State of the Street: February 2010

So Becky was officially pregnant (but spoilers say she's going to lose it in early March). First of all, after everything she went through with Steve, I can understand how she wants to be cautious. Second of all, she made a remark about what she dared to want. See, she wants a baby but she's scared. She knows things might fall apart like they usually do in her life. At least she has enough respect for Steve, no matter how bad things got with him, she didn't take any action before she told him about the baby. Rumours say that eventually it'll be known that she can't carry a baby. More fodder for her low self esteem, poor kid. If that's the way it goes, i'm glad. I can't see Becky as a settled down mother figure on the show. She's better off as a step mum, I think. I thought, oh maybe they can adopt a child that has had a similar rough upbringing as Becky, someone who's life she can help turn around like Roy and Hayley did for her. I think that would work. Then after i thought that, spoilers came out with the exact same thing. Psychic, me.

Jesse and Eileen are all but finished i think. He didn't like it when Jason and Tina moved back in and he had to shift his stuff outside. Why didn't he put it in the van or at his mother's house where he kept it before he moved in? A bit petulant really. He always was a mama's boy but they're making him very dislikeable which is the entrance to his exit. Too bad they wasted John Thompson, he can be so good and there was loads of potential. If you ask me, i kind of think that Trev, Janice's lodger, might make a good bloke for Eileen, but it's early days yet. He could have no spine just like Jesse though he does seem to have a bit more about him. Time will tell.

Ciaran is back and wasted no time chatting up both Michelle and Carla straight away with all the Irish patter. But Peter, who had found staying dry not too much trouble, wasted no time dipping into the booze minutes after hanging out with his old mucker, missing the cameraderie no doubt. You didn't think Peter wouldn't have at least one backslide? And it's going to lead to worse things. I'm glad they went this route. It's realistic and very much in line with Peter's personality and character that he would start hanging out with his old drinking buddy and fool himself into thinking he could handle a few drinks. It's heartbreaking to see the effect on poor little Simon especially but that's realistic too.

I really thought George was going to be the bad guy, someone with ulterior motives but it seems he really is just trying to be a good granddad and look out for Simon after all. Maybe. Someone has to, for Peter's sake. Ken questioned whether George cares about Peter. Good point.

Joe's dead! While i'm not happy to see anyone die, when it's on a tv program, that's different. And don't get me wrong, i'm not happy Gail has to go through losing a spouse YET AGAIN, and have reason to be miserable YET AGAIN, i am glad to see the back of Joe "Mr. Miserable" McIntyre. It's so wearying to have to watch his face whinging and whining and crying and self pitying. He could have been a better character but they made him a loser. That's 3 out of four husbands of Gail's that are dead. Martin should count himself a very lucky man. And i know, in real life, people get into desperate situations but this isn't real life, it's a soap so i am allowed to belittle the late Joe. I never liked him.

I don't know why Gail thought lying was such a good idea. You'd think she'd have learned that protecting people just digs you in deeper and you get found out in the end. By that time, it goes harder for you for covering it all up! Now she's changed her story to the police and it made her look more guilty. Including lying about the text and flowers.... to protect David. Well she's made her bed now. It's going to be lie upon lie. First mistake was bringing that boat back home. It's all going to fall apart from there. Poor Tina, though, she's the victim of all of this. Where's her mother? I wonder if we'll see Tina's mother come to the funeral?

Molly continues to make desperate puppy dog eyes at Kevin, hoping to lure him away but she can't be blatant about it. Kevin remains loyal to his wife and family. But the secret has to come out, it always does on soaps sooner or later. In the meantime, Jackie's back! She was the one bright pink spot in the sadness and misery of Gail and Tina finding out Joe was dead. Gail and Tina sobbing and miserable and cut over to Jackie and Molly chucking flowerpots at each other on the cobbles! Brilliant! I know people really detest Jackie Dobbs and she really is awful, Gobzilla we used to call her, but she's fun to watch because she's just so out there and audacious! More nerve than Dick Tracy, me dad used to say! With Jackie, short doses are best and this was a great one!

Joe, we hardly knew ye

I can't say I'm unhappy to see the demise of Joe McIntyre. He wasn't in Coronation Street long enough to really form any attachement to as a character and he was rarely a sympathetic one. He leaped from weakness to weakness, dragging Gail down with him. She even moaned to her mother at one point that she was too old to be looking after a man, and wanted someone to look after her for a change. It's a lot of stress and baggage to take on but she stood by her man, even after his addiction drove him to break into her workplace to try to steal painkillers from the drugs cabinet.

He first seemed to be a great guy. Lots of humour and zest, he persued Gail with zeal but not in a stalking kind of way. He liked her, she liked him. She had reservations because their children were a couple and quite rightly too, because when it did come out, neither was too happy with the revelation. He thought they'd be good together and didn't let her put him off. It seemed like a very long time since someone really put such a smile on her face and although his temper seemed a bit quick to boil, he could be the right man for Gail.

Couldn't he?

Well, no. That's never going to happen, is it? Gail seems to be a loser magnet, I'm sorry to say. And very bad luck for husbands. She's had four of them and three of them have died, two by drowning and one stabbed to death. Mind you, she was about to divorce both Brian and Richard (who she found out was a murderer). Fate has funny ways of taking care of your problems for you, doesn't it? Even this time around, Joe was mired under debt to a nasty loan shark who might have come after Joe's family so very likely his death will mean that she's off the hook as far as the debt goes. As to the insurance fraud? Hmmmm... maybe not so off that hook.

It didn't take long for Joe's finances to crash and burn. The economy took a downturn and Joe's business as a kitchen fitter suffered. He took odd jobs with Bill Webster and even worked part time in a DIY shop. He humiliated himself and worked for a contractor through the despicable Len Windass who, thankfully, seems to have disappeared off the screen. The problem with that contract is that he had to borrow money for supplies (though why the developer building the properties didn't pay for it is a gaping plot hole never addressed. Nor was the fact that the building to be converted was little more than a shell yet Joe was putting in kitchens straight away? Maybe Len just met him in an out of the way location and that wasn't the building site, but that, too, was never clear.) Did Joe go to the bank with the signed contract to prove he had a way to pay back a loan for supplies? Of course not, that would be too easy. He borrowed from a loan shark.

