Evil Hope (who really should be renamed Despair) is on the run. Perhaps she could team up with Max and take over the street? Whilst Edison and Michael are picking up supplies/visiting the Caribbean Cookhouse, Hope sneaks into the remnants of the factory, pulls her doll's head off and starts a fire. Ever the Poundshop James Bond, Ali spots the smoke, then breaks into the factory to rescue Stape Junior. To be in a collapsing factory once is heroic, twice is starting to look like carelessness. Maria, to her credit, doesn't ask if they're still going to the ball. Meanwhile, Hope tells the police that she saw two boys running away from the factory, although Tyrone knows this isn't true. The Stape-Dobbs family discuss whether Hope could have become the firestarter, the twisted firestarter, whilst Little Miss Pyromaniac sits on the stairs, listening in and revealing the cigarette lighter hidden in her doll's head.
Talking of fiendish, Geoff is spying on Yasmeen whilst she calls him to finds out how he's doing and he fakes a cough. She rushes 'round and he hints that the end is near (if only!) and not to tell anybody. Yasmeen spills the beans to Sally who immediately tells Tim who confronts his dad who admits that no, he doesn't have cancer, it's just a bug. Although he tells Yasmeen that he has SVT and presents the "evidence" to Yas, evidence that Alya is convinced that Geoff printed off the internet. Geoff's back on the spy-cam though and fakes a funny turn in the garden, which leads to Yasmeen begging him to move back in. Gosh, I do hope that when his downfall comes it is swift and bloody.
Eileen has decided that a Brummie life is for her after all and intends to leave Weatherfield with Jan once he's healed. Let's hope Jan never gets that pony-tail snipped off; it's obviously the source of his Samson-like powers. Seb is concerned that Rachel and Nikolai will catch up with them and even more so when he hears Polish voices coming from a white van. It's not the dastardly duo though, it's Mary, who's gone back to mobile home life. Seb sees a chance to get a) another mum substitute and b) a fellow utilities bill payer and invites her to move into number eleven. This should be comedy gold when Eileen decides she's not moving after all.
Steve helps Emma pack up her dad's stuff. They seem to be bonding, but then Emma hands over £30 to Steve to pay for the cab fare and his time. Cold! Later, Steve sees James talking to Emma over the bar and assumes he's chatting her up (obviously hasn't read the spoilers) and glares at him. He's a bit late, given that Emma's already been around the Weatherfield block, having dated David, Seb and Chesney. She tells Steve in no uncertain terms that she's not looking for a new dad.
And finally, it's Craig's 21st birthday and instead of the key to the door, Beth has got Craig a tankard to keep behind the bar at the Rovers. She was going to get it engraved ("21 today, hip hip hooray, at birth you gave me stitches, but now you give me joy, my lovely little Craigy boy") but it was 50p per word. Let's be grateful for small mercies, hey.
Rachel Stevenson - on twitter
Apologies, no review next week as I'm on me holidays.
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I’ve never seen such an extraordinary fire, three (at least) sets of vertical flames in the centre of beautifully laid pristine pieces of wood, and created by (how quaint in today’s age) a cigarette lighter. Where did that come from, and more to the point why did no one bother to put the fire out. Life went on happily in Sally’s gaff only feet away and not a note of a fire engine anywhere!! Maybe Ali was going to put it out when he went back for his DJ?!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, all the while Maureen Lipman holds everything together (and I remain convinced she’s writing her own script) I’ll keep watching...and shouting !!