Coronation Street Episode Review; Friday 4 January 2019

Welcome to 2019 and here is my view of Friday night on the Street.

Gail has spent the night on the sofa having conceded her bed to the bereaved Audrey and Gail complains to David about the impact of getting older.  He joshes that she should ask Lewis about such matters before reminding us that such a discussion is not possible.  Audrey of course has not only lost her partner but also her money.  The evidence is mounting that Lewis had access to her online passwords so made off with the money.  Audrey retires to bed to complete the crossword.  Audrey tells Gail that Lewis can have a pauper's funeral for all she cares.

Paul Foreman is central to a number of events this evening being welcomed by his fellow workers and Izzy in particular thinks she may be onto a winner asking Billy if he knows if Paul is spoken for in any way.  As events unroll we get confirmation that Izzy is barking up the wrong tree and Captain Kirk {Prince of Packing according to reports} has nothing to fear as Paul makes it clear to Billy that his partner of choice would be male and it looks like Billy maybe about to be pulled.

Gemma feels she is being stalked (and has been getting those calls from an unknown source).  Chesney spots a hooded figure following Gemma and chases after it and drags him into Rita's flat where Paul is unmasked as Gemma's sister.  No doubt a writer will be along shortly to explain why twins (apparently he is 10 minutes older) have different surnames and also why Gemma cannot stand the sight of him (although the fact that he calls her Gizmo in reference to the Gremlin that goes psycho might have a lot to do with it).  Gemma asks Carla to sack Paul telling her he is a criminal - but as Billy had already told Carla it has no effect.  Oddly Carla seems to know that Paul is Gemma's brother sister - although I do not remember anyone telling her that.  Paul also hints that Gemma might be up to her old tricks - but we all know Gemma is much reformed from the first time she appeared.  Gemma decides that this town is not big enough for her and Paul so she decides to leave Weatherfield until Chesney convinces her to stay.  He hugs Gemma and they are closing for a kiss - a move which Emma sees - but Chesney refuses to complete and backs away to try and find Emma.  Chesney dives into a ginnel and tries to sort out his feelings for the two women.

Angie has been contacted by her former boss in South Africa - if she will go back then she can have a job a step up from her old job.  But Angie knows Mary will be heartbroken.  With little difficulty Rita convinces Angie that a single mum will find life easier and better in South Africa, so Angie just has to break it to Mary.  Mary of course has to tell Angie about Jude, reporting that he is still lying and disappeared when she and Roy were waiting to bring him back to the Street leaving his hotel bill unpaid.  Later we have a touching scene in the Rovers (above) where Mary recalls times baby sitting George then accepts that Angie has to return to South Africa as she must not throw away such a good opportunity, so Angie departs tomorrow (Monday I suspect); Mary is already looking forward to visiting South Africa.

Under pressure from Gemma, Chesney chases after Emma, inviting her for a picnic [cheesy chips and onion rings] in the park (wear warm clothes) and he does up the area (above) for a planned romantic interlude, Gemma assures Ches he will be on a "promise".  The meeting never happens as it is when Gemma leaves that Chesney spots the stalker, leaving the park to chase him down.  Once again Emma and Chesney's romance is going nowhere, Emma is convinced she was stood up for Gemma which in a sense she was.

Tim and Sophie run into Gina and make it clear to Roy that she is not to be trusted.  Tim and Sophie then ask Imran for help in clearing Sally's name and despite him feeling Sally has been wronged he knows he cannot help them.  Tim and Sophie visit Sally in prison - but she is getting concerned for the future as Abi will be released next week; Tim assures her (with little evidence) that they are working on an appeal.  Gina now wants to make amends for all she has done and she sees Imran going out so rushes into the office when Imran returns, telling her where to look to find a file with Duncan's new address (above).  Tim is threatening all sorts of harm to Duncan as he wants to beat a confession out of him, but Tim does not yet know Duncan's new address so returns unable to find him.  Gina later blackmails Imran (threatening the Law Society) for one more favour - and gives him until tomorrow (Monday presumably) to agree - although we do not know what she wants.

