Dev and Bernie are in a good place, so you know there's something gonna come along and ruin it and that something is Mal. Was the whole Roy has a pen-pal who's possibly a con-woman storyline just to introduce Mal? Did the storyliners change their minds half way through? Is Mrs Mal going to turn up at some point? Mal waits 'til Roy (and Dev) is away then declares his feelings for Mrs Winter-Alahan. It's not surprising that Bernie doesn't like him what with all the annoying voices - I'm getting Geoff Metcalfe vibes. He starts off declaring his love, but then it deteriorates into calling her "a greasy little tart with bacon fat in her hair". Rude! From what we're learnt about Bernie from the last six years, it seems unlikely that she'd take this lying down or even standing up, but she's shaken and only rescued by Kit, to whom she lies and says everything's OK. His copper sense is tingling though. Bernie tries to persuade him and Gemma to stay with her in the pub, but they have to leave so she goes home to an empty number 7, where she discovers her face has been cut out of her wedding photo.
Talking of loved up, Ben and Steve are still texting, but when Steve answers the phone, it's not Ben-o, but Jim-o, to be sure. Or rather, his landlord. Jim owes £1800 worth of rent and has put Steve down as a guarantor. Catch yerself on, Stevie-boy! Ben suggests his dad's army buddies could help and Steve thinks of one who used to throw discus for Liverpool or Widnes, but in a secondary phone call, it's revealed that Big Jim is in hospital.
Brian is still after his missing Woman In White, early edition, that he really could've just got out of the library. I'm struggling to see the significance of the novel. I suppose Kit met a mysterious and distressed woman dressed entirely in white black bomber jacket, lost in Hotton, who looks remarkably like someone else, but Brian and Jodie are not acquainted. Anyway, he accuses Hope, but I think we know it was Lily, no? I do hope we're not going to have an 8 episode arc of Who Nicked Brian's Book.
On the prison set, Debs asks Ron to transfer £2K to Carl. I'd've thought it'd be more financially advantageous for Carl to get his job back at Chariot Square, although I suppose that Debbie's gift doesn't attract PAYE and NI
Rachel Stevenson - on bluesky
