Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 22 December 2023

Good evening.  On screen I think it is Christmas Eve which is slightly confusing as is some of the storyline as all sorts turn up tonight.  We open with Jenny and Daisy announcing in the Kabin that they have almost done the deal on the Rovers - with a new bank being far more helpful and indicating that it is in Jenny's name - in reality Daisy will be named on the deeds so watch that go wrong in a few years' time - just a phone call to get everything done and dusted.  Later in the day Jenny takes that call from the estate agents and apparently although they met the asking price there are counter bidders so it is going to go to sealed bids.  And of course huge uncertainty now reigns.

Aggie will not be home for Christmas remaining in Birmingham where Ed thinks of joining her but his day goes from bad to worse to absolutely terrible.  Ronnie is refusing to take deposits on the new flats as they are not far enough along but Ronnie has a cash flow problem about which he cannot tell anyone. Tony the unpaid sub-contractor is constantly on the phone and harassing Ed for his money to fund his Christmas, no doubt some pay day loan company is also tracking Ed's every move..  Tony physically makes his point to Ed that he needs paying and then tells Ed that all of the presents wrapped under the tree are to go in a black plastic bag and thence to the pawn show to give Tony some cash towards his family Christmas.  

Peter is sensing the passing of his life feeling unfulfilled and is looking forward to Trivial Pursuit with Ken on Christmas Day.  Peter is going to a "family and friends special" of AA later and Carla agrees to accompany him.  At the factory Sarah has done well and has the new client signed up - the factory is on the road to financial recovery and this news helps re-assure Jenny that she has made the right decision over the money.  Carla has no idea what to get Peter for Christmas.  At the meeting (which is being held in the Community Centre in front of the window on to Victoria Street - so hardly hiding the identity of the participants) and Peter finally opens up under pressure from Carla.  He says he feels empty, that the light has gone out, he spoke to Val from the kidney donor's family and he is doing nothing with his life - at least he has one when compared to the dead donor, yet Peter feels like nothing.  His days just repeat and he is living without hope.  Sleepwalking through life without any ambition - he feels he should be doing something in the same way that he can see Carla is fighting for the factory's survival.  Yet he is not having a mid-life crisis and he does love Carla - but he does not know who he is.  And then Carla's phone rings - not the factory but Rob (remember Rob? - Donovan - not the singer but Tracy's ex who murdered Tina McIntyre who kissed Peter to start an affair on the day he married Carla) phoning from prison as he keeps trying to contact her.  So Peter's problems are immediately overshadowed by Rob.  Later Carla returns to the factory and buys Peter what she calls a high risk present - but we are not let in on the secret.

Roy's back is playing up as is the Woody.  The Winifred Houltby book has been located in Edale and in the absence of the Woody Cassie "borrows" a rather nice Porsche Cayenne which enables high speed navigation of the Snake Pass to reach Edale and return in the same time as the Woody would take to get half way there (btw the Snake Pass is one of the less exciting of hill passes in the UK).  Book secured the car is returned and all is well until Cassie notices that there is a new scratch on the nearside rear wing - so she plants Abi's toolbox adjacent to the damage and locks up the garage.  No-one will ever know it went for a little trip (poor garage policy not to record mileage on arrival and on departure to ensure there is no misuse).  

Paul's wheelchair ran flat so they are late arrivals at the Little Big Shotz concert - just as it concludes.  However Joseph is talked into an encore of "Let it Snow" which is performed with aplomb.  Spot the quads who are all present.

When the Bailey family come in Ed makes them believe that he has been robbed - with evidence from the blow he received - coming into the house as the presents were being removed.  Craig is going to send SOCO - but there are no signs of forced entry - the back door must have been left unlocked.  Craig is going to check local CCTV which may prove interesting.  Any minute now Ed is going to have to tell the truth.

All of which lines us for next week.  I hope to be back for next Friday.

Written by Ella Greenhill and Cameron McAllister.  Directed by Kodjo Tsakpo.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

---

Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 28 January 2022

Faye does not want to go back to prison so is covering up her connection to a possible crime whilst Emma is so freaked about it she attends Ted Spear's funeral and starts to bond with Ted's grandson until Faye sends her an urgent message with a "photofit" from the police of the girl in Ted's flat as seen by the delivery driver.  Even the best and brightest policeman living on Coronation Street cannot recognise the individual in the "drawing" (above) although it reminds him of "someone".  When he realises that it reminds him of Emma, Faye breaks down as if under a month of interrogation, waterboarding and truth drugs and tells Craig how the events unfolded.  Following some wise words from David (!) Craig, being an upstanding citizen and model policeman, is immediately converted into a Met Police employee and tells Faye that not only did he wish he had not heard what she had to say he is now going to start pretending that he never heard it!  Eh lad.  That might work in that there London but it butters no parsnips in Weatherfield. 

