It can't have gone unnoticed that the lives of two sets of brothers on Coronation Street have recently undergone a dramatic change of fortunes. Both the Platt household and the Grimshaw household are managed by single mothers who have both experienced serious difficulties in their lives. Both women have two sons and both women have one good one and one bad one. Of late, though they still have one good one and one bad one but the good one has become the bad one and the bad one has become the good one.
David's crimes are legion, including of late, trying very hard to wreck his brother Nick's business, by various means, including a huge unwanted consignment of olives. His main crime was trying to kill Nick in a road accident. Some may say he was justified in exacting revenge because David discovered that Nick had slept with Kylie when both were in a miserable and drunken state. But to try to kill your brother? Surely too harsh a revenge.
Recently though, it has come to light, after Leanne challenged him, that Nick has been faking his episodes of rage, in order to gain sympathy. No doubt he did suffer brain damage after the murder attempt but Leanne rumbled him and his efforts to deceive people for his own advantage, until he cracked and confessed.
So, the halo has fallen off Nick's head and David could be a worthy halo inheritor of late. He is a great husband to Kylie, a real source of strength for her, particularly in coping with Max, and is proving himself to be a terrific father to Max and Lily, clearly loving Max as his own. David is rational, calm, competent, loving and good fun.
Fatherhood suits him well and gives him a purpose, a real purpose. Maybe now, David will remain the good brother.
Jason has come of age. He is a genuinely good guy, who cares about his mum, his business and his girlfriend. Jason and Eva seem to be particularly well-suited. Deep affection is evident between the two of them and Eva has been great in supporting Jason through this terrible business of Tyrone's inadequate floorboards, his fall and his escaping the jaws of death. Eva does what she can to try to make things better for Jason. Jason did not have a clue that his brother Todd had instructed Gary to lay the unsuitable flooring. Jason yearns to be a trusted and dependable business owner, doing everything he can to achieve a good reputation ands build his business on good work and dependability.
In the past Jason has been a bit of a ladies man, a bit flakey, a bit irresponsible, and has always been in the shadows of bright, academically gifted, refined spoken Todd - in short, Eileen's Golden boy.
But things change and so do people. It seems that Todd's life in London has changed him for the worse - and that very much so. He has what I would say is a veneer of self-confidence and is quick to put people down, in the hearing of others. He is quick, he is sharp, but he uses these characteristics, to do nobody any good, especially himself, who is deeply unpopular. His arrogance and his apparent belief in his own superiority, does him no favours.at all. Nor does his treatment of the men he uses and abuses. He cheated on Marcus and was plain cruel to Sean. He also instructed Gary to lay the floorboards that were not suitable, in a bid to save a few quid. Todd is now in a lonely position. He craves the approval of Tony and now has anything but. He messed up a work opportunity too with Steve, who gave him a chance and he sneers at the inhabitants of Weatherfield, where, frankly, poor Todd is pretty friendless. - even his own mother can barely look at him.
So, Jason inherits the halo from Todd and life looks bleak for Todd. Who would have predicted such a double turn around?
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