Corrie Comicals week ending 27 December 2019

After the roof came off the first time (Adam being norty) the factory was re-opened looking much the same.  Credit to the powers that be - first Number 3 is given a modern revamp and now the factory has had a real makeover.  I cannot capture it all but this first sight was certainly eye-catching.  Well done.

Also in Underworld, underworld mastermind Gary Windass has just told Nick that he owns the factory site and is now their landlord.  However I really felt that there has been a Dirk shortage in recent months and so wearing a Christmas tree I present Dirk!

Jade has been found and brought back home to the delight of Hope and Ruby but inevitably Evelyn is far from convinced by Jade's inability to find work and housing.  Will Evelyn suss it out?

First dose of extra rations this week was Tuesday when Jonathan Harvey found he had to write an episode consisting of Rita sprawled on the floor - but he accepted the challenge and we knew she would be found as we have been promised more of this story through to February.  Secondary star of the episode was "Arthur" who seemed totally unmoved by the emotion around him.

"Fairytale of New York" appeared about the same time on BBC1 with Nessa singing the Shane MacGowan part and Rob Brydon singing the Kirsty MacColl part ("Gavin and Stacey").  If anything Robert Preston (above) looked rougher than Shane MacGowan on a bad day having once again (not) slept in the van.  It is 19 years since we lost Kirsty and she left such a thumping memory.  I wonder if Amy will recall Robert was her father figure for many years?

The episode ends with a "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas" but somehow knowing the Street I very much doubt that all their troubles will be out of sight.

I am sure everyone  has already noted Liz's new hairdo - but she also became our favourite Christmas decoration wearing this seasonal outfit.  First prize to the member of the wardrobe team that identified this ensemble for Liz.

As she ended the episode in a coma with possible brain damage let us remind ourselves of Shona Platt joshing with David implying that he had left her alone in her hospital bed; it soon becomes clear that she is pulling his leg as he has only been for a toilet visit and had been by her side all night.  I wonder how many months before Shona magically recovers from her illness - as Nicola did on Emmerdale when her arm almost magically came right after two and a half years!  Perhaps the bump hidden by the hospital over the bed table might explain matters?

To be honest there was not a lot of lighter items on Friday evening (my review should be along later) but finally it seems the team have remembered that Carla cannot drink; Ryan poured a couple of whiskies and Ali challenged Carla drinking hers - which she then pushes across to Michelle to drink.  So Robert and Michelle have gone and to be honest Shona is not going to be saying a lot in the near future; indeed she has not been seen much recently anyway.

I had hoped for some fun and lightheartedness over the Christmas period but it was missing this year and I hope that this time next year some cheerful and heartwarming stories will be told as well these were this week.

Written by: Mark Wadlow & Joe Turner (Monday); Jonathan Harvey (Tuesday); Debbie Oates (Wednesday); Alasdair Morrison (Thursday); Sam Holdsworth (Friday)
Directed by: Peter Rose (Monday & Tuesday & Wednesday); Judith Dine (Thursday & Friday)

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 20 December

Evening Corrie fans it’s Kelly here with your Friday night review.

In tonight’s big story Michelle and Vicky’s brilliant plan to frame Robert for murder is ruined as Vicky rather inconveniently goes into labour in the crummy hotel she’s holed up in. She refuses to go to a hospital, so it’s left to Michelle to deliver the baby. Before tonight’s show I could have sworn that Michelle had no discernible talents other than folding her arms and being stroppy, but clearly she is the country’s top midwife as she manged to deliver a washed, cord-free, three-month-old baby in about five minutes flat. I take back everything I said about her, the sheer skill of that woman.

Talking of stroppy, Roy’s goes to make peace with new goth niece Nina. Deep in a System of a Down hole, Nina refuses to open the door despite Roy paying her overdue rent, bringing falafel and telling her he promised her dad he would take care of her. Desperate to get through to her he brings reinforcements in the shape of Carla. It’s a good choice, they’re both women with a shared love of a strong eyebrow and wearing black all year round. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we find out that Carla had a secret goth past and that she spent the 80’s listening to Bauhaus records and calling herself Carlvira Wolfsbane-D’Oom. After Roy opens up to Nina about his lonely childhood she seems to soften and speaks to him through the letterbox. I’m enjoying the Nina, Carla and Roy trio. I hope they don’t give her a ‘normal’ makeover in six months’ time and turn her into Rosie Webster mark 2.

Back on the Street Dopey Derek is still trying to sell the factory he doesn’t own to Sarah and Nick. He tells them it’s theirs if they can get him a fast £10k, so he can take his estranged wife and kids to Florida. Nick and Sarah ask the Underworld comrades if they can collectively raise the money and despite explicitly being told to not tell anyone, leaky vessel Izzy goes straight to Gary for a loan. Unsurprisingly Gary doesn’t take the news terribly well. Telling Derek threateningly that he knows where his family live, he forces him to sign over the factory to him for a pound. Is this the last we’ll see of Derek? Oh no it isn’t…etc, etc. 