And promptly threw his back out, meaning he couldn't work. He got coerced into paying Gary Windass and Jason to do some of the work which probably stretched his finances even thinner while he struggled to stay on his feet with the help of painkillers. And things went downhill into addiction from there.

Poor Gail, it was one thing after another. David and Audrey both tried to make her see that Joe was a loser. Yes, i know, people in real life have financial trouble and you should stick by your man but this is a soap, not real life. We can be hard on Joe if we want to. Especially when he kept making one bad decision after the next, ending with a fatal plan to fake his own death for the insurance, which wasn't going to pay out for 7 years anyway. Desperation makes strange bedfellows.

How was that plan really going to help Gail? wouldn't anyone notice her taking regular weekend jaunts to Ireland where Joe said he'd go and hide under a new identity? Did he really think she would be able to maintain the pretence for all those years? And then what? He's declared dead, she gets the cash and leaves town, home and the family she's so tied to? Well, she wouldn't have to find out. Joe couldn't even do this right. He got knocked overboard when the boom caught a gust of wind (on a glass-clear lake, another plot hole, but I digress.) Because he'd had a sprained wrist, he couldn't haul himself back on board (why didn't he swim to the dingy he was chasing instead?) and finally just gave up and slipped beneath the surface.

Gail is frantic, thinking he really did go through with his plan but she didn't hold up her end of things. She was supposed to report him missing but because she thought he'd change his mind, she refused to go to the police in spite of David's urging. That's going to be her undoing. Spoilers say Gail will go to jail for his murder in the insurance scam because he forged her signature on the application for the life insurance. No health checkups, and i think it would look suspicious that someone would drop out of sight two weeks after signing a new policy even if it wasn't to pay out for 7 years? The insurance company and the police agree. So Joe is dragging Gail even further down from the grave. Naturally it looks suspicious and Joe's daughter Tina will think the worst of Gail even though she knows her father's situation with the loan shark. Why on earth would she think Gail would kill Joe? Wouldn't it make more sense to assume he killed himself on purpose if you didn't know about the fake-death plan?

Ah well. It doesn't matter. Joe's death and the aftermath will to have repercussions that will last all year long and to tell you the truth, now that he's off the canvas, I'm going to be looking forward to the ride! Gail is one of my favourite characters even if she can be headstrong, bossy, blind to her children's faults and miserable. Even if she's turned into Mini-Ivy Tilsley, she's still a lot nicer than Ivy and hasn't turned into a bitter middle aged harpy in spite of having a lot of good reason to be that way. Not yet anyway. But it could be on the cards after this year is over!

No baby for Becky

Today, the Daily Star says that Becky will have two back to back miscarraiges due to an abnormality in her womb and will never be able to carry a baby full term. You know that will send Becky into a tailspin of insecurity and low self esteem, blaming her rough past habits of drink and drugs as the reason. I heard she may even leave Steve again so he can find a "proper" wife so we'll have a few heart to heart talks between them where he again shows his love and support. And he does love her and he will stick by her. She still has such a hard time believing she's left her old life behind. It will all be very dramatic and sad. But you know what? I'm glad that Steve and Becky aren't going to have a baby in their life.

Why? Well, obviously I'm not pleased poor Becky has to go through two miscarraiges. That's tragic for anyone including her. But I think for the dynamics of the show, it wouldn't work if Becky were to become a settled down yummy mummy. We already have Claire for that role, thank you very much. As much as I'm sure Becky would make a good mother and that it would be amusing to see her trying to cope with sleepless nights and hormones, I also think Becky is best as a stepmother to Amy. With Tracy returning to the canvas, there will sure to be conflicts there over parenting Amy. Becky is a far better mother to Amy than Tracy was but is not the biological mother so I imagine spineless Steve will be bending to Tracy's will and leaving Becky in the middle. I can see it all in my mind. Becky fuming both literally (smoking fags like a steam engine) and figuratively while Steve doesn't back her up with parenting decisions because Tracy decides to stir the pot, gurning maniacally.

What might really work well, instead of a baby, is if Becky and Steve adopt an older child, one with troubles and that comes from a rough background, similar to Becky's herself. I would like to see her take on a waif, and instill in her the faith that Roy and Hayley showed in her. Paying it forward and all that. Yes, it would mean yet another tearaway kid on the street but it would end up eventually with the child blossoming after being horribly misunderstood or falsely blamed for some awful incident. I think it would have to be a girl because we've had way too many tearaway boys. What do you think?

State of the Street - January

Kevin might be staying with Sally now that he knows where his priorities lie, but Molly got fed up with Tyrone and left him after she found out he wasn't going to take a job and move away. Only Tyrone figured she must be having an affair and jumped to the wrong conclusion and thought it was Dev. How on earth he would think that, I don't know but after all, this *is* Tyrone, not the sharpest tool in the box. Didn't you feel sorry for him though? He loves the bones of Molly but his loyalty to Kevin kept him from taking that job offer once he found out that Sally was ill. Really, though, Molly probably made the right choice. There's no point staying in a marraige when she couldn't have been happy or she wouldn't have had an affair only 6 months into it.

And Sally's prognosis is good and she's only got to have radio therapy. I guess it would have been too long and drawn out of they'd had to show her go through Chemotherapy. I gotta say I am as impressed as I knew I would be about how Corrie has been handling this storyline. They've really shown how it affects everyone around the person who's got cancer. Sally was one of the lucky ones. And it also seemed to take Rosie down a peg too, and she backed out of a boob job that would have been far superfluous to requirements anyway.

