However since his arrival in 2011, the powers that be have taken Karl from being a loveable rogue to a love rat to an arsonist and now, by the looks of it, a murderer.
To be honest I am not complaining about this. Anything that enlivens the Price family is fine by me, even if it does mean extra screen time. John Michie is brilliant at playing the villain of the piece. He has just the right combination of menace and vulnerability. One minute you think he is going to crack and reveal all and the next he is spurred on by his desperate situation and adds another devilish deed to his growing list of crimes. In many ways he is a rather good combination of past villains John Stape and Richard Hillman.
While Karl's turn to the dark side has been quite entertaining I worry that this development means we will lose John Michie sooner rather than later. Once you have gone bad on Corrie the clock is normally ticking on your character. The truth will naturally come out, exposing the story to maximum drama. However once everyone knows, where else is there to go? This for me, is a shame as I think Michie's character had broad appeal and real longevity.There is, however, perhaps a more interesting question. Given Karl's run of form - Toni dead thanks to his arson attack in the Rovers and Sunita possibly silenced in her hospital bed - will he be forced to kill again? We've seen this storyline pattern several times since Richard Hillman stalked the cobbles so it would be no surprise.
If Karl was to silence another Weatherfield resident who might it be? Grim Gloria, who seems to be even more besotted with him that her darling daughter? Jason Grimshaw, for a long time a thorn in Karl's side? We've heard that Leanne becomes suspicious of Karl, so maybe she bites off more than she can chew? Could it be that Karl even goes so far as to bump off the woman he loves: St Ella of the Back Room?Place your bets folks! What do you think the future holds for Karl Munro? Will he kill again? And if so, who is your money on?
You can follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlog
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
Karl has never worked for me as a character - I always found him too sleazy and charmless. And he's just got creepier and creepier. I hope this storyline winds up soon because I can't take several months of him going around grunting professions of his undying love at St Ella of Beige.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Karl is the male equvalent of Tracy? A necessary evil that lurks in the corner of the room just not coming into forcus but every now and then popping up to remind us that all is not well. Will real you in with his I'm a naughty boy with sad eyes and then wham if you cross him beware - St Ella better watch her back -
ReplyDeleteIf Stella wasn't going to be around for another year, I'd suggest that he and Stella will meet their end together. After all, he said in the pub: 'At least, we'll die together'. Shades of Richard Hillman. He might still set up a similar exit but only Stella survives - like Gail. I could see that he might threaten Leanne but she's saved by Nick or Stella and then the game's up. The difference between Karl and Tracy is that he seems to have a moral compass. He feels terrible guilt whereas Tracy feels nothing for other people. When she set Gail up, she told Deirdre she was 'collateral damage'. The only future for Karl is a messy exit and I hope it's not dragged out for too long.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't care less about Karl and his murders. It was only a year ago that Frank was getting murdered. Killings, fires, crime. The same old plots recycled constantly.
ReplyDeleteI cannot stand Karl please let him get his and get out!!!
ReplyDeletehe is lurking everywhere..I wonder if he follows Stella to the loo...I find it creepy how he can't let her pit of his sight even when she says to give her a minute....
ReplyDeleteI think Sofie will figure him out. She already has him pegged as a sleaze bag because of Sunita. She may end up in his line of fire next. I think John is portraying his character excellently, unfortunately I just can't stomach much more of St. Ella of Beige as well and her judgemental money hungry mother! Maybe he will kill both of them when he just can't live with his guilt any longer. One could only hope!
ReplyDeleteLove the actor, and I agree with you Graeme that when the Prices first arrived, I found Karl, by far, the most palatable. I still did not mind him at the beginning of his relationship with Sunita, even though I hated the storyline. His behaviour started to turn for me when he realised how he was 'trapped' in the banality of domestic life with 2 kids. The laziness and rudeness just did not ring true to me and I found it very off-putting.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion John Michie's acting has been superb, is it the storyline he's been let down by. It is simply not as fun to watch as Hillman, Tony Gordon, or, dare I say it, John Stape. It does not help that Stella is in every scene with him and is now completely blind to what he is!
