Sneak Preview of next week's Corrie, June 6 - 10

Without any piffle, here's the storyline for the week ahead on Coronation Street, all wrapped up nicely in 50 words or less.

Week of Monday 6^th June to Friday 10^th June

Sunita’s aunties return to cause trouble, Tina tears into Xin and Graeme,  Fiz testifies in court, Lloyd and Cheryl move into No. 13, Brian returns to see Julie.

The full weekly preview, with loads of pictures is right here on Corrie.net

Missed last week's Corrie?
Catch up with the Coronation Street weekly updates

Corrie's Big Week - what do you think of it so far?

It's got Bonkers Becky, Toxic Tracy, Serial killer Stape, Fiz going nuts in the shower, a dead body being dug up, secrets exposed to the Social Services.... but what do you make of Coronation Street's big week so far?  Has Corrie producer Phil Collinson pulled a blinder with this 'Corrie big week' or not? What do you reckon?

Flaming Nora’s Corrie Weekly Update, May 30 2011

Greetings and welcome to the Coronation Street Weekly Update.  And so without any further ado, here we go with this week's Coronation Street update.

Find out more about the Coronation Street Weekly Updates and why they've been written for th'internet since 1995 at http://www.corrieweeklyupdates.btinternet.co.uk

I wasn't sure if I should write an update this week. I ummed and aahed for a while and wondered if I should sit here and put pen to paper, fingertips to keyboard, biscuit into tea. The reason I’m not sure about writing an update this week is because I haven’t enjoyed Corrie this week. At all. Not one bit. Zilch.  I can’t even say to Corrie, “it’s not you, it’s me” ‘cos it’s not me. I’m still the Corrie fan I ever was, I’m just waiting for it to turn around and come back with a cobble and a smile because at the minute, there’s precious little about my favourite show that’s to like. I therefore apologise in advance if this update’s a bit mardy and low. I’m having trouble sticking with the show and it’s on every night this week with the Stape saga, bonkers Becky and toxic Tracy.    Anyway, like I say, I apologise.

Underneath Underworld lies Colin’s body wrapped in a carpet and now the drains are causing a stink at the factory so Owen’s called in to dig it all up.   John’s demented when he finds out what’s going on, he’s sure that Colin’s body will be exposed so he gets himself a job as Owen’s digger-upper man and digs up Colin’s body all on his own, just as Fiz walks in and finds him with the corpse in the carpet. Yelling at Fiz through the TV: “Ring the bloody police, woman!” doesn’t work, she just simpers.
Meanwhile, John’s got Chesney and Charlotte’s parents tied up in the basement of Charlotte’s parent’s house. They finally manage to get themselves free of the rope that John’s tied around their wrists but they’re locked in the cellar and can’t get out. 

Mr and Mrs Sham-Marriage stage a sham fight in public so that everyone will think that they’ve fallen out, leaving Graeme to fall back in love with Tina, Xin to leave for a new job in Edinburgh and everybody can live happily ever after again.  Only it doesn’t quite happen like that. Graeme and Xin have their fight but unsaid truths are revealed, they’re clearly in love with each other. Tina knows what’s going on, she’s not daft, that one, but she doesn’t yet know that Graeme and Xin have consummated their marriage, sham or not.   I liked Graeme better when he was more fun.

Tracy tells Steve she’s going to take Amy away and live in that London.  In a surprise move, Becky asks Tracy not to go, she’s concerned that Steve will miss Amy too much. Steve thinks so too and gets advice from a solicitor about custody of his daughter.  Then he sneaks off to a pay phone and puts in an anonymous call to the Social Services to tell them that there’s a little lad called Max living at the Rovers Return and summat’s not right with the set up.  Mrs Social Worker’s round there straight away demanding to know what’s going on and Steve tells her that Max’s mum, Kylie, isn’t living at the pub with them all any more. Becky can’t believe what Steve is doing, he’s jeopardizing their chances of keeping little Max but that appears to be exactly what Steve has in mind.  Meanwhile David keeps on at Kylie to get her son back, blissfully unaware that she sold him to her sister.

And the only bright spot of the week came from the warmth that is Roy’s Rolls café. Hayley shakes Roy out of his cardigan-ed comfort zone (well, sometimes you just have to) and books them on a 10 day holiday to a Dorset camp site.  Roy’s aghast, especially when he finds out that Sylvia will be running the café with just Anna for help.

And that's just about that for this week. 

This week's writers were David Lane, Jan McVerry, Martin Allen, Peter Whalley, Jonathan Harvey. Find out more about the Coronation Street writing team at: http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2008/11/exclusive-all-current-corrie-writers.html

Glenda Young
--
Blogging away merrily at http://flamingnora.blogspot.com

Jennie McAlpine as you've never seen her before

Jennie McAlpine, who plays Coronation Street's Fiz, gets a makeover by the Daily Star and you can watch the video and see the pictures online here.

In the interview with the paper, Jennie promotes Corrie's week long bash of bonkers Becky, toxic Tracy and sad old Stape.  

I don't know about you but I'm wearing my voice box out so far this week shouting at Fiz on the telly: "For gawd's sake, just phone the bloody police!"

