With Phelan out for the count, frantic
Gary panics and calls Owen, confessing all. Despite being told to
stay put, he leaves the scene, and by the time both arrive back, Phelan is gone.
It would have been interesting to see Owen’s initial reaction to the news that Phelan has
been coming on to Anna, as he is strangely calm in the aftermath, faced as he is with dealing with the crisis at hand. After
driving around looking for him fails, Owen rings Phelan and leaves an upbeat voicemail
concerning plans for the following day.
Meanwhile, Jake is brought to hospital
by Izzy and Anna who are worried about his temperature. While the baby turns
out to be fine, Izzy isn’t so sure about Gary who fails to answer any of her calls
and only arrives at the hospital at the last minute, clearly distressed. Later
that evening, Gary and Owen call over to Phelan’s house but there’s nobody home
and a restless night undoubtedly lies ahead for both who have decided not to involve the
police. As the family open a bottle of cava to celebrate Jake’s health, Katie’s
toast to becoming rich is ironic considering Anna, Gary and Owen are all suffering as a direct result of that ambition.
The only full house Beth and
Sinead have is the one they live in, as they leave Bingo empty handed. However,
as they wait for the bus, a fellow bingo goer is mugged, and Beth springs into
action, rescuing not just the lady’s handbag and winnings, but the portion of her husband’s
ashes that aren't in Windermere. After getting a lift home in a police car, and frightening
the life out of Gary Windass in the process as he sees it pull up outside, Beth
regales the incredulous and bemused drinkers in the Rovers with her heroics.
When I heard Todd was to return “nasty”
I despaired, but the current incarnation of his character is proving an interesting
and often enjoyable addition to the Street despite some of his deplorable antics.
He is witty, cynical, astute, cheeky and apathetic and it can be amusing to watch. As
Jason curses his Dad for losing him the gym contract, Todd is the voice of
reason, telling his brother that it’s really himself he is annoyed at for
allowing his Dad to influence him. He has also picked up on a newly revealed
soft spot on the part of Eileen for the man she has never had anything good to
say about. While Liz is surprised by Tony’s nonchalance at the news that Jason
is upset, she still takes him up on the offer of a night on the town after
being let down by Deirdre.
Coronation Street has come
under fire in the past for privileging high drama over everyday scenes, and therefore not
being ‘real’ enough. Belief has to be suspended in the case of soap opera; after
all, how many things can realistically happen to the same people on one street? Variety and continuous sources of drama are essential, and are what keep us interested. But what you do expect, irrespective of the number of experiences a character
has gone through, is that they are grounded in the real. It is the people, if not always the events, that make it realistic.
Tonight’s episodes,
like others in recent times, were slower in pace with plenty of conversation. Faye doing her homework; Steve, Lloyd and Andrea
talking about nothing in particular in the Rovers; Beth and Sinead chatting at length while waiting at the bus stop; the wonderful scene between Liz and Amy
about how it feels to be appreciated, these all took place over a
number of scenes, and their central pleasure was simply people talking, with
some really funny, touching and generally lovely dialogue.
Such conversations offer a window on the fabric of daily life in Weatherfield, which is a welcome pleasure, and the fact that they can happen at all is something which makes soap opera wonderfully unique. Coronation Street has celebrated its capacity to portray the everyday over the years, offering the very best of such scenes, and tonight's episodes are certainly encouraging for the future.
By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.wordpress.com
Twitter:
@ELHynes
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As it's St. David's Day, whose proverb was "Gwnewch y pethau bychain." ("Do the little things"), I thought I would take the opportunity to urge the writers and producers of Corrie to include more of the little things that make Corrie so special for me.
