Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Coronation Street double episode review, Monday January 30

Poor unsuspecting Leanne!
The scales did not so much fall but were ripped from her eyes over Peter's lies as he was forced to confess to his affair with Carla during the rape trial, shortly after Frank's mother had gleefully passed her the detective's pictures of her errant husband and his mistress kissing in Chester. Jane Danson's expression of slowly growing realisation (as she watched her husband admit to meetings with Carla and beating up Frank) from the public gallery was utterly convincing, as was her anguished public cry as she saw the incriminating pictures.

So it's rape trial week in Coronation Street. This reviewer is married to a law court specialist reporter and every time he watches any court scenes in Corrie, he tells me they are full of factual inconsistencies. For example, a rape trial defendant would apparently never be allowed to verbally confront his alleged victim outside court before proceedings begin, as Frank did Carla, nor would he be allowed to go out of court in lunch break to chat to his mum. But I guess it's all a bit of dramatic licence.

Meanwhile, Sylvia's fibs to Milton about her "handsome" son owning a haute cuisine restaurant in Weatherfield rather than a greasy spoon also further unravelled as she took Milton for a meal at the Bistro,  pretending it was Roy's gaff.  When waitress Eva started gushing about dating the boss (in reality Nick Tilsley), Milton guessed the truth and went off to Roy's Rolls,  gamely ordering a Full English and admiringly declaring the place "quaint" and "retro".

 I know some people have expressed caveats that Robert Vaughn sounds a bit wheezy and as if his false teeth don't fit properly, but I think he's doing just fine, nicely tongue in cheek. Did you know Vaughn, 79, is actually eight months younger than the ever boyish William Roache, who turns an unbelievable 80 in April? Truly Ken Barlow must have a portrait in his attic.

Elsewhere, cuckoos in the nest Tracy and Paul seemed to be getting their feet under their separate tables, as Steve turned up for a cosy family meal with estranged wife Tracy and daughter Amy, and a still suspicious Jason grudgingly helped Paul fix a broken door at lover Eileen's house. The actor who plays Paul (Tony Hirst) is quite a bit smaller than Sue Cleaver as Eileen and when they stand up to embrace I'm sometimes reminded of a looming praying mantis and her quarry.  It's my guess this tricky relationship will end in tears.

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