Last night on Coronation Street, Liz finally got revenge on Tony for his affair and even more, the scam he tried to pull to take the pub from her and Steve and oh, it was a thing of beauty! Written by Damon Rochefort, it was played to perfection by Bev Callard and Terence Maynard and the supporting cast.
Over the past few weeks, it looked like Tony was winning Liz round. He was sorry, very sorry for everything but he had to prove himself to her. On her suggestion, he cut ties with Barlows Buys, wiping the business bank account out and then he signed back the pub to Liz and Steve, all legally and above board. She checked. Meanwhile, Michelle, Eileen and Erica did everything they could to stop Liz from taking Tony back, seeing what they thought was a train crash about to happen.
The train crash happened but Tony was the victim, not Liz. In a superb scene, Liz made sure Tony was publicly humiliated and outed and, like Erica said later, it was the best revenge on a bloke ever! Bev Callard played a blinder. Over the past few weeks, it wasn't really obvious she was plotting. There was no twirling of the metaphorical moustache. Was that a "look" in her eye? Or was she just unsure that taking Tony back was what she really wanted. She confided in no one. It was subtle enough that you couldn't be sure.
Terence Maynard was very good, too. Tony was sorry, he was eager to do anything to win Liz back. I think he genuinely does love her and really is sorry he got sucked into Tracy's greedy scheme. He, like most Corrie men, are weak when it comes to women. They may have good intentions but they have feet of mushy peas. I did laugh, he looked a bit like an eager puppy there down on one knee looking up at her, anxious for an answer to his proposal.
He got his answer. In no uncertain terms.
I enjoyed this a lot. The dialogue was spot on, the actors, including supporting cast, were superb.
One more observation. I don't think Liz could have pulled it off if Steve had not flown to Spain. It started while Steve was there but I think the closer she got to the end game, the harder it would have been to look her son in the eye and lie, seeing how much her reunion with Tony would have affected him.
More detail on the history of the plot is here on State of the Street.
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it was a superb double episode - the writing, the acting was just wonderful. I just have 2 niggling questions - did Carla ever buy 50% of the pub or was it stopped at the last minute? And did Leanne acquire a new flat or should I say 1/2 flat - the bedrooms and bathroom side? I was sure it was only a 2 bdrm, 1 bath - and now since Eva is back it suddenly has been turned into 3 brdms and we actually see the tiling on the bathroom wall. Am I right or wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe Absolute Best!
ReplyDeleteI like Tony and think he would be an excellent regular on the street but he needs to stay away from Liz. I hate these story lines of the vicious "I'll do whatever it takes to make you pay for your mistake" Liz needs to get a man of her own age and settle down.
ReplyDeleteCarla offered to buy the pub but the paperwork was never signed. The day after her offer stopped Tony's sale, that was the day of the wedding when Liz found out about the scam and the fire as well. It all got dropped because Liz didn't sell up and move to Spain after all and Carla was too busy gambling. Lucky escape there, I think.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the person that questioned the size of Leanne's flat, everyone knows all the houses and flats have ever changing and elastic walls!
That's an astute insight, Tvor, about Liz's difficulty pulling it off if Steve had been around. She'd have had to confide in him which would have ruined the payoff. Beverley Callard was fantastic, as was Terence Maynard - so sad to see him leaving, even if I am looking forward to his Abanazar at Sunderland! I'd also like to add that I've really enjoyed Erica in the last few episodes. There's no doubt that her best fit so far is her original rĂ´le as confidante to Liz and I think the Rovers would be a better job for her than the shop.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, two cracking episodes; the kind of classic Corrie I can imagine myself in 20 years time saying "I remember that episode when Liz McDonald got her revenge" the way my grandmother used to recall the episode when Dennis Tanner put a sea lion in Annie Walker's bath.
One query though - are we to assume Liz is signing the half of the Rovers over to Steve? Michelle certainly seems to think so! Either way, Tony paid Steve's tax bill!
ReplyDeleteTvor, you are right. I have been watching Corrie long enough that I should realize by now that all the walls are elastic, so adding a room or two is no biggie, there is also hidden parking for all the cars when not in use and they have magic babysitters that miraculously appear and then disappear into the night.
ReplyDelete