Corrie props - There's a joke here

Commenter Christine was hoping for a screen capture of Xin and Graeme's breakfast cereal. Here you go! The morning after Graeme er... was intimate with both his wife and his girlfriend, there's "Rice Bonios" on the table. Erm... Was that an in-joke by the props guys?

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Mon May 30, 2011 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Jonathan Harvey, directed by Kay Patrick 

John, Fiz and Colin’s body drive out to some woods in the middle of nowhere, knowing Corrie it’s the Red Rec.  Fiz says she’s sorry she ever met him.  John encourages Fiz to help him find something to weigh the body down with. At the Underworld job site, Chris tells Owen that John had left the factory without putting the alarm on.  When John arrives from a long night of playing “hide the body” Owen lays into him. John snaps and tells Owen to do what he wants, he really doesn’t care and to take his job and stuff it. Fiz feels Colin’s blood on her hands and starts to panic besides John saying “you won’t say anything to Maria, will you?”  Fiz runs off to have a shower, but she can’t just scrub John away as much as she tries. 

Fiz goes to pick up Hope from Maria who asks if she’s okay since she looks like one hot mess.  Fiz angrily insists she’s alright and tells Maria to just go home.  When Fiz is at home, she gets harassed by John to run away again.  He wants to move to the Scottish Highlands but Fiz just wants her nightmare to end.  Fiz screams at John to shut up since his casual attitude towards moving is driving her mad.  Fiz tells him she’s not going anywhere, not now after what’s happened.  Fiz tells John later that all her life she tried to be a good person but this is very bad.  Poor Fiz figures she’s not a nice person which is why bad things happen to her.  Fiz says she’s going to have to do what bad people do, kiss goodbye all her friends around there, leave Chesney when he’s missing and run.  John says he’s sorry but is happy they’re going to run away. Fiz says they’ll leave in the morning.

In the Hoyle’s Cellar of Horrors, Dorothy wonders how they were taken in by him. Chesney says he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing and couldn’t be more right.  Chesney starts to wonder that if he killed Charlotte and Joy, how many others has he killed?  I’m sure he’s thinking that he could be next.

It’s the next morning at the Rovers and Becky asks Steve why he kicked off yesterday.  She wants to know how much money he spent, but Steve just rolls his eyes and walks away.  Over at the cafe, Steve speaks with his solicitor and tells her how Tracy is planning on taking Amy away forever.  The solicitor says that she’s confident that he and Becky would be granted partial if not full custody of Amy if it went to court.  And right she is – he and Becky have always looked after her, plus Tracy’s got a shady past.  The solicitor says to keep Tracy from leaving in the meantime she’ll apply for a prohibited steps order. 

Back at the Rover’s, Becky gets a visit of her own – but from someone at social services.  The social services lady says she’s just doing a routine check on Max.  Roberta, the social services lady, sees Max and introduces herself as Becky calls Steve for help.  Steve at this point, is at Audrey’s to see Kylie.  Steve tells Kylie that social services are at his place and pretty soon they’ll be over there to talk to her.  Kylie thinks it’s not her problem, but Steve says if they go down, she’ll be going down there with him.  Steve says that he’ll tell her a story about how he and Becky got Max and if she doesn’t back them up she’s going down.  Steve gets to the Rovers and finds a panicked Becky who tells him that social services is here for a ‘routine check-up.’  Steve plays dumb and Becky panics as she thinks they’re going to take Max away.   They speak with the social worker, and she asks about Kylie so Steve admits that Kylie doesn’t live there anymore – that she got married and now lives across the street with full access to Max.  Roberta says she’ll call it a day with them and go in search of Kylie.  Steve gives her the Platt’s address where she works as Becky looks on in shock. 

Kylie meets with Roberta the social worker outside Audrey’s so David doesn’t notice.  Roberta says she needs to talk to her about Max after giving her a rude treatment. Kylie says she doesn’t want to talk about Max.  Roberta says they’ll meet tomorrow morning at her place, and Kylie sarcastically says she can’t wait.  At the Rover’s, Becky asks Steve if he’s deliberately trying to screw things up by telling the social worker the truth.  Becky says he’s an idiot and this changes everything.  Steve tells her to stop panicking and leave it to her since he’s got a plan – he’ll tell her later. 

Tracy goes on to Ken about how much better London will be then Weatherfield.  Amy seems excited about going to the “Big Smoke.” Ken tells her not to dress this idea of London up as being in Amy’s best interest, since it isn’t.  Ken points out a valid point: how can this be beneficial to uproot her from everyone she knows.  Ken wants to know how she’s going to afford London, and Tracy somehow thinks that her floral assistant job should cover it.  When Ken asks who will be watching Amy, Tracy says “pals.”  WHAT PALS?!  Some of that must have rubbed off on Tracy, so she looks up accommodations in London and realizes how expensive they are.  Steve arrives to tell her that he’s seen a solicitor and he’s seeking custody of Amy and she can’t threaten him with social services.  Steve tells her how social services have already been over and they’re  sure that Max will stay with he and Becky.  Steve says no one will believe Tracy when she tells them about the sale of Max, since Kylie is backing them up.  Tracy says she doesn’t care, and it’s “London here I come” for her.  Steve tells her he’s taking legal steps to prevent her from leaving with Amy.  Tracy doesn’t believe him until he tells her she’s lost the fight. 

