State of the Street - August

Another McDonald "wedding of the year" and at least the bride stayed sober and they got married. But, thanks to Slug and Hooch, Becky spent her wedding night in the nick. Much like Sunita did. And both of them are innocent and were/are set up. But the hen night was delightful, with Becky and Betty having a cuddle, with Anna and Hayley dancing to Two Frozen Peas and then some heartfelt moments between Becky and Steve out in the ginnel. Liz returned in the gawdiest outfit i've ever seen her wearing, that pink pantsuit, and then wore a Spanish Flamenco dress to the wedding. After it all fell apart, Liz really ripped into Becky, Becky ripped into Liz and Steve actually defended his wife and hollered at Liz for speaking those things to his wife. Has Steve finally grown up? The rest of the month was the quest to find Slug and prove Becky's innocence which of course, they will.

Now Liz is back to face Lloyd and there were some lovely scenes between the two when she bared her soul and confusion and he cried. It was one of the best scenes I've seen on Corrie and the actors really made it work, as I've said before. (Do you think he looks thinner?) And that's the plainest i've ever seen Liz in my life! Black tshirt, no cleavage, no makeup. After all the upheaval of the wedding, i still enjoyed seeing the McDonald clan back together for a short visit.

I really wondered how thick Gail's blinders are. She works in a health clinic, i'm sure over the years she's seen addicts come in for help, or come in to try to get drugs. Surely she'd know the signs. It took months for her to finally figure it out, when Joe broke into the clinic in desperation. Yes, he needs help. No, she's not so sure she can support him. It's no wonder. With everything she's been through over the years with men, it's any wonder she has any strength left to work this hard on a relationship. She doesn't expect it to be easy but i'm sure she didn't expect it to be like Atlas shouldering the world either. Mind you, spoilers say Joe's going to drown. I think Gail needs to seriously consider moving to the desert! And Gary had a mate whip the tar out of David so they're even. Will David ramp up the feud again or will he leave it alone? Is anyone else getting tired of him gazing bitterly at Jason and Tina who, I have to say, are being a bit insensitive snogging practically on David's doorstep every chance they get. Aside from that, though, I actually like them as a couple.

There's been some lovely scenes with Anna Windass and both Chesney and Fiz. Also, Anna at the Hen Party was loads of fun, too! I can't stand Eddie and Len is a waste of skin but I always liked Anna and i like her even more now. And since Gary is the one responsible for the beating on David, i may warm to him as well! (kidding!) I think they're going to make Gary a bit more of a sympathetic character. If they don't, he won't last long on the Street. And maybe with Anna's help, Fiz and Chesney can find their way back to each other but things went kind of quiet after the first week or two after Ches found out about the engagement. The wedding's in September. I'm crossing all my bits and pieces that it won't go through and we can get our sparky Fiz back again.

Maria and Tony are officially a couple and he's got his feet under her sheets, never mind the table and Michelle went ballistic. I can understand it in one way, it's quite quick for someone to find a new love of her life after her husband was killed but everyone is different. Now *we* all know she's cozying up to her husband's killer and she even thought that's what he was a few months ago but she changed her mind and nobody else knows except Carla and she's not around to tell. Yet. Carla's coming back soon and it's all going to kick off, but unfortunately it'll end with Maria's absence from the screen while the actress goes off to have her baby. I am guessing she'll retreat to Ireland or Cypress for a bit to lick her wounds.

Claire has another crusade, to organize a village fete and she got so involved in it that she failed to see that Josh had an allergic reaction to a bee sting. He'll be ok but the truth about the vasectomy will come out now and it'll all kick off again between the Pained Peacocks. Actually, I don't mind Claire but a lot of people seem to really dislike her or find her tedious and boring. I find there are similarities between her and Maxine, Ashley's first wife in that they are both determined and like a dog with a bone when they've got a goal or cause. Claire is just as stubborn as Maxine was. The difference is that Maxine was a bit of a dumb blonde where Claire isn't quite so much. (Dumb. She's definitely not blonde, obviously). Ok, Claire is a bit of a Moaning Mona, but i think she's very well suited to Ashley just the same. He's a bit of a Moaning Mona too!

Molly and Tyrone returned from holiday. Molly was supposed to have been topless tanning but she had tan lines anyway. Back to the dreary life of laundry and cooking. But does she think it would be any different if she married macho mechanic Kevin? She'd be washing his dirty coveralls and socks and grubby underpants just the same as she's doing with Ty's now. Sadly, that break didn't cool off the affair. It almost feels like Molly only went for Kevin because she found out he fancied her but when he decided to back off after the first shag, she didn't like that one little bit. It's only over if she says it's over and Tyrone is boring the bits off her. They celebrated their fun run with more exercise in bed. I wouldn't have thought they'd have had the energy! Have I mentioned that i really dislike this storyline? Thought so.

Who would have thought Emily was going to find a fancy man so late in life? But it was not to be. Ramsay got on the plane back to Oz and dropped dead. I blame Norris, you know and so does Emily. He really is a detestable little weasel. If he had relented even a little bit to Ramsay's olive branch, he'd have stayed around. However, we do discover that Ramsay had a brain tumour so it was only a matter of time anyway. Hmmm... this sounds familiar. Rita married Ted knowing he had a tumour and limited time. I suppose they couldn't go that same route with Emily. Some lovely scenes though, with Rita telling Emily that she helped make Ramsay's last few weeks happy and then Emily calling Norris every strong name she could think of. Of course *we* saw that Ramsay's death affected Norris more than he let on but he won't let anyone else see that.

