Welcome back, Lloyd! And how Steve has missed him! Great to see the two friends doing what they do.The way in which they were brought together was pretty amusing. Eileen in a rage and singing Celine Dion was somewhat surreal as Steve was yelling about having, 'Just been gassed by some muppet from Primo cabs!' Steve then adds, 'A planet killing muppet!'
There was real pathos created by the writers tonight and Craig Charles showed great skill in his delivery. 'Loser Lloyd is back in town. Fancy a lager?' He talks about his trip to Jamaica and his dodgy property investment and now he tells us, 'My life's at zero; the needle's going backwards.' Steve steps up and offers Lloyd a room and a job, telling him, 'You're not a charity case, you're my best mate!' Great heartwarming stuff and exemplary behaviour from Steve and his recognition of the importance of friendship. As Eileen points out to Steve, 'You're a good friend Steve McDonald.' But, this is Coronation Street and Lloyd, it seems, has got the wrong end of the stick. As Steve himself says, 'This is going to take finesse and deftness of hand.' Eileen mutters an aside, 'None of which you possess.' Lloyd thinks he's a partner again but Steve hadn't intended that so trouble brews and there's a misunderstanding to sort out. Sean departs yelling, 'You and me have got unfinished business.'
Judging from Maria's behaviour and facial expressions, she surely has a thing for Marcus. She succeeds in persuading him not to go to London and tells him that if he goes to London, she and Liam will miss him. . How though does he feel about her? Does he feel more than friendship? Might he feel more in forthcoming episodes? Maria has him in her house now and the appeal of Liam for Marcus should not be underestimated. It is a family he wants and as the three of them walk down the street, just as Eileen and Sean are emerging, they look for all the world like a family. Maria, understandably maybe, shows little compassion when Marcus expresses anxiety about Sean. She simply says,'If he doesn't like it he'll just have to lump it!' Intrigued to see where this story line takes us.
Can it be that Mary, with her chess prowess and her tales of Sister Kevin, is managing to seduce Roy? His less than enthusiastic greeting of the successful dance exam candidate Hayley, fascinator still intact, was quite shocking and Hayley was obviously deeply wounded. Is Mary using Roy to awaken the green-eyed monster in Norris? 'Norris, behave!' chides Mary. 'I wasn't aware I was shouting,' says Norris. In comes Mary with the cryptic,' You're not aware of a lot of things!' Perhaps as Mary's past is gradually revealed, we will come to understand the wonder that is Mary.
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Well for me the re-introduction-of-Lloyd scene where Steve gets out of his cab in an aggressive, macho, thuggish, shouty temper, only to be confronted by his old mate Lloyd, who was also ready for a 'punch-up' was unbelievably inept, and illogically put together. It was flat.
ReplyDeleteThe forced-humour situations of Steve are beginning to wear thin with me. He hasn't been 'funny' to me for a long, long, time now.
The previous episode had Steve running in girly terror out of the Rovers at the mere sight of a rat (you were expected to be ROFLaughing at Steve in that scene) next episode the girlyness has gone, only to be replaced with him getting out of his cab all Mad Max macho, spoiling for a fight with an unseen stranger because the 'other' cab driver has engine problems????
There are countless road rage incidents by the score and more throughout Manchester on a daily basis, so was it really that hard, from the collective incidents that everyone experiences at some time or other, to give Steve something more solid to get misleadingly steamed-up about?
The best and genuinely most enjoyable scenes of that storyline was Eileen interacting with both of them, singing - the lot; but the initial Steve/Lloyd smoking engine scene - bah! Ineptly handled.
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Mary surprised me tonight.
That little slight look up, registering for the first time, a genuine flicker of a sting from the pain and public humiliation that Norris poured on her head and her 'elephant feet' was palpable. A good scene. It's tiring when a 'dotty' character is played as 'dotty' relentlessly, or a 'bad guy' character plays the bad guy unendingly becoming a mere stereotype. But that scene made Mary less one-dimensional, suggesting more depth to her, the stereotypical cartoon-like 'Scary Mary' subdued, so much so, are we in danger of caring about Mary?
