Sunday comments, February 28

Lines of the week:

• Ken "It's a marraige of convenience. It always was!" (for you maybe)
  
• Ken "If i'm being selfish, it's about time!" (Eh?????? he's spent a lifetime being selfish!)
  
• Peter "You'll see him (Simon) later when you come back round the corner with your little suitcase. You're ridiculous." (And he was right)
  
• Blanche "We'll all be just bones at the end of the day" Deirdre "We're nearly out of teabags" (those little conversations that Corrie does so well!)
  
• Peter to Ken "I know how much you value honesty in your relationship." and "Me dad's not averse to a bit of scandal!" and "You don't do brave, old man, you never have, you never will"
  
• Jason "Whatever he's done, he's my grandad"
  
• Deirdre "Do i need you? Do i need you looking down your nose at me? Do i need to compete with a fantasy?" (Go girl!) and "You were too spineless to leave. Maybe I'm too spineless to throw you out"
  
• Blanche "Deirdre's chosen her philandering two-timing husband over me!"
  
• Kirk to Blanche "Are you going on your holidays?" Blanche "I'm going to hell in a handcart!"
  
• Amber "The art will do the talking" (oops!)
  

Will he? Won't he? Did he? Didn't he? Why break a habit of a lifetime, Ken? He bottled it. He ran for the hills, dragging his little suitcase behind him. He was too scared to face his loved ones to say goodbye but he was even more scared of the big world that was at the end of the Street after all. Even Ted knew what was happening and gave him a little touch of support but in the end, it was back to Deirdre and the security of the Street he never could bring himself to leave. Just as well. Even after all this, he still ended up lying to Martha just like he always did. He couldn't admit he's not told Deirdre and scarpered behind her back and then he scarpered behind Martha's back, not able to face her either. Coward! Peter managed to snatch the letter before Deirdre saw it but Ken let the cat out of the bag anyway. Why on earth did he give her the letter? So that Peter wouldn't tell Deirdre first i guess. Maybe he feels he deserves the guilt and anger? And why on earth didn't Deirdre throw him out? She knew down deep there was something wrong for a long time. It's one thing to say ok we're even, after her fling with Dev, but her fling with Dev was a one night drunken stand. She wasn't going to leave Ken for her "soul mate" like he was going to do.

I was surprised to see Uncle Albert's photo standing back up but since Peter nicked the letter, he probably sorted out the photo, or Deirdre or Blanche did when they came back in. Well, at least Deirdre's troubles gave Eileen a respite from her own! And she's got a point. Ken told Deirdre so he could get it off his conscience. Selfish B@stard. Now we get to hear Deirdre give him a few pieces of her mind, too. The worst thing about it all was Blanche finding out which i don't think either of them wanted. And i do think Deirdre overreacted to Blanche's reaction by throwing her out. I guess she did that because she wouldn't throw Ken out and she said it was because she couldn't bear to hear Blanche throwing it back in her face forever. And Blanche landed on Peter's door. Now that ought to be a hoot!

Poor Julie just wants a family. She and her mother were on the outs so she wants to get to know her father and you know Julie, always thinks the best of everyone. And Jason, he really is a nice lad isn't he? Unfortunately, Eileen can't stand the sight of Julie because she reminds her of everything. Paula admitted to a crush on Colin when she was 14 and in her youthful wisdom thought they were in love. Colin, as we know, was just flattered and never took it seriously. Eileen softened somewhat and went to see Colin in hospital but she's not ready to forgive him yet. I expect she will eventually, given the chance. Poor Julie is really on the emotional roller coaster with her mother. Make up to break up etc.

Leave it to Eddie to rip off Roy. Now i'm sure Roy has been coming to the cash and carry for a good many years. You would think they would all know him by now wouldn't you? David seems to be cooking up some kind of plan. He's got Gary interested now. Spider web and fly, methinks. Mary is certainly getting aggressive isn't she? Not putting pressure on NOrris but insisting Rita is ready to move on and is very intent on isolating Norris in that camper van and getting him all to herself. She doesn't seem to want to take No for an answer.

Michelle has clearly changed her mind about Peter. Saying she didn't know what to feed Ryan for his tea was obviously a hint and Peter happily took her up on it. Leanne who? Peter's just as jelly spined as his father when it comes to women.