I felt so sorry for Tyrone. Does Molly really not love him? She thinks so. She's desperate to get Kevin back but he has seen the light and realized he really does want his wife and family. She begs, she manipulates, but he still rejects her and she might start to realize that Kevin probably was just using her, a crush, an infatuation. But it did my heart good to see that Kevin was forced to support Tyrone, listen to him cry on his shoulder, even return his wife's wedding ring and that is karma coming round to bite him on the arse well and proper. And I relish every uncomfortable moment he's going through after what he did to his best friend and business partner. Pam and Bill both know and now they know each other knows. If Molly and Tyrone are going to get back together eventually, they'll be the ones that engineer it.

More Grandad wars... Ken went off the deep end when he found out that George wanted to pay for private education for Simon. Ken figures it's bad for Simon, who won't have a happy life if he's brought up in a posh school. Deirdre was just more concerned about the smart uniform. Peter was very forthright at the planning meeting which George probably already had sewn up anyway, much to Ken's chagrin. I loved Deirdre's rant at Ken after the hearing. She knows darn well it's got more to do with the rivalry between Ken and George and he should have been supporting Peter rather than pushing him right at George. Maybe Ken's give up the battle because as much as he disapproves of the bar and the private school, he seems to be backing down a bit.

Then there's Gail and Joe, the newly minted McIntyres. El Desperado is in debt up to his eyeballs and illegally so. Surely he could go to the police once he'd paid off the loan shark who keeps coming back and threatening his family? He's scammed money out of Ted. He tried to get money out of Peter and an advance out of Bill. He gleefully accepted Gail's decision to sell the house (and yes, David, she *can* just sell the house you grew up in. Except, he hasn't really grown up has he? Most lads his age would be pleased to be able to move out on their own.) He even eyed up the charity collection jar in the pub! I really thought she was finally standing up to him when she told him she wasn't going to sell the house and Joe gave her insult after insult. I always knew he had a temper and and this just proved it. But no. One apology and one sob story and she took him back. No wonder she's a jinx with men, she has Doormat stamped on her arse! Next up, a life insurance scam by forging Gail's name on a crumpled up form. And obviously making one payment and then pretending to drown immediately after will not make the life insurance company suspicious. Or not.

Yay! Mary's back to be a carbuncle on Norris's backside. She seems a bit more obsessed than she was before she left. I feel a bunny boiler coming on, don't you? It's nice to see Mary back anyway. And it's nice to see Sunita back and with the fiance out of the picture, can a reunion between Dev and Sunita be far behind? Dev is all worked up and Sunita just thinks they'll mess it up again. But really, it wasn't all messed up until she found out he kept the fact of his other children from her.

And there's Becky and Steve's upset. Becky doesn't want kids because she's had a horrible childhood and doesn't want to feel tied down. She's also scared of pregnancy as well. There was a scene with her taking a test on New Year's we found out at the end of the month it's positive. She's been smoking and drinking all month. For as much as she didn't want a baby though, she didn't go get a terminatin behind Steve's back. He'd have never known. So somewhere, she did want a baby and probably not just because she knew he did, too. Probably the fear is stronger and so she pushed Steve away. And because she says she won't have kids just when Steve thinks he might like to have more, Steve goes off the deep end in a major sulk. That makes her dig her heels in and one's almost as bad as the other though i think he's pushing harder than she is. He keeps upping the stakes, with expensive gold clubs and a motorbike (don't you need a bike license for those?) and pushing Kelly in Becky's face.

But Becky's mom died and though there wasn't much of a relationship, it still gets you right in the heart when you lose a parent. I think what really bothered Becky is how little her mother had to her name and how she ended up, and it seems to make her think how she could very well have ended up the same way if she hadn't fought to get a life. It hurts that Steve just doesn't take any notice that something is wrong. He really thought that winding her up would make her come running back instead of pushing her away. Finding out about her mother's death was nearly the death of the marraige but you knew that wasn't going to happen, didn't you?

Is Becky Granger McDonald over-exposed?

Having decided that Michelle Connor as a character has been ruined by over exposure and naff storylines, next up under the examining light is the character of Becky Granger McDonald. Becky is a very different person when compared to Michelle. We never really knew a whole lot about Michelle's past other than her relationship with Dean who died in a car crash. He was apparently the love of her life and the father of Ryan... er... Alex (enough about that, you get the picture!) We know she was a sometime band singer and barmaid. We know she's got an Irish heritage though it seems like she and her brothers may have been brought up in Manchester, judging from their accents, but we really don't know a lot about how her personality came to be formed and in any case, Michelle does not come across as a wholly complex character.
Becky is another matter. Becky is very rough. She's a loose cannon, and she's got a criminal record. She first arrived as an ex-cellmate of Kelly Crabtree, someone that Kelly didn't want to know because it reminded her of her own less than stellar background. Kelly had managed to turn her life around but Becky was still the same person and proved it by setting up Kelly to take the fall for her own petty thievery and she went after Lloyd just for good measure. She was untrustworthy and she was a liability, both to other people and to herself.

She left our screens for awhile but resurfaced in a class that Hayley was teaching to help women find their feet after being in prison. Hayley took pity on Becky and brought her home, much to Roy's dismay. Hayley always sees the best in people and just knew there was hope for Becky and she was determined to help Becky find a better life. Becky was touched that Hayley would have any sort of belief in her as nobody ever did before. Slowly, in spite of Becky nearly ruining things by allowing her old boyfriend, Slug, to steal Hayley's car and by setting fire to the cafe while trying to cook a meal to make up for it all, Roy and Hayley both eventually became firm supporters.

Little by little we would hear stories of Becky's childhood and past life on the street. It sounded very much like she had little family support as a kid and fended for herself for most of her life. She fled the family home, had numerous run ins with the police including the corrupt Hooch who tried to take advantage of a teenage Becky. She fought back and it cost him career points. That brought about a lifelong grudge which was almost successful when Hooch bribed Slug to set up Becky on a drugs charge on her (second) wedding day to Steve last year.