Bernie has been banished, for about 30 seconds.  Poor little Joseph also does a complete U-turn in about 20 seconds flat as he listens to various people laying into Granny Bernie (above).  He admits that she is not to blame and that Hope cooked up the disappearance to the loft.  Whilst Bernie might be allowed back by Gemini it seems unlikely that the rest of t'Street, Dev, Ches or anyone else (and apparently Beth is highly distraught as she tears a huge strip off Dev in the shop because she donated Kirk's birthday meal to Dev's appeal, so much so that Evelyn actually stands up for her boss and tells Beth to stop slandering him; why is Beth nearly always so objectionable?) is likely to forgive her actions in taking half the money and not being entirely honest about events.  She of course was simply trying to help the family out from under the mountain that the quads have caused (and frankly someone in social services ought to be on the doorstep most days of the week didn't they?).

When Lydia tells Daniel that she has tickets to a "poetry slam" I thought my hearing was deficient so consulted that interwebby thingy - and  yes they do exist.  (Monday - Salford).  Well who knew?  Anyway it is complicated because apparently Daisy's "influencees" (that's not a word is it? - the kids who hang on her every social media post) are Daniel's pupils and her social media posts will do the trick in getting them to go to "consent workshops" which Max sees as less important than "AV Club" until David puts him straight.  For once Daniel actually tells Lydia that he is going to talk to Daisy before doing so and when Lydia collects him from the Rovers (Ken is babysitting whilst Daniel and Lydia get slammed) it does look as though Daniel is not entirely sure which of the two dizzy dollies he actually wants to be with for the evening - until Lydia lays the law down with a sharp word (above).

I feel for Ty - County's opposition only had 9 men on the pitch and County still failed to win.

Leo moves into the pub and then gets summoned to work to be sacked (I assume that they have now filled in all the sinkholes in Weatherfield).  Jenny takes pity and says he need not pay rent whilst job hunting.  The ripple effect is that because Daisy wants a holiday in Gran Canaria she asks Jenny for a rent holiday; Leo overhears and arranges for his father to sub him the rent so he is paying his way (above).

I suppose the best news is that Elaine is back and telling Sally she has bought the wrong birthday card for Tim and that they should not have decorated the hospital room with banners and balloons.  Faye tells them both to take a chill pill as it was stress that put Tim in hospital.  Sally and Elaine exchange looks, however!  And they continue to exchange barbs (above) even when at Tim's bedside.  And Sally has given up her political ambitions so will have time to care for Tim - but Elaine volunteers to move for a while so that she can look after Tim whilst Sal is at work.  Sal seems less than pleased by the kind offer which Tim immediately accepts.

Even now, several days later, I think I am worried about the storytelling skills at ITV at the moment.  For example Craig is now suffering exactly the same problem as faced by Roy only a few weeks ago.  What is the purpose of Ronnie?  Has Leo no savings to sustain himself?  Why has Elaine turned into the mother-in-law from hell?  Why is Beth that nasty?  Why did we not see Hope being hung, drawn and quartered?  Is Lydia a closet bunny boiler?  And honestly Faye how you could you put Craig in that position?  And Emma why were you chatting up the grandson at the funeral? No doubt all the questions and many more may be answered next week.

Written by Chris Fewtrell and directed by Leon Lopez.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 14 January 2022

Happy New Year - a little late but my first episode review of 2022.  Much of tonight was taken up by Joseph being on the run.  Early on when Hope was so upset that she could not face going to school,  I thought Evelyn was on the point of rumbling the body hidden in the attic - but she let me down - missing out on Hope eating at least three lots of breakfast.  And then we were led to think the body would be discovered by the house valuer who reckons the place might be worth £175k if they were lucky or £150k for a quick sale.  (That is a really wide variation and have they forgotten that the cladding is hiding weakened brickwork and it might fall down if the cladding is removed? - I thought so too!).  Hope pretended Cerberus had gone missing so that she was left to her own devices and threw Joseph (in one of her hoodies) out of the house with all his possessions (above).  Chesney undertakes a TV appeal for his lost son and Dev starts a fund raiser to provide a reward for anyone finding the missing child.  Hope goes briefly missing as well - and checks up that Joseph has not vanished completely.