David is planning to redecorate the salon in more modern style to get younger clients when he takes over as promised by Audrey.  However Audrey no longer has any savings as her account was cleared and so she is going to continue working until she is in the ground.  This does not go down well with David!  How many times has this happened?  And of course Maria will be part owner so technically David's boss.  Somehow I doubt harmony will rein (apart from use as hairspray of course).


Writers: Steven Fay and Cameron McAllister
Director: Alan Grint

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Friday 23 November 2018

We all know that Hope is her father's daughter.  And she has trouble getting up in the morning - look at that bed hair (above).  However John Stape never bit anyone that I can recall whilst Hope thinks teacher would make a decent lunch!  The school wants to exclude Hope and despite the obnoxious deputy head (who is acting head with the real head off sick and wants the top job permanently) being a pain in the backside I feel that Ty and Fiz are wrong on this one - they can see nothing wrong with biting a teacher.  Is this modern parenting I ask myself.  Anyway Brian is given the run around by Phil (Deputy Dawg Headmaster) not only over the stupid ideas for panto (oh no he isn't, oh yes he is!),  who implies to Brian that he will withdraw Hope's exclusion from Bessie Street - but she has to go to a PRU (pupil referral unit).  To me that sounds like a soft option for Hope who probably should get some ect or similar!  Anyway an impasse threatens as Hope can only go to the PRU (not the insurance company) if her parents agree.  Phil tells Brian to get with the programme or else - his old fashioned ideas have no place in Bessie St these days.

Mary was pleased to find her son nearly two years ago and now despite him being a lying worthless git - well he is her son.  So his complete disappearance is making her unhappy and she thinks they ought to report him missing to the police.  Ex-wife Angie is not really interested and when the police do turn up she is far from sure that his loss of house, wife and job as a marine biologist sorry Kabin employee (and failure to become a paramedic) was enough for him to follow Aidan's path or as Mary expresses it "sleeping with the fish" which does seem appropriate.  When the police turn up Angie explains Jude's interest in marine biology (above)!  And the wardrobe team keep finding some amazing clothes for Angie - nearly always a single colour outfit.  Angie also knows now that Jude was mired in debt and had fleeced friends.  Angie explains that Jude just runs away from reality.

Gemma is grasping life by the hand - well a bacon butty in each hand and another two on the table in front of her seems like comfort eating as Cathy points out.  Cathy summons Chesney and effectively says Gemma's apology for her - words which Gemma could not bring herself to say, even though she would have wanted to apologise.  Chesney and Gemma later go to Speed Dahl and set their personal world to rights.  Emma finds them and initially is suspicious but both reassure her that they are sorting things out.  She joins them and whilst Gemma remains jealous that she has lost Chesney (but maybe only for now) they settle down to at least co-exist as Gemma makes it clear to Emma that she is not after Chesney.  After all it is hard not to like Emma.  I predict this will go on for years with neither Chesney or Gemma being free when the other one is!

There are two Street residents in the same jail, so naturally Abi needs to move in with Sally to get away from her druggie mate (Abi wants to stay clean).  Sally recounts her need to have an adjournment as suggested by Sophie down the phone.  Abi acts by thumping Sally hard enough (above) to send her to hospital.  Whilst the telephone calls are monitored there is apparently no CCTV in the cells.  Sal goes to hospital and the case is adjourned.  However Sophie, Tim, Gina and Paula go to the hospital where Sophie admits it was her idea.  Paula points out that the calls are monitored and it will be reported to the judge (whose opinion of Sophie is already at rock bottom and will not help Sal's case).  Gina finds it hard to believe that Sally would go to such lengths.  Tim not knowing the truth reassures Sally that he cannot manage without her and is glad it is not serious.  Sally however is returned to the prison by the second episode because it is only a smack around the face and not that serious.  She does thank Abi for the smack in the face.  In exchange Abi gets to explain about why she is in jail.  They go off for a game of pool.  Johnny is going to stand as character witness for Sally.

