Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 4th March 7.30 & 8.30 pm

Daniel's descent into the depths of grief-stricken despair has been a credible slow burner; a credit to Corrie's writing team. Grabbing a chance of happiness with Bethany, the relationship has always been painfully awkward with Sinead's ghost ever-present. After the slurred best man speech at the wedding, it's now painfully obvious to all concerned that he's using her as a replacement for his dead wife, and tonight the truth is painfully revealed. Seeking solace in alcohol, and finding Sinead's wedding ring, Daniel's misguided proposal is a disaster, and the end is nigh.Sad but inevitable.

Those scenes in N0.1 as Daniel and Bethany ended the relationship were stunning though and a testament to two great actors. Agree?

Also reaching the end of her journey, jaded Jade caused trouble for Ty before leaving the street for good? Fresh from Kevin selling the garage, troubled Tyrone had to buy the nefarious nanny a nice birthday gift from Hope. Predictably, Jade misconstrues the gift as some sort of mark of affection, and makes a pass at Ty, telling Fiz that they kissed! Jade's veiled threat to Fiz fails to hit the mark and with Hope finally realising her half-sister is a psycho, she tells her it's time to leave the house. Is this the last we will see of Jade? I can't say I'm convinced.

What I am convinced of though, is that Geoff is a git! Continuing his coercive campaign, Yasmeen's cash now seems to be his driver for evil. Squirrelling away at her secret stash, he tells Tim he will pay for the wedding, but will Ray's terrible one-star reviews of 'Speed Daal' hit the restaurants profit margins? Will Alya be Geoff's next victim? I have a theory about what's to come next...
If Ray now owns Gary's furniture shop (archway), this puts him in direct contact with the ginger gangster and grumpy Geoff. So I propose this; maybe Ray could kill off Geoff, Gary could kill off Ray, and then hey ho, problem solved?

Whilst we are it, do we think Gary may see fit to sort out Dr Ali, too? The GP seems hellbent on keeping hold of Maria (no, me neither) and now that Adam knows what's been going on, will his secret stay safe in The Rovers do we think or will the ginger gangster finish him off first?  Let us know your thoughts!

I'll be back next week, once I've written complaint letters to 350 people telling them to eff (Geoff) off!

TARA until next week!

I'm @rybazoxo your corrie cobbles connoisseur

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Coronation Street episode review Friday 24 January 2020

Corrie opened with this overhead shot of Jade lying prone on the floor following a battering with a chopping board; oddly these are usually considered less dangerous than knives - but in the wrong hands you can be laid low as Jade found.  I suspect most viewers thought Jade deserved the little tap which Fiz administered.  Ty confirms she is alive and then when Evelyn returns with Ruby and Hope the door into the room is closed and Jade obviously recovers and does a runner out the back.  Never to return?  Ty cannot find her - but she is lying in a heap in that odd little ginnel that goes nowhere off Victoria Street.  Eventually Fiz tells Evelyn she hit Jade - which is why she is scrubbing the blood out of the carpet.

The time dilation effect which sometimes strikes Corrie is strange tonight as the first episode is a continuation of the same day as Wednesday.  Tim returns from trying to borrow from Kev to tell Charlie that he had failed to borrow the money.  She is refusing to sign the divorce papers until she can clear her debts - after all he can afford a cleaner (Abi - who didn't do any cleaning).  Faye comes home and is introduced to her step-mummy!  Tim explains all to Faye who extorts £50 to keep her silence (above is her observation on events).  Later in the Rovers Emma offers to lend Tim the money which shames Steve and Kev to offer to help Tim as Steve will not let Emma use her father's money like that.  Tim is much relieved.  However Eileen and Emma are now in on the "secret". 

In the Rovers Sarah and Maria cross paths.  Sarah makes it clear she is not jealous and she is not trying to wind up Maria and she does wish them all the best.  She believes that at some point Gary will let Maria down - either sleep with another woman or lie in some way.  Sarah does not want to be in the position that she then finds that she could have warned Maria who has suffered through her silence.  Maria is left to ponder her words.  A little later Gary's phone goes and he takes the call in the Rovers' yard, Maria eavesdrops and it sounds entirely like he is plotting a trip to spend time with another woman.  He shows Maria his phone - he was talking to Jake.  She eventually believes him.   Once they are back in the flat Maria apologises for earlier events and when Nicola texts suggesting a meeting Maria goes further (above) and suggests that it could be a family outing with Liam and Jake.  They are a spread out higgledy piggledy family and they should spend time together.