With the love and support of the Croppers, Becky started to bloom. She began to have a bit of self confidence. She had people to consider besides herself and her own survival. She wore makeup, she dressed "better" (a debatable point, but better than the old and tattered gear she wore when she was first in the show). Still, she's fiercely independent and often combatative when defending either herself or someone she's come to love. She's still likely to go off the rails without warning, usually when she's been hurt or had a massive blow to her self confidence. Steve's love has brought her both joy and heartache already because he's not a strong person and has let her down a few times. She still doesn't really believe she's a worthy person a lot of the time and her past obviously still haunts her. Why? We don't know, yet. And these are the things we find intriguing about Becky.

We've seen her character develop. We've seen her in love, in lust, in a drunken rampage, and scared. She's not as tough and prickly as she used to be now that she's been living a more civilized lifestyle but she isn't afraid of most people and she's fiercely loyal. The character has had a lot of important storylines over the last year or two and some might say she's in danger of over-exposure, just as Michelle has been. It may be true but it also seems like the storylines that Becky's character gets are very much in character and fill in more gaps in her past that show us how her character was defined and how her character evolves. Michelle's character was never given that. It's difficult not to have a tendency to "over" use the character, especially now that she's a part of a very central family on the Street, the McDonald's. She works in the pub, she's married to Steve and her pseudo-parents are the Croppers.

What you see in Becky is what you get. There are no games, no coyness, no pretense of being anything or anyone that she isn't. She doesn't usually whine and if she does, she shakes herself out of it. She can drink you and all your mates under the table and yet she can be tender and generous to a fault. She isn't patronizing and has little patience for fools and she can spot them from a mile, most of the time. She's not a liar nor a cheat unless she has to save her own skin or that of someone else. She even has her own set of moral values, though some of them may be slightly skewed. She's still trashy and common as muck. She's got very few social skills and would tell you so herself but she is starting to believe that she's a good person, some of the time at least. Yet there's always that shadow that crosses her face when she's hurt, as if she always half-expects to be thrown out with the bins at any time and any and all hurts are probably deserved.

A lot of people find the character over the top and yes, sometimes she is. Still, it's part of Becky's personality and always has been so it's not out of character. Becky is a survivor and though she's softened a bit, she's still strong and can defend herself and her beliefs when she needs to. There's a danger that she will be over used and over exposed but I think most viewers who have liked her so far won't be turned off unless the Powers That Be start to give her ludicrous and ill considered storylines just for the sake of having her on screen. The actress, Katherine Kelly, is also careful not to plaster her face and her business all over the tabloids and that helps avoid some of the over exposure. You occasionally see her in glam photo shoots but mostly she keeps her private life private. Kym Marsh seems to be exactly the opposite and that has contributed to people getting tired of seeing her face and Michelle's all over their screen. Katherine Kelly also has a huge amount of chemistry with her main co-stars, David Neilson, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Simon Gregson and that makes a difference too.

Becky has been on our screens a lot, and will continue to be at least for the near future. Let's hope the writers can continue to handle her storylines intelligently and evolve her character without losing Becky's edge.

The ruination of Michelle Connor

When Michelle Connor first graced the cobbles, it was as a singer for Vernon's band. She was a much better singer than Liz who also auditioned and she got the gig. Vernon, of course, was a bit smitten and managed to get Michelle a job behind the bar of the Rovers. Michelle wasn't having any of Vernon's mucky paws on her glossy bonce but neither did she particularly want Steve McDonald's attentions either. He was also smitten but after more than a few false starts, she finally agreed that she might like to be Steve's girlfriend after all.

Therein lies the rub. What on earth would someone like Michelle see in Steve? She was hip, she was rock and roll, she had tattoos, she had manners! She was a young single mum who's husband was dead. Steve was balding, paunchy, he had tenuous apron strings to his mother, he had three marraiges (two ex-wives), a psycho sort-of-ex who was in jail for killing her lover and who is the mother of his child. You'd think Michelle would have run a mile. But noooo. She must have seen Steve as stability. She's struggling on her own with a teenage son. A man that owned two businesses must have seemed just the (meal) ticket. It's easy to see why Steve was attracted to Michelle. She's quite pretty and sexy, after all and let's face it, Steve is attracted to almost anything in a skirt anyway!

It seemed like the powers that be decided that Kym Marsh was going to be the feature actor on Coronation Street screens and with that in mind, they paired her with a major character and from then on it was non-stop front-burner storylines. It really contributed to making Michelle Connor an over-exposed and over-used character and, quite frankly, I think people are bored to death of her. In the process, they've taken her character from a flirty sexy woman to a woman with problem after problem, who seems to jump into bed with any bloke that looks her way. No wonder her son, Ryan, is now calling her a hypocrite for being upset when, at nearly 18, he and his girlfriend decide to have sex. Her angst at all that lasted about 5 minutes and she was off to a posh hotel for a romp with a man she'd only known five minutes. Nice one.

During the year or so that she was the character of choice, she had both brothers die in car accidents, one who was seeing prostitutes and had one in the boot of his car at the time of the crash, and the other who was cheating on his wife with his brother's widow and was killed by his lover's husband. Lots of reasons for Michelle to emote, her beringed hands constantly pressed to her forehead. If that wasn't enough, it was decided that her son was not her son and was switched at birth with another lad. The other lad was a handful and caused no end of upset. Michelle agonzied over wanting to know her biological son, most of the time at the expense of the boy she raised and then became jealous and upset when Ryan wanted to get to know his biological parents. All this, a major storyline, was soon forgotten. The biological son and Ryan's bio parents have disappeared and aren't even referred to at birthdays or Christmasses.

That's ok, though. The next major storyline for Michelle came hot on the heels of all this when Steve had a one night drunken fling with Becky. He covered, he lied, he fled to Spain, and when Michelle was about to figure it out, he proposed to her. She found out of course and chucked the ring into the bin. No longer engaged, she made Steve leave his own pub but eventually forgave him and they reconciled. She became bossy, imperious, she snapped her fingers, Steve jumped. Is it any wonder he ended up falling for good time girl Becky, a woman not all that far away in personality from his most recent ex-wife, loose cannon Karen.

