State of the Street - April

Faye had her baby daughter at the start of the month and didn't want to have anything to do with her. Anna despairs. At least the family of the father of the baby is aware in spite of the little jerk trying to deny it. If I was Anna, I'd be applying to them for some support payment and surely Faye would qualify for some Social Assistance payments as well to help offset the financial problems a baby's going to cause, especially if Anna gives up work for Faye to go back to school which of course she must because it's a soap, right? And she's too young to legally leave school.

I'd like to see more of Social Services' involvement as there really needs to be something in there about finding ways to keep Faye in school, not just let her stay home for a few months and go back in September. She's too young to fall behind and the bullying will be even worse than it's going to be already. And I despair, I really do. Miley? I know, I know. Faye's only 13 and they're probably the only age bracket that really does think Miley Cyrus is cool. It would have been nice to see Faye naming the baby after her late mother but that would probably mean she actually cares about the baby which she doesn't yet.

I'm a bit curious as to where this will go. I'd *like* to see it end up that they give the baby away for adoption but with soaps, it'll probably be the more uninteresting story of Faye finally finding that she does love the baby and couldn't possibly give it up. If Tracy Barlow can find it in her heart to want her baby back, Faye surely will.

Speaking of Tracy, she's leading Tony around, pushing more and more for him to dump Liz and put what money he has into buying Steve's half of the pub. What I haven't figured out yet is why she'd want to be Liz's partner because Liz still owns a share. Maybe she's going to push for that sale as well. Tracy would love to lord it over the Street but she'd end up with no customers at all or nearly so if she owned it. The rest would be Tony's mates selling dodgey goods in the smoking shelter!

But the thing is, Liz is starting to take Tony for granted as you tend to do when you're comfortable in a relationship and he's got a sexy chick beckoning from across the road. Surely Tracy wouldn't be slicking smelly stuff on her legs or leaving her bra and tights hanging in the bathroom. You don't think? Most people are attracted by the thrill and excitement of the chase and the forbidden pleasure. When they finally leave their partners for the other person, they find out quick enough that life isn't all that different with the new than with the old and in this case, Tracy is probably worse. I reckon Tony's just stringing her along about the money and the pub but if he plays her for a fool, he might want to hide the blunt objects and watch his back. She's got form!

Eileen has finally met a nice man through the dating site. He's not dynamic and he's not exciting but he's stable, pleasant and seems to be a good guy. Naturally, she's all in a tizzy about some other guy on the dating site that sounds a lot more hip and exciting and if she's not careful, she's going to lose a good man to a fantasy because that's exactly what it is. It's actually Todd playing mean games with his mother, and for what reason? Nobody knows. I don't know. I don't care, frankly. I've lost all interest in why Todd does what he does. I don't care what happened to him in London to make him turn so horrible. I don't know why his family keeps getting sucked in and then forgiving him.

I hope Eileen manages to keep hold of Adrian after disowning Todd yet again but I haven't high hopes. And people wonder why Eileen is always so bitter? You'd think she'd wonder by now why she hasn't actually talked to "Jeff" either by phone or on Skype and has Todd only sent one photo of Jeff? If he's sent more, and remember, this is supposed to be a random photo I think, how does he find more photos of the same random guy? Nick them off his Facebook site, I suppose.

David has found out about who Andy really is and by the end of the month, Luke has found out as well. For the life of me I can't imagine why Gail has continued to put flowers on Gavin's grave. Once, maybe that's marginally understandable, doing it for Michael's sake but over and over? It makes absolutely no sense and is the only detail in this storyline that's fallen flat for me. I've enjoyed it otherwise but this is stupid but there is a reason, now that I thought about it. The reason was so that David could follow her and find out. I doubt she's going to take any more flowers to the grave now. And him using Andy to try to get back at Callum was kind of stupid too. Callum has been hanging around Coronation Street for months, in the pub and shops and in the Bistro WHERE ANDY WORKS and he didn't recognize him? Really? I don't buy it, people.

But that whole Callum and David fighting over Max storyline is boring the life out of me anyway. I know they had to do something while Kylie was away but geesh this is getting on my nerves. Kylie should be back (by the end of May?) and I can't wait for her to kick Callum all over the place for trying to take Max from David. I'd love to see her find a way to put Callum back in jail for a very long time or at least she needs to back David up with the courts. She's Max's mother and she should have a lot more say in whether Callum gets to take Max from David. She'll have to prove that she's got past the drugs, though.

Sally continues to be a joy to watch! I love to see her sniping at Jenny or trying and failing to lord it over Alya at the factory and being a slave to her own snobbery in other little vignettes. Now that Tim is a grandad, she'll have a superior attitude about her own parenting skills compared to Anna's when really, the only reason she might consider herself a better mother is that neither of her two got pregnant as teens! They caused plenty trouble otherwise, especially Rosie!

As for Jenny, it's becoming more and more obvious that she's got some really big issues to do with children. Did she have a child and lose it somehow? Illness? Accident? It seems likely she's a bit shaky, perhaps had a breakdown. I expect her to go completely doolally and walk off with Jack, convinced that he's her child. Nobody will be surprised when she goes off the rails. By the end of April, she's quit her job but lied that she got fired, and will be looking after Jack while the child minder is off with a broken leg. It also felt like there was a little thaw between she and Rita but Rita certainly won't be surprised when Jenny goes over the edge and Sophie already thinks there's something off about Jenny. Sally will have plenty of I Told You So's, too! I am enjoying this storyline quite a bit, though. Great performances all around.

Steve's recovery has been quietly subtle. He still has good and bad days but he seems to be coming to grips with it all. I like that it took Lloyd awhile to really get his head around it and he still seems to be slightly suspicious that Steve hasn't just found a new and different way to skive. Michelle has been supportive as I expected but I had hoped she'd and Liz both would be a lot harder on themselves for how they treated Steve than they were. Liz didn't seem to take any blame at all when she was just as bitchy as Michelle back before they knew Steve was ill. I think Liz still believes in tough love to help him get over his illness but she's coming around.

Sinead is also recovering in the first realistic storyline ever with a paralysed-from-accident character. Even Peter Barlow was up and staggering 2 months after the tram crash. Sinead has now been in hospital since early January, inching her way along the parallel bars with the encouragement of her new mate, Sam, who I think has a lot more feelings for her than he's letting on. I also think Chesney spotted it even if he doesn't know why he's jealous. Sinead doesn't seem to have the same feeling though but if Chesney starts acting out, it could spell trouble.

