State of the Street - July

July was shadowed by the death of beloved Deirdre Barlow. Will Tracy actually turn over a new leaf? If she does, she's going to have to admit to accidentally staring the fire, releasing Carla from her cloak of guilt and misery. Robert might be the key to that. I don't think Tracy is going to turn into Emily Bishop any time soon but perhaps she'll be a little less manipulative. I doubt she'll ever curb that sharp tongue. The Personality Transplant Fairies can't rework her completely, ok?

I want to see Ken really struggle and I want to see his friends rally round to support him. It doesn't look like it's starting off in that direction though he does seem to be wandering, a little lost. I don't want him to end up with another woman but I fear that they've already put Audrey in his path. I can see him turning to her for comfort and whatever else a nearly 80 year old man has to offer but I would prefer if she keeps him at arms' length as merely a good friend. Plus, she's got enough to deal with. Her family is even more of a disaster than his!

Elsewhere, with Kylie back in the saddle, Callum is about to be pooched. From seemingly nowhere, he decided he wanted Kylie back in his life and wanted to be a family with her and the kids. I reckon it was more about getting Max and taking him from David than actually wanting her. She knew it. She went straight to David and then to Sarah, because Callum is clearly using her as we all knew. And David finally took Kylie back for real.

I can understand his reluctance, though. Yes, he was the one that threw her out but she stayed away and she was addicted to drugs. Building back that trust is not easy, especially when you're David Platt and you have had trust issues ever since your step father tried to kill you. Now to deal with Callum. What's their Really Good Idea? Set Callum up to prove to Sarah he's only using her. But in the meantime, Callum is taking aim at Bethany as his next weapon against David and Kylie and that's bound to backfire on his ass big time. Luring a 15 year old into being a drug mule by playing on her teenage crush? 25 years to life, right? I hope Sarah ends up being the one that is key to bringing Callum down in the end. She may not get on with David but he's blood, he's family and maybe in the long run, she'll do the right thing because it's affecting her daughter.

Dan the Brewery Man's storyline was mercifully short. He was a decent villain, well acted but I'm glad they didn't drag that out. It would have been tedious to have months of he and Leanne glaring at each other and quietly arguing in corners. The hostage situation was a bit silly, really. Why didn't someone shout out a window? And if Chesney is used to their normal sorts of noises over head, surely he'd realize the smashing and banging is a sign of trouble instead of ignoring it. At least one opportunity to scream HELP would have arisen if not more. There were three people, two of them adults, against one unarmed man, as well. I don't believe that, with a kitchen full of weapons, one of them couldn't have defended them all before Dan got to the kitchen first. Liz and Leanne together would have been a formidable avenging team.

Never mind. It was all designed to reveal Leanne's past to Simon, giving him one more reason to resent her. We're supposed to forget that he was crayoning get well cards for people just a year ago and is now old enough to understand what a prostitute is and what it means. They've done domestic abuse before, with Kirsty and Tyrone and this is yet another twist on it. Leanne is probably stronger than Simon but he's growing quickly and has anger behind him. She would of course be reluctant to push back and discipline is likely to be ignored or thrown back at her. She really needs to ask for help and she really should get that child some councilling. I think Zeedan is going to come into play here as the good "big brother" influence that Simon badly needs.

Speaking of that, Zeedan may finally be coming into his own after spending a year sulking and whining. Where his mother's death seems to have had him retreat into his grief, his father's death really seems to have him realize his regrets. He wants to prove that he can be the man that would make his father proud. A sign of maturity. And that might be the only thing that saves Simon. Zeedan's not as close to Simon as Leanne so there's more objectivity. Simon would be more likely to listen to him as an outside influence. I'd like to see Zeedan talk to Simon about accepting Leanne's past, too. He was initially much against her for it but came to realize that she has changed her life for the better and his father loved her. Zeedan has lost both of his parents and though Peter is still alive, Simon likely feels like his father is lost to him most of the time, both physically and emotionally. I am interested to see how this all plays out, if that's the direction they're going, but please, PLEASE don't put Leanne and Zeedan together romantically in any way whatsoever, not even as a brief "last night?" or "That kiss? that was a mistake!"

Alya's reconciliation with Gary is going well. For Gary. Alya's still cringing with guilt every time she sees Jason and now that the family approves of the engagement, her guilt factor ramps up another notch. But that's not enough. Then she has a pregnancy scare. She's bound to let the cat out of the bag before much longer. I'm surprised in one way that she isn't pregnant since that's a staple of Soap Law. One inadvisable shag and you're up the duff. Alya and Gary really don't make a good match and are a boring couple. While I am not really a fan of Izzy anymore, she who has really lost that intial spark, Gary did suit her much better.

Roy and Cathy's friendship is growing and I rather like this storyline as well. Right now, Cathy isn't a very happy person, mired in grief and depression but I hope when she starts to move on and feel better she'll be a more cheerful person. That's the kind of friend Roy needs around him regardless of whether it's romantic relationship or not. A yin to his yang so to speak. I think at this point viewers might not mind if it turns more emotional but because the actress is quite well known, I would be surprised if she stays with the show long term. Maybe it will end up being an off-screen relationship or with the occasional cameo but if we got to keep Melanie Hill, who plays Cathy, as a long term character that would be a real coup for the show and would be a great addition to the cast.