Steve did the dirty on Michelle and fair enough, she was pretty ticked off and hurt when she found out. She took great pleasure in informing Becky that the shiny bling on her finger was the one Steve gave her. She'd picked it out to make sure it was pricey and then chucked it in the skip, remember? So really, she didn't want it anyway but made Becky feel like 2 pennies over it anyway and then, in drunken glee, and in front of the whole pub, made sure she was the one that told Becky that she was not Mrs. McDonald after a thwarted wedding. Becky was drunk and the registrar wouldn't marry them but she couldn't remember.

Dusting off her hands, her work there done, she sashayed next into Peter Barlow's storyline after Jane Danson left on maternity leave. No way to further that relationship so what do the writers do? Chuck Michelle at him instead. After all, he's a known womanizer just like his father. Ah but there's also handsome Luke Strong in the picture too and yes, she went out with him as well. In fact, she jumped into bed with one and then the other within a day of each other before she left town for awhile on a concert tour.

And was I glad to see the back of her for awhile! They had her at a low-ish profile when she returned but when Tony Gordon was revealed to be the man that murdered her brother, she went into hysterics at his court hearing and pretty much made the whole thing about her. As usual. But Michelle's back so we can't have her doing nothing, say the Powers that Be, the same ones that leave other, more interesting characters, like Hayley for instance, or Janice, in the storyline closet for Spare Parts for months on end. We can throw her back between Luke and Peter for a minute, until Leanne gets back, and, ooooh, I know, let's give her a job back in the bar with the man she lived with and his new wife, the one he cheated on her with, and let's give Michelle another man. And so they did. Jake the builder came in through the lounge window and saw her naked. I suppose that took all the guesswork out of it and it was inevitable that within 48 hours she was making doe eyes at him.

There are rumours that she will be put together with returning character Ciaran McCarthy and with Nick Tilsley in the picture, can a romp with him be far away? I think not. What better (that's said sarcastically) storyline than to have Michelle and her former sister-in-law Carla fighting over a man? (Carla is apparently going to be wooed by Mr. T in a bid for the factory)

If ever there was a character in need of a holiday in the spare parts cupboard, it's Michelle Connor. Over exposure and stupid, unbelievable storylines have turned her from a pleasant enough character into a screeching, bossy, man-tease. Enough already!

State of the Street - December 2009

It's the holiday season and tis the season on Coronation Street for either a birth or a wedding. We'll have Gail and Joe's wedding shortly after Christmas and tis also the season for the traditional disaster at Platt Towers and this Christmas, the potential certainly was there but it was all behind the scenes. David is still chasing Tina in spite of having a lovely girl, Zoe and the prodigal son, Nick is back. David ended up chasing Tina right into Nick's arms inadvertently. Now it's going to get tricky. Tina is with ex-Platt-son-in-law Jason and she used to live with David who is still obsessed with her as the "one that got away". It was bad enough that she ended up with Jason but if she and Jay split and she goes out with Nick? I don't think anyone in Weatherfield is safe. It'll make Gail's tumble down the stairs look like a run down the bunny hill at a children's ski resort.

The war of the Grandads heated up. Ken feels inferior and George keeps sticking his size 10s into Peter's business. Ken's sanctimonious posturing only made Peter run the other way, straight into George's pocketbook. It was inevitable. Why start the bar storyline in the first place if you weren't going to find a way to make it happen? It may or may not be a good idea for Peter to open a bar but it always upsets me that Ken never ever has a supportive word for Peter. Well, hardly ever. It just gives him a crusade and he's never happier when he's got one of them. No wonder Peter thinks he isn't good enough! And it's just as much about George's money in Ken's eyes as it is about Peter's potential risk with booze. And what difference does it make whether the neighbourhood has one bar, which it has had for 100 years nearly, or two?

I'll tell you what though, I'm not quite sure i trust George. I'm sure he took Simon to see "Santa" on purpose because he knew it was really Ken. It was a good way to get his own back and as he had probably hoped, Ken played right into his hands. He's taken every opportunity to undermine Ken and get one over on him, make himself look the better man in Peter's eyes and take advantage of the acrimony between father and son.

The Great Golf Game introduced Dev to a lovely new woman just as his ex and mother of his children, Sunita, came back onto the canvas. Bernie knew when she was up against the insurmountable. I want to know if Dev has been seeing his kids regularly, and there's no reason to think he hasn't, and if Matt is his friend, why he didn't know about Sunita's boyfriend *before* he became her fiance? What's up with that? Even if neither Matt or Sunita said anything to him, kids talk! I hate it when they write these things and don't pay attention to a detail like that. It's thrown Dev for six though.

Now. Gail is trying to sell the house to pay off Joe's debts. Other than Audrey noticing the sign, how long did it take for anyone else to mention it? Gail's best friend Sally lives two doors down and walks by the sign every day on the way to work but hasn't popped over to get the goss! Totally unrealistic. Audrey isn't too happy about Gail's choice and I can't really blame her. He might be an ordinary bloke, by his own words, and he loves Gail, but as a mother, Audrey sees that he has caused her daughter a lot of heartache and trouble and Joe has let Gail down time and again already. As viewers, we see he's still in deep and sinking (quite literally, by all accounts!).

The best thing about Rosie's short lived attempt at blackmailing Stape? Janice's reaction, giving her hell because lying about stuff like that makes it harder on the next woman who really does get assaulted and raped. Like Toyah. Ken Barlow is the most unlikely Santa i've ever seen. He even beats out Percy Sugden though he did sit high on his horse the same way, scolding kids for wanting so much and forgetting the real meaning of the season.