Xin gets angry at Graeme when he comes back after spending the night with Tina and asks if he slept with her.  He says it’s none of her business, which she takes as a ‘yes.’  Lesson learned here: there is never any benefit to having a wife AND a girlfriend no matter which way you put it.  Graeme tells Xin that last night – they just got carried away, Xin answers.  At the Rover’s, Tina wants to know if Xin has figured out when she’s leaving so they can be back together.  Graeme is tired, but afraid to go home so he just joins Eileen and the boys at the pub.  Graeme follows Sean and Marcus home drunk and tries to stay at Eileen’s for the night.

Roy complains to Hayley about how he doesn’t want to go away and leave his mother running the cafe.  Sylvie says she hopes he’s not backing out and calls him ‘Tonto.’  Roy says that he doesn’t want to leave since his griddle is temperamental.  I think he meant to say girdle.  Sylvie accuses him of patronizing her and that she has cooked food before.  Then later, asks Steve if he knows how to turn off a griddle. 

HIGHLIGHTS

- Fiz to John: “I’m sorry I ever met you.”

- Sylvie to Roy: “Hope you’re not backing out, Tonto.”

- Sylvie to Hayley: “Customers are like Afghan’s Hayley, they have to be trained.”  to Steve: “Sit!”

- Graeme accusing Tina of snoring all night long, then her disputing it!  Puh-lease, she totally snores. 

- Graeme drunkenly trying to get Eileen to let him sleep on her couch so he doesn’t have to go home to Xin. 

- Steve telling Tracy “You lose. Laters!” And making the shape of an L with his hands in her face. 

LOWLIGHTS

- Don’t know what’s worse.  How they have a dead body in the boot, and John’s enjoying the view of the moonlight or Fiz only NOW wonder that that makes him a psychopath.

- Poor Fiz crying in the shower.  Kirk would never have done this to her. 

- Ken having to deal with Tracy’s wittering on.  Bet he wishes he made that little attic sanctuary a LONG time ago when he had the chance.  There’s something about the way Ken Barlow always looks as though his face is saying “I’m too old for this crap.”  Almost how Steve McDonald is getting. 

- What on earth kind of friends does Tracy have in London?! Especially after she became convicted of murder?

- I feel so terrible for social workers.  They do so much and get treated like crap by such low lives all the time. 

Turn Back Time: Sun May 29, 2011 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Jan McVerry, directed by Kay Patrick

Fiz sees the body that John has dug up at Underworld and immediately tells him they have to get out of there and the police can deal with it.  Only it’s not so simple since   John has a certain attachment to this body, doesn’t he?  John panics and tells her “no police.”  Fiz assumes that John just doesn’t want to be on the police radar after his own past crimes.  She is even scared that the body could be Chesney’s.  However, she soon finds that John indeed has something to do with this body – because it’s the body of Colin Fishwick.  John claims that he never killed Colin, he dropped dead, but he and Charlotte buried him to hide their lies.  Fiz is disgusted that John waved her off to work each morning knowing she’d be stomping on his friend’s  grave all day.  Fiz tries to tell him he’s on his own now, but John reminds her that she’s in this too because she took Colin’s mum’s money.  John accuses her of being a loose cannon.  Fiz doesn’t want to listen to anymore, but feels she has no choice. 

Maria is freaked out when John and Fiz run back into the house in a panic.  Fiz (again) covers for John in front of Maria and pretends that John botched a job on the work site and that he better fix “it” before Owen finds out. Maria offers to ring Chris, but they both scream “no” in unison to tell her not to.  Fiz asks Maria to take the baby for the night, and she does.  When she leaves, John tells her they’re in this together now.  If he goes down, she goes down with him.  They need to get rid of that body.  He looks in the attic and asks Fiz if the curtains will handle the body weight or if they need to use Chesney’s tent.  Oh, dear.

Becky tries to convince Steve that there is no way that Tracy will want to leave “Hotel Barlow.”  She tries to propose reverse psychology, but Steve’s not bothering.  Becky says that Tracy likes three things: attention, money and men.  They need to starve her of attention, and let her realize how expensive London is.  Sooner or later she’ll realize that the writing is on the wall.  Steve feels like Amy will have a father that didn’t put up a fight and he can’t take that chance – this isn’t a game.  Steve says that as long as Max will be fine that’s all that counts.

Steve basically loses it, and kicks everyone out of the Rovers without even letting them finish their drinks, empties the till, then storms out.  Becky tries to go after him, but Max yells at them for shouting again and she goes to care for him while Steve leaves.  Later, Dev finds Steve gambling away all the money that he has left at the casino.  He gets Steve out of there reminding him that Becky has brought him down all this time and that’s why he’s there throwing his life further away.  When Steve gets back to the street, before he goes back home, he steps into the phone booth and calls social services anonymously about Max Turner staying at the Rovers and how it’s “not right.”   

Graeme is seen doing up his pants with his shirt off – can we all assume something happened here between he and Xin?  Xin tells Graeme he’s a good person and that’s why she loves him – but he doesn’t think so.  He leaves needing some fresh air.  In the Rovers, the party set that got kicked out of Graeme’s and Xin’s complain about all that went down.  Graeme goes to knock on Rita’s door to see Tina.  Rita lets Tina in and they and Dennis all listen to Graeme grovel for Tina’s affections.  Graeme says if he could turn back time, he would.  Tina smiles and takes him back. Back at the flat, Tina sobs over “fake” photos of her and Graeme’s life together as a married couple. 

