As the blazing inferno that was Corrie’s fire
week is reduced to glowing embers, all that's left is for us to pick through
its charred remains, like those of Carla’s never used balcony. It certainly
brought in the much sought after ratings and had everyone talking, but
‘explosive’, widely advertised event television, done well, tends to do that.
It’s no coincidence that the last time Corrie viewing figures came this close was
during the brilliant Who Killed Tina week last year.
I could do a perplexed post mortem on the parts
of it where we were to permit presumption to fill in certain gaps for us, but I
am instead going to celebrate the best of the week as well as reviewing tonight's episode. I won’t, for example, ask
where on earth Tony was, why Amy went to Carla when Ken was available, how
Kevin can be selectively oblivious to Jenny’s clearly unhinged behaviour and
how nobody made a single solitary mention of Tina McIntyre who was pushed to
her death in this self same week last year. I also sadly have to admit that
Steve and Michelle’s wedding didn’t really do it for me, and the fact that they
weren’t even at their own reception unfortunately made me even less enthused.
However, what this plot device and the absence
of Tony did allow for was Liz McDonald taking centre stage, and she was
magnificent. Wounded, strong, feisty, vulnerable, determined and fabulous, her
flame rivalled that which coursed through Victoria Court, and it was glorious
even though she suffered.
While Beverley Callard stood out, she wasn’t
alone in putting in a tremendous performance. Sally Ann Matthews, Brooke
Vincent, Amy Kelly, Jane Danson, Alison King, David Neilson and Jimi Mistry were all outstanding for me.
A very special mention goes to the Nazir
family in the form of Shelley King, Qasim Akhtar, Marc Anwar and Sair Khan, all
of whom I thought excelled. Their strong, understated and
powerful portrayals of grief, particularly tonight, showed precisely what they
can bring to the street with the right script, and as long as we see
performances of this calibre coming from their direction, long may they remain.
My only fear is the possibility that Zeedan will have a vendetta against Leanne
and seek revenge for his father’s death. I’d much rather the experience
softened him and enabled him to reach out to others. One of his last scenes with his
father, in which he gave him his blessing to propose to Leanne, showed the wealth
of potential in his character. His friendship with Simon is also a lovely
addition and its strength was evidenced tonight when he learned of Kal’s death
from Yasmeen, and threw himself into Zeedan’s arms.
While the fire itself was brilliantly done, if the drama was a tad drawn out, it’s always the performances which excite me and, as above, the quality of
these were what made the week a success as far as I was concerned. This is
probably why tonight's episode, written by Susan Oudot, was my favourite of the five as, while the fire
facilitated it, it was heavy on dialogue and character interaction.
Ken putting on his suit to visit the Nazirs and
give his condolences was humble and dignified, and the rawness of their grief
was palpable and moving, as was the scene in which Leanne broke down in Nick’s
arms. Other great scenes tonight came courtesy of Liz being counselled by Eileen and Erica, and Nick offering support to Carla.
Considering what she has done,
Unlike Tracy Tracy and the lovely Norris, Roy
Maddie clings to life in hospital, even showing
signs of movement, much to Sophie's joy and the wonderfully terrifying Jenny’s frustration, but they cannot operate and so
must wait in hope for an improvement. If there’s one positive from this storyline, aside from great interaction between Maddie and Jenny, it’s that Brooke Vincent has gotten the opportunity to show her full potential.
Meanwhile Nick and David are shocked to hear
that Bethany, who is as affected by the fire as The Kabin’s plastic paperboy, has
spotted Kylie who spends the episode lurking around corners and crouching down
on buses. Amidst the carnage and grief, life must go on on the cobbles as it does in reality I suppose.
By Emma Hynes
Twitter: @ELHynes
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