Hiya! It’s just Jordan with this week’s Friday review! At
over 48 hours since the episodes aired, I think I’ve beaten my record! And now
for the challenge that is squeezing all the action packed into Friday’s
episodes into one readable post. But I’m
going to say this now before I start– it was bloody hard work to review this bloody
episode. So much seemed to happen. In a change of tradition, I’m going to put
review all the “Elsewhere” stories first since the Who Pushed Ken? storyline
rocked Friday’s episodes and deserves the spotlight.
Nick continued his alienation of everyone on the Street and
continued his petty hatred of Peter, by way of outbidding him for the pub. Why
does everyone on that Street have an obsession with buying a pub which -if
Corrie was completely true to life – would have been bought by J.D Wetherspoon’s
by now? Nasty Nick is determined to put
both (repeatedly) Poor Peter and Sackless Steve in their places. For no other
reason than to spite them both. However, right from the start of the episode it
is clear that Steve is having second thoughts about selling his beloved home.
It is also the second anniversary of his now-defunct marriage to Michelle,
which does little more than rub salt in his wounds.
The news of an eventual sale
and Steve’s pub-selling heartbreak puts a smile on Michelle’s smug face, who
still insists on being childishly bitter about the whole thing. This smile is
later wiped off, when she receives the news that Steve is in fact not selling
the pub, following a heated confrontation in the backroom of the Rovers between
the McDonalds, the Barlow-Battersby collective and the Tilsley. Nick’s idea of turning the Rovers into a
private house was what pushed Steve over the edge; he was not about to sell the
most famous pub in the world to have it shut down and turned into a house! Nick has kept Leanne in the dark about all of this and she is naturally furious to learn of his scheming. She and Toyah angrily
confront him, he reacts the only way he knows how: by hurling sharp insults at
everyone around him. He tells Toyah she’ll never have a baby and no one but
himself deserves happiness.
 |
"Can you have Oliver for a bit?"
"Yeah...for as long as you need"
"Good, 'cause he's too young for the sight of blood!"
|
Sally is still reeling from the revelation that her Internet
troll was not in fact her bipolar sister (who you’d think was suffering from
amnesia they went on) but her sister’s wicked stepdaughter Leah. Rosie and Sophie of course knew this of this
flimsy secret and Sally can’t believe they kept it from her. I can. The pair of
long-lost-seldom-mentioned relatives have now disappeared and Sally is showing
great concern for the sister who up until about two months ago she had failed
to mention for two decades. The Webster sisters turn detective and go on the
lookout for Gina and Leah. However, they return after Dozy Rosie attacks a
woman whose only resemblance to Gina was the coat she was wearing. The hunt is
later taken on by the fabulous taxi driver Tim, his radio being dominated by
Our Pal Sal at the office. When Tim
eventually tracks Gina down and reveals the truth about her stepdaughter, she
is naturally shocked. Unbeknownst to
her, Sally is still listening on the radio when she has a heart-to-heart with
Tim and just has to announce to her sister via radio waves how much she needs
her. After all these years. Back at number 4, the sisters are reunited with sandwiches.
All is well. That is until Leah turns back up at the front door. She doesn’t
stay long though, storming back out in the next scene. Mother and stepdaughter broken apart after a
few weeks on the cobbles.
 |
| "This is your doing. I just hope you don't live to regret it" |
It has become apparent that the writers are trying to make
Roy and Brian into a comedy double act, given the new roommates came down into
the café squabbling over Roy’s use of a knife to stir a hot drink. This “odd
couple” joke spanned across the episodes as the comic relief. However, the joke
was stretched so thin it lost any sense of comedy. In a comedy double act, both
members of the act should be likeable. However, Brian’s involvement in this
episode did allow for a much-needed appearance of Gemma the loveable chav, an absolute
Gem of a character who brings light to any scene she’s in. Gemma knows how much
colleague Cathy would love to be set up with Brian, especially after almost kissing
him the other day, so when the bumbling ex-headmaster strides into the takeaway
for his usual donner, the Kebab Shop Kween spots an opportunity to play Cupid. Gemma
parts her pitta for Brian and watches the fireworks from behind the
counter. Unfortunately, the fireworks
flounder and Brian turns Cathy down, but I am sure they are just stalling.
We are edging ever closer to learning the identity of Ken’s
attacker – and if you can put two and two together, then what happens later in
the episode will give you the culprit. Ah yes, the annual whodunit which was
set to be a nation clincher from the start. I mean, I would’ve liked the
storyline a bit more had Ken woken up in hospital after the attack singing the
Gloria Gaynor classic ‘I Will Survive’ but one can’t have everything one wants.
Or anything where this storyline is concerned. I’m not a huge fan of whodunits;
they are lengthy, hyped up and then often quickly forgotten about but as this
particular whodunit is in the hands of the Barlow Brigade, things are more than
safe on the acting front. In a desperate attempt to try and remember his
attacker, Ken is literally retracing his steps – marching up and down the
stairs like the Grand Old Duke of York as a dubious Tracy pointed out. Sinead is furious after learning that Daniel gave the police
a fake tram ticket as evidence, right before announcing that she can’t forgive
Ken for the abortion. But she knows that Ken knows she’s
innocent and that is all she wants. The same cannot be said for poor Adam though.
He decides to leave Weatherfield and when he calls round to say goodbye to Ken,
he faces an accusation from the man himself. Adam is wearing the trainers, which triggers
Ken’s memory. He saw those trainers on the night he was attacked, worn by the
person standing over him. This leads to Adam’s arrest despite his protests of
innocence.
When Peter and Tracy suggest to Daniel that he takes Ken to stay
with him at his flat for a few days, he is unusually edgy about the idea. He eventually agrees, but goes to the flat
beforehand and retrieves a book of poetry from beneath the floorboards. It’s a
book Ken bought for him and wants to see when he comes to stay. However, it’s
not in the brilliant condition it once was when Ken bought it. I highly doubt
that when Ken bought the thick hardback volume it came with a decorative
splattering of blood. After sorting it
out, the next we see of Daniel he is picking Ken up in a car we’ve never seen before, claiming his
dad will be safe with him. Well, we shall see. Before the credits in Friday’s
episode, we were given dramatic preview flashes, which given that next week is
the finals of Britain's Got Talent, can
only mean one thing: it’s ratings week!
Friday's episodes were a bit of a slog to watch if I'm honest (when am I not?) but as always, there were some flashes of brilliance. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Jane Danson as Leanne and of course Dolly-Rose Campbell as Gemma. Next week certainly looks to be attention-grabbing!
Have I got the hang of these Friday reviews yet? Reviewing
two episodes in one go is hard work!
As always,
Thanks for reading!
See you on the big week!
Jordan
Twitter- @JordanLloyd39
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