Happy New Year. Welcome to Weatherfield, well almost. Virtually the entire programme comes from Monkford Hall Hotel and I find it absolutely amazing that "Take a Vow" the wedding planner used by Debbie to bring the event together does not appear anywhere to ensure that it all goes smoothly, lousy wedding planner who would get a poor review in my book (can you ever give no stars when reviewing anything these days?). Getting ready Bernie finds she has left behind her lucky pig so she and Bernie get lost in the woods seeking some yellow jasmine flowers (in January) and also find a golf buggy to enable return to the hotel in time for the ceremony.
Abi finds the money missing from the bank account as cash in one of Carl's bags (can I remind the writers that in the UK the banks refuse to handle more than £10k of cash at any one time without going through significant procedures - you cannot walk in ask for £18k cash). Once at the hotel she swaps most of the cash for a bundle of newspapers and stashes it somewhere else (this was not shown but she later checks the bag and shows relief that the newspapers are still there). She knows that Carl has a one way ticket and she also tells James that she knows the secret and he does not need to tell her that Carl is a bad egg, she exchanges similar confidences with Kev.
Carl has also found the post it note which Debbie wrote reminding her to phone Elaine and that it has been ticked so Debbie did phone her and knew she was about die. So Carl has good reason to feel unhappy with Debbie.
Asha has told Amy that she is not taking her meds any more. Quite why this needs to happen on the way to the wedding will probably become clear on Monday. Billie is apparently a qualified minibus driver and brings all sorts of odd invitees to the party and later he tinkles the ivories - so many talents will be missed. Amy tells Cassie, wearing a rather smart red outfit about Asha who advises Amy to keep talking to Asha to support her. Tracy uses it as an opportunity to have another go at Cassie but the latter gets the better of the exchange.
At the start of the wedding ceremony Debbie sings a solo verse of "On Top of the World" with the rest back by the dementia choir. In print I cannot convey how well she did this. Ronnie makes his vows and Debbie had some written vows she decided not to use them - but just to tell Ronnie how much she loves him for joining her on her journey she is his now and forever. Later Debbie makes Ronnie throw away his prompt cards and speak from his heart in the same way. He calls her many wonderful things and adds the word complicated and the rest of the top table agree with the word being used! He toasts Deborah his wife for life.
Kev has seen Jack's drone footage of Carl driving off in the stolen car which mowed down Tyrone some months ago. So once the wedding has happened and it is Kev's turn for a speech as one of the bride's best men (complicated) he plugs in Jack's computer but instead of playing the drone footage he wants to discredit his brother he plays the recording of the dance moves he and Jack recorded the previous day, so Carl lives to breathe another five minutes. Much later we see that Carl had swapped the laptops before Abi calls him heartless and selfish and she accuses him of hitting Tyrone and that she knows he is going to Germany. He drops the incriminating laptop on the floor. He claims the file is corrupted - but most people could pay for recovery. She admits her stupidity in what she did. She cannot forgive him for hitting Tyrone. She takes her bag and goes. (She should have picked up the laptop). Carl thinks he still has the money when Debbie confronts him about Tyrone - but he responds with the post it note. She blames her memory. He shouts at Debbie for keeping him from his mother. He takes the bag and goes. She is utterly distressed in the show's closing shot.
Theo and Todd drove up last night. At the reception Theo reminds Todd they are not drinking so Todd takes orange juices whilst later Todd spots Theo necking a glass of champagne. James knocks a pint of beer all over Todd (and splashes Theo) so Todd goes to the bathroom to wash his shirt and Billy follows and sees the bruises from Theo's most recent brutal kicking. Todd explains to Billy that it is not Theo's fault and takes him to show him the video of events. Billy realises that the video has been edited and starts a lengthy watch of the unedited video footage and he tells Todd that Theo is gaslighting him. Billy says that Todd has to get away from the toxic Theo.
Becky has Lisa and Betsy holed up in a hotel room and gets the latter two to have over their phones and sim cards so that she can do phone swaps to prevent them being tracked by whichever gang she alleges is after them and who firebombed the house (which was Becky wearing a rather fetching balaclava). Even Lisa hands her phone over whilst Becky assures Betsy all her photos are safe on the sim card which is news to me. Lisa puts Carla's engagement ring in an envelope which she passes to Sarah for Carla as it also contains the house keys. Sarah takes a look at Carla's latest socials and can see that Carla is still wearing the ring in the envelope as she shows Kit. DC Green turns his brain on and thinks that there is something suspicious going on. He and Sarah head back to the flat where we know Carla was in the closet and this time finds a hair which is later confirmed as Carla's. He finaly tells Sarah that he has been investigating Kim/Becky for some time.
The hotel used for the location is The Saddleworth Hotel, Oldham and this shot of Kev and Abi shows some of the wonderful scenery from that part of the world - not all old smoky back streets and the huge mill facilities and pre-eminent textile processing which characterises the location.
Written by Debbie Oates. Directed by David Beauchamp.
Kosmo