The shadow of Tony Gordon continued the first half of the month. Carla found out she didn't kill Jimmy after all, which, while I'm sure is a relief, also meant she got dropped in it well and good. Carla had to confess that she knew Tony killed Liam and said nothing but as usual, Michelle makes it all about her. Michelle's reaction really seemed a bit over the top and I started wondering if it all wasn't written to put that kissing incident with Ben in there. That aside, I can understand that finding out that Tony really did kill Liam and Carla knew etc. would upset Michelle but she seemed nearly in hysterics, for Maria's and Roy's sake. Eh? Maybe she should just be happy that Tony and Jimmy have been arrested. Meanwhile, we thought Carla had a big job trying to work on her destroyed reputation, which wasn't great to start with. Typically, she did manage to talk Roy and Hayley around to her side in about 5 minutes, and where Roy and Hayley support, the rest were sure to follow. Grudgingly. Don't want to lose their jobs, after all!

Kevin and Molly got bolder, sneaking sub-Sally's-duvet moments instead of going to the motel. It's came to ultimatum time. Affairs almost always do. Molly was getting itchy feet and stroppier with Tyrone by the minute. Problem with that is once they tell, the secrecy and thrill will be gone. But Kevin started to realize what he really had to lose, and started to back off. Molly played the oldest trick in the book. Told him to get stuffed so of course he came crawling back but just when they're going to go public, Sally gives Kevin devastating news that she's got to face breast cancer. I wonder if he's secretly relieved that he isn't forced to leave his marraige just yet even though he was on the verge of it? It also gave him the shock of his life and his priorities became crystal clear yet Molly wouldn't let it go, still hoping they can be together eventually.

It was hard listening to Sally tell Kevin, how she kept it to herself until she knew for sure and even then, she wanted to wait until after Christmas. When I say I'm looking forward to this storyline, I mean that I know Sally Whittaker will do an excellent job of it and Corrie writers are always so good at things like this that it will be well written and acted. I'm not even going to gripe about things like how soon test results get done or things like that. It's telly and they have to speed things up on the whole.

Claire and Becky? Mates? Stranger things have happened I suppose but it seemed unlikely yet even after the Panto, they seemed to stay on friendly terms. The first Street Panto in over 25 years and wasn't it all fun? I wish we'd seen more of the auditions and the show, though. Best part was Betty being the Fairy Godmother! It was put together in less than two weeks (Hayley must have sewn costumes until her fingers bled!) and the whole thing was non stop bickering and casting changes but they managed to get it on stage and it was good fun. Amy only managed one word instead of a song. "Bollocks" One word's nothing new, though, she never does speak more than that at a time. (They really need to get a new kid in that part!) Problem was, it wasn't the sort of word a child should be uttering. Fail!

We can't let this month's State of the Street pass without one last salute to Maggie Jones and Blanche Hunt. Maggie's death has echoed around the world in Corrie watching countries. In Canada, we have another 10 months to enjoy Blanche and it will be a bittersweet experience, knowing it will be coming to an end. Maggie will be missed and there will never be another Blanche Hunt.

Coronation Street episode update, Episode 1

A few years ago i wrote a summary of the very first episode of Corrie, broadcast on December 9, 1960. As today is the anniversary, i am reposting it here.

This is a street in the city of Weatherfield, not so far from Manchester. A short, narrow, cobbled street, lined on one side by a factory and Mission Hall. On the opposite side of the street stands 7 smoke-stained dark brick terraced houses, bookended by a pub on one end and a corner shop at the other. We see a group of children chanting a rhyme outside the shop where a middle aged woman is taking in a sign from the pavement and looking up at the name over the door. Elsie Lappin, it says. The woman re-enters the shop and says to another woman who is standing behind the counter, "Now the next thing you've got to do is get a sign writer in. That thing above the door'll have to be changed". The other woman's name is Florence Lindley, or Florrie, as she is preferably known. She has just bought the little shop from Mrs. Lappin and is already changing the look of some of the product displays to entice buyers. She thanks Mrs. Lappin for staying on until she gets settled and is helpfully warned to watch that breadman, he'll try to sell you the world!

What about tick? Mrs. Lappin instructs her she'll have to use her own judgment but watch them Tanners at Number 11. Don't let them go over 10 bob or you won't see them from the end of one week to the next! Taken under advisement. Credit isn't advisable but the customers won't spend as much if you don't give it. A customer arrives, a young dark haired woman in her 20's and is introduced to Florrie as Linda Cheveski, Linda Tanner as was (with a meaningful tone of voice).

We next see the door of Number 11 and inside, Mrs. Elsie Tanner has charged her son Dennis with taking 2 bob out of her purse. Dennis, a handsome man of about 21, slicks back his ducktail hair and defends himself. Elsie is a curvaceous woman in her very early 40's, attractive in an obvious sort of way. Not content at that, she then nags him about getting a job but he's insistent that he's tried and nobody will hire him and she knows why. She can't quite say it but he does, prison. He's just 7 weeks out of Borstal and that's why no one will give him a chance. He shifts the chip that has settled on his shoulder and accuses his mother of preferring to have a son like "Kenneth Bahlow" at Number 3 (said with the utmost contempt, I might add). And what's wrong with him? at least he's got brains and will make something of himself. Elsie sighs and wishes her fractious family were more like the Barlows, at least they aren't rowing all the time. (ah but who knows what goes on behind closed doors?)

We're about to find out. Action shifts to Number 3 Coronation Street where Mrs. Ida Barlow, a tidy woman in her 40's serves up the tea for her husband Frank and her son Kenneth. Kenneth is a somewhat good looking clean cut young man of about 21 or so but he doesn't look best pleased when his mother hands him a bottle of brown sauce to pour on his meal. She thought he always liked it! Used to, he groans with embarrassment and a vague expression of contempt when he sees his father helping himself to the sauce and swilling his food down with cups of tea. His father notices and takes his son to task for looking down on his family with that snooty expression. Mother Barlow tries to steer the conversation elsewhere but it doesn't work. Father Barlow barks that his son thinks they're common, not good enough and keeps needling Kenneth in spite of Ida's protests. Bet he doesn't tell his poncy college friends where his mother works, slogging day after day doing the washing up for the Imperial Hotel. Ken defends himself. Of course he tells them... if they ask. The barrage continues and it sounds like Ken has been sporting a less than acceptable attitude for his father's taste since starting college, with Ken's habit of making condescending comments about how his family eats and lives in the back streets of a working class neighbourhood not going over well at all with his working class father.


