Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 10 February

Spring may be in the air, at least according to Owen, and so far the conversion is going well, but unbeknown to him, Anna has a lot on her mind, due to Phelan’s unwelcome interest in her. On opening the café door she has even more on her mind and very wet feet– the café is flooded. Jenna is battling womanfully with the water, doing her best, but Anna and Fiz seem to think it a better idea to add to the problem by arguing about Roy and whether or not you should leave the heating on overnight. Fiz is adamant that the heating should be left on and Anna says with more than a touch of annoyance, ‘Well aren’t you wise after the event.’ 

The last thing Roy needs is the insurance to refuse to pay out, but does that mean that they will have to go through his drawers? Where is he? Well he’s not at Auntie Jean’s and Sylvia is apparently in Tenerife. The core of the problem between Anna and Fiz is their difference of approach to the Roy problem. If Roy did have a mobile phone, doubtless he wouldn’t keep it on, so getting hold of him would be frustrating still, not to mention impossible.

Talking to the police about Roy, Fiz mentioned that, ‘All he has is heartbreak and guilt.’ Immediately the police woman seizes upon the word guilt and asks, ‘Guilt about what?’ Fiz is swift thinking and at least for now, the police woman is satisfied with the answer Fiz gives which is that Roy feels guilty for ‘being the one left behind.’ Nice work Fiz. She must know that that is a common psychological problem.But where is Roy? As the police say, ‘People do strange things when they don’t want to be found.’

From one sadness to another and this time it’s Rita’s story. It’s been coming for a while and tonight it reached a climax of sorts. So Dennis is infatuated with Gloria, or should that be Marianne Faithful and has started to dress as a much younger man.  The phrase, ‘There’s no fool like an old fool’ couldn’t fit more appropriately than to Dennis. The pathos of the leather jacket, the slicked back hair and the pendant can be seen by others but not by Dennis himself and that is the way of  these things.

Poor Rita – watching Dennis so desperate to gain Gloria’s attention is heart breaking for her as well as humiliating. In the bistro, horrified at the goings-on Rita announces, ‘I’m off to The Rovers.’ Dennis says he’ll come too, but Rita tells him in the firmest of tones that it wasn’t an invitation and heads off alone. Dennis does join her though and it might have been better if he hadn’t. ‘Take that jacket off,’ she orders. She points out that what he is doing is madness, but he says it’s essential to take risks. Rita points out that there are risks and there is foolhardiness. ‘Gloria believes in me’ says Dennis. Rita doesn’t hold back and describes Gloria, accurately as ‘a conniving, malicious trollop’ then adds to that ‘a cheap, manipulating, conniving, money-grabber’ and who could argue? Then comes the hammer blow from Dennis. ‘She’s also ten years younger than you.’ Rita is aghast and says, ‘Well, well, well. That outfit has made you brave.’ Dennis does apologise, but it feels too late.

This is Rita! How dare anyone insult Rita? Tina did her best to comfort her and told her what we’re all wanting to tell her, that Rita is ‘a thousand times the woman she is.’ Very upset Rita takes a look back over the years and says how the men who she chose let her down and the words still hurt and the mascara still runs. She hopes that Tina will make better choices. ‘Tell me you’ll choose better.’ Hope you’re listening Tina because even Peter Barlow tells you that you deserve someone better. 

Liz is watching in the background as Carla and Tina talk, Carla being particularly kind towards Tina and giving her a kiss. When Tina’s affair with Peter comes out it will be all the more galling for Carla and for us, to see the trust that Carla placed in Tina, thrown back in her face.

Todd continues in his pursuit of Marcus and having secured Marcus’ mobile number, the first text he sends is a X. He also allows Marcus to jump the taxi queue risking the wrath of Norris. At the moment Todd just seems to be in the way, not serving much of a purpose and amazingly has kept his job at Streetcars. 

Who enjoyed the evening out at the bistro? Steve? Michelle? Andrea? Lloyd? .Well a best guess would be that Michelle might have enjoyed it a bit and maybe Lloyd too but what about Steve and Andrea? It is clear that Andrea is strongly attracted to Steve, but it’s more ambivalent with Steve. He probably is attracted to Andrea but how can he possibly admit that to himself, let alone anyone else, when he is with Michelle?

Rob and Tracy are back together. Before this is confirmed though Tracy gets in a couple of insults to Tina who has the audacity to walk past Barlow’s Bargains. ‘Jog on you chav!’ is the first and the second is simply ‘slag.’

Eva is twenty-six and apparently that means you’re a grown up. Tony bought an expensive present for his prospective daughter- in–law. Tony also gives a rather drooling Liz some encouragement. So what was all that about?

Right at the end we close with Fiz berating herself for not taking care of Roy as she had promised Hayley she would. ‘I should have known, I should have seen it a mile off.’ Where can he be? Even if he is found, he will still be lost, without Hayley.

   

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