ReplyDeleteI reckon she's in a for a rude awakening though, the poor dear!
I was hoping for Paul to remember smelling smoke on Karl at the Bistro and putting 2 and 2 together from Jason's comments, suspect Karl and confront him thus provoking a mad knifing frenzy and voila no more annoying Paul...sounds good to me! However I think Karl will realize that Jason suspects too much and is talking to others about it..and this soon puts him in danger from Karl.
ReplyDeleteI think fans of Taggart will like John Michie and as Frosty has said on many an occasion he is a fine actor and could have been a true Corrie icon but has been ruined. I think a few people will get suspicious of him, poor Jason, awful Gloria who he lost it with yesterday, Sophie has been giving him funny looks. I am just sick sick sick of Stella who seems ubitiquitous again yesterday, dispesing her 'advice' to Dev. I just hope Karl takes her down with him,
ReplyDeleteI agree that he was better as a loveable rogue than a murderer-arsonist. I suppose he might go to prison and then come back, redeemed? I don't agree that he's been playing it very well, he looks a bit shifty rather than wracked with guilt.
ReplyDeleteExhausted from all the serial killers who kill in threes. I suppose with Hayley about to depart the most natural thing is her. They will find some convoluted excuse to have her wrapped up in it.
ReplyDeleteI THINK ITS TIME FOR STELLA TO DUMP KARL FOR GOOD THIS TIME WHEN SHE HEARS KARL THREATEN TO HURT LEANNE AND CON HER OVER 70.000POUNDS FOR STELLA TO HELP TO GET THE ROVERS RETURN BACK TO NORMAL WITH THE HELP OF OWEN AND JASON AND TOMMY, KARL REALLY SCARES ME AND HE WILL FRIGHTEN LEANNE HOW SCARY CAN KARL BE WHEN HE DOES THINGS LIKE THAT
ReplyDeleteI hoped that someone would later find a cctv image later on in the story showing Karl when he planted the keys in Sunita's hospital room. I don't know how he is going to be found out otherwise?
ReplyDeleteThere are so many holes in this Karl story, it is ridiculous. Why didn't Jason go to the police when Karl stole his van. It was parked outside the council offices. There would be CCTV all around which would show him stealing it.
ReplyDeleteWhy was the hospital CCTV checked? This would show him entering Sunita's room?
After starting the fire, he would have smelled of smoke. Indeed when he returned to the Full Monty party, the fireman bloke actually smelled smoke on him, when he slipped back in. Why did he not recall this later.
Karl as a character is weak & his acting ability is poor, I saw the whole storyline as a way of getting him out.
I cannot see any way now that he can be found out other than by a confession, and that isn't going to happen.
Time for some new script writers me thinks.
I know this sounds far-fetched, but I think that Dev could call around to see Emily(maybe she left something at the shop?). While there, he notices she has been watching her film noir cd's that her niece sent her. On the screen is a murderer with black gloves and this will jog Dev's memory about Karl wearing gloves when he called into Dev's with intent to murder. Dev even asked him why he was wearing them at the time. Anyway, that's my theory.
ReplyDeleteAs Rob says, there are so many holes in the Karl-the-killer story line. There should have been follow up to the 'I remember the smell of smoke on Karl' as he rejoined the men in the Full Monty line. And surely there would have been CCTV in the hospital's intensive care unit where Sunita was in bed, and how on earth would keys have been found on her?! If I remember correctly, she was wearing leggings and a top -- probably without a pocket. And how would they have still been on her after falling down on a basement floor in a burning building? If keys had been recovered after the fire, they would have been scorched or at least smoke damaged. We won't go into Sunita's 'finger tip prints' Karl imprinted on them! Any forensic investigation would have found that the keys did not go through a fire! I suppose the writers will think of a solution later! Karl's full confession perhaps?!
ReplyDelete