Bethany is not happy and Alya tells her to take the shift off from the Bistro and get her head straight.  She runs into Daniel in the Kabin (where Rita is once again behind the counter) and she sounds off about Ray.  Daniel suggests they have a cup of tea in his flat to discuss her resignation.  Bethany enumerates her worries and Daniel says she needs to ignore most of them and perhaps she should consider leaving Weatherfield.  Bethany does not grasp it as a good idea.  Daniel continues to expand on the possibilities if she leaves and reminds her of the creative writing course; he opens the laptop and gets her to complete the application online now, during which Daniel and Bertie pop out to the shop, meeting Maria who spots that Bertie is running a temperature.  Daniel gets worked up about Bertie and Bethany departs (above) as she realises that she will never register on any scale of importance to Daniel when Bertie has a problem - but inevitably the scene has now been set for Bethany to leave the Street.

Tim gives Charlie the cheque in Roy's Rolls and Jenny pops in to place an advert for a new barmaid at the Rovers as she is short staffed.  We are not shown Charlie reading the advert or being interviewed - but the next we know she is on an initial trial shift and has not signed the divorce papers as she had been distracted by getting a job.  We do see Charlie (above) being introduced as the new barmaid as a little miracle! 

Billy and Paul are playing darts (or according to the subtitles "arras" which is something completely different) when Bernie joins them at which point Paul loses his relaxed happy air because she suggests Paul consider the dartboard to be Kel's head.  Bernie gets an earful from Rita who tells the grand-quad-mother that she should be pulling her weight.  Bernie grasps the point and next we see her cleaning up after the fire.  Paul and Billy bring back fish and chips which gives Billy a chance of giving some vicarly advice that her presence is stopping Paul getting better.  Later Bernie comes to Billy's flat and tells Paul that she is leaving town and asks him to tell Gemma when she returns.  Billy and Paul later cross the Street to see Bernie depart (above) in a StreetCars car.

We see nothing of Geoff - but Yasmeen takes a chilling phone call from him implying that she has taken too long shopping (above) - immediately before she finds the crumpled Jade in the ginnel.  By the time she has summoned help for Jade she would have been even later.

Ty and Fiz discuss the latter handing herself into the police as they all think Jade has gone to report the assault.  Evelyn counsels against honesty and they agree a story just before the police knock on the door to ask about a potential assault on Jade who was found near Victoria Street which Evelyn observes is a long way from Coronation Street - with a straight face!  The police get nothing and depart allowing Hope to explain why she ran away - to visit her father.  Hope asks them to tell her about John Stape; Fiz does not explain much more than that he was a good teacher.  Hope insists she wants her sister Jade.  Fiz decides she cannot lie to the children and is going to the police when Jade knocks and is ushered into the house.  Jade has told the police that she was mugged and did not see who was responsible.  Fiz tells her about John Stape and Jade insists that John loved her, never forgot her birthdays or Christmas and always knew about her.  Fiz says that John never mentioned Jade and that she needs to talk to her mother.  Jade explains she just wanted a relationship with her sister and although she does not know how would like to make it up to the family.  Evelyn has her own theory (above).  As Jade leaves Hope rushes downstairs and asks to go with her.  Jade tells Hope that she has to be with Fiz and Ty.  Fiz makes it clear that she would rather rot in prison than let Jade and Hope meet - Ty proposes an armed guard.  We all know that Fiz will eventually relent so perhaps Jade may return.

Comings and Goings tonight - thank you Mr Pooter.  Jade has gone and may not return - I cannot work it out.  Bernie has gone; unlike some I was not keen - was she really so disconnected not to know what was happening to Paul?  Charlie has arrived; I really would like to see her stay but suspect that a meeting with Sally will terminate her existence.  Despite all of Sarah's warnings Maria has decided for the sake of the baby to buckle down and carry on.  Sarah's "I told you so" will hang over them for a long time.

Written by David Isaac & Joe Turner, directed by Sean Healy.

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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

The secret’s out - what’s next for Jade? Lottie Henshall interview

With one of Corrie’s biggest revelations of the year, Jade Rowan has been the centre of a huge storyline for some time now. With all of her secrets now out in the open, what will be Jade’s next move?

I spoke to Lottie Henshall, who plays Jade, as well as Jennie McAlpine (Fiz) and Alan Halsall (Tyrone) to find out more about how this story will unravel.

Jade is definitely her father’s daughter, and Lottie agrees: “We’re talking about how John [Stape] was as a person. He killed four people, didn’t he? But it was never on purpose, like he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer.

“All [Jade] wants is Hope. She’s been brainwashed by her mum, life has been a complete lie and she genuinely is convinced that Fiz is dangerous for Hope. All she wants is to look after her sister, really. She is going about it in a very John Stape way; she’s going about it in the wrong way but her intentions are just because she loves Hope so much.”

