Coronation Street Episode Review Monday 16th July

The Connor clan are all tooled up (metaphorically) and ready to mediate hallucinate desegregate alleviate or rather shout about Eva's bad choices. Are the Connors the baddies now? Are they the Phil 'n' Grant of the cobbles? At the mediation meeting, Eva comes over much better than Johnny, admitting that she's done some stupid things and how Aidan's suicide forced her and Toyah to 'fess up about the baby scam. However, she starts to play dirty as she brings up Jenny's mental health problems and the previous storyline with the kidnap of Jack. Johnny accuses Eva of taking his son and she says it's not her fault. "Then whose fault was it?" yells Johnny - and that's the crux of the problem. It's not about the baby, it's about Johnny needing to blame, needing to find meaning, needing to assume control. Back home, he reverts to bullying Jenny, telling her it's her fault he hasn't got custody and he raises his fist to her, before stopping himself when she stands up for herself, and he storms out. Oh, Jenny. You deserve so much better. It's not her who is sniffing around a new lover though, it's Johnny who slinks off to Liz, who tells him much the same: that lickle Susie belongs with Eva. Johnny says again that he wants to leave Jenny and be with Mrs Mac. Liz challenges him, asking him if he'd still feel the same if the mediation has gone his way, and basically tells him it cannot be.

Later on, Leanne offers to look after Susie to give Eva a break. She falls asleep on the sofa and the camera pans to an empty crib. But who was it? Johnny? A drunk and remorseful Toyah? Jenny? (she does have form).

All political lives end in failure, but Sally's has finished in disgrace. Me and the Boyf (who works in local government) spent a lot of time during Friday's ep criticising the way the Head of Finance spoke to Sally (she wouldn't have gone to the police, she would have referred it to cabinet), the financial protocols (the transaction would have been pushed up to the next level of management), and even Sally's offer to pay back the money (it would be written off), but then again sensibleness wouldn't make a story. Insider at Weatherfield Council, Brian, doesn't "gossip or speculate", but he did see Duncan "all over her like an octopus". People swallow this and start to suspect Sally was in on the fraud. Seems a bit odd to assume someone is duplicitous rather than daft, but so be it.

Chesney's still sniping at Gemma and she is still giving as good as she gets. That is until Gemma finds out that Henry has changed his status to engaged on CoroBook and she realises that she'll never be Mrs Gemini Newton. Ches sympathises with her and pretty well admits that he wuvs her, not that Gemma takes the hint.

In a new storyline, Mr Fitzgerald, the hot new Weathy High TA, leaves the school minibus with Abi to fix, and also leaves some bad drugs in the glove compartment. She calls the police, who demand to search the premises and they then arrest the handsome TA. That escalated quickly! Unforch, Steve witnesses this and thinks that it's Abi who's misbehaved and he lets Eileen know. Abi goes apeshit, telling Steve he could have ruined her chances of getting the twins back

Brian, despite having all the gossip, is fed up of the council. Brian's one of those people who's really enthusiastic about things - until he isn't. He and Cathy want to open up a business, but aren't sure what to sell. Fish? Fancy dress? But no-one in Weatherfield shops on the internet apparently, so with  a general need for letterboxes, brushes, buckets and extension leads, Brathy decide to open a hardware store. They should ask the ex-Mayor about that.

Rachel Stevenson - on twitter

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