Michael and Gail nearly made it back together until he told her about that kiss he had with Eileen and Gail went ballistic. It might not have hurt her so much if it hadn't been her enemy. She got her anger and bitterness with Eileen all mixed up in her tirade and spewed some hurtful things about Michael, things she didn't believe but was trying to put Eileen down further. Michael didn't know that, however, and that's pushed him right back...into Eileen's arms! Did you see that coming? A mile away. I wonder if he and Gail will get back together at all? He might stay alive if he stays away since most of her husbands end up dead and he had a near miss on that score himself.

And let's face it, Gail's right. She sees him coming to terms with what Andy did. In reality, there would be no way that Michael would move in with the man that pretended to be his son. There's far more reason to forgive Gail for keeping the secret out of concern for his heart condition than to forgive the man that stole his son's identity for months. And Gail forgave Michael for breaking into her house, let's not forget. I think she needs to throw that back in his face. I do reckon they'll get back together eventually. I think he does still love her in spite of the fact that he's temporarily had his head turned by Eileen. That's a rebound thing.

It's also appalling that Michelle would encourage Eileen to chase after a married man. She certainly wouldn't like it if someone was pushing their friend at Steve, would she, if the situation was reversed. I realize that pursuing a married man isn't a new thing for Eileen, not after that Paul debacle but still...Michael's already starting to have his eyes opened as far as Eileen's faults which don't sit well with him. If Michael and Gail do get back together, and I hope they do, I reckon it will happen by Christmas.

Robert Preston was made out to be a decent guy but then the age old cliche bounces out of the storyline bag, he's married but it doesn't count because he never got over Tracy! It flatters her but she's got no time for cheaters. After all this, though, the wife will have likely kicked him out. She might have been able to stay married even though, down deep, she knew he still loved Tracy but now that he's been physically unfaithful as well, she should muster her pride and end the marriage. We don't know yet if that's going to happen but it's likely.

I can't decide if I like the character. Maybe he's going to be the catalyst to her semi-redemption as I mentioned previously. He will turn out to be a good man that urges her to do the right thing. It will be interesting to see how far to the good Tracy lands. A little way would be a good thing. You can't sustain an out and out bitch who gets away with murder and manslaughter over and over and never pay for it in some manner.

Liz McDonald, Landlady Extraordinaire

A lot of episodes lately have reminded me again why Liz McDonald is probably the best and most worthy landlady since Bet Lynch Gilroy. Yes, there, I've said it. We've had quite a few since Bet's stint and a couple of landlords as well but nobody has has had the strength, force and vulnerability that Liz has. Nobody else can order someone out of her pub or bar them like she can. Nobody else  can carry on serving when her heart is breaking, a smile snapped on over a scream. Nobody else has that disastrous sense of style while carrying it off with the confidence of a runway model.

Bet was amazing, she really was. A classic character, a brassy blonde with a heart as big as all outdoors, Bet was strong and determined. If she got knocked down, she got back up again and fought tooth and claw to survive. Nobody messed her about for long and Liz has long been cut of that same cloth. She may be blonde now but she used to be a redhead and has the fiery temper to match. No wonder she and the volatile Jim were such a good match!

In some ways, I think she is even better as landlady than Bet was. Bet always seemed to have this undercurrent, a deep rooted belief that she really didn't deserve to own the pub that was her life. I think she believed, down deep, that it would be taken away from her and indeed, in the end, she wasn't able to manage it properly and she lost it,  unable to buy it from the brewery when they decided to sell it off. Liz loves the pub every bit as much as Bet did but in her case, she "owns" it with a lot more self confidence. Nobody's going to take it from her and she'll see to it. Yes, Tony did wear her down but she'd been knocked sideways over Steve's depression which caused a lot of financial trouble. A mere blip.

Here's a quick run down of the Rovers' management since the departure of Bet Lynch.

After Bet left the pub, we had Vera Duckworth ruling the roost. I loved Vera but she really wasn't landlady material and in the end, made a bit of a mess of things.

Natalie Barnes was a homewrecker. She was the instigator in the affair she had with Kevin Webster and deliberately set out to break he and Sally up. In the end, Kevin's heart just wasn't in it, it was back in Number 13 with Sally. Natalie worked in the pub and later did a deal with Alec Gilroy who had taken the pub on from the Duckworths. I never really liked her as landlady. She always had that air of predatory female about her even if she more or less reformed from the homewrecking business and the female punters never really did settle down and trust Natalie with their confidences.

The Rovers went through a period after that when it was owned and run by men, first a triumvirate of Mike Baldwin, Duggie Fergusson and Fred Elliott. Then Duggie ran the pub until he died and Fred ultimately carried the load for a few years until his demise. Shelly Unwin was mostly the bar manager throughout this
period and she was great. She could have been a worthy successor as classic landlady/manager and filled the stilettos of Bet admirably but she fell to the charms of Charlie Stubbs and later, the bigamist Peter Barlow broke her heart. She didn't last long after that.