Steve and Michelle are going to get married and Liz is trying to get Tony to help pay for the wedding. When really, you know, if you're broke, you shouldn't be planning anything elaborate. It doesn't cost much to get married at the registry office and I'm sure Michelle can find a nice dress that doesn't cost hundreds. Gail probably knows where you can get a good deal on a dress. She's had to get 6 wedding dresses (so far!) and she hasn't always had much money to splash out. A few sandwiches and sausage rolls in the pub you already own and job's a good'un! Wedding on the cheap!

Speaking of Gail and weddings, round 2 of her sixth wedding and though she had a wobble at I Do, she did. She's the leader in the soap wedding/partner race, having had six full legal weddings (and a seventh that she missed by minutes) and five husbands. Steve is runner up, heading towards his sixth wedding but one of them didn't go through because the bride was too drunk and he's only had four wives among the six wedding ceremonies, including the upcoming one, providing there is one, of course. It's a soap, that's never a given until they actually say those two little words. Deirdre and Ken both had four ceremonies and three partners as a commendable Also-Ran.

I like Michael, I like that he's emotional, not all stiff upper lip like all the other men. I think he's a lovely man who made a mistake out of desperation and now he's got his life back. Well, sort of. That heart condition may kill him yet. I'd like him to get a heart transplant and be ok because after all her dead husbands and divorces and disasters, Gail deserves to be happy. 

And that, folks, is the State of the Street for April

Good Bye Owen

(Oh dear, I forgot I had this sitting in draft form and meant to post it the other week. You won't mind, will you?)

We've just seen another character leaving Coronation Street, this time in his own van rather than a taxi. Owen Armstrong has had a bumpy ride on the few years that he's been with us. The character was brought in and likened to the classic Len Fairclough. Len was a builder and was rough around the edges but had a good heart. Owen? He's a builder, too. And rough around the edges? As rough as a badger's arse. Does he have a good heart? Kind of. He does love his two daughters, Izzy and Katie but in trying to keep them safe and having to raise them on his own (more on that in a minute), he goes a bit over the top.

You see, Owen has a temper, also like Len Fairclough and Owen is a bit of a bully, too. When we first met him, he was presented as an over-protective father to disabled Izzy who was determined to be more independent. Izzy has a syndrome that means she spends most of her life in a wheelchair though she can stand and move around a little bit, though it's painful. Izzy is just as stubborn as Owen and they locked horns a lot, I think. Owen's younger daughter, Katy, almost 16 at the time she was introduced, was also a handful, kicking back at her father's attempts to keep her under his protective thumb. She is also headstrong and stubborn like her father. I can well imagine the rows in that house!


I don't think Owen ever struck his children but they certainly have implied that he lost his temper a lot. Having said that, we have seen Owen lash out and give Faye, Anna's daughter, a slap across the leg for a serious transgression, something she did specifically to hurt Owen. He dismantled the rotting shed in the back garden and built a fish pond. Faye killed the fish with creosote.  I seem to recall Izzy and Katy inferring that it wasn't an out of the ordinary action for him though I can't see him striking Izzy in any way when she was young but we don't really know. Anyway. He's got a temper and is willing to use it. He may or may not have hurt his children but he certainly can be handy with his fists with adult men if need be. We do know that he had Jim McDonald beaten up. Owen was getting close to Liz and saw her ex as a threat, which he probably was!

All in all, Owen has never really been a sympathetic character overall even if he has times when he's gentler and kinder and more understanding. One incident that reflects those sides of him was when Izzy was with Gary. Gary was in the army and was injured in Afghanistan where he saw his best friend killed after saving Gary's own life. Gary went through nasty Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and though Izzy was supportive, Gary became very over protective of her and ended up keeping her locked in the flat, scared she would be hurt. Gary had a breakdown and freaked out and Owen broke into the flat to find Gary cowering in one corner and Izzy cowering in the other. Owen gathered Gary in his arms and assured him everything would be ok rather than thump him one for scaring Izzy. It was pretty clear at that moment that Gary was in a bad way and Owen knew it. Mind you, he was pretty strongly against Izzy wanting to reconcile with Gary a few months later and Gary's short temper was the beginning of the end of Owen, though it was a long game to get here.

Owen was offered a partnership with a man called Pat Phelan. The deal felt a bit dodgey because Phelan was bankrupt and was encouraging Owen to put his own money in to the refit of an old building into new flats. It would have made Owen a great deal of cash if it all went smoothly but the project was in Mrs. Phelan's name due to the bankruptcy issue. It might have been legal but only just. Owen was persuaded to go ahead and he and Gary and other men hired got stuck in. But Phelan, sleazy Phelan, had his eye on Anna and was putting the moves on her, making her very uncomfortable. She didn't want to cause trouble because she didn't want the deal to fall through but when Gary found out, he lunged at Phelan and assaulted him for badgering his mother. Big mistake!

Phelan now had control over Gary and Owen. He could have Gary sent to jail and financially ruin Owen if he wanted to. And he did do the dirty on Owen financially but blackmailed Anna into an afternoon of sex in a hotel to save Gary's backside. Anna felt like she had no choice and went through with it. Eventually, of course, Owen found out and it nearly broke them permanently. This whole incident, starting with Anna's son, Gary, causing the problem and ending with Anna in that hotel roo was more than a crack in their relationship, it was a chasm the size of the Grand Canyon and they may have patched it over but it's a weak spot. Owen had to sell the builders' yard (to Tony Stewart) and scraped to get odd jobs to get by while Anna was working two jobs to make ends meet. He even lost the house to the bank and they had to move to the flat over the bookies'. That's a lot of stress on that patch job.

Recently, Owen's ex-wife landed on the doorstep. We had always been told that his wife, Linda, abandoned the family after Izzy was diagnosed and Katy was just a toddler. She never came back and Izzy always felt it was because of her illness that their mother left. Owen never said any different. But now we discover that Linda did have an affair and had left but only for a short time. She had trouble dealing with Izzy's diagnosis at first but knew she'd made a mistake. Owen refused to take her back and was adamant that she would never be allowed to see her children. She tried but he blocked every attempt, threw out every letter and card. Eventually, Linda left the country for Portugal. Now, 16 years later, she's back and she wants to get to know her adult children, much to Owen's annoyance. He couldn't get out of it because Katy caught him on the doorstep. She had no memories of her mother but Izzy was horrified.

And of course, the real truth came out about what Owen did. Izzy was absolutely crushed that her father let her believe all her life that it was her fault that her mother left. That's not something you get over easily. Anna saw the beautiful Linda as a threat to her little family and indeed, she had something to worry about. Linda told Owen she still loved him and wanted him to come to Portugal with her and the girls. That's even more pressure on that papered-over crack and it looks like it's starting to pull away at the edges.