Norris Flamin' Cole!

If you're a fan of Norris Cole you aren't going to like this. I have never liked the character of Norris. Ever. Not this time around and definitely not the last time around when he was first introduced, rescuing a stranded Derek from a motorway rest stop. He was obnoxious then and he's obnoxious now. He was even more obnoxious than Derek and that's saying something. He may have mistook Derek's name at first but surely he would have learned otherwise but he insisted on calling Derek "Dirk". Probably did it because it annoyed Derek so much, I figure. Now, granted, Derek was easy to wind up as Des Barnes had already figured out. Norris was also behind the gnome-napping which was probably the ultimate wind up ever!

I didn't like Norris, partly because of his looks. He physically repulsed me. I do apologize to Malcom Hebden for that, he can't help it, but his hairstyle and pursed lips and thick rimmed glasses just gave me the willies. To be fair, since he's now older and grayer, his looks have softened and he doesn't creep me out anymore. Norris was never meant to be likeable that first time around. He was arrogant, sneaky and annoying. There really wasn't anything about him that was remotely comical. He was a foil for Derek and Mavis.

When he returned, jobless, wifeless, a broken man, he was set up to be humbled. A mere shopkeeper after falling from the lofty heights of executive-dom looking down his nose at everyone else. They turned him into a gossipy, nosy "old woman" of a man. He may have a few funny lines or situations now and then but he's petty, picky, nasty, sarcastic, ungenerous, fussy, close minded, judgemental (oh boy, is he judgemental!) and gossipy (and not in a good way). He does have a soft side, he does respect and care greatly for Emily and Rita but that's the extent of it. I rarely find him or the situations he gets in funny though i did find the scene where Mary tries to seduce him and he scrambles out on all fours pretty funny.

But even then, he had a lovely woman who wanted him. He definitely gave her mixed signals when, if he wasn't interested, he should have made it clear from the start. His treatment of his half brother Ramsay has been appalling and atrocious. Carrying a grudge for 50 years, unreasonably so, is unfathomable. Ramsay might have given his birth mother a shock when he returned to find her (and it will become clear that she didn't want to find him either), but it didn't do her in. She didn't die for a year after that so the responsibility can hardly be put at Ramsay's door. Yet, Norris has put the blame squarely on his brother. Ramsay has been trying and trying to appease, suck up and make up for it all but Norris is having none of it.

He's only pleased because Ramsay is leaving but it's going to turn to dust when Ramsay dies suddenly. Will Norris have any regrets? I certainly hope so because he's almost unredeemable after all this bullying. He's also ruined Emily's chances and maybe that's been part of his reasoning. If Ramsay takes "his" place in Emily's life, he'll have to leave Number 3. I think he might have relented and warmed up to his brother if there hadn't been a spark with Emily there. It's not that Norris fancies Em, because he doesn't, but he's very protective of her. I bet he was the same with his mother and resented any intrusions such as long lost sons showing up on her doorstep and threatening to push him out of the way then, too!

edited: I must add, as i meant to in the first place, that i find no fault with Malcom Hebden's portrayal. He's an excellent actor with superb comic timing. He does Norris justice but I just don't like the character.

Norris will never change, regrets or no, and i will never change my opinion of him either.

High praise indeed

I've just *got* to bestow my praise and kudos to four actors in particular that have absolutely shone like a very shiny thing for me in recent episodes of Coronation Street.

The first storyline concerns Steve and Becky's current predicament. Now, logic tells us all that this will have a happy ending because, as far as we know, neither actor is leaving the show. In the meatime, we have to watch the frustration and pain of their backs against the wall in between where that rock and that hard place are. Becky went from feathery exuberance on her wedding day, determined not to mess up like the last time to about the lowest place she's ever been in her life. The rug was well and truly pulled out from under her white satin stilletos and add to that, the betrayal that the love of her life, her shiny new husband, didn't believe in her innocence. Steve, knowing how easy it is to fall back into shady deals and illegal measures, assumed the worst but when push came to shove, he realized she was set up and had a huge amount of groveling and making up to do. He was sincere about it too.

Becky spent her wedding night in the cell, had to endure Hooch's emotional torture and then had to face Steve in the morning. Steve and Becky sat in the car, he apologized, explained and groveled and she was very, very quiet. There was no shouting, no screaming recriminations. Just pain on both their parts.

Simon Gregson and Katherine Kelly were magnificent in both the wedding episode and in the aftermath, in my humble opinion. She was radiant in Friday's eps, just as her father-figure Roy said she was. She shook with pre-wedding nerves, held Roy captive with those big blue eyes when he had to convince her she wasn't ill nor dying, silently begging him to be right (he was, of course!). She practically danced down the short "aisle" of the registry office, excited and exuberantly giggling "I love it when he's gaggin' for it!" as Steve pulled her to the front so they could tie the knot. Simon played it just right. He and Becky have spark and fun together and this wedding certainly showed that up.

