The Corrie Review: 29/3/13

Tonight's episode demonstrated exactly why I watch soaps. Most of it centered around the conclusion of the court case and it was DRAMATIC and AWESOME and SOAPY. It was so awesome, I'm forced to break the cap locks out. AWESOME!!!



One of the things I've loved about the domestic violence storyline was that Kirsty was never completely evil. Sure there were times that she was scary and/or bitchy and/or crazy but not evil. In part this is to do with the writers (although they're not perfect; even this storyline had its flaws) but mostly due to the amazing acting of Natalie Guemede. It feels like I say this every blog post but her performances truly blow me away. I wish her well in whatever she chooses to do next.

And of course Tyrone, Fiz and Ruby got their famous happy ending. It was a little cheesy but Tyrone deserves a bit of happiness. He's been put through the wringer the last year or so, so he needs a bit of happiness. Why on earth he would choose to spend that happiness with Fiz is for another blog post altogether.

To be honest, I almost didn't care about the other storylines but off the top of me head, let's briefly summarise what was hot and what was not about tonight's episode (excluding the court case. I've done enough gushing about that!)


Hot: Sylvia's ongoing drug storyline

Five words I never expected to type. But this is just hilarious. That scene on Wednesday when she was high and playing with bubbles. I haven't laughed so hard at a Corrie scene since the infamous Blanche AA debacle of 2009. And her caginess over the cannabis brownies tonight was also fun. I love it!


Not: Tina and Gary at the Bistro

Not the scene exactly; more the 'I can see where this is going and I hate it.' Mostly because, um, I can see where this is going etc etc.

It kinda felt like torture actually because for the majority of the episode, they featured Tina and Tommy together and I'd forgotten just how much I liked them. And when they said goodbye to each other, there was chemistry there. In conclusion, I prefer Tina with Tommy and Gary with Izzy. Don't go there writers! Just don't!


Hot: Chesney flirting with Eva

Ches is gonna wake up in the morning, remember this, and want to kill himself. Seriously we've all been there; had a seriously embarrassing moment while drunk.

I think Eva was vaguely amused though. And it's probably a compliment in a way. Mostly though, their exchange was hilarious. Not quite as hilarious as the Sylvia incidents but hilarious nonetheless.


Not: Gloria



I liked her first time round but ever since she returned last month (or was it January? I've forgotten), she's been nothing short of a vile shrew. And you have no idea how much I despise having to call a character played by the awesome Sue Johnston what I did.

I mean seriously. To call out Dev for daring to sit beside the woman he loves? Granted, Gloria thinks Sunita set fire to her home but come the hell on! It hasn't even been proved yet! I just hate Gloria. Hate. Hate. Hate. And to think the character had so much potential when she waltzed onto the Street. To think I was actually looking forward to her character. What a naive little fool I was.


I think that's it. Anything I can't remember wasn't important (at least that's how I see it). Overall it was a great two episodes. However I'd rather next week was back to normal. With the big fire last week and the court case this week, Corrie's been hella sensationalised. Let's get back to the lighthearted soap we all know and love. Leave the darker stuff to Eastenders!


The two pictures are both from ITV.com. Picture 1 can be found in the picture preview gallery here and picture 2 can be found in the character bio here

The Corrie Review 15/3/13

How good was tonight's episode of Corrie? Answer: freaking good! I've not enjoyed an episode like that for a while. There were things that I never expected to happen (Jason Grimshaw a pub landlord??? Who'd've thunk it?) and some amazing scenes which I shall get onto presently. Worth missing the Vicar of Dibley for!

Chesney/Katy/Ryan

Look, I'll be the first to tell you that I haven't enjoyed this storyline but that didn't stop tonight's scene between Chesney and Katy being nothing short of fantastic! But more than that, it gave Sam Aston another angle to play instead of nice caring dad, and he reminded us all what a cracking actor he can be. He plays anger really well (in fact, he could have been good in a descent to bad boy storyline but unfortunately they gave it to a recast Ryan) and if I wasn't on Chesney's side at the beginning of the evening (which I was), then by the end of the evening he had my full 110%.