Tara's revenge plan is coming together. Poor Dev isn't going to know what hit him. Promising he has absolutely no secrets was signing his humiliation warrant. He figures proposing to her in front of the neighbourhood is a grand romantic gesture. Do you think a simple No is going to suffice? She wasn't too happy to see Amber, maybe she doesn't want Amber there to witness the revenge plan. And what is it? A building sized poster of a naked Devster with LIAR scrawled across his dignity. You know, I really think she went wayyyyyyy overboard. A one night stand with someone she knew (who doesn't seem to be as close a friend as she makes out) while he thought they were broken up really doesn't deserve this grand gesture. She really is her mother's daughter, isn't she?

Where the heck does that street or alley go, the one that was behind the DJ at the street party?

Sunday comments, February 21

Lines of the week:

• Rita "Don't ruin everything now Norris" (and he didn't, and he didn't say I Told You So)
  
• Jason "Steve down on one knee? He'd get repetitive strain!"
  
• Colin to Rita "Just let me explain"
  
• Julie "I always wanted a dad... but not like this"
  
• Eileen "The best thing he could do for us all now is die" (SOPOD ALERT!)
  
• Julie "We're stuck with each other, me and the truth."
  
• Eileen "As soon as I set food out that door i'll be deafened by the whispers"
  
• Colin whinging "They call it a mid-life crisis these days. A young woman wanted me, unlike your mother. Is anyone thinking about you?" (quite a bit actually, but not in the way you want them to)
  
• Ken to Peter "I'm glad you're not making my mistakes" Peter "No need. you're more than capable on your own"
  
• Roy "Pricking sausages somehow seems less arduous when discussing the great events of the day"
  
• Jack "I was just telling Connie she knows how to handle a bird" (ooh er!)
  
• Blanche "I'm old, i'm fragile, i've got a dodgey hip. I've got to take me pleasures while i can"
  

So yes, quite the revelation, wasn't it? Colin doubled over like he was kicked in the gut when Paula screamed out that Julie and Jason were related, like he just realized what the truth was. He did say he never knew about the baby and it seems that's true and he couldn't deny it. I felt so sorry for Julie who really felt all her life that her mother didn't want her and when she found out the real reason, she and everyone else went into shock. Eileen got the shock of her life and the gossip mills have fuel for months on that one! And Jason sure was heaving a sigh of relief to find out he didn't actually shag his auntie! No wonder Paula was so upset about Julie and Jason! And i tell you one thing, the actress playing Paula is REALLY good! And Eileen!!! Attacking Paula and accusing her of tearing her own family apart. Then tearing her father's photos up. Whereas poor Paula spent a lot of years blaming herself too, but then realizing Colin was the adult and should have known better. At least Eileen and Paula made their peace. Colin has a stroke, i wonder if Eileen will get the chance to make her peace with her father or if she gets to suck up the guilt over her statement about wishing he would die.

Julie, as she does, always tries to see the bright side. She's thinking she's got more family now though it's been tough on her too. She wonders if her mother did all the running but Fiz protested that was no excuse. Just like John jumping into bed with Rosie...she might not have been underage but he was old enough to know better as well. Colin tried to excuse himself to Rita, and to Eileen, saying Paula was precocious, it was a one off. I can't understand Rita telling him to go away. I could smack Norris (though that's a regular urge) for making nasty remarks about Colin to Jason. He's still the lad's granddad! What a fabulous storyline! I've written a bit more about this whole storyline over here, have a read!

Rita said Yes and then she said No! Well, wouldn't you if you found out your intended got an underage schoolgirl pregnant, the best friend of your daughter? Norris was right in his element, too, and snapped it up as an excuse not to travel with Mary. Well... he still has feelings for Rita and she did need all her friends around her. Wonderful scenes between Norris and Rita, both when they talked after she said Yes to Colin and after she chucked her ring in the cash drawer. Norris is so upset about the whole situation and how upset it's made Rita. Nice juxtaposition with Rita feeling old and stupid while in front of a photo of a young and beautiful Rita. But she wasn't much smarter about men then either.

