Coronation Street

[Red Ranger 1]

Well, seems to have been a very busy week.I think Sunita was willing to give Amber a chance on Monday but then she failed to turn up for her shift and neither Amber nor Dev seemed to be particularly bothered about it.Dev turfing Tina out of the flat to make room for her was a bit cold, could they really not have shared it?Tommy was asking for trouble trying to date them both on the same night.Tina's betrayed "I bought you a tirimasu" made me laugh.

By opinion of Nick and Becky seemed to change by the scene.It was a bit random(have they ever spoken before?)and at first it seemed like a case of Becky throwing herself into a relationship and thinking it's one great love affair when the guy's interested in a casual relationship at most.Then it seemed like Nick actually liked her and it might work out...but now it's over.I did love the scene of them both in the kitchen at breakfast, clearly enjoying winding Gail, David and Kylie up, though.Nice touch that Cheryl, who initially seemed unhappy with her presence, was sympathetic towards her.I thought Becky handled herself well when David and Kylie were trying to wind her up but less so when she muscled her way in on Steve and his date.Steve trying desperately to find himself a girlfriend was quite funny but I was slightly uncomfortable with the punchline of her turning out to be overweight and a bit rough around the edges with a demon child and Steve seemed a bit off with her, given that she seemed a basically nice person.Ironically, they got on better after Becky's outburst and I was glad they actually parted on good terms.

Really not sure about Kylie getting Max back, even if she has rediscovered her hidden maternal feelings.She's still pretty selfish and immature and having support from Gail, who's been a less than resounding success as a parent, and David, her less than resounding success as a parent, doesn't inspire confidence.Nice touch that Maria seemed to speak up for them with Audrey despite not really liking either of them.

When Chris had that moment of forgetfulness and then dropped the tray, I began to wonder if he had some sort of neurological disorder like Huntingdon's but I didn't realise until that brief chat with Doctor Carter that he already knew something was up.Owen switching from chatting pleasantly with Anna to bawling him out in about one second made me smile a bit.

[Slade]

I really enjoyed the scene where David, Kylie and Gail saw Becky in the kitchen in just a shirt obviously having spent the night with Nick. I have to admit she can look quite attractive when she wants too. See this is what I mean about Becky. Over the last week she’s actually been OK. Perhaps she shouldn’t be getting so close to Hope but I quite enjoyed the advice she gave Fizz. I have to say what Fizz did was pretty stupid and as incredibly naive. She got a smack in the month on Friday’s episode but there’s bound to be further repercussions with some of the other women.

I was getting pretty fed up of Leanne’s attitude towards Carla (even though she had good reason) and it did annoy me the way she was right in Carla’s face and wound her up but I am kind of glad they’ve reconciled as I was fed up with the bickering. I thought Frank came across really well during the whole thing trying to play peacemaker despite him remaining oblivious to what happened with Peter and Carla. It never ceases to amaze me even in soaps whenever someone actively decides to propose in front of a public audience. I thought Frank getting on one knee and asking Carla for her hand in marriage was just asking for trouble. Her saying yes was even worse and only felt like a response to Peter rejecting her. I kind of smiled when Carla told Peter he thought highly of himself when he kept quizzing her about her actions. He has every reason to be sceptical as she declared her love for him and came on to him just prior to her and Frank going to Italy.

I was starting to like Eva but I went right off her when she took the Stella’s birthday card from Leanne, tore it up then threw it away. She wasn’t even the least bit sorry. And then there was her baiting of Leanne when she saw her in the Rovers talking to Carla and Frank. And I was glad Frank was sarcastic to her then Leanne and Carla told her where to go. Even when she was drinking at the Rovers with Kylie and those two blokes she was still being annoying winding Gail up. I would really like to see her taken down a peg.

*Sighs* I was starting to think Gail and Kylie had really made some progress but it seems as though we are back to square one without David there to act as a buffer but Kylie’s behaviour to bait Gail still shows how childish and immature she is. I could understand Gail locking her out even though it seemed petty and equally immature. I’m still left wondering why David didn’t even call his own wife on her Birthday though.

I found it interesting how Owen’s attitude to Chris immediately changed after finding out about his brain tumour. I can understand Chris being proud and frustrated at his condition being public knowledge. I know Lloyd only let Chris stay because of Cheryl but I still have to say hats off.

I was really glad when Tina decided to go out with the Doctor effectively blowing out Tommy. I don’t particularly like the guy. He’s obviously a player and let’s not forget when Rosie came on him as an attempt to expose him, he definitely would have slept with her if he could have knowing full well she was going out with Jason.