And even before that scene, a great showdown between Gary and Ryan with Katy in the middle. And yes I cheered when Gary punched Ryan. In fact I could enjoy an episode with people just randomly punching Ryan. He's a 

douche! He deserves it!

Jason/Stella

Doesn't the pub look nice by candlelight? Not certain if they're actually allowed to be open with no electricity but with the atmosphere, and the wonderful Barbara Knox singing (still fantastic at nearly 80! Voice and looks!), I'll take it!

And Jason wound up getting a job at the pub in a move I didn't expect this character to go in. He's been a builder ever since I started watching Corrie so I'm not sure if I want this to last but it does seem refreshing, even if I'm not an advocate of the Jason/Stella relationship.

On the whole though, not really a lot to comment on here. Just a whole bunch of setting up by the writers. And there's more below.

Dev/Sunita

You guys! I'm trying not to get invested in them because I know what's going to happen on Monday! But I can't do it! Dev and Sunita were so good together tonight. Not many people like Dev but I'm in the minority. He was completely selfless tonight as he offered to start a completely new life with Sunita. We all know how much his little empire means to him. And yet he chooses to give all that up for the woman he loves!

Which is why I did not like Stella interfering in the reunion process by basically talking Dev out of it. Out of order. I've been feeling indifferent to Stella ever since she joined but a few more moves like that will push me over into the hatred corner with the majority of Corrie fans.

Get em' off!

Comedy too to balance those heavy scenes tonight in the form of Eileen, Lloyd, and Steve. Eileen tried to convince Steve and Lloyd to do the Monty Python thingy and they accepted. But then apparently they said no later and now I'm a little confused as to whether they'll be doing it or not but who cares because this is an obvious ploy to get the characters away from the pub!

This may have been a great episode but I haven't been enjoying Corrie of late. However, from the few spoilers I've read, that could be all set to change when Blackburn takes over. He's made a few storyline decisions I've agreed with so far, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope he doesn't have the same penchant for breaking up happy couples for the hell of it as Collinson has. Because I am sick and tired of that.

However here's hoping!

All screenshots courtesy of the ITV preview pics gallery which you can find here

Radio Silence

Sorry for all the radio silence on this end. I could go into a series of excuses about how my husband turned out to be a serial killer who tried to drown me and my three kids in the Manchester Canal. Alas, that didn't happen. (Well... not this week anyway!)

The truth is... Corrie is going downhill in a kinda down-hilly sort of way.

There are literally just two storylines that make me tune in to this sorry state of a soap opera. One is the domestic violence plot, or more specifically Natalie Guemede's talent as an actress. She amazes me every time and the confrontation with Alison was the highlight of Monday's double episode. Unfortunately Corrie decided to axe one of the best things about Corrie and Kirsty's leaving soon. And if they kill her off, I will.... rage on this blog angrily!

The second storyline? Is the babydaddy storyline. Yes it's cliched, but it's a soap opera staple and the fallout when David finds out that the baby is Nick's (It's gotta be! Who can resist that story?) will simply be amazing. Plus I care about all the characters here. Kylie, David, Nick . Not Gail though but I've never liked Gail.

Everything else is just boring and stupid and contrived and stupid and bad storytelling and stupid.

Karl's sudden descent into villainy? Stupid! (although, and I'll continue to say this, John Michie is so awesome when he's playing bad!)

Katy and Ryan? Stupid!

Ryan's continued existence? Makes me pray for death.

And I've had a brain fart because I can't even remember any of the other plots. Which means they're all stupid. Bring on April 8th when the new producer material starts airing. A month tomorrow! Let's all stay strong!

The Corrie Review 1/3/13

Yes late again because I got caught up watching a great film on More4. Seriously they had Maggie Smith as the serial killer. If that isn't an awesome thing, I don't know what is!

The 'Make it stop!!!' storyline.

