After weeks of speculation and anticipation,
Tina McIntyre’s killer is finally revealed as none other than Rob Donovan, in
what was a truly sensational and gripping episode.
Having kept his identity a secret since last Monday
when I attended a screening and interview session with Michelle Keegan and Stuart Blackburn, I’m now excited to reveal that we were also joined by Marc Baylis
on the day.
After entering to some playful boos, he spoke
of the “massive relief” that a handful of people now knew, revealing that the
storyline has been talked about since the end of October, and that a lot of
work and personal embargo has gone into keeping the huge secret. Marc was thoroughly engaging, interesting and passionate about the character of Rob, and I could have listened to him for hours.
Stuart Blackburn revealed that having
identified a dark edge to Rob’s character shortly after taking over at
Coronation Street, he has spent a long time looking for a story where he could back
him into a corner to see what he would do. Marc added that this is when Rob
will either lash out or do something that may appear pretty callous to others,
but is a means of protection in his eyes.
I’m told Rob will cover his tracks in many
different ways over the coming months. “He’s not a stupid man”, explains Marc,
“he knows where to point the finger, where to play the innocent, where to play
different parts that will protect him, to maybe cast shadows on to other
characters as well. This is the beginning of a massive new chapter for Rob so
there are a lot of changes.”
Rob isn’t your stereotypical cold blooded killer
and it was never his intention to kill Tina, but rather to protect Carla from
finding out about Peter’s affair. Marc reveals that the accidental and unplanned
murder has a massive effect on him, and pulls him closer to his roots and
family. “We go through that with Rob,” he explains, “it’s not just ‘Oh, he’s a
killer now, he’s a murderer!’ we actually see the through line of how he deals
with it psychologically.” He also promises a number of twists along the way.
It follows that Stuart impresses the importance
of remembering Rob and Carla’s tough upbringing at the hands of an
alcoholic mother and a succession of step-fathers. “They’ve come from a world
of violence”, he tells us “we can’t forget that behind the glamour.”
Both Stuart and Marc describe Rob as a man with
a conscience whose situation is far from straightforward. “This is not a black
and white storyline that takes us through to the end,” Marc tells us, “there
are a lot of grey areas which is why there are moments when hopefully from an
audience point of view they see Rob as a person not as a murderer.” What adds a
tragic dimension is that where Rob’s personal life is concerned, he’s probably never
been happier. I certainly felt a twinge of sadness that it was him, as he has really come out of his shell in recent times, and I find him both endearing and immensely likeable.
We’re assured that Rob does everything possible
to avoid being caught. But would he kill again
to cover his tracks? Stuart reveals, “It would depend entirely on the
circumstances. I think he’d do an awful lot to defend his sister and
increasingly, anything to defend Tracy
He added, “It depends on who that person is,
and it depends on what they’ve done to him.” He talked of the theme of history
repeating itself, noting that the first time Rob went to prison involved an
incident in which he tried to help support his mother, and this time, his crime
is committed in an attempt to protect his sister.
Both Marc and Stuart agreed that Rob would
never betray Tracy
While the notorious soap-killer is guaranteed
to be remembered, their continued presence in the programme is generally short
lived. Marc confesses that playing one did make him anxious for his future on
the show, but acknowledges that there is always going to be trepidation, and
it’s not something an actor should focus on. The character of Rob is the
longest part he’s played in 15 years of acting, and he feels very privileged to
be chosen from the cast to be such a huge part of this storyline.
Asked how he will react to potential negative
reactions from the public following the big reveal, he joked, “I think I’ll
even swim into work across the canal so no one can see me.” On a serious note,
he observed, “I can’t think about that too much, I think I’m going to have to
take it on the chin. I live a pretty low profile life anyway so I’ll just have
to find new techniques to hide away.” When it was pointed out that Tony appeared a popular
choice for Tina's killer, Marc joked, “I’m still wishing it was Tony.”
We’re assured that a massive twist lies in
store tomorrow night, and if the quality of tonight’s episode is anything to go
by, it promises to be similarly unmissable.
By Emma Hynes
Twitter: @ELHynes
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
16 comments:
No, sorry, I still don't like Rob. Still, it will be interesting to see a sympathetic side to his personality. Too often, Corra villains are one-dimensional.
