The theme of tonight's episodes is secrets and lies. One is out in the open, one is half-revealed and one turns out not to be a secret at all.
Roy and Cathy bicker about whether or not they should tell Alex the truth about his biological father, and Roy takes him over to the allotment to look at potato blight, for Alex to share rather sweet memories of his "Uncle" Alan and to reveal to Roy that he's always known that Alan was his dad, but he didn't want to upset Cathy by telling her the truth. We find out that Alex is quite capable of lying: he told Gemma his soup injury was caused by rescuing a Staffie from a burning boat, which was about to go up "like a canine cannonball." Whether or not he is lying about going to Inverness to live with his mum is unclear. If it's a gambit, it doesn't pay off as Cathy takes out her anger towards her husband and sister by blaming it on Alex. She claims that if he had told her, she wouldn't have wasted her life on Alan, could've found a better man and be a mother herself. Roy accuses her of being irrational, she calls him an unemotional robot and he says they should spend some time apart. But whatever his parentage, as far as Alex is concerned, it's quite clear that Roy and Cathy are his real parents.
It's Beth's day in court, for which she is wearing her best hairband and leggings. Sinead wishes that she could attend, but it's Kirk whom Beth really wants there with her. After a heartfelt apology, she waits for him at the bus stop, but gets on the Wayfarer alone as he stands there watching her. Later, Craig shows his concern for the outcome of the hearing (£150 and community service) but still refuses to come home.
Alya chews out Sonia for the fling with Sharif, and, after finding out from Aidan that it would be too costly to make her designs by hand and that they would need some additional machinery, she decides to get her some of that free-rang egg money and blackmails her granddad for it. He, meanwhile, has his eye on a fictional flat for Sonia and, after finding out that he can't remortgage the house, goes about getting the money the traditional soap way of transferring it from the business account.
Ironically, Alya might have saved the family Nazir from bankruptcy since we all know that the development isn't really going ahead. Alya at least has the grace to look upset by her machinations, with her granddad at least, when she cuts Sinead out of the deal, promising her, as Aidan did in the previous episode, a desultory bonus, she looks like a stone-cold beyach, or in other words: the new Carla.
More blackmail goes on at the florist's as Asha and Aadi decide they're going to sell flowers outside the corner shop, telling Dev that it's a school project, oh and by the way can they have a note to explain why they haven't done their geography assignment, oh and can we have a kebab for tea? Their plan doesn't make much sense, they love manipulating Dev and insulting Erica, but at the same time, they tell Tracy they'll continue flogging bouquets until Tracy the Hut releases Princess Mary Organa? Given Mary's predilection for singing Edith Piaf whilst tidying the
cards ("It's important to have a tidy rack"), I'd've thought Tracy would
be desperate to get shot of her assistant. It also doesn't make much sense that Erica is playing Mary's stand-in; can't Dev cook his own children a meal every now and then? We know how much he loves salad cream.
Mary has also made a hit with Andy, who has decided he's going to write a vampire novel and, for some reason, shows it to Aidan. Neither he, Steph, Luke, or Zeedan are particularly impressed by Andy's horror fiction, but Mary thinks he is the next Stephen King.
And finally, a stroppy Michelle organises a meeting with Robert (who seems to have changed his Just For Men colour from Shade of Midnight to Chestnut Fox) about catering for a VIP client's wedding. Robert is unimpressed with said client's request for New Nordic cuisine, but then again is Robert really ever impressed by anything?
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11 comments:
At the rate Cathy's going Roy might as well keep a locket with Hayley's picture in it if looking at it gives him comfort. He'll need it 24/7.
I can't believe Sharif has gone from being a great family man to being a louse who wanted to buy his mistress housing nearby.
Has Dev ever taken care of the twins on his own? It's one thing to have help but another to be this incapable, they're not even babies, so it shouldn't be too complicated.
I'm confused about Cathy's reaction to Alex. Even in her distraught state, would she really expect a teenager to tell his aunt that her husband was his father. Why would he have more loyalty to his aunt than his mother with whom he was living? Anyway, Nessa and Alan would surely have denied it, saying that the youngster or Nigel made it up. If anything, Cathy should feel sorry for Alex that he had to bear the burden of the truth and keep quiet. It just shows that she's as selfish as her sister.