At the cafe, Hayley tells Roy that they’re going camping for ten days, and he has no choice in the matter.  Sylvie has offered to run the cafe, with the “uppity” Anna. 

HIGHLIGHTS

- I like the divide between Becky and Steve – let’s hope it carries on. 

- Eileen knocking Norris in the back with her swinging handbag. 

- I found the argument between John and Fiz whether or not to use “curtains or Chesney’s tent” to transport Colin’s body quite humorous. 

- Funny direction where Steve comes out of Dev’s, and John about to come out of his place, goes back in when he sees someone.  Secrets and lies, secrets and lies!

LOWLIGHTS

- Wow, Steve was just cleaning out that till like a mad man!  If only his mother could see this.

- Fiz is finally realized – when it’s so late – just what kind of a psycho John is.

- How could Fiz believe that the body is Chesney’s?  It’s completely decomposed, Ches only went missing a week ago. 

- John manipulating Fiz into thinking she’s just as guilty for killing Colin. 

- Does it always seem like the Croppers are planning their holidays around terrible events culminating on the street? 

- Did Graeme sleep with Xin then directly go over to stay with Tina?!

Coronation Street TWEETS

Who isn’t on Twitter these days? Not many people, at least in the entertainment business or on Coronation Street!

Flaming Nora already did a post on the “Coronation Street cast on twitter – full list” (plus some help from fans) but that was 3 months ago, and in “internet time’ three months is basically a lifetime, so I figured that I’d do an updated post for any of those who’d like to follow some of their favourite cast members new and old.

Old List:

@AndrewLancel (Andrew Lancel, plays Frank Foster)

@antonycotton (Antony Cotton, plays Sean Tully)
@BrookeLVincent (Brooke Vincent, plays Sophie Webster)
@Charliecondou (Charlie Condou, plays Marcus Dent)
@cheryleehouston (Cherylee Houston, plays Izzy Armstrong)
@craigazey (Craig Gazey, plays Graham Proctor)
@DebbieRush1 (Debbie Rush, plays Anna Windass) - “Doesn’t exist anymore”

@fountain1987 (Chris Fountain, plays Tommy Duckworth)
@georgiafoote (Georgia May Foote, plays Katy Armstrong)
@Graeme_Hawley (Graeme Hawley, plays John Stape)
@hollyquinankrah (Holly Quin Ankrah, plays Cheryl Gray)
@JackPShepherd88 (Jack P. Shepherd, plays David Platt)
@jenniemcalpine (Jennie McAlpine, plays Fiz Stape)
@juliehes (Julie Helmondshalgh, plays Hayley Cropper)
@katherine_kelly (Katherine Kelly, plays Becky McDonald)
@lane_paula (Paula Lane, plays Kylie Turner)
@michkeegan (Michelle Keegan, plays Tina McIntyre)
@ryanjamesthomas (Ryan Thomas, plays Jason Grimshaw)
@SachaLParkinson (Sacha Parkiknson, plays Sian Powers)
@shobnagulati (Shobna Gulati, plays Sunita Alahan)

New Additions:

@olivermellor (Oliver Mellor, plays Doctor Carter)

@brunolangley (Bruno Langley, plays Todd Grimshaw)

@MichaelLeVell (Michale Le Vell, plays Kevin Webster)

@RealRula (Rula Lenska, plays Claudia Colby)

@Maxeesmith (Samia Smith, plays Maria Connor)

@officialkeith (Keith Duffy, plays Ciaran McCarthy)

@msm4rsh (Kym Marsh, plays Michelle Connor)

@ElizabethTan8 (Elizabeth Tan, plays Xin Proctor)

@missmcollins (Michelle Collins, plays Stella – *new character*)

@Cath_Tyldesley (Catherine Tyldesley, plays Eva – *new character*)

@Bill_Roache (William Roache, plays Ken Barlow)

@helenflanagan1 (Helen Flanagan, plays Rosie Webster)

Writers

@DaranLittle (Daran Little – Writer)

@JOJEHARVEY (Jonathan Harvey – Writer)

Former Characters:

@rachelleskovac1 (Rachel Leskovac, played Natasha Blakeman)

@tupeledorgu (Tupele Dorgu, played Kelly Crabtree)

@ItsLucien (Lucien Laviscount, played Ben Richardson, Sophie’s former flame)

@Angela_Griffin (Angel Griffin, played Fiona Middleton)

@LucyJo_Hudson (Lucy Jo Hudson, played Katy Harris)

@sally_lindsay (Sally Lindsay, played Shelly Unwin)

@RupertHill (Rupert Hill, played Jamie Baldwin)

@Jennyfremma (Jenny Platt, played Violet Wilson)

@tinaob (Tina O’Brien, played Sarah Louise Platt)

@juliahaworth (Julia Haworth, played Claire Peacock)

@VickyEntwistle (Vicky Entwistle, played Janice Battersby)

@WandaOpalinska (Wanda Opalinska, played Wiki Dankowska)

@mrkevkennedy (Kevin Kennedy, played Curly Watts)

@NiknakOfficial (Nikki Sanderson, played Candice Stowe)

@RFleeshman (Richard Fleeshman, played Craig Harris)

@SteveHuison (Steve Huison, played Eddie Windass)

Coronation Street Blog & Blogger Affiliations (let me know if I missed you here!):

@corrie_blogger (Coronation Street Blog HERE)

@fatbrenda (Blogger Fat Brenda)

@tvordlj (Blogger TVOR)

@BluenoseCorrie (TVOR's Canadian Corrie Blog)

@wwbs (Blogger Yoork)

ITV Coronation Street Official Twitter

@itvcorrie (ITV’s Official Corrie Twitter)

Chinese take-away for our Graeme?

