7:30pm
Written by Simon Crowther, directed by Duncan Foster
Sylvie’s got her feet well under the table at Roy’s as she’s still working behind the counter and generally scaring customers away. She seems to be trying to make Roy’s life a living hell by making him relive memories of when he wet the bed in front of his cafe staff. He was four! Sylvie gets to meet Becky, who keeps calling her “Cynthia” or anything else that Sylvie keeps correcting her on. Becky opens a can of worms about all of Roy and Hayley’s drama over the past decade as Hayley drops her face on the table.
Steve and Becky McDonald plan on going to the outlets and eating at McDonald’s while they’re there. Tracey comes in to tell Steve that she’s going to Amy’s parents night and thinks he should go too. Becky says that Steve’s been to plenty of parents meetings while she was counting bars and that it’s a waste of time. Steve’s not sure what side he’s on – as usual. This of course starts another row between Tracey and Becky that ends with Becky screaming and leaving the room. Steve tells Tracey to just go on her own and ask the teacher if Amy’s handwriting is supposed to be that bad. Tracey is insulted, but Steve says it’s worse than Becky’s, as Becky overhears and storms out of the pub. Steve asks Betty to watch Max when the drayman arrives, and David offers but gets turned down.
Suddenly, Tracey comes into the Rovers to tell Steve that Amy is sick and vomiting profusely and wants him to drive them to the hospital. Steve tries to find Max to bring him with them. Over at Gail’s, Kylie is surprised to see Max, Steve and David walk in. Steve says he just needs her to babysit for an hour or so since they need to take Amy to the hospital. Steve apologizes for the other day, but David’s happy to have Max over, but Kylie’s not so much. It’s all very happy family with Max, David and Gail and Kylie looks like the spoiled teenage daughter in the bunch, not the mother. When Becky returns to the pub, Sean says that he saw Tracey putting Amy into the back of a cab with Steve and that he brought Max over to the Platt’s.
Kevin has a lot of work at the garage, but Tyrone quickly ignores his suggestion to work late and makes a drink date with Tommy D and Jason. Well, for anyone wondering how Tommy got Mary’s mobile home repainted at cost it’s because Tyrone obviously put out the money for it, as Tommy says that he owes him. Tommy is trying to hit on Sian, even though he knows she’s a lesbian. I guess he’s trying to turn her. It’s not like it hasn’t been done before with her.
At the salon, Claudia busts in to tell Audrey that she’s been calling Marc all day and he hasn’t been answering. She thinks that he’s got another woman still, and David just goads her on further. She’s certain that he’s got another woman and labels her “the tart with the scarf.” After closing the salon, Audrey sees Marc across the street going to Nick’s Bistro and runs after him. She tells him about how Claudia thinks he bought a scarf for a floozy, when Claudia walks in right then and assumes that floozy is Audrey. Claudia has a full out finger-pointing tantrum in Nick’s over that scarf.
Fiz and John (more John) are feeling good about giving Joy’s money to the premature baby charity. John figures they’ve done a wonderful thing, but Fiz’s feeling a bit skint. Fiz thinks she needs to go back to work and wonders if it’s okay to leave John with Hope and if he can handle it. How is that a good idea?
Over in teenage lovers paradise, Katy thinks she’s showing like mad and lies around in baggy sweats all day. She doesn’t seem to give a fig about her education and isn’t even going to school anymore. Chesney tries to test her on her studies, but she just wants a cuddle. Chesney takes Katy out to the cafe where they see Fiz and Chesney finds that she’s letting John care for Hope and doesn’t think it’s a good idea.
Xin and Graeme are playing a cosy game of 20 questions, and Graeme jumps up off the couch as she comes in. Tina feels as though she’s unwelcome there. Tina asks Xin what her plan is now, that she has her visa. Xin says she’ll keep looking for a job and once he ankle is healed, she’ll be out of their hair.