Dear writers

STOP TRYING TO MAKE KATY AND RYAN HAPPEN. KATY AND RYAN ARE NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

Love Regards

Joseph

PS: Shirtless Ryan scenes inspires me to vomit in my mouth. Make it stop.

The Truth About Eric

How deliciously bitchy was Doris last night? I really enjoyed some of her lines. Sadly it looks like she was only down for one appearance. But what an appearance! Her smugness and bitchiness kinda reminded me of Claudia actually. Bring back Claudia! Audrey needs a friend!

After Her Royal Bitchiness left the pub, Gloria and Eva decided to rise above their differences and met in the middle for what made to be a really nice scene. And yes it was a blatant 'Storyline's over folks! Move along to Katy/Ryan now!' by the writers but I didn't mind. They couldn't really have dragged this arc out any further even if I do wish we could have seen more Eric. But that's just a minor quibble.

Inserted here because it's related to this storyline but doesn't deserve a bold header status. How scary was John Michie as Karl when he grabbed and tried to kiss Stella like that. I actually thought Stella was in for another rape. That was a pretty compelling scene even if I don't agree with this storyline! Wow!

Flash Resurrected

Another storyline ending is the Flash! Tortoise story in which Mandy finally got her revenge. I won't recount the ways in which she did it because when I tried to do that, it involved the use of the phrase Flashes ashes.

But I do enjoy this pairing in the more comedic storylines. They remind me of George & Mildred back in the seventies, in particular that episode when George lost Truffles the Dog and bought a new one to try and fool his wife. Inspiration perhaps? It's an awesome place to get it from, since George & Mildred is one of the best sitcoms in the history of ever. (Yes I am old at heart! Live with it!)

Nicks and Nacks

• Erm... where's this Paul storyline going? I'm sure Tony Hirst is a nice man but the thought of seeing him minus clothes inspires the word eeeewwww.
• In fact, there seemed to be a lot of setting up on yesterday's episode. That little story above was probably an attempt to remind us of who this Paul bloke is. And of course, Tyrone is starting to get mentioned again after a suspiciously silent break. It's the trial in a couple of weeks so it's just setting up for that now.

So that's all that happened on Friday's episode. I so hope that this is Collinson's stuff airing because apart from the babydaddy storyline, I am not enjoying Corrie at the moment. Granted, I probably started this blog at the right time so I could mock the hell out of this but I'm not enjoying watching it. According to TV Times, Blackburn's stuff starts airing early next month so until then readers!

Onwards and upwards!

The Corrie Review 27/2/13

Welcome one and all to Wednesday night's review. Yes that's right, the review will now be published a couple of hours after the episode. Shocker, huh? So without further ado...

A Kiss Among Kebabs

This incredibly stupid storyline continued tonight with Katy and Fake Ryan (This is NOT Ryan Connor, writers! This is NOT Michelle's son!!!) locking lips in the romantic atmosphere of the kebab shop (which I would name but I'm not sure of the spelling... and naturally I'm too lazy to look it up!)

Surely I cannot be the only Corrie viewer who can't feel the chemistry between these two characters. I don't even feel them as friends to be honest. I've had more intense conversations with my pet cat! And why should I root for Katy here? She's got a loving boyfriend, a son who depends on her, a roof over her head, and yes, she now has a new job. If she wants to put all that at risk then that's her problem but I'm on Chesney's side.

Loved Chesney's observation that Ryan seems a bit full of himself (because, y'know, he IS) but he was happy for Katy to work with him as long as he treated her right. And while he may have had qualms about his girlfriend getting a job, he didn't seem to mind looking after Little Joseph on his own. See, sweet, loving, caring... and Katy throws all this away for a douchebag with no positive characteristics? Ugh!!!

The Obvious Gold-digger

Question: Has Gloria actually shed a tear over Eric's death? Y'know, a real one instead of those crocs she was shedding on Monday? Answer: she hasn't.

This character is a strange one for me. There are certain days that I just can't stand her. For example, when she arrived, she rubbed me up the wrong way but by the next episode, I was enjoying her. And today, she also annoyed me with her hope that she'd get Eric's money.

