Coronation Street Episode Review;Wednesday 10th of August 8 pm

Casting aside the dodgy acoustic guitar songs and (long forgotten) random cough, I'm unsure what to make of these latest developments with top scouser and all-around nice guy, Stu Carpenter. Flaky boozy vagrant, he was, but redemption seems to have been made via his Bistro job, foodbank plan, surrogate daughter Kelly, and blossoming romance with Yasmeen. With this murder conviction from his past now rearing its head, is Stu actually another bad guy?

Tonight, Yasmeen makes it clear that she wants distance between them, whilst Kelly arranges for Billy to give him some spiritual guidance. Although Stu seems hellbent on leaving the street, he departs from the hospital (very quickly!) and is soon back at Speed Daal, and outside Victoria Court, hoping to make things up with Yasmeen, and Kelly, respectively. Sneaking into N0.6, Stu confronts Yasmeen and explains his innocence, affair, and framing for the murder. Yasmeen is stoic in response and Stu’s pleas are ignored. Yasmeen calls Zeedan for help, and then Craig arrives to arrest Stu. Later, Yasmeen seems pensive and is possibly regretting the arrest. A notable scene tonight was Billy and Shona discussing the finer points of capital punishment! That was hilarious. More from those two, please, Corrie! 

‘It's like pulling teeth’ has yet to be said by any character in this latest Sean romance dentistry drama, but Corrie can be forgiven, as newbie Glenda Shuttleworth is just divine! I must admit to having a slight Corrie crush (Sorry, Alya!) on her dulcet tones. Does Jodie Prenger do a podcast? I could listen to her speak, all day. Let's hope this is a long-term stint rather than a guest slot, and I was glad to see Mary back tonight too - what a duo those two make! 

Although, their sleuthing is unneeded as Laurence (the dentist) turns up at Shuttleworths looking for Sean. George arranges a date night for them both, but Sean is nervous and reluctant to attend, wishing to put Dylan first. With help from Mary, Glenda, and Eileen, Sean changes his mind, and it's toothy grins, all around. I got confused with the shoe joke but it was light-hearted soapy stuff. Does this mean we’ve seen the last of Frank? I’m not so sure. 

Meanwhile, Ryan has his day in court following last Wednesday’s comedy casino night heist and has little support from Debbie, but Ronnie manages to make a court-side appearance. Pleading guilty, Ryan’s fake mitigation plea (that Ray Crosby did it) falls on deaf ears, but luckily he escapes jail with a community service sentence. Ryan is left morose, bereft, and at a loss as to where his life is now going. Later, Debbie tells him the insurance has failed to pay out, so she offers him a job at the Bistro. 

Audrey is also at a crossroads tonight, as Doctor Gaddas suggests anti-depressant treatment following her ‘suicide attempt’. We don't know if she did it, nor if she meant it, and I’m not sure Audrey understands it either. It's a sensitive subject, and in this current climate, Corrie deserves praise for raising this. We don't know if she accepted the offer, as Adam Barlow (sporting another new hairdo) spots Audrey rushing into the Rovers and later tells her this, with Stephen in her presence. 

Elsewhere - Speed Daal is very busy, but with Alya taking a business break with her new beau Matt, Yasmeen is feeling the stress, but Zeedan holds the fort strong! Tonight's dinner guests include; Tim and Steve sharing Dad jokes, and Spider mysteriously splashing the cash, telling Leanne he will leave Weatherfield by the end of the week. Toyah is still struggling as she prepares to move out of the flat, and part with Imran’s possessions, which causes a row with Adam. Spider defends her honour. Kirk is feeling lonely. 

An all-around enjoyable (albeit fast-paced) episode! 