8:30pm
Written by Chris Fewtrell, directed by Duncan Foster
In the cafe, Anna notices that Katy looks a little pale and sick and wonders if she should see a doctor, but Ches manages to get her out of there before Anna gets more suspicious. People are going to find out sooner or later, usually sooner than later when you’re pregnant. Ches visits Fiz later and asks her if she’s really okay with John watching Hope. Fiz tells Ches that John told her it was Charlotte who was stalking them and sending hate mail and that she was obsessed with him. John blamed himself for Charlotte’s death and that’s why he had a nervous breakdown. John figures Hope is the right kind of medicine.
Audrey’s angry at Marc for making her look like the bad guy with Claudia when he should just come clean. They start shouting in the bistro and Nick has to “politely” throw them out. Audrey actually drives him home and Marc hopes they can be friends still. Audrey’s not sure since he let her down. Just get rid, Audrey! Audrey instead takes Marc up on his offer for coffee and Claudia drives up in a taxi finding them together once again. There’s a ring at the door and it’s Claudia. Claudia fights with Audrey assuming that she’s taking her man. That is, until Marc comes down dressed as Marcia wearing that highly coveted scarf and, well, other women’s clothing and his Becky McDonald wig. Marc says he wanted to tell her but didn’t think she could handle it. To which she says “damn right!” She’d rather be a victim of an affair than a bit part in a freak show. She figures she was made a fool of by the tranny and the granny! Claudia leaves before she throws up.
Boys night out is really exciting with Jason breaking down celebrity body parts to create his ideal woman. They’re going out on the town that night, but Jason makes it stick that he’s taken. They see a gaggle of girls over at another table at Nick’s Bistro and Tyrone sets his sights on one giggly blonde. Tyrone’s too nervous to do anything about it though. Tyrone does his best to chat up that blonde, named Phoebe. He strikes out when he puts his foot in his mouth and starts going on about how her nose was the first thing he noticed about her. After an unsuccessful night, the boys gets some beers and take them back to Tyrone’s.
Becky storms into Gail’s for what seems to be the way she has always entered Gail’s house. Becky accuses Kylie of stealing Max the second she turns her back. She demands Max, but Gail says he’s in bed since he was knackered because David was playing games with him all afternoon. David spits insults that he doesn’t think Max is used to that much attention. The Platt’s tell Becky that Steve said she was okay with having them watch Max. Becky says she’s not, and asks them to fetch Max. Becky tries to storm upstairs but Gail convinces her that she loves the child too much to drag him from his bed and that she guarantees that Max will be looked after. Becky says she’s trusting Gail because she’ll be ‘round there first thing to pick Max up. After Becky leaves, David goes on about about poor of a mother figure she is but Gail and Kylie disagree. Mostly because they don’t want to care for Max. David says that if they want to see more of Max, they’re going to and there’s nothing Becky can do.
Becky returns to the Rovers and ignores Steve’s calls from the hospital while looking at their wedding photo. At the hospital, the doctor thinks Amy suffered from an allergic reaction to something and that they’ll need to book her in to see her regular GP to get some tests done. He tells them to avoid the usual suspects: dairy, nuts, wheat products etc. When Steve returns from the hospital, he gets it from Becky for leaving Max with Kylie. Steve says he wouldn’t have to if she hadn’t disappeared all day and reminds her she didn’t answer her phone either. Becky feels like an idiot when Steve tells her he was at hospital because Amy was sick and not at parents night. Steve says that Amy is his priority. Becky tries to keep the fight going but Steve leaves. Let’s hope he keeps going!
Xin takes a hint from Tina who says she misses having nights in with Graeme and tells them that she’s going to the pictures. Only, Graeme offers that they all go but Xin and Tina insist that she go. Tina tries to turn on the magic but Graeme would rather attend to a roasting pan. Tina tells him they haven’t done it since the wedding (wow) and that if he leaves it any longer she’ll be looking at Norris different. Graeme says they haven’t done anything because he’s a married man and it’d feel wrong. Tina asks him if they’re together or not and storms out.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Does anyone think Sylvie reminds them of a much older Eileen?!