Later, when she was taken away in cuffs, as white as her dress, his face was grey with shock and you could almost feel that sick feeling in his gut when he seemed to think the worst, putting the wrong 2 and 2 together.

In the car the next day, they played it quietly. Katherine hardly looked at him at first, but had her face turned towards his side of the car, though looking past him to the back, towards where one of the cameras was. You could tell when he was finally getting through to her that he really did believe her and he really was sorry. She started glancing at him through her eyelashes and finally did look at him face to face, but you could feel the doubt, the weariness, the fear all etched into her expression. She put every ounce of vulnerability into that scene. Simon never took his eyes off her, pleading for her to forgive him but never whining, never in desperation, just earnestly and honestly. He wasn't blustering his excuses, he was stating where he was coming from and pledging to her that he really did believe her. He played it like a real grown up, something we haven't always seem Steve be when under pressure like this. He accepted his betrayal and was very sorry for it. He was gentle. He was patient. She had her defences up but didn't completely shut him away by turning her back on him. They didn't rush the scene. They nailed it.



The second storyline concerns Liz and Lloyd's breakup. The relationship was unexpected for both of them, starting off as two lonely friends reaching out. Lloyd is younger than Liz and is her son's best mate but he's older than Steve, too, probably about half way between Steve and Liz's age. Don't forget, Liz was only 17 when she had the twins so she really wouldn't be that much older than Lloyd, less than 10 years, is my guess. Still, she was never comfortable with the age difference since she was the older of the two. It mattered not at all to Lloyd and he seemed really taken with her, even moreso when she finally seemed to relax and enjoy their relationship. Even Steve seemed to come to terms with it and it all looked good. But then, Liz went to Spain to look after Andy and his bar while he was ill and stayed. And stayed. And it didn't look like she was going to come back. She stopped returning Lloyd's calls and messages leaving him bewildered and confused. Finally, she appeared in time for Steve and Becky's wedding and the stalled relationship whimpered to an end.

Many times when a couple breaks up there are rows and sobs, heart rending drama or cold, unfeeling declarations. This breakup was a little different than you usually see on telly. No rows, no name calling, but there were tears. There were tears, not only from Liz but from Lloyd, also unusual. Maybe that's because of the skill of the actor involved. Crying on screen is difficult for many actors and it doesn't always look very realistic. Craig Charles doesn't usually get dramatic scenes so you don't really realize how good an actor he can be. Lloyd is usually joking and silly with brief glimpses of anger depending on the situation. Bev Callard has always impressed me with her capabilities. This time she was playing it vulnerable, a bit confused, sad and maybe a little unsure she was doing the right thing. She bared her soul and was as honest as she could be, right down to having no makeup on and a very reserved tshirt and comfy trousers instead of her usual mask of makeup and tarty clothes. The tears on Craig Charles' face did look real and he put a truckload of emotion into their final breakup scene in the empty Rovers, the feathery, sparkly remains of the aborted wedding reception still on the walls around them. He gave Lloyd that reluctance to accept the end, the heartbreak of it and maybe, a little spark of hope against hope that someday she might change her mind. When Liz reminded Lloyd that Jim would soon be coming round, there was no puffed up blustering about being unafraid of the beligerent ex, just confidence and surprise that she might think he would be fearful. You get the feeling that he wouldn't be cowed so quickly as Vernon was by the face of Jim in a temper and could give as good as he gets. Lloyd might be a lover rather than a fighter but he'd be an even bet in most, I think.

That aside, it remains to be seen whether Lloyd and Liz will get back together though I'm guessing not. Steve and Becky will probably defeat Hooch and go at least some of the distance. I've long thought highly of Simon Gregson who has grown up into a really solid actor and he's really jumped up another level in my estimation lately. Craig Charles has jumped up several levels for me. I never thought he was a bad actor, but stretching to the emotional stuff really shows his acting chops off in a shining light. Bev Callard has always been solid and has always given us many sides of Liz. In one episode she showed her vulnerability and her rage and resentment towards her new daughter-in-law. Katherine Kelly just goes from peak to peak in her ability to portray Becky Granger McDonald as a loose cannon, a rough diamond who seems to gain confidence and self esteem only to have it thown out with the trash, sometimes by her own doing and sometimes not. She's cut from a similar cloth as Karen McDonald was but has a fiercer edge, a bit more desperation in her grasp to find some good in a life that didn't have a lot of it now that she realizes there are people who do believe in her and love her.

If you now ask me who my favourite character is, I will not be able to name just one. It'll be any one of these four though maybe Katherine Kelly has a slight edge.

Character Study: Steven James McDonald

To celebrate Steve McDonald's wedding this week, Here's a character study of the groom.

The McDonald family arrived in Coronation Street at the end of 1989. Ex-army Sargeant Jim and Liz, a couple in their thirties, were parents to 14 year old fraternal twins, Steve and Andy. From the start, the lads were high-energy tearaways initially causing aggravation for Alf Roberts. Steve and Andy got up to a lot of mischief, including a joyride in an industrial earth mover, breaking Alf's shop window (not for the first time, either!). Steve tended to be the one that came up with the ideas but Andy wasn't short of one or two himself.