Ok, I was a bit cross with John last week for dropping Chesney in it, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him again this week as I watched him trying so desperately hard to keep his little family together (as well as trying to stop three hostages and a dead body from being discovered)!

Poor old Fiz. What a great part she’s playing. It’s real dramatic stuff. Completely unbelievable and far-fetched of course, but still gripping! John’s face when Fiz told him they were digging the Factory floor up. ‘Pig sick’ doesn’t even begin to describe it! Do you think John’s got baby Liam hidden away somewhere too, because we never actually see him any more, do we?

What ‘Supernanny’ would have to say about Tracy’s parenting skills I don’t know. Telling a child who’s locked themselves in a room “Nana Blanche’s ghost is in that room Amy. I’d hate to be stuck in there on my own; it’s really scary,” isn’t something I’ve ever come across in a parenting manual!

Another one with dubious parenting stills is Owen. He had a quiet word with Fiz: “Any sign of that little weasel you call a brother yet? He’ll not be making any more lasses pregnant when I’ve finished with him.” I think we get the picture Owen.

Steve and Tracy took Amy for a lovely treat to … Roy’s, and ordered her a soya milk shake. “A what? She can have semi-skimmed, there’s hardly any milk in that,” Sylvia scoffed dismissively.

“Anybody would think I’d asked her for a unicorn sandwich,” Tracy said to Steve, but this is Roy’s Rolls we’re talking about, and Starbucks it ain’t – especially with Sylvia behind the counter!

I heard two words on Corrie this week that I haven’t heard for a long while: Twerp and Maungy. Twerp’s a great word, isn’t it? Some people will probably never have heard the word Maungy. It’s a Yorkshire expression which means bad-tempered/sulky, and is one I heard constantly spoken as a child when I was up at my Grandma’s in Doncaster for my summer holidays. Ah, happy days!

Graeme and Xin finally had a snog. It’s been tough seeing Graeme moving away from Tina and further towards Xin, and it really looked as if he was falling in love with her this week – with him being such a good actor. It’ll be chopsticks at dawn when Tina finds out, and a shame to lose him. Let's hope he comes back one day.

Anyway, my Grin of the Week this week is this:

Eileen: “How was gay Paris? Eiffel Tower; boat trip up the Seine …"

Sally: "Well. We were mostly in the Louvre."

Eileen: "Seriously? I'd want my money back."

And this …

Ken: “How is she?”

Tracy: “Having a sleep.”

Ken: “What did you say to her?”

Tracy: “Erm, have a sleep Amy?”

Big Hole: Fri May 27, 2011 Corrie Episode Review

7:30

Written by Martin Allen, directed by Peter Rose

John visits his captives with some coffees and snacks and asks Alan how his head is.  Chesney begs to get let go, but John says “all in good time.”  Dorothy says that he needs a doctor.  John’s captives try to loosen the bar rail they’re attached to down in the cellar so that they can escape.  Eventually, they actually get themselves loose and manage to rip the bar off.  They can now stand up and walk around, but they can’t get through the cellar door to get out of the basement still, despite Chesney’s best efforts with a bar stool. 

Carla bites into Owen about hurrying up the job on Underworld since she’s losing money.  John overhears that Owen needs someone new to work on the digging, so he volunteers his help, and Owen has no choice but to accept since he’s down a man.  We all know why John’s volunteered for this position.  Fiz is upset that John has a job – especially when John tells her it’s to get some money for when they run away from Colin.  She reminds him that they’re not running away.  John works his scheming little arse off at the factory just determined to find Colin’s body before anyone else and Owen is impressed with his efforts.  John pours a bag of sugar into the compressor machine so that it will malfunction and he can halt the digging process and buy himself more time – which is what he’s been doing since day one really.  Fiz comes to see John and to bring him some sandwiches.  The compressor breaks, and Fiz is glad thinking that now they’re “tools down” for it to be fixed, John can get a rest. 

At Izzy’s flat (never seen before!) we see her and Gray eating breakfast.  She mentions that her arm is hurting since she bumped it in the shower.  Gary is concerned and thinks she should see a doctor, just to be on the safe side with her condition and all.  Izzy is upset that he’s fussing over her and tells her to forget it.  Gary later tells Izzy that he booked her an appointment at the medical centre for her elbow.  She makes him cancel the appointment, but when he won’t she cancels it herself and tells him to mind his own business.  Later, Katy complains that she still hasn’t heard from Chesney to Izzy.  She says her exams are a complete waste of time since she keeps throwing up.  She admits to Izzy that her father might be right about her having an abortion.  Katy tells Izzy that it wasn’t supposed to be this way, and she’s going to that abortion appointment. 

