I found watching Friday’s Coronation
Street to be a strange, but interesting experience. So much so, that I viewed it twice, and needed more
time than usual to ponder what exactly didn’t sit right with it for me, and why before
I could put the words down.
There were six threads: the Audrey-Ken-Nessa love triangle, the arrival of Marion at the Platt’s, Dev and Erica’s meal, Liz
and Tony’s night out, Tyrone and Fiz’s struggle, and a very small mention of Mary and
the supernatural, and sadly I found myself not particularly enjoying any of
them very much. What I did enjoy was the fact that through its dialogue, the programme appeared
to be critiquing and commenting on itself from within.
Take first the love triangle. Nessa’s research
regarding Ken culminated in a cosy bottle of Merlot for two at his. Her
interest in him is borne out of her desire to snag a man, and therefore is
insincere and self serving. That she would pursue a recently bereaved widower
for selfish purposes and describe his previous wife Valerie as having been
“burnt to a crisp”, is all we need to know about Nessa. It’s a shame, because
she’s colourful and sassy with a strong personality, and could prove an
interesting addition to the street were she not portrayed as an all-consuming
man-missile.
Meanwhile, Audrey confesses to Rita that she is
falling for Ken, and we have our first instance of meta-commentary. Remarking that
they’ve only ever been friends, she adds “I’ve never expected to see him in
this way”. Audrey’s comment certainly mirrors my view on the matter, and I’ve a
feeling I’m not alone. What is interesting is that while proceeding with the story, this line succeeds in simultaneously questioning and critiquing it. Audrey takes Rita’s advice to
seize the day and ends up in tears having disturbed Nessa and Ken’s night in. Rita
hopes the “love tsunami” doesn’t break Ken’s vulnerable heart and asks, “is he
in any fit state to make his choice?” Again, while the story
rolls on, a pertinent question is being asked.
Over at the Rovers, Liz lies to Michelle,
telling her she’s going out with Erica when in truth she has planned an evening with Tony. The arrival of a
bewildered Erica almost exposes the “pearly queen’s” glittering fabric of lies,
but she gets away with her ruse for the moment.
When Erica learns the truth, she is
furious with Liz, reminding her of the extent of Tony’s wrongdoing and
deception. Cue meta-comment number two when Erica declares “I don’t know why
you’re even listening to him. This isn’t you.” It most certainly isn’t Liz. We
love our strong, feisty, been-through-the-mill-yet-still-fabulous heroine, and
there’s no way on earth she’d give Tony a second of her time, never mind a
second chance. Again, with Erica's line, we have a character actively questioning the development in the midst of it occurring.
Liz goes ahead with their night out, Tony asks
forgiveness, and while she says it’s a big ask, she nevertheless responds to
his kiss by giving the strong sense that it won’t be their last, even though she pulls away. She may look like
she’s in control by walking out and leaving him wanting more, but the fact that
she’s there at all undermines her act of independence.
From meta-commentary to convenience now, as Callum’s mother Marion turns up at the Platt’s to return Max’s things, having
cleared her son’s flat. She goes from wanting to see Max once a week or
fortnight to deciding he’s too afraid of her and resigning herself to never
seeing him again. “Well, that’s a result isn’t it” the ever-cold David sneers,
and he’s not wrong, as yet another connection to Callum is dispensed with. It
suited that Sarah Lou joined the myriad of characters who “stay on” when a
holiday comes to an end and their family members return home without them, as there was no
risk of her caving in front of
Next up, we have a story for a future issue of
The Inexplicable. Mary may be telling us she’s always been a fan of the
supernatural, but supporting evidence older than the past fortnight is scant; much like Dev’s out of the blue interest in Erica. After eyeing her up in the
Street, he invites her out for a drink in the Bistro where he offers her the
job in the corner shop. She happily accepts after he promises to pay her more
than the scandalously low hourly rate of £3.87 mentioned initially. “Is it okay
to give my boss a kiss?” is her rather bizarre response considering we've yet to witness any chemistry between them, thus tying up one of
the most surprising developments we’ve seen in some time.
Elsewhere, I enjoyed Tyrone's determination to give Fiz and the children a Christmas to remember, and Roy and Cathy's reservations about Nessa and concern for Ken, but on the whole, as episodes of Corrie go, I wish I could say I took more pleasure in them, but they certainly offered food for thought.
By Emma Hynes
Twitter: @ELHynes
Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.
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8 comments:
I find Cathy and Nessa's sibling dynamic interesting, as siblings are very often opposite and one often does feel overwhelmed and dominated by the other/s. It's not always easy to let go of that tiny bit of jealousy.
Mary has expressed interest in such a wide variety of things over the years that it doesn't surprise me paranormal is one of them!
The Platt story continues to interest me even if Marion just seemed to appear in the house out of nowhere. It felt like they should have had Gail let her in in the door at least. It also feels like she's finally admitting to herself what Callum was really like even if she remembers the sweet little boy and even if he's probably generally sweet to his mum. I feel sorry for her but if we didn't know Callum was dead, there could very well be a real possibility that Callum could persuade his mother into bringing Max to him for a visit so David's pretence on that score rings true to all who don't know the truth.
Lately, I find the episodes too forced, too OTT, they just don't feel real. I have a hard time believing that Marion didn't have a clue as to her son's behavior and means of employment. She is, or was, a teacher and she never realized that her son didn't hold down a regular proper job????. Where did she think all that cash and that fancy car came from. As far as feeling sorry for her? no way - I wonder how many lives and marriages Callum ruined while pursuing his drug trade?? And he obviously didn't do it very well either if he owed his supplier, Denton, $20,000.00. If Kylie hadn't done him in you know darn well Denton would have to preserve his street cred.
I feel 100% certain that Liz is duping Tony, pretending to reconcile with him just until he hands back his share of the Rovers. Then she will gleefully dump him. Bye Tony...
Do David and Kylie have any legal right to stop Marian from seeing her Grandson? If I were her I'd get a solicitor and find out my rights. But this Corrie after all and we know Marion will give up without a fight.
Denton should come along and put the squeeze on Kylie and David for the money Calum owed him. Well Calum is a lodger in their house so they do have some responsibility.
Marion said that Max reminded her so much of Callum and maybe this is a lead in to the story of Sarah's pregnancy. We know that David bumps into Marion at Christmas. Will he bring her home where she will hear about grandchild no.2? I can't think that she'll want to look after the baby as that's too much like the Faye storyline. Could be another explosive episode at Christmas.
I prefer Nessa to Cathy. She seems to have much more potential and could fit into the Street quite well with her roving eye. Not sure that I'll ever take to Cathy. Same with Erica, some character just don't fit.
I disagree with Humpty. I like Cathy more than Nessa. Nessa seems overpowering and selfish which to me,doesn't seem right.
I don't like either of them but I think a lot of my dislike for Nessa comes from her association with Cathy, who I certainly don't like. If Nessa was a new character with no ties, I might have eventually warmed to her more.
I wouldn't mind the Nessa/Audrey/Ken story as a side/"B" plot but it seems to be one of the main stories which says a lot about the current quality of the show.
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