Coronation Street Blog: maria connor

Showing posts with label maria connor. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 January 2023

Coronation Street Episode Review, Wednesday 25th January, 8 pm

With Speed Daal readying to host the refugee Q & A drop-in session, the Coronation Street right-wing radicalisation storyline continues to run through my Wednesday night episode reviews- and I'm here for it! With Max now 100% Nazi, and his pal Blake seemingly the same, I knew this episode was promising something. Having seen zero spoilers, and writing this on a Friday night due to being busy at my new job, I sat at the laptop with trepidation wondering what was to come. A few days ago, I read on the national news website about a northern UK teen being jailed for radicalisation, so fair play Corrie for being current, relevant, and supplying high-end drama.

We start tonight with Darryan handing out flyers for the gig, and Maria busying herself, much to Gary’s worry and frustration. It's good to see Gary and David at loggerheads again, right? Maria remains worried about Max’s temperament and decides to invite the youngster to the drop-in session. Max, however, is watching Blake’s online racist vlog live-stream and it's made clear that Blake is heading to Speed Daal with violent action in mind. David steals Max’s phone and tells him to go to the drop-in to try and change his views.

Over at Speed Daal, Maria gives a TED-talk speech on community cohesion, awareness, and woke Weatherfield, which seems to have been the button to press for Blake to reveal his knife, just as Max gets his phone back to retune to the live stream. Running over to Speed Daal, Max is aware of what could be about to happen, and (once again) his warnings of terrorist activity fall on deaf ears, and (once again), Alya comes off worse, and this time it's a stabbing! Gary and Darryan wrestle Blake to the ground, whilst Speed Daal is cleared, and the police are soon on the scene. Max is immediately a suspect cohort, whilst Alya's rushed into surgery.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Corrie spectrum, Fiz explains she's off to see her Mum, Cilla, for the night, and Evelyn worries about Tyrone being on his own. At the garage, he’s propositioned by the chinchilla blonde/pretty pet shop woman, which his granny spots, and tells him off for flirting. Flying off the handle, Evelyn tells Roy all about it, only to see Tyrone head out to his car all suited and booted. Evelyn suspects the worse so tells Roy to fire up his woody! At the Chariot Square hotel, we watch Tyrone arrive, and then the penny drops in my Corrie brain - he’s meeting Fiz! - after the spicy sex advice from street siren Sally! Yep, Fiz is in a blonde wig at the bar, with Evelyn and Roy springing Tyrone only to discover the newlywed's role-play sauciness! - love it. Corrie may encompass modern storytelling with the right-wing radicalisation thread but still gives us some light-hearted sauce that reminds me of just how good this programme can be.

At the Rovers, Daisy gets another expensive gift delivered, and her Mum is charmed upon meeting Stephen whilst he lies to Jenny about Teddy and Leo. Following his disposal of Teddy, Stephen is buoyant tonight and asks Jenny on a date, only for her to dismiss his charms. Outside of number one, Daisy bumps into her Scottish stalker who admits to sending the gift. Later, Stephen is late night packing at Underworld when he meets Dick Haversham, an old work pal. He lies about his factory job and Carla shows him up.

Elsewhere, Gemma’s childcare business meets its first client, which unfortunately makes her realise there's still a lot to learn. Gemma's trip to the kebab shop, whilst all hell broke loose on Victoria Street, was hilarious; just not sure if it was supposed to be. If Ches does a veggie option for that craft burger - I'm in!

Love! Dee-dee’s new hair, spotting the Weatherfield community hub branding, and Evelyn and Roy are the comedy detectives we all need! Could they ever be more than friends?

Also worth mentioning is some brilliant direction tonight, what with the camera work on Max’s running shot, and the speed daal stabbing aftermath. Some hilariously written and quite subtle innuendo made for top-tier Corrie tonight. What did you think?

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

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

Friday, 13 January 2023

Coronation Street Episode Review, Wednesday 11th January, 8 pm

Although things have calmed following Griff’s incarceration, the fallout from the bomb continues to feed several storylines tonight. Maria confirms the market will stay open until the 18th at least, despite the thwarted attack. Gary warns her of the council role (trolling, bombs, fake videos, protests ) but she remains committed to the job. Councillor Len tells her that (post-explosion) they are to record a TV interview for the local press.

