Coronation Street

[Red Ranger 1]

I'm very much in two minds about Becky.I'm not a huge fan of the character and she's certainly got a nasty side.I think Max was better off with her and Steve than with Kylie but her motivation was fairly selfish.Whilst I'm no fan of Tracy's, what Becky did was completely out of line, not least because it was Ken and Deirdre's house and Amy was upstairs.It looks like that's the McDonald marriage over and, to be honest, I don't really mind, Steve's probably better off without her and his speech at the end came across as somewhat naive.Arguably, his big mistakes wasn't contacting Social Services, it was telling David about Kylie(right after he'd used it to keep Kylie onside), which backfired enormously.I don't want David and Kylie to get custody of Max, although I don't think he'd be in danger there:Kylie might not be a particularly good mother and David might not be particularly responsible but I don't think Gail would let anything happen to him.David does seem to be looking at Kylie through completely rose-tinted glasses and it's about time he got a wake up call.

Well, practically the only thing in John's favour was that he was willing to get Chesney to contact Katy once he realised how far things had gone.(Loved Chesney running up to the van and Owen's frustrated reaction:I thought they were pretty dumb for trying to have a baby and I guess I still do but good luck to them.)Fiz appearing at the top of the stairs during John's rant about all the people he killed was a top "Get out of that one" moment and by the end even he seemed to realise he'd crossed the line.Just think, if he'd been happy working in a caff, none of this would have happened.I did think Fiz's accident was a bit of a head banger:You've got four, possibly five, people who know that John's snatched Hope and yet all of them stand around Fiz looking worried instead of going after him, even though he just stands there, a few yards away, for about half a minute, not making any attempt to escape.(I'm still trying to work out if that was Amy Searles, my favourite semi-regular police officer, in an uncredited, non-speaking role at the hospital...)I think most people knew John was going to jump off the roof despite the previews being a bit coy about it but his disappearance took me completely by surprise.Does that mean he's coming back?Or are they just going to leave it ambiguous as to whether he survived or not?

[Slade]

See this is what I mean about Becky. Compared to Friday I really liked the way she was portrayed in yesterday’s episodes. I actually felt sorry for her although I still think she is very lucky the police weren’t involved. No doubt Tracy thinking tactically with regards to manipulating Steve. I was surprised Ken still seemed reasonably calm about it. Can’t really blame Deirdre for the way she reacted. It seems as though Becky has now completely thrown in the towel and is almost resigned to her fate – whether that be a path to oblivion.

I have to admit I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw Chesney’s reaction to Fiz telling the police she helped John dispose of Collin’s body. I’m glad the police won’t be prosecuting her for murder although it’s hard to argue against the fraud case. Norris was really annoying yesterday. He’s so damn nosey and I hate the way he gossips about people so I was glad Chesney warned him off and that Rita, Dennis didn’t buy any of his nonsense. So John’s actually made it as far as Ireland. Perhaps this is a way to keep the storyline open but even if he did go to jail for murder they could still no doubt bring him back somehow...Tracy, Tony.

I really wonder what the point of the family scenes with Dev and Sunita as I find them quite boring although I do like their interaction with other characters.

I’ve said before as a person I don’t like Owen but there’s something about the calm, threatening nature of his voice that often draws me to the character.

[Red Ranger 1]

So, John did survive.I strongly suspect we'll be seeing him again since he's surely due some sort of comeuppance.Tracy might have got out of jail but only after serving three years, more than she'd get in some shows, and Tony only got let out so he could be killed.Shame Fiz is left carrying the can, hopefully they'll accept she had nothing to do with the deaths and she'll get a non-custodial sentence for the fraud.Nice to see Maria and Kirk being there for her, it seems as though Kirk's only function on the show these days is supporting his friends when they go through a crisis but he does it well. Nice to see Ches and Katy feeling very much like family to her as well.Brian's return was amusing.

I'm glad Graeme chose Xin, they do make a good team.She seemed to accept it with dignity when it looked like Graeme was going to go with Tina which made me respect her.I did wonder about the wisdom of leaving the crazy jilted ex alone in their flat, I didn't realise she was evicting them.

And the aunts are back.Their bickering and criticisms could get wearing after a while, as I think they did last time, but there have been some fairly amusing moments in their increasingly misguided attempts to find Sunita a new man.Dev and Sunita's repartee when Sophie was asking for an advance was funny as well.

[~Zoe~]

Coronation Street actress Michelle Keegan has announced that she is engaged to pop star boyfriend Max George.

The 24-year-old, who plays Tina McIntyre in the ITV1 soap, confirmed recent speculation over the engagement in a message on Twitter.

She wrote: "Hi guys, me and Max ARE engaged... He asked a few weeks ago and I haven't stopped smiling since. Thanks for all your lovely messages! ) X"

Her 22-year-old fiance, a singer with the band The Wanted, is reported to have given Michelle a £10,000 ring as an extra birthday present when she turned 24 earlier this month.