Amy and Tracy go into town and refuse a ride from Steve, who tells Tracy it’s not too late to change things.  Tracy says that she and Amy are moving, period.  Diddy Daddy David is STILL going on about Max and Kylie’s rights to see him and all.  David convinces her to go to Becky and Steve and push the issue further.  At the Rovers, David makes his way to the back past Betty to see Becky and Kylie follows.  Becky wants him out of there and tells him that there’s no way he’s taking Max to the park.  Becky shoves David and Kylie out of the back room and locks them out.  Betty calls Steve to tell him what’s going on, and he rushes to the Rovers. 

Graeme and Xin have to plan their “breakup script” for the party.  They both aren’t looking forward to it since neither of them are arguers.  Actually, it’s because they like each other.  Xin snaps at Graeme since she’s so upset over leaving.  She reminds him that they only have so much time together and she wants to enjoy it.  Graeme says it’s all pretend, but Xin says that pretend is a dangerous game.  They both reminisce about what they’ll remember about each other in their short time together.  Graeme tells her that she’ll leave a big hole, but she says Tina can fill it.  At the Rover’s, Tina forces Graeme to think of an argument that will break he and Xin up, but Graeme is wishy-washy.  Tina invites as many people as possible to their flat to witness the breakup but it’s making Graeme nervous. 

8:30

Written by Peter Whalley, directed by Peter Rose

Steve arrives at the Rovers and gets rid of David and Kylie pronto.  His problems are far from over, because Tracy comes into the pub to announce to him that she’s got a job in a florist shop in London and she and Amy are moving down there.  She says she’ll let them know when she’s going and they can wave them off.  Steve is upset over Amy, but Becky is only concerned with Max.  Steve gets mad at her for preferring Max over Amy.  Becky gets a wise idea to “talk” to Tracy in a civilized fashion.  Only, there’s really no doing that.  It was all a waste of time, since Becky’s pleas to keep Amy around for Steve’s sake fall on deaf ears.  She leaves, and tells Steve that she went to talk to Tracy, and Steve gets angry with her for interfering.  Later, Steve spills all to Lloyd and Lloyd figures that the best thing that could happen is if social services find out about Max and that they won’t give him back to the crazy mother (Kylie), they’ll keep him there with Steve and Becky and the power that Tracy has over him will be gone.  WOW, Lloyd finally cracked the ridiculous case of Max-for-sale.  Steve says that Becky might go bananas, but “what can you do about that?” Precisely.  Lloyd’s starts sweating over Steve taking his suggestion seriously.  Steve figures that sometimes a man has to gamble. 

John’s plan to halt the digging backfires when Owen passes around sledgehammers and announces that they’ll dig up the floor the old fashioned way.  Luckily, they haven’t found anything yet, and John offers to stay and clean up then lock up afterwards.  Meanwhile, John’s captives still can’t get out of the basement and worry that he’ll either never return to let them out, or only return to “finish them off.” Back on the street, John goes back to “finish work” again, and Fiz complains to Maria that she suspects that John is up to something, since he’s not himself.  Whatever himself is these days?  At Underworld, John digs through until the stench arises and he’s finally unearthed Colin’s rug-wrapped remains.  Owen arrives at Fiz’s inquiring about Chesney and Fiz asks about John.  Owen says they closed down working a long while ago, and this worries Fiz since John said he was working late.  Fiz leaves the baby with Maria and rushes over to the factory worried about John.  Fix finds John in the factory looking guiltily over the stench of the colin-in-a-rug and looks horrified.  How is he going to get out of this one now?

Graeme tells Xin that when she goes up to Edinburgh he and Tina could come visit her, but she doesn’t believe that’ll happen.  At the party, Graeme and Xin are nervous about their planned row.  David takes his chance to tell Tina that Graeme and Xin seem cosier than ever as a married couple.  At the party, Graeme and Xin start up their argument, however it starts to turn very real as they fight over the fact that they’ll never be able to be together and how Tina can’t keep pretending anymore.  Tina watches with anger in her eyes over seeing that there’s more of a connection between these two than she thought.  She leaves Graeme there for the night in anger, leaving him there with Xin.  Xin admits to Graeme when they’re alone that there was no job in Edinburgh, and the only person she wants to be with is her husband – him.  She admits she lied because she wanted to get away from there and him since she loves him.  Graeme tells her he doesn’t want her to go, and that’s honest.  The two of them look into each other’s eyes and realize their feelings for one another and kiss.

Izzy tells Gary later that with all the time off she’s got now, she’s realized she should have gone to art school.  She thought that just having a job was an achievement because of her disability but now she thinks she should have aimed higher.  Gary, like any man, of course feels that if she’s bored with her life, that means she’s bored with him. 

HIGHLIGHTS

- It’s nice to see Izzy’s flat since she’s such a regular character now.

- Tracy and Amy’s matching red tops. 

- Gary’s such a nice devoted boyfriend.  Good thing he doesn’t take after his father in that regard. 

- Sean to Marcus: “Would you have me any other way?” Marcus: “There’s an answer to that.”

- David to Becky about Max: “Look, we have a right.”  Becky: “And you’ll have a left in a minute if you don’t get lost.”

