Hiya! It’s just Jordan with this week’s Friday review.
It’s the day of Eileen’s driving test (hasn’t that come around
unrealistically fast?) and she’s feeling understandably nervous. It’s
incredibly important that she’s there for 3pm so Pat is going to take her.
However, it’s easy to see that Pat his other things on his mind. He promises to
get her to the test on time, but obviously, this isn’t going to happen. Pat
smooths over Eileen’s suspicions and leaves for the yard, where he meets a
bloke with documents concerning Nicola. Typically, the care worker is just
coming to the yard at that moment and hears every word being spoken about
herself. Pat tries to fumble an excuse that he was trying to find out if he
knew her dad, but she’s not buying it. When he asks if he can meet her dad, she
relents and tells him to be at a local park bench for three o’clock. Oh she’s a clever one, that Nicola. She’s sent
him to the bench that is dedicated to her parents’ memory, as Pat discovers
when he arrives at the deserted park. He finds Nicola, who is still totally bemused
that a “dodgy old bloke” such as Pat would be so desperate to dig up information
on her and her family. Eileen eventually got to her test with the aid of a
vicar; she failed, and is ready to play hell with Pat for going AWOL. That’s
when she also overhears Pat’s conversation. He really needs to observe who is around before he speaks! After an
angry dispute with his wife and Nicola, Pat blurts out the shocking truth.
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| "I think you're my daughter" |
At first, Nicola is in total denial. She’s not Phelan’s
daughter and is determined to keep it that way. As the second episode unfolds, we learn that Pat believes she is the
result of an affair he had with Nicola’s mother. All the dates add up
correctly. Nicola’s still not convinced though, and instead berates Pat for
having an affair (an affair which might I point out had to have taken place in
order for her to exist). She gets in her car in an attempt to leave the Street,
but Eileen, in recognising that she is in no fit state to drive after the
shock, sticks her L plates on Nicola’s car and drives her to the park she sent
Pat to earlier. In this instance, dramatic licence prevailed over driving
licence since Eileen should really have been named as a specific provisional
driver on Nicola’s insurance in order for her to legally drive that car. Anyway,
Pat later turns up at the park and takes a walk with his potential long lost
daughter. Nicola decides that she already had a father and doesn’t need another
one, regardless of biology.
Eva’s still silently boiling beneath the surface, answering
every question of Aidan’s with sugar coated seethe. Later, over a chat with
Leanne (who condemns anyone who has an affair, conveniently forgetting her relationship
history), Eva spills all her vengeful thoughts onto her sister and reveals that
she has told Aidan she’s pregnant – when apparently, she’s not. Is she? I thought she was I’m so confused now. Leanne
barely has time to take in this apparent revelation when Dev calls round, announcing
that he is increasing the rent by £100. Before
she knows it, Eva’s revenge is spinning wildly out of her control: Aidan has
told Johnny of Eva’s pregnancy and Eva is left wondering what she is to do
about the rent if she and Aidan separate. She still hasn’t told him she knows about his
affair, and when he offers to buy her an engagement ring, a lightbulb goes off
and her face lights up when he tells her that money is no object. She later
proudly announces to a concerned Leanne that she intends to bleed the cheating
Aidan dry.
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| "By the time I've finished, I'll be quids in!" |
Elsewhere, Chesney tries to play the big man again – rather embarrassingly
telling Daniel to back off, labelling him as weird for reading books. Well,
Chesney – I realise it may be a shock to the system to meet a character on that
Street with an ounce of academic intelligence or appreciation for anything
other than monotonous Weatherfield life but at least he’s not running a kebab
shop or chasing a knickerstitcher. Daniel tells him he hasn’t seen Sinead in
days and Chesney ends up taking the dizzy blonde on a date to see a subtitled
film later that night. They end up leaving halfway through though, due to lack
of understanding and go to the chippy instead. As well as all that, Gina is making herself
very much at home at number 4. Sometimes having a long-lost sister comes in
handy. You can eat all their bacon, use all their husband’s mobile data and even
buy a load of tacky shoes online at their expense! The long suffering but ever lovely Tim isn't happy; he can
smell the rat that Gina is a mile off, but Her Pal Sal won’t hear of it. She
takes pity on her sister because she’s only just received a letter from her
husband telling her it’s over. Well, Gina’s relationship may be over but Sally’s
bank balance will soon be under. As well as all that, Robert was threatened by
that bald bloke to do some money laundering in the Bistro. How thrilling.
I know this has been a bit of a slapdash review, but I’ve
not had much time to sit down and write it til now. Honestly, the episodes
dragged a bit. I’m very much looking forward to Eva’s fabulous revenge and it will
be interesting to see Sally’s sister and her shoe-buying issues unfold. Oh, and
a stellar performance was given by newcomer Nicola Thorp as Nicola Rubenstein. A
great actress and a potentially great character. I just wish she’d been given a
less cliché entrance storyline.
As always,
Thanks for reading!
Jordan
Twitter - @JordanLloyd39
