We ended the first episode with a distraught Anna stuck in prison,
grieving and missing Faye, feeling totally alone. A tough watch, and you
just hope that there is a better exit storyline for Anna than being
banged up, mourning. The character deserves better.
So, onto the second ep, we begin with Anna and it is upsetting. Poor woman, she has no-one.
Meanwhile
Bethany pays it forward for Mary by speaking to Jude about he has got
it all wrong, with his mum. Stubborn as his mum, he leaves. This has as
much to do with abandoning Jude as George's illness.
Alya is grieving and Aidan has a go at her, after a business deal goes wrong. He does not have any offers, as far as I can see.
Tracey
has Angie locked in a staffroom in Peston's Petals and Norris is also
fighting for Mary dressed as Batman, in a Justice for Grandfathers sub
plot.
Luke is onto Phelan, as Andy is not
known at his address. And at the cafe, Roy is dressed up with nowhere to
go, in the Roy's Rolls grotto. Santa has not shown up, but Roy and
Yasmeen have!
Jude rows with Mary and Bethany
steps in, and speaks from experience. Her son feels abandoned and states
that he was given away. Bethany reasons with him and offers to take
baby George for a walk. The friendship between Bethany and Mary is
beautiful and Corrie at it's best.
Robert and
Michelle (The Glums) got for a walk round the street and Luke turns
detective trying to trace his old friend. Andy though has been in touch.
Phelan has his mobile, methinks or he has paid a pal.
Norris
stands on the builder's yard roof fighting for justice. Sarah Lou turns
up at the pub, grieving and in steps Toyah, the counsellor offering
crisps, booze and sympathy. David leaves after hearing the word "good
guy" time and time again. He reveals the big secret to Shona.
In
a brilliant comedy moment, Tracey is listening to "The Closest Thing To
Crazy" by Katie Melua and then dopey Kirk comes into the flower shop
and mistakenly lets Angie out!
She runs off,
and sees Norris dressed as PratMan, I mean Batman, and he wants action.
Robert and Michelle discuss this and the serious one talks about Public
Liablity Insurance.
Phelan arrives in the pub
and Luke buys the 'Andy's in Belize' story. Phelan is off the hook,
again. Aidan asks to work with Alya again, he gets over things quick
this one!
Roy and his grotto is saved by Santa
who arrives at the last minute. This one might have worked better as a
Christmas Day narrative.
Mary tells Jude what
is really like, pregnant with a child, as a child yourself. It gives the
two actors the chance to give it their all, and this slower pace is
really welcome.
Jude and Mary see Norris up on
high and then George falls ill again. Phelan fraternises with one of
Andy's mates and it's clear Pat has put him up to it. Anna shouts and
screams, wanting to see Gary. It is heartbreaking, as the solution will
be pills and she needs to be freed.
It's clear
that Mary is not at the root of George's illness, so maybe these three
can get on in time for Christmas? Not betting on it, but hope so! And
free Anna!
Until next week! Have a good weekend.
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I also hope that Anna has a bettter exit than simply being banged up never to be seen or heard of again. I hope her innocence is proved one way or another and she possibly leaves Weathefield to get away from Phelan and all the bad memories. I would say that the scenes of her meltdown in prison are some of the most disturbing I have ever seen on the program. I totally agree that her character deserves better than merely being consigned to oblivion and misery.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Rush has sort of hinted in interviews that her character may die, but as I have said before this may be simply a red herring. I am not sure how this might happen; if she was acquitted at her trial would Phelan murder her to get her out of the way so that she could cause him no further trouble, or would they have a final confrontation in which he killed her in a fit of rage?
Something which did occur to me was that if she was convicted of Seb's attempted murder her wrongful conviction as well as Gary's death and Kevin's rejection of her might prompt her to commit suicide in despair, which would also be very convenient for Phelan as it would probably remove any chance of anyone ever proving that he had framed her.
However, if Gary has not been killed in the Ukraine and makes a dramatic return to Weatherfield might this give her fresh determination to fight on and clear her name?
It seems to me that Anna's possible exits are as follows:-
1) She is convicted of Seb's attempted murder and is sent to prison never to be seen or heard of again. This would be the least satisfactory exit.
2) She is acquitted of Seb's attempted murder and leaves Weatherfield to escape Phelan.
3) She is acquitted of Seb's attempted murder and is subsequently murdered by Phelan in a final confrontation.
4) She is acquitted of Seb's attempted murder but is given a short term of imprisonment of perhaps a few months for absconding from the hospital. She is subsequently released off-screen and we hear that she has decided not to return to Weatherfield as there is no longer anything for her there.
