Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 24 February 2023

Good evening.  T'Street started this evening with Daniel, Daisy and the hidden menace - where was Bertie - he is 4 and would be running around causing mayhem at breakfast time - where has he been locked up?  Daniel takes on being Daisy's social media monitor for the day managing to post a poor recommendation for an ice-sculpting business (using Shakespeare) and tagging the wrong company (there are two ice-sculptors in Weatherfield?).  Daisy spots Justin with a bunch of flowers and not being aware that he is visiting Shuttleworth's to see his late mother Daisy smacks his nose - observed by George - although the freeze frame shows she missed!  Justin and George explain but Justin later takes it further and lodges a complaint with the police.

Stephen and Elaine have a coffee at Roy's where she announces her intention to buy a flat in Red Bank and Stephen suddenly has a lot of money in his personal account (has Carla really made him a signatory on the factory account already?).  Shona is behind the counter and Nina talks her into going to the detention centre to see Max with the rest of the family - as Shona tells David she is doing it for Max not for David.  Max lies to Lily about the cause of his injuries but the family appear to get along better than recently.  When they come to leave Max gives David a huge hug, calls him Dad and apologises.  Once home Shona gives David a strict talking to - they can sort it out but he must never make another mistake.

In tiny stories, Peter whilst cleaning his car, finds a lost gold watch on the floor in the rear of the cab under the front seat.  No doubt StreetCars have rules on lost property but Peter holds onto it - which seems rather odd - but later it transpires that it might belong to sleazy Rufus as Peter is keen to contact him.  Elsewhere R'Toyota talks a still reluctant Alya into making her personal statement at Blake's sentencing.  Nina is covering for Roy at the charity shop and when an immigrant, Mo, wants a suit for an interview she pays half of the £20 asked by Evelyn.

Gemma has difficulties with power suppliers and is listening to a lot of music whilst on hold.  When she finally gets an email she is told that due to incorrect earlier estimates she owes them £4000.  Paul will be back to work shortly following his arm injury and he offers to help pay the bill.  (More seriously how, on such a small property, has such a huge bill arisen and what has happened to the write-off under the back billing rules?).  More seriously Paul finds that picking up a wine glass is difficult - does he have an undiagnosed problem from his injury?  Just after he has got back together with Billy too!

Mr Nugent has an arrest target in his sights.  Outside Speed Dahl Maria has a meeting with Councillor Len Cameron who has donated £7000 to the new refugee centre appeal.  To prove it he has arranged a photo opportunity with a giant charity cheque.  At which point Mr Nugent and the rest of Weatherfield's finest descend to arrest the councillor for his connections funding Griff and the others.  Later we hear that Blake received a 12 year sentence and that Len Cameron was also Maria's mystery online stalker and responsible for the death threats she received from RedPilled100.  

Stephen drops in on Carla as he needs some paperwork signed and he then offers to make a cup of tea - but Carla decides she is feeling very tired and asks him to go before he can administer any drugs.  She clearly dislikes him as her body language makes clear as he leaves.  She will feel much better today!  Stephen becomes aware that last time Carla was ill she gave half the factory to the staff - he tracks down the formal agreement to identify how it can be used.

Mo returns with a huge smile and believes his interview with immigration has gone well.  And it turns out that he has met Daryan's brother and there is now proof that the brother is in the country!

Following the complaint PC Heywood invites Daisy to the station to answer a few questions - and there is not much other than Daisy hit him!  Another officer appears to advise that Justin has dropped his complaint and Daisy walks away.  Justin later visits the Rovers and asks to talk to Daisy.  Justin says that his mother would want him to be happy and with Daisy he will be happy.  Justin tells Daisy that he is willing to give her another chance.  Daisy responds by calling him deluded and tells him to go away.  Later Daisy is eating a takeaway by the bus stop when Justin appears out of the dark.  Daisy threatens him with a stalking protection order but Justin is there to give her one last chance - he was humiliated in the Rovers.  They argue and he calls her a self-centred, ungrateful bitch.  He says she led him on.  He walks away and she is left feeling very upset.

You will read this last but it was written first!  Coronation Street above all else should be an ensemble piece telling us about how the lives on the Street interact, often represented by factory scenes and interactions in the Rovers (and these days elsewhere).  We all know that covid meant that this was not possible and the writing veered to telling stories in hermetically sealed packages as the "rules" meant that different groups could not have social intercourse, most typically represented by the Bailey family hardly ever speaking to anyone else on the Street.  That sense of community has not been regained - Alya, a resident for 10 years is nearly murdered and a bomb nearly blew the Street to smithereens - and yet blithe ignorance abounds - and that is without mentioning Alya's speedy recovery.  I am not suggesting a return to Ena sticking her nose into everyone else's business but that core community needs to be re-established as fundamental to the Street.

Written by Mark Burt and directed by Dominic Stephenson.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

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