I can't quite understand why you would still harbour feelings for someone who never forgave you and kept you from your children for nearly 20 years but there you go. Does Owen have unresolved feelings? Possibly. But to give him credit, he did come clean right away to Anna about what Linda asked. It didn't really help matters when Katy decided she was going with her mother.

Anna has had to carry most of the financial load for the family over the past couple of years. She's had to do things she never thought she would to keep her family together. She's worried about her son, and her adopted daughter Faye. She's seen Faye's father return to her life and worried he might take Faye away. She thought she might lose Owen to his ex. The stress and worry have built up over time.

The straw that crashed through the camel's back was her 12 year old daughter Faye giving birth at Easter. Faye herself didn't know she was pregnant until she was about 7 months gone, only worried she was getting fat. Nobody noticed that Faye's weight gain seemed to be solely in one spot of her body which she hid under baggy clothes. Anna was too distracted by everything else to really pay attention to the finer details of Faye's life. Once the shock of the baby's arrival wore off, she had Owen to contend with. He was positive that Faye's friend Craig Tinker was the father and roughed him up. That's Owen's usual response, violence.

Anna wants Faye to keep the baby but Owen knows that Faye, at this point, doesn't want anything to do with the child. He thinks the little girl should be adopted but Anna won't hear of it. Family is important to her and in all likelihood, in true soap fashion, Faye will eventually bond with the baby but she has gone past her ability to handle anymore stress and has made him leave. He thought he could go for a little while to make her realize she'd miss him and need him but since she was adamant, he's gone for good.

While I didn't like the character much, he was always interesting and the actor was quite good. 

When children have children

I, like everyone else, sighed and rolled my eyes when I first heard about Faye's pregnancy storyline. Knowing this storyline has been done before on Corrie, back in 2000 with Sarah Louise Platt, I couldn't think how they could do it differently enough to keep me interested. I have been proving very wrong. This storyline has kept me coming back for more every episode in which it was featured.

The Conversation Street podcasters this week hit it right on the money. Sarah Louise's pregnancy was told from Gail's point of view where Faye's has been told from the point of view of a 12 year old. You will recall that we viewers knew that Martin was having an affair in the run up to Sarah's pregnancy reveal and the marriage was on the rocks even though Martin stuck by Gail while Sarah went through the pregnancy. It was still Gail's story.

This time, it's all Faye's story. A little girl terrified that her adopted mother would decide she's too much trouble and unadopt her. She got along to her seventh month before she even figured it out herself. She'd gained weight and had been bullied for it at school. Dieting to try to lose the weight kept her size small and baggy clothes hid the rest of it. I've known women who were petite and barely showed at all when they were ready to give birth so it's credible to me that Faye was never obviously showing a big bump.

Ellie Leach who plays Faye did a fantastic job and the other star turned out to be Colson Smith as Craig who supported her, tried to be her voice of reason and did everything he could to help her. Every girl wants a best friend like him! Craig is 16 but he's not one the more mature 16 year old boys, all raging hormones and sweaty gym socks. He's a lovely, sweet lad and Colson is revealing himself to be a talented actor. I was watching his face while Faye was in labour and saw the flicker of relief when she asked for her mother. He was finally released when Anna arrived and he ran home to the safety of his own mother in the wake of Owen's anger and suspicions, too traumatized to defend himself at that point.

I hope Craig continues to be there for Faye regardless of how this plays out. The young actors have made this story infinitely more watchable.

It was interesting to bring Sophie into the mix. I don't quite understand how she couldn't hear Faye screaming over head but could hear little bumps as Faye and Craig moved around but never mind. Faye very much appreciated her presence while Craig was frantically looking for Anna and Sophie is always one to reach out to be a friend to the younger kids when they need it. You may not realized it but Brooke Vincent and Ellie Leach are cousins so I'm sure they're tickled to finally have some proper scenes together.

I enjoyed Beth and Kirk's reaction to Craig's news, too. Beth, like pretty much everyone else on the Street is going to do, suspected Craig is the father of the baby but she also believed Craig when he swore it wasn't his and Beth is always fierce in her defence of her own chick and everyone knows it!

Another bit that I thought was a wonderful touch was Tim telling a labouring and scared Faye how he felt when he first held her in his arms. I think it reassured Faye a little bit, knowing how much her father loves her.

I'm not especially looking forward to Anna's hand wringing and teeth gnashing, awash in guilt for not suspecting and berating herself because Faye was too scared to talk to her. I am looking forward to Sally lording it over Anna. For all Sally's parenting stop and starts, neither of her children have put her through something like this! She will conveniently forget Rosie's affair with John Stape! I'm looking forward to Tim relishing his new role as a granddad, something he's already delighted with. I wonder if there will be clashes between Tim's protective instincts and Anna's.

I really hope that Sarah Platt finds a few minutes to bond with Faye. I really hope the writers/powers that be don't drop the ball on this one. Gail could be a support for Anna and Sarah certainly could provide Faye with some insight.

Time will tell.

State of the Street - March

Faye's pregnancy gets more and more obvious as the weeks go on yet nobody notices. Perhaps it's slightly believable that her mother hasn't noticed considering all the stuff that's gone on that has been distracting her lately. Prior to that, Faye was worried about gaining weight and that's all it looked like. What I wonder is where is Faye getting the ever larger sized baggy school jumpers because Anna would have to buy them or pay for them at least and nothing has been noted. What about Faye's skirts and jeans? None of them will fit and we haven't heard any mention of her buying or asking for larger sizes or buying stuff off the market cheap. That's the only bit of this storyline that's a bit "what?". Otherwise, I'm quite enjoying it.

More than I thought I would, too. I was dismayed at the idea of them going down this road again after doing it with Sarah Lou in 2000. She was also 12 getting pregnant, 13 when she found out and gave birth. I knew they'd do a different slant on it and they did, having Faye find out and keeping it all a secret, with the help of Craig, who, incidentally, has been a joy to watch. What a great character and Colson Smith is awesome! He's really come into his own. We'll be seeing Faye give birth over Easter so as I post this, it will be just a few days. Then the real fun begins.

I really hope they'll bring Sarah and Gail into this, Sarah to talk to Faye and Gail to support Anna since they've both been in the same position. Faye's going to be shell shocked and Sarah knows how that feels. She could be a good support but I have a feeling it will be completely ignored or barely touched upon. Too bad.