Sylvia has been absolutely brilliant over the last week. I loved the way she tried to cut costs when she temporarily took over the Cafe. Some of her one-liners were classic too and had me in stitches. Really liked the way she gave Owen a miniscule breakfast, wouldn’t refund Kirk for not using the toilet and banned Karl. None of them deserved it but it was still funny. The best part was where she locked Norris in the toilet all night. What she did was wrong but he so deserved it so I was glad and was really annoyed on Monday the way Roy went crawling then pandering to him. It was even worse when Norris was incredibly smug as Roy was serving them a free dinner and the way that cretin Mary had to stick her nose in. What does it have to do with her anyway?

[Red Ranger 1]

Are we actually meant to feel sorry for Kylie?Because she's been so vile recently I couldn't really care.And I can't believe Gail missed out on a golden opportunity to get rid of the nightmare couple. Then again, she'd have persuaded David to move out a long time ago if she had any sense.The ending of Marc's storyline, with Audrey reflecting on continued prejudices and acknowledging her own, was surprisingly mature although it's still a bit of a shame it ended like that.

I rather liked Chesney standing up to Owen over his doom and gloom attitude towards the scan. Kind of interested in Fiz's plight in prison and Rebecca Callard, who I'm having a hard time recognising, is doing a fairly good job as Ruth but the actress playing the other main threatener is a bit rubbish unfortunately.(Wasn't she in The Biz years ago?)Glad someone remembered Tyrone and Fiz used to be close.Tyrone, Tommy and Kirk as the worst superhero team in history was quite amusing, especially Kirk braining a drug dealer with part of a dummy.Kind of intrigued to know what happened to him.

By the way, got the 1960s DVD box set last week and been working my way through it.(So Dennis' random reference to Martha Longhurst in the last episode felt very apt.)It's been quite a revelation: Christine Hardman, who's probably at the bottom of the list of original characters people remember, has turned out to be a rather compelling tragic figure.And Leonard Swindley, who started off as a fairly bland authority figure, quickly turned into a proto-Captain Mainwaring.I was half expecting a laughter track at one point.

[Slade]

Firstly I thought Tyrone, Tommy, Kirk, Gary kidnapping Leon and holding him hostage was beyond stupid. This was probably the one time I was actually grateful to Norris although the fact that they have appeared to have gotten away with it, with Leon safely behind bars and the way Fiz went psycho on Ruth and Ruth was immediately scared (despite being backed up by several other inmates) were both equally ridiculous and unbelievable.

I've been surprised at Gail's attitude towards Kylie. She appears to have done a U-turn again. I have to say she missed a golden opportunity to finish her off once and for all but I actually thought she was the better person and did what she felt was best for everyone involved.

I was hoping that all this stuff with Lloyd and Chris was over but it seems as though Chris is very cunningly taking advantage of Lloyd's good nature trying to kiss Cheryl behind his back then sabotaging his date with her the following day. Still at least they put aside their differences to find Ross.

Tracy's back! I wasn't sure whether she had gone for good and she's pregnant by Steve again. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to this. I'm actually glad Steve and Becky are getting on OK. Becky has actually been reasonably likeable as of late. Even though she wanted Roy to lie for her about the job interview I still liked the way she took the news when Roy told them the truth. I also liked the way she got behind the bar to help Steve when Stella was taken to hospital and wouldn't take his money when he offered to pay her. I really liked to chat they had and when she said she forgave him. It does seem like a case of can't live with each other, can't live without each other.

Oh dear Carla. I really wasn't sure what to make of Frank covering up the fact that she hit and seriously injured a pedestrian whilst drunk behind the wheel and caused serious damage to someone's business. In one hand I could understand why he did it being in love with her. But part of me felt there was a duty to Stella's family to let them know the truth. I'm not sure there's any point in saying anything now as they'll both be in serious trouble so they haven't really got anything to lose by keeping quiet. Wasn't sure what to make of Peter lying to the police for her too. She's obviously been in love with him for quite a while but in spite the fact he told her he didn't love her you do wonder why he kept quiet. Would he really protect the woman who ran over his wife's mother simply because he could empathise with her from an alcholic's perspective? It seems now that she's going to make herself even more miserable and stay with Frank out of grattitude and loyalty as opposed to love.

I really like Stella and didn't want anything bad to happen to her but I'm glad something like this happened for the simple reason that Leanne is prepared to put the past behind her. I thought she was really horrible to Stella before Carla hit her but the main reason for that was because Eva was being her usual annoying self and seriously rubbing her up the wrong way. I was hoping that they would settle their differences too and initially was optimistic when Eva let Leanne comfort her but Eva's gone right back to acting like a spoiled brat - She's MY mum no one else can have her but me!