Thus, it was established that Steve and trouble were no strangers.

The lads were brought up mainly by their mother because Jim was in the army and away more than he was home. When he was home, the hot tempered Jim, who's tirades were often fueled by whiskey and beer, had boys fearing and resenting him. Steve grew up with little respect for his father but a great deal for his mother. It didn't stop him from getting into scrapes, no matter how much it worried his mother. Schoolboy pranks turned into illegal activities when Steve was sure he could pull off a scam or two only to find out that the long arm of the law was only a few steps away. Perhaps the excitement and challenge of that was part of the attraction.

Steve was caught selling stolen car radios, and falling into a bad lot which got his brother, Andy, beaten up. Steve ran away with a teenage love to the Lakes and had to be retrieved and defended against Jim by his mother. The McDonalds didn't have a lot of money and this seemed to fuel Steve's ambitions, always looking for a way to make a quick pound. Or maybe it was just that money schemes were more thrilling than those that didn't involve it. Steve was always one to go for a thrill and a challenge.

He married young, the granddaughter of Alec Gilroy, who had come into a bit of money when her parents died. This seemed to be nothing more than another scam to get his hands on the cash, something Alec could never convince Vicky of, but, as predicted, it didn't last long. He got caught in possession of stolen booze and this time, he went to jail. Vicky divorced him and left town. Did Steve learn a lesson from his sojourn? Well, yes and no. He did try harder to avoid the illegal but didn't always manage it. Jim's drinking, jealousy and temper often caused great upheaval in his marriage and later, in his divorce with Liz. This didn't help Jim and Steve's continually rocky relationship. Steve usually took his mother's side but he was never a "mama's" boy. He still went his own way but was always there for her when needed.

Steve never seemed to have that many regrets about his checkered past but three things did give him a guilty conscience. Steve always felt responsible for the death of his baby sister, Kathleen, to whom Liz gave birth to prematurely after worrying about Steve's latest scheme. Later, Steve started working with Jim in a building business but Jim was drinking a lot and during an argument and scuffle on scaffolding, Jim fell into a skip and was paralyzed for a time. After Jim's recovery, things started to improve between father and son. They seemed to come to an acceptance of each other. The last incident that Steve will always have regrets over is his involvement with Jez Quigley, from whom he borrowed money to invest in a mini cab firm with mate Vikram Desai. When he couldn't pay it back when Jez demanded it, Jez had him beaten up very badly. Jim went after Jez and gave him such a pounding that Jez later died from his injuries. Jim confessed and went to jail where he is still serving time. This seemed to be the point where Steve really started to turn his life around.

He had taken over the building business and made a fair success of it, being involved in the reconstruction of Victoria Street and later, a renovation of a block of flats that Richard Hillman bought. (but that's another story!) The taxi firm, Streetcars, although it's had a few bumps along the way, has been a success too. He now owns the Rovers Return Inn as well, with his mother as the licensed landlady (he can't own the license because of his criminal record).

He still hasn't been any luckier in love, though. He had a volatile relationship with sexy factory worker Karen, whom he married on a bet, divorced and remarried. He had a one night stand with Tracy Barlow which resulted in a daughter, Amy. After initially rejecting the baby, Steve has come around and become a very good dad when Tracy had allowed him to be. Now that Tracy is in prison, he's a single father but fatherhood has added another new side to Steve and it looks like he's going to cope ok.

Steve McDonald has grown from a scallywag to a troubled young man to a responsible businessman and father in his 30's. He almost seems to be as sensible as his twin, Andy, always was, the (dare I say it?) Voice of Reason when all around him seem to have run amuck. Well, sometimes. Witness how he just couldn't help messing up his relationship to Michelle! He'd mess up and lie about it compulsively and it always makes things worse in the end. He hasn't learned that lesson yet. Michelle's own personal problems seemed to drag Steve down and now he's with live wire, Becky, who has brightened him up. He had a bit more fun with Becky at the start but it all went pear shaped after she found out she couldn't have children.

Her sister turned up and Becky met her nephew Max and the whole child-buying business ended up blowing their marraige sky high, with a little help from out-of-prison Tracy Barlow who couldn't help poking the bear with a big stick.

Steve jumps from one volatile woman to the next and before long, Tracy has him manipulated back into her life. You've heard how a lot of men end up with women like their mothers. I don't think that's too far off the mark with our Steve. Liz was fiery and tempermental and most of the women Steve has been with have been trouble with a capital T.

It's been an interesting ride watching Steve grow up. I hope he's around for a long time to come.

It's so frustrating

Sometimes Coronation Street can be so frustrating to watch. Sometimes you just can't look away! When it's good, it's very, very good but when it's frustrating, it's painful and lots of people I know have actually lost patience with it and given up or taken a break from watching. I don't think I'll ever do that but there have been times when I've wanted to shake the producer and writers and wonder what they're thinking? Corrie has lasted nearly fifty years and it's gone through many ups and downs. There have been periods of very boring storylines or absolutely absurd ones, and not in a good way.

People complain that it's not like it used to be but nothing ever is and Granada/ITV is in the business of making money. They have to keep attracting new viewers, preferably younger ones to hook them and keep them. Younger viewers aren't going to watch a show where the most exciting thing that happens is watching someone put out the milk bottles on a rainy day. There's also a lot more competition for the soap viewers than there was in the 60s and 70s. Thus, we now have more "gripping" storylines than ever before. Corrie has had to change with the times or it never would have lasted this long.