Michelle took him for a tour of the Coronation Street set in Manchester earlier today, posting a picture on Twitter of him behind the bar at the Rovers Return where she is usually seen working as a barmaid on screen.

Her character in the soap has not been lucky in love after recently splitting with boyfriend Graeme Proctor, played by Craig Gazey.

Stockport-born Michelle has been named Sexiest Female in the British Soap Awards for the last three years running.

^ I'm really happy for Michelle and Max, they make a lovely couple

[Slade]

Firstly regarding Tina although I thought what happened to her was ironic and she ultimately brought it on herself, I felt she was very gracious in defeat and I liked the final scene with Graham where basically she acknowledged how much he meant to her and wished him well.

Onto this week which I felt has been very good overall. I like Stella. I liked her attitude and interaction with some of the locals and think her presence here could be interesting. Not sure what to make of the other half as it’s early days but I didn’t like the way Stella deliberately failed to mention him to the agency meaning he was sprung on Steve in the last minute. I don’t like Stella’s daughter (I spotted her as the bird Ryan from Emmerdale copped off with when he was in prison). She comes across as one of those spoilt/materialistic girls that have never done a hard day’s work in their lives and think she’s above most people. If it wasn’t for the fact that when I went into WH Smiths and saw the front cover of a soap magazine (by accident) I probably would have questioned why Stella’s taken such an interest in Leanne and what motivated her to take on an armed robber which I thought was very brave if not a bit unrealistic that scene.

Not sure what to make of Leanne and Peter now. A while back when Leanne was leaning towards Nick, I wanted Peter and Carla together but after everything they went through at the wedding then deciding to make another go of it I really want things to work out so I’m not sure about throwing Carla back into the equation. I genuinely think Peter was trying to be a friend to Carla but it seems she is still in love with him so I don’t really blame Leanne for the way she reacted. What I didn’t like was that Peter lied to Leanne which immediately made me think there could be problems down the line considering that he said he would stay away from her although these were exceptional circumstances. I still think very little of Nick and it annoyed me the way when Leanne was arguing with Peter and Carla he stood there smirking and I was glad when Leanne told him to get lost. It also annoyed me the way Cheryl immediately came running to Leanne to tell her what happened knowing it would spark confrontation. I think it would have been better if she’d just kept an eye on them then reported to Leanne afterwards.

I think Frank was extremely lucky not to get in trouble with the police for trying to force himself on Maria but to be fair he’s hardly put a foot wrong since and I think he’s actually been OK and have quite liked the way he’s been with the factory workers. He had a perfect opportunity to have his way with Carla but he seemed to show incredible restraint considering that she was absolutely wasted and was coming onto him. I actually think he does care about her.

I really haven’t liked the way Roy’s mum has been with Haley but I have to admit I do find her funny sometimes. She does seem old fashioned and comes across as a bit ignorant but unlike Norris I do think there’s a good person underneath. Norris as usually is incredibly annoying especially the way he constantly sticks his nose into other people’s business and passes judgment and I really enjoyed the scene where he complained to Becky about his drink then she took a sip of it and drunk the whole thing much to his dismay.

I thought Steve played an absolute blinder with Tracy when he made her believe he was going to make her bar manager of the Rovers, got her to sign shared access to Amy then gave the job to Stella. Although you could argue it’s disappointing it’s hardly surprising he wants a divorce considering how Becky’s been behaving as of late. I think you could even ask how it’s taken him this long to be honest. Becky needs to seriously sort herself out as she is heading on a path to oblivion. Becky did make an interesting point to Stella though. As Steve’s wife how much control over the pub does she actually have? If she does decide she’s not leaving it will be interesting to see the dynamics of all the characters living in the Rovers when Steve returns from visiting his twin brother.

[alexx]

Nice post! ^

I like Stella too, she reminds me of one of those older classic Coronation Street characters I've seen in various clips on Youtube. Randomly, I also like the way she always says 'crackin'! I don't know whats happening with her and Leanne but after Monday's episode I have a good idea. It was also nice to see some old photos of Leanne's family. Im not keen on Leanne after what she did with Nick but there is something about her that is likable.

I am enjoying the slow burning plot between Garry and Izzy. I also like how Garry is subconsciously or consciously I suppose, using Izzy's disability to benefit his own peace of mind, its realistic, controlling and a bit creepy. But I like both characters so I'm not able to side with one over the other.

I dont like Becky - I find her irritating and immature - very well written character, I believe in her. But I still dont like the character.

Up until last week I thought Roy's mother was a bit one dimensional, but I see now that the writers were deliberately keeping her personality under wraps and we are now getting to understand where she comes from. It was good to see a human side of her when she was so disgusted by Hayley. I thought those scenes where the three characters were sitting around the table in the coffee shop were the highlight of those episodes, some strong acting.

Unlike all the other characters who seem quite chummy with each other, Carla seems like a bit of a loner. I like the character, she is well written and I'm enjoying the alcohol abuse stuff.

