Good evening. Asha returns home with Dev trying to restore and rebuild her but the task is of a Sisyphean size as she is unable to find any way out of the mental black hole into which she has fallen - she has completely lost her way. Indeed she goes for a lie down when Bernie is in the middle of a funny story (well Dev chuckled). Bernie is still looking for a way to get back at Naomi - but Dev feels all they can worry about is Asha.
Finding her way is Bethany who is working at R'Audrey's who also has Hope in for a work experience day. A customer is peddling unlicenced weight loss drugs which Hope decides to liberate. This leads to a tussle between Bethany and Cassie defending her delinquent grandchild during which Bethany's stoma is dislodged. All messy. Eventually Hope admits her theft of the pills but Bethany calls out the customer for attempting to sell the tablets to an underage person so the police are not called. Which is worse - Hope being bullied online or Asha being bullied to her face? Why two such similar events within a short timescale? However Cassie notes how well Bethany talked to Hope about the dangers of falling for people peddling drugs that probably mean that Bethany will discover a new career to pursue. And of course Daniel is once again teaching at Hope's school.
Talking of bullying, Todd's car (did we know he had a car - even an old rackety one which is in need of significant expenditure?) breaks down as he and Theo were going out for the day. By the end of the programme Theo (who is no doubt going through an expensive divorce and does not seem to do much scaffolding work) has managed to get a new car for Todd to drive.
Meanwhile Betsy appears to have been a little outspoken, exchanging a few words with Inspector Costello and then allegedly attacking a police car and resisting arrest, although no-one can find the CCTV footage to back up the story. Why was a DI at the same place as Betsy who denies it all. It becomes clear that Costello has faked it all to get the "situation" under control. Outcome is that Betsy spends a second night inside (which ignores the standard 24 hour time limit); no-one phoned Lisa from the station the first night and Adam fails to get her out at the end of the 24 hours - she may have resisted arrest but PACE has to be observed.
Becky has two private meetings in ginnels with Costello where she makes it clear that she will only be heading back to Spain providing Lisa and Becky are on the flight with her. Meanwhile Becky talks Lisa into letting her spend the night at Number 6 Coronation Street, something which Carla is not told when she has a video call with Lisa. Carla does however make it clear just how little she likes Becky who can hear what she is saying, as Carla does not know the skunk is in the house.
Tracy goes to some lengths to try and get Cassie out of Number 1 and back to Tyrone's wangling some concert tickets from the bassist of the Drunken Wastrels - a band that Fiz would like to see. However Fiz is not falling for it and the tickets are rejected. Tracy warns Cassie to stay out or her wardrobe - however that is like a red rag to a rampaging bull.
The bad news is that poor Hope is being endlessly bullied with messages on her phone and so we are presumably going to have the horrors of online bullying for the next few weeks.
Written by David Judge and Ella Greenhill. Directed by Richard Lynn and Tim Royle.
I felt this evening that for this evening the team had decided that they would treat us to a total fantasy. I am only hopeful that it was all a dream; plus point tonight we did not see the inside of the hospital. Apologies but feeling jaded by the balance of the stories.
Kosmo
