Coronation Street double episode review, Sunday 17 November

An increasingly dishevelled David continues to wander the streets in tonight's episode. Hayley kindly gives him money for food and coffee which he offers to share with Tina, but his appeals for her friendship fall flat as she tells him he messes with her head and brings her down, and to leave her alone.

Tommy may be in the Canaries, but Spain came to Tina in the form of Liz McDonald and a box of chocolate donuts. Over at The Kabin, Rita can’t believe Tommy has dumped Tina who, after trying to keep her best face out, finally confesses that she’s a mess.

After a spot of street drinking, David makes his way to the Rovers drunk, and when Tina won’t serve him, tries to force his way behind the bar. Peter Barlow, self-professed “patron saint of drunks and winos”, throws him out, but an angry David retaliates and punches him in the face. 

Gail looks pained at the sorry sight of her son slumped on the cobbles. Back at the house, she expresses sympathy for him to the disgust of Nick who is furious that she would even consider forgiving him for leaving him in such a state.

“David is dead to me” Kylie tells her, and when he calls around thinking he is being allowed home, she sends him packing, threatening him with the police if he comes anywhere near her or the kids. Nick tells her he doesn’t agree with this nuclear option considering what it would do to the family.

A sympathetic Gail can’t bear to give up on David, however, and sees herself as culpable for moulding him into what he has become. Audrey agrees to let him stay with her, and finding him at the bus stop, tells him that hell isn’t on the Wayfarer timetable; if it was, he’d surely have a monthly pass.

Back at the Rovers, Peter seems to enjoy having Tina put a plaster on his wound. Following her out to the smoking area, he tells her that Tommy was an idiot, makes a few complimentary remarks about her looks, and invites her to his wedding.

Over at Roy’s, Hayley proudly busies herself with Carla’s wedding dress designs. She is relishing the challenge and it is lovely to see considering the heavy, upsetting scenes she has been involved in of late. Roy is similarly delighted to see her so energised. However, seeing her so happy made the subsequent scenes with Carla so much worse to watch. “They’re terrible” she tells a crestfallen Hayley of her designs, and doesn’t stop there as she describes the sleeves as worthy of a pirate, and the designs straight out of the 80s. While finding the perfect wedding dress is obviously extremely important, Carla makes no effort to show any appreciation for Hayley's work, or disguise her disgust, and it makes for uncomfortable viewing. She later tells Julie how Hayley has no sense of style, that she fears her designs would make her look like a “sack of spuds”, and that her only option is to “shatter her dreams, break her heart and sack her”. Some might say considering her reaction to Hayley that she may have already succeeded with the first two.

Roy is not happy that a project supposed to invigorate Hayley is causing her stress and they decide that she should tell Carla that she may not be the person for the job. Meanwhile at the factory, Carla carelessly tears up Hayley’s work. There is no indication that she will combine one of Hayley’s torn designs with a magazine picture to make the perfect dress, and yet she surprisingly does just that. Hayley is delighted and agrees to make it, but Roy has reservations.

Brian is given clear instructions by Julie to ensure their house is surgically clean to the point of being fit for an operation in preparation for their fostering interview, but she may find herself conducting an autopsy of their relationship if the following scenes are anything to go by. He goes to the Bistro seeking counsel but gets a lukewarm welcome from Nick who doesn't appear to have the patience to listen. Marcus is willing however, and Brian reveals that he has been selected for interview for the museum job he applied for in Wales, but it clashes with their fostering meeting. His preference is to attend the interview, and blames Goodbye Mr. Chips for the “pedagogic propaganda” which got him into teaching in the first place. Marcus encourages him to tell Julie the truth. However, when she arrives and says how fostering will make her life complete, he can’t bring himself to tell her.

The confection theme continues as donuts turn to biscuits, and Sean remarks to Todd that Eileen likes to dunk hers. All of a sudden it’s London, not Weatherfield that is the worst thing that’s ever happened to Todd, but there’s no sign of him letting up on the disdain for his surroundings. Back on the switch, he seeks clarification on the Streetcars’ Biscuit Protocol from Lloyd and Eileen, embarking on a Last Biscuit thesis that would leave Professor Brian Cox confused. 

It seems that no conversation in which Lloyd or Eileen are involved these days can go without an insult about Steve. This time we hear him needlessly referred to as Big Belly McDonald, and Eileen later describes tyres as “balder than Steve’s head”. It’s high time such insults were kicked to the kerb, as they’re unacceptable and ruining otherwise enjoyable scenes. These jibes weren’t the only thing out of place in the Streetcars’ office; the Weatherfield Gazette’s report on the 4^th ashes test is a bit premature considering the tournament doesn’t start until Wednesday.

Lloyd continues his biscuit audit, and a frustrated Eileen asks If Todd is to be “forever condemned for the sake of a coconut ring”. With Lloyd refusing to give Todd an advance in his wages, he sees an opportunity to make some extra cash at the end of his shift when a call comes in, there are no drivers available, and there’s a spare car. Lloyd notices “the floozie” (so called because she’s anyone’s), is missing. It can’t have “slipped through a hole in the space time continuum” he tells Eileen; it seems Lloyd has, however, as we’re momentarily transported back to Craig Charles’ Red Dwarf days. With no explanation forthcoming, and no sign of the car, he calls the police. Meanwhile Todd is on his way back having pocketed the fare, and comes up with an excuse about having to move the car because it was obstructing a lorry.

Now flush with cash, devious Todd cancels his night out with Sean, instead claiming he wants to treat Eileen to a night in the Bistro. He pays her part of the money he owes her knowing full well that it will be spent on him. You wouldn’t find me passing up Sean’s offer of a trip to 80s bar Spandau Palais, complete with revolving floor, nevertheless, he joins Todd and Eileen as the “5^th Beatle”; appropriate considering it’s all Please Please Me with Todd these days.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.wordpress.com

Twitter: @ELHynes

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