Episode Review Friday 26 September 2025

Good evening.  Tonight we will start at the end.  Several weeks ago Asha was badly abused by a drunken blonde named Naomi who has returned as the organiser of a careers meeting at the Chariot Square Hotel.  Asha has told Bernie about the earlier events and when the police are apparently not doing very much, Bernie decides to take matters in hand, learns Powerpoint and amends Naomi's presentation to include the slide above.  Naomi tracks Bernie down and threatens to sue her for defamation.  Naomi then tells Asha she will drop the case if Asha withdraws the police complaint - which Asha does.

However Asha is now a nervous wreck as she returns to work.  What could possibly go wrong?

Ty is visited by a doctor saying he might get to go home next week - but there is no improvement in his left leg.  Kev then visits to explain that he and Abi have split up.  Meanwhile Abi visits Carl for afternoon delights.  Whilst she is in the bathroom he is texting James to arrange something for later. He is also refusing to move away because he is worried about Debbie.  Later Abi is about to depart when Debbie turns up at his hotel room suggesting that Carl comforts Kev!  Abi claims she is paying Carl (although Debbie wonders why it is not digital) and sorting out some shifts at the garage and rather than realising what is going down Debbie accepts it knowing that one of her brothers would not sleep with her other brother's wife.   

Jenny, for reasons best known to the scriptwriters, is still lusting after George and to see if her dreams can be realised Glenda arranges another Speed Dating evening in the Rovers, then talks George into participating and Christina puts her name down as well.  

Loved up couples Adam/Alya and Dee Dee/Ollie meet in the cafe and agree a double date later in the Bistro.  This seems to go well although Ollie thinks the over use of synthetic truffle oil on his main course did not improve the taste but he praises the vegetables which were properly cooked he adds to try and calm down Toyah's annoyance at the criticism, after he discovers she is named after Toyah Wilcox.  After the others depart he gets a mystery phone call and whilst talking it is clear that he is discussing R'Toyota with the individual at the other end of the line.  I wonder if this heralds the return of Leanne's half-sister. Dee Dee and Ollie have a bit of spat over his rudeness - I am with Dee Dee - dump him - but Adam and Alya say it is Dee Dee being hyper-vigilant post Joel.

Shona has both morning sickness and a desperate need to visit the bathroom at various times in this episode reminding us all of her pregnancy and sex god husband.

Theo gets his wish as Millie and Miles visit.  After Todd splashes out on a Vietnamese takeaway the temperature cools even further when they make it clear that they are only there because the court said they had to be there and they would much rather be at home with Danielle who is in a terrible state (having lost Theo and Noah).  They soon go home and Theo starts drinking.  Todd was going to see George in the pub - but thinks better of it and stays at home with Theo who is clearly exerting coercive control.  In terms of Millie getting her own way as Todd observed earlier she has clearly had a master class from her father.  Christina does not like that Theo either.  

Written by Jonathan Harvey and Julie Jones.  Directed by Dominic Stephenson.

I have questions.  If Kev is visiting Tyrone in hospital and Abi is "visiting" Carl in the Chariot Square Hotel who is running the garage - Brody?  More importantly who is looking after R'Alfeh?  If you know the answers to these and many other questions then please let me know below.  Since Aunt Emily left there has been no natural babysitter on t'Street.  Other questions - Joanie and Shanice - the true story?  What has Toyah done now?  Where is Leanne?  Given that Dee Dee does not believe in sex before marriage what is the relationship between her and Ollie at present?  Where is Adam living with Asha?  Where is Steve living?  What about Dee Dee looking after Leyla?  How is Kirk surviving?  Where is Dirk?  Why is there still a burnt Websters sign over Gary's antiques emporium?  Has the Bistro put their meal prices up and do they need a chef?  Given the CCTV around the precinct how is it that Carl has not been identified for running down Ty?  Will we ever know?

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

---

Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 29 August 2025

Welcome to this review.  I open with Carl who commences by saying I love you to Abi before she heads off to the sun and gets her to promise that she will not sleep with her husband whilst she is away and to leave finding the money for Tracy'luv to him.  He then spends the episode dodging and diving leaving poor Ty to assess the brakes on Ollie's car which was given an MoT by another garage which Fiona uses; surprise, surprise those brakes are way dodgy, who would have guessed it.  Carl has an exchange with James in the Rovers whilst skiving about it being good to get and hot and sticky in a gym session.  Without an obvious leadup that has indicated that Carl has the slightest interest in men or indeed wants anyone other than poor Abi we get the picture above after Tracy once again attempts to return to evil self and trap him.  Coronation Street should be driven by strong consistent characters living their lives on the backstreets of Manchester.  As I said about Abi recently I have trouble believing that people behave like this.  James leaves a message saying that he would be up for more fun in future.  Carl reads it then tells Abi to enjoy quality time with her boys and he will be waiting for when she returns.

The Kabin is back again with Jenny pursuing Christina and Dom online as she convinces herself that they are about to fleece George in some way.  Steve has to be served bon bons by Rita who is also on duty.  Later Jenny thinks George and Christina are exchanging amusing texts (they are but not with each other) which leads to her absolute conviction that there is no body in the coffin and to prove it she enters the undertakers and removes the lid of the coffin - which obviously does contain Dom's body.  Jenny is left with egg on her face.  George's romance was going so well with Cheryl he gets dumped by text, never having actually met her.  To calm Christina down George magics up a bottle of brandy and they steady their nerves following the earlier ructions.  And before you know it Christina is flirting with George, not exactly the grieving wife as Jenny observed earlier.  Christina then takes Cheryl's place for dinner at Speed Dahl.  