As Max and David struggle with their father/son relationship following the bomb blast, Jacob’s storyline gives us the same, but from the opposite spectrum. Dodgy Dad / Son / emotional strain. Tonight, Damon pushes his son, in more ways than one, with the Bistro drugs delivery acting as emotional blackmail. He's got no choice and hides his unease in the Bistro kitchen as a night of business opens. With the police retirement party on the premises and a sniffer dog to boot, Jacob’s nerves start to get the better of him, and as he keeps an eye out for the delivery, his nerves come unstuck leading him to drop drinks on Craig!

Luckily, he manages to get the dodgy consignment out of the Bistro by feigning illness and heading home. Unfortunately, the drug dog sniffs out a scent in the Bistro kitchen anyway. Leanne is immediately suspicious of Jacob so she sends the police to his place. Back at his flat, Jacob manages to flush the gear down the toilet, before the sniffer dog and police visit them. Amy is shocked at seeing this unfold and probes her boyfriend, who denies all knowledge. Jacob then meets his Dad, who tells him it was a £50K stash - he either leaves Weatherfield or stays to face dark consequences.

On the other side of the spectrum, Max meets with Lauren again, who tells him she’s going to Devon and invites him to join her. He declines and tells David that he’s sticking around. At the market press jaunt, Len tells the interviewer that the open-door immigration policy isn't working, whilst Maria vows to keep Weatherfield woke. Gary tells Izzy about his worries.

Daisy’s wedding planning and freebie blagging lead her to an event at the Chariot Hotel with Glenda and Gemma in tow. Daniel still can't commit to a 2023 date with his new job starting but Daisy ignores his reluctance and attends anyway, hoping to book this in-demand DJ. At the gig, Daisy's dressed to kill, and still fuming with Daniel, she gets drunk and is soon charming the handsome DJ, before posting a selfie with him on her socials.

Later, after taking Summer for her diabetes check-up, Mike and Esther give her a lift back to Coronation Street. Leanne spots them together and tells Billy all about it, including that Mike tried to chat her up that night at the Bistro. Armed with some ammunition, Billy tells Summer this, which causes more friction between the father and daughter. Summer probes Mike about it, and he makes out it was just a joke, whilst Esther looks uncomfortable.

Elsewhere - Alya’s bomb-induced injuries inspire Dee-dee to bring her friend back into the solicitors, and Ryan is still evidently keen on pursuing his ex.

What did you think of tonight's Corrie?

Let us know in the comments box.

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

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

Tuesday, 21 June 2022

Maria cancelled by council in porn trolling scandal? Corrie Blog chats to Samia Longchambon

As temperatures rise for the summer season, so does the tension in Coronation Street. After settling more into her role on the council, Maria faces the wrath of internet trolls as she is subjected to an online hate campaign and gets more exposure than she bargained for!

Is Maria's council career going to be over before it's even started? Coronation Street Blog was pleased to be invited to chat with Samia Longchambon, who plays Maria, to learn about this latest issue-based and very serious social media storyline!

Hi Samia! It's great to speak with you again. Maria's really involved in her role as Weatherfield councillor. Can you recap on what's been going on?

Since joining the council, it's very much mission green: you sort of see her, initially, going up to people on the street, like Gail, to confront them about their recycling. She has an idea for everyone to have a separate bin to recycle glass bottles. She thinks of a great idea and tries to get everyone on board. The council agree but Maria doesn't realise it will be a lot more work for the binmen, who then go on strike. Nobody gets their bin emptied because of Maria, and the residents are unhappy with her!

What happens next?

Maria's doorstepped about the strike by a local journalist from the gazette. She tries to make her point, about how she going to get everything rectified and thinks she's given a great interview. Later, Kelly shows her an online viral video of the interview that has been mashed up and interspersed with rap music! Maria feels embarrassed and humiliated by this.

What effect does this then have on Maria?

It rocks her confidence - massively. Her heart is in the right place with it all - but it feels like everyone is laughing, and nobody seems to be taking her seriously. She starts snapping at people, becomes paranoid and shouts at Max. We don't know whether he holds a grudge or not yet.

Things go from bad to worse when she discovers a deep-fake* video of her that's been shared online. The video shows Maria’s head placed on a naked woman to make it look like she’s starred in a porn film!! How does Maria find out about it?

She’s been hiding the first video from Liam (the rap mash-up) as she doesn't want him to see it. She then gets a call to say that Liam's involved in a fight at school, and she goes to pick him up. He tells her the fight was about a video he’s seen of her, but it's not the rap one, which Maria assumed -she’s mortified! The video looks like her - these deep fakes are very realistic. Maria then thinks the residents of Weatherfield, and her neighbours, will see it and think it’s real.

How seriously does she want to take this?