In other news Jenny tries to do a Christmas good deed and take Rita out for the day, but Reet gets the hump saying she feels like a tick on Jenny’s to-do-list. Also, Tyrone and Fizz try to punish demon child Hope for ruining the school nativity, but totally fail to notice the MASSIVE BRGHT PINK burner phone which she has sticking out of her back pocket. As soon as they leave the room, she immediately calls Jade who tells her to continue with the plan.

And so back to the other plan. Vicky has given birth to a baby boy and Michelle persuades her to stop being dead and go to hospital. It’s not long before the police come calling and the news of her return to the living reaches Robert. Released from his prison cell, he immediately goes looking for his child but he’s too late as Vicky has checked herself out of hospital. Turning up at the Street he confronts Michelle who initially denies everything and then folds like pack of cards telling him that she, Vicky and Tyler were all in on the plot to frame him for murder. Looking punch-ably smug Robert reveals that he’s recorded everything on his phone. Michelle immediately bursts into tears telling him she’s sorry and just wanted to punish him because he broke her heart (who knew she had one?).  He agrees not to go to the police with the tape recording, but only if Michelle will tell him where Vicky and his son are. She refuses saying she made a promise to Vicky, but will the threat of the police change her mind?

I mean I gotta say based on Michelle’s last 13 years of being utterly self-serving and narcissistic I’d say yup she’d save her own skin faster than you can say Queen of the Universe, but I’m sure the writers would prefer Michelle to leave the show as a good and noble person so she’ll probably do the right thing.  But maybe I'm being a bit harsh. What do you think Corrie fans - let me know in the comments?

And that’s it for this week. See you in a fortnight or catch me on twitter @mskelstar.

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Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 13 December 2019

Weatherfield Winter Wonderland is a huge con - a drunk Santa, elves flying high without reindeers or sleighs and no pressies for the children but there is a rather nice tunnel entrance (above) where Grace is telling Michael that she has been looking at better paid jobs in London so that she can afford improved childcare (housing costs are also much higher - she will be so much worse off!).  Big Garth is not doing well with his vision of the WWW (Weatherfield Winter Wonderland).  The former and possibly current girlfriend Grace Vickers and daughter Tianna disappear in a cloud of anger blaming Michael for taking them somewhere so unsavoury.  Michael Bailey thinks he has spotted a goldmine and tells Garth he can turn it around for half the profits.  To be fair it is about time Michael had a success. 

Geoff shames Yasmeen into cleaning the house - twice - in readiness for the drinks party he has insisted happens to celebrate their Vegas wedding.  Geoff refuses to prepare his "signature" dressed crab dish - which he reminds Yasmeen must be triple checked to ensure no shell reaches the final plate - as he has errands (executed reading the paper in the cafe) and then takes detailed notes when Sally apparently has lipstick on her glass and Cathy "chokes" on a piece of shell.  Once the guests have departed he gets scarily close to Yasmeen and explains the errors of her ways in not ensuring all of the glasses were super clean and the damage that Cathy suffered from the piece of shell and especially Yasmeen's obvious incompetence at failing to ensure that all of the shell was removed.  Above we see him trying to force Yasmeen to eat some of the shell infested crab - almost forcing it into her mouth.  The lazy good for nothing tyrant then goes off to sleep by himself and Yasmeen again cannot really understand what she has done wrong to wind him up; she thinks the dirty wine glass was unfortunate and she is sure she checked the crab.  He tells her "Next time.  Be.  More.  Careful.".

Tim starts the episode with his head in hands wondering just how he can manage his bigamous situation and manage to put matters right without encountering the Wrath of Sally (it makes the Wrath of Khan look like a playground dispute over a game of conkers).  As events unroll he decides that he will ask Sally to marry him - which he does at the Geoff/Yasmeen drinks party and assures the doubting Abi (whom he told earlier - Sally's best friend after Gail) and Kevin that he will organise a divorce (from Charlie), a vow renewal with Sally and then get her to resign the paperwork by suggesting that they need new photos (above).  Neither Kevin or Abi believe he can pull it off without getting killed along the way! 

Too much of the show was taken up by the newly glamourous DS McKinnon pursuing Robert Preston (perhaps she could run Robert Peston out of town - he is very annoying).  Robert spent the night at the Rovers (much against Johnny's wishes) and as he checks out he is arrested by McKinnon.  During the programme Robert is interviewed over the disappearance of Vicky and searches are undertaken in Vicky's house, Michelle's flat and Robert's room at the Rovers.  Two fragments of china with Vicky's blood (how do they know it is Vicky's blood) are found in her house and in the rear of the Viaduct Bistro van (where Robert was sleeping).  McKinnon has what she believes is enough evidence to at least hold Robert, so he is cuffed and marched away.  Michelle does not seem at all bothered about Vicky being missing and I do wonder if she has had a hand in it.  The Bistro Van was seen near woods and those woods are being searched (above).  Will they find the body of Rick Neelan is a question being asked on Twitter?