I am @rybazoxo self-styled cobbles connoisseur & Coronation Street superfan 

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Wednesday 1st December 7.30 & 8.30

Is Curtis a 'Walter Mitty' type, a hypochondriac, or just a bit of a conman? Tonight the storyline is moved on a tad, and I've still no idea where this is going?! Curtis attends his consultation, which proves his heart is beating soundly, and aside from that scar (from a childhood operation), he is perfectly fit and healthy. So what is his secret? A hypochondriac story, in the middle of a pandemic, does carry a clever curiosity to it. Either that, or he’s some kind of conman or related to Steve’s dodgy past, somehow? My only concern at this stage (besides that I cannot take to this character) is that this ends up being another Corrie crime caper and related to Oliver’s benevolent fund, e.g a cash steal? Remember, that’s how the character came into the story, originally. Anyway, Curtis covers his tracks by lying about the consultation to Emma, and, it transpires that his Dad is not dead after all. He’s very much alive and turns up at the Bistro. 

It seems Curtis is hiding something, but what is it? Emma is well-known for her ditsy naivety (with a charming childlike innocence) and remains clueless. She's too busy with Sean and Beth in the factory, who (in the longtime Corrie tradition) offer to make her wedding dress.  

We aren’t supposed to like Grace, are we? I very much do, however, and I hope she causes as much trouble as possible for the Bailey clan! I’m always a fan of a trouble causer on the cobbles, and well, I think it gives the family the edge and a drop of excitement. It’s most definitely needed!. So far (sofa), so good, and although you can’t condone getting drunk with/or without a baby present, she sure knows how to rile up Agie and Ed. Like I say, when it comes to that Bailey clan, this is drama needed. I also enjoyed Bernie stirring it, and although it seemed she was a friend of Grace, she chastises her for leaving the kid at home. Has Grace made another enemy on the street? 

Good to see the Christmas Market in full throttle. I'd like it if they made Clint (mulled wine hippie guy) a permanent character? He reminds me of Spider Nugent! 

Still unsure why a brainbox like Summer would get entangled in a teenage crush, but hey ho, dashing Daniel has courted Daisy for a bit now, so it must be his Barlow genes. Summer fails to catch his eye, even though he has now split up with Daisy, again? I'm confused (!) as I thought it was all pretence (again). Anyway, I think the Oxford Uni wannabee may be better concentrating on her entrance interview instead! 

A bit of a strange story strand, but as a fan of the lovely Daisy ( I do love a trouble causer on the street) I'm guessing we can expect some confrontation scenes soon with the two girls?

Written by long-time Corrie pen Ian Kershaw, tonight did include a touching reference to #WorldAidsDay. It would have been ace to have seen Billy & Yasmeen do a scene or two down the gay village. 

 

Elsewhere tonight - Homeless Stu is invited to a free meal at Speed Daal, whilst Alya, Zee, and Ryan try and rescue the restaurant from financial ruin!

@rybazoxo Your self-styled cobbles connoisseur 

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Wednesday 27th October 7.30 & 8.30

That's the thing with sinkholes, I guess. The land opens up, swallows what it can, and then you have to fix the hole and deal with the fallout. Dramatic license or poetic license, we are certainly seeing the immediate effects it's having on Corrie residents. Tonight, we have to deal with Natasha's (unexpected, unneeded, and unnecessary) death and the consequences of Johnny's demise, too. 

Isn't this just sensationalist morbidity? Jenny and Carla are heartbroken, and even little Sam (a rare ray of Corrie sunshine) is now in turmoil too. There isn't much hope for the lad either; Leanne and Nick rarely smile at the best of times! The point I'm making is that it's very dark and doesn't feel like Corrie? How are they going to mend this sinkhole? I mean, it wasn't that long ago that Carla's mental health deteriorated to the point of hallucination and paranoid delusion. What now? Will Carla revert to her previous mental state following her Father's death? Leanne's is a right state, Nick's now a single father, Jenny Bradley's boozing, and even Roy's succumbing to guilt and lying. As much as I like the depths of human emotion examined by my favourite characters, we've all got enough on with Covid, haven't we? 

