Welcome to 2021. Happy New Year. Much of tonight was the continuation of the Fay story after the closure on Thursday night where she admitted coshing Adam over the head in the Bistro because he looked like Ray. I just don't buy it. One is a slim, smug, Scottish guy with thick BLACK hair and the other isn't any of those. Even in the power cut darkness telling them apart should not have been impossible - although Fay had had a drink - a smell Adam remembers and associated with Peter. Never mind. Much of the episode is taken up with Fay telling Gary and Maria about events including Ray
He collects the weapon and some clothes but his dodgy van fails to start and the ever present Craig suspects Gary is up to no good which gives him the power to stop him and search the rucksack. Fay reckons she has made things worse but Maria advises her that Gary has been in far worse situations in the past and talked his way out of them and will do so again. Craig identifies the "missing" award (above) and invites Gary to the police station to aid their enquiries. Gary finds great solace in answering "no comment" to all questions even when forensics confirms that the blood on the award is indeed Adam's. Gary is requested to explain but sticks with no comment - his alibi was moving Rick's body and I bet that somewhere he was on CCTV as he drove around that night! The episode opened with the radio playing "I fought the law" and by the end of the episode the law was winning as Gary was formally arrested.
Roy is collecting signatures for his petition against the development. He gets little help from Dev (or from Jenny who alleges that Johnny was doing it). Dev however has been studying his bank account and has determined that with lots of new residents around the Street he will have more customers and therefore be able to improve his moolah position. Surreally when Ray visits Dev to get him to help talk to the planning officer Asha announces him as "Donald Trump" - at least Ray has his own non-BLACK hair! Tyrone overheard Dev talking up the development in the Bistro (although why he would have been there was never explained - I said it was surreal) and has Abi and Asha join him in a protest boycott outside the corner shop (above).
At the start of the episode Sarah left Daniel's flat having spent the night and later on Adam and Sarah are happy that Gary has been arrested - so much so that like last night Adam is getting in two more bottles of red wine and invites Sarah to assist in the consumption thereof, together with other possibilities which will exist in greater frequency once he moves back into Redbank.
Carla fell into bed with another man, Peter fell off the wagon. Is this deja vu all over again - more or less except this time Peter is probably not going to emerge the other end and has no reason to accept Carla's apologies. Given that this must be about the tenth time this story has stalked the Street it is hard to actually want it played out all over again and indeed I thought that Chris Gascoigne had more or less stipulated that his character's story would not go down this road. Needless to say Peter does not actually want in Carla in his life and nor does he want her to go - really. He keeps telling her - but instead she makes a sandwich. She retreats to Roy's Rolls and gives Roy an update - which includes Carla saying that she was fed up of the endless circles (above) [to which I can only add is that so do the viewers]. Carla knows that if Peter carks it then it her responsibility.
Roy has heard from the planning officer - he is not recommending approval and the protesters celebrate. Ray - who claimed he was doing it for the community and not for the money is fuming - the committee can always over-rule the advice of the planning officer - and Ray makes it clear to Debbie that this is far from over if he can get the committee onside [bribes work wonders].
If only Fay and Ray had got together permanently - King Kong would forever have been in our thoughts. Never mind we always have Debbie who has more sense in her little finger than Ray has been between both ears. Dev and Ray do a wonderful job telling the planning officer that the entire area is screaming out for a complete redevelopment and rebuild to bring some proper prosperity to Weatherfield so that it is no longer the weak sister in the Manchestford (sorry gone a bit Acorn Antiques there - did you see the Victoria Wood programmes over the Christmas break - especially the skit on Corrie!) with shining skyscrapers everywhere you look. Then he suggests to the planner that lunch is on him and perhaps he and his good lady wife might appreciate a little treat and a night using the spa and a room in one of his hotels. Look at Debbie's face above and we can all see that she knows he has blown all the good work in seconds!
Steve (one son down but Oliver mentioned in every other word) and Tim (one father down - locked in a box he cannot escape) come together to deal with their losses. Steve is going to carry on fund raising and thinks of doing a marathon but Amy talks him into doing the Three Peaks and together he and Tim end up starting to get fit in dinosaur outfits. Is it me or didn't Steve and Lloyd do something similar a few years ago. And Kev and Molly - and look what happened to them!
Carla fell into bed with another man, Peter fell off the wagon. Is this deja vu all over again - more or less except this time Peter is probably not going to emerge the other end and has no reason to accept Carla's apologies. Given that this must be about the tenth time this story has stalked the Street it is hard to actually want it played out all over again and indeed I thought that Chris Gascoigne had more or less stipulated that his character's story would not go down this road. Needless to say Peter does not actually want in Carla in his life and nor does he want her to go - really. He keeps telling her - but instead she makes a sandwich. She retreats to Roy's Rolls and gives Roy an update - which includes Carla saying that she was fed up of the endless circles (above) [to which I can only add is that so do the viewers]. Carla knows that if Peter carks it then it her responsibility.
Roy has heard from the planning officer - he is not recommending approval and the protesters celebrate. Ray - who claimed he was doing it for the community and not for the money is fuming - the committee can always over-rule the advice of the planning officer - and Ray makes it clear to Debbie that this is far from over if he can get the committee onside [bribes work wonders].
There was something about tonight that felt "Corrie". I know the stories concerning Oliver and Geoff got stretched because of the virus and programming changes but apart from some undue haste it felt normal (well normal for 6 episodes a week) as if the time and space dimensional shift had gone, the stories were where they were planned to be and we were where TPTB wanted to be for the New Year. There is still a sink hole hanging over the Street which I suspect was intended to have a larger role and I was rather glad that the Billy / Todd / Paul story was missing in action tonight. I am worried about Leanne and hope someone will pop in and see her before too long.
Writer - Steven Fay. Director - Duncan Foster
Kosmo
