We saw the beginnings of it in the last episode and we see
more tonight - Faye unable to look at her baby. Anna confirms, ‘She’s barely
looked at the baby.’ Anna is very
anxious that Faye will not bond with the baby, despite Anna’s best attempts. Like most things it will take time. We need to
walk in Faye’s shoes and try to experience how it must feel at the age of 13 to
give birth and have a baby to look after. Cliché though it is, it fits here
that Faye is a child looking after a child. As Anna says, ‘Poor Faye, life’s never
going to be the same again.’ Her fear, as she expressed it, when she was giving
birth, is that Anna will send her back. That is her deep-seated fear, no matter
how many times Anna tries to reassure her otherwise.
Rita and David hold a conversation in the street and it is
clear that Rita is genuinely worried. David tells Rita that at Faye’s age he
was playing with Transformers. Rita reminds David of how great his mum Gail was
when Sarah became pregnant at a very young age, which is a reminder to us all
and hopefully, Gail will share some of her expertise. What’s more, right there,
straight from Milan to the cobbles, are the mother and daughter team, not
really doing too badly, at least not much worse than any other mother/daughter
team.
When Craig sets off to visit Faye, with his balloon, Owen,
doing his bull in a china shop impersonation sets about Craig, grabbing him by
the lapels. HANDS OFF CRAIG YOU BIG BULLY! He believes Craig must be the father
and demands that Craig confesses. Even if Craig was the father, nothing would
be gained by the aggression that Owen displays to a gentle boy, who clearly is
not a trained fighter. Owen just shows himself to be an idiot. What’s more Owen
has assaulted a child and then his stepfather. Shouldn’t the police be
informed? Naturally, on their way back
from the hospital, Anna and Faye see Owen launching an assault on Craig and
Kirk. Just what Faye and Anna need. Good
job that Beth and Kirk are there though, to defend Craig’s good name. Beth
probably had an idea that someone might have something to say to her son, so
says to Craig, ‘You’ve been a really good mate to that lass. I’m not having
anyone read anything into it.’ Beth is a good mum to Craig and praise too for
Kirk who loves being Craig’s dad. Good too that Craig loves Kirk being his dad
– 2 satisfied people. Nevertheless, there were a few shots of Craig appearing
very worried and it wasn’t just because of the waste of £4.99 on a balloon.
Mary claims that she ‘would have made an excellent midwife –
nerves of steel. Bring on the gas and air, one blast for the mother and one for
me.’ Then from midwifery skills to Clint Eastwood. She says, ‘I’m not a smoker
per se, but am partial to a cheroot.’ As was Clint Eastwood in A Fist Full of
Dollars. She then talks of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry and attempts to
imitate him. ‘Go ahead – make my day.’
Anna rages against Owen for losing his temper and accusing
Craig and for grabbing hold of him. Owen
should swallow his pride and apologise to both Kirk and Craig. Whatever the
rights and wrongs of whether or nor Craig should have told Anna and Owen that
Faye was pregnant, the right way to go about anything of such sensitivity, is
not by using fists. Besides, Craig said that Faye had threatened to run away if
he had told her parents. And anyway, Craig has been kindness epitomized.
That is just what Anna doesn’t need at this immensely
challenging time. Beginning of the end for Anna and Owen?
The father of Faye’s baby is someone from school, who Faye
liked and it seems she slept with him to make him like her. A steep learning
curve here presents itself. She confesses that his name is Jackson and most of
us will remember that we saw him at the school’s French trip evening. Faye and
Jackson were sitting together and his mum was quite chatty, talking about them
doing the cancan, around the Eiffel Tower with a string of onions around their
necks.
It was an excellent idea that Sophie and Faye should talk.
Such pathos that Faye slept with Jackson to make him like her. Afterwards he
didn’t even look at her never mind speak about her. What’s more, he has another
girl as his screen saver now. Such bad luck that their brief encounter, the
encounter of 2 children should have ended in a pregnancy. But she’s here now
and deserves the best as do all babies.
On a more serious note now, Anna tells Faye that Jackson has
a right to know that his child is born. She tells Gary and Owen that she will
go and talk to Jackson’s parents. A knock at the door brings the police into
their house, clearly here for Owen. He
is arrested.
Does Bethany have a kindred spirit in Todd? Judging from her
winding up of Jason, it seems so. She has told Jason previously that Sarah has
never got over him an that she has a shrine to him. Bethany continues on this
theme telling Jason that Sarah is like love-sick puppy. Bethany admits that
she’s winding him up, which amuses Todd.