Talking of Gina, she is not sure if she is coming or going so decides to see Duncan and ask for him to tell his side of the story.  During his clever retelling of his side of events (above) I asked my wife if she believed any of it and she reminded me we had known Sally for years and knew she was not like that.  But he did sound amazingly convincing to me, although he did put up Gina's back when he described Tim as a slob.  Gina is far from sure she believes Sally and Duncan senses it.  Duncan then turns the screw, telling Gina to wise up and get away from Sally whilst she still can.  Gina returns to the Street and tells Tim and Sophie that she wants to testify and Tim accepts because they are short of character witnesses; at the very end Gina says that the world has to know what her sister is like.

Roll credits.

Looks like Gina has gone over to the dark side.  Hope is already there (treating a teacher as if he as a pepperami is one bite too many).  Jude is presumably going to reappear unless he is sleeping with his fishy friends.  Gemma meanwhile has given up Bill Oddie tattoo man and is off to Butlins Skegness to snog the man on the fun fair.

See you all in two weeks.  Corrie Comicals will be along later.

Writer: Chris Fewtrell, Director: Sean Healy

Kosmo
@kosmo100

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

Coronation Street Episode Review, Friday 19 October 2018

Ronan's death continues to trouble the police and Ali.  DS MacKinnon is back and wants to know who and how Websters serviced Michelle's car.  Kevin has little choice but to reveal that Abi was the competent mechanic involved.  Abi really needs the police on her case at the moment.  (Off beat thought - if Abi and Ali got together what would we call them?).  Meanwhile Ali panics every time a police car appears in Weatherfield - anyone would think he had killed someone.  And of course the secret cannot be kept - Michelle has told Robert and would probably tell Carla if she could.  As far as I know Ryan remains out of it and does not know either.

Angie left Jude about 2 weeks ago and is now indulging in on line dating, in her local dahl spot whilst Jude is minding George.  Whilst the date seemed to go well she sneaks a look at his mobile phone and makes the unwelcome discovery that he has little respect for the myriad of women he is dating giving them nicknames to be able to tell them apart.  Jude hears her telling the date that she has wasted enough of her life on one meaningless husband and does not plan to make any more mistakes.  Mary gets the family together in the Bistro to celebrate Jude being selected for consideration for the Good Samaritan award (that time of year again) for "saving" Roy's life.  We can expect Ali to go into meltdown when he hears this news.  For a moment Angie almost remembers what she saw in the marine biologist compulsive liar she married.

Next week is half term week.  So on Friday Cathy is trying to organise a week away with Brian - Ibiza or Wales?  Not in this household - our holidays are booked through to November 2019.  Anyway Brian cannot go - as the new boy he got suckered into running the half term club so all the other teachers could have it large in Ibiza.

Vicky Tyler is being as awkward as we might expect of Tyler's mum but thanks to a casual mention by Sarah to Peter the latter has found her a new job at Natty's Knicks and so she has no reason to make Simon's life difficult and it swerves the impending strike at Underworld if she had been re-instated following the fight with Sinead.  I will be disappointed if this is the last we see of this lady.  Perhaps Sarah could stop being a barmaid and Jenny can recruit her?

Kevin and Jack are slowly adjusting to the latter's loss and we see Jack crack a joke about it.  More importantly one of Gary's friends from the Army (did you know he served in the Army, he rarely mentions it according to Ty) is an expert on recovering from losing limbs and using prosthetics in the sporting world and perhaps he could get him to come and talk to Jack.  A far better idea than Tommy Orpington would be my view!

Current hospitalised count is still three: Leanne (I think), Amy and Ryan so there is money to be made out of a charabanc outing from the Street to Weathy General at the moment.  Amy is worst off as her parents have gone on holiday without a second thought, so Ken has to visit her.