Eve Sykes was also in the picture as Fred's wife for a short while during this period. She was more interested in getting her heels behind the bar than she was in Fred himself and she turned out to be a bigamist, too. She never had a chance in the annals of Rovers history.

Thus began a rocky period in the pub's history. Steve bought the Rovers and installed Liz as licensee and landlady. Admittedly, Liz did retreat to Spain a couple of times for lengthy visits (due to actor Bev Callard's health) and because of that we struggled through stints of volatile Becky as Steve's wife, arm folding Michelle Connor who is also currently Steve's wife, and a very unfortunate but relatively brief (two years) sufferance with Stella Price at the helm, first as manager and later, mercifully short lived, as owner.

Steve bought the pub back from Stella with Liz's help and she returned from Spain, ready to take the reins again, sharing the responsibility with Steve and Michelle. In the year or so she's been back, she's gone through two men, both of whom have turned out to be wrong'uns. Tony Stewart who got sucked into Tracy's schemes to own the pub and "show everyone" and then Dan the Brewery Man who has a temper and a history of violence towards women, specifically prostitutes.

But Liz? She told both of them to go to hell and get out of "her" pub (one by phone and one in person). I do love it when Liz shouts that, or "Right! Yer Barred!!", chin out, one hand on hip and the other ready to foist 'em out if they don't go willingly.

At the moment, Tony owns Steve's half of the pub and it is still unclear whether Liz's half transferred to Carla or not. Nothing's been said, and if any papers were signed, they probalby went up in smoke in the fire at Carla's flat. I'm sure this will be addressed sooner or later but if things come out the way they must, Liz will once again be rightful owner of half of the pub and Tony will be barred for life!

Deirdre Barlow, Rest in Peace

I've just finished watching the episode where Bev Unwin brought the bad news of Deirdre's death to Weatherfield on Deirdre's 60th birthday. Everyone was excited to see her. Ken had bought her a new stove! She might not have been as excited about it as he was but she'd have appreciated the sentiment. He let Liz organize a party. Tracy came back from London in time for it, too, and the kids decorated.

Watching the reactions as the news spread through the pub was not easy, especially when you know that the actors were chanelling very real grief into their performances. I don't think there was one unrealistic performance and every one of the actors hit it out of the park, even the ones that don't normally do emotion very well or very often.

I was waiting to see Ken's reaction in particular. William Roache doesn't often put a lot of emotion into things, I find. Once in awhile, when Ken is really angry, Roache pulls it out. This time, though, it was on the money. Very much how Ken would react. Frozen at first. I thought, oh here we go again, but no, it's exactly how Ken would take the news. Shock. Numb. It can't be real.

The first real crack in his demeanor was when Bev gave him Deirdre's glasses. I have to say I'm a littly, tiny bit disappointed that they used that ploy. To me, the classic scene of Hilda Ogden crying over Stan's glasses really can't be beat or duplicated but I'm not very objective. Bev said she didn't know what to do with the glasses. Why didn't she have Deirdre's wedding ring and any other jewellry in her bag as well? That would have all been handed over by the hospital.

Never mind. Of course Ken would have been overcome over the glasses. Deirdre was all about rocking the specs. It was her character's defining prop, that and her chain belts!

Audrey was in bits, just so, so sad, and wasn't she kind to Tracy? She made sure Tracy felt the full measure of Audrey's sympathy. We all know that nobody really likes Tracy but also, nobody really wants to see anyone lose a loved one, even the Street troublemaker. Tracy was a bit selfish in her reactions, as you would expect. She muttered about Liz "bigging" herself and her grief up. But she has to be Tracy and Tracy *was* close to her mother even when they were at odds. TracyLuv, that's what Deirdre called her daughter and that certainly hit hard when Audrey called her that.

Liz was Deirdre's best friend. Liz was brave, she touched up her makeup and faced the pub to give them the news, just like a landlady should. She got through it and then broke down. Steve was concerned for his mother, as he should. Over in the booth, Emily's reaction was the one that got to me the most. Deirdre was like a daughter to Emily and again, Eileen Derbyshire played it perfectly, with her own best friends, Rita and Norris at her side to comfort her. I'd say Rita has known Deirdre just as long as Emily but Deirdre was far closer to Emily. A mother figure to Deirdre as much as she was a daughter figure.

Ken. At the end of the show. In the ginnel where Deirdre had snuck many a crafty fag, starting up at the stars. I give full marks to Steve. Instead of backing off and running for cover, like he probably would have done a few months ago, unable to cope with anyone else's problems, he stood up and went right over. Ken broke down and Steve gathered him up and held him. That was probably the best scene of the night.

The rest of the week will see the news spread but nothing will have the impact that tonight's show did.

Rest in peace, Deirdre.

