Coronation Street: Overstepping the mark (and the balcony)

It’s been a distressing few weeks on Coronation Street lately. Between the hypocrite harlot that is Katy condemning Anna for a night  of infidelity (yes, REALLY)  the horror of whatever has happened to poor Gail’s hair recently (if only there were some hairdressers in the family), and Antony Cotton being handed a new contract (I kid, I kid…) there hasn’t been a lot to smile about recently. 

Of course we have the equally traumatic events of Tina falling from a high balcony, grazing her knee and then further antagonising the man that caused her to fall. The result? Let’s just say that Rob’s temper combined with a metal bar led to blood and fake tan stains all over the cobbles.

Peter has hit the bottle again and is generally just going around being a nuisance, stressing Carla to the point of her collapsing in agony and tragically losing her baby. Being a prime suspect for Tina’s murder hasn’t helped lift her spirits much either, and spending a lot of time with mardy Michelle only exacerbates the gloom. Still, protective brother Rob is on hand to stand by her and he will do anything, ANYTHING, to help. Well, except for coming forward and admitting that he killed Tina, of course.  

The one good thing to come out of Carla’s misery is the increase in screentime for the magnificent Alison King, easily one of the show’s strongest actors. In particular, her scenes with the equally fantastic David Neilson have been top class. The aftermath of losing her baby and Roy telling Carla that she would have made a good mother was Corrie’s finest example of emotive drama since the Hayley storyline. Roy and Carla’s friendship is a sensational match and long may it continue. Who wasn’t ready to burst with pride for Roy when he played Carla’s bodyguard against Peter?

Recent events spread further and wider than the victims of the tragedy though. Leanne and Michelle were battling it out to become Miss Self Centred Weatherfield 2014 as they grappled for ways to turn Tina’s death into being about them. Poor Leanne had to actually do some mothering towards Simon and managed to cock that up as she was so preoccupied with not telling her husband Nick that she is sleeping with the world’s most boring gym instructor, Kal. Meanwhile, Michelle’s biggest problem was hapless Steve putting his foot in it again as she found out that he had known about Peter’s affair. He’s been kicked to the kerb once more and, if he has any sense, he’ll stay there as I have long thought Steve could do better than Michelle. On the topic, Simon Gregson is often recognised for his brilliant comic work, but his emotional acting this week was just as good, his particular scene of note being where he confronted Peter after Michelle walked out.

Barbara Knox and Jack Shepherd have also given notable performances from Tina’s bedside as the two closest friends of Tina and also reminders of the times when Tina was a much loved character.

What else has been happening in Corrie? Gail went to see Les Dennis in prison and forgave him for burgling her home. Her look of forgiveness looked awfully similar to her look of ‘oh I quite like you’ which set my Gaildar off. Could another disastrous romance be in the offing?

And finally, comic relief came courtesy of Sally and Tim. Sally spent all week panicking that Tim was going to propose and avoiding spending any time alone with him. Then when he didn’t, she wanted to know why, prompting that awkward ‘what would you have said’ discussion. This is Sally and Tim as well, so the awkwardness was increased a notch; the pair ended up engaged with neither of them really wanting to be.

My money is still on Gail marrying Les Dennis first, mind you.

Are you enjoying Corrie at the moment? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

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Written By Our Man In The North