Having said that, I quite enjoy some of the "gripping" and sensational storylines. The Richard Hillman saga had me on the edge of my seat and I'm quite enjoying Tony Gordon's reign, bullying the factory bees worse than Mike Baldwin ever did, (though he still gives jobs back after a sacking, just like Mike used to do) murdering and near murdering, ruthless and nasty, and now, with Maria, showing a softer side. But it makes us all wonder what his real motive is! It keeps me watching.

Soap Operas have a lot of Standard Plotlines...affairs, love stories, births and deaths, even crime and punishment, with revenge coming near the top. There's only so many plotlines so you have to think of new ways to tell the stories. There are rules, too, like a murderer not being allowed to get away with their crime unless there is an extenuating circumstance such as self defense. One of the current storylines that has me frustrated is the Kevin and Molly affair. It's so out of character, so cliche and so icky!  Molly shags probably the one person on the Street she really, really shouldn't (her husband's best mate and boss) and then goes on holiday with her husband. Now what do YOU think is going to happen? Standard Soap Opera Plot #239, she gets pregnant and doesn't know who's the daddy. We don't know if this is going to happen to Michelle Connor but she's on the slippery slope as well, having had sex with Peter Barlow and Luke Strong within a day of each other. You just throw your hands in the air, tut tut and go make a cup of tea while they're on the screen these days and wait for Tony's scenes instead.

Frustrating plot lines often happen when it's out of character for the people involved. Another frustrating standard soap cliche is lies, lies and damned lies, to use a popular saying. There is no unearthly reason for people to lie or hide the truth from their friends and loved ones except to keep the viewers waiting to see when it's all going to hit the fan. Ashley Peacock and the cocked-up vasectomy, anyone? How about Fiz lying to Chesney and most of her friends that she's not involved with Prisoner 666 (John Stape) again? That secret has just come out but Ashley's secret will be dragged out a bit longer. When Hayley found out about her son Christian, she didn't tell Roy for ages and then wasn't going to tell Christian she was his biological father, so that, of course, caused Roy to be twice as disappointed in Hayley when she finally did tell him and it caused Christian to freak out when he discovered the truth. (While a lot of people thought that storyline was ill thought out because it rewrote Hayley's back story, and it did, I still thought it was worthy and gave Roy and Hayley some good stuff.)

Some lies just seem so unnecessary but others are just par for the course, like Joe hiding his addiction or Ken lying to Deirdre because he's having it off on a canal boat with a Bohemian actress. You expect those lies, you get frustrated at the stupid ones.

It's frustrating watching Steve McDonald get himself in hot water over a stupid lie but enjoyable watching him squirm because he's lying to save his ass. Steve is one of those characters that's fun to watch no matter what.

Then there's the frustration of too much of a good thing. David Platt going off the rails was good to watch for the first 6 months or so but it's getting boring now. Every time he puts on that hurt look when he sees Tina or insists that Joe make Tina come back to him or he doesn't get the drugs David is hiding, I cringe. Get over yourself, lad! Move On! It's also very frustrating watching Gail make excuses over and over and over again for David/Sarah/Joe/Nick/Martin/whoever. How stupid can that woman be? (Though I do like Gail as a character overall).

It's frustrating when storylines drag on and on and are endless, pointless and are then dropped, never to be heard from again. Hayley never mentions Christian, not even a sigh and a glance at a hidden photo. Michelle seems to have forgotten that her biological son, Alex, exists and when she went on tour with the band, wouldn't it have made more sense for Ryan to stay with his biological dad, Nick rather than a mate? Speaking of biological fathers, Matt Ramsden is never, ever mentioned by the Peacocks anymore. Josh was only sent off with Matt for a holiday a couple of summers ago so that Ashley could have that affair with KC when Claire was ill. Before that, Ashley would never have let Josh spend more than an afternoon with Matt. (Yeah, that was another Who's the Daddy standard plot. Someone has sex with someone they shouldn't? Whammo! Baby time! You can see it coming a mile away!)

It's frustrating when you don't see characters for weeks and months on end. Sometimes it's due to an actor's illness or maternity leave so you accept that but when there's no fathomable excuse, it seems odd. Logically, we know that the actors are contracted for a certain amount of episodes per year but sometimes, especially at occasions like weddings or funerals, the absence of some of them is glaringly noticed.

Corrie is good most of the time. They do dramatic very, very well. They do humour extremely well, too. Even just a random conversation, scene or reaction can be hysterically funny. Their sense of everyday type scenes and conversations may seem like filler between the main plots but they're what everyone can relate to the best. Passing the time of day in the Kabin or the Rovers, a gossip over the sewing machines, or silliness between mates in the taxi office all make Corrie more realistic, more identifiable. I don't know about you, but there are very few serial killers on my street but there is a corner shop and I have great crack with my coworkers.

So when you get frustrated, focus on the little things, quirky characters, the great dialogue, the fab acting, occasional nods to all that Corrie history, the double acts, the friendships and know that this too shall pass.