We've had Katy leave with her newly discovered mother. That was a bit of a waste of a potentially good storyline, having Linda come back after all these years but I don't think it was handled very believably. Owen behaved abominably keeping Linda away from the children. She never fought back with legal help. I suppose Owen must have been as much of a bully then as now and had her in an emotional position of not being confident and brave enough to really sink her teeth into it. I don't believe that after 18 years that a woman that now seems to be a confident business owner wouldn't have returned long before now once the girls were at least teenagers and could speak for themselves or would have hired a solicitor and forced Owen to give access.

I also don't believe that after 18 years and the awful way he treated her that she still loves him and wants to make a go of it. Nope. Not buying it. I could possibly see Owen still harbouring feelings. He was very, very hurt and probably never got over it even if he now loves Anna. There are a lot of unresolved feelings there for him but Linda wanting him back and "always" loving him only feels a bit like a kicked puppy continuing to follow its master. I don't think they cast her all that well either. I wanted Linda to have more passion and fire to her, to really show anger when she stood up to Owen. She was too quiet. Too nice. Yes, there was an element of strength but it still felt tentative. It was all a bit contrived and unfortunately that happens a lot when they have to write an exit storyline. It's not as if they didn't have enough time to figure it out. Georgia May Foote's exit was announced last summer!

I'm bored with Callum going after custody of Max and his tangles with David. We all remember David as a near-psycho kid on the edge. Where's that kid now? Why hasn't David recovered his inner madman? He seems cowed and scared by Callum rather than fierce most of the time. This mediation stuff is really working on my last nerve. Why were the mothers allowed at the second session when they had to sit outside at the first one? Contrived so that when Gail wasn't there, David would get angry and Gail couldn't say why she missed the meeting. I can't wait for Kylie to come back and kick Callum's backside to the other side of Manchester with her truth about who he is. I hear Paula Lane has just gone back to filming after her maternity leave so I suppose we'll see her by June. Oh God. Two more months of this.

Bethany Platt has decided to flee Milan and come back to dreary, rainy Weatherfield. I'm not sure how much of what she's saying is true and how much is bullshit. I speculate that Sarah has been working long hours and probably a bit neglectful. Considering Bethany's personality, I'm sure Sarah has taken her eye off the ball and Bethany has been a bit out of control. I expect Sarah has never been one to enforce the rules and Bethany probably has been brought up with a lot of leeway. Sarah was only just 20 with a 7 year old when she left for Italy and Gail did as much of the parenting or more before that. We'll see how it unfolds. Sarah has returned to fetch Bethany and it looks as if she'll be staying on for awhile, that is, if the walls of the Tardis Number 8 don't explode with all the people in it.

Tracy's leading Tony around by the unmentionables. It started off as a way to make herself feel better over the whole Rob thing and now she's having fun twisting Tony in the wind so to speak. Tony does love Liz and is scared he'll lose her and lose a good thing, well situated in the pub. He's got a stake in Barlows Buys but since it's a shaky one with dodgey stolen goods most of the time, who knows how long that will last. I'm surprised, after Tracy made a deal with the cops to drop any stolen goods charges for her turning in Rob that they police haven't been keeping a closer eye on her business. I bet they would in real life. It'll be only a matter of time before the affair is revealed. Liz will tear chunks out of her and Ken will sign "Oh, Tracy!" since we won't have Deirdre to do it.

Steve is making slow progress in his recovery but things aren't that good yet. Another ghost in the machine has reared its ugly head. He's been ignoring letters from the Revenue and he owes over 10 thousand pounds. However did they resolve the debt he ran up on Streetcars' accounts? I remember him promising to pay it back. I think maybe Liz did that, didn't she? Now Tony is going to pay his bill with the money he made selling off that auction house he bought for Jason and Eva. That was nice! It's just a loan but it gets Steve off the hook as far as taxes go. Michelle is actually being really good with Steve for a change. It's also interesting to see Lloyd struggling with it and finding out if they can patch up the cracks in their friendship. It looks like it's starting to happen but it's not a speedy thing and that's more realistic.

The return of Jenny Bradley has been very interesting so far. She hasn't really made peace with a reluctant Rita and man, I continually want to smack Norris for all his interfering comments. It's none of his damn business so shut up! And because Rita is upset, Sally is shooting evils at Jenny, too, though there may also be a frisson of jealousy there as well. She always seemed to be of the opinion that even if she didn't want Kevin, she didn't want him to find anyone else, either, because I think she liked the idea of Kevin pining for her.

There's something going on with Jenny too and I want to know what it is. She's been good with Jack yet has been hesitant to be responsible for him and when she is, she's very over protective. That freak out over the fear that he might have swallowed something he could choke on really makes me think she might have lost a child to an accident for which she blames herself. Time will tell.

Still liking Billy though not really sure why he would have taken a shine to Sean. I could have easily seen him with Marcus, though, couldn't you? I hope they tone down Sean because if he doesn't learn from his past, his neuroses and jealousy and low self esteem is going to shoot this relationship in the foot just last all the others.

We haven't seen nearly enough of Carla. They've hidden Sinead away and we've hardly seen much of her struggle to walk though it's there. And don't get me started on the fact that she couldn't stand on her own while having the potential support of the parallel bars and two nurses and two days later had enough confidence to try to stand up at home, *alone* out of the wheelchair and reach for the teabags! Stupid woman. Stupid scene.

Oh, and the Gavin/Andy storyline, still keeping me interested though I know a lot of people think it's dragging on too long. I am enjoying the twists and turns, the irony of the real Gavin coming back to cause trouble and then dying of the genetic heart thing, the slow creep of more and more people finding out about Andy. Now Gail knows and she's in a very tough spot knowing the shock of it all could very well give Michael that fatal heart attack. I reckon Michael will be the last to know but will, of course, find out, and then it will really hit the fan!

Even though Andy has done a bad thing and has become really stuck in the middle of his own lies, I do like him. I like he and Steph together as well.

Liked the chicken storyline. Wish Zeedan would find a reason to smile. Or have a storyline. Or something. Unsure of the Roy and Sharif sharing an allottment thing though I think it's actually supposed to be the catalyst to bringing Roy back to a bit more normalcy and bring him out of his deep grief. Alya and Gary. Where are they? Don't care. Luke and Maria. Don't care. I do like both characters but they don't seem to gel as a couple. Eileen and the internet dating world. Meh but it might be ok. Jason thinking Eva was with Tony and losing her. Well, that came out of nowhere and just a set up to her leaving for maternity leave for the actor. Another awkward get-out story.

