Welcome to the first Wednesday review of September. In tonight’s episode, we visit Number 1 first. Amy is excited about her first day at Weatherfield High, but Tracy has other things on her mind. She is still wracked with guilt as well as worry. Robert eventually turns up, having been away for the night. He eventually manages to get the truth out of Tracy. However, she has trouble convincing him that it was in fact accidental. After much deliberation, Robert decides to believe her but he insists she must own up, at least to Carla anyway. This turn in the storyline is an interesting one. I think this is the first time that Tracy has knowingly been in the wrong and has actually done something wrong accidentally.
 |
| "What, so, tell Carla the truth but lie to the police?" "Just do it" |
It’s Kevin’s birthday. Tonight, the loveable rogue turned 50. The adorable Tim, with whom Kevin has formed a ‘bromance’ presents him with a shiny camp bracelet with which Kevin is less than impressed with. However, he cracks a smile and Tim arranges to take him for a drink later. Later on, we find out that this is a ploy. Sally and Tim are arranging a surprise birthday party. When an emergency arises and Kevin has to rush off to Bolton, he leaves Tim in charge of the garage. An ear shattering rattle is heard shaking across the cobbles as Sally returns from the supermarket with a trolley full of alcohol. Tim cannot contain his laughter as Sally complains at her embarrassment and the looks she got. (If only she had a car, but no-one on the Street seems to have one.)
And why is Sally going to all this effort for her ex-husband? Sophie knows something isn't right, especially when her mother announces that she and Tim haven't even picked a wedding date yet.
 |
| "Did you nick that?!" "I borrowed it. Honestly, the looks I've been getting, I've never felt so vulgar in all my life!" |
It is supposed to be Hope’s first day at school, but Tyrone and Fiz have to take her to the hospital. Of course, Hope is clueless and her only concern is that she has left her favourite teddy at home. Tyrone leaves Fiz at the hospital and takes Hope home to collect it. As a way of cheering Hope up, who is sad about missing school, he takes her to Mary’s face painting session at the community centre. Leaving Roy to babysit, he gets back to the hospital to join an optimistic Fiz. A strong blow was dealt as the episode drew to a close.
 |
| "I'm afraid it's very possible that Hope has a type of childhood cancer" |
Elsewhere, Simon bargains with Leanne for a new phone, a hungover Carla finds Nick’s credit card, Cathy decides she needs to move out of Roy's and Gary finally makes a very welcome reappearance. A great episode, written by the formidable Jonathan Harvey. Performance of the episode goes to Patti Clare as Mary, who wove herself into different storylines, providing valuable comic relief.
 |
| "Happy birthday, Kevin. I've just been hearing all about your new romance. Or should I say bromance? You and Tim" |
 |
| "Congratulations! I once had a gay boyfriend" |
 |
| "We all have to go to work unfortunately. apart from the incapacitated and if we're to believe certain newspapers, anybody over 13 stone" |
As always, thanks for reading.
Jordan
Twitter- @JordanLloyd39
Jordan
Twitter- @JordanLloyd39
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
I'm still trying to work out how Robert realised that Tracy must have started the fire. Is he psychic?
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't even around when the fire happened, yet he bandies the names of Maddy and Kal around like they were bosom buddies.
Yes, we knew Tracy is feeling guilty about it, but surely she is a practiced-enough liar to easily wriggle out of it, not confess all to her somewhat plastic-looking boyfriend.
Mary is becoming more and more irritating - why can't someone tell her in no uncertain terms to stop poking her nose into other people's business.
In a more gentrified neighbourhood, let's say with condos springing up everywhere and a high rate of turnover between new and old residents, someone like Mary would most likely be shunned and driven out. It's the hallmark of neighbourhoods like Corrie, however, which, for whatever reason, resist change and remain defined by a group identity (whether working class, ethnic, religious) that people like Mary are absorbed into the community. In the traditional Catholic working class neighbourhood where I grew up, there was a mentally ill man who roamed the streets by day (no idea where he slept). He would sometimes help kids cross the street outside the church and other times erupt into violent arguments with punters coming out of the bar (yes, the church and bar were located directly across from each other). The episodes and eccentric behaviour were managed as they would be in a large family with an unstable relative - with mixtures of annoyance and humour. That man was still a fixture in the neighbourhood long after I had moved on. Although Mary is far more functional, I still find the community's tolerance of her ecccentricities (which include her inability to recognise social boundaries) to be endearing and realistic. In a way, her character is less about her than it is about the residents' reactions to her, so I'm with Jordan on this one. I liked how she wove in and out of the scenes last night.
ReplyDeleteI"m confused as to why Tyrone and Fiz took Hope to the hospital if they were only waiting to get the test results back. First they waited an awfully long time for having an appointment, hours it seems, then Tyrone took Hope home and left her with Roy later before finally getting back for the actual scene with the doctor. There wasn't really a mention of any further tests for Hope unless I missed that so why couldn't she have started school with everyone else?
ReplyDeleteWow, five years or almost since Jack and Hope were born! (Hope being born in December during the tram crash week, you may recall, and Jack just a babe in Molly's arms when that happened)
Did I miss something? Tracy stole the keys from Michelle purse, sneaked into Carla's flat and lit the put out candle. How was that accidental? Is she saying that she lit the candle and left it under the lampshade so Carla could enjoy ambient lighting as she slept? This was about as accidental as killing Charlie was self-defence.
ReplyDeleteThey are trying to make Kevin and Tim the new Steve and Lloyd I think, but even though I like them they just don't have the same chemistry.
ReplyDeleteThe 'new Steve & Lloyd' are surely Tim & Craig!
DeleteThe way I remember the scene, Tracy put down the candle to grab a sculpture, possibly as a weapon. She didn't look like she was specifically placing it under the lampshade and I don't think she noticed.
ReplyDeleteNot to get overly picky about small stuff, but didn't Tracy put the candle down when she heard the loo flush? At that point she didn't know who else was in the flat, but she was afraid of being discovered and fled, leaving the candle perched under the lampshade.
ReplyDelete