Coronation Street Episode Review Monday 2nd October

When Seb first came into the street, he was supposed to be a bit posh (he's called Sebastian, for Nora's sake) but now he's Shameless, or at least his mum, Abi, is. The writers didn't seem to know what to do with him, he was the controlling boyfriend, who negged Fay(e) and tried to chase after Bethany. Then he's incredibly protective and beats up Jackson because he thought he was after Faye. But now he's a rough diamond, a bad lad with a heart of gold, a substitute dad to the twins (he's always going on about the twins, int he?) I suppose his mum being an addict and his step-dad being absent at least explains why his parents didn't visit him in Youth Offenders, Anyway, Anna goes over to help and even though Abi warns her to stay away, she tells Seb she'll continue to support him.

Nathan does his best Hannibal Lector impression from his cell as he butters up Mel, promising her a house and garden and telling he wuvs her, just she needs to stop Bethany testifying. Mel, you're a bell-end. When the main grooming storyline was taking place, Mel seemed mostly terrified of Nathan, doing his bidding because she was scared she'd end up in Bethany's place, but I guess she has Stockholm Syndrome. She pretends she's going to the po-po but instead drives Bethany out to a secluded place and attacks her with a tyre iron.

In a weird twist of fate, the judge in Nathan's trial is delayed by a fatality on the trainline; Craig is called to it and seeing Bethany's necklace, thinks it's must be her on the wrong side of the tracks. Surely jumping to conclusions is not what you should do on the force? But it's not Bethany, she's holed up in a shed with gaoler Mel, and the dead girl on the line, is Lara, the fourteen year old whom Shona persuaded to testify. Lara's death changes Mel's mind and she drives  Bethany to the court, throwing the necklace Nathan gave to her, gave to all of "his" girls, out of the window. Bethany makes it to the court in time, and if she hadn't been so scared, she would have enjoyed the look on Nasty Nathan and Nastier Neil's faces as she faces them down. She gives her testimony, and then has to face the defence's cross-examination, which is upsetting and she's convinced she's done badly.

Newly shorn Daniel complains that his editor doesn't give him any decent issues to cover. Well, surely if he's freelance, he's at the bottom of the journo pile? Anyway, a chance remark from Yasmeen and a sarky one from Phelan sets Danny B on the scent of a story. He's a newspaper man, now.

Meanwhile, Colin is confabbing with Nozza about the sale of the Kabin that will presumably never go through, but is amusing to watch and I think this piece of casting has worked well. Rita and Gemma do some retail therapy at Harvey Nicks, and Mrs Tanner splashes further cash, taking a gang out to the Bistro for a champagne lunch. Gemma thinks she's spending too much, but Rita has a meeting with the consultant tomorrow and, from the moment she has talking to the cobbles, she doesn't think it's going to go well and is spending money whilst she still can.

The factory girls are bored and trying to think of ways they could use their skills instead of watching daytime TV and drinking tap water in the pub. Fiz comes up with the idea of tiny headscarves patterned with fun things  - flowers, dinosaurs - y'know, for kids - and Alya, ever the entrepreneuse, sets up a crowd-funder for start-up costs. Eva offers to donate, to Beth's disgust and Adam's discomfort. He goes 'round to cheer up Eva with Mr Rum and Mr Coke, telling her that he's fallen for her and she reaches in for a rebound snog. Where will this end? The maternity ward?

Rachel Stevenson - on twitter

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