I like most of the storylines on the screen to date, though. I think I tend to be a bit more forgiving of the show even after watching for 26 years. I accept that it has to change with the times. For the better? Not always, but it's not for the worse either, not for me. It's very subjective, isn't it? They could do with a bit smaller cast, do with using the older cast more, try to spread the front burning storylines around a bit rather than seemingly focussing on one family or character like the flavour of the year. One year it was non-stop Michelle, then Becky. Recently it was non-stop Windass and they're still fairly front burner but are fighing for supremacy with the whole Platt clan (and all assorted last names associated thereof. They're still Platts to me!)

I'm looking forward to Faye giving birth and the aftermath of that. Looking forward to Kylie's return. Can't wait to see the explosion when Liz finds out about Tracy and Tony. Interested to see where this Jenny thing is going.

That's the State of the Street for March!

Deception Street

What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

Yep. That pretty much sums up the mess that Andy Carver's in. He was unemployed, skint and a bit lonely. His flatmate and childhood friend, Gavin Rodwell had dumped his own fiance,  stolen Andy's girlfriend and gone traveling. The bills were mounting up. He and Gavin had often competed to see who's dad was more rubbish and Gavin usually won through force of personality if nothing else. When a reconciliation letter popped through the letterbox one day, addressed to Gavin and from his father, Michael, Andy was intrigued.  He thought he'd meet the man, pretend to be Gavin, and find out of all the stories were true.

While he was in a sticky spot financially, he wasn't intending to rip off Michael for any major cash though thought he might cadge a tenner or two or a free pint. He didn't intend to be pulled in by Michael's sincerity and pleasure at finally getting a chance to make things up with his son, the lad he'd left behind when he walked out on his wife all those years ago. He felt sympathy with Michael's regrets and his genetic heart condition that had spurred on his quest to find his son. He didn't intend for the pretense to go very far. But Andy found himself drawn to the man and liking him quite a bit. He got slotted into a much-needed job in the Bistro even though he really had no experience (the real Gavin did). He even got a great new girlfriend, Steph.

The longer the guise went on, the harder it was to reveal the truth. We found out pretty early that "Gavin" was not "Gavin" but Andy and that Andy felt guilty about the situation. It was a couple of months before Steph found out the truth but though she insisted he come clean, it turned out that was impossible.

He nearly did it, he went to see Michael and was going to confess, but Steph stopped him before he could, because Michael's medical condition had worsened and the shock could kill him. Oh great. What next? Andy's former girlfriend shows up but he managed to wiggle out of that one by staging a row with Steph over it. Even after Michael's heart operation, the truth had to stay in the closet until the results were determined and those results weren't very good. Michael now needs a heart transplant.  All stress had to be avoided.

The mire got deeper. The web got more tangled. Michael and Gail were getting married and Andy would be best man. By now, he was growing to love Michael and the new family Michael had gathered, the Platts. They may have their crises and they certainly have their faults, but they were a strong little family unit, more of a family than Andy had had before and they all pulled together when it mattered. As wrong as it would be to continue the... let's face it...identity theft and fraud, maybe, just maybe he could get away it it until Michael's health was better.

But wait! Wouldn't you know it? The real Gavin Rodwell finally shows up, just as we all knew he would someday. Perfect timing, too, on the eve of Gail and Michael's wedding. And he proved himself to be a bit of a wrong'un, also as we all thought he would be. He had to be, to contrast with the lovely Andy who, fraud and impersonation aside, is a very nice guy.

Gavin wasn't very happy with what his mate has done and you can't blame him for that. But rather than immediately reveal the truth to all and sundry, with probable dire consequences for Michael's health (which wouldn't have bothered Gavin) or go to the police, he decides to blackmail Andy. Pay up and I'll shut up. Since Andy couldn't raise all the money, Gavin shows up on Gail's doorstep on her wedding day and now she knows the truth. To save Michael from the shock, she paid Gavin off the remainder but missed her wedding because of it. 

Except Karma is a bitch. And the next layer of the onion/storyline is revealed when Gavin died suddenly, very shortly after Gail passed over the cash. Too bad it wasn't a cheque, he likely wouldn't have had time to cash it!  It first appeared to be a drink driving car crash but, no, it was actually a heart attack. Remember the genetic heart condition?  That was the other reason he needed to get hold of his son, so that he could be tested. Andy did tell Gavin this and so did Gail but Gavin either didn't believe him or hadn't had the chance to get checked out before it was too late. Irony, thy name is Rodwell.

I have been loving this storyline. I always loved Gail's family (always the Platts to me no matter what her last name-du-jour is). I like Michael a lot, as well. Some people find him weak and soppy and pathetic. I know he's not a strong man, but Corrie men rarely are. Michael Rodwell is a kind and sweet man. He is emotional and generous and he's got a lot of regrets in his life. I think he's a really good match for Gail who deserves a good man after all the cads she's been with.  They're going to get married and I really hope she's not going to be a widow again. With Michael's dicky ticker, it's a distinct possibility. It's getting to be utterly absurd that almost every man she's ever married has died.

I love how this storyline has unfolded in layers and twists. The first one was the surprise that Gavin wasn't really Gavin. The viewer then knew for a couple of months before the truth was revealed to Steph and we watched Andy become more and more involved and more and more uncomfortable in various situations. The actor playing RealGavin was superb, too. He really projected Gavin's anger and bitterness believably and was far more believable as a villainous character than Callum, a drug dealer who should be equally scary in his own way but isn't. (Though I do like his touch of the occasional sniff, as if to imply he's got a cocaine habit, but nope, still not scary.)

This most recent twist, with Gavin dying of the same heart condition that Michael has is brilliant as the plot device to move this to the next phase. Little by little, more people will find out who Andy is and Michael will probably be the last to know. Whether the shock is going to kill him or not remains to be seen.  He'll be devastated, not only to find out the truth but that his loved ones didn't tell him, even if it was for his health. (don't click here if you don't want to know who finds out next).

The last storyline that had this many twists and turns was the John Stape/Colin Fishwick saga which was funny and dark and ludicrous at times but very enjoyable. I don't know how this will end. Will the shock of it all kill Michael? Will he get a transplant before he finds out? What about Andy? Will the reveal mean he's going to leave us? I hope not. I like he and Steph together but he's sure gonna have a lot of 'splaining to do.

Corrie? I'm loving it

Everyone enjoys and dislikes different storylines, characters and actors. What one person loves, another finds tedious. Complaining is all easy to do. What am I loving about Corrie lately?