Daniel thanks Bethany for her pep talk on Wednesday - watched by James Bailey who obviously feels that Bethany could do better than him!  He talks to Bethany later in the Rovers and she says she knows she is being judged by the entire Street and that she feels guilty even talking to Daniel - but Daniel needs a mate and gossips are not going to stop her (you go gal!).

Unexpectedly rather than two quads now and two quads later arriving home with Gemma the hospital need the cots and decide to evict all four.  Gemma and Chesney have prepared a chart so that in turn the four babies can be changed, fed, winded, encouraged to sleep.  However within hours any chance of a routine is failing as they struggle to remember which of the babies is next and to update the chart as soon as anything is completed, the various babies are crying keeping others awake and visitors in the shape Fiz and Paul find near chaos ruling (above). 

All three episodes this week were an hour long and each hour was a single writer.  I prefer it, the whole week has felt good and to me it seemed to flow better; the format means that the commercial breaks can be moved slightly so that something can play out.  I liked it as it did not seem so "choppy".  I realise that this cannot be the way forward but if it is a possibility then it has my vote!

Written by Susan Oudot and directed by Tim O'Mara

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 6 December

Evening Corrie fans, it’s Kelly here with your Friday night review.

It’s really not getting any better for Robert. After spending the night somewhere uncomfortable looking, he turns up at the Bistro, still in his wedding suit only to be turned away by Ryan. Then he lets himself into the flat just at the same time that DS McKinnon arrives to question him. Unlucky. She’s particularly interested in him arguing with Vicky and then taking a walk by the canal on his own on the morning of his wedding to Michelle. Personally, my defence would have been something along the lines of: ‘Look if you were going to shackle yourself to that mardy mare for life, you’d need a bit of time to yourself too!’ But being a man with all the IQ of a crayon, he only manages to look shifty and tell her it’s complicated. Another thing a smart man would surely do is change the locks on the flat that he owns and let the woman who stole his restaurant find somewhere else to live with her two sons. But as I said, not a genius…

Later DS McKinnon questions the Queen of the Universe over whether Robert has ever been violent. She is surprisingly quite unwilling to drop him in it, so McKinnon corners Carla on the street who tells her that he beat up Richie when he (wrongly) thought he was stalking Michelle and put a brick through her car window. All of this is heard by Robert from quite far across the other side of the street. The man must have ears like a bat! I’ve heard that people with reduced eyesight develop increased hearing but I never thought it was same with one crown jewel. You learn something new every day. 

Also having a bad day is our Reet. She’s supposed to be going to visit Emily in Edinburgh but remembers she’s promised a lonely old lady that she’ll feed her cat (anyone who grew up in the 80's please refrain from Mrs Slocombe pussy jokes). She spends the whole morning ringing around her alleged friends and finds no one who will take on cat-sitting duties except Ryan. That fact that she’s willing to take him up on his offer shows how desperate she is, because let’s face it you wouldn’t even leave Ryan in charge of a fruit bowl. But it’s all been a waste of time anyway as Emily then calls to say that she has bronchitis. Calling at the Kabin, she finds Brian has hired Gail in her absence. Reet sadly concludes that she too is a lonely old lady with no friends.

Meanwhile Maria tells Gary she needs to speak to him, but he’s distracted by seeing Derek hanging about so tells her he will meet her at the Bistro. At the Bistro he’s similarly distracted by Sarah and Nick who are clearly planning something. Feeling rejected Maris storms out. Gary later wins her round but not before we’ve seen her stash a pregnancy test in her designer-pretending-to-be-fake bag. Oh gawd not another accidental pregnancy. Please, please will someone install a condom machine in the Rovers. The sales are coming up you might get a two for one deal. It turns out that Gary’s paranoia may have been justified as later we see Derek secretly meet up with Nick and Sarah and agree to sell them the factory.

Having the worst day of all is Paul. He gives his evidence to the police, recounting how Kel gave him presents and alcohol and then took pictures of him in his underwear. Although his family try to support him, they all fear Kel will get off. Deciding to take matters into her own hands Bernie drags Chesney with her to the precinct where she writes ‘paedo’ under a picture of Kel and loudly tells all the other shoppers what he’s done. But Kel manages to twist her words to make them sound unconvincing. She attacks him and in the scuffle Kel is pushed to the floor and given a bloody nose. As the the other security guards arrive to grab them, Bernie knees one of them where it hurts and runs for it leaving Ches to face the music.

Later sleezy Kel turns up at the house. He lies that the police found nothing in his flat or on the laptop and tries to convince them Paul made the whole thing up. Gemma and Bernie go to the police station for answers (who was looking after Joseph?) and through a lot of very irritating yelling they discover that Paul’s account and the photos are not going to be enough to convict Kel, and that Bernie has to stay away from him or face prosecution. Dejected, they return home but it looks like Bernie has one last trick up her sleeve. On her laptop she contacts Kel about his DJ lessons…posing as a teenage boy.  Will her cat-fishing work?

And that’s all folks.
See you back her in two weeks or catch me on twitter @mskelstar

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