Sheesh, Ken is such a sourpuss old man isn't he? In a way i wish he would go off with the perfect Martha. He's no fun and i can't imagine Deirdre having any real fun with him. I see he found Martha's boat. Looks like it is pretty much in the same place as it was before, by that bridge. With all the angst over the Grimshaw storyline, Ken's self indulgence seems even more navel-gazing than usual. Poor Blanche missed out on all the gossip and expected Ken to tell the tales? What was wrong with asking if Rita was ok? Sanctimonious Prat. Well, he insisted up to now that his relationship with Martha was platonic. It sure isn't now! He was like a dog with two... er... well anyway, he was pretty peppy when he left that boat this week. No wonder he wants to go back. Meanwhile he still looks like a deer caught in the headlights when Peter confronted him. Will he leave Deirdre? It looks like he might, getting all maudlin about all his memories of the street he never could manage to leave before. Did you see him laying Uncle Albert's picture down so he couldn't "see" Ken's guilt. Well he didn't have to worry about facing Uncle Albert's figurative disapproval, he has Peter's instead. Peter caught him about to scurry off with only leaving a letter. So will he stay or will he go? Find out Monday!

Peter is alone in the flat again. Now that he's on his own, will he be able to stay away from the bottle? Ashley was a good friend to help distract him on his first night. Laughed at the pseudo-Monty Python conversation, about Blanche and her cronies arguing about who was the poorest as a child.

Oh good. Tell Amy the truth because that's better and then tell her to lie to her friend, the bully, that her mom is out of prison and is going to get him! Very good. Why on earth would Roy trust someone nearly brand new to the cafe with his cash and carry password? Because we have to have another storyline with Eddie taking the mick that's why. Sheesh.

Laughed at Becky and Eileen stringing all those little cocktail sausages together. And i chuckled at Betty deciding men weren't worth having to share the telly. Where did Julie sleep? In a bunk bed with Chesney? She said Kirk gave up his bed. Tyrone isn't too happy about this new-found friendship between Jack and Connie.

Shocking!

Coronation Street has dealt with underage sex in the past. Sarah got pregnant at 12 and gave birth at 13 by a schoolmate. Rosie and Craig had sex before they were 16 but didn't just leap into the sack, they thought about it and waited until it was right for them, even if Sally and Kevin nearly went beserk! Now Sophie is making a vow of chastity because she didn't want to end up as slapper like Rosie who continued on her merry way shagging her teacher once she turned 16.

Yes, her teacher, John Stape, currently in prison for kidnapping Rosie. He was in his 30s and wasted no time in giving into temptation when Rosie seduced him. She was barely 16. When you think back, Fiz couldn't have been more than 16 either when she was first with John (though he'd have been in his 20s then) because she came back to Coronation Street after she left school at 16 and has been working at the factory ever since. That, of course, is a rewrite of history for the character but we'll put that rant aside for another day. That came close to pedophilia but Rosie, and presumably Fiz, were of age.

Now we dive into the topic further. Turns out, Eileen's friend Paula had sex with Eileen's father when she was 14 and Julie was the result. That was most definitely illegal and he could have been prosecuted for it but Paula's parents didn't want the attention and left town with their pregnant daughter. As Eileen says, it was a different time and appearances mattered. Eileen's mother seems to have been aware of the situation, at least the affair, and left her husband soon after but Eileen didn't know what happened. She stayed with her father because she thought her mother just didn't want to be her mum anymore and she felt sorry for her father. Her father now insists he didn't know Paula got pregnant.

Her father reappears in her life, though i think she's probably had continuing contact, we've just never met him. Jason certainly seems familiar with his Granddad. We are told he's a bit of a scallywag, a gambler, a bit of a liar and a womanizer. He certainly made a beeline for Rita though his affections seem real.

Enter Paula, Julie's mother. Eileen only just realized that Julie's mum was her old best friend from school. Paula has worked at Freshco for years. I find it hard to believe that Eileen never ever saw her or ran into her there but we'll suspend disbelief on that one for now. Paula was evasive but eventually admitted that her parents moved because she got pregnant very young but was not very forthcoming as to who the father was. Clue 1.

Paula and Eileen's dad, Colin, finally came into contact with each other. Colin clearly recognized her but pretended he didn't remember her and Paula froze. Other encounters had Paula reacting rudely or sarcastically towards Colin. Clue 2.

Paula and Julie seemed to have a bit of a contentious relationship which hit the fan big time after she found out that Julie spent the night with Jason, Eileen's son. She even admitted she resented Julie sometimes. You might think that might be normal for a teenage pregnancy anyway but her over the top reaction about Jason seems to imply that it's more than that. Clue 3.