- The way Steve patronized Diddy Daddy David.  Too bad he doesn’t treat his wife that way too.  Ha-ha. 

LOWLIGHTS

- Why does Izzy’s flat seem like the only home with much natural light in it on Corrie?

- David STILL going on about Max and how Kylie has a right to see him.  Could we just put the Max storyline to bed? It’s well past it’s bedtime now. 

- I don’t even know why I’m saying this, but doesn’t anyone on the street find it a BIT strange that Tina is inviting people to Xin’s going away party (the woman that her boyfriend cheated on her, then married – which is all anyone else should know) AND attended the party? 

- Poor little Max with all these scary, crazy people in his life.  I think it’s ironic that everyone claims to “not want to upset Max” when all they’re ever doing is upsetting this kid.  He should have been adopted out to the Windasses.

- Why on earth is Kylie cage dancing with Tommy Duckworth?  What is with Tommy Duckworth and his obsession with other guy’s girls?

- Can you IMAGINE how bad Colin’s remains must smell?!

Dead bodies and secrets

Tonight kicked off a dramatic week on the cobbles, as Fiz stumbled into possibly the most nightmarish scene possible - her husband sat next to a body wrapped up in his grandmother's carpet! [See what Jennie McAlpine (Fiz) thinks of all this here]

Steve finally had enough of Becky and went out and got drunk and decided to go to gamble all his money away at the local Casino, until Dev stopped him doing something he'd regret. Back on the street, Dev talked some sense into Steve, who then proceeded to tip the Social Services about Max's living arrangements!

Reminder: Extra episode tonight

Don't forget that Corrie is on at 7pm tonight, tonight's episode will mark the beginning of the final week of John Stape, tonight's episode will continue on from Fiz discovering John knelt down beside the carpet that contains the body of poor Mr. Fishwick.

Four characters axed?

The People reports that four characters are set to face the axe, they are Sian Powers, Chris, Cheryl and Russ Gray. Sacha Parkinson recently signed a new contract which will keep her in the show until the end of 2011, so the exit, if true would happen in 2012.

Craig Charles will also be taking a break towards the end of this year to film new episodes of the brilliant comedy series, 'Red Dwarf' though he will return sometime next year. On the topic of returns, the same article also reveals that Dev Alahan's daughter, Amber Kalirai, who will apparently experiment a bit with Sophie Webster!

Overall these sound like good decisions, the Gray family have never really fit into the street. I kind of like Sian, so I'd be happy if that part of the article wasn't true, and the news of Amber returning is fantastic, lets hope she's just as cheeky when she arrives back!

Corrie weekly awards: May 23 - 27

Back from my holidays and finally all caught up with Corrie, just in time for the ramp up to the eventful week to come!


Darts and Laurels award: Gold Star: I think Becky's been practicing using Tracy's photo on the dartboard.

Shine is off the apple award: Dull Star: Sally does not seem to be loved up with Jeff after a romantic holiday. I don't think the Mona Lisa is to Sally's taste.

Fashion Don't award: It may be trendy but that t-shirt of Tommy's is annoying me.

Reality check award: Gold Star: Kevin is finally having a few regrets for real. Look where it's got him.
Silver Star: Amy making herself sick still doesn't seem to have brought about a truce between Steve and Tracy. Tracy's solution is to take Amy away from her father altogether!


Worry wart award: Gold Star: Gary is fussing over Izzy. Bless!

Pushing the envelope award: Gold Star: David is going to push until the ugly truth comes out.

Midnight Flit award: Gold Star: John thinks disappearing will solve all his problems. Because...

Your worst nightmare come true award: They're digging up the factory floor so John got straight in there on the job.

Lines of the week:
John "I've been thinking...." (The start of a new plan to disappear and more lies, very, very big and wild ones)
Claudia "Don't hate me cause you ain't me, Aud"
Tracy "Why do I always have to be the bad cop?" (How can I count the ways)
Eileen "Who goes to Paris for a dirty weekend and spends the whole time in the Louvre? It wouldn't be the Mona Lisa, it would be the Moaning Eileen!"
Tracy to Sylvia "Before you turned out to be real, the rumour was Roy'd been raised by wolves"
Xin "Pretend is a dangerous game"

Don’t Be Stupid: Thu May 26, 2011 Corrie Episode Review

Written by David Lane, directed by Peter Rose

John is still egging Fiz on to move away from Weatherfield with the impending “threat” that Colin will show his face around there again. Well, which just might happen actually. Fiz reminds John that they have no money and no where to go, plus all of Hope’s support is there. Fiz is worried about Chesney but John tries to brush his disappearance off.

In the Hoyle’s cellar of horrors, Chesney starts to theorize that too many people end up dead that have been around John. Chesney thinks that John killed Charlotte and made it look like an accident, and Mrs. Hoyle thinks that John’s capable of anything. Mr. Hoyle thinks John won’t get away with this! John arrives back to care for them and tells them he’s doing his best to run away with Fiz. He unties Mr. Hoyle to go use the washroom, Mr. Hoyle tries to play the hero and tries to grapple with John. Of course, John is younger and stronger and pushes the weak Mr. Hoyle back causing him to fall down the stairs and bump his head leaving him with a bleeding head injury. Mrs. Hoyle begs him to take Mr. Hoyle to the hospital, but John just panics and leaves him there saying “it’s only a scratch.”

