Up until this week, how confident has Gary been about never getting caught for killing Rick Neelan?
Gary has a split personality; there are times when he thinks he can get away with anything but he has paranoid moments where he thinks it’s all going to catch up with him. It’s nice to be able to play both sides to him.
What’s Gary’s first thoughts when he hears Bernie has found a watch in the woods?
Gary is slowly starting to spiral out of control. Not only has Bernie found Rick’s watch and sold it to Sarah but Rick’s name is also engraved on it so Gary’s worst fears are confirmed. He knows he needs to get that watch back.
How has Gary’s conscience been affected by Kelly Neelan, Rick’s daughter, appearing on the street?
It’s definitely been on his mind because he thought he had got away with it until Kelly appeared back on the street and that has been the catalyst for this chain of events that leads us back to the woods. He genuinely has a soft spot for her, he is not just playing up to that. He wants to protect her and father her in a way which is ironic given that he has taken her real father away.
With the watch is Sarah’s possession, she begins to ask questions. Tell us what happens when Sarah asks Gary for the truth about Rick.
Gary is planning to move Rick’s body in the woods and that’s when Sarah puts two and two together and demands to know what happened. When she runs off and calls 999 to tell the police, Gary chases her down the street. He sees a van coming down the road and Sarah hasn’t moved so he automatically sacrifices himself by pushing her out of the way. He takes the hit from the van and he is out cold. If that van had hit Sarah and she had died, she could have taken Gary’s secret to her grave but he chose to save her over himself which he has done before... that must be true love.
What are Gary’s true feelings towards Sarah?
Gary believes that he killed Rick for Sarah because he was trying to look after her. He was madly in love with Sarah but he got into money troubles and he was trying to protect her and her family. In the end, that is why he had to kill Rick; to defend himself and defend The Platts because Rick was probably going to come after them next. Gary has always felt hard done by, that he lost Sarah because of that. He is always going to have feelings for her because it was such a big, life-changing event so he will always be drawn back to Sarah. As much as he does love Maria as well, Sarah will always have a place in his affections.
Adam’s suspicions are piqued. How worried is Gary about Adam?
Gary assumes that Sarah will tell Adam and with Gary’s wedding to Maria coming up, he is paranoid that it will all come out on his special day. He is going to become hell-bent on finding out what Adam knows... that’s his next mission.
If Gary finds out that Adam knows too much, will Adam be in danger?
Yes, things are starting to unravel. I am not sure Adam would get the same treatment that Rick did but he will definitely try to do all that he can to stop him telling the truth.
What do you make of Gary and Adam’s rivalry?
I love it and we’ve got some great stuff coming up. Sam Robertson is a good mate of mine off-screen so it’s nice to work with him because the writers always write well for us and it is an interesting dynamic. I look forward to the Adam and Gary scenes.
How have you found returning to filming, particularly filming such a big week, storyline-wise?
This was the very first three episodes that I have filmed after lockdown. We have had to alter and change things but I don’t think it has lost any of its intention and hopefully it will be just as good as it would have been on location. The street is a more recognisable location to film on and it’s just been easier and safer to film there under the new guidelines.
This is the first stunt that Coronation Street has filmed with the new social distancing guidelines. How different was it to film under the new precautions?
The only part that was tricky was the scene where Gary has to push Sarah out of the way of the van which we changed to adhere to the two metre rule. We used a dummy which was dressed up like Sarah which is ironic as poor Tina O’Brien has had to act with a dummy in me for years!
You also did your own stunt, tell us about that.
I got to ride on the bonnet of the car which was fun. I was quite pleased to have the opportunity to do the stunt myself because I enjoy that part of the job but I have never done a car stunt like this before. The car was going at a decent speed and I had to be on the bonnet and then dive on to the crash mats so that was a new thing for me - I loved it.
In the past you’ve said that Rana’s death was an accident and Rick’s death was self defence. Do you still believe that Gary is not a typical soap villain? Does he have redeemable qualities?