State of the Street - June

Coronation Street for June served up death, tragedy, sadness and not a little foreshadowing of more of the same. We started the month with the aftermaths of the deaths of Kal and Maddie, one a hero and one far too young to die.

The Corrie PR machine overuses the word "reeling" but in this case, Alya's grief really is the epitome of the word. This young woman has already lost her mother to cancer and now losing her father so suddenly to an awful death in a firey explosion has sent her into a spin.  She's angry. She's looking for someone to blame. She's trying desperately to find a away to keep living but nothing is normal for her anymore.

The arms of her family hold no comfort so she pushed away the arms of the man she loves and reached out for the arms of someone else, instantly regretting it. Now she's added guilt to her grief and keeping the secret is only eating her up inside. You know she's going to crack, you know you're going to see Gary thump Jason. I do feel for Alya and in spite of her former dedication to her religion and upbringing, I do think this is not out of the realms of a realistic reaction to her grief.

I do find myself wishing we would see a bit more of the rest of Kal's family who seem to be carrying on as if nothing had happened, going to Ramadan family feasts etc. I suppose you have to temper the storyline so it's not all grief all the time so they're focussing on one of the Nazirs for this.

We've also got young Simon having to deal with losing yet another important person in his life and we're starting to see the effects that all of his losses have had on him. It was bound to happen and I'm glad to see them going down that road. The pressure of so much loss in that child's life has to have an effect. If you thought David Platt went off the rails after just one divorce and an attempt on his life by his stepfather, you just wait until Simon really hits his stride!

As the child of an addict, I reckon Simon will be strung out on heroin before he's 18 if he's still in the show. (his mother, living with an alcoholic father, Grandma Blanche, Grandma Deirdre, Kal, Leanne and Nick splitting up, Grandma Stella leaving, too!) He'll never be able to have a good relationship with a girl/woman because down deep he'll always be afraid they'll leave him.

And then there's Faye who did the right thing allowing her baby to be raised by the other grandparents and the baby's father, who seems to show far more interest than Faye herself was able to. We forget that Faye's mother was a drug addict and that Faye was neglected, possibly abused and shunted from care home to care home. It's going to be a lot tougher for her to bond with a child and she knows from experience what it's like not to be wanted. She wouldn't want her baby to have a mother that resents her.

It would be nice if she did keep in touch and got to know Miley as she grows up, perhaps grow to love her later as she herself matures but usually on a soap, it's "out of sight, out of mind". I loved how Tim was besotted and he's really come into his own as a dad, too. I did find that Anna was dangerously close to being a bully in all this, with a major set of blinders on until she couldn't deny the fact any longer. Faye is right, Anna refused to listen to her and how she felt.

One storyline I'm still really enjoying is the Rodwell one. Michael finally found out that Andy isn't Gavin. It was a brilliant scene to watch. Every page of the photo album turned showed pictures of a boy who was more and more evidently not the one sitting beside Michael. Gail sounding positively idiotic in the background, waiting for the inevitable and asking Andy if he had been in a accident (to explain the difference in his features!)

Michael was rightly furious and very rightly left Gail. That's a pretty big lie to keep from someone for whatever good intentions. I know Michael realized that he met Gavin and remembered how vile and resentful Gavin was towards him and he thought he might have been able to change Gavin's mind. I don't think that would have happened. If Gavin hadn't died, his mother would certainly have continued to enforce her lifetime of vitriol against Michael, ensuring Gavin would never have come round.

I felt bad for Andy, who grew to love Michael as a father. We don't know yet how this is going to come out in the long run but Michael is thawing towards Gail even though he's currently backing off after Gail's fight with Eileen. Gail did say some pretty stupid and insulting things about Michael. I wonder if this is going to push Michael and Eileen together? Could happen. I suspect Eileen is already growing feelings for him.

Another cheer from me now that Kylie's back. The David and Callum shenanigans has been deadly boring and Sarah's interjection into the mix hasn't made it any better. Not surprised Sarah would take up with David's worst enemy. That was probably the main attraction in the first place. It's clearly not love's young dream. She's pretty stupid if she can't see he's still dealing but she was never the smartest cookie.

Now I'm waiting for Kylie and David to team up and kick Callum back into the heap of garbage where he belongs. That's what will help the two of them get back together, them against the boogey man. It'll be tough for Max so he'll have to see Callum do something hurtful to his mother or something so he won't hold it against Kylie and David for making his dad go away. Callum may have genuine parental feelings but it's not going to end well.

With any luck, he'll be in prison for a long stretch but, seeing as it's a soap, I predict that Callum will be killed. In true soap fashion, it'll probably be either David or Kylie arrested for the deed because the real murderer always ends up being someone that's not a main character or, at an outside bet, it's an accident but I doubt that will be the case. Callum's a drug dealer. There could be a lot of potential killers. I figure the "expendable crew member" will be Kylie's friend, Gemma, in self defence likely. She's already expressed a healthy fear of Callum.