5) She is convicted of Seb's attempted murder and commits suicide in despair.
6) She is acquitted of Seb's attempted murder, given a suspended sentence for absconding from the hospital and leaves Weatherfield.
7) She is acquitted of Seb's attempted murder, given a suspended sentence for escaping from the hospital, but is killed by Phelan on her release from prison.
It is possible that if Seb changed his statement at the last minute and admitted that it was Phelan who put the idea of Anna's hatred for him into his head it might lead to Anna's acquittal, but would also incriminate Phelan, which would make it dangerous for both Anna and Seb if Phelan went out to exact revenge before he could be arrested.
How do other contributors think that Anna will be written out?
I think Rush is leaving relatively soon so there may not be a trial, but it could be a twist on your sixth option: she's cleared of the Seb charges but has a short sentence for escaping. From there she may just go live with Owen and not return to Coronation Street.I'm hoping Phelan goes after her while she's on the run and that gets him unmasked as the criminal he is since an honest man would just call the police.
DeleteThe point's been made before about Rosie letting Phelan look for something in the office. Somehow or other this has to come out. She might ask Eileen whether he found what he wanted and how grateful she is that he hasn't said anything. We also don't know if Ellie Leach is staying. She might need to concentrate on her education, meaning a short/permanent absence from Corrie. One possibility is that the case against Anna falls apart because of Rosie's evidence whereupon Anna moves with Faye to another town. Faye could always come back to live with Tim and Sally. I'm pretty sure the writers haven't decided how Phelan is going to get his comeuppance. They're milking the storyline for all its worth.
ReplyDeleteAnd another thing. Great play was made just as Bethany took George for a stroll about whether he could have a banana because he really likes them. There you are, case solved. George is allergic to bananas. I looked it up - because I have nothing better to do - and George's symptoms fit the bill.
Excellent posts above!
ReplyDeleteI am in Canada, and we are 2 weeks behind you.
I don't have it all worked out admittedly, but maybe Anna kills Phelan. Or exposes him at the very least.
She just cannot leave, being beaten down by him. I won't like that, at all!
After the way both Jude and Angie[especially Angie]were emotionally abusive towards Mary,there better be a scene in which the both of them are on their knees begging for her forgiveness since it seems George is allergic to bananas,not his grandmother.
ReplyDeleteIn fact I would love to see Norris tell them both off!
Yes, it's the banana wot dunit! Funny how nobody picked up on Bethany's "He just had a banana then got sick"... not even the paramedics who are as useless as the soap police.
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to agree that the writers have not yet decided on how exactly Phelan will get his comeuppance and that his story will be spun out for as long as possible, perhaps for at least another year which might give him the opportunity to commit further murders. The actor who plays Phelan has said that he does not think he will be in the show indefinitely, but has not suggested for how much longer he will remain.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Rush has also been deliberately vague on how Anna will make her exit, and has apparently said that she is unsure if the door will be left open for her return. She has also said that she would not mind if her character is killed off. This is somewhat confusing and does not yield any real clues as to her eventual fate. I believe her final appearance is to come at the end of January, so this may or may not be somewhat too soon for a trial for attempted murder. We also do not know what effect Gary's possible return may have on events, or what will happen if Faye takes her mother's side and rejects Seb. From pictures I have seen online Faye is with her when she is arrested after her escape attempt. I have not read anywhere that Faye is leaving the show, although it is quite possible that she could go and live with her mother elsewhere for a short time if she is acquitted.
If Anna did eventually serve only a short sentence for escaping and then went to live elsewhere it would be good if she was eventually reconciled with Owen, who was the true love of her life. Anna and Kevin never really gelled as a couple for me and Kevin is acting pretty despicably by dumping Anna while she is in prison. It seems obvious that he never really believed in her innocence.
Debbie Rush has also said that there will be more scenes with Anna and Phelan before she leaves. How these will play out remains to be seen.
I'd like a happy ending for poor Anna. Resolution to the Phelan issue and a return to Owen.
ReplyDeleteBit of a slip up from Phelan, when talking to Andy's mate he said something about Andy enjoying his travels in Asia whereas Belize is in South America.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of disappointed in Anna's meltdown. We know the actress can shout and scream with the best of them, she does it often enough, so I thought maybe this was the time where she could show a bit more subtlety and show her grief in a different way.
What's with the weird, random costumes? Maria in a lion's outfit and Norris as a super hero? Wacko.
ReplyDelete