Sally has become rather nasty. I dont know whats happened there. She does come across as sensitive and sympathetic at times but then randomly she seems ignorant and plain nasty. Obviously it is part of the character but it feels like the writers dont know which way to go with her... Has she always been this inconsistent?

Edited June 29, 2011 by alexx

[darkcloud]

I could see what was going to happen between Stella and Leanne. It was quite obvious that when Leanne found out about Stella being Leanne's mum, Leanne wasn't going to come to Stella with open arms.

[Red Ranger 1]

I really liked Graeme's last episode and his farewell with Tina.I guess it was kind of appropriate that Gail was the one to talk Tina out of calling Immigration.She'd probably have been in trouble herself if she did, although not as much as them.Graeme looking in the butcher's shop and reminiscing about Ashley was a nice touch.

I think I've said this before but I can't make my mind up about Frank, whether he's a decent guy who did a bad thing or a Jekyll and Hyde character.Don't know if Carla's going to regret getting involved with him or not.

Sally...She was pleasant enough when she was young but she's had that nasty streak for a while now. Might have kicked in during the Greg Kelly storyline, when she was pretty mean to Kevin and a few other people, but the first time I really remember it was when she nasty to the Harrises after finding out about them being in witness protection, which I think was 2003.I think considering herself a cut above some of the other residents is a part of her character these days, certainly since she got all snobbish about sending Rosie to a private school.

Feeling really sorry for Fiz.She was wrong to agree to John's identity theft idea, which effectively sparked the whole thing off, and taking Joy's money and helping hide Colin's body was wrong if a bit more understandable.But she really doesn't deserve to be blamed for all John's crimes the way she is being.

Haven't really paid much attention to Sylvia:She seems to be an attempt to create a new Blanche Hunt, with the same ability to veer between genuinely funny and just plain nasty, and sometimes both at the same time, with the occasional spark of humanity.Her sniping with Becky is a bit "Pray it goes the different."Haven't liked Becky lately but at least she seems to have accepted her and Steve are over and stopped going after revenge now.It's astonishing that

she's not going to leave for six months, she seems to be on the way out already.

Rather like Stella.Michelle Collins' performance has improved a bit, to start with she seemed to spend most of her time talking in her own voice then deliver a random word with a northern twang. Eva I do sort of like, if only because she stood up to Becky, although she is a bit irritating at times. Once I stopped going "Wasn't Leanne's mum called Babs?", kind of like the idea, she and Leanne even look alike.I can understand Leanne's attitude but I hope she calms down and gives Stella a fair hearing eventually.Glad she doesn't seem to be blaming Peter as much as the spoilers suggested, I think she's more or less forgiven him.

Didn't realise the Mortons still owned No.4, seems like ages since they left.Owen offering to help Anna out is one of those odd bits that makes it hard to get a handle on him:Most of the time he seems to be written as an antagonist but then they insist on showing his softer side.

[Slade]

Nice post! ^

Thanks man!

Just a summary of the last week and a bit:

-I really enjoyed Leanne’s 30th. I thought it was a really good episode and I loved the drama that ensued.

-I felt sorry for Stella when Leanne rejected her but I feel Leanne’s actions are understandable although like Red Ranger I do hope Leanne's attitude changes.

-I’m glad Peter’s given Stella the benefit of the doubt, talked her into staying when she was about to leave and he’s trying to do what’s best for Leanne.

-I’m still finding Eva annoying and don’t really see any likeable qualities about her but she is easy on the eye.

-Sally is really, really starting to annoy me with her continued guilty until proven innocent attitude towards Fizz and I actually wanted Fizz to lamp her one on Monday’s episode.

-Up until Christmas I hadn’t watched Corrie in months so I’m not sure if I’ve missed something but I’m trying to get my head around why Carla seems to be so sympathetic towards Fizz.

-Although I thought Kylie was a gold digger at first (and I still think she is to a certain extent) I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and I believe that she does love David.

-I’m getting increasingly tired of Gail’s attitude towards Kylie (Kind of like Sid’s attitude towards Romeo). It reminds me of what she was like when Nic was going out with Leanne. Even Audrey’s prepared to give her a go and getting fed up with her the way she is with her. We get that she doesn’t like Kylie but she’s David’s wife, he's happy and things would be a lot easier for everyone under the same roof if they all got along.

-I did feel a bit sorry for Becky when she finally conceded defeat and now that she appears to have lost everything but she’s her own worst enemy. I will say though that I really like the friendship she has with Roy and Haley and I hope that continues.

-I found it really funny when the stripper was dancing and cosying up to Ken. The expression on his face indicated discomfort. There was me thinking a man his age would have enjoyed it. Although he did seem to be having fun when he was dancing with Cheryl at Leanne’s 30th. Getting close to two attractive women in under a week. Not bad eh Ken!

[Zetti]

I feel for Fiz, poor woman. She doesnt deserve to be put through all this, she did take the money and so she should be punished for that but murder? Come on, Fiz could never kill anyone thought I have to admit, it doesn't look good the way she has lied but I hope justice is done.