I can't believe it was Rob! I really thought it was Peeah! :( It seemed that Rob didn't mean to push Tina off the balcony, they tousled and she fell over. You could see it on his and her face that it was an accident. :(
- Pod
I really hope the writers do something to at least extend Rob's stay on the show for a while, even if it means having Peter or Tracy sent down for the crime, temporarily. I'm disappointed it's Rob though. Seems like the writers took the easy out. Now Marc Baylis' time on the show has a shelf life. And that's a shame because the show's in desperate need of some hot guys. Since he's leaving anyway, why not have Peter do it, even if he were in a drunken stupor. Heck, I'd even rather Simon had done it than Rob. Oh well, and the show is beating EastEnders in ratings? Yeesh!
Silly question - How is Tina's flat connected to the builders yard balcony? I was distracted trying to figure that out, just as the murrrder was in progress.
This death was never going to be in the realm of Hayely's demise, but I'm enjoying this week so far. And poor Anna! Must have been torture for her being in a hotel room with Owen.
Shame that - Rob being the killer. From a storyline perspective I don't get he would want Tina to keep quiet; he hated Peter and would probably want him out of Carla's life.
From a real-life perspective, as a murderer he may have to 'go down' and leave the show, which his a real shame because of the nominated murderer's he's the best actor.
Gascoyne's the best mumbler with desperately limited sentance structure skills. He should have been shown the door...
Aha! My question about the balcony is answered in Chewy's blog entry just below. Thanks, Chewy! :)
So dodgy Tony and Tracyluv alibi each other. But Rob didnt intend to kill Teenar, it was an accident with the big irony that he was trying to protect his sister from the very truth that Peter was confessing at that very moment to her. Very good episode spoilt by the tiresome Windbags and their ongoing 'problems'. Last week they didnt have enough money to feed themselves, suddenly they have money for nights away in a hotel. Rubbish.
'Talking about Tracy, Marc explained how Rob has seen a side of her that the audience haven’t necessarily seen. “In their quiet time, in their downtime, she’s got a very loving side with him,” he reveals, “It’s a genuine relationship and I think that’s the key to why it works.” '
Disgraceful script writing when you consider the above. I've been saying for a long time that much of the characters' motivations are 'explained' in soap mags and publicity interviews. Tracy's loving side should come out through the dialogue and direction - Corrie producers, are you listening? Don't give me a explanatory hand-out just because you can't be bothered to write in some subtlety. If we saw Tracy's loving side with Rob, and also with Amy, when they're tucked up at home, we might begin to see a few more layers to Tracy's panto villain character.
@hr doctor - it's already been announced that Peter is leaving this year (the actor quit)
A good episode last night. I'm glad the writers didn't cop out by having a minor or recently introduced character do the deed.
As for Anna and Owen, I must be one of only a few viewers who is actually enjoying the trials and tribulations of the Windass's.
I think they're good.
Tracy and Rob..a match made in hell. Now both of them are cold blooded killers. Ever cute.
IMO it should have been Peter who killed off Tina. Rob wanted Peter out of Carla's life anyway, so why not let Tina spill the beans?
I was disappointed when I saw it was Rob who killed Tina, accidentally or not. What will be interesting is how Roy saw Peter enter the flat, clearly rowing with Tina and Peter's face is full of scratches (not to mention Tina's nails will have his skin underneath them). I'm not a fan of Rob but it would be nice to see Peter go down for this!!
Rob isn't a cold blooded killer, though, it certainly appeared accidental. Still, it's considered manslaughter so he'd go to jail just the same. Peggy has a good point. Roy did see Peter enter the flat and there is a lot of evidence linking him.
I would imagine Rob will end up off the show due to this and that's a shame because I enjoy Rob more and more, and like his dynamic with Carla. I do think he and Tracy are suited and I do see a bit of a softer side of her with him at times. I would like to see her getting closer with Amy, now that Amy is a bit older.
I am sad in a way that Rob is the killer and will probably lead to the character being written out. As with Jenna there was a lot of mileage left in this character but lets keep Gail and Dev on and on and bring back dullard Ken.
Such a shame Rob turned out to be the killer as his character has developed brilliantly over the last few months and now he has a limited time left on the cobbles. Tony was a red herring but would have preferred it if he had done the deed!- Micky
Given how fertile Tracy has been over the years (despite her kidney transplant) will she be preggers by Rob? If so, given the DNA, is the baby a certain killer (like the child of two blue-eyed parents)?
while i totally agree with the comments by laura and the snowman i find it hard to believe people actually spend so much time worrying about this pesh.
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