Simon continues to cause trouble for Leanne.
This time, he’s sent home from school for getting in a fight. Leanne tries to
assert her authority, but after blaming her for the jeers he received about his
phone, and refusing to wash the dishes, he attacks her, leaving her bleeding
and out cold after hitting her head on the table. Simon may have escaped the
flat, but the running bath tells a tale by dripping through the kebab shop
ceiling.
Comedy Dev is back, and after a rather
peculiar conversation with Tim in which they appear to spend a tad too long
imagining Leanne in the bath, it takes the arrival of Mary for decisive action
to occur. Finding her on the floor, an ambulance is called by TV medi-drama
expert Mary who nearly has to be admitted herself when the men in uniform
arrive.
Simon watches from the shadows as Leanne emerges
from the flat, but an oblivious Zeedan makes his presence very much known, and insists
on accompanying her to hospital. After the concerned nurse leaves her with pamphlets
on domestic abuse, Leanne confides in Zeedan that Simon is the cause. The
actual confession isn’t depicted, we learn this in the aftermath, and while I
usually balk when key moments aren’t depicted, it seemed fitting here as this
isn’t a storyline that should be sensationalised. I was so relieved to hear her
tell somebody, and Zeedan was a fitting confidante. I’ve long been celebrating
his character development into a sensitive, intelligent, upstanding and respectful
individual, and I continue to enjoy every scene he’s in. In what is a brilliant
scene between the two, he tells her she shouldn’t have to put up with it, but
Leanne swears him to secrecy and resigns herself to coping. This will be a
challenge for Zeedan’s upstanding character and it will be interesting to see
what he will do.
Heartbreaking scenes unfold as more learn the
news of Hope’s illness, and while performed impeccably, and with sensitivity by
all, I found myself a tad confused. Wednesday’s Corrie
concluded with the doctor telling Fiz and Tyrone the tragic news that a cancer
diagnosis was “very possible”. Thursday’s began with the same scene in which the
doctor advised that “It could be [cancer], but we won’t know for certain until we have
the results of the biopsy”. In a scene which reduced me to tears, Fiz then
told Roy it wasn’t good, and they “think” she has cancer. However, in a later argument with Tyrone , Fiz declared “my daughter’s got cancer”. I wondered if I had missed something. Had the final diagnosis been given?
My confusion continued in tonight’s double episode when she broke the news to
Chesney, Sinead, Beth and Kirk, and nodded when Beth asked if the doctors were positive.
As Aidan threatened to sack Fiz in the absence of a sick note, Tyrone
intervened and shouted, “do you want to know why she’s been off? Because our
daughter has got cancer.” Yet when Roy later sought certainty regarding the
diagnosis, Fiz said they were “pretty sure”. This may seem like nit picking to some,
but should there be such uncertainty?
Surely the news for Roy, the rest of the
family and Aidan is that Hope has a tumour which needs to be tested and the
results will confirm whether or not she has cancer. This ambiguity aside, Roy’s
contribution has been beautifully heart rending as David Neilson unsurprisingly
enriches every scene he’s in. I also enjoyed the scene between Cathy and Yasmeen
as they discussed grief, and how to be there for Roy. Cathy proves she’s the
perfect support and I’m delighted to see her character blossom after her liberation
from the secrecy surrounding her hoarding habit. Indeed, there were strong
performances from all concerned with a special mention for Shayne Ward who rose
to the challenge with such sensitive material.
If I was a friend of Carla, with the best
will in the world, my patience would be shredding at this point. Nick tells her
he loves her and will help her despite her essentially stealing from him to gamble,
but his reward is to be thrown out of her flat. Having heard about all of this from Nick, Michelle later calls over and orders her to call Steve’s therapist or
they’re done. While this seems to jolt Carla out of her rut, she later tears up
the business card while quaffing red wine and engaging in yet another spot of
online gambling.
After Sally makes Tim believe their wedding
will cost thousands, he panics and suggests they postpone it. A playful Sally
reassures him that she was joking, and she’s happy to dispense with the frills
in order to marry him. While this is endearing, it can’t possibly spell the end
of snobby Sally, and I look forward to her quest for a classy do at bargain
prices.
By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ELHynes
www.emmahynes.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ELHynes
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All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
I really wish Leanne would get Simon some professional help now! The writers seem to be almost glossing over everything that Simon has been through -and the story has, so far, been more about Leanne going through more misery.
ReplyDeleteI say this as a Carla fan - roll on the day she stops being consumed with guilt. It has not been fun seeing her in such a sorry state, pushing everyone away.
I am finding the Hope storyline incredibly difficult to watch. I can't imagine how difficult it is for the actors but they are doing well.
David Neilson and Melanie Hill have been wonderful.
How come Roy and Cathy, sitting in "The Woody" didn't hear or see the ambulance arriving?
ReplyDeleteI make the Hope storyline bearable to watch by telling myself she's going to be fine. (Fingers crossed.) The other thing that creates emotional distance for me is the fact that we've seen so little of Hope before and now she comes across as lifeless and docile. The adults mostly talk about her in the third person rather than engaging with her as you would expect. It would have been more persuasive to watch a high-energy child transform into a tragically sick child, but maybe with time the young actress will appear less shy and emerge as a character in her own right, rather than the somewhat static object of her parent's intense emotions.
ReplyDeleteThat's always the way with children in soaps. Adults discuss all sorts of unsuitable matters in front of them, as if the children can't hear them, nor do the children themselves speak until they're about 12. Ruby, Hope and Jack would be chattering all the time in real life.
ReplyDeleteI must be an evil person because I honest to God thought that was an overturned rice bowl on Leanne's head and it made me giggle uncontrollably.
ReplyDeleteI must be another evil person as I really dislike Cathy, cant wait for her move back to her house, if she ever does, and feel she drags every scene with Roy which should be a joy, down to her own negativity. This character hasnt worked for me.
ReplyDelete