Someone has clearly rooted around in the Corrie cupboard and found the editing software they brought for Sinead’s death scene, because tonight’s episode is another time-lapse one. This time focusing on Yasmeen and the hideous waste of organs she’s married to.
Clearly taking his latest controlling strategies from Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, Geoff begins by serving her some food she doesn’t want to eat and then serving her the same (now cold and congealed) food later in the day.
Then he goes out for a few hours, confiscating her phone and locking her in the house, but not before telling her needs to reflect on what she’s done. Cathy calls for her to try to make amends but she can’t or won’t let her in.
When Geoff arrives back, he finds her desperately trying to get out for some fresh air and benevolently ‘allows’ her out to feed the chickens. In the garden, Sally spies her and calls over the fence inviting them both to join her and Tim as guests at the reopening of the bistro. Geoff clearly doesn’t want them to go but can’t lose face, so instead uses it as another excuse to humiliate his wife. He tells her that the outfit she’s wearing looks like a shabby sack. When she points out that he’s burnt all her good clothes, he hands her a tackily sexy red dress about two sizes too big for her and orders her to put it on.
They meet with Sally and Tim at the Rovers where Sally seems to notice that something isn’t quite right. As the better Metcalfe couple raise a toast to them, Yasmeen is shocked to discover that Geoff is paying for the wedding out of the Speed Daal account. When she questions him about how much he has given them, he loses it and drags her out of the pub. As he berates and bullies her in the Street they’re seen by Eileen, who also sees him locking her in once more.
Time moves on again and he’s back with fish and chips for himself and more cruelty for her. He’s utterly loathsome, telling her she’s ugly, that he hates her and that he bought the dress for ‘one’ of his escorts. God knows how much he’s paying these women, surely they take one look at him and double the price?
As she cowers before him, he evidently starts to enjoy his power and becomes more and more threatening, shouting abuse in her face and brandishing a knife. Terrified and backed into a corner she lashes out and hits him with a bottle and then…glasses him in the throat! He falls to the ground. Is he dead?
I have to say I’m torn on this. The man is repugnant so obviously a part of me was shouting “About bloody time Yazza. Now hand me another bottle and I’ll finish him off for you!”.
But another part of me thinks it would be quite a predictable way to end this storyline. Yet another Corrie woman locked up for a crime she didn’t commit and then exonerated (see Gail, Fizz, Anna, Sally). Wouldn’t it be much better for him to be exposed for what he is, or for Yasmeen to find the courage to leave him, possibly with the support of one of his previous victims, maybe Tim’s mum?
But I suppose they do have a prison and a courtroom set that they need to use and all-purpose solicitor/barrister Imran probably needs a new case, so no doubt Corrie will be taking the former route.
Also, my guess is that as the Weatherfield police can’t normally find their own arses with both hands and a flashlight, they won’t find the very obvious evidence of Geoff’s hidden camera which would prove Yasmeen was abused. So now I’ll be shouting “There! Over there” at the telly for months like a demented panto audience of one!
And that’s it for this week. So, were you Team Die Geoff, die! or would you like a different outcome? Let me know in the comments or catch me on twitter @mskelstar. See you back here in a fortnight.
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
That final scene was shot through Yasmeen's eyes. She's ill, maybe delirious through hunger. Great cinematic stuff. My criticism of Geoff's character is that tonight he's seen as laid back and hilarious in the pub. It felt like the writers suddenly decided we had to see another side of him - Mr Charisma. That didn't ring true for me. When he's not been an abuser, in recent months he's been just plain dull. The climax felt rushed but perhaps the writers had to squeeze several episodes of build-up into one episode. When it comes to defence, Yasmeen has the visit from the police under Clare's Law, the cameras which will surely come to light eventually, money being taken from Speed Dhal and finally what neighbours have witnessed.
ReplyDeleteI think the storyline has been powerful and important - I hope there's a twist or something else yet to come. BUT I found this episode really poor from a production point of view - I hated the timelapse stuff, the close-ups with lights in their eyes - not Corrie for me. I later watched the 'Classic' episodes on ITV3 which I thought were far superior. Maybe I'm old-fashioned and not of the Hollyoaks generation.
ReplyDeleteI love your description of the police Kelly! :D
ReplyDeleteI definitely would have preferred to see Yasmeen going to the police and getting Geoff put away- there's a law for that now! It would have still been very rewarding to see her whack him with the bottle though, just to knock him out for a bit so he could face justice afterwards.
I agree totally about how predictable this story is going to become - Yasmeen locked up, useless police, Alya trying to convince doubters about Geoff’s behaviour,
ReplyDeleteIt seems a shame after how powerful the story was.
I agree with all the above, and found d the episode most distressing. The neighbours are pretty useless too, always believing Geoff's version. It would have been much better to report him for coercive control and violence.
ReplyDeleteI see where you're coming from, but surely that's another aspect of Geoff's coercive behaviour? He's won everybody over to this side and believing him over Yasmeen. Also he's keeping Yasmeen captive most of the time in the house. She is never allowed out alone to give her own version of events
DeleteI agree about the Weatherfield police but in all fairness almost all shows(unless) police shows the police are useless.
ReplyDeleteBeing exposed for what he is would be a far worse punishment for someone like this. I hope he survives and is exposed by his own creepy recordings.
ReplyDeleteBoth the actor and actress that play Geoff and Yasmeen have recently hinted on social media that it's going to be over soon, which suggests a rewrite is incoming due to both COVID-19 and likely the extremely negative reaction by viewers towards yet another wrongfully accused plot.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that, unlike the original plan of the police finding no cameras and ending up with months of court/prison scenes, someone will find one or come across a video that'll clear her and put Geoff away.