Absolutely, I think he always just finds himself in the wrong situation, especially in the past. He thinks he is doing the right thing but it always seems to go wrong for him and I don’t think he is beyond reprieve yet. Even though he can be not very nice at times, it is always done initially with a good intention at heart. I will leave all the really nasty stuff to Geoff!
Glenda Young
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7 comments:
Why do people seem to forget that Gary killed in self defense. He had already been beaten to a pulp by that man. He was in a situation where if he did not fight back not only would he be killed, but Sarah and her family was at risk too. The treat was real.
Should Sarah understand and keep Gary's secret...in a word...Callum. If anyone should understand it would be Sarah due to her involvement with the Callum killing and coverup.
Anonymous[16;21]If Gary killed Rick in self defense,then he should have called the police instead of burying Rick's body to cover up his death and stop letting Kelly believe her father is alive.
I also don't like Rana's death being dismissed as an 'accident' due to Gary's sabotaging the roof as he's shown no remorse for her death at all.
Gary purposely took the day off to ensure that Sarah stayed home with him instead of going to the factory because he knew the roof could collapse and didn't want Sarah to be hurt but showed little concern for everyone else and went on with his life with no remorse while Imram and the Connors mourned Rana.
I don't believe Gary's gall in drinking in the same pub with Imram and that's owned by the Connors who would have been her in-laws and yet has no shame.
A year ago Coronation Street promoted Gary as the new super villain and now he’s “not a typical soap villain“? That shows how much Geoff has overshadowed Gary. This storyline has been so disappointing and another stunt isn’t going to save it.
When corrie teased a new supervillain, I envisioned someone with intelligence and cunning like Nick, or even Carla…
And what we got was Gary, a cowboy builder who’s about as intimidating as a teddy bear.
He’s got to be the lamest villain this show has ever seen.
He was the street’s punch bag for years and we're meant to believe he's the mafia don who’s got the rest of the street quaking in their boots? It’s laughable!
The only Corrie villain I can compare him to is John Stape. Just like Gary, John was an ordinary guy who started out with good intentions but things ended up spiralling out of control. The only difference is, John was entertaining.
Not a single aspect of Gary’s storyline is compelling viewing:
Sarah/ Gary/ Maria love triangle – who cares?
Gary/ Kelly – contrived, creepy, boring.
Adam/ Laura – again, utterly stupid.
Adam/ Gary – hardly the new Ken and Mike are they?
What’s funny is this storyline started off with so many key players like Nick, Carla, Kate, Imran, Peter… and now it’s left with dull characters like Kelly, Laura, and Sharon the loan shark…
Wrap it up already, guys. This convoluted, dragged out mess of a storyline needs putting out of its misery. The only way they can redeem it now is by Gary getting an explosive comeuppance. I would rather it be someone like Carla who rumbles him, but no doubt it'll be a character we've never seen before who'll be introduced last minute just like 'Derek' was.
You’re right. Gary was just the wrong character to pick. The love square between Gary, Maria, Adam and Sarah could had been entertaining, but it didn’t fit with Gary’s villainy storyline. It shows no matter how much effort the show puts into a storyline, if it’s the wrong character, it’s the wrong character. While Gemma’s storylines have been ok in some moments to terrible in many more moments, Gary’s storyline is more disappointing considering how much effort and promotion it’s getting.
I don't think Gary's character ever recovered from Anna leaving the street. He has always seemed rootless since then and pairing him with Maria, another rootless character, hasn't helped (she rarely talks to her brother). The promised villain was supposed to be someone who could duck and dive, and therefore continue to live on the Street. It didn't go that way and Gary will have to leave. The only reason Tracy was saved was because she was a Barlow and fitted straight back into a family. When Gary's found out, he will have nowhere to go. But when all's said and done, none of this would matter if the acting could rise above it and therein lies the problem.
Totally agree! Without Anna, Gary just feels out of place. He doesn't even talk with Faye.
For me, he doesn't fit the mold. Maybe because I hear Anna screeching and could easily see right through him. He isn't cunning enough, just annoying now. Its sad, I used to like him when he was with Izzy.
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