Owen finds Fiz at work and threatens that Chesney better not be ‘goin’ ‘round making other lass’ pregnant.” Seriously? Any more lass’? What does he think Chesney is? The great impregnator? Owen talks to Frank about the drainage problem in Underworld. Frank ‘swindles’ Owen into giving him an estimate, but they make a deal that Owen is to dig up the pipes. If nothing is wrong, then Underworld will pay in full, if there IS something wrong, then Owen will foot the bill for the repairs. Of course, by threatening to sue Owen for more than he can afford. Will they unearth Colin Fishwick’s telltale stench?

Back at home, Fiz comes in to tell John that the factory’s closing down but just for a few days. They need to start digging under the floor to find out where that terrible “sewage” stench is coming from and what’s causing it. John knows very well what’s causing it and you can see in his face that he’s crumbling the last left to crumble.

Tina is missing Graeme, and wants more time for him to herself so tries to oust Xin from their outings. At least he still remembers how she likes her toast. Tina has people thinking she’s got a new fella since she’s got “dates” she goes on into town – only they’re with Graeme. Later, Xin has good news – she’s found a job in Edinburgh. Tina thinks this is fantastic since it’ll give Graeme and her good grounds to divorce – claiming they can’t do the distance. Oh yeah, because Graeme’s full-time window washing career is really something to stay in Weatherfield for. Do you think Graeme will leave to Edinburgh with Xin eventually?

Tracy goes into Roy’s and tries to order a soya milkshake, but gets told by Sylvie, Roy’s mum, that “children shouldn’t have allergies.” Where does she get off? Tracy puts her to rights and rightfully so. Tracy figures anyone would think she asked for a unicorn sandwich and she can’t wait to get Amy somewhere “more civilized.” Steve says that moving Amy away won’t benefit her. Later, Becky assures Steve that Tracy isn’t going anywhere. She’s got it too comfortable there and won’t leave. Becky left out the fact that Tracy is in love with Steve so that’s why she won’t leave.

At the salon, Kylie tries to love up Kylie. David is still on her back about Max and why she keeps him over there with Becky and Steve. David suggests “doing a Tracy” and just taking the kid off of them that was rightfully hers. He is right – she could just easily take him off of them. It’s their word against hers. They’re the one’s who’ll go to jail if the truth comes out anyway. In the Rovers, David manipulatively tells Becky that he and Kylie are really thankful that Becky is looking after Max. He then tells Becky that now that Kylie and he are married and have a settled home other (not really, he lives in his childhood bedroom in his mother’s home, but small detail) and Becky starts to freak and whistles Steve over – like he’s a dog. Kylie tells David she though they were just coming to the Rovers for a quiet drink. David says that they’re prepared to go to court over Max but Becky asks Kylie if that’s what she wants. Fact of the matter is, Kylie doesn’t even want to care for her son.

At Sally’s, Kev is sat on the couch “hating” watching daytime telly. Kevin offers to get fish and chips for dinner but Sally turns him down since she’s meeting Jeff. Jeff takes Sally to a champagne lunch to which she freaks that she has to operate a sewing machine after! Sounds like fun to me. Jeff tells her that France with her was the best time of his life, and he only has one regret. That he didn’t propose to her then. He gets down on one knee and proposes to her in Nick’s Bistro, only doesn’t get the response he’d hoped for. She tells him she’s flattered but it’s too soon, and leaves him there. Later, Jeff goes over to Sally’s to apologize. He’s upset and ends up telling Kevin that he proposed and Sally said no. Sally moves Jeff to the conservatory and tells him she can’t even begin to think about being married again. Jeff accuses Sally of it all being about Kevin, and she’s trying to convince herself that it isn’t. Sally wonders if he ever even thinks she wants to enjoy being a single woman without some over-bearing man trying to run her life. Jeff should have met Julie instead. I suppose this is the end of Jeff?

HIGHLIGHTS

- Sean to Owen at Underworld: “You spend any more time here, you’ll be invited to the staff Christmas party.”

- Jeff’s romantic gesture, even if Sally didn’t appreciate it.

- Yay, Xin got a job in Edinburgh! Is this the end of this terrible ruin-of-Graeme storyline?

LOWLIGHTS

- What on earth was that music in the background of Graeme and Xin’s Tina’s?

- Owen “threatening” Fiz that Chesney won’t be ‘going ‘round making other lass’ pregnant’ if he can help it. SERIOUSLY? Other lass’? Pfft.

- Where does Sylvie get off judging other people’s children’s health problems? Last time I checked, she wasn’t exactly mother-of-the-year.

- Sally BETTER not take Kevin back over Jeff. Honestly, she’s better off alone. He’s such a rumpled pair of pants.

- David to Kylie, about their marriage: “And they said it wouldn’t last.” What’s it been? TWO MONTHS? Ha-ha.

- Are we supposed to believe that John’s captives only need to use the loo once a day? If that’s even how often John visits them? Also, was baby Hope just sat in the car or upstairs while he deals with his captives? Oh, this is SO wrong.

- Why didn’t Chesney try to get past John on his loo break instead of the aged Mr. Hoyle?

________________________________________________________

If you want to see all my Corrie Comic Captions, check out the Tumblr HERE.