It all blew up at the birthday party when Paula, drunk, staggered in and blew up the bomb. Colin is Julie's father! Colin couldn't deny it. He tried to blame Paula for coming on to him, which she did but he was the adult. It was up to him to say no. Teenage girls are often very flirty and get crushes on older men. They feel they are grown up now and their hormones are telling them they are women and they want to try it all out. Most fathers whose daughter's best friend tried to seduce them would very firmly and hopefully gently reject the girl and it would be all over bar a few tears and dramatic diary entries. Colin had no will power and a very large ego and this was the result.

Rita was Colin's new love but she won't have anything to do with him now. She feels stupid but how on earth would she ever have guessed? Norris gets to gloat but unusually, at least at first, he doesn't because he's more concerned with Rita, as he should be! And he uses Rita's upset as an excuse not to go traveling with Mary. We all know if Rita had said yes, Norris and she would have been married and we all know he still loves her. Rita isn't going to forgive the mistake Colin made over 30 years ago (32 to be precise). Would you? It would be difficult to live with someone who made such bad judgement. Even if they've never done anything similar since, even if it was a one off, could you trust them? He might not go after a young girl again, but if his ego was fed well, would you trust him not to cheat on you? Rita obviously can't and I can't blame her.

Eileen is horrified and wants nothing to do with her father and she blamed Paula too, for the breakup of her family. All those years she blamed her mother and now realizes it wasn't that at all. But she and Paula made up once Eileen got over the initial shock, agreeing that Paula was just a kid at the time. That's good anyway. But Colin thinks Eileen should forgive him. That's a tough one too. Mistake it may have been but he should have known better rather than give in to temptation. If he'd hung his head and apologized, taken on all the responsibility, Eileen might be able to forgive him in time. But nooooo... he seems to think Paula should take on part of the blame for being all "Lipstick and confidence".

Now Colin has had a stroke from the stress. Eileen said he'd be doing them a favour if he died, back when she first found out. If that isn't a Soap Opera Phrase of Doom, i don't know what is. He's bound to pop his clogs after a statement like that. And think of the guilt Eileen will feel on top of everything else! Jason feels bad for his Grandad but i suppose he doesn't feel as betrayed as Eileen does. I'm not saying he approves of what Colin did but seems more willing to put it in the past.

Julie is shocked at first but is delighted to have a new family. and Ever the Optimist, she's willing to let bygones be bygones, put a mistake in the past, too. Julie is nothing if not fair. She probably wished all her life for a dad and the one she's got will just have to do... and a sister! I think it's going to be funny seeing the perky and optimistic Julie trying to make a team player and bezzie friend/sister out of grumpy Eileen. She'll probably be very maternal towards her new nephew Jason (and no, they were too drunk on the night they spent together. Nothing happened. Incest is just a bit too close to the bone for Corrie!)

Colin is ill. Eileen can't forgive him and is having a hard time dealing with it all, as you would expect. Paula has had to defend herself and now just doesn't want to talk about it at all. Julie just wants it all to be Happy Families. How is it going to come out? I'll say one thing, this storyline was well set up and well executed and quite good. Hopefully once it's all over, they won't just drop things and forget that Julie and Eileen are sisters. I think there could be some funny stuff pairing these two. What have you thought of the storyline?

Sunday Comments, February 14

Lines of the week:

• Rita "I enjoyed that (Norris groveling to pay his bill to Roy) Shall we go watch the tapes in back?"
  
• Tara "Revenge can be quite exhilarating" (I think you might have to eat those words)
  
• Tony to Tom "I don't know if you lost your touch, or if you ever had it in the first place" (ouch)
  
• Blanche "She has a routine, sort of. Every two years her father changes his girlfriend"
  
• Maria to Tony "There is a difference between wanting advice off someone and getting in bed with them, in a business sense..." (Hmmmm)
  
• Norris "Consider me a rat deserting a sinking ship" (sour grapes much?)
  
• Becky to Roy "Thank you for being you" Roy "I find it hard to be someone else." Becky "Me an' all. That's our problem."
  
• Julie to Paula "You're like a joy-seeking guided missile"
  
• Teresa "Has Minnie chucked in her pinnie?"
  
• Eileen to Jason "What did you say about Viet Nam?" Jason "I dreamt i was there fighting for the King Kong"
  
• Tom to Kelly "There's a ginnel outside with your name on it" (oh. Classy.)
  