Loving the Gavin/Andy storyline. Lots of twists, lots of layers. I like all of the characters involved, even Michael whom a lot of you find tedious and insipid. I like that he's gentle and emotional and he's got regrets about his life. He's a nice man and Gail deserves that for once. I like that Andy is a nice man too, even though he's got himself tangled in a web of his own making. Love him and Steph as a couple. Love that David is still snarky with both Andy and Michael but also seems to have accepted them into the family.

Yep, even love the Platt story with Callum stirring things up with a very big stick. Is he believable as a drug dealer? Stereotypically, no, but there are drug dealers in all walks of life and some really are handsome and smooth. I can't wait for Kylie to get back and kick Callum's butt for trying to take Max from David.

I've enjoyed watching Steve's storyline, even when Michelle and Liz annoyed me for their treatment of him  before his diagnosis came out. It's been interesting to watch Steve try to cope and watch how everyone around him isn't sure what to say or how to treat him.

Tony and Tracy? She's not my favourite character by a long way but she's interesting to watch and she's certainly got Tony in a sticky spot at the moment. I'm hoping Liz wipes the floor with her when she finds out about the affair but Liz is also going to be hurt badly as well. I suspect that will be the end of Tony but who knows?

I like the dynamic of Sharif and is wife, Yasmeen. Kal and his kids are bit dull but I'm hoping that will change over time.

I love Tim and Sally, as do most of you.

Faye's storyline, while annoying in that teen pregnancy has been done before even if not quite this way, is being handled pretty well. It's still surprising that nobody's noticed but when there's a weight gain in someone that young, pregnancy is the last thing you think about, especially when the girl has been a "good girl" and doesn't have boys flocking around her. I also believe that Faye wouldn't have realized before now that she was pregnant because at that age, your periods are erratic and even though you're told that you can get pregnant after only having sex once, it doesn't seem real and a 12 year old wouldn't think it could actually happen to them. I am curious to find out if Anna will discover it before Faye gives birth and how. I think it would be a good twist if Tim or Sally figures it out first, or even Sophie or Izzy.  Cue more chest pounding and angst from Anna. Yeah, that's a bit annoying but the actor that is playing Faye is really good and the paring between she and the love Craig is gold.

So far, I'm enjoying the return of Jenny Bradley and intrigued as to whether she's got an agenda or not. Did she take advantage of finding Kevin's dating profile to finally make amends with Rita? If so, that's not so bad. But she also said she had a messy divorce. What was that all about? Should Kevin be afraid? 

I'm looking forward to the twists and turns in the Rodwell storyline, interested to see how Faye's pregnancy plays out, and there should still be a few bumps in Steve's recovery as well.

Instead of what you hate or what's annoying you, what are you loving about Corrie lately?

State of the Street - February 2015

I'm sorry for missing out on January's State of the Street but it couldn't be helped. Let's get on with February's wrap up shall we?

I love that Craig has made friends with Faye and he's her confidante. She needs a friend and he would be as faithful as a good dog. It's a good thing, too because she discovers she's 7 months pregnant!!! Yeah, Yeah, I know. Done it before with Sarah Lou. I know they can't not duplicate basic plotlines but it's hard to swallow when they do it with something "sensational" like a 12-13 year old getting pregnant. Anna will be as supportive as Gail was with her daughter when she finds out. This time, the trick is that Faye got so far along before it is discovered and Anna is too preoccupied by the return of Owen's ex-wife to really notice. Faye worries about being fat and is being bullied but even with that Anna really isn't paying a lot of attention, which Faye is quite happy with at the moment, not wanting to reveal her secret. It's going to come out one way and another!


Ga'Andy and Steph are a cute couple even if they have to duck and dive and keep their secret from Michael. Even after his operation, there's still reasons why they can't come clean. I do like them as a couple and I do like Ga'Andy a lot. He's a nice bloke that got hoisted by his own petard, so to speak and he's in so far he can't find a reasonable way out. Problem is, he really likes Michael, probably growing to love him where his own father was apparently crap. The real Gavin always said how awful his dad was but Michael has changed since he left Gavin's mother. I'm anxious to meet the real Gavin because he's clearly going to be a wrong'un and the complete opposite of Andy. He has to be, it wouldn't be dramatic enough if he turned out to be a good guy, too, and we've already heard stories that shade his demeanor darkly. Apparently he's going to turn up in a matter of days, now, to start March off with a bump.


Sinead probably won't be paralysed and she does have feeling in her legs. But she's got a long way to go and a hard slog to work her way back up on her feet. At least she forgave Roy (though really, she doesn't have to forgive him. He didn't do anything *to* her. A bit sanctimonious really.) and she did apologize, and it was nice that what she said seemed to help Roy turn the corner. He was finally ready to spread Hayley's ashes and he's going to try to learn to drive. But Chesney isn't taking it well and he's so stressed that he looks miserable all the time. Which isn't much of a change from normal. I hate the way he's really taking it out on Steve. Someone mentioned that Steve shouldn't have let the joyriders wind him up else they'd have left him alone after the first encounter and ok, I'll concede that point but the actual accident really was just that. They cut Steve off and he swerved to avoid hitting them. I still wouldn't put the blame on Steve and the police never charged him, either.

David keeps tearing his hair out and bitching that Kylie left him. I wish someone would remind him that he chucked her out and she's not strong enough to try to come back yet. She's drifted further and further away while Callum is lurking closer and closer. Now he's threatening to get custody of Max and meanwhile, is really winding up David and tormenting him with packages and "errands". I really don't think Callum wants to look after a kid full time. He might be curious enough to want to get to know Max but I'm pretty sure he'd prefer to leave the hard parenting to David but he's not going to make it easy for David. Surely if and when Kylie finds out what Callum is trying to do, that will bring her back. You know she doesn't want Callum to have Max, after all.

And Owen's ex-wife has finally shown up, wanting to get to know her adult daughters. It turns out she had an affair and Owen threw her out and then lied to the kids about why their mother left. Linda was a long time figuring out that she could come back and face him, though. She did mention herself that she regretted not going through the courts to get access to the kids. I think we all wondered why she never did that, just legged it out of town and gave up. Once the girls found out, they turned on their father and slowly seem to be accepting their mother back into their life. I'd still harbour some resentment there, though. She'll have been gone nearly 20 years. It's easy to handle parenting when your kids are grown adults. With Anna and Owen continuing to be at odds over what Gary did and Owen thinking Gary dumped Izzy when we all know he did nothing of the sort, this is going to cause further ructions.