In fact the whole Roy/Mary chess game interaction poses the cold, clinical thought:
Would a Roy/Mary coupling make better sense than a Roy/Hayley set-up? It was like they were made for each other. Why hasn't it suggested itself before now? They're a snap-fit!
Steve and Lloyd are a great example of two friends who have "couple"-like tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that in this day in age it blows my mind how much some folk are speculating that Marcus is going to "turn straight" - a notion as ridiculous as someone "turning gay". I find it equally ridiculous that despite Maria's crush on Marcus (which she has been open about), folk carry on about how these two will end up in some type of "relationship" - despite the fact that Maria has also said many times that she is well aware that Marcus is gay and doesn't want him embarrassed by people speculating about her interest in him. Last time I checked, these two were adults, so presumably they are able to carry on in a friendship, under the same roof, without ... oops, ending up in bed together. This is the 21st Century, right?
A great couple of episodes made all the more better by the complete and utter absence, for the first time since 1973, of St Ella.
ReplyDelete"...I find it equally ridiculous that despite Maria's crush on Marcus (which she has been open about), folk carry on about how these two will end up in some type of "relationship"..."
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I agree with your first assertion but not the above 'relationship' bit.
I refer you to the award winning 1961 b/w film set in the back streets of Corrieland itself - 1950's Salford - 'A Taste of Honey' by Shelagh Delaney (she was mentioned on this blog when she died last year).
A film that touches upon your question by examining commonly held perceptions of sexual orientation, and also race, class etc., of that time -
A feisty teenage girl coming from an upbringing of a feckless, selfish, abusive mother and with failed relationships herself behind her, finds herself homeless and ends up sharing a flat out of convenience with a homosexual acquaintance. The gay man, is lonely, adrift, confused by life, and the girl now pregnant by a black sailor who deserts her, find solace in each other.
He to all intents and purposes becomes a surrogate father to her child, she experiences stability and a caring family life that's eluded her thus far. Even though they are both of differing sexual outlooks, the gay man still proposes marriage to the girl, to give both of them, the full family stability. She's never known such genuine, sincere, care and attention. Neither wants to change their sexuality.
Both at last, after being let down by everone they've ever come into contsact with, are making a go of life.
Then the abusive mother returns in an attempt to destroy it all. It was an award winning film in it's day.
Whilst it's not possible to change sexuality on a whim, it's either in the genes or it isn't, it is possible for Maria and Marcus to form an intimate relationship whilst each retaining their differing sexual outlooks. That is, whilst it suits them.
So, what does Marcus want? A family life!
What does Maria want? Someone to care and look after her and her child!
Both have had dissapointments in their quests so far.
Bet they discussed A Taste of Honey when they started developing this storyline.
Maybe the death last year of Shelagh Delaney (just over half a year ago - is the production timeline possible?) set them off on this path, by way of tribute ie., updated to reflect 2012 values?
People can and do find themselves in situations which challenge their thinking about their own sexual orientation. It is not a question of turning gay or straight; rather it is that we are all on a continuum and it seems to me that you can never say never.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think Mary and Roy are a better fit at all. Hayley and Roy have always fit like a glove together with similar interests and outlooks. Mary is far too volatile, mean spirited, bullying, "full on" and clingy for Roy.
ReplyDeleteNice rebuttal Tvor, but I counter with:
ReplyDeleteToo clingy for Roy?
In his early days Roy had stalker tendencies too. Deidre had to seek help because she was seriously frightened by his creepy clinginess.
David Neilson is on record saying of the character he plays:
"Roy was a psychopath. He was stalking Deirdre and was a bit scary..."
So, that was the early days of Roy - a bit scary to others. Not mean-spirited but definitely scary.
Hence his understanding and easy acceptance without criticism of Mary?
But of the Roy today? He goes on to explain the decision was later made to play him as a sufferer of autism, and hence more acceptable.
- But the original default character setting of Roy was introduced to the viewer and played by the actor as an out and out pure psycho!
So I think it's a case of game-on, and let's see.
(That's if they say 'game on' in chess, that is :)
If Marcus turns straight then maybe Steve and Lloyd will turn gay to balance it out in a weird twist of soap land karma???
ReplyDelete