Coronation Street Friday 30th June episode review

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.

"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.

 

"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