Steve is starting to make his way back to his old self but it's going to take a lot of time and he still has a lot of stuff to face up to. The crash was one thing, but don't forget he was spending like mad, taking money from Streetcars and probably ignoring the bills from the pub, too. He's likely in pretty dire straits, financially. Steve seems to be putting on a front a lot of the time, still feeling pretty hollow inside but the meds and councilling must be doing something because he didn't even have the energy and spirit to do that much a few months ago. I know Michelle has berated herself for not seeing the problem earlier. I wonder if we'll ever hear her regret insulting him and making fun of him back when he was first going back to night school. Probably not.

Tracy and Tony are now in business and all of a sudden out of nowhere, after Tony and Tracy both insisting their romp was a one off mistake, she hops on his lap and it's back on full on. Wha'??? He's got his fingers into her business, literally and figuratively (sorry!) and this can only end badly. From what I understand, Tony has always been a womanizer and it's the thing that Eileen dumped him over back in the day so I guess it makes more sense even if he's telling Tracy that Liz is The One.
Todd has been up to his old ways and that seems to have come out of the blue, too, after he seemed to be on a more even keel but he's using Tony against Jason, making him think Tony and Eva are having it off. I don't think he really believes it, but he just wants Jason to think so. He's jealous of Jason. He probably whines to himself that Mom Loves Jason Better. And the way Todd has been behaving since he came back is it any wonder? Still, it makes him interesting to watch if not a little frustrating! His latest efforts broke up Eva and Jason and I'm surprised nobody noticed his involvement considering they should have been more suspicious due to his not so distant past manipulations.

And we have a return of a native, Jenny Bradley, who's dating Kevin Webster. She has grown up and seems to have regrets but Rita has no time for her. Nice to see her and it's a good storyline so far, unfinished business and regrets. I wonder if she really has changed? She did talk about a messy divorce. Why would that be? I guess we'll find out!

Linda Armstrong's return, Falling flat for me

First off, you're right. There was no State of the Street for January because my PC packed up just before the end of the month. I had a document saved that had all my thoughts and I can't get to it. No point in reviving it when I get the data copied over to a new machine so we'll just skip January. February's State will be posted, though, at the end of the month.

Now that's out of the way.

What I really wanted to write about was the current storyline with the Wind-Strongs and the return of the native, Linda Armstrong as was.

A bit of back story: From what we've been told to date, Owen's ex and the mother of his two children abandoned the family when Katy was a baby, a toddler perhaps. She has no memory of her mother at all. Izzy, a few years older, remembers her mother. She had just been diagnosed with the syndrome that has disabled her and mainly keeps her in a wheelchair. She, as most children do, thought her mother left because of something she did or because of her illness. Her father, greatly hurt at his wife's departure, allowed her to think that and stepped up to the plate to be as good a dad for his girls as he could. He might be a bit strict, a bit over protective of Izzy and a lot rough around the edges, but his daughters knew he loved them very much.

Still, Izzy grew up feeling guilty that she was the reason her mother left. She's got confidence and a lot of bravado but some of that is to cover that insecurity and guilt.

Now, out of the blue, Owen's ex, Linda has appeared. She has decided she wants to get to know her daughters. That's an uphill battle with Owen doing everything he can to undermine her with Katy and Izzy. Katy, though, doesn't have that guilt and was too young to remember her mother leaving. Katy wants to get to know her mother. Izzy is horrified and has too much resentment and guilt to want anything to do with her mum.

But now the truth comes out. Right from the start of her visit, we the viewers could see that there's more to this story than meets the eye and recently, Linda told her girls the truth. She took Izzy's diagnosis badly, had an affair with her boss and left. She soon regretted her actions and wanted to come back but Owen wouldn't let her. He wouldn't even let her see the girls and returned every card, gift and letter she ever sent. He was determined, mainly due to his own heartbreak, that they would either forget her or see her as the villain of the piece. Katy and Izzy believed their mother's story, mainly, I think, because she said she had the proof of the returned letters and cards. Katy has the added experience of something similar, having a fling with Ryan Connor when she was with Chesney but it didn't mean she couldn't be a good mother and Chesney agreed to that concept.

Owen is now the villain of the piece and Izzy's reaction in particular is heart-rending. She accused him of letting her feel bad about herself so that he could be the hero. That's how she sees it and even if he wasn't thinking that specifically, that is in effect what he did. And the truth hurt. Good! I hollered at the telly. You deserve what you get. It's a big betrayal, isn't it? It is going to be difficult for the girls to forgive this one in a hurry. Maybe they never will or if they do, it will be a long time coming.

The storyline, as a whole, is good soap fodder. But I do have one thing that dissatisfies me. Suspending disbelief, I can accept that even though Owen has lived in two different homes since he left the family home where Linda would have lived, Linda was able to find them with no problem. Presumably she either asked at a nearby business and we didn't see it on screen or there is information online available that she could find or even more likely, there are still relatives in the area she could contact. The thing that makes it a bit more difficult to buy into the storyline is that I don't think I like the actress that plays Linda, or at least, don't like the way she's playing it.

I have no previous experience of the actress and don't know if this is her usual acting style. It seems to me she's a bit too bland and low key. She's not really getting shouty and angry like I thought she would, fighting back against Owen's bullying. She's not cowering but she's not putting a lot of obvious anger in her reactions either. It doesn't even come across as an under-the-lid simmering, like someone really trying to hold it in, avoiding losing their temper else be reduced to his level. It just doesn't feel like anything at all. She ought to have eyes a-snapping and teeth gritting, telling him in no uncertain terms where to go and where to shove his attitude. She doesn't have to scream and shout, but I would think most women in that position would be a bit more passionate in their response, too. It doesn't feel realistic in my view.

The other issue I have with this is another reality point. I read a comment on the Coronation Street Blog and fully agree. Why didn't Linda ever try to gain access via a solicitor? There was no reason for Owen to withdraw access to the children. Was she an abused spouse? Was she afraid of him? Did it take her this long to return because he had browbeaten the confidence out of her? It can take some people a long time to work their way through it and get the confidence and strength to face their past fears. We haven't been told that was the case but seeing Owen's temper and sometimes violent outbursts, could that be the case? It would at least make more sense as to why she finally fled and didn't take legal action.

I do think the reactions of Katy and Izzy are spot on. Katy has been cautiously giving her mother a chance, a small foot in the door but ready to shut it if her mother didn't manage to say the right things. Izzy has been resentful and defensive, with grief and guilt mixed together, trying desperately to keep her walls up and armed. Now, finding out what Owen did, Izzy is crushed. Katy is furious because she can identify with her mother to an extent and she's protective of Izzy, too. Anna is just shocked and I do agree, that Owen's showing signs of never having got over his hurt, it's resurgence a worrying sign that he could still be teetering on that love/hate borderline.

