Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 2 March

At least Jenny is trying to put the past right, if it is possible to do such a thing. But is that what she’s doing or is she just trying to keep Rita sweet so that she won’t sully Jenny’s reputation further?

We might have guessed that Rita would refuse the £300 offered by Jenny. Not just because it’s £700 pounds short of the original loan, nor because a grand then would be worth more than a grand now.  Besides it’s not about monetary value and Jenny must know that. The money is just symbolic of Jenny having abused Rita’s trust, care and kindness. Can they ever restore their relationship? It certainly doesn’t look like it. ‘I gave you that money to go away,’ Rita explains. ‘Go away and leave me alone.’ Rita repeats, and tears up the cheque.

 Later Sophie calls into the Kabin and sees that Rita has been crying. Rita confesses that she is disappointed in herself and thought that she was a better person than she was in her dealings with Jenny.  Sophie decides to take her for a drink about which Rita is thrilled.

What a terrific actress Ellie Leach is. She plays the part of Faye with real talent. Anna thinks Faye doesn’t look well and because she is not eating properly either, Anna decides it’s time to take her to the doctor. The doctor thinks Faye should take paracetamol because she probably has a virus. Faye flies out of the surgery and tells her mum that she will stay with her dad. Faye is wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa at Sally’s. She is given honey and lemon but Sally will be sure to disinfest the cup after Faye has finished.

Craig calls in, but Faye shouts at him, ‘How thick are you?’ That is because he nearly gave the game away. He saw Faye and Anna hugging, after Anna had called her ‘a little treasure’, and assumed that Faye had told Anna about her pregnancy. Craig came strolling across to them saying he knew it would be OK, but before he could say anything else Faye had run off. Making matters no better for himself Craig says, ‘Don’t worry Faye – it’s not your fault you’re being nasty, it’s your hormones.’ This causes Faye to throw a cushion, a cushion in fact, just like the ones Dame Judi Dench has according to Sally and points out that, ‘We respect our soft- furnishings.’

Tracy gets her own back and bars Liz from Barlow’s Buys. ‘You can’t come in you’re barred!’ Tracy says with great relish. Liz says that if Tracy apologises she can come back to The Rovers. ‘I‘m waiting,’ declares Liz. ‘Well you’ll be waiting a long time and time isn’t really on your side,’ hits back Tracy, finding Liz’s Achille’s heel. She informs Liz that she and Beth are going to The Bistro where they have fusion food, not a vile brown dish with gristle and some old veg. Naturally the hotpot has to be defended and Liz steps up.

Throughout this exchange, Tony is looking less than comfortable, as well he might. Tony phones Tracy when she and Beth are having their Bistro night out but Tracy decides not to answer. That way she will be able to show Tony that she is not just waiting around for him to deign to call.

Despite his denials, maybe Owen is still attracted to Linda. Anna clearly thinks so and got dressed up last week. Owen is a little thoughtless in some of the comments he makes to Anna about Linda and maybe Anna is feeling insecure so is a little over-sensitive. Katy though is annoyed when Anna and Owen arrive in the pub and decides to leave to meet her mum somewhere else.

The real Gavin is understandably bemused.  ‘It’s not every day that a gorgeous girl turns up at my flat with her own key.’Steph arrives at his flat unaware that he has arrived back from his travels. He has no idea who Steph is but she can easily guess who he is. Even though there is every reason to be upset when a stranger arrives in your flat, with her own key, the real Gavin seems welcoming but has also just a hint of malice about him. Steph has a very quick cup of tea and also grabs the Bistro payslips addressed to Gavin.

It is fascinating that despite Andy not being Gavin and the fact that he’s been acting all along, he has actually grown fond of his ‘dad’ and is enjoying being part of the family. Now though, something has to happen. Surely Gavin and Andy will meet before long. And then, what about Michael?

Some might call Michael stupid for suggesting that David allows Callum to see Max. Others might think that by allowing Callum some access to Max, Callum may get bored and will stay away, when he begins to realize what fatherhood actually involves.

David is distraught over the Callum claim so he turns all his anger onto Michael. Nevertheless it is hard not to feel sorry for David, who is trying to manage Max, while both of them are missing Kylie. It’s so easy for Callum to arrive with ‘cool’ clothes for Max leaving frustration and dissatisfaction in his wake.

A highlight of tonight’s episodes is Norris on marriage. He doesn’t believe it is much to write home about. His experiences are as follows. His first wife was called Myrtle Hargreaves who seduced him with her milk puddings. According to Norris, milk puddings stand for the insipid, the dull and the uninspiring.

At Christmas in 1993, second wife Angela bought him a grey shirt, a grey sweater and grey trousers. He feared they made him look like a shadow. In contrast then Rita points out to the human dynamo we see before us today.

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