Alya and Zeedan are persona non-grata at Speed Daal or anywhere else; relations with Yasmeen are completely ruptured and I think the makeover of the restaurant means it looks a lot better (when will Nina's Noodles get the makeover it so desperately needed?  I suspect the H&S inspectors might not give it a 5 star rating at the moment).  Stu tries to get Yasmeen to make up with the grandchildren and admits to having a wife and children - Yasmeen suggests he should get in touch with them.  Yasmeen however finds the perfect home for the dirty money, donating £29k to the reward fund.

Now that Summer and Amy have repaired their friendship the latter is seeking assistance with her UCAS personal statement - although it does not seem to be going very far.  Amy wants some of the sweets she knows Summer has hidden somewhere - but Summer says they have gone to the shelter.  Amy has a hospital appointment later and Amy is going with her and Summer assures Billy that she has it all under control (referring to her diabetes).  At the hospital the nurse downloads Summer's test results and apparently she missed one last night - she forgot, apparently.  But otherwise the readings are in order.  Leaving the hospital they cross paths with Jacob, apparently now a "former drug dealer", with his right arm in a sling as payment for leaving Sharon's gang - he wants to know how Kelly is (above).

Pleasingly, all is well with Sophie, and Sally is more concerned over the missing flowers - the ones Tim bought for Aggie - so Tim lies and tells Sally they were for a retiring cab driver she did not know.  And from a campaign leaflet Sally finds that Maria knows about the new Weatherfield County training ground plans, as Tim told Gary!  Tim has to admit his need for a heart triple bypass operation to Peter Barlow who adds to the pressure on Tim to tell Sally - but the latter is waiting for the right moment and he cannot deal with all the crying and fuss.  When he gets home Tim accidentally smashes what I think was a wedding photo.

Gordon the delivery man not only wants Shona to check off the delivery in detail but also wants a sup of special tea and the chance to tell his stories to a new audience.  Shona however is not that keen and sends him on his way after two cups of tea, telling him his stories are boring, although Gordon threatens that Rita will put her straight later as he is a well-known raconteur in the trade.  Shona confesses her actions to Rita who offers her support saying she has wanted to rein in Gordon a number of times.  There is something odd going on.  All of these and the previous scenes were outside the Kabin.  No shopkeeper would be outside the shop taking delivery because of the thieving kids shoplifting inside - so what is wrong inside the Kabin?

In Victoria gardens Max is studying his phone whilst Summer, Asha and Amy discuss meeting Jacob; they don't believe he has changed and think he remains a nasty piece of work.  Amy grabs Max's phone to find he has a picture up someone's skirt - which Summer recognises as it's her!  Amy applies pressure to everyone to get it reported - but Summer does not want to know.  Max refuses to take it at all seriously so Amy is determined to take action and get the person who took the photo suspended.  Summer refuses to tell Billy what is going on and when she gets indoors and once Billy has gone out she gets out a very large bar of chocolate (above).

In the Rovers, Maria and Sally argue over the leaflet Maria has been circulating which being waste paper is anti-ecological.  Maria gets so wound up that (above) she accuses Sally of taking back-handers from the Weatherfield County developers.  After several minutes of this, Jenny chides both of them as a missing child is far more important and if they want to argue they should go and do it at the Flying Horse.  They glare at each other.  When she gets home Sally is not in the right mood for Tim to tell her anything.

Clint, Bernie's dishwasher-selling friend, hears about the reward fund and runs across Hope who was bringing Joseph back to the Street.  He takes them into the ginnel of doom and Hope demands £100 each to play along with his plan to say that he found Joseph in the industrial park (above).  Meanwhile Chesney has reached the conclusion that Joseph is never going to come home.  Clint takes Joseph home and Joseph falls asleep in Chesney's arms on the sofa.  And you know that Clint? Gemma used to braid his hair when she was little!

All a bit by the numbers tonight.  Will the police work out that Clint did not find Joseph?  Will Hope's behaviour come to light?  Will Amy bring down the "up skirter"?  Will Summer survive her chocolate overdose?  Will Tim tell Sally?  Is Gordon the new Derek?  Has Jacob reformed?  Can Yasmeen and Stu make it up with their families?  All these and many more questions will be answered in future episodes - possibly!

Written by David Isaac and Simon Crowther.  Directed by Afia Nkrumah.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License