Evening Corrie fans, it’s Kelly here with your Friday night review.
After clobbering Mancunian Albert Steptoe, sorry dangerous gangster Mick with a baseball bat, Gary asks Eileen where Todd has gone. Eileen claims he’s scarpered, but as soon as Gary leaves the man himself emerges from his unsubtle hiding place at the top of the stairs. In fact, he did that so much in this episode I was quite tempted to shout ‘He’s behind you!’ every time someone exited No. 11.
It turns out that psycho gangsters tend to get a bit miffed about being bashed over the head (who’d have thought?) and Mick turns up at Gary’s furniture shop with a henchman to return the favour by giving Gary a good going over with a steel bar. Maria finds a beaten-up Gary and before long they’re joined by one-man-crime-fighting-team Craig. Urged on by Maria, Gary tells Craig everything but when Craig questions Eileen she denies ever hearing of a Mick. A furious Gary says she better hope Mick finds Todd before he does. Just as an aside has anyone else noticed that Craig seems unable to keep his mouth closed? This has no relevance to the plot, it’s just one of my pet hates.
Meanwhile toddler Shona continues her reign of mayhem. After she starts by making David a breakfast of cake, crisps and orange squash, he is then forced to take her to the barbers with him. A random berk wearing loafers with no socks (another of my pet hates) turns up in need of a haircut but when David’s back is turned Shona shaves off his topknot. He threatens to sue the barbers. Shona seems to have no idea why ruining someone’s hair in a business that’s about hair would be a bad thing and later tries to seduce David again. When he says no, she smashes some plates and storms out. Can we please get a timeline on when Shona’s brain injury gets miraculously mended, as this is all getting a bit boring now?
Elsewhere Scott is still hanging around like a bad smell trying to threaten Johnny. Johnny tries to avoid him by making up some nonsense about a real ale conference (in a pandemic), but Scott catches up with him. He says that it was him who dealt with the scumbags who were threatening Carla, and that Johnny owes him. I’m not totally sure what it is he wants Johnny to do but apparently if he doesn’t do it Scott will tell Jenny about his past. I’m not really sure what Johnny’s worried about? Jenny forgave him over his affair with Liz, is she really going to be that bothered about a robbery that happened 40 years before she met him?
In other news, Evelyn and Arthur plan a caravanning trip to Norfolk but when Evelyn tries to get time off Dev tries to use it as an excuse to cut her hours and save money. She tells him he can shove his job but she’ll want a decent severance package (Evelyn for Weatherfield union leader!). Also, Billy gets a call from the bishop recommending he apply for the position of archdeacon, which comes with a house.
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Back at the Rovers, Gary is shocked to hear that his neighbours all seem to think he probably deserved a beating. Deciding that he’s never doing a favour for anyone again, Gary goes to see Ray. He tells the dodgy Bistro owner that he will sell the factory but only if he pays him triple what he previously offered and tells him what he’s really up to. Ray says that he’s going to turn the street into a ‘regeneration zone’ with businesses, bars and gyms. Sorry what? Hahahahaha! Who does he think is going to go there? Just about everyone seems to be on the breadline and I can’t see Rita re-training for a new job in an emerging tech business. Although if the new gym did a pole-dancing class I reckon Audrey might be up for it!
Anyway, the Ginger Gangster replies that Ray can bulldoze the whole street for all he cares, as long as he gets the building contract. Because obviously you can just start being a builder again at the drop of a hat when you have no premises, tools or labour force.
And that's all for this week. Tell me your thoughts on what annoyed you most in this episode in the comments or on twitter @mskelstar. I'm sticking with PC Tinker's permanently gaping mouth but there's been some pretty stiff competition.
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