And then we have Corey's admittance of guilt. Harking back to last week's Scooby-Doo styled Horrornation Street crime caper, it seems Asha is now in 'Velma' mood, conveniently locating homeless man Stu, who just happens to have Corey's WCFC bag in his possession! It's a ruse to bring Nina and Asha back together, of course, and these two did bring light to tonight's dark proceedings - it's just another annoying strand to this already convoluted Corey thread. I was a bit unconvinced about the homeless guy collaring him at the end too. So.much.misery. 

With that, little atheist Sam (which makes me like him more) insists on seeing Natasha's corpse at the undertaker's. The morbid malaise just keeps on coming. I'd laugh if I could - it's just all so very miserable! Sam's monologue was heartfelt, but the sinkhole misery continues to pile on and into the street!

That's the thing with sinkholes, I guess. I just worry (and wonder) how Coronation Street will fill in this hole of misery?

Elsewhere in tonight's Corrie - Emma & Curtis do a cutesy couple thing, Jenny forgives Daisy, and Daniel drops David right in it!

@rybazoxo your Cobbles Connossieur 

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 24th March 7.30 & 8.30 pm

Leanne's seemingly simple slide into drug dealing (instead of Simon's ‘county lines’ story) could be a result of the covid-19 filming restrictions or maybe a result of the production break. However it's come about, you can always guarantee incredible performances from Jane Danson, whatever situation Leanne finds herself in. Tonight is no different. Harvey pays Leanne a visit to drop off a package for delivery, and she’s decided to dress up as a nurse to avoid any kind of police detection. Leaving the flat together, Toyah spies Harvey and assuming Leanne is having an affair, she confides in Imran and tells Nick what she saw.

Later on, Leanne arrives back in Weatherfield via the tram stop, only to be stopped by a pedestrian who thinks she’s a real nurse and seeks her assistance with a collapsed man. The man later dies, and feeling the full force and pressure of dealing, Leanne refuses another job offer from Harvey, who again visits her. Confused by Leanne’s behaviour, Nick pays a visit to the flat at the same time. Harvey hides away but Nick spots his jacket and Leanne tells her boyfriend to leave. She then heads out to another drugs deal but diverts to a police station instead to seek help, and is duly arrested instead!

Meanwhile, Natasha tells David about how pleased she is that Sam has been accepted into the Platt clan. David offers her some advice and on hearing this, Natasha tells Nick how she feels about him but is rebuffed. She decides to kick him out of their shared home. David apologises to his brother and offers him a shoulder to drink on. 

Cathy never did seem like an online troll so it makes sense that Brian would carry the guilt, but does he deserve the backlash? The Kabin has been blacklisted by the residents and Cathy and Brian are now the street’s pariahs. At Bernie’s insistence, the couple decides to visit The Rovers Return to face the music only for Brian to be immediately barred by a furious Jenny! Later, Steve heads into The Kabin and tells Brian he will get Tracy to cool-off with the anger. 

Tyrone has trouble making amends with Fiz tonight after that stolen kiss with Alina, and now the whole street knows about it. Tyrone confesses the truth to Kevin, whilst a vengeful and humiliated Fiz is soon out on the street and confronts her love rival. I did envisage some sort of reenactment of Eileen and Gail’s legendary street fight but I’ll settle for a sit-down confrontation at Roy’s Rolls. Fiz may have mellowed but she still hints at violent repercussions if Alina doesn't leave Tyrone alone, and Alina is teary-eyed by the end of it. Later, Fiz and Ty try a reconciliation meal at Speed Daal but it’s clear that gossip is rife and Sally is as subtle as ever. Fiz is reluctant to forgive and Tyrone seems confused. Is there more to come in this storyline?

Less interesting is Sean and Daisy doubling up as double glammy sales team! The equally vacuous pair are full of promise and have gelled together quickly. Hearing news of their successful online seminar, Rhydian is quick to offer Sean a viewing of a Redbank flat that's up for rent. Taking him up on the offer, Sean tells Eileen he is moving out. 

Elsewhere in tonight’s episodes; Kelly asks Imran if he and Toyah would be her foster parents. 

@rybazoxo your cobbles connoisseur 

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