Dev, Julie, Talisa. Dull. Dev got himself into a romance of his own making, his own imagination and fancy turning into a one way crush. Talisa came across too good to be true and she never showed any evidence of a mutual attraction to Dev and we found out why that was. So why was she there? Why did she follow Dev from India? Was she just using him as the excuse she needed to leave her husband? Will we find out? Will we care?

This is all contrived to push Julie possibly back to Brian and out the door which is the real shame. Julie will be missed. I don't know if she'll leave with Brian or go on her own. I'd like to see her insist on her own independence rather than going back to Brian. She said that ship had sailed and I think it has. Julie doesn't strike me as the sort that would try to catch the ship again at the next port of call. It just wouldn't be the same. Travel the world, Julie, have adventures!

Finally, we saw Jenny crack into pieces. She lost her own son and latched onto Jack to fill the empty spot. She started off reluctant to look after him, probably because it hurt being near a child. She ended up using him  as a surrogate Tom, and decided to run away with him. It had to end badly, of course, but you watched and your heart broke for her. Sally Ann Matthews really did play this one brilliantly. I thought it was a great storyline.

It was a shame that the writers forgot that Kevin lost his own son 15 years ago and the fans really pulled them up on it. It could have added a very poignant angle to the storyline ending. They apologized publically and I think they won't forget that mistake in a hurry. They're going to wear that one for awhile but if it makes them a bit more careful with Corrie history, it'll be a good thing.

Nick-Carla-Erica. Not that interesting. Don't think Nick works with either woman for a long term relationship. Tony has gone underground after the whole reveal that he and Tracy tried to take over the Rovers. That's unresolved at the moment so that will have to come back into it. Still don't care why Todd does what he does. Glad to see Fiz back. Hope she doesn't get all shouty and hateful towards Cathy who clearly has problems. I'd much rather Roy just continue to be her friend but we shall see how it pans out.

Summer on Corrie seems to be revolving around Deirdre's upcoming death and Simon's spinning out of control. And so it goes.

Baby....Bathwater

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

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

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

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

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

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

We'll know soon enough.

Let's talk about Simon

Let's talk about Simon Barlow.


The lad is going to be 12 next month and has had more tragedy in his short life than most soap characters have in a lifetime. The only one even close to his tragedy level might be Carla Connor or Leanne Battersby but it's far more damaging to a child. The adults can be termed "survivors". I fear Simon is going to be termed "damaged". We've started to see him having anger management issues, no, let's call that Rampant Rage syndrome (RRS), shall we?

We saw how trauma affected David Platt as he went through his teens and that was after only one divorce and an attempted murder. Let's have a look at the incidents that have happened to Simon, shall we?

At the age of five, his mother dies of cancer and his life is upset by having to live with a father he never knew, a father who was, at the time, a raging alcoholic who nearly burned down the flat with Simon in it one night. A raging alcoholic that interrupted the school nativity. (and it would prove no to be the last time that happened).

His father, Peter, gets together with Leanne who mothers the little boy but then his drinking drives her away. Lost mother #2. Ah, but Leanne is eventually persuaded to return because Peter has stopped drinking.

The tram crashes and Simon again nearly dies in a fire, trapped in Number 13 but is rescued by Jason. Peter nearly dies in the tram crash. It's touch and go for a few days but he and Leanne marry in hospital. Ah, but Leanne had been having an affair with her ex-husband, Nick and Peter finds out after Nick has been manipulating Peter into drinking again. Peter chucks out Leanne but she ends up being persuaded to stay after all. Simon probably thinks Peter has installed a revolving door at the flat by now.

Simon meets his maternal grandparents. You might think that's a good thing. Except after Peter's alcohol problem surfaces again, the grandparents try to take Simon away from Peter. They take the lad to Blackpool but when he overhears that they won't take him home again, he runs off and finds his way back on his own. Grandparents back off, never to be heard from again, and Peter stops drinking again.

His beloved Grandma Blanche dies.

Peter and Leanne are back together. Leanne gets pregnant. Yay! Leanne miscarries. Oh no! Peter starts an affair with Carla which comes out during a trial where Carla is has been charged with murdering her rapist, Frank. Leanne leaves again. Carla moves in. Leanne is determined to have custody of Simon because Peter is unstable and Simon hates Carla. She is also reconciled with her ex, Nick. Simon doesn't handle the conflict very well and gets hold of a bottle of wine that Carla sneaked in the house. Well, booze is always how his father handled anger and upset, right? Wakeup call for Peter who allows Simon to be with Leanne.

Simon grows to love Nick but he nearly dies in a car accident and is suffering brain damage that makes him tempermental. Leanne and Nick break up. Simon has lost another father figure.

Simon is bullied by Faye and Grace.

He meets another grandma, Stella, who nearly dies in a car crash, nearly dies in a fire and then leaves town shortly after his great-grandma Gloria. 

His Grandpa Ken left Weatherfield for a year and a half.

He even had a pet rabbit that died.

