Really Billy? We all know that Todd has been lowlife for over 10 years so why pack his suit and shoes for the soup kitchen? Just given him his possessions - he needs that suit to go to work. Indeed much of tonight concerns the after effects of Paul's broadcast of Will's tape. To summarise rapidly Billy packed up his stuff and took some round to Eileen who refused to accept it. Todd turned up from court (he must have been first on) and has been given community service so in line with Boris and Priti's announcements this week we should see him in a hi-viz jacket cleaning up the Street; this gives Bill a chance to throw his ring back at his ex-partner. Having picked up the dumped bag he asked Eileen for a roof over his head but she also closed the door on him. He heads to see George to ask for his wages and says he is heading off because his life in Weatherfield is over - the Maldives or perhaps Ashby-de-la-Zouch (or as the locals call it Ashby-de-la-Zouch-by-the-sea).
Todd has lost Billy, Summer and his mother and is at rock bottom; as George observes he cannot say anything without it being slight snide or dig or with a smile on his face and that Todd cannot sink any lower. Then George makes a slightly strange remark above - so perhaps for much of the time we knew Archie he and George were estranged - which would explain much - but as George goes on to say he turned his life around and was eventually forgiven. So he offers Todd the chance and make it to the people he has wounded - but it will be a long journey (and frankly I don't think Todd is capable of it) as Billy makes clear later that he will never be able to forgive Todd as he has broken both his and Summer's hearts.
Billy meets Paul in the Street and offers to buy him a brew in the cafe and give him a long overdue apology. Paul capitalises on the offer and suggests a hot pot in the Rovers (above). Billy repents - the "way I treated you (Paul) is unforgiveable and I wish I could take it back." Whilst Paul acknowledges the apology he also his say about the way he was treated and he now feels that Billy was never good enough for him.
Aadi presses cider on Summer whom we later discover passed out in the flat when Todd breaks in (above). Apparently she did not take her insulin today because she cannot stand the alarm on her phone buzzing in front of her friends. She is sitting up quite quickly in hospital and Billy refuses to let Todd see her. Billy also decides that Summer is going to be his first priority now. Is he going to give up being an archdeacon again? He promises her that from now on it is just the two of them.
Michael clearly regrets spending the night with Grace. Also she has something going on as Michael sees a strange man leaving the house (above). Ronnie and Michael have checked on James in the hospital where the operation has happened and he is unable to play for two months by which time as James knows getting a start in the first team will be very difficult, even if he is 100% fit. Also most of the spectators will have forgotten that he has come out so that will all flare up again. Michael later checks Grace's phone but is unable to find out what is going on.
Apparently Gemma has been talking to Freda (do they even know each other?) who has found a better BSL teacher to help Chesney. Gemma conveys her excitement in sign language which leaves Chesney cold. He is left even more cold when the teacher (above) tries to tell him something and we feel - like Ches - totally left out of the conversation - Ches grasps that everyone - and beyond that Gemma has to explain "learns at their own pace". Later in the cafe Gemma, Freda and the teacher discuss the cochlear implants - but her objection seems to be based around robbing Aled of his silent world and being different. Given there is no certainty of success I am not at all sure I understand the argument and (sorry) do not feel that the treatment here is helping explain it to me.
In a failed attempt to inject some humour into the evening Ty finds he has to construct a flat pack cot. Alina withdraws but later remarks that she heard him shouting at it, apparently the instructions were rubbish. We know this because he builds it in the living room at the flat and will have to take it apart as it will not fit the doorway into the bedroom. So when Hope comes round it sticks out like a sore thumb (Ruby is at a sleepover somewhere else). And Hope immediately expects that baby PopTy will get her (and Ruby's) bedroom and she is not giving it up (above). Hope is already behaving like a stroppy teenager - "Frozen" is for little kids and pyjama parties do not cut it either!
Fiz has a date with Phill but is not overly interested in his story about monitor lizards and keeps rabbiting on about Hope not being related to the baby PopTy and then before Phill can get a word in edgeways Fiz realises she is not yet ready for another relationship and needs to look after the girls and get her head together, so that's all over for now (above).
And in the best bit of acting this evening the baby's missing teddy got it as Hope separated head from body. I sense that Evelyn assuring Fiz that all was well with Hope when she came home earlier may not be right and in reality Hope has a touch of the "David Platt" syndrome and before long she will be pushing people downstairs, causing car accidents and no-one will be safe in her mission to destroy!
I felt at odds with the Street tonight. Sometimes I feel that they have given up beating the carpets in the back garden and replaced it with beating us over the head for no good reason. If you have not already detected it above I felt that the approach to the Aled story tonight demeaned the viewers. It is standard practice when using a foreign language for English subtitles to be provided. I am sorry as I know this will cause offence but firstly Gemma accepted the decision for the implants several weeks back and secondly if you are going to use sign language then treat it as the foreign language it is to most viewers and provide subtitles. Instead we have poor Freda acting as interpreter and that mis-step wrecked what might have been the excellent intentions of the production team. This is my personal view and you can address comments to me on Twitter.
Written by Ella Greenhill and directed by Becky Wild.
Written by Ella Greenhill and directed by Becky Wild.
Kosmo