I don't think Deirdre had any right to say yes to taking Amy to see Tracy before clearing it with Steve first but we all know what Tracy's like for manipulating her mother. Becky thinks Amy needs to be told about Tracy and probably she should. Lies are doing her no favours and then the schoolkids spilled the guts on the playground. Becky was backed into a corner and seeing as she doesn't believe in lying, out comes the truth. I think she did the right thing. Amy isn't very old but she's old enough to be told i think. Can't blame Becky for getting narked at Steve. He's pulling rank over his fatherhood but it's ok to pawn the kid off on her when it's inconvenient for him.

Now he thinks Becky's a liability and he didn't think he should apologize for his rudeness. Tsk. Even Lloyd thinks Steve is in the wrong. Well they made it up in the end. The Truth is out there and there's no taking it back. Time to move on and help Amy cope with it all.

Poor Maria really freaked out seeing that mask and i can't blame her but she didn't hold it against Luke. She is also avoiding having her scans even though the first one was ok. Tony seemed to be sucking up to Maria to keep her off the track, but now, do you think he's actually starting to like her? or like the idea of a sweet young thing and a baby. He's certainly getting more involved with Maria and pushing Natasha to one side. Not that Natasha was every more than a convenience for Tony anyway. Tony also put the boots to Luke, he might not be able to take clients away but he's a client too and contributes a big chunk to Underworld's business. Luke had no choice but to back off.

Meanwhile, Tony is sweating all over the hospital after Maria's scan. More guilt! Tony is also upping the pressure on Maria to oust Tom. It's working but Tom at least got one more shot in by tattling about Tony's offer for Ladrags so Tony had to do some fast and charming backpedalling. And Tom took his frustrations about Maria and decided Kelly was, well not Ms Right, but definitely Ms. Right Now. So tacky, really. Tonsil hockey against the bar and then up against a wall in the ginnel. Classy.

Tara lured Dev to a fancy photo shoot and then talked him into a nude shoot. But notice, she didn't strip for any equal opportunity photos? He looked ridiculous posing for the camera, too, with those Sears Catalogue facial and body poses. He really is a conceited pillock isn't he? And she's soaking him for the cost of the "public art piece" which is clearly going to be part of her revenge plot.

Julie finally landed Jason but they were both so drunk they probably didn't get very far when they ran up them stairs! Eileen and Sean were shocked and Her mother was horrified! Colin was more concerned with his own surprise for Rita at his "surprise" birthday party which of course, he already figured out. Paula was adamant that Julie not see Jason anymore and wouldn't really say why. It was a horrible arguement and Paula's lifelong bitterness came out. Wished she'd never had Julie sometimes? Julie just thinks her mother doesn't want her to be happy but there's more afoot than that. Have you guessed where this is going? But first.... Colin's asked Rita to marry him! Will she say yes? Under other circumstances, they actually might make a good couple. Norris will be horrified and make a bee-line for the camper door now if she goes through with it.

Something tells me Norris will not be able to tear himself away from Weatherfield. And he gave Emily flip flops with mops on the bottom? I'm not quite sure that says someting from the heart. Maybe she won't miss him as much as she thought lol! I really dislike that hairstyle that both Becky and Julie are sporting with the big puffy back combed lump of hair up the back of their heads.

Connie seem like a very nice lady. She could be a good friend for Jack though he's finding it difficult to admit he likes her. It's not been long since Vera. Tyrone is pretty against his new friendship, clearly though Molly thinks there's nothing wrong with it. Why is Fiz wearing jeans miles too long for her? She's a sewing machinist, surely she could hem them. And wouldn't she be carring ID in her wallet all the time? Chesney needs the themes of Doctor Jekyll... surely he can get that on the internet and Fiz doesn't have to go to John. Sheesh. Oh you can see where this is going, can't you. He certainly wants her back and is willing to do anything to lure her back with sweet words and kindness. She's fighting her feelings.

Sunday Comments, February 7, 2010

Lines of the week:

• David to Gary "I just want a quiet life"
  
• Theresa "I just popped in for me wages" Minnie "You don't work here!" Theresa "I know but i used to!"
  
• Audrey to Ken "There's a woman waiting for you" Ken "REALLY??????" (oh. Deirdre)
  
• Peter to Ken "Toast spread with a veneer of guilt and freshly squeezed lies?"
  
• Luke to Dev "I didn't break anything did i?" (But Dev was throwing it in the trash! does it matter?)
  

Oh Wow was the show good this week!