Jason suggests that he and Sarah have a drink together so
that he can let her down gently after Bethany told Jason that Sarah still has
strong feelings for him. Confused at first as to why Jason is telling her he is
sorry but he is in love with Eva, the truth comes out about what Bethany has
been saying. In order to get their own back on her they arrive at the Platts
and pretend to be together and that Jason is moving to Milan with them.
It is time for Eileen to meet up with Adrian, her date from
a dating site. Could this be it? How many times have we wondered this? Sean
tries to ease the embarrassment but rather increases it than reduces it. ‘Today
is the first day of the rest of your life,’ he reminds them. They seem to enjoy dinner in the Bistro and I
for one very much want them to arrange to see each other again. They click,
both have a good sense of humour and are keen to see each other again. I hope
Adrian doesn’t have any skeletons in his cupboard, but this is romance and
Eileen, so surely it cannot be plain sailing, can it?
Ruth Owen
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13 comments:
Why was it still daylight when Eileen and her date arrived back at Eileen's at the end of their evening out?
I noticed that Roissie. 'Come in for a nightcap' made no sense in broad daylight.
Sorry, Rossie.
Paragraph 8: Don't you mean Sophie and Faye?
Yes Frosty noticed that it was still light when Eileen returned from her date and was talking about it being too late for a nightcap - eh? Its dark at around 7.30-800 pm in Britain.
Frosty is also very surprised at the lack of shock over 12 year old Faye suddenly giving birth. All they seem to babble about is that she will have her life changed, a very strange laid back accepting attitude.
And what exactly IS the point of Sarah Lou's return? Just to argue with David, whose house she is living in, and give lingering looks to the Wooden Stary Eyed Rice Pudding that is Callum, not interesting and a waste of time in the Frosty opinion.
Exactly what I've been thinking Frosty. It's just so unrealistic that there's no shock, disgust, disbelief or horror at Faye's situation, just a vague interest in who the father is.
And even when they found out there was no storming round to his house.
Anna appears to have undergone a complete personality transplant.
Loved the way this storyline was written, being different to the Sarah Lou pregnancy, BUT totally unhappy with the aftermath progression of the story.
Totally agree with Frosty & Amanda, the lack of shock etc at Faye producing a baby is just ridiculous, very very badly written.
Also not remotely interested in Sarah Lou, Callum or Bethany for that matter. Tedious in the extreme.
It was inevitable that the pregnancy storyline would drift into an anti-climax which is why Owen had to spice it up with his fists. Fair enough, Anna has to put a brave face on in front of Faye, but she'd be in tears or furious when talking with Owen and Gary. Wasn't it Gary who gave Faye money to go to a party from which she returned drunk? It doesn't matter if this was the occasion when Faye got together with Jackson, Anna might still have a go at her son. Forgetting Owen's outburst which is just a device for his exit, everyone has same stoic attitude. It's not very likely that all the family would feel the same way about Faye's pregnancy, and not very interesting.
I was surprised that there was no mention of even the possibility of putting the baby up for adoption. Isn't that the sort of discussion a family would have in the circumstances, as an alternative to encumbering a 13-year-old child with the prospect of raising a child.
And no one seems particularly concerned that Faye is not bonding with her baby, other than Anna, whose solution is to shove the baby in Faye's face and tell her she's a mother now. The police were quick enough to show up in this case, but where are the social workers who might help Faye and the family deal with the situation?
More horrendous behaviour from Sean, who seems to have taken over from Tina in doing no work, being rude and taking non stop "breaks".
Does Callum ever do anything apart from hang around the Street and burst into the Platts uninvited? Its becoming rather a joke now.
Anon 14.20, I'm watching in Canada so am behind you guys but you certainly raised a valid point. I would think social services would definitely be involved. I've said it before and I'll say it again the child would be far better off given up for adoption.
In the past few years there has been something of a baby boom on Corrie (Joseph, Jake, Jack, Hope, Rubeh, Lily) and you rarely see any of those children nowadays except when they are needed as a storyline prop, i.e. Joseph going to Portugal with Katie. Pregnancy and birth make for temporary excitement but it's like they have no idea what to do with the kids when they arrive, and they tend to drag down the younger characters. The sensible thing for FayE to do would be to give up her daughter for adoption, as she is much too young to have her schooling and future sidetracked. If she does keep the baby, we will see a lot of them both at first and then the baby will likely disappear into the same offscreen cupboard as Lily and the rest.
@Anon 18:00 Either it's that or insurance for the future. It might be the powers that be are trying to ensure that, for every actor likely to retire in the next 20 years, there is another resident of the Cobbles ready to fill their spot.
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