Coronation Street Blog: tracy barlow

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Sunday, 7 April 2024

My Corrie : A Week In Review. Am I Missing Something?

It's been a while, but fired by this week's X echo chamber of #Corrie negativity I felt compelled to look at the quality of this week's #Corrie and write about it. I don't like negativity, and I wondered, what with this week's X online storm, am I missing something?

Watching this week's episodes, I decided to list some of my favourite bits here:

1. Plenty of Mary Taylor - Tracy's departure (I'll talk about that below) led to much screen time for one of my absolute Corrie favourites this week. Although a rather unbelievable pairing Mary and Tracy's flower shop friendship worked. Mary is entertaining, wonderfully written, and eccentric. Love her!

2. The Rovers takes centre stage - the closure hit hard, but I love the refurb. This week our favourite watering hole was centre stage of Corrie's drama and back to its former glory. With glamorous Glenda and gorgeous Jenny, Daisy adds a devilish air of beauty and an equally acidic tone to this latest barmaid line-up. Daisy's bitchy diatribes with Bethany hark back to the glory days of Ena and Elsie or Gail and Eileen. Mary's mad harping over the last-orders bell was also comedy gold -even Tracy's sudden departure managed a Rovers Return celebration. The dinner party raised online questions about the new kitchen, but I love anything like that. It's a fictional TV show!!! It's like when people complain about Doctor Who regenerating! Carla learning about her pub ownership can only be a good thing. I'll drink to that! Ps - more Karaoke, speed dating and weekly quizzes, please!

3. Audrey's Salon is back - I can't say I'm a fan of Maria's parental paranoia (although I understand it) but, at least we got the hairdresser's back. I'd guess Trim Up North was a pandemic victim, Corrie's bosses realising that one hairdresser's shop is more than enough? I've missed the days of random extras getting a trim whilst earwigging the latest gossip. Great stuff!

4. Tracy's departure - I *think* this is a red herring. She'll return in a few months - a) heartbroken, b) pregnant, or c) with an insufferable "issue". I hope she returns, at the very least, as Kate Ford (as Tracy Barlow) is an absolute Corrie legend. When she does return, Steve will be coupled up and Tracy's return will put a cat amongst the pigeons.

I don't usually, but if I had to mention some negatives, I'd write them here:

1. Cropper's Crime Caper- No, no, no & no again. Roy's weird worldly wiseness, innocence and eccentricities mark him as a classic Corrie character and one I would align closely with the show's values & history. This is what the X mob may have been annoyed by! Unneeded. I hope that when this story concludes, it's justifiable, and Roy will be exonerated.

...

Am I missing something - is Corrie on its last legs? No, I don't think it is, it may just be there's a lot of darkness on the show at present and more comedy is needed, That's it.

It's been a while since I've written about Coronation Street, but this week's schedule change gave me the time to write about it! I enjoyed that!

Maybe I'll do a weekly review next week? Let me know what you think.

I am @rybazoxo on X - Corrie superfan.

Saturday, 17 April 2021

Corrie Comicals week ending Friday 16 April 2021

Well Peter should know - he has done time. I understand that making fun of women being unable to cook (eg Aggie) is a recurrent theme but Peter is complaining about Chef Amy and porridge - can anyone prepare inedible porridge? If it is that bad Peter make it yourself. Oats, milk microwave - what more do you need? These days they even have packets which show how much milk to add!

David has been summoned to Underworld so that Nick can explain that he has not been dumped by Leanne but that she is going into hiding as she has been acting as a police informer and he is not going with her. Whilst Nick and Sarah discuss events David is clearly bored and decides to improve his hair using one of the glass doors as an impromptu mirror! I am not sure it shows any improvement by the time he has finished!

Cathy does not want a fuss for her sixtieth birthday so as she arrives in the caff Roy wishes her a happy birthday - which she regards as a "fuss". Brian quite reasonably points out that Roy is simply delivering best wishes and not doing cartwheels in his underpants in the Street as her birthday entertainment. Even Roy agrees that might be a bit much!

Tyrone is down in the dumps so Abi turns up the heat on Kev to take his mate Ty for a cheeky pint once they have finished. Kev is not looking forward to listening to the lovelorn Tyrone talking about his pining for Alina and asks when Abi acquired a conscience. As she explains above she bought it on eBay last week! (above).

Blink and you might miss him. High speed Dirk dashed through the background of this shot as Natasha was asking Gail to childmind Sam later on. So just like with Nick and David and Sarah - Natasha sees Gail as only useful to look after children! Gail will do it because she was afraid that she would see no more of Sam once Nick departed for his "holiday". Anyway Dirk is not working from home! Talking of Gail let us celebrate that for a few seconds she has stopped scowling and complaining and when Natasha waves around a bottle of wine her response ("It's five o'clock somewhere") reminded me of a much younger Gail - the one that enjoyed life before getting mixed up with a serial murderer, a psychotic fraudster (who has just met a very hot end in Emmerdale), a conman and tangling with Eileen. I don't think it will last.

Cathy has, like Leanne, gone into hiding - at Yasmeen's, unlike Leanne. Brian has just been partaking of his dinner at Speed Dahl - meal for one please - and Yasmeen is concerned that he will worry if he does not hear from Cathy. Cathy refuses to let Brian in on the secret and he is unable to keep a secret and as she says he has a mouth like a clown's pocket, implying that everything that goes in comes out again!