[Red Ranger 1]

I accept that in real life Fiz standing up to Ruth would likely have resulted in Ruth's friends beating her to a pulp but damn, it was so satisfying I didn't care.

So, Tracy's pregnant with Steve's baby.Despite what every soap writer in the country is saying, it's not a case of them sleeping together twice and her getting pregnant both times, they've slept together loads more times than that:They had a couple of half-hearted attempts at a relationship, first after Ray died and then after she killed Charlie.But their one night stands do seem to be oddly productive.Steve's doing an okay job handling it so far.Becky, frustratingly, continues to veer between sympathetic and downright insane, sometimes in the same episode.Her stunt with the flat is just more evidence of why Steve's better off without her.

Although I'm glad Stella's all right, I did wonder for a bit if there was a dramatic potential in killing her off and leaving Leanne and the others to handle the guilt.Frank's actions are a bit worrying, he seems to have developed a habit of presenting Carla with a fait accompli and forcing her to go along with it.His Stalinist insistence that he was driving did, as Carla indicated, sound as though he actually believed it.It was extremely unfair of Carla to tell Peter and put him in the position of lying to the police, especially when Stella is Leanne's mum.It does seem like Peter's on the way to wrecking his marriage which would be a shame.

And Lisa Bowerman as Carla's solicitor!Trying to remember if she's appeared before and I've forgotten.She probably has.

[ter06]

Corrie has shown this week how a rape story should be done - H&A should be ashamed with their latest effort! Fantastic acting and writing from the Corrie team.

[alexx]

I've not done very well keeping up over the last month or so. There are too many episodes to download in order to catch up properly but I'll definitely watch the rape storyline, I like Carla.

[Slade]

It's been very good week in terms of plotlines. I have to say I've really enjoyed this rape storyline with Carla. In terms of comparing it to Home and Away I think we have to give it a bit more time. Immediately after the rape I thought Bianca was quite traumatised but the problem is it's been intertwined with Liam returning and getting beaten by one of the River Boys so she's veered from trying to be a good girlfriend to someone deeply affected by her trauma. I have to be honest and say there are times where she doesn't seem like someone who has been raped and if I hadn't seen the rape episode or didn't know about it then I wouldn't be able to tell. Still I do think Home and Away have progressed from their stance in previous years where they wouldn't even use the word "rape". They would say "assault" or "attack". The storyline that's springs to mind is the one with Dani and Kane about 10 years ago. There were so many references to it because Kane was with Dani's sister for quite a while. I also don't think it helps that there have been so many characters that have actually been raped.

Anyway I think the actress has handled the role of Carla really well. Even though she was in love with Peter she didn't want him anywhere near her. In fact she didn't want any man near her. I'm glad Maria was there for her. I knew Carla would tell her as she would be the one person who would understand. And I really liked that scene where Carla let Maria in, Maria took one look at Carla and immediately knew what happened. I'm really not sure what to make of Frank. We know he tried to force himself on Maria previously but I was hoping that was an isolated incident but it would seem not, which is a shame because I was actually starting to quite like him. I honestly didn't know what to make of his reaction immediately after the rape. At first I thought he was so deluded that he didn't actually think he raped her but the way he was watching the flat afterwards (where for a second I actually thought he was going to run Peter over), turned up with the flowers and bottle of wine, taunted Peter about Carla liking it rough and the way he suddenly changed and tried to make out Carla was hysterical back at the factory all suggested he's a calculated and accomplished liar. Carla was probably right not to listen to Frank when he tried to talk her into dropping the charges. If he's tried to do it to Maria and done it to Carla there's every possibility that he could do it to someone else. At least Carla has people on her side such as Sean but Dev really seems to be the only person who is really giving Frank the benefit of the doubt.

Disappointed is the word I was used to describe Peter assaulting Frank. Although it was understandable how irate he was, I'm with Leanne on this one. It's extremely worrying to see him acting like that and considering that Carla fessed up to being the one who actually hit Stella whilst drunk behind the wheel, you have to ask yourself if he really only sees her as a friend why he seemed to be reacting like that. He wasn't thinking of Simon or Leanne at all when he was pummelling Frank. And although they've had problems for a while I think Peter and Leanne are in serious trouble. He was honest about going back to Carla's when he suspected something was wrong but he told an out and out lie when Leanne asked him if there is even one kiss between him and Carla. The sad thing is if he had been honest I think she would have been hurt but tried to find a way forward. However I feel part of Peter doesn't want to tell Leanne not because he's worried how she will react but because he doesn't want to. He wants to spend time with Carla because he has feelings for her. When Peter went round to see Carla I actually wonder what would have happened if she had let him console her. Anyway that is secondary. If it comes out that Carla was the one who ran over Stella, Frank covered it up and Peter knew about it and lied to the police, there really will be hell to pay. I did wonder if Frank was going to try and blackmail Carla but at the moment I don't think he will because he feels he can get away with this. If he does actually get charged, ends up going to court and being found guilty he'll have nothing to lose so I think he would spill the beans then.