Simon eventually gets over his hatred for Carla though she's never his favourite person. Peter and Carla marry and Peter starts an affair with Tina shortly after. This doesn't bode well. Simon becomes very close to Tina who is helping out Carla (both before the affair and after it) by babysitting and hanging out with Simon who grows to love her. Tina is murdered and his father is arrested and goes on trial for her murder. Peter's affair with Tina and the stress of juggling two women have him back in the bottle again. When Tina is murdered, Peter is jailed and goes on trial. Peter loses Carla in the process and though he's found innocent, eventually, he leaves Weatherfield to start fresh. Simon has now lost his father.

Leanne takes up with Kal and he moves in. Simon grows to love Kal. You guessed it. Kal dies in a fire (this time, at least, Simon is not trapped in the fire!)

His anger is starting to be difficult for him to handle. He's lashed out once so far, throwing a tv remote control at Leanne's face after Kal's death. According to the spoilers, he's going to be held hostage with Leanne by one of her former clients (from when she was a hooker). He's also about to lose his beloved Grandma Deirdre.

All this in about a 7 year span of his young life. Fans complain that the powers that be don't seem to have Simon acting his age. He's crayoning cards for people, he's clinging on to them for dear life. Can you blame him? He's not had much of a childhood, he's probably experiencing a severe case of arrested development and I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't already started picking the wings off insects for fun.

What's down the road for Simon? Will someone ever take that lad to get counselling? Will he surpass David Platt as the town tearaway? A child with that much anger already is doomed. I fully expect a storyline dealing with teenage alcoholism or drug abuse in Simon's near future. There is a genetic predisposition for addiction and with the things that kid has had to deal with, he's a prime candidate. Time will tell.

State of the Street - May 2015

What I liked this month:
Tony and Tracy and the attempt at the pub takeover
Jenny Bradley
Billy and Sean's relationship
The Victoria Court Fire in spite of the plot holes!


What I disliked:
The endless custody battle with David snarling at Callum and then feeling sorry for himself and Callum looking smug all the time.
Hate, Hate, Hate that Sarah is stupid enough to fall for his line and aggravate David even further by going out with Callum. Not impressed with her return so far.
Todd and his boring games. Get over it. And those whose life he's messing with? Don't forgive him this time. 

More custody battle tedium this month. David ran off to Liverpool with the kids but lost Max who called his real dad on the mobile Callum gave him. I would imagine Callum's paying the "pay as you go" fees as well. A brief mention by Sarah that David's father lives in Liverpool, it's just odd that Martin is almost never, ever mentioned. Why Liverpool, then? Because there's an airport there. Forget that Manchester has a much bigger one and David could have gone straight there and got on a flight. Liverpool does have a cheap airline that flies from there, I suppose.

And the next Mr. Obvious move was having Bethany mention one of David's past misdemeanors (Nick's accident) so that Callum could use it against David at the upcoming hearing in addition to David's running off with the kids in the first place. That wasn't illegal aside from pulling Max out of school though he could have called and said Max was sick.

Please can't this be over soon!? Kylie's back by the end of the month so let's hope that June is the ultimate showdown. And the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised to find Callum being the next dead body with David, naturally, in jail for the crime. Not that he'd have done it of course, no. That's just the way it goes. The arrested person is never the guilty one. If Callum dies at some point it would likely be that Gemma because I don't think Macca has the cohones to do it.

Tony and Tracy were getting closer to owning part of the pub and it came down to the wire, didn't it? Tracy Barlow absolutely should not be allowed to own any part of the Rovers and I didn't think for a minute the powers that be ever intended for her to be! Tracy's devious plan was thwarted by Carla who offered to buy Liz's half instead of selling the whole what to "Travis, Ltd" aka Tony. So now, Tony owns half of the pub and Carla owns the other half, leaving Steve, Michelle and Liz to run it as management, or Liz, I suppose. I wonder whose name gets to be over the door now? I don't suppose it matters, Steve and Michelle hold the license and they still can, can't they? But will Liz move to Spain? Doubt it. Her dream of moving there with Tony is up in smoke, no pun intended considering how the end of that storyline came out.

Tracy let loose with a match and a blunt object, intent on making Carla pay for ruining her dreams because Tracy always blames other people for her own bad judgement. She didn't whack Carla and she didn't start the fire on purpose but that's how it turned out but she grabbed hold of Carla's second guess with both hands and she's going to have the whole neighbourhood turned against Carla before long.

Poor Carla must have nightmares about fire by now and this time she thinks it's her fault. Add to that the death of Kal and the serious injury to young Maddie and Carla is likely ready to throw herself back into the flames in despair. For all that fire and explosion, though, it seems to be only Carla's flat that is gone. Surely some of the others will have had some serious damage though Nick's is apparently just smoke-damaged. You may remember, that flat is owned by Dev though I donm't know if he still owns it or not. I think he does.

I fear Tony won't be long in Weatherfield now, now the affair and his dirty dealing is outed. I'd be surprised if he's there by the end of the summer. Tracy told Liz out of spite but I really hoped that Liz would tear some of Tracy's hair out. too shocked, I guess. Bev Callard was excellent in these scenes, from holding herself together through the wedding to smashing up everything breakable after, probably envisioning both Tony's and Tracy's face on the walls as targets. I am a bit surprised that Sean called Erica to come when she or her mother, i suppose, lives quite a distance when Eileen, Liz's mate, only lives a few doors down and might even have been out in the pub still at the reception, the one Steve and Michelle missed.

