Jim remained in a coma and Liz worried that the doctors might turn the machines off. They reassured her that the only person who could do that was her next of kin - i.e. Steve. This didn't reassure her as she didn't trust Steve as far as she could throw him, and it only got worse when he confessed they'd been grappling on the scaffolding before Jim fell. Jack continued with his "Lusty Jack" persona, much to the exasperation of Betty, but when Roy told Vera about him getting his history wrong she realised he'd been pulling her leg. She cooked Lusty Jack a proper 18th century meal - pigeon pie. When Jack realised his pigeons were missing he snapped out of character so he could berate her. (She hadn't really cooked the pigeons by the way - she'd taken them over to Jamie and Ray's). Leanne was still furious with Nicky for leading on Brian's murderer with her photo. She chucked his flowers back in his face and told him that she was terrified. Ashley visited Zoe in hospital and she said she was feeling much better. She returned home and went to the salon to get her hair fixed but when she saw baby Morgan the plot kicked in. She kidnapped him and took him out for the afternoon, because it is a truth universally acknowledged by the Coronation Street scriptwriters that any woman who loses a baby will try to steal someone else's. Ashley and Leanne spotted her on a canal bridge, and shouted at her not to jump in...
TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 10th and 11th May 1998
Zoe put down Morgan but the policeman frightened her and she jumped into the Bridgewater Canal. Gary leapt in after her, saving her life, but the doctors were forced to section her. Fiona took the baby home, and Maxine fretted to Greg that she was going to be fired for not paying attention and letting Zoe kidnap Morgan. Also under the doctor was Jim, who came round from his coma. Liz was relieved, and while Steve was glad his dad wasn't dead, he was scared Jim would go for revenge. Samantha continued to confound Des and Natalie by being overly pleasant and attentive. However, she complained to Vera about feeling nauseous and sloped off work - letting out a sly smile as she did so.
WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 13th and 15th May 1998
Greg continued to disturb the status quo in the Street. Maxine was besotted, and tried to play it cool, but it was clear that she was mad keen. She bought an expensive dress for a date but Les chucked his drink all over it, meaning she couldn't return it in the morning. When Greg drove her home afterwards he realised she lived with her parents and backed off. Meanwhile Les dug out Greg's mum Moira's number from his address book and gave her a ring. He'd convinced himself he had a chance with her. Natalie lost her ring, the last piece of jewellery her mum had left her, and hunted all over the Rovers for it. Jack went through the u-bend of the sink and ended up covered in water and slime. Samantha promised to help her look for it and discovered it the next day. Natalie didn't realise that Sam was the one who'd stolen it in the first place. The doctors told Jim that his spine had been damaged and that he may never walk again. Luckily for Steve though, he still couldn't remember how it happened. Steve explained that Jim had been drunk and tried to punch him and fallen off the scaffolding - conveniently leaving out the bit where he fought back.
THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 17th and 18th May 1998
£25 was missing from the petty cash box at the Rovers. Vera accused Jack at first, then turned to the barmaids. Natalie had a key to the box and Vera took it off her to stop any more money going missing, leaving her fuming. Nicky got a letter from Strangeways addressed to Leanne and hid it away from his wife. She said "I reckon things are going to get better and better" which obviously meant everything was going to get worse, and it did, as Darren sent Leanne a visiting order. At the hospital Liz and Steve said they'd support him but Jim decided he'd rather die than be in a wheelchair. Les went to see Greg's mum Moira, played by Simone from May to December, and tried it on with her. Can we take a moment to wonder how the utterly charmless Les managed to get both Carolyn Pickles and Michelle Collins to have his babies? She told him that she never wanted to find him after she got pregnant because he was a loser and chucked him out. On the way back to Weatherfield, Les managed to crash his borrowed car into another vehicle - a police car.
FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 20th and 22nd May 1998
At the police station, Les was breathalysed and held because the car wasn't his. He used his phone call to contact Greg and ask him to help out. Unfortunately Greg was in his hotel room with Maxine; he abandoned her and she drank all the booze in the minibar. He was horrified to discover that Les had been to see his mother. He took him back to Coronation Street and covered him with Janice by saying he'd saved his mate Charlie from a burning car. She was impressed at what a hero he was. Samantha went to see Des and told him she was pregnant. He rightly pointed out that she'd also had Chris in her bed - if not dozens of other men - but she suggested she move back in with him so they could be a family. He told her to sling her hook. Nicky went for Sunday lunch at the Platts and found the name of the woman Brian was with when he was stabbed. (Her name is now Alison Oakley, and not "Disco Girl" as she was originally credited, which is a shame). He met her at a hotel to talk to her, leaving Leanne at home to receive an unexpected visitor: Darren the murderer.
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All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
I wonder if Leanne's half brother will ever come back to the Street?
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