Ida wonders where her younger son, David has got to and Ken takes this opportunity to tell his parents that he's going out tonight, meeting a female friend from college...er...at the Imperial Hotel. Oh no you're not, storms his father who forbids it! He's not throwing money back at the awful place his mother has to work so hard for so little wages. The subject appears to be closed, the master of the house has spoken and being the well brought up lad he is, it looks like Ken is going to obey his dad, not liking it one bit. Frank retires to his easy chair with that last cup of tea. Into this tension bounces David who is late because he's had a puncture. Mother fetches David's tea from the oven and heats up gravy while Father helpfully goes to look for the puncture kit. Left alone with his brother, David asks Ken what's up and is told about the Imperial Hotel disaster. David understands how "well" that went over. The brothers are obviously friends as well and there doesn't seem to be any sibling rivalry between the two though it seems to me that Dad favours the younger son over the older.

The next scene establishes that we are about to enter The Rovers Return. Inside, Ken is at the bar, dressed in a sport jacket and tie, hair carefully combed. He orders two ten-packs of cigarettes from the landlady, a small older woman named Annie Walker who runs the pub with her be-spectacled husband Jack. In slouches Dennis Tanner, looking tough in his grotty leather jacket and long hair, very James Dean. He orders a half and decides to order cigarettes as well but he hasn't enough money to pay for them so isn't allowed to have them. No credit, house rules he is informed. He and Ken strike up some semblance of a conversation. They have grown up together but have turned out very differently. Dennis makes a few caustically sarcastic remarks referring to scholarships and colleges. When Mrs. Walker goes to get Ken's change, Ken slides one of the packages across to Dennis, generously. (old times sake perhaps?) Dennis is surprised but doesn't turn him down nor offers to repay him at a later time. He chugs back his beer and leaves, nodding to Ken in a sort of thanks, cracking that it's all government money after all. Annie shakes her head at Ken's generosity and feels sorry for Dennis's mother, Elsie. "Oooh some mother's do 'ave 'em!".

Meanwhile, Elsie is observing her face in the small mirror of a compact, examining the signs of age. "Eh Elsie, just about ready fer the knacker yard" she mournfully exclaims. We hear a rattling from outside and she hollers out the window at some children who have knocked over her bins. Her daughter comes in with the few things she picked up at the corner shop but won't accept money from her mother. It was her that took the two bob from Elsie's purse! She gets a scolding. With the radio playing soft music in the background, the women talk about Dennis and his job finding efforts. The conversation turns to Linda's husband, Ivan. Elsie has guessed that Linda has left her husband and Linda confirms it. She won't really say why other than she is afraid of him when he gets so moody at times and they're always rowing. (sounds like that's a normal occurrence for this family!)

Linda looks in the mirror and wonders if she should go blonde. Elsie has sat down with the newspaper and is only half listening. Linda keeps interrupting her with comments about her marriage and seems to be wanting to tell her mother something but can't quite bring herself to do it. Instead she asks her mother if there's a job going at the department store where her mother works and is told possibly in millinery but it's only temporary until Christmas. Hopefully Linda will have a think by then and be back with her husband.

Back in the shop, the ex and current owners are restocking shelves and chatting about houses. Mrs. Lappin is retiring and buying herself a little bungalow but Mrs. Lindley prefers a house with an upstairs. It doesn't seem right, somehow, not going upstairs to sleep! Elsie decides to brew up and just as she goes into the flat, a stocky older woman with a face like an old bulldog comes in. She introduces herself as Ena Sharples who is caretaker of the Glad Tidings Mission across the street. It's her personal mission to find out all about the new shop owner and she begins, after gleaning Florrie's name, by asking where Florrie worships. Florrie is ambivalent which leads Mrs. Sharples to assume she's C of E and she launches into a narrative about her sister and her husband who turned C of E. Another ambivalently answered question about where she plans to be buried brings another lecture about avoiding the local crematorium whose musical director plays inappropriate hymns. Mrs. Sharples seems to have known of Florrie Lindley because she knows that Florrie was from Esmerelda Street, ("Very Bay Window down there, you'll find it different round here!") that she worked behind the bar at the Farrier for donkey's years, is a widow and has no children ("Better off without them"). In and amongst all this are several requests, commands really, for a packet of baking powder, a bottle of bleach and a half dozen of them fancies "No eclairs!". Ena also warns Florrie about the Tanners at Number 11 and then manages to get a replacement egg from the former owner, claiming the one she had this morning was off. And off she goes, expecting her purchases to go on the slate ("Don't worry, I'm not thinkin' of running away"), leaving the two women laughing. "She's quite morbid, in't she?" observes Florrie.

Back at Number 3, David and his father are wrestling with the bicycle tyre, trying to determine where the puncture is. Frank seems to have a much easier relationship with his younger son than he does his elder. More in common perhaps. Even when Frank gets annoyed at David, it's more of a loving exasperation than it is the defensive position he seems to take with Kenneth. David steps out to hire a pump and Ida picks her way carefully past the parts on the floor, fetches her knitting and sits down. Frank looks at her sheepishly and whines that he can't back down and let Kenneth go to the Imperial now and thinks Ken should learn to live within his own class. He establishes that Ken is over at Number 1 visiting Mr. Tatlock and observes that his older son spends more time over there than at his own home these days. "We've certainly raised a rum 'un".