If you cast your mind back, everyone will remember that John could be quite an intense character when someone got in his way, which is something Lottie had to bare in mind when watching YouTube videos of her onscreen dad.

“I watched them all. Just to find out more about him and I’ve sort of done it quite a lot because ther was a time because of Uni and college, I missed Corrie quite a bit... but I always watched the John Stape bit so I knew, I knew anyway but I did rewatch it.”

When speaking about carrying on John’s iconic legacy, Lottie said: “It’s a privilege, isn’t it? Just to be in Corrie anyway but to come in with such a big storyline and bring back John Stape. I mean, the reveal of it where it goes to the gravestone, I filmed it but I was still like, ‘Oh my God!’ But yeah, it is an honour.”

Jade seemingly has what she wants now that Hope has been taken away from Fiz- but is this the end?

Sophie Williams

Read some more of my general natterings on Twitter @soph_journo

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Corrie Comicals week ending 10 January 2020

Sometimes Corrie gets moved sideways for football and tonight that means we get a single hour long episode with Mr Lloyd-Fox writing the entire episode.  We have not had enough Evelyn recently and she is above telling Fiz that it is Twelfth Night and the decorations and unwanted Jade must go.  As events prove it was too late.

Now we get Moira as well - she was getting details from "this man"?  (Patient surely - or visitor? - in a  surgery).  Evelyn says everyone knows Roy (above) to which Moira cutely responds that she is pretty sure his surname is not Rolls.  Then embarrassed Moira realises that it is all a play on words.

Steve is excusing himself from taking his son Oliver to a party as he has to look after Tracy's pussy cat which needs chipping.  I assume a great deal of effort is being expended over description of the cat to avoid embarrassment!

Fiz, Ty do not sign the Section 20 without proper legal advice.  Even if the social worker asks the police for a protection order there is no certainty as there is no proof, sign it and you will be royally stuffed.

Chesney and Gemma are on a photoshoot with the quads for Freshco in an aspirational style house with a huge bedroom (above) acting as a green room.  Chesney's enthusiasm is not, as some viewers might have anticipated, for sex - but for sleep and they lie down together and listen to the silence!  Both of them have had makeovers before the photo shoot.  Continuity takes a hit later when Chesney's baby sick on his shirt mysteriously disappears!





















Talking of makeovers on the left we have the downtrodden home help Jade Rowan and on the right we have the unveiling of the power dressed, new hairstyle and more makeup bringing us the new and improved Jade (Stape) Rowan who is expecting to be given a half sister to bring up on the dark side!

Leanne had a couple of great episodes and over at the Conversation Street podcast posted a couple of tweets: https://twitter.com/ConversationStr/status/1215002400441982976?s=20  and https://twitter.com/ConversationStr/status/1215003523886256133?s=20 which show Jane Danson in fine form and above she is pretending to Amy that she, Paula and Tracy are discussing men.  Only Amy already knows and they are really discussing women.  Leanne's earlier question to Tracy about finding out when she was first attracted to women with arms crossed Michelle fashion added to the cross-examination.  Nice to see Leanne back in such fine form!

Come Friday Leanne is still fishing about events on New Year's Eve (or was it on the morning of New Year's Day?) wanting to know about Tracy changing the habits of a lifetime.  Paula does really not want to say - it was one night only about which Leanne makes the above snide announcement.  Tracy of course ignited the feud between the two when she left a candle alight which caused Kal's death.  Leanne then slept with Steve twice, once shortly before his wedding to Tracy.  Tracy is therefore happy to get details of Tracy's latest fall from grace!

Steve has extracted a confession from Tracy that she has cheated and there is a person hiding in the bathroom, he hammers on the door and tells the occupant to come out and face him like a man.  He says hello to Paula and storms past her (above) to find the man who has cuckolded him.  Before long he grasps that Tracy has had a taste of something different.

I know I should not be laughing at infidelity and at its root there is something not right with Steve and Tracy's marriage - which no doubt will come right as we know (as does Steve) that they ought to be together.  However the way this has been played out has so far been for some lighter entertainment alongside the other storylines and whilst I suspect that may change it was certainly worth telling here this week.

Although Wednesday and Friday were split episodes both days were each a single writer and I hope this continues.  It brings a cohesiveness and continuity of style which I feel aids the flow of the two episodes.  I hope it is not a one off and will become more common in future.

Written by: Owen Lloyd-Fox (Monday); Joe Turner (Wednesday); Simon Crowther (Friday)
Directed by: Karl Neilson (Monday & Wednesday); David Beauchamp (Friday)

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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