Hmmmm David didn't stitch up Gary when he had the chance. He's definitely up to something. Meanwhile Joe's back is still painfully painful and his temper is flaring up. He really can be a nasty w@n**r when he wants to be, when he's in pain or under pressure. I don't like that kind of temper in someone. Can anyone else see Joe getting dependent on those painkillers? He's already borrowed from loan sharks. Can drug dealers be far off?

Tara is bent on taking over Dev's life. Cheeky of her to grill Umed about when he's leaving so she's can take over the spare room. Can't she use the gallery? Theresa's back and not very sober either. Dev is backed into a corner so he allows Theresa to stay in his flat because it gets Darryl out from under his roof and away from Amber a bit too. Now Dev has to try to keep his fling with Lisa quiet but Tara is all BFF with Lisa now and Poppy is all BFF with Tara (though we've never seen them interact any more than ordering a drink across the bar) so Poppy told Tara (Surely that's against the Barmaid Code of Ethics?) and Tara is out for revenge. Overreact much? She told Dev they were finished. Yes it's a bit tacky for him to bed hop that very night but he thought he was a free agent until she walked in the next day as if butter wouldn't melt!

Tara didn't waste any time confronting Lisa but no matter what Tara said, you'd think Lisa would warn Dev that Tara knows about their fling, wouldn't you? Tara isn't that scary though i suppose if she sicced her mother on Lisa, that might put the fear into her. I think there's a lot of Tara's mother in her and i bet Dev's blood would run cold if he could hear her plot. And it's true, he did a stupid thing over buying those photos from her gallery but it wasn't *that* big a deal. Yes, he shagged her mother before he got together with her and lied about that but again, prior to them being together. And finally, Yeah, he's pretty stupid for not owning up but he's Dev. He's not my favourite character but he's fairly harmless. I really dislike Tara.

Martha and Ken may be split up but Audrey has discovered something is going on. Can Ken talk Martha back into his life? He uses every excuse but the fact remains that he was infatuated, he grew to love her but let her think he was a free agent. That's a huge trust issue. Will Ken leave Deirdre? Will Audrey tell Deirdre first? If you thought Ken was an insufferable prig before, he's even worse now. He wouldn't until he knew Martha would take him back. Will he have the bottle to do it? Leave his family just when his son needs him? Deirdre thinks Ken just has a lot of worries. Well that's true but not how she thinks. But Peter knows too (Audrey had no business telling him, though) and won't stop digging at his father. I suppose it's hypocritical of Peter to take the high road, considering he's a bigamist but i truly am enjoying Peter winding up Ken. Ken actually admitted to Ted that he wanted his cake and eat it too! Wanted more and wanted what he already had.

Norris is being an annoying little prig as usual, jealous of Colin's affections for Rita. Hmmm conumdrum. Tracy wants to see Amy but Amy doesn't know her mummy's in prison.

Still wondering why Roy and Hayley don't have their sights on Pam for stealing their business in sandwiches away. Other than a bit of huffing and puffing by Hayley, nothing seems to have been said. Could the PI be any more indiscreet with a camera and lense the size of a bulldozer? This guy makes Inspector Gadget look like James Bond! I laughed at Blanche paying Simon 50p to clean her room and he came in with the duster and rubber gloves on!

Bwahahaha!!! Blanche in the aviator hat and goggles!!!! Jack lost his birds but someone brought them back! She's Connie and it looks like Jack has a new friend, someone that likes pigeons as much as he does! Poppy is getting awfully annoyed with Betty lately. This can only end in tears and i'm betting they'll be Poppy's. Molly is taking to marathon training like a duck to water. Do you notice that Umed keeps dropping famous names and telling tall tales? Methinks he's making it all up!

Is Claire going to turn into a rabid footie mum? Is Tom going to stop whinging? Ok, to be fair, yes Tony is manipulating to push Tom out but all Tom's doing about it is whining and mooning over Maria. I can understand Maria wanting Tony's input on the business. Neither Tom nor Maria have any business sense at all. That was Liam's area. Tom was the website techie and perks lover. Tony totally embarassed Tom by exposing his crush on Maria and lying and saying Maria was embarassed by it. Guaranteed to push Tom even further, straight back to Luke and he spills the beans about the PI. That leads Luke to wind up Tony using the mask left over from the fateful stag night. That in turn freaks out Maria and Tony both but Luke only feels bad about Maria. Are you still with me? Meanwhile, