Coronation Street episode review, Wednesday 23 October

Poor Roy! Barely getting over Hayley's collapse, and so relieved that they've made amends, he is clearly crestfallen to find that her admission to hospital has made her more determined than ever to proceed with her intention to take her own life when the time is right. As Roy kisses her and tells her he can’t bear the thought of living without her, we can’t bear to imagine them apart. Fiz, upset by their row, presses both of them for information, but neither yield which is a testament to the strength of their relationship. Jenni McAlpine's performance was an emotional one tonight when Fiz broke down in front of Hayley in a very tender and upsetting scene.

Meanwhile Jenna is irritated by Sophie’s frustration at Sally’s choice of man, but she ignores her, and asks her mother the question we've all been waiting for: what does she see in Tim? Considering how little respect he affords her, it’s a mystery. Sally gives fun as her reason, but it’s painfully apparent that she wants more than that, and he most certainly doesn't. He may have taken a step too far tonight though when he fails to turn up to bring Sally and Faye to the cinema. Faye’s cheekiness saw me feeling sorry for Sally which is a rare occurrence.

While you’re unlikely to find Tim’s newspaper headline “Much Disregard for Red Cards” on any newspaper outside of the Weatherfield Gazette, it certainly mirrored the action in tonight’s Corrie. I've always felt that Dennis enjoyed being a kept man, but his foolish attempt at clearing his debt by pawning Rita’s ring saw him get an instant red card. Despite being a ludicrous thing to do, it appears he meant well, and may not have deserved to be so demeaned and degraded by Rita and Tracy. Feeling inadequate is what lead him to try and shoulder his own debt in the first place, albeit by the wrong means, and maybe Rita needs to ask why he did such a stupid thing rather than calling him a heartless gold digger.

Where Tina and Tracy were concerned it was less red card and more red flag to a bull. Tracy just can’t resist stirring up trouble, and Rob seems increasingly unhappy with her attitude. After a prolonged bout of teasing, Tina is pushed to her limit and has to be held back by Liz. It’s true that she did offer David Platt a roof over his head when nobody else would, but she has the line of the night when she happily advises Tracy in front of Rob, Peter and Liz that David’s encounter with Tracy nearly put him off for life, and he had more fun waiting in the Post Office queue. What is it about Platts and post? No more envelopes. Please.

While Tommy’s impending departure from the Street was widely known, I was genuinely surprised at how this occurred tonight. David is back in Tina’s flat just hours when she returns to hear that Tommy has packed a bag and left for the airport with his passport following a row with her ex. While she does attempt to phone him, Tina doesn't shed a tear, and simply goes back to work. If it wasn't possible to film one last scene with Tommy, Tina's reaction to his departure could at least have been a bit more realistic.

Finally, Chesney's lock up is broken into and all his stock stolen leaving him with no income. “What kind of thief steals a load of dog collars and rubber bones?” he asks Sinead. Considering the amount of people in the dog house after this episode, there are a number of suspects.

By Emma Hynes, www.emmahynes.wordpress.com, Twitter: @ELHynes

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