Roy and Cathy are slowly forging a friendship. Cathy seems very defensive and scared, kind of like a deer caught in the headlights, but perhaps that's more to do with trying to find her way since her husband has died. She's wary of Roy's motives though we know he doesn't have any beyond friendship. It will be interesting to see how this goes. We need storylines like this. Peaceful. Sweet. Please don't let her turn out to be another psycho. We've got enough of that with Tracy and Jenny though I am enjoying Jenny's storyline.

Jenny and Kevin's story is heating up, with Jenny more and more unhinged over Jack. Nobody believes Sophie's dire warnings that something is just not right with Ms. Bradley and by the end of the month, finally, Maddie discovers that Sophie was right when she catches Jenny in a black wig about to run away with Jack. Jenny wasn't just overprotective of Jack, she was getting more and more deluded that he was a child named Tom (hers? likely) and she had to protect him. From what? from whom? Only in Jenny's broken mind. Sally Anne Matthews is doing an excellent job, I think. With Maddie clinging to life as the month ended, Jenny doesn't know yet if her secret is safe. But there's also that phone message Maddie left saying Sophie was right about Jenny. She didn't elaborate but it's a clue.

I know they've done this storyline a dozen times over the years and that can get a bit tedious but this is one of the best of them all. Just my opinion. I suppose that's down to the chemistry and ability of the actors. I can remember when Claire had post-natal depression and met that mad Casey who then became obsessed with Ashley and baby Freddy while Claire was in hospital. But the difference was that Ashley would never have fallen for Casey in a month of Sundays and that whole storyline felt very contrived.

While it does seem a bit stupid that Kevin would be dumb enough to be blind to Jenny and not believe his daughter, we do know that Kevin isn't the sharpest tool in the box. If Sally had been the one to see Jenny's other side, Kevin likely would have believed her or at least have taken her a bit more seriously. It won't be long now until this one comes crashing to an end. I hope they can send Jenny to therapy and we can see her finding her way back. I would hate to lose her but I suppose that's probably too much to ask.

Faye continues to have disregard for her child which makes Anna despair. I do wonder where Social Services is? Faye hasn't been back to school so I assume she's keeping up with her school work at home. The Social were told that Faye didn't really want the child yet they have been nowhere to be seen and Anna's attempts at making Faye bond with the baby are quickly turning into bullying. Anna knows that Faye has continually been bullied at school so what does she do? Take the baby to Faye in front of all her school mates, including the bullies, and embarass her. Won't that make things even worse?

I am glad that Jackson and his family have got involved. I expect we may see them having the baby for some overnights, taking the pressure off Anna now and then. Wouldn't it be refreshing if they took the baby full time and just let Faye and Anna have access? 

If I was Faye, I'd be calling Social Services myself. The pregnancy storyline was good but this just makes me angry. I really don't want Faye to change her mind, I want that baby adopted out. Something different for a change. And it's pretty stupid that the writers haven't had Gail or Sarah tipped into this storyline somehow. Gail could be a good advisor to Anna and even if it wouldn't do much good, wouldn't Anna have asked Sarah to talk to Faye? Do the Powers That Be think we viewers are stupid? Don't answer that. It did seem kind of like Faye was softening a little by the end of the month though she's still not all that keen.

Eileen and Adrian and the phantom Jeff are getting on my wick, too, mainly because of Todd's interference. I really hate it when a "bad" character keeps doing nasty shit and never pays for it, at least not for long. They get forgiven over and over and Todd probably will this time, too, when what should really happen is that Eileen should wash her hands of her youngest son and ship him back off to London to face whatever it was that made him so disagreeable in the first place. If he's still blaming his family for him getting scarred for life, he's really got to get a life. That scar is barely noticeable.

Adrian seems like a really nice bloke and a nice fit for Eileen but as usual, she'll be a loser in love. Some characters on Corrie always seem to have that title and it's Eileen's lot in life, I think. People complain that she's bitter. Well, wouldn't you be?

Billy and Sean... Wasn't quite sure what to make of them at first. I do like each character individually. Billy is a really nice man with what sounds like a bumpy past before coming to terms with his calling. I like Sean, too but I'm wasn't quite sure they gelled as a couple or had much in common but when Billy admitted standing up to the Bishop about their relationship, it really overwhelmed Sean. Maybe that kind of committment could be the making of Sean.

It did seem to be the making of Billy who was a bit unsure of being out and up front about his relationships as it could jeopardize his career and that was difficult for Sean who has always been honest about his life and who he is. I think Billy likes that about Sean, too and it gave him the courage he needed. It's a tough spot to be in, for Billy, but I think he'll come out the other side with his career intact and maybe Sean and Billy's differences will help the other one grow.

