Preview of tonight's double Corrie - Friday 2 Jan

Friday 2nd January
DAVID AND EVA FEAR FOR KYLIE’S SAFETY. David takes Max to the doctors for his ADHD check up. Max is upset when Kylie doesn’t show up. Worried about Kylie who’s refusing to take her calls, Eva tells David she’s going to pay the Dog & Gun a visit in the hopes of finding her and reckons he should go with her. As Eva and David search the Dog & Gun for Kylie, they come face to face with Callum and Macca. David sees red and, launching himself at Callum, demands to know where his wife is.
ROY PAYS THE PRICE FOR HIS SINS. As the teenage thugs approach the café, Yasmeen is forced to  wade in and send them packing. Meanwhile Chesney wishes Roy luck as Tyrone drives him to his court hearing. Will he pay the price for his unreasonable force?
SINEAD’S NOT ‘BASQUING’ IN GLORY JUST YET. Alya admires the basque Sinead’s made for Beth and slips it into her bag to take to a wedding fair that afternoon. But when a sheepish Alya arrives back she’s forced to admit she took it and pulls out the basque, revealing a huge red wine stain on the front. Sinead’s devastated.
ELSEWHERE Luke invites Maria round for dinner. Maria plays hard to get until Audrey steps in and tells Luke she’ll go out with him if Maria won’t. Amused, will Maria let her guard down? Alya and Gary announce to Yasmeen and Kal that they’re seeing each other again. How will Alya’s family react?

Friday 2nd January
DAVID GETS TANGLED IN CALLUM’S WEB. David’s rage turns to devastation when Callum coolly informs him that he and Kylie are back together. Outside the Dog & Gun, David collars Macca and offers him cash to take him to Callum’s flat to find Kylie. Macca leads David and Eva to Callum’s where they lie in wait for Kylie. Impatient, David kicks in the door of the flat, searching for evidence of Kylie. But they’re disturbed when Macca returns with Callum. A menacing Callum warns David if he doesn’t stay away, he and Kylie may take Max to live with them. How will David react to Callum’s threats?
ROY DEALS WITH REACTIONS TO HIS SENTENCING. Roy returns from court feeling wretched, believing he got off lightly. He calls on Mary at the motor home but she makes it clear she’s disappointed he resorted to violence. Roy leaves, saddened.
KIRK’S LOOKING FORWARD TO A FAMILY AFFAIR. Alya’s guilt-ridden as gutted Sinead surveys Beth’s basque. Julie suggests they use soda water to remove the stain. As the girls set about their rescue mission, Sinead puts Beth off when she asks to see her basque.
Elsewhere With Tyrone out Luke cooks for Maria at No.9. But when Tyrone arrives home early, Luke’s frustrated as he’s forced to join them for dinner. Luke hopes for another date but will Maria commit? As she prepares to leave, Erica’s pleased to learn from Leanne that Nick feels the same as her and only wanted a fling. But when a mischievous Erica declares deep feelings for him, will he realise it’s an act?

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Gavin Rodwell- who is he?

Michael clearly believes that Gavin is his long lost son. Gail does too. But the viewers are wondering who he is, what he's doing and why is he pretending to be Gavin Rodwell? We might also ask, why does he never crack a smile? Well, in fairness, he did on Wednesday, he smiled at Steph. Steph is keen on him and as she said on New Year's Eve, if he doesn't snog her then, when will he? She sent him a text, 'Bet you're a great kisser' then grabbed Gavin's phone to delete it. Gavin saw her with his phone and grabbed it. 'Not cool' frowns Leanne. So why was Gavin so terror-struck when he saw Steph with his phone?

Leanne asked Gavin recently for his National Insurance number and for his bank account details. She said she was not happy to be giving cash in hand anymore and wanted to make Gavin's position at the bistro more official and above board - a reasonable request. He told her he didn't have a bank account, which is rather unusual for a person his age. He explained that he had been a victim of phishing. Phishing is an attempt to acquire sensitive information about a bank account, or similar, by posing as a genuine company online. Gavin explained this and Leanne seemed unsuspecting. 'Someone was going round pretending to be me,' he tells Steph. She replies, 'International man of mystery.' His response was that he is only staying because of her. Intriguing...

Later, we saw him in a flat rummaging through drawers in a panicky way and on finding a National Insurance card being overjoyed and kissing it .Is he an impostor then? If so, why is he? And who is he?

Disturbingly, as I picked up a soap magazine in the supermarket the other day, when everything comes out in the wash, as it always does, there are devastating effects on Gail and on Michael.

It is a gripping storyline and I for one am looking forward to its resolution.
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State of the Street - December 2014

And so it's the end of another year on Coronation Street.  It was a year of ups and downs as far as storylines go. Mostly, for me, it was a good year. I think I tend to be a bit more forgiving of the show so I, for one, think it's as good as it ever was, if only that it's changed from what it used to be. For me, that's not really a bad thing necessarily.