Right now Cathy is my no.1 hit list on who should depart - she is selfish - playing why me? feel sorry for me? poor, pitiful me?
what about Alex? or even Roy? everybody is trying hard to make life easier for her but she is so inconsiderate and just plain nasty - time for her to move back into her big house with all the hoarding or else use the ticket and go to Nessa herself, leave Roy & Alex in peace.
Next on my list is no.2 Alya - a self serving little beatch like we have never seen - not only does she threaten her grandfather but she also dumps Sinead in a heartbeat - not even a look back - nasty, nasty, nasty. No thought given as to her upbringing or life just gimme, gimme, gimme.
The scenes between Alex and Roy were superb and I really like Sinead and Beth together, but where did they get that ugly raincoat for Sinead. It reminds me of my teenage years when all my friends parents had made to measure plastic covers on their couches, so uncomfortable to sit on, especially in summer when bare skin would just stick to it - golly still gives me nightmares.
I noticed Robert's change of hair dye too. Previously the black dye did give him a Lego man look.
That was a weird couple of episodes. Everyone seemed very pissed off at everyone else, and the timing of line delivery often felt rushed (slow down, Gary!) or out of kilter. Were these filmed in the last warm lazy days of the summer? I felt like I was watching those sleepy, honey-filled bees in the garden who can't find their hive, drunk with too much nectar. Rather curious, I couldn't care about any of the characters at all. It was nice to see the allotment scene though. The greenery and birdsong were lovely.
The lie about the Dev's kids growing those flowers at school was so stupid, when they were such gigantic hothouse specimens. No one would fall for that story, even for a minute. Wanting Mary back was nice though.
I hope our new show producer isn't going to be so erratic about quality, as she seemed off to a good start.
Actually I think I rather like badass Alya - well, maybe not 'like' exactly, but after 18 months of being utterly bored on the odd occasions she's appeared on screen, at least I sat up and took notice! And furthermore, Sharif has always doted on Alya, so I should really be feeling appalled by her behaviour towards him, but with certain real-world events, somehow (quite irrationally) I don't. Pretty shabby treatment of Sinead though.
I was delighted to hear Andy was going to attempt to write fiction, but afraid it would just be an object of ridicule for other characters (like Ken's novel & Steve's history course - even a genuine novelist, Mel Hutchwright, was a conman) and it looks like that's how it's shaping up. Steph told him to think about what he was passionate about, so she had better start being supportive. Mary is his only fan, which naturally means it's probably rubbished, right? But surely Mary is one of the best-read characters in the show: eccentric though she is, her literary judgement is probably sound. Come on, Corrie: how about just for once, let a character succeed at doing something clever & creative! Let's see Ken encourage Andy (he wrote a novel that was mocked by his family), and Brian Packham too, when he returns. Let's see Andy self-publish and actually sell a few copies. Becoming a published author does not mean he's going to be moving to LA any time soon, or even quitting his Bistro job (and god knows, I should know!) I only hope Kate Oakes has no truck with the anti-cultural, anti-intellectual, anti-aspirational ethos that has prevailed across the board in Corrie since Frank Barlow sneered at his son's 'fancy university ways' across the dinner table 66 years ago.
Yes, I agree Cobblestone. It would be great to see Andy succeed as a writer, it would certainly make Steph sit up and take notice, since she is going the way of Michelle ridiculing Steve.
Anyone as old as me will remember from the 60's, window cleaner Walter Potts, who was originally discovered by Dennis Tanner and became pop singer Brett Falcon. It would be nice for someone else to get a bit of fame.
I agree, I love Andy and I hope we see more of him in a good, POSITIVE storyline. Enough doom and gloom. Let him sell enough copies to throw one big blow-out wedding for Steph in a few years. Two of the most under-used characters on the show and it's a shame.
I don't mind Alya exercising her driven, ruthless business ambitions. Plenty of characters associated with Underworld have done so and it does make sense since Sinead hasn't or is unable to put forward any capital in the venture. She has got a university education and talent so it would be nice to see someone like her make a go of it. Something will be sorted out regarding Sinead ---perhaps a modelling contract once the new line comes out...
I thought the woman in the рub would think Luke and Andy were gay and have a laugh at them (your choice of рick'n'mix wasn't good last time!) but рolitically correct corrie can only laugh at the 'straights' as Sawрhie calls us, so sad! (I'm not homoрhobic by the way, just a big fan of 'carry on films' humour :)
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