- Seeing Becky with the Croppers. It’s really the only time I really ever liked her when she was with them. When she got caught up with Steve, the Rovers, and that drama she got too big for her britches.
- Sylvie: “I have known women like Tracey. I was almost one myself.” Wait…she almost killed her lover?
- Claudia: “I need vodka. Join me if you dare.”
- Becky making a scenario for Steve and Tracey: “You and Max, and her and Amy, why don’t you all go to Amy’s parents evening together. Like a nice proper little family. When the kiddies are in bed you can dim the lights, put on a bit of music, open a cheap bottle of wine…” Tracey: “As if I’d dim the lights.”
- Audrey seems conflicted, but she must love deep-down watching Claudia be embarrassed like that for dating a cross-dresser after she laughed at Audrey about Lewis.
- Claudia: “I know your [Audrey’s] track record. You’ve been in more triangles than a set of pool balls!”
- John singing to his daughter. I’m not a John fan, but it was very sweet.
- How taken aback Claudia was when she saw Marc come out in women’s clothing!!! Seeing that was well worth this ridiculous storyline.
LOWLIGHTS
- Fiz leaving Hope in John’s full-time care. Is she nuts?! He found standing behind a corner taking bets at the bookies stressful, try caring for a baby!
- If Claudia has so many suspicions about Marc, why is she even dating him? I don’t even recall what these two ever had in common? Also, why is Audrey so concerned about being friends with Marc?
- Graeme has the guiltiest body language ever. Why does he jump up off the couch like that, it’s not as though he was in Xin’s lap! Of course Tina would be suspicious. Unless there’s really more going on than meets the eye.
- Gail guaranteeing that Max will be looked after. Ha! She looked after David too and see how he turned out?
- I’m SO freaking sick of Becky!!!
What have they done to the character of Claudia? When she came in she was a dignified proud character, now she has turned into a screeching harpie over some bloke who talks like he is wearing false teeth!. She is a beautiful woman she really wouldn’t need to behave in this way, scrapping over a bloke at her age and following him around. And what’s happened to the camaraderie and funny scenes with Audrey, all been sacrificed for this balderdash over a scarf! I wonder if Rula Lenska who is a fine actress realised when she signed up that she was going to become a figure of fun in this utter tripe. I suppose it is what passes for “comedy” in Corrie these days.
ReplyDeleteAs usual Frosty, you hit it! I'm now not expecting much more from my favorite TV soap than "cheap". Cheap thrills and cheap laughs.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about this "schoolgirlish" exchange between the two mature women. It just wouldn't happen this way either in real life or in the Corrie that we once knew...
The transvestite thing was such a stupid idea... all this prep and setup for a cheap "climactic" display by the Claudia character.
Maybe when Becky leaves the street in the requisite cab, it can run over Marc. What a useless character and storyline...Claudia should have used the scarf to choke him and end the story.
ReplyDelete"balderdash". Now there's a word you don't see every day :-)
ReplyDeleteI am on the fence about Claudia. I am always suspicious of characters who spring from nowhere as long lost old friends of loved characters- Doreen was the same and now she is nowhere to be seen. Rula is a fine actress who may have a good future in the street but I for one am watching this space to see how she pans out. As for Marc I understand that there are men out there who like to dress in womens clothes but if it was such a secret I dont really think he would have been hitting the town dressed as a Marks & Spencers reject quite so openly.
ReplyDeleteI love the way Audrey told off Nick when he tried to rush them out the door...Classic Audrey. Aud & Claude + crossdressing boyfriend = hilarious..the look on Claudia's face.."I'm going to throw up"..ha!
ReplyDeleteSad to say it but I do agree with Frosty and anonymous. Cheap thrills and cheap laughs from Corrie these days. Sorry stuff. Can only hope it improves.
ReplyDeletei really liked the way that david kylie and gail were looking after max.can't stand becky anylonger.
ReplyDelete