Liz McDonald has been away in Spain for ages. Since well before Christmas. She arrived back in the Street this week with a particularly unpleasant hairdo, but otherwise looking all perky and refreshed, and looking forward to catching up with all her friends and relatives, as you do.
Rather than the happy homecoming she expected, it’s been more like stumbling into The Stepford Wives or Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. Things in Weatherfield are most definitely not how they used to be.
The most obvious thing to most people would be that a tram has crashed into the street, necessitating a total rebuild of those Weatherfield institutions, The Corner Shop and The Kabin. Liz, however, is a family woman first and foremost, and is most keen to see her granddaughter, Our Amy, and ply her with straw donkeys and inflammable Spanish leisurewear.
Rather than the happy homecoming she expected, it’s been more like stumbling into The Stepford Wives or Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. Things in Weatherfield are most definitely not how they used to be.
The most obvious thing to most people would be that a tram has crashed into the street, necessitating a total rebuild of those Weatherfield institutions, The Corner Shop and The Kabin. Liz, however, is a family woman first and foremost, and is most keen to see her granddaughter, Our Amy, and ply her with straw donkeys and inflammable Spanish leisurewear.
Shock number one: Our Amy has moved! Not very far, mind. She’s only the other side of the wall at the Barlows, with (shock number two!) her mum, Tracy. That’s Tracy Barlow, convicted murderer but released on a technicality (the technicality being that Weatherfield was short of a villain, with Tony Gordon gone. There’s only so much evil that Owen the Builder can manage in a half-hour episode). Shock number three is that Tracy is working behind the bar at the Rovers. “My two favourite women behind the same bar!” beamed Deirdre, oblivious to the fact that Liz hates Tracy and the feeling is bound to be mutual because Tracy hates almost everybody.
The fourth shock is that Steve and Becky seem quite relaxed about this state of affairs. This is because of something which Liz doesn’t know yet, which will come as the biggest shock of all – Steve and Becky can’t defy Tracy, because if they do, Tracy will tell the authorities that Steve and Becky bought Becky’s nephew Our Little Maxie from Becky’s sister with cold, hard cash. Frankly this was a complete waste of money anyway because they hardly ever see him, what with him being stored in some secret annexe of the Rovers for most of the time.
Another thing Liz doesn’t know is about Becky looting the cash to pay for Our Little Maxie from Dev and Sunita’s safe, while Sunita lay wounded in the rubble of the shop following the tram crash (it doesn’t sound very good when you put it like that, does it?). Liz almost found out about this when she experienced shock number five: the previously sunny Sunita was definitely a bit frosty to Liz when she went to buy Jammy Dodgers. It’s not because Sunita disapproves of the jam-filled treats, it’s because she disapproves of the entire McDonald family these days.
Shock number six is that Becky’s sister, Kylie, is now engaged to David Platt. Liz is right to be totally outraged by this one – it is truly one of the most implausible and contrived storylines ever to besmirch the cobbles of Coronation Street.
Poor Liz. No wonder it’s all got her reaching for the Silk Cut. She’s going to need a holiday after all this lot.
6 comments:
No mention of the ridiculous "matador" outfit Liz returned in, just to remind us that she had erm in fact been in Spain all these months and not the Priory as was reported. Perhaps we could have a picture. I love Liz - well apart from the smoking - WHY do they all smoke in the house with two kids supposedly living there, well only one now - Max-hay, who Liz obviously didnt find strange to be living there when his ma has returned. Trouble is when a character is absent for a long time, however popular, they dont seem to fit in any longer on their return.
I did so enjoy Liz's bewilderment last night, as the shocks and changes just kept on coming and she was completely unable to make sense of them.
Why she didn't already know about Tracy and/or Amy is beyond me, since Steve and Becky took Max to stay with her on holiday just last month and left Amy behind - how did they explain that one?
Not to pick a nit or anything, but can I point out, though, that Becky didn't loot the shop while Sunita was still trapped. She saved Sunita's life by raising the alarm and helped get her out. It was later, when Sunita was already in hospital, that she remembered seeing the open safe and went back. Molly was still trapped at the time, though, as we could hear the rescue workers talking to her while Becky looted the safe.
I agree. Steve and Becky took Max to Spain without Amy. So Liz had to know. Plus you can't expect me to believe that she's had absolutely no contact with her best friend Deirdre since before Christmas? Even a Happy Christmas or New Year call would have brought the news that RTracy was out of the nick and Deirdre was so excited she'd have told or texted everyone she knew, much less her bezzie mate.
Agree. Corrie not joining up the dots much at all these days.
Its going downhill..Yet we all continue to watch in the hope it gets better lol
Most of Liz’s ‘surprises’ were a little stupid as she should have known about them one way or another. She was in Spain not the Moon as communication is so easy nowadays. However I really did enjoy the episode, the first one in ages. Whether it was because it was led by a stronger actress or it was nice to see somebody actually trying to bang a bit of sense into Steve at last and release a bit of the viewers frustration (over one storyline at least). One more other surprise they aren’t telling her though (or this could have been before she went).... am I right in saying that Amy has physically ‘changed’ since she was last in Weatherfield :)
Can you help me with a couple of other things? Is Maria’s boyfriend (can’t remember his name, he’s such a dreadful character) now a reformed man or is it still an act and I’ve missed a bit? He was the bad guy wasn’t he, beating up Cheryl? Now he’s lovely and this Frank seems to be the evil chap. And is Maria ever going to let poor Kirk out of that flat for air or even Liam? Liam will only ever recognise the people at the crèche and Kirk, lol.
Also, I know that Kevin and Sally feel that they’ve neglected Sophie. We all agree that they’ve done so all her life. But it’s a bit late to start treating her like a 6 year old now. Bloomin ‘eck it was so tedious......
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