The State of the Street - July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will Nick Tilsley choose a babe or a broad?

News from ITV this week is that Nick Tilsley could very well be back on our screens by the end of the year, recast with a new actor, thank heavens! Some people might have thought Adam Rickett was a good actor but I never did. He was a pretty boy who, even in his second go-round as Nick, after some acting experience, was still painful to watch. Nick would be nearly 30 now and no doubt they'll still cast a good looking man, someone to make Weatherfield hearts flutter.

Which ones, though? Well, there's always Rosie Webster, the neighbourhood trollop. She likes an older man. Then there's Tina. A romp with his brother's ex could make for even more psychoDave antics. Just because Nick is his brother wouldn't hold David back. Besides, David hardly knows Nick anyway. Nick spent most of David's childhood in Canada either at school or working for KBec then back for a short time and off to Birmingham again.

Nick has form with bubble headed broads, too, he used to date Candice Stowe and Maria Sutherland! Speaking of Maria, might she find the flames fanned again? What about Leanne? The actress is on maternity leave but surely she'll be back. She was always more than a match for Nick but maybe he's grown up and turned into a force to be reckoned with. Nick? Nahhhh!!!! Peter might have been lusting after Michelle but Leanne was still under his skin. They were a good couple, well matched, I thought, and even better with his drinking under control.

Nick... I can see him fancying Becky but she wouldn't look twice at him. Molly would likely have a go, she's shown that she can be easily persuaded by a wink and a smile. If Tyrone has found out about her fling with Kev by then, she could be out on her own and looking for love in all the wrong places. I don't see Fiz and John lasting so maybe he'll pick up the pieces and mend her broken heart.

What about an older woman? Julie certainly isn't backward in coming forward and she doesn't seem to mind younger men...Kirk and Jason, for instance. There also Michelle, too. Luke Strong is leaving, and Leanne is returning. That might mean Peter and Leanne together and Michelle left hanging and vulnerable.

My best guess? None of the above. Nick's last two paramours were both hairdressers so I reckon Natasha will be his choice. She's beautiful, tall and blonde and if they cast Nick in a similar form as Rickett, they'll make a stunning couple. She's a bit scatterbrained but not too bubble headed. She might be just right for Nick. What do you think?

Passive Aggressive vs Total Manipulation

According to the definition, "Passive Agressive" is a personality trait said to be marked by a pervasive pattern of negative attitudes and passive, usually disavowed resistance in interpersonal or occupational situations. That sounds a bit complex. What it means is when someone seems to be on your side or seems to go along with things, but they're putting obstacles in the way either consciously or unconsciously. For instance, someone asks their partner to take on a household job such as the laundry or the grocery shopping. That person doesn't particularly want to but agrees anyway and then does it wrong all the time. Therefore, the original requestor ends up redoing it or taking the task back. Result! thinks the requestee, because they didn't want to seem to be negative or unhelpful and can now say, "well, I did try my best" when really, they didn't.

It can also be seen as a bit controlling, especially if they are doing it and they know they are doing it. They're making the other person do what they want without having to directly persuade them. They can use the behaviour to cause trouble, to control, and to manipulate and some people are very, very good at it.

There are two characters on Corrie that deserve the Olympic gold standard in passive aggressive behaviour, and both have crossed the line. One is more classic than the other, more weak and more likely to show P.A. only somewhat consciously where the other is very much in control and uses P.A. to maneouver people like pieces on a chess board.

The latter, of course, is Tony Gordon. He's a master manipulator and control freak. He doesn't appear to have a conscience, not often at least. He is arrogant and selfish, cold and sarcastic. Did he truly love Carla or was it an obsession? Was she a possession that slipped through his fingers due to his own manipulations? Carla was probably the only woman that was close to Tony's equal, both in intelligence and in ruthlessness though she did show a softer side now and then.

Tony lost Carla to Liam and he had Liam killed in revenge. He then actually got his hands dirty and nearly strangled Jed Stone, one of the flies in the ointment but Jed was instrumental in Carla finding out the truth about Liam in the end. Maria discovered evidence of Carla and Liam's affair and leaped to the conclusion that Tony had Liam killed. She nearly got herself locked in the mental ward after weeks of hysterical campaigning trying to get everyone to believe her. Now, it looks like she's falling in love with Tony and he with her. Or is he? My feeling is that he started wooing her to put her off the scent. He also has shown a guilty conscience for killing Liam but only because Maria was pregnant. If she hadn't been, she might be as dead as Liam now for all the bad PR she was hurling Tony's way.

I think Tony may see his helping Maria as a way to atonement. He may actually be developing feelings for her and he has surely been touched by the birth of the baby, the baby that he brought into the world on a remote beach. Don't get too comfortable, Tony is already showing those signs of possessing the woman he "loves" by subtly pushing visitors away and making sure Maria's in-laws know he's been staying nights by retrieving his razor while they were there. That was calculated and it pushed the right buttons. The end result? He's hoping they'll get so upset that they'll leave and never return, thus cutting Maria and the baby off from Liam's family. Classic P.A. move.

