So Pat Phelan has departed our lives for good; or so the residents of Weatherfield believe. Phelan's demise has been promised for quite some time now, and while I'm sure that his eventual exit will be spectacular, the street will definitely be left with a villainous gap.
There have been many ups and downs with Phelan's ongoing storyline. The Whitehaven episodes were so tense;
Sue Cleaver and Connor McIntyre were just breathtaking as we were wondering who would return to Weatherfield, if anyone. As Phelan held onto the sea-wall for dear life, in a bid to get Eileen to rescue him, he revealed that he knew where Todd was and if he dies, so does Todd. Screaming "liar", Mrs
Phelan Grimshaw kicked him down to his expected death. After we saw the murderous villain plunge into the sea, Phelan somehow managed to get himself to Ireland, where we saw him play doctor and sew up his own leg. Nice. It remains a mystery how Pat got to the Emerald Isle, maybe he swam? Nevertheless, he is now secretly hiding out, masquerading as Mr Frost.
In his rampage of riot throughout the years, Pat has eliminated some characters that, to be honest, I don't miss (sorry 'bout it Andy & Luke). Although, I'm a little disappointed that Phelan deprived the world of reading Andy's novel. But, these things happen when you get on the wrong side of Coronation Street's latest serial killer *insert shoulder shrug*. He even turned on Billy a few weeks ago, which I have to say was an outstanding scene. It was so unexpected and Pat really didn't hold back. It's not very often that I'm sat watching with my mouth gaped open but I was *shook* (as was Billy, quite literally). I think in the end it was only Phelan's doting wife who believed in him, and we all know how that ended. Side note: I'm sure Eileen never used to be that naive; it must be Pat's killer charm.
However, there is a fine line in my opinion between the outstanding, soap-award-worthy scenes, and the ones that don't belong in a soap.
Corrie has come under fire in recent weeks/months for being too dark, which I do agree with to some degree. One of the prime examples is, surprise surprise, Phelan massacring Andy and Vinny in a couple of harrowing episodes. Yes, it was dramatic. Yes, it was brilliantly acted. Was it
Coronation Street? No. Far from it. They were the kind of episodes you find in a television thriller. Which is great, if you're watching a television thriller. Give me Pat just putting the frighteners on some poor soul any day. I think I'll leave the violent murder to some kind of crime drama.
On the other hand, it's pretty much inevitable that these scenes will go down in
Corrie history.
As his reign of terror will soon come to an end, I ask myself; will I miss Pat Phelan? The answer is yes. Lots. Mr McIntyre has been absolutely brilliant, making us quake in our boots every time Pat gives someone that infamous Phelan glare, or every time a red van drives past our house.
Love him or loathe him, no one will ever forget the name, Pat Phelan.
Sophie Williams
Read some more of my general natterings on Twitter @sophie_jw26.
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