Thankfully Eva was also annoyed by her Gran's attitude towards all this, and I enjoyed the scene where Gloria on the phone to the solicitor to ask about the will (Who does that???) and Eva was being all snarky behind her. But way to be obvious Gloria!

More Babydaddy (or more specifically Granny) stuff

Not a lot happened in this storyline today. Sophie, who wasn't all that chuffed that her mother had allowed Gail to stay, practically begged David and Kylie to take her back, even presenting them with a plan (which basically amounted to David begging Gail to return. Ugh.)

So dutifully, David went round at lunchtime and asked Gail to return. He didn't do a very good job of it though, in my opinion. The way Sophie painted it, I thought he'd be acting all contrite but instead he seemed a bit impatient and very angry. He's got good reason to be of course but I would have thought she'd hide it.

And on a side note, how brave was it of Kylie to encourage David to go through with the plan? If I were Kylie, I'd be doing the opposite. But then I suppose she wants to keep her mother-in-law 'happy' (which is impossible for Kylie to do partially because they hate each other but mainly because Gail doesn't know how to smile). 

Nicks and Nacks 

• Wasn't it nice of the prison to let Tyrone go on holiday? Seriously, how brown was he? And we're supposed to believe that he's being kept inside? The make-up department failed there.
• Mandy finally found out but in a less dramatic way than I expected. If you recall, I thought Steve would put his foot in it but all we got was Mandy and Jenna entering the Rovers, the former announcing that she knew the truth before proceeding to torture Lloyd with mentions of a proper service. Assuming there's more to come here.

That's all that happened on Wednesday's episode. In non-Corrie related news, Shobna Gulati and Natalie Guemede have both filmed their final scenes. I can't say I'd miss Sunita but Gulati is a great actress and I believe she wants to go into comedy writing so best of luck with that! I WILL miss Kirsty though and NG has been one of the best actresses Corrie has ever seen. Her performances have blown me away, and I've found myself feeling sorry for her even though I really shouldn't.

See you all on Friday! 

The Corrie Review 25th February 2013...

...or technically the 26th but the episode was yesterday so we'll go with that.

Anyhow, welcome one and all to this, the first ever post of The Corrie Reviews, a new site where your host (that's me btw) dishes on what's hot and what's not in our favourite soap opera. The idea arose from a simple google search in which I could not find anything similar to this site. So as someone I know (I can't remember who!) once said, if you can't find it, start it yourself.

But before we begin, a quick disclaimer. All the opinions expressed in these posts are my own, and I do not expect everyone to agree with me. In fact, if you don't agree with me, say it! Diversity never did anyone any harm!

The Two Gold Diggers

So much potential for this storyline! So why did they have to kill Eric so soon? I was enjoying the tender connection between Eva and Eric. When this story was first announced, I thought we were going to be subjected to gross scenes of Eva sleeping with a much older man. But their relationship, if it can be called that, is much more of a gentle friendship. And Eric was good for Eva, allowing her to confide in him about everything. Pity this only lasted a week!

But why so much potential? Because this could have been such an unusual storyline for Corrie to do. Think about it. Eva doesn't want to be a gold digger, and feels a certain sense of loyalty to her Gran, however bitchy Gloria gets. But at the same time, a man who actually listens to her, who lets her unload, is in her life. Surely the fallout when Gloria discovers Eric's plan would have been much more exciting, had it turned out Eric was alive. However, I did enjoy the scene between Eva and Stella when Eva confessed about Eric's plan. What started out as a full-on Eastenders scene (shouting and whatnot) turned into a gentle heart-to-heart between mother and daughter, and Stella finally apologised for forcing Eva to come to Weatherfield with her so she could connect with Leanne. All together now! 'Awww...'

The 'Trust us, this is completely original' Babydaddy Storyline

How hypocritical is Gail? Sure no one is gonna be best pleased if they discover that their son had a one night stand with his brother's wife, possibly leading to a baby, but Gail just plain annoyed me.