Inside Number 1, Mr. Albert Tatlock, a short round WW1 veteran is examining his coin collection and making small talk with young Kenneth. He realizes Ken has something on his mind and offers an ear to listen but is told he wouldn't understand. Thank you very much retorts Mr. Tatlock who already knows that Ken was forbidden to pick up his friend, Susan Cunningham, at the Imperial Hotel. Mrs. Barlow told him. He suggests that Ken go into town and collect her and bring her back here. Ken is aghast at that suggestion and couldn't possibly. Why not? Oh, well, (and in a voice dripping with boredom, contempt and snobbery) "Coronation Street"! When challenged, Ken does say that he admits where he comes from when asked but he doesn't fancy bringing Susan round to see it either. After they make a gentle joke at Ena Sharple's expense ("My place of worship is the Rovers Return!") Albert in no uncertain terms tells Kenneth that the college has turned him into a proper stuck up little snob. Ken begins to protest but his mother interrupts at the back door, with the news that Kenneth's friend, Susan has turned up at Number 3 to see him! Ken leaves skid marks on the floor in his haste to get back to do damage control and Ida and Albert share a chuckle.

Back in Number 3, Susan is watching Frank and David on the floor mending the flat tyre and offers her help. David establishes that they know someone in common and are just sharing a handshake when Ken comes in and if it wasn't black and white, i think his face would be beet red with embarrassment.


The credits roll!

Writer - Tony Warren
Director Derek Granger

Elsie Lappin - Maudie Edwards
Florrie Lindley - Betty Alberge
Linda Cheveski - Anne Cunningham
Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix
Dennis Tanner - Philip Lowrie
Kenneth Barlow - William Roache
Frank Barlow - Frank Pemberton
Ida Barlow - Sandra Gough
David Barlow - Alan Rothwell
Annie Walker - Doris Speed
Ena Sharples - Violet Carson
Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth
Susan Cunningham - Patricia Shakesby

Do they still fit in?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State of the Street - November

The storyline of the month was the fall of Tony Gordon. Tony confessed to the moral conscience of the street. No, not Ken Barlow, that would be Roy Cropper. Will he go to the police or wouldn't he? Tony made an amazing recovery, didn't he? From "He might not make it through the night" to back on the factory floor, including torturing Roy and Hayley in a week! Tony survived the night and wasted no time sucking up to Roy, covering his backside hoping Roy will put the confession down to a drug induced hallucination. Didn't happen, did it? Roy went to the police, Tony escaped the initial inquisition but Tony got desperate because Maria believed the accusations and when Tony gets desperate, he strikes out. Roy survived the tussle and dip into the canal, thankfully, and Tony confessed it all and gave himself up and thus, Maria's world came down around her ears yet again. Poor lass, i can't imagine what she must be going through.

Everyone is dealing with the fallout. Ryan, who's lost so much, has gone spare and wants to get out of Weatherfield. Maria feels like she's lost Liam all over again and feels humiliated. Then she has to contend with Mammy Connor on a mission! Off she goes to Ireland to recover. Don't expect her to go to Cypress. I can't imagine her parents care one way or the other. Cruising instead of going to the wedding. No word from them after her first baby died. They didn't come visit after baby Liam was born and didn't even see him for 4 and a half months until Maria went to Cypress for a day or two until she had to come back when Tony had a heart attack. No. Ireland is it in spite of the Ivy-clone that is her mother-in-law from Hell.

Michelle...two words.. Street... Bike. Enough said. She doesn't think of about Ryan. She never does and even his low opinion of her didn't seem to make a huge dent in her conscience for more than five minutes.

I guess Eileen has pulled another unreliable man. I had high hopes for Jesse, i really did. It looks very much like he's falling for, or at least lusting after Julie and Eileen will be left in the lurch yet again if she doesn't dump him first. Eileen doesn't even measure up in Family Boy's eyes, I think. He's still got his mother's apron strings hanging from his belt



Then there's Joe, Gail and the boat. A family that scrapes barnacles together, stays together, i guess. Even David seems a bit more human. Influence of the new girlfriend, Zoe? Or is it another calm before another storm? The last time we had a boat on the street, when it lived in Des Barnes' back garden, it ended disastrously. Joe has a lot of financial debt and the collector's coming knocking. I can't see how this is going to end well. "Gail Force" he's called the boat. That's about the size of it, isn't it? She is a bit of a disaster at times, isn't she?

So is Joe, though. Wanna bet that boat ends up in the debt collector's hands? God, we only had Smiling Joe for a couple of weeks and we're back to Pathetic Joe slinking around with a worried face and red eyes. At least he has told Gail about it. And yet, she's still not going to chuck him out. She's going to flaming sell the house!!!! I can't stand it!!!! Is she that desperate? (Don't answer that!)

Simon's other grandfather shows up out of the blue. He said he didn't even know he had a grandson and didn't know his daughter was dead until he tried to track her down. Must have been quite a shock. Peter should understand, though. He had a hard time adjusting to being a dad and really wanted to get it right once he got over the adjustment. So a new relative who has loads of money comes into Peter's life, just as he is looking for financing for the bar. Are you thinking what i'm thinking? If Peter falls off the wagon, will George swoop in and try to get custody of Simon out from under Peter's nose? Then there's the Grandpa Rivalry. Someone else to make Ken feel inadequate, as if Blanche doesn't do that for him on a regular basis!



Then there's the affair from hell...Molly wasn't too keen to hear about Kevin's other women. I don't know what she's got to complain about. She chased Tyrone away from Maria and she tried to chase Kirk away from Fiz. Kevin realized just how expensive a divorce can be. He also realized how much his affair would affect his children so he's putting off Molly's plans for them to be together for another year nearly (well, if it doesn't blow up in his face before then. A distinct possibility). It seems to be to be a stereotype typical soap affair, doesn't it? The man wants a bit on the side, thinks he's in love when he's really just in lust. He's fooling himself into thinking he'll ever leave his wife because really, he's comfortable in his life and only wanted a bit of excitement. That's all Molly really wants too, i'm convinced of it. These two don't strike me as having real true love and caring.