Granted, Tony does not really have a classic P.A. personality, he just uses it for his own ends. The character that really is classic, is John Stape, aka Prisoner 666. (I love that moniker, the one Sally hurled at Fiz in the factory one day!) He knows exactly how to keep Fiz where he wants her and get her to do what he wants without seeming to be a controlling bastard like Tony. But he's equally destructive, maybe moreso. He puts on the hurt, puppy dog eyes, he uses flattery and poetry. He puts subtle ideas into Fiz's head and lets her run with it in exactly the right direction he wants. He lies with ease. He's weak and has no self control.

Recently, during a prison visit with Fiz, he talked about his anti-depression pills and being well enough now to be off them because of her, talking about weddings before giving her the idea of getting married while he's still in prison then pretending it's a mad idea, pretending it's not what he wants. Fiz has grabbed onto the idea, however, and is now determined to make it happen. When she left the visitation room, he had that tiny little smirk on his face, the smirk in this photo. Result! See, the sooner she marries him, the sooner he has her trapped. Then when he gets out of prison, he can put her firmly into an invisible walled prison. He's not as obvious about it as Charlie Stubbs was when he was manipulating Shelley but the end result will be the same.

He's already chipping Fiz's self esteem away. He's ruined her sparky fire and turned her into a needy puddle of tears. She's turning into the kind of woman that thinks that she is nothing and has no self worth if she doesn't have the man she loves. Last year, before he kidnapped Rosie, he thought it would be a good idea to move Fiz out into the country to his gran's house, away from all her friends and family. He didn't think about bringing Chesney along, only as an afterthought. He didn't think about her job, her friends or her responsibilities. He just wanted to get her away because her friends didn't like him or what he'd done, cheating on her with Rosie. But that went a bit too far, and Fiz, still with a modicum of backbone, balked.

What does John do? In a fit of temper, blaming Rosie for his downfall, kidnaps Rosie and keeps her in his gran's locked attic for 5 weeks until Fiz discovered her. Fiz thought she'd never set eyes on him again but she still couldn't help seeing him sent down and when she couldn't deal with Ches, she gravitated to him again and he's ramped up the PA behaviour even more. She is completely under his spell, even though Chesney is rebelling hard against it, she continues to blindly slip further and further into Stape's web.

How will it all end? Will she see what he's doing to her when Chesney goes right off the rails? Or will Prisoner 666 ensnare her and leave her a shell of her former self? Will Fiz come to her senses eventually? I hope so. I hope the writers have a purpose behind all this and we get a sadder, wiser Fiz back after it's all over.

Ashley... loser in life?

Don't get he wrong, I like the character of Ashley. He's a bit mild mannered and not very dynamic. But, while Eileen is the loser in love in residence, I very much believe that Ashley is turning into the loser in ... well, pretty much everything. How much bad stuff can happen to one man? When you think about it, it's been nearly non-stop! Early in our aquaintance with Ashley, he was accused of setting fire to Mike Baldwin's factory. It was actually set ablaze by Don Brennen with whom Ashley lodged. That got sorted out.

Then his world was rocked when he discovered Fred Elliott wasn't his uncle, but his father. He came to terms with it though, and they became very close. He took up with a runaway teenager, Zoe, and her baby but the baby then died of meningitis and Zoe left him to join a cult.

It all goes downhill from there.

He and Maxine got married... on the day that the wife of his best man, Gary Mallet, died in her back yard pegging out baby clothes. Great start to married life, eh wot? He discovered that his "swimmers" weren't performing suitable well enough for Max to get pregnant but one single night in a hospital with a quick operation fixed the problem. Only that one single night, his wife got very drunk and shagged her doctor and gave birth 9 months later to his baby! Ashley was crushed!

Not long after that, Maxine was bludgeoned to death by murderer Richard Hillman and Ashley had his world come down around his ears again. He hired a nanny to look after baby Josh, fell in love with her and then the trouble *really* started!

Little Josh's father came back into the picture and decided he wanted to be part of the boy's life. He took Ashley to court to get access to the boy and rather than lose Josh altogether to a custody suit, Ashley finally broke down and allowed Dr. Matt to spend time with him. That seems to have been forgotten as Matt is only mentioned on very rare occasions when Josh has to be out of the picture for storyline purposes.

Ashley's dad got into a rivalry with a fellow butcher whose son was a boxer. Ashley was coerced into competing in a grudge match but, while training, got a knock in the eye that threatened to blind him. It turned out ok, though, but it was a worry!

They had a baby, but Claire suffered from debillitating Post Natal Depression and even believed the baby was not hers. A couple of weeks in hospital and a good course of drugs got her back on an even keel, just in time for Ashley's father's wedding to Bev Unwin. Except his beloved dad keeled over and died on his wedding day! Six months after that, the lady Claire had made friends with turned psycho, tried to kill Claire by setting the house on fire and when that didn't work, broke up Ashley and Claire, got obsessed with Ash, lured him into bed and kidnapped the baby when Ashley firmly told her to bug off. She threatened to jump off the balcony of her flat high in the tower block but of course, it didn't happen and she was dragged off to a friendly neighbourhood psych ward.

Things have been quiet since then in the House of Peacock but it's about to start up again. That little cloud of doom following Ashley is about to pour torrential rain into his world again. Claire is taken suddenly ill with a blood clot and in the course of saving her life, she miscarries a baby. Then, feeling guilty that she didn't really want to be pregnant in the first place, she is going to contemplate jumping off the hospital roof.

