'At Christmas time there's no need to be afraid'
Ah yes, Christmas Day, a day of the year that's as cliched as imaginably possible. Mince pies, daft hats, drunk uncles, charades, awful music... and a drunk disgruntled madman with a stolen shotgun! Hardly, but in this Netflix/ on-demand era of television, we cant surely expect Hilda Ogden singing around the piano to reach a 27 million viewing audience in 2019. Can we?
Robert and Michelle are courteous to each other (for the sake of Christmas I assume) and the ice queen seems to have cooled, now that she's selling the bistro, right from under his nose. Even hosting a Christmas lunch and not inviting him - isn't she lovely! Although Michelle appears to have thawed, Vicky is less than forgiving but accepts that Robert needs to see his child before she heads back home to Ireland.
Further down the street, it's David Platt's birthday so Shona has the key to the winter wonderland to surprise her hubby, hiding in an oversized Christmas present box. Recovering sufficiently from her near-death by Christmas tree debacle, Rita arrives back to the Rovers, and Jenny is organising a welcome home party.
Talking of gingers, Gary goes to see Fizz after he opens the shop and realises that the gun is gone. Fizz thinks Hope has pinched the keys, but Gary seems to think its Dr Ali. It's neither as we know. Drunken Derek the disgruntled businessman is ready to shoot Gary and aims the gun at the Rovers Return. With all residents assembled, Derek enters the theatre of conflict and confronts Gary. Feigning that the gun is decommissioned, Derek decides to test Gary's theory; pointing the gun in the other direction, shooting Robert Preston who was stood outside the Rovers Return front door!! Hardly surprising as we've known for a while that the character is leaving the show. Is it a rating's winner though?
Gary's goading manages to get Derek out of the pub, but the whiskey swigging shooter sees Robert on the floor and carries on chasing his target. Aggie swings into action. I hope her nursing is better than her cooking!
With the residents realising what's happening, the Platt's (and Gary) begin hiding in the winter wonderland, to the strains of classic Christmas pop ( of course) and Derek's shotgun stalks the festive scenery. Getting shot in the arm, former soldier Gary doesn't take that lying down, and Adam decides to propose to Sarah. It's random and hardly romantic, but still, it is Christmas. Also in the theme of romance, Daniel is relieved that Bethany has survived unscathed, and Emma and Seb are reconciled.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Michelle' at Robert's bedside -he's injured but conscious. He manages to tell Michelle he loves her, and then (predictably) dies. Shona appears to have survived yet faces an operation. Gary seems to have survived being shot and has resurfaced as the resident's hero but of course, it was his gun that caused the killings. Who did steal that gun? I HOPE we find out soon enough!
A few weeks ago, I mentioned in this blog that the winter wonderland could be a good setting for Christmas day action. I wasn't wrong but was this what I imagined? No, but then like I say, it isn't 1987 anymore and with fierce on-demand / Netflix/ Amazon Prime competition, the days of Hilda Ogden singing at the piano and Blanche's drunken Christmas dinner acerbic put-downs are long gone...
Merry Christmas!
If you enjoyed this review give us a follow @rybazoxo over on twitter, your self-styled 'Cobbles. I shall be back next Wednesday.
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4 comments:
I feel like I missed something...we know who stole the gun. lol
And here is something else I don't get. How does Sarah consider Gary a hero? He held that child in harm's way longer than needed. He did seem to be using him as a shield until he could ground himself and get control of the situation again.
As for Gary as a bad guy. He sabotaged the roof and it resulted in a death...manslaughter. He killed someone who was intent on killing him, grave already made - self defense. Robert was shot as he was in the wrong place at the wrong time being behind that door. Granted the gun was stolen from Gary and the idiot was disproving Gary's lie that it was demossioned.
As you say, Corrie of years ago is gone. I think Gary is going to be the Phil Mitchell of the street.
Gary is a tough guy. Those around him will get hurt. Yet he does love his kids...no matter how many pop up, and also is loving to the kids of this girlfriends. He is a bully, but will stand up to bullies. He is complicated. He is interesting. In real life I would want him gone...but in a show like this....where we can suspend reality for entertainment and drama...well done Corrie.
Yet for all the high drama,only 4.5 million watched. Meanwhile 12 million watched the down to earth,warm,funny Christmas on Gavin and Stacey. Maybe soaps need to learn a lesson from this.
I also wondered how can Sarah consider Gary a hero when along with being a bully,he's a coward running into the Winter Wonderland endangering children's lives to save his own neck from Derek whom Gary drove over the edge.
I hope Gary doesn't get away with it again as he did with the roof sabotage.
So now that Robert is dead[thanks to Derek]Michelle is now 'remorseful'for what she did to him when she and Vicky were willing to see him rot in jail for a crime he didn't commit?!
I hope the truth comes out and Michelle becomes the pariah particurely with her family as Robert was.
Agreed. Even though he is evil, its an interesting storyline
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