The Gavin/Andy storyline has been back burner this month. Gail has more than that to worry about what with Sarah shagging the drug dealer and Nicky's cougar having a kitten. While I have enjoyed the Gavin/Andy part of this, Sarah's return so far has not impressed me though she's really acting pretty much as she always did, like a clueless kid. Bethany seems to have more on the ball than Sarah some of the time.

And finally, Mary's motorhome has been ousted. Therefore there must be an ulterior motive on the part of the Powers that Be. The motorhome does isolate Mary to an extent and it was always faintly ridiculous seeing this great behemoth parked around a corner here and there and even on the Street itself. Since the shop flat has been empty since Tim moved out, I expect that when Dev returns he'll install Mary there and she'll have a proper home. If he doesn't, he should.

Looking forward to June and I hope to see Kylie team up with David to kick Callum's butt. Jenny's storyline should be cresting soon and I think that will be good. I think I heard that Michael will be finding out the truth about Andy/Gavin so I'm looking forward to seeing that fall out. The aftermath of the fire, Kal's death and whatever Maddie's fate is going to be is going to roll on for a long time. I hope Eileen finds out about Todd soon except I fear that it will be a repeat of the last time they found out about his manipulations. By the fall, he will be back in the family's good graces. Bleh.

Overall, mostly a good month and June will be exciting too!

Hell Week: The Aftermath

Friday's episode on Corrie was there to wrap up the week's stories.

The Nazirs and Leanne are in shock. (Why are they all wearing white except Alya? Surely they would as well or is it only for Muslim men? Yasmeen was in an off white/beige so perhaps it's something the men wear. Anyone?)

Sophie is holding vigil by Maddie's side while we wait to see if she'll survive, hoping against hope. Jenny is heaving a sigh of relief and gathering her scattered wits and shattered nerves while the family is there to support Sophie. It's a nice touch, having Norris in a state over worry for Maddie, harking back to them finding a new understanding a few months ago.

I was surprised at Maddie's injury. I know the actor is leaving the show and I thought perhaps Jenny would be directly responsible or that Maddie and Sophie would break up due to Jenny's interference and Maddie would leave. Getting in the line of a secondary explosion in front of the builder's yard was a surprise. The vigil in the hospital was fraught with gut wrenching emotion and as of this writing, we don't know if Maddie will survive the head injury but it's a pretty good bet that she won't. Maddie hit the cobbles in nearly the same spot Tina did when she fell off the balcony almost the same time last year but then Tina didn't hit her head when she landed. Rob did that for her with a lead pipe.

Blame. Everyone's blaming someone. There's really only one person that should wear this and it's Tracy Barlow. She didn't start the fire on purpose but she did sneak into Carla's flat, up to no good and she left the candle burning and well she knows it so she did everything she could to push the suspicions onto her arch rival, Carla, aided by the fire report which is going to show a candle started the fire.

Carla believes she accidentlly started the fire and she's going to turn into the next enemy of the state as far as her neighbours go. They're never short on turning against someone like a pack of rabid dogs, this time, led by Leanne's rage and grief and Norris' nasty accusations and Tracy is most certainly not going to let her forget it, either. She probably thinks all her birthdays have come at once. Even if it was true, it was an accident. Carla would never forgive herself but Tracy can gloss over it in her own mind. She's very good at convincing herself that her problems are caused by everyone else. Tracy wouldn't have been in Carla's flat if Carla hadn't been her enemy so she'll convince herself of Carla's blame rather than her own. Except probably those long nights when she can't sleep.

 

As always there were cast members missing, inexplicably. Where were Anna and Faye? They live a few yards from Victoria Court, surely they would have heard the ruckus. What about Steph? Her flat is right over or next to the builder's yard which had an explosion. Maria is within sight of Victoria Court as well. Eileen was at the wedding and reception but then disappeared when Liz needed her mate the most and Erica managed to get across the city in the space of 20 minutes, a near impossibility in Greater Manchester. I know, I know. They usually don't have the whole cast on hand for these things. Move along.

Nick's probably going to have to live back with mummy again unless he bunks with Leanne to support her and Simon and Carla will be bunking in with Roy. Conveniently, Nick was out of town and Sarah and Beth were at Audrey's when all hell broke loose. Think of it. Sarah and Beth left Italy with very little other than the clothes on their back and  a small bag. No mention if Uncle Stephen sent on their things but presumably, he did. Now everything they owned except the clothes on their back is ashes and what didn't burn won't be salvagable. They did have a throwaway line from Nick that Bethany could borrow some of Kylie's clothes though David didn't like that at all.

And best of all, Kylie's back!!! Bethany was absolutely sure, and she said she knew what Kylie looked like except when she went across the road to confront her for watching them, she didn't seem to know who it was. Ok, Kylie was standing back in the shadows.  It can only be from photos around the house, though. They've never met though possibly have talked on Skype I guess.

All in all, a good week. I might bitch and nit pick but really, I loved this week of Corrie! Next week we will likely find out Maddie's fate and the crusade to crucify Carla Connor will probably begin.

Also, see Monday to Thursday's recap with photos here.