Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 31 March

Phelan is really showing his true colours. After telling Katy to ring round for any work that is going, Owen shows that he’s ready to work every hour available to make some money.  Owen discovers that after Katy’s best efforts, Owen’s name has been removed from the council approved contact list – a bitter blow to his chances of gaining work. Off he storms to confront Phelan who, like a true villain, seems to be relishing watching Owen suffer and squirm. Quite reasonably, Owen asks Phelan, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Phelan gives an interesting reply. ‘Why does anyone do anything?’ He then answers his own question, speculating on people’s reasons. He concludes, ‘Fun, spite, power-trip – all of the above?’

It would not be fair to say that Gary and Owen are blameless, certainly not Gary. After breaking into Phelan’s house and a small matter of whacking him on the head, Gary is clearly guilty. Phelan though, is not a man to be messed with. He is surely doing what he’s doing for fun, spite and a power trip – all three of his own suggestions.

Rob was helpful to his sister when he could see clearly how stressed she was. But still Eva and Kirk got it in the neck from Carla who strongly suggests a monkey might be as good an employee as Kirk. Not nice Carla – yes, you are stressed but Kirk is off limits.  Besides how many people have not lost their keys at some point. Perhaps Carla who is super-efficient, will regret telling her staff that she ‘is surrounded by incompetents.’ Rob didn’t accept the money that Carla was offering him and simply said, ‘I’m your brother.’

Criticising Peter for his absence, Rob might have done better to keep quiet. Up goes their rent. Tracy and Rob will have to pay an extra £300 for their rent of Barlow’s Bargains. 

Eva asks Carla if she’d like a cup of herbal tea and Carla’s reply is, ‘Do you want me to tell you what you can do with your herbal tea, Eva?’Poor Eva, it’s not going well for her. On discovering that her mother is moving away, she gets upset. Stella says that she has to get away and that there is nothing for her in Weatherfield. Eva takes this comment badly, ‘Oh cheers mum, you always know how to make me feel dead  special.’ A little later Eva mentions that Leanne won’t be pleased and Eva discovers that Leanne already knows, which again upsets Eva. Then when Stella announces that it’s not Darlington, or London and that it is in fact New York, Eva takes it very badly. In a doomed attempt to make Eva feel better, Stella says that Eva could live in the flat above the kebab shop now that Kevin wants his house back. ‘Living in a flat above a kebab shop? Not sure I can stand the glamour,’ responds Eva.

It’s finally out that it was not a giant of a man who attacked Tim, but it was in fact, Maddie. Tim, Sophie reveals, wanted people to believe he was ‘big and ‘ard.’ Sally is angry that Tim didn’t tell her that Maddie and Sophie were in a relationship. She also wants to know what they are doing with the £30 that Kevin gave Sophie. They’re not doing booze or drugs, and so Sally asks them what are they doing and rather bluntly,Maddie says, ‘Each other.’ The whole scene ends with Maddie flying out and Sophie, in time-honoured tradition, telling her mum that she hates her.

Gail, still much disturbed by the intruder, has to identify him from a series of photos. Kylie tells Gail that she’s no winp and lists in front of the WPC, all the horrors that Gail has suffered and only stops when Gail tells her ‘That’s quite enough!’ Gail fears the intruder will return but Kylie points out that  all that they have is ‘a telly and a box of lego.’

  

It seems Carla needs a net, a huge net to catch Peter and sit him down and tell him that she is expecting his baby. But he’s all over the place and is also having to deal with Tina’s demands to see him, Simon’s dental appointment and sealing a deal for the factory.

Carla is very on edge, understandably, as she has to break the news to him. She has told him she’s been to Bristol, but we know differently. So far Carla has no idea about her husband’s affair, but she surely will know, and if she is very tense now, how will she be when she discovers that her husband is having a long standing affair with Tina, a girl to whom she has been more than kind. 

Peter was born on April 5April 1965, a twin, along with his sister Susan.  If my arithmetic is correct, that means that in a few days, Peter will  be 49 years old, which does not make him a young dad. He will be almost 50 when the baby is born and he doesn't have dad of the century's - Simon Cowell's, money. 

 Peter’s expression of horror as Carla reveals the news of her pregnancy is as we would expect. If it was possible to slice open people’s heads and see exactly what they are thinking, who wouldn’t take the opportunity to read the thoughts swirling around in Peter’s head?  To take a guess, it might read something like this – oh no, I don’t want another child. I can barely cope with Simon. And what will I tell Tina? I promised her I’d tell Carla about her and me, but I can’t do that now. Perhaps I’ve been thinking I could keep playing these two women off against each other and pay no consequences. Now Carla is pregnant I can’t tell her I’m leaving her and I will have to tell Tina that after all I will not be leaving Carla and hope that she will understand. Who am I kidding? Tina will be furious and who’s to say that Tina won’t tell Carla exactly what we’ve been up to. Why don’t I learn? I’m not a kid anymore. If ever there was a time I needed a drink, that time is now.

All that said, Peter is very protective of Carla and it is touching to see them lying together coming to terms with having a child. Carla freely admits that she’s no Mary Poppins, and that she prefers the scent of Chanel over baby sick. There’s a good mum there in Carla -  not the most conventional of mums, but judging from the love and care Carla gave to Hayley,  a very kind mum.

Peter confesses to having neglected Carla and says that all that will end. We are no doubt thinking that what he means is that he will stop seeing Tina. Peter’s phone keeps interrupting their discussion until, by threatening to ring the doorbell, Peter has to go and see Tina. And what a different Peter Tina sees. He is aggressive and impatient. And then, ‘I think I’m pregnant – I’m late and I recognise the signs.’

This sends Peter reeling and our last shot is of him, loosening his collar and seeming as if he’s on the verge of collapse.  

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