Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 27 October

Health concerns for both Cilla and Michael remind us that we cannot take our health for granted. For Cilla it is osteoporosis, which affects women mainly and for Michael it is his heart, which affects all of us and is just about as serious as it can be.

Judging from previous comments, viewers are pleased to see Cilla back and those who were not too sold on Les Dennis as Michael Rodwell, initially, have warmed to him and to his relationship with Gail. Michael receives a letter asking him to an appointment with a heart specialist, which he shows to Eileen.

Alya and Gary go well together. Gary says he has been thinking of religion and family, reasons that Alya has put forward as a reason for the two of them not to be together. Gary can see why she would not want to be with him as she is a graduate, she is beautiful and she has a bright future, whereas he is just a labourer. Alya makes an excellent reply in that she says she is educated so that she can think for herself. Gary reaches for her hand, but Alya pulls it away. 'Slowly,' she reminds him.

What an acting tour de force by Alison King and Marc Baylis, as Carla and Rob in their one on one scenes. The tension and high emotional content is all the more poignant as they only have each other to call family and have endured together the difficulties of their upbringing.

Carla appears distracted and preoccupied. As Tracy's hen party gets underway, with a reminder from Auntie Emily's card, which Tracy reads, about what love is, from Corinthians 13, after which Tracy so rudely says,' Yadda, yadda, yadda. The bride to be cannot even be kind to an elderly woman who has always had Tracy's best interests at heart.

 The stag night which involves just Carla and Rob, does not get off to too good a start. Carla has been speaking to Liz and to Tracy, soon to be her sister-in-law. Tracy talks of the night of her engagement party when she and Rob went absent. Tracy claims that she and Rob were so keen to make love that they ran upstairs together responding to their overwhelming urgency. We know that that is not true and Carla now knows that Rob was not telling the truth, because he told Carla that he and Tracy were on a sofa.  Carla confronts Rob. She tells him she knows that he is lying. 'It so suited you to see Peter get the blame.' She says that now she can prove that Peter is not guilty. Carla now believes that Tracy is the guilty one and that Rob is covering for her. Rob is adamant that it was not Tracy. Carla threatens to ring the police. Rob admits he lied and that Tracy was actually driving knock-off gear around. Rob insists that Peter is the guilty one. 'Peter is where he belongs - my Tracy is innocent.'

We switch to Beth singing(!) I will Survive but Sinead shows her youth by asking, 'Who's Gloria Gaynor?' Still, there is no way that Beth should give up the day job...

Rob and Carla chat on her balcony and can hear the hens. Carla says that she, 'could riff on about your bad behaviour for hours.' The mood lightens and Carla mentions Rob's goldfish named MC, not after MC Hammer, but after Michelle Connor on whom he had a crush. Carla tells Rob that she couldn't have coped without him during the terrible time she has had.

Carla's thoughts return to Tina and Rob reacts very badly. He feels he is being accused, but Carla tells him she didn't accuse him. Rob heads out and bumps into Tracy. He tells her he loves her but not in his usual way. When he returns Michelle is there talking to Carla about her concerns regarding Steve but the idea that he is having an affair is given short shrift. Michelle tells Rob that he must turn up to marry Tracy tomorrow or there will be murder. What a word to choose in the circumstances. Michelle leaves and Carla starts up again. She asks him directly, 'Where were you on the night of Tina's murder? 'I'm innocent,' he says. Carla keeps remembering the details of Tina on that dirty street, near a dirty builder's yard, near a skip full of people's rubbish.

She turns to her brother and says, 'I'm looking at you and all I  see is haunted, tortured and scared. You killed her didn't you?' Rob talks of how Tina had ruined Carla's life and that he swears the fall was an accident. Carla describes Tina as a '23 year old narky cow who fell for a pathetic weak car crash of a man and thought she could fix him.' Carla decides that she needs to see Michelle and tries to head off. But Rob becomes rough with her and pushes her around. He is not going to allow this and takes her phone and keys. He is very quickly remorseful and returns her phone and keys telling her that he would never hurt her.

Tracy is deeply involved in her wedding preparations and tells her dad that she is very lucky to have Rob. Ken reminds her that something may go wrong, it may rain but that in his opinion, Rob is the lucky one. We switch back to Carla and Rob, both distraught and Rob says to the sister he loves, 'Some nights I lie in bed and I daren't turn round. In the dark, in my bones, I know it won't be Tracy's face I see, it'll be hers - eyes open - blood. All I'm asking you is to do nothing.'


Download our App | Follow on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog | Like on Facebook



All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License