Over the 25 years I've been watching, and judging from older video I've seen, it's always had it's good stuff and bad/boring stuff. In my mind, it has to move with the times and I don't think it would last if it was still the way it was 30 or 40 years ago. Society changes and you want viewers to see that on screen so they can identify with it, mostly at least. I mean, we don't want to identify with serial killers, of course. There have always been deaths, murders, weddings, affairs and "issue" storylines. Perhaps 5 episodes a week is too many and the cast is too big, so big that many characters don't get a look in for weeks or even months while others are the "flavour of the month" and are overused at times. I certainly agree with critics about that.

Anyway. As always, it's just my opinion and I still love Corrie as much as I ever did. Back to the topic of the post. For the last month of the year, we see Tracy up to her old tricks, Steve sinking even further into depression (one of the year's most powerful stories along with Hayley's death and Roy's grief. Both storylines performed by top, absolutely amazing actors). Gary and Alya are in danger of becoming Romeo and Juliet if their families' reactions are anything to go on. Sofa-gate lightened the mood but it was one of the only shining lights. Kylie was dragged down by Callum and David chucked her out. Gavin isn't really who he said he was and we can all see that Michael's heart might not take the shock.

All this and more on State of the Street.



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Coronation Street episode review, Wednesday 31 December 2014

The residents of Coronation Street may have bid farewell to 2014, but it sadly appears that anything but a Happy New Year lies ahead for most of them with last night’s episode fraught with pain and tears and barely an ounce of light relief.

The Street is surprisingly divided where Roy’s actions are concerned. While we know he has the support of Chesney and a number of other residents, with Jason and Tyrone happy to help him clean the graffiti from his café front, it’s very disappointing to see him rejected by fickle friend Mary. While similarly deflating, it’s less of a surprise to find Anna being entirely unreasonable, viewing the whole sorry mess through frustratingly rose tinted glasses, and even allowing it to drive a wedge between her and Owen. Regardless of what others think of him however, Roy’s harshest critic is himself and his reaction to what has happened is entirely characteristic, as his honesty and integrity see him determined to plead guilty on Friday.

Gary is similarly eager to take full responsibility for his actions, and it is a testament to both their good natures that each tried to defend the other, and are willing to accept whatever punishment they are given. Gary visits Roy alone in the café in what is a moving scene and the best of the episode. Just as Coronation Street is divided with regard to Roy, the viewers appear to be split with regard to Gary, but his determination to make peace, his sincere apology and pledge to be different from now on is a testament to his strength of character and proof of his good heart.

Alya calls in to the flat to wish him a happy new year, and there is a lovely bashful awkwardness and chemistry between them which I find endearing. She knows of his failings but believes in him which speaks volumes concerning her own character. Despite the horrible circumstances, the Roy, Gary and Alya scenes were the ones I enjoyed most in this episode.

Circumstances are similarly dour at Platt towers where Michael announces he’s been evicted, and Max blames himself for his mother’s departure. David agrees to let Michael stay there temporarily, and assures Max that Kylie loves him and that her leaving had nothing to do with him.

Steve is relieved to hear Liz can give him the money he needs to set things right at Streetcars. A ray of sunshine, she also encourages him to give Michelle the gift he had bought for her, and tell her how he feels, but after overhearing her say she and Steve are done and she wants to put everything behind her and move on with her life, he gives up.

Erica and Nick continue their cringe inducing fling, but each one fears the other is looking for more than just a bit of fun.

Gavin shows a glimpse of his true colours when Steph accidentally sends him a text about what she thinks it would be like to kiss him, and he finds her trying to delete it from his phone. While he apologises to Steph and all is well between the pair, he succeeds in making Leanne more suspicious of him.

As midnight arrived I surveyed the scene before me. While there was a snog fest afoot in the form of Alya and Gary, Steph and Gavin, Leanne and Kal and Nick and Erica, none of them with the exception of Alya and Gary warmed my heart, especially considering everything else that was afoot.

Roy, alone in the flat, his cardigan buttoned incorrectly, touches the box containing Hayley’s ashes before going to bed alone in what is a heartbreaking scene. Steve is similarly tortured as he cries uncontrollably on his bedroom floor as downstairs in the Rovers they ring in the New Year. What should perhaps have been a scene of merriment and joy didn’t ring true for me however. At the centre of it all was a jubilant Mary, but I couldn’t enjoy her enthusiasm because of her treatment of Roy. As Tony raised a toast, I thought of his infidelity, and as Michelle cried behind the bar, I couldn’t sympathise. Nor was Anna a welcome sight as she threw back glasses of champagne in anger while Roy sat alone during what was always going to be a difficult time for him, irrespective of the break in. As they all joined hands to sing Auld Lange Syne, I thought of the meaning of the song; raising a cup of kindness to the memory of old acquaintances and times past. I thought that many of them had done little to demonstrate kindness to one another, and I wondered why the ghost of Blanche was the only one actually mentioned in the episode considering both Tina and Hayley had passed during the year.

There were some pertinent words of wisdom from Michael who observed, “It’s easier to get through the day if you’ve something to believe in”, and Liz who asked “Who wants ‘what if’ on their headstone? Seize the day.” As 2015 begins, it is these words that I will take from Corrie's 2014 finale, and hope that things are brighter on our beloved cobbles beyond the spring. And to our editor Glenda, my fellow bloggers, readers and commenters, may the New Year be your best yet.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.wordpress.com

Twitter: @ELHynes

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