However the main story rushing past us concerns the suspended Sinead who is able to attend the clinic to be told that it is cancer and there are two possible treatments but she gets upset so she does not get to hear the outcome probabilities or even make a proper decision (I suspect we lose either baby or Sinead or both in this story).  She has sacrificed one baby because of Ken so when he sees her crying in the hospital corridor he follows her back to the flat and finds the many leaflets concerning cervical cancer she has put down on the table (and what if Daniel had walked in?).  He works out how ill Sinead is (plus the complications) and says he has to tell Daniel but Sinead talks him out of it for now.  The Barlow family gather at the Bistro where Ken is like a tropical rainstorm on proceedings which are ostensibly to celebrate Ken getting a story published and Daniel being accepted on the MA course; to which Peter adds the news that Sinead can return to work and that Vicky has gone.  Daniel senses something is wrong with Ken but the latter will not give away Sinead's secret.  However Ken later makes it clear to Sinead that one of them has to tell Daniel soon.

To enable me to visit hospital in a couple of weeks' time I will be here next week in this spot.

Writers: Susan Oudot and Ian Kershaw
Director: Duncan Foster

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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

Corrie Comicals week ending 19 October 2018

This week follows the fall out from last week.  With two characters in hospital it is fair to say that comedy was not that near the surface on Monday.  Jenny (Sally Ann Matthews) had the heavy lifting to do on Monday facing up to what she had sort of guessed but now knew.  Johnny is trying to explain that his indiscretion with Liz was important - Jenny latches onto this - so it was a "big deal" with "Big Mac"(Donald).  Having told Johnny he is forgiven she adds that "Liz is a whole different slapper correction matter and leave the barmaid to me."  And she tells Liz to decide if she is going to be bothered to turn up for her next shift at 6, which she does, driving Jenny to the bottle.

I did feel sorry for Leanne at one point if she had woken up with Nick one side of her bed and Peter on the other side.  News of Nick's return did not impress David although he did offer to pop along to Freshco to see if they had good stocks of fatted calves.

Having been sent on his way by Leanne and Toyah it is fair to say that Nick is looking for anyone who will be his friend and was getting on very well with David (the dog) until David returns home; he picks the dog up and calls him a traitor!

It was also inevitable that Gail would want to say "I told you so" as she reminds Nick that she warned him about both Leanne and Carla.  As yet of course she is unaware of "E" who is constantly phoning Nick and whom he is studiously avoiding most of the time.  His partner in his Nottingham restaurant perhaps?

How to turn a crisis into drama - and get the wrong result.  Ali is trying to leave Weatherfield so Michelle stands in front of his car (a suspended trainee doctor can afford a TT?) and she pleads for him not to leave whilst he is revving engine.  It had all the wrong effect on me as I thought there were two outcomes - either Ali backed down or Michelle got flattened, so it made me laugh!  It is rumoured that some viewers are not keen on Michelle.  But I am sure there are less dramatic ways of getting Ali to stay than standing in front of his car.  Remember Michelle he was not keen on either mother a few months ago!

Friday was at the weaker end of the humour spectrum.  Sinead's secret is uncovered and Vicky was ushered off to a new job, she did manage one little crack before she departed to Natty's Nicks:

She tells Sarah to keep her wig on when Sarahmis advising Peter that the workforce will revolt if Vicky returns to work.

There was a bright spot, in fact a double bright spot.  Firstly Jack was sounding more positive and in this particular scene I felt the actor also came alive - really giving good delivery of his lines and telling a little story to explain that he was not playing on the Street at the moment.  Kyran Bowes really pulled off his part tonight - I hope he has a bright future ahead of him. This was followed by some good natured joking between Gary and Ty.  More of this please.

Extras at work - this week from the Viaduct bistro where Angie (who remember had lunch in Speed Dahl) is dining with Jude.

She is not referring to the extra wandering past behind them but to her lunch "date" who is less than complimentary with the nick names he uses on his phobile moan.  She asked if he called her "Big Butt Angie" - a hint of dislike of part of your body there Angie?

Friday review will be along a little later.

Writers: Carmel Morgan & Sam Holdsworth (Monday), David Isaac (Wednesday), Susan Oudot and Ian Kershaw (Friday)
Directors: Tim O'Mara (Monday), Duncan Foster (Wednesday & Friday)

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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