Without spoiling it, I do know the end result of all this but it will be interesting to see the rest of it play out, including watching the girls finally get to know their mother.

The Mini-bus slippery slope

Holy crap, Batman! I knew the minibus was going to crash (who didn't?) but wow, didn't it look convincing? I didn't doubt it would be great to watch, visually, after what they were able to pull off with the tram crash. Well, they actually did flip the bus with a stunt driver so it was real in that respect. This might not have been quite as dramatic as the tram crash but it still caught my breath. The Manchester Evening News has an article on the night shoots and some behind the scenes info here.

Here's a run down with lots of screen captures:

It's awards night and everyone's up for a party. But Beth gets drunk and misses the bus.

Never mind, Tracy Barlow bags her spot. In case you forgot, Tracy used to be an Underworld packer. I suppose the only reason she wanted to go was the free booze and drinks because I can't see any other reason she'd want to celebrate her arch enemy's success! Michelle is also an ex-employee and contributed significantly to the factory's success. She's also Carla's best mate so her presence made more sense.

We're all in the bus and off on a road trip! I'm surprised nobody started a round of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. I bet they would have if Beth had been there!

Oh dear, joyriders acting like pillocks on the road. (I absolutely detest that term "boy racers" and have nothing but contempt for it!). Steve is cut off and loses control of the vehicle which flips over onto the side of the road.

Which.... we discover, slopes down dangerously to a cliff. With no guard rail whatsoever and if I was in that van, I'd be suing the heck out of anyone from as many government agencies as possible. Maybe the bus might still have flipped but a good, strong guard rail might also have prevented it, bouncing the bus back onto the road, who knows?

Sinead had undone her seatbelt to retrieve a phone. Texting, kills, people! Ok, she's not dead but she's very badly injured. Everyone else is mainly bruised and battered. Great stunts here, with people hanging upside down inside the bus.

Steve is the first one to regain conciousness. Looking back, he probably thought he was in hell, in a bus full of his dead friends. He crept out, completely in shock.

Julie and Sean are next out of the bus and all they can see is a spaced out Steve who, after passing Julie his phone, gets up and walks off. He can't handle it. He's probably blaming himself but we know there was nothing he could have done. Walking away isn't going to look good on him but in his current state, this kind of shock very likely could break him completely.

Maddie and Julie are the heroes of the hour, taking charge and organizing everyone.

Everyone is milling about, helping to get the last few out of the bus, freaking out as it creaks and wobbles on the edge, comforting each other while Julie hollers at the Emergency operator to come now, when she's got a signal that is. Terrifying! Kirk is frantic. Everyone has regained consciousness except Sinead. They have to move her, they can't leave her in the bus so they must risk further injury to get her out.

Michelle has gone off to find Steve and find him she does, huddled in a pile of brush. He's sitting but he's bent over himself in an upright fetal position, clearly distressed.

But where's Carla? They all think she's been thrown clear or was the first one out. No, we can see she's wedged under a seat. Tracy's out of the bus and walking around to the edge and sees her through the window. Carla's trapped and whispers to her "Help me!" going by the look on Tracy's face, we're not sure if she's going to. Will she let her worst enemy go down with the ship? We have to wait for Wednesday to find out.

It's Wednesday, now. 
Tracy saves Carla's life. The others want to help but Tracy can feel the bus rocking while she's in there trying to help Carla out. You didn't think she'd let her go over the edge, did you? It might seem odd to you but think about it. She *saved Carla's life*. Carla now owes her. That, my friends, is the ultimate leverage. Tracy will be milking that for some time to come!

But Holy Crap, it was tense. Tracy pulled Carla out but then got caught herself, a seatbelt tangling around her boot! She nearly got dragged over the edge with the bus! That's Tracy's face after she managed to get out just in time

 .while watching the bus do this. Everyone is out and that last shift in weight is all the bus needs. It goes crashing over the gorge and down, smashing at the bottom. Empty, thank Heavens.

Out in the forest, we can hear the approaching sirens of the emergency vehicles as Steve is babbling about Lloyd's heart attack and Tina's death and none of it makes any sense to Michelle who can't talk Steve into getting up. But help finally arrives (they must have been told Steve went off and Michelle off to find him)

I love listening to the background music as it's often very much related to what's going on. In the pub, just as Beth is taking the call and the news then spreads about the accident, we can  hear Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer from the jukebox. They all rush to the hospital to find out what's happened to their loved ones.

For the passengers of the bus, mostly, everyone's ok, bruised and shocked and shaky, but ok.

One by one, they emerge to the arms of their family and loved ones. Julie is a mess, no, she's not ok, and clearly suffering from delayed shock. Sally and Maddy are surrounded by Tim and Sophie and even Kevin comes to make sure they're ok. Kal is determined never to let Alya cross the street without holding his hand ever again! (He did try to contact Gary but Gary's phone was left in the Rovers Gents' and Jason wasn't contactable either... Gary and Jason had gone into town). Beth hugs her new husband who's really worried about Sinead.  Steve is having a panic attack and he finally admits to Michelle  that he needs help and the penny drops and all the pieces now fit together. Steve has just hit bottom as hard as that empty bus did when it finally slid down the cliff and shattered on the quarry floor.

At the end, Sinead is finally awake but she's got a back injury. Kirk worries that they had to move her to get her out but there isn't anything else he could have done. She'd have gone over with the bus if they hadn't moved her. She is scared stiff and admits to Chesney that she can't feel her legs!

So we wait for the fallout (no pun intended) and the recovery. Looks like Sinead has an uphill battle in front of her.

Steve will probably face accusations of his friends for not helping get people out of the bus. I'm sure they realize down deep that the accident isn't his fault though he will blame himself anyway. Walking away while people are trapped, though. That's cold (in their eyes), something you do when you don't care about your friends. It might be something you do when you're in deep shock and in a shattered state of mind. It might take some time but they'll realize it eventually. Steve also has an uphill battle for his recovery, a very different road than Sinead will have.


I don't mind telling you, my heart was in my throat during the crash and later, while Tracy was getting Carla out. though I knew everyone would be rescued. It was a close call, though. Real edge-of-your seat stuff. Coronation Street really pulled off an exciting few shows this week. The star of the week, though, has to be Simon Gregson for his portrayal of Steve. I think it was the best stuff I've ever seen him do and he sure knocked it right out of the ballpark. (forgive me, what's the UK expression? "Back of the net" just doesn't seem enough here. )


Superb stuff. Top notch stunts and effects. All the actors nailed it, true to their individual characters and situations. Full marks, ITV, cast and crew.