Asha skips work using different excuses for different people.  In the cafe Summer, Amy and Nina all say how good her job must be, how brave she is, how well she is doing and how important saving lives must be.  She does not tell them how she is feeling about the stresses.  She crosses paths with DS Swain later who asks if she is feeling better and offers to listen if Asha wants to talk.  Sienna tracks her down in the Rovers where she appears to be feeling much better.  Asha seems reluctant to talk.  Sienna warns her she looks like she is crumbling and that she does not want that to happen.  Asha pleads not to be reported and that she will sort herself out.  However this is a last warning.  

In a rare scene involving Tim and Abi the latter reveals she is being wound up by Tracy who is being her usual charming self with Tim saying that she will have forgotten her troubles once she is sitting in the sun holding hands with Kev.  (For those not aware in another world these two are married).

Needless to say that Billie has advised the police of the assault by Miles; he did try to talk to Miles but achieved nothing which made his mind up  {Given the education of children these days do any of them really consider homosexuality a problem - this story might have worked 40 years ago but now?).  This rather overshadows Summer Spellman's 21st (she has been around in various guises since 2017) - a girl with more fathers than I have had hot dinners this week.  Given she has her degree why is she not at work?  Miles apologises to Billy at the party in the Bistro and then gets invited by DS Swain to answer a few questions down the station.  I am surprised Billy making the report - surely he has heard about turning the other cheek?  Obviously not.  During the interview Miles reveals that he will not be involved with Noah any longer and Danielle is on board with that.  Theo gets ever more objectionable in that he rails at Billy about seeking to get his son a criminal record calling Billy a self-righteous prat.  Later Theo uses it as a weapon to tell Todd to choose between him and Todd which Todd conveys at the end of the episode saying that he and Billy have nothing to discuss and that Billy needs to stay out of his way.

Due to holidays I may well not be here next week and I certainly will not be here the following week.  I hope by the time I return that something will have changed.

Written by David Isaac and Ellen Taylor.  Directed by Merlyn Rice.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

---

Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 8 August 2025

We might as well start at the end.  Aadi has spent the episode either in a drunken haze causing an argument with Theo, upsetting Lauren by finally telling her about how she became spiked at the party and generally annoying everyone else by not accepting sympathy from Amy and then rowing with Asha.  Aadi admits his spiking to Dev.  So Dev decides to put him out of his misery and having spoken to cousin Vikram sends him off to India. in recognition of his long suffering presence as a head swap.  (Obviously we all know Vikram is now better known as Jai and lives in Emmerdale).  Given that Aadi managed to be a business whizz kid who loves a spreadsheet and a complete disaster actually running the business when given a chance I feel his character was murdered by the showrunners and so he no longer needs corporeal existence.  No doubt he will return in some form at some future date.

As a result of the non-incident with Aadi Theo has a bad day.  He gets invited to assist the police with their enquiries - but Gary later pops into the station to say that they have it all wrong.  But have they?  An online search by Todd and Billy throws up a previous incident when Theo had some argy bargy from some guy down the chip shop who thinks he is Elvis who was accusing Danielle of pushing into a queue.  Apparently that was all a misunderstanding and it was all sorted out without a problem - but perhaps Theo is not as nice as you all thought - particularly as he has so far warned off James a few weeks ago and has made it clear to Billy his presence is unwelcome.  (I cannot forget Theo is really an undercover policeman either).  Theo also misses the meeting with Cafcass about his children so it is not going well.  Theo then finds out it was Dev who called the police earlier and gives him a warning as well.

After four years the production team have found the Kabin's interior and allowed Jenny a probably final display of her coquettish abilities as George gets his shirt wet sorting out her leaky O-ring which was almost causing a flood.  Did we know George had a toolbox and a reputation for fixing things for ladies?  Anyway I can only mourn Jenny's impending departure, the character was one I long awaited to re-appear and I feel her departure is a complete misstep.  George meanwhile had eggsciting but eggscruciating eggsperience with his air fryer providing far from eggscellent boiled eggs.  

Brody is another walking disaster.  Whilst he wants nothing to do with Kit the latter keeps trying by arranging a lunch with Brody and Sarah whom Brody describes as some silly bird who's doing him.  Is Brody a write off?  Can he unlearn his parents' traits?  Sometimes he seems to grasp it - but think it is merely about his personal survival.  They are willing to help him - but does he want to know?  It seems not.  Later Brody does apologise to Sarah and she is surprised and thanks him.  Kit makes the point that he is trying to be a part of Brody's life - and the hidden meaning that it has to be a two way Street.  

And even Amy knows Tracy is up to something.  Tracy is fed up tripping over Cassie and Steve snogging and suggests a family tea as an olive branch.  Over tea she offers to drop all claims on Steve's business and vice versa so they can get the divorce settled quickly and an amicable divorce.  Kenny is still not drinking any tea made by Cassie but seems to have accepted her semi-permanent presence which is something (she can solve crosswords though)!  Ken never did sell the house to Steve so the latter may be about to make himself homeless.

I am around for another couple of weeks before I take another holiday.  I think we managed an entire episode this evening without visiting the hospital or the police station (although we did have a visit from a car on the Street).  That was wrong - Dev would have accepted Gary's word and not called the police.  

Written by David Judge and Simon McAllister.  Directed by Zah Ahmad.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

---