The first one I thought of was the Millennium night with the big street party that happened on one episode, and ended with Raquel knocking on Curly's door. The next episode that aired took them through the long night, discussing the revelation of Curly's daughter, Alice.
The most obvious one was the long night that spread over nearly a week of episodes, the night of the tram crash. The double episode on the Monday set things up with the crash in the second episode. The aftermath and rescue efforts took place over the subsequent week, 7 episodes, one of which was an hour long. That's a lonnnng night and if you'd gone through something like that, it probably would have felt a week long, too!
So here we are, on the edge, wondering how long it will take Craig to make his statement to the police. Wondering if they'll believe him and stop Karl before he skips off to Spain. Will Stella believe what Dev has to say? Probably not at first, but the evidence will speak for itself and I think Karl will crack. Stella will see the truth.
Dev wasn't in time to stop the legal declaration from the Registrar but if Stella hasn't signed any papers, is it a legal marraige? Can she just walk away or will an annulment have to do the trick?
I've enjoyed this storyline in spite of it featuring St. Ella. Karl (John Michie) has played a blinder, and the writing has been very good. Karl has slowly unraveled, getting more and more desperate once Craig's involvement was injected. Even Dev has been very good, from his obsessive digging to prove Sunita's innocence to his resigned grief and reluctant re-involvement at Jason's urging. Poor Craig, so much for a 14 year old to carry, thinking he caused a fatal fire and Karl adding to it by continuing the lie. I felt for Beth, who knew her beloved lad was troubled but couldn't persuade him to open up to her. If the police don't nick Karl and Beth gets hold of him, there will be nothing left but those shiny black and white trainers he's been sporting!
Stay tuned for tonight's double episode. I can't wait!
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14 comments:
Wasn't Tony Gordon's stag do that involved Liam Connor's death set in a whole day and was broadcast throughout the week?
When mad maya tried to kill dev and sunita 24hours was played over 5 episodes
Ah yes, Mad Maya was another "long night" over a few episodes, you're right and possibly Liam's death might have been more than a double episode, as well.
If only Coronation Street would use a wider variety of characters and stories within each episode, instead of going for the 'drama' of one single storyline over an extended period of time, all at once. It tends to feel endless, repetitive and painful to the point of asking "didn't I see this scene already 'at least' 6 times?!?
A story can go for 2 weeks straight if it's decent, but the broken records should go. It feels like the edge is taken off of what could be exciting, by mere saturation.
Couldn't agree with you more CBS -- I suppose in the 50+ years this show's been running, we are going to have similar dramas like weddings to a bad seed, adulterous affairs, criminality, etc. but what gets me is the lazy writing that stretches on and on to the breaking point of credibility... how does a smart woman like Stella take this philanderer back after all his lying, cheating and getting her teetering on the verge of bankruptcy??? She's a mature woman of experience -- I find it so hard to believe this entire absurd storyline. Bring on other, unmined characters like Beth and Craig...
too true. The stories are too singular and they would do a lot better to give us some variety so we don't choke to death on the same crap over and over.
Gobby Gail
Having endured this storyline for months and what was supposed to be the climax this week, finishing last night. It's dragged and dragged in what I can only imagine the powers that be thought was suspense. It's been too long in my humble opinion and should have finished at least around Mayish.
BUT in all that has been and all we've endured with what should have been a huge finish was the most painful of ends and an anti climax. The scene with Stella and Karl in the pub and cellar felt the longest on record. Anything with Michelle Collins as Stella is painful and a storyline this big isn't in her capabilities.
So what was I'm sure supposed to be one of Corrie's biggest storylines in recent years started with a roaring fire ended with a fizzle and a yawn!
I"m sure next week we'll have a week's full of Stella's pity party to put up with now too.
Like many things on the Street, this story is just going on to the point of us begging for it to be over!
As others have said, when a story like this goes on and on and on, all the viewer wants is for it to be over. Yet when they drag out the climax, over several episodes, defying all logic in the process, it is hard for the viewer to take it seriously.
Dev goes to the registry office and bursts in, thus providing a cliff-hanger ending to the episode. But at the start of the next episode he changes his mind, hugs everyone and walks out. It makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER... except to keep things bubbling along for another couple of episodes.
Does anyone remember the cliff-hangers on the Batman TV series? You know, the caped crusader tied up and about to be flattened by a train that is almost upon him. Yet at the start of the next episode the train is inexplicably now 100 yards away, and our hero has plenty of time to make his escape. I always felt cheated by this, and that is exactly how I felt last night by Corrie.
Why didn't Jason tell the police that Karl was about to leave the country? That surely would have gotten a more urgent response, but no that would have got the plot moving, and the producers clearly didn't want that.
Are we really expected to believe that Stella would sit chatting to Karl, while Dev was laying unconscious on the floor? And was I the only viewer to hope, however briefly, that Karl had actually killed Dev. Villain to Hero in one second flat!
But wait, Dev's hand moves almost imperceptibly. So of course it makes perfect sense that next second he is texting Jason for help. And of course he obviously went into the menu to silence the phone's various bleeps etc. Shame that after that he was dragged outside unconscious again, and was left lying on the cobbles for another ten minutes.
Is this drivel really the best thing that Corrie can produce these days?
Hm what spoilt the episode for Frosty was that Karl got the chance to get rid of Stella and Dev once and for all yesterday but oh no, they are back to annoy us for more time to come. Dev's 'reveal' was long drawn out and blustering and she is just plain annoying.
I agree with so many of you. For me, last night's episode was totally cringeworthy. Stella an intelligent woman? I don't think so! She has been unlocking that front door for how long? Yet even though she had plenty of time to unlock it and get out, she chose instead to bang on it and cry for help. She sat down and talked about their whole life story with Karl, while Dev lay on the floor with his life supposedly ebbing away - and yes, I was another who really hoped Karl would have done that job properly at least! Then when Stella opted to go down the cellar with Karl, what the heck was the purpose of that? Karl went from complete villain who would stop at nothing to a cartoon character who just rolled over and gave up.
Then outside, the police were all there, pandemonium breaks out, Gloria gets angry with Jason, but Dev is left lying on the cobbles. If they couldn't get an ambulance quicker than that, wouldn't a police officer have at least checked on his condition?
It all became tedious silliness, and would only have been somewhat redeemed for me if it had ended with a few deaths, with Stella, Dev and Karl at the top of the list.
Baby Jake's christening/Rita's mugging happened over the course of three days last month.
Who is baby Jake? When did Rita get mugged?
They have always done major storylines over more than one episode, dating as far back as 1967 when they had the first train through the viaduct. That was carried over at least three episodes, possibly more. There may have been earlier ones too, but that is one that stands out for me.
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