She wants to go to the police, but things take a turn for the worse. She becomes a victim of internet trolling - it gets so bad that she starts receiving death threats! Maria then tells Gary that now is the time to go to the police, as they can't ignore the seriousness of the death threats. She gets concerned about the safety of Liam and Kelly.

Maria gets enough courage to stay with the local council and organises a press conference about the recycle bin issue, even though the threats continue. How does she manage to continue with it, and why does she want to go ahead?

It takes a lot of courage for her to attend the press conference -She is terrified! Gary tells her he won't let anything happen to her, but he can't be with her 24/7. She is scared but concludes that she can't hide away and must stay to fight the fight. Maria remembers the reason she went into it in the first place, which is why she attends the conference and wants to rise above the internet trolling

What happens at the press conference?

Maria tries to stay on the recycling agenda - but she keeps getting asked about the deep fake video! Maria defers answering but then gets heckled and wound up by local council worker Jimmy (binman depot foreman) - whom Gary is standing near. Gary assumes this guy is the troll, so he lunges at him, puts him up against a wall, and narrowly avoids arrest. The press takes pictures of all of this, making a volatile situation worse.

Maria decides to withdraw from council life but is deterred from doing so by an unlikely source?

With everything going off, she thinks it's not worth it, affecting her family life, so she decides to withdraw from the council. However, she talks with Sally, of all people, she's very much #teammaria with it all, convincing Maria to stay on and continue to do something that she’s good at

Thank you, Samia!

Maria’s man-eating reputation has recovered over these past few years. Now a Weatherfield councillor, settling down with her blended family and married to Gary Windass. Will this internet trolling affect her in the longer term?

Keep watching Coronation Street find out!

Maria’s deep fake video nightmare begins in episode 106745 on Monday 27th of June 2022

*Deep-fake (also spelt deepfake) is artificial intelligence used to create convincingly fake images, audio, and video hoaxes via apps and programming.

@rybazoxo coronation street blogger and ardent Corrie superfan

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

Thursday, 25 November 2021

Coronation Street Episode Review; Wednesday 24th November 7.30 & 8.30

2021 has been one of the most dramatic years on Coronation Street, bringing an abundance of change, death, sinkholes, and crimes aplenty. To push these stories, and for dramatic purposes, we have seen an influx of new and recurring characters. But what about the old guard? With Norris dead, Natasha dead (rude!), and Johnny Connor sinking in a sewer, are we about to see another character leave the street? And if so, can it be anyone other than Roy Cropper?

Usually, our Roy is the moral compass on the cobbles, dispatching random facts and offering measured words of advice, often prophesying, as he dishes out his veggie sarnies. Roy is always straight-laced, dependable, and reliable. However, Abi has corrupted the cafe boss, and even though he was only protecting Nina, Roy feels out of his depth and is determined to leave. Will he go? Tonight starts with Roy selling his woody (insert Kenneth Williams gif, here), signing the businesses over to Nina, and announcing that he's heading off to work as a chef in South America. Quick work! Is he going to see Emily Bishop, perhaps?

We had a few mentions of Corrie past tonight, and Maria’s sudden interest in politics, and as a hairdresser, got me thinking. Is she about to do an Audrey Roberts and become councillor whilst still styling hair? Real-life MP’s and second jobs may be in the headlines at the minute, but no mention of local councillors! Anyway, the organisation of the Christmas market is livened up by the presence of Mary, some juicy council gossip, and the possibility (obviously) of Maria V Sally in a by-election showdown. Can we guess the winner, or will Maria do an Audrey and become a councillor/hairdresser extraordinaire?

Maria reluctantly resigns herself to being Sally's flunkey, but I can't see that lasting long, can you?

Speaking of which, Faye’s reintegration into cobbles life is going as fast as her release from prison! She’s soon back at the Bistro, and it's a bad start, as memories of Ray become too much for her. Faye confides in Tim, and after a heart-to-heart, the cabbie reveals thaŧ he put her up for the bistro position and swiftly gets her a sales job at the factory instead! I mean, I’ve been out of work a year now, facing an awful jobs market, and with a pandemic and a recession to boot. I should move to Weatherfield, instead? I'd be working in Tracy’s florist by this time next week!

#TeamRoy turning up to see him off, bore all the hallmarks of Coronation Street's esteemed history. Even with the social distancing, I love it when Corrie gets an ensemble together for a scene, and it was a nice touch. I did hope it would deter him from leaving. Even Nina’s protestations fell on deaf ears, and by the time the credits rolled, Roy was heading off into a taxi! Let's hope Roy’s only going to recuperate, rests up, and somehow brings Emily back with him! That's if he comes back?