can handle Stella in smaller doses.

Now the big question is...Will Liz take Owen away from Anna? Or will she take Tim away from Sally? Personally, since Lloyd is now single, I want Liz and Lloyd to get back together.

Sorted.

The Moral Choice

The surrogacy story has reached the twist that pretty much everyone knew was coming. Tina can't bring herself to give up the baby to Izzy and Gary. In a large part, she was overwhelmed with love for the baby and that's a natural reaction. In a small part, she sees Gary and Izzy fighting, Gary having made a pass at her. Now Izzy and Gary are at odds, perhaps with a cool truce for the baby's sake but Izzy not planning to forgive Gary any time soon. The baby would be brought up in a broken home full of tension.

While I can understand the pull of hormones, I think she's wrong to keep the baby. Legally, she's the mother and does not have to abide by her promise. I believe that even a written contract would not be legally enforceable and as far as Gary's paternal rights go, he only has them if she says he can. Legally she can give paternal rights to Tommy if she chooses. She and Gary were not married at the time of the birth. As for that broken home, she probably thought that a single parent would still be better for the baby than two parents split apart and at each others' throats while sharing custody. She's got Tommy on her side for the time being, but for how long?

Izzy and Gary may be at odds but they also have a family to support them and the child where Tina (and Tommy) have two old age pensioners. Tina does have a mother but she's never been in the picture and seems to have been totally forgotten altogether.

Biologically and genetically, that child is not hers, it's Izzy and Gary's. She promised. She took money (which is illegal aside from legitimate expenses). I don't recall if she signed a contract though there may have been some medical forms signed when she underwent the surrogacy treatments. Morally, I think she should give the baby to his rightful parents, as difficult as it would be for her.

It would have been too simple for the storyline to follow the planned route. Tina gives the baby over and looks sadly at the little family from across the cobbles when she sees them out and about. Having Tina keep the baby after all gives us far more drama and storyline into the near future at least. Everyone's upset, Tina stands alone. Even though Tommy and Rita have supported her, they don't really think she's doing the right thing, either.

There is supposed to be a court hearing now. Whether we'll get that far is another question. Will Tina give in? Will the judge say, Sorry, the law is clear. She can keep the baby. That will cause further ructions, hate and screaming in the middle of the street. I guess we'll find out soon enough. I can't help thinking that in the real world, if this were to happen, Tina might keep the baby and then leave town. (Well, yes, I know that spoiler too, but that's a ways off yet with lots of angst and storyline that can unfold in the meantime).

I know there's been a lot of criticism about the storyline but I have enjoyed it so far even when, at times, I've been annoyed. Overall, I think it's been interesting and good soap fodder. What have you thought?