Why, I hear you ask. Simple. Gail went through exactly the same thing. She had a one night stand with her husband's cousin leading to her not knowing whether Sarah-Louise was the product of her hubby Brian or Ian Latimer. So she should not be taking the moral high ground here. Even if this was in the eighties.

OK, Gail may have always hated Kylie. But I'd have much rather seen her offer some advice and support her through this. I mean, she must have been aware that David and Kylie had been having marital problems prior to the pregnancy. She was living in the same house as them! Even if Lewis was charming her pants off (don't think about that image!), she isn't blind. A complete idiot? Yes. Blind? No.

In fact, if anyone should have found out, it should have been Audrey. Yes, the matriarch of the Platt family would have been pissed but eventually she would have helped Kylie. I'm sure of it. Ugh, this is probably stemming from my hatred of Gail. In fact, I've always hated Gail. Pity because I love Helen Worth.

Another little niggle I had with yesterday's episode was the heart-to-heart between Gail and Sally. It's not the heart-to-heart specifically that I have a problem with (in fact, I quite like their friendship). It's the fact that Sally was giving Gail quite strange advice. She was urging Gail to keep this secret but not too long ago Kevin was cheating on Sally with Molly. As someone who's been cheated on, I thought Sally might have some better advice than that - something in character at least. What she said didn't ring true.

The 'I can see where this is going and I don't like it' storyline

In fact, I groaned. Out loud. In front of my parents.

If you haven't guessed already, it's that unbelievably stupid and contrived Katy and Ryan storyline. I mean, way to make me hate Ryan even more, writers! He is such a douchebag! I pray for death every time I see him! His or my death, I don't care. Either gets me away from him!

And there is in fact absolutely no chemistry between Katy and Ryan. At all. Ever. Nada. Zilch. You get the picture? Good.

But if there's one thing I hate above all else in this storyline, it's the fact that they're making Chesney look bad. Unacceptable. I still remember Chesney when he was asking for sweets from Mother of the Century Cilla. He was soooooo cute. And the Chesney I know would not nag Katy because she spent too much on a night out. In fact, the exact opposite. He'd tell her to go enjoy herself, that she deserves it.

Why can't the writers have couples who last. Chesney and Katy had at least another few years left in them before audiences got bored and now they've probably got another few weeks because of this idiotic storyline. In conclusion: STOP MAKING THIS STORY HAPPEN. THIS STORY WILL NEVER HAPPEN!!!

The New Father Storyline

Hmmm... I don't know about you but I don't think Anna and Owen are happy with Faye and Tim spending time together...

Seriously, way to be subtle, writers! We got the message the first time, thanks! Repeating the same thing over and over (Tim spends time with Faye, Owen goes off on one, Anna looks angry) is boring. What I'd like to see is some story movement. Kay? Thanks! Bye!

In fact, I'd like to know more about Tim. We know practically nothing about him, his background, what he likes doing. Is he a decent character? Is he shady? I don't know.

Until we get some movement in the story... *yawn*

Flash... Tortoise!

This is what Corrie does best. The silly, comedic storylines that just make everyone laugh. And after seeing Gail's hypocritical face judge Kylie, we need a good laugh!

And Simon Gregson & Craig Charles are great at comedy! In fact, probably more so than the dramatic storylines. In yesterday's episode, they both had a chance to stretch these skills again as Lloyd worried about how to tell Mandy that his best friend accidentally threw away her tortoise. Y'know, all the usual relationship problems!

Yes, it was a little cruel that Lloyd told Mandy that Flash had died. But I do hope she doesn't find out the truth. Because I don't want there to be any dramatic consequences from this. It was a nice little arc but let's move on now.

Sadly I don't think the writers will move on. Judging from the fact that Steve and Michelle saw Lloyd and Mandy talking, it looks like he'll drop Lloyd in it tomorrow. Let's just hope Mandy isn't too pissed off when she finds out.

And that's it. The first Corrie Review this blog has ever done! Hope you've enjoyed yourself reading this, and feel free to comment. See ya tomorrow!