Even I am still trying to work out how you would confuse Neil Armstrong and Lao Tzu but given that Faye is about to be a convicted felon I have been wondering for some weeks how Craig thought his relationship would be acceptable to the police force but does not seem to have occurred to either of them before Friday night - the lack of brain power between that pair is seriously worrying.

How long has R'Toyota been back on t'Street? 3 years? 4 years? When she came back we understood she was a trained counsellor and we all thought she would sort of the Street's mental problems in weeks. No longer a counsellor and working in Underworld she suddenly gets a gig in sorting out Ty and Fiz's marriage problems, in the Bistro with Bernie involved in the conversation. Bernie reckons she is involved as Chesney's common law mother-in-law she is in some way related to Fiz! Needless to say the counselling session did not go well and I bet Toyah was glad to get a phone call from the factory with some beads which need counting! She must have a really high powered job there!

"Nina" made a great job of the wedding dress and I thought it should be recorded for posterity! Wardrobe did an excellent job!

Physical distancing in evidence as Mary tells the story of a white fedora and a blind date. I would love to think that someone, somewhere takes all of Mary's amazing stories (and there must be hundreds down the years), splices them all together and uploads them to the internet - I am not sure if they have all been written by Damon Alexis-Rochefort although I think he was responsible for tonight. Mary needed the fedora for a rendition of Smooth Criminal at Mother's church in aid of disadvantaged children (for those unaware it is a Michael Jackson song from Bad). She then wore the fedora for the blind date and her date made no comment on it until too much alcohol had been consumed! He was married with kids and the fedora was ruined.

Indeed it seems Tracy has had exactly the same idea. I just hope engineers are pulling the recordings now for "Mary the Mini-Series"!

And with that I shall bid you goodbye until next week!

Writers this week: Sam Holdsworth (Monday); John Kerr & David Isaac (Tuesday); Susan Oudot & Jan McVerry (Wednesday); Julie Jones & Damon Alexis-Rochefort (Friday)

Directors this week: Gill Wilkinson (Monday); Lee Trevor & Ian Barber (Tuesday); Ian Barber (Wednesday & Friday)

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

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

Thursday, 18 March 2021

Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 17th March 7.30 & 8.30 pm

It's nearly 2 years since the Bailey family moved into N0.3 Coronation Street and as relative newcomers, they’ve been quick to incept some drama onto the cobbles. With each family member having some drama or other to contend with it seems fitting that Ed's brother Ronnie's arrival should be very much the same.

Tonight, the Bailey drama thermometer is cranked up to 100! When Ronnie’s wife turns up, she’s full of accusations regarding Aggie and Ed’s marriage and Ronnie’s previous relationship with his brother’s wife. Ronnie tells his wife that he thinks Micheal may be HIS son! Ed hasn’t met Ronnie’s wife before either so some suspicions and sparks are sure to fly. Meanwhile, Grace is racially profiled in Frescho’s store and then locked up in a security office, prompting premature labour. The fast pace of the drama doesn’t make it any less shocking and we all know it happens. It’s not preaching or woke. Corrie is doing here what it’s always done - highlighting important issues. Anyway, Grace is rushed to the hospital and gives birth to Micheal’s baby. We just need to know who the Grandfather is now!

Ronnie should have been there to pick her up, of course, so he gets a gob full from Michael. The emotional intensity between Father, Son, and Uncle is clear, the touchpaper now being lit for what is sure to come. Guilt-ridden, Ronnie tells his brother the real reason he’s back in Weatherfield and Grace soon gives birth. Ed gets on the phone with Aggie and she’s quick to dispel any paternity worries.Ronnie’s a charmer, entrepreneurial, humourous, and a dapper dresser. He is Michael’s Dad, isn’t he? Either way, I’m looking forward to finding out the truth in this paternity battle!

Tyrone and Alina’s flirtatious fettling is a slow-burner but I am quite enjoying it. Yes, if the table was turned and Fiz was playing away, we could have more material but still, it works, and quite believable. I think. With the obvious chemistry between them though - who’s going to be the one to spot it? Visiting her in the factory, can’t be a good move - surely! Alina’s car mechanic knowledge seems to be an aphrodisiac to Tyrone, so its lucky Kev got in there first with Abi, eh! Meanwhile. Fiz is getting enthusiastic about the idea of them marrying.

Abi’s nonchalant attitude to weddings is high-end Corrie and one which I never knew I needed! She is gold, isn’t she! Abi has little interest in Debbie’s whimsical wedding plans, so it’s good to see her pal Tracy join in with the dress fitting afternoon at the Bistro. I’m glad Abi and Tracy are besties again - it’s been a while. It does beg the question tho; where is Tracy’s other BFF, Beth Tinker? Anyway, I digress. With Sally also in attendance, this is the creme de la creme of Corrie women and the comedy is in full flow. Honesty is sometimes not the best policy, and that is where Tracy Barlow shines - superb! The wedding dress may have been spoiled but, again, Debbie and Abi do seem to have rebuilt a few burnt bridges - so at least that’s something.

Elsewhere in tonight’s episodes; Steve’s fundraising efforts are taken up a notch with a feature in the Weatherfield Gazette. Brian’s newspaper bill badgering upsets Cathy. Leanne’s fleeting appearance and hermit-like lifestyle cause some concern for Nick. Sam and Simon also bury the hatchet.