I couldn't stop smiling through all the Anna/Owen scenes. I did actually quite enjoy them and would actually like to see these two together as a couple. Anna makes Owen so much more likeable too as I've said before.

Although I understand Tina's concern I've found her really annoying this week. If someone blocked my car in like that I would probably be annoyed (although I wouldn't have reacted like Kirsty did). Then the was the way she switched Rita's note with one that clearly indicated some sort of grudge. So I was glad Rita told her off and made her apologise (even though it didn't seem genuine for one second). And then there her attitude towards Kirsty even in Tyrone's presence. She had better watch herself because she is a lodger at his house. It's also ironic given Tommy's attitude towards her new doctor boyfriend. I do actually like that Tyrone's in a relationship after everything that happened to him after the past year but I have to admit there is something about Kirsty that makes you think you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her. Also if she is a police officer I find it a bit odd that she took Tommy's money in the club to make Tyrone think that she was interested, even though she was interested in the end. If she hadn't given the money back you could almost say that she prostituted or perhaps I should say escorted herself. Almost.

[Red Ranger 1]

I think one significant difference between the two rape storylines is that in HA, however well or otherwise Bianca's reaction has been written, it's basically been a case of "They find the guy, they arrest him, he confesses, case closed."Whereas in Corrie, Frank being charged is only the first step;he's got enough self-preservation instinct to try and get away with it and perhaps enough intelligence to succeed.I have liked seeing Maria supporting Carla after a few weeks of doing nothing and Kirk's reaction to finding her in the flat was great.I don't want Peter and Leanne to split up but at the moment it sadly seems inevitable.Ironically, given that Leanne was the one who had the affair, Peter's the one who seems to be doing everything to wreck it.The scene where they find Carla after her overdose and Peter is holding her hand and virtually crying over her while Leanne just stands there looking awkward was very uncomfortable viewing.

Wasn't too impressed by Pam's attitude when she came back:Dropping poison in Tyrone's ear, berating Sally for being the better person, banning Kevin from the wedding without caring about how Bill felt.We get that Kevin had an affair and he's got a few anger management issues but he's hardly the devil incarnate that Pam tries to paint him as.That said, his behaviour after his night with Sally ws incredibly dumb, not only assuming it meant they were back together but treating her like a skivvy and expecting her to wash his overalls.No wonder she kicked him into touch and I felt sorry for her getting it in the ear from an annoying Sophie.I find Sophie's friendship with Amber a bit weird, given Amber's Rosie's age bnd there's a fairly big gap between them, not sure how many 20/21-year-olds hang out with sixteen-year-olds.

Steve going back to Tracy is slightly mental, although even more than their previous attempts, it's obvious he's only doing it for the children.If she hadn't decided she wanted an abortion, I don't think he'd have gone back there and I can't see it lasting.

I'm liking Owen and Anna together too, it is making Owen more likeable and I thought Anna admitting he was only the second person she'd slept with was a nice touh.Eileen's accident at the factory and her date's reaction was one of those nice light-hearted incidents that Corrie does well.Didn't you just know Norris was trying to film it?

[Slade]

I was shocked and saddened to hear that Betty Driver had passed away on Saturday, especially considering as they announced tonight's episodes were a tribute to her. I always liked her character and although her part over the last few years has been mainly a cameo role, I saw her as a permanent fixture. It didn't actually occur to me that her last episode was earlier on this year. I quite liked the documentary about her life they showed after the first Corrie episode this evening. She was even acting as far back as 1939 and had to stop because of the war and she lived to the grand old age of 91 - wow! I never would have guessed. Rest in peace Betty.

With regards to tonight's episodes I did actually feel quite sorry for Carla when she was forced to let Becky, Eileen and Sally go because Frank took his half of the equipment and stock. I was quite impressed with Becky and pleased with Eileen that they didn't blame Carla and could see where she was coming from. I was however disappointed with Sally. Her reaction when Carla broke the news to her was understandable and although she definitely needed a job the whole going to see Frank thing and accept his proposal seemed to be fuelled by getting back at Carla.

I am really liking Tyrone and Kirsty and really hope that she doesn't have a screw lose. I think I said this before but there's something about her that bothers me. Although Kirsty probably should have just bitten her tongue as far as Tina was concerned, Tina's attitude still annoyed me and again is ironic given how she reacts to Tommy's pettiness with her doctor boyfriend.