Thursday, 16 October 2014

Coronation Street episode review, Wednesday 15 October 2014

It’s trials and tribulations all round in tonight’s episode as Liz wants desperately to hear from Tony, checking her phone and neighbours for sightings despite acting nonchalant, poor Steve cuts a miserable dash and returns to bed within seconds of getting up, and Eileen is furious to find Todd playing the drums while minding Barlow’s Buys despite promising her he’ll work hard. He does however convince one lady customer to keep the TV she was attempting to flog and rent a room to him instead. Every cloud eh?

Roy is troubled by the lack of respect shown by a gang of troublemakers who defiantly kick a ball at Tina’s memorial. “They don’t value anything” he tells Anna, “life and death don’t matter”. She astutely observes that this is really about Hayley. “I’ve heard all the clichés, life goes on etc, except it doesn’t for me” pines Roy, “I can’t seem to let go of her.” As ever, Anna’s gentle counsel is touching as she advises him that only he knows how best to do this. He decides it’s time to scatter Hayley’s ashes in Blackpool and invites Tyrone and Fiz to come with him.

As Peter’s trial continues, it’s time for witness for the prosecution Mary Taylor’s star turn on the stand. Her animated account likens Peter to a Mr. Hyde figure, abrupt and agitated as he “scurried into the ginnel”. However, she is quickly despatched as an inebriated busybody by Peter’s disparaging barrister who observes, “You say he was abrupt. Might that have been because he felt that it was actually none of your business? Or that his reply that a cat had done it was said not to cover anything up, but rather to stop you plying him with interminable questions?” 

The combination of Mary’s disgust, the barrister's disdain, and Peter’s silent nods of affirmation are a hilarious trio. Indeed, her demise is such that the prosecution decline to call on Norris, who is naturally appalled that his “important evidence” will not be heard, and her delusion is such that she puts this down to the high quality of her own.

Cue court mumbles as Carla Barlow is called to the stand. Delivering her painful testimony with dignity and composure, her bullet like confirmation of both Peter's and Tina's ages is nevertheless amusing. She comes under intense fire from Peter’s barrister concerning her own culpability, prompting him to call out, “leave her alone. I’m the one on trial, not her”. Challenged by the judge he replies, “but she’s not done anything wrong”.

Peter’s barrister offers a powerful defence, stating that his eagerness to tell Carla about the affair before Tina could get to her suggests that he believed Tina was still alive at the time, and therefore, may not be the killer. She also points out that revealing such sordid details would be unnecessary if he had already murdered her.

When Carla announces that she doesn’t think Peter killed Tina, the court murmurs, Rob squirms and Peter wells up. She tells how Peter asked her “what have you done?” when he encountered Tina in the ambulance, and reveals how, on his deathbed, he told her he knew she did it but not to worry, he wouldn’t tell anyone. “He thought he was dying.” Carla tells the court, “Why would he say that unless he truly believed that I did it, which means that he couldn’t have”.

Ken and Tracy’s joyful expressions at Carla’s revelations turn sour in an instant when she reveals, “I told my brother, but he said it wasn’t solid enough to go on”. They can’t understand why Rob never said anything about this, and while they may not connect him to Tina’s murder, suspicions nevertheless abound as to his strange behaviour.

This continues when Rob becomes furious with Carla for saying Peter is innocent on the stand, and confronts her in her new flat which contains a frankly mesmerising fake furnace. Carla sees Rob’s relentless claims as to Peter’s guilt to be a personal vendetta against him, and you’d have to wonder how she’ll react when she hears he assured Simon of quite the opposite. 

“I’m not trying to send him down, the evidence is doing that” he assures her, but Carla is not convinced, asking why Peter would wreck his own defence to protect her. “Sometimes it feels you’re the one not being straight with me” she tells Rob who claims to be protecting her from becoming suspect number one and reckons Peter will go down remarking, “you’ll see, tomorrow when he’s on that stand, they’ll rip him to shreds”. Carla’s expression is one of incredulity and bewilderment at her brother’s behaviour, and it appears things may finally start to unravel for Rob.

Peter returns to his cell elated that Carla believes him and convinced that she still loves him. The lovely Eugene is genuinely chuffed for him and it’s fist-bumps all round as Peter, bolstered by the day’s events, is determined to go out there and give his all to clearing his name.

I felt this was a great episode with a nice mix of humour and suspense, some strong writing and great performances, and all that remains as Peter's trial faces its conclusion is for us to hope that justice will prevail.

By Emma Hynes
Twitter: @ELHynes


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14 comments:

  1. It wasn't a "bad" episode, the story line itself ended up a flop for being dragged on for too long. Any Corrie fans that remain are beyond caring about the outcome. It will probably be another disappointing..."dead in the water" bomb, like most of SB's work.

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  2. Emma Hynes, I didn't mean to be disrespectful toward you. Your take on the episode was very enjoyable, and well written. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. The shot of Rob in Carla's flat next to the fiery furnace was strange. Is it a sign that he is going to hell? Loved the court scenes, especially Carla and Mart. But Peter's barrister was sometimes referring to "evidence" which we haven't heard directly from witnesses, which was a bit sloppy. 1

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  5. Goodness, there is so much negativity on this blog by many viewers/readers; a very "glass half empty" perspective on everything which I find to be very draining.Totally agree, Emma, a great episode. Although it's been a long story, and not always engaging, I'm gripped by the trial and the stitches in Rob's lies beginning to unpick. Really hooked and looking forward to subsequent episodes to see how it all pans out. Therefore your sweeping statement, Diane, that any Corrie fan is beyond caring is simply untrue.

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  6. Frosty the Snowman16 October 2014 at 07:52

    Not a bad episode but want to shake Rob - ever hear about playing it cool mate? His facial expessions, agitation and anxiety is really beginning to show now Its only a matter of time before Carla smells a rat.

    What on earth was Liz wearing yesterday? Looked like a see through white shroud!

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  7. Well said, Tiddles.

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  8. Rob's guilt is clearly weighing on him. Yep, only a matter of time now!!! Great write up Emma, and Jonathan Harvey's script made watching it a real treat. Loved the courtroom scenes from ludicrous Mary to Carla's confidence and her bite-the-bullet testimony that had to be painful.

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  9. Watching in Canada and am looking forward to the trial. Why on earth is David there? Shouldn't he be working?

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  10. Where was Tina's mum, surely she would have been there?

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  11. I imagine David has taken time off work to attend because he was close to Tina and cares about the outcome of her murder trial

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  12. Why would Mary be testifying anyway?I don't remember her seeing anything the night of Tina's murder.
    I also thought it was odd that Maxine's memorial bench has graffiti on it but no one is bothered by that but Roy is upset when a ball messes up Tina's makeshift memorial?I wondered though if it was the same group of kids who mugged Rita when Tina went off on a drinking tantrum because she didn't get to keep Jake?

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  13. Tina and David were very close friends in addition to being steps and exes. It does seem strange, though, that Gail would take a holiday during a trial about her stepdaughter's murder; they were close as well. Everything goes electric when Carla and Peter are in the same room, loved the courtroom scenes, esp Mary's takedown. Robbo, you will be missed. Don't blow your exit. I hope they can find a sensible way to keep Eugene around, driving a cab perhaps, flatsitting for Peter when he's away, something. He's an interesting older guy.

    A band named Feckless -- ROFLOL.

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  14. Good point. Tina's mother should have been there. Mary and Norris were testifying as to Peter's state, they saw his face scratched and saw he was agitated.

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