Mrs. Norris Cole: Sun May 2, 2010 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Debbie Oates, directed by Durno Johnston

Graeme’s at Tina’s again and doesn’t like that she’s slept on the couch all night.  She asks him to send Jason to fix the lock on the door.  He brings her some sausage butties and agrees that he won’t tell anyone she’s there and that he’s to tell people she’s at her mum’s.  Graeme meets David in the street and David asks if he’s after Tina.  Graeme lies terribly and tells him that he’s just doing a door-to-door window cleaning program.  David tells him it’s bad news about Natasha since she was over at his the other night.  Graeme strangles David (how many times has this boy been strangled?!) but David clears it up that his slimy brother is the one that had Natasha. 

David brings Graeme over to his place and shows him around as though he’s selling the place.  It appears that Graeme is moving in.  This of course does nothing to quell the tension between the Platt brothers.  Graeme returns to Tina’s flat and tells her that if she gives him a key he won’t be stood on the stoop waiting where someone might see him and he could bring her food to eat now and again until she’s ready to go out.  Graeme tells her that if he lets her starve to death the cops will be after him.  Tina says she doesn’t want to talk about her dad, then talks about her dad and how she dreamt about him.  Graeme achieves making Tina laugh and getting a key. 

It’s the dark early morning in Bronte Country and Norris awoke to what sounded like someone screaming and being beaten!  False alarm as he looks out the window to see Mary grunting as she chops wood in her dressing gown.  Could this get more terrifying for Norris?  Norris gets himself dressed and comes downstairs to find Mary cooking a fry-up and assumes its for him and declines immediately since he says he’s taking a walk.  Mary, without a word, goes to the trash to throw out the fry-up but Norris stops her and eats it anyway. 

Mary might be scary, but she’s absolutely fabulous to boot!  She’s in a bubble bath with a cap on and all singing to her ducky bath mitt!  She hears Norris come out of his room and asks if he wants her to keep the water in for him.  Cue shudders.  Norris uses this opportunity to take his suitcase and hiking boots and use them for what they were made for: walking!  Mary comes down from her soak and can’t find Norris anywhere.  She does however find an empty closet and his suitcase missing and she is NOT happy.  Meanwhile Norris is walking as far as his old little legs and the wheels on his suitcase will take him.  Miraculously he’s found a phone booth in the middle of farmer’s fields and exclaims, “hallelujah!”  He calls Rita at the Kabin who puts him on hold since she’s instructing Graeme and David on how to fix her shelving.  But time she gets back to the phone he runs out of time and loses the connection.  He tries to call her on reversed-charge and she accepts since it’s him that pays the bills! While waiting to accept, Norris sees Mary and her camper van ride up the road right to him.  Rita answers, but not in time as Norris tries to jump the fence to get away from Mary and her camper van.  Norris isn’t nearly as agile as perhaps he’d like to believe since he’s only fallen and hurt himself.  He’s right where Mary wants him as she runs out of the van and sees the state of him.

Norris is now convalescing on the couch with hot cocoa since he’s got a twisted ankle.  He wants an x-ray but Mary insists that it’s not broken since he’s still got full movement in his toes.  Well, great then.  Norris points out that the motor home has mysteriously sprung back to life so perhaps they should head home.  He tries several times to persuade her to go home, but of course, she does not agree.  Mary accuses Norris of hating her, and that she hates herself to which he says he cannot take responsibility for that.  He tells her doesn’t hate her – yeah, he’s just scared senseless of her.  Scary Mary is back and she starts to think that Norris saying he wants to go “home” sounds as if they have a home together.  They do, it’s right out side (motor home).  She imagines herself as “Mrs. Norris Cole” which brings Norris’ fear to a whole ‘nother level. 

Eddie’s on the phone to Gary’s sergeant saying that the army’s the best thing that’s happened to Gary and he needs straightening out.  Meanwhile, Gary has his bag packed and is on his way elsewhere but Anna and Eddie persuade him to stay – at least for breakfast.  Anna begs Gary not to go off and that they won’t tell anyone he’s there.  Gary’s on his way so Anna makes him take some money.  Anna witters on and tries to give him more money than he needs and Gary blows up on her throwing the money down and shouting at her that she doesn’t listen.  Anna is shocked and Gary breaks down in tears on the couch and says he doesn’t deserve her help since he’s a coward.  Eddie tells Anna about how he and Quinny went to see his brother in the hospital and how all the other soldiers were blown to bits and how none of them regretted it and would go back tomorrow.  It seems Gary didn’t care much for the insensitive army jokes about lost body parts as some others might.  He didn’t want to end up like Quinny’s brother so that’s why he went AWOL – afraid of going to war. 

Later, Gary tells his parents that he’s going back to the army.  He does love the army, and he wants to go back or he’d regret it all his life.  He goes to ring the sergeant major just as the doorbell rings and guess who’s there? – the sergeant major.  Gary’s not to happy to find that his father’s called the sergeant on him.  Gary tells him that it was HIS decision and Eddie apologizes and asks him not to leave bitter on him, so they spit and shake hands.  Anna says goodbye to her son and he promises not to change his mind again. 

HIGHLIGHTS

- Eddie claiming that Gary is lazy and work-shy and that he must get it off his uncle Len!  Yeah, couldn’t be off his hard-working father.

- I always liked him, but Mikey North has pretty good acting chops!  I’m glad he’s getting some '*real* storylines!  (same for Debbie Rush)

- David and Graeme helping Rita out with her shelving.  How gentlemanly of them. 

- Poor Gary for being scared sh*tless of going to war.  It’s not easy. 

- Mary singing to her bath-mitt in the tub!  Pattie Claire is great as “scary” Mary

LOWLIGHTS

- Why hasn’t Tina’s mum looked out for her?  I know we haven’t seen much of her, but you’d think she’d be checking up. 

- Eddie and Gary spitting and shaking hands.  I’ve never understood the whole spitting and shaking hands thing that men do. That is so disgusting!

- Norris attempting to jump over a fence.  Seriously?  What was he thinking?  He should have stayed on the phone!

Overall Episode Review: 7/10

Drama: 9/10, Humour: 8/10, Classic Corrie: 6/10, Wow Factor: 6/10