How much more can one man take? One wife dies violently, the next one nearly dies in a fire and has severe depression, his oldest child was fathered by someone else, his father died. I know soaps thrive on conflict and drama but isn't this taking things a little too far?

The State of the Street - June

I really fail to see what Molly sees in Kevin! I've been dreading this thing between Kevin and Molly, I really have. If they had to do it, couldn't they just have Kevin with a one-sided crush and Molly firmly kicking him into touch? A crush, I can understand that happening. It can happen to anyone. Molly is loyal and she loves Tyrone and even him having trouble accepting Jack's friendship with Connie shouldn't be enough to push her into his best friend's coveralls, not even on a soap! But the more I think of it, you know... Molly does have form being the "other woman". She chased Kirk trying to take him off Fiz and she chased Tyrone as well, when he was still keen on Maria so maybe it's not so out of character after all! And Tyrone... Well I understand that he thinks the world of Jack and he misses Vera terribly but he has to understand that life moves on and he should be glad Jack is happy.

David set up Gary over the burglary and the Windasses try to band together with fake alibis, as per usual, until there's more serious charges then Len cuts and runs. You know, Gary as a character is settling in a bit and i do like Anna but the other two, Eddie and Len, can go pound sand and I don't think the family has gelled at all. Maybe that's why Len has already been chucked out of the house by his brother. I don't foresee them lasting the year out. Ted of course is ever the Voice of Reason, willing to forgive anyone (easy for him to say knowing it was David that set it all up and he wasn't about to turn David in, was he?)

A new romance gives Sue Cleaver some good storylines and this has been a good year for her. Nice to see Eileen having a bit of a romance for a change. It's probably not going to be a long term thing, Eileen is one of Corrie's love losers but wouldn't it be nice if this turned into the love of her life? It's also nice to see Jack finding some companionship as well. It's been a good year for all the senior cast members, really. Ken and Deirdre, Rita, Norris, Jack, Bill, and even Emily though she's mostly been the Greek chorus to everyone else's storyline but at least we've seen more of her. The only one that hasn't had a lot of storyline of that generation is Audrey who's been peripheral to things since she and Bill broke up, for the most part.

Pity we have to balance it out with a ludicrously contrived storyline about Stape giving Rosie the procedes from the sale of his granny's house just as Luke came up with an investment scheme for the staff! And by the way, Helen Flanagan's habit of delivering her lines in what she thinks is "uppity" and "snippy" is just speed-speaking and you can't understand half of what she's saying. You can still portray snotty and speak a little bit slower. In fact, it would make the condescension stand out more.

I think Fiz really has hit bottom, proposing to John. What have they done to this once-sparky redhead? I know i've said it before but it bears repeating. What are they doing to this character!!!

Further to the question about why Hayley hasn't had a storyline,Why did it take Hayley months to rip Pam an new one over selling sandwiches to the whole neighbourhood? Even Roy hadn't made any mention of it though the only reaction Hayley's had was a bit of a sneer once up until the last of June. Well leave it to Hayley to compromise instead of bringing the wrath of Health and Safety on Pam's head.

I'm continuing to enjoy Peter's struggle with alchohol. Um, let me put that another way. I'm enjoying the storylines and the performances. At the same time that Peter is struggling with recovery, Joe is sinking into the depths of prescription pain killer addiction. Another good performance here too. Doesn't Joe have a nasty mouth on him sometimes, though? But neither of them has been seen struggling later in June. I expect Joe's story will be ramping up now that Peter is coming to terms with his problem.

A refeshing change. Michelle had two fellas after her and didn't pick either one. Sensibly, she knew Peter still had a thing for Leanne and she wasn't over Steve. (But you know the best way to get over a fella is to get under one or two new ones! I guess that didn't work so well for her!) She's gone for awhile (while the actress gets new knockers and I guess we'll not see too much of Ryan either. But as I blogged over here, I'm guessing she'll be back early, pregnant and won't know who the father is.

It's so awesome watching Tony, the control freak, losing his marbles little by little though he's been pretty stable lately. We know that exposing his misdeeds are going to be at the end of it all. Is he really falling for Maria, or is it another move in his master plan to win her away from her suspicions? Natasha was just a diversion. I maintain that Tony didn't feel guilty about killing Liam but he felt horribly guilty when he realized Maria was pregnant and that might be his one glimmer of redemption. HE'll still have to pay for his misdeeds at some point. Murderers cannot be seen to get away with their crime. Once Carla comes back, she'll make sure Tony pays.

Poppy all of a sudden can't get along with Betty who takes advantage who probably has been doing that for the last 15 years, I suppose, but firing Betty?!!! She can't get away with that. Betty comes with the pub, everyone knows that! When it comes down to an ultimatum, and without Liz there to back up her mate, Betty rules the roost because heaven knows Steve hasn't got the gumption to smack Betty down and he knows that though the younger punters might not appreciate her, all the regulars certainly do and you don't drive your regulars away, do you? What gets me is that Poppy was a perfectly reasonable person until the last few weeks. The Personality Transplant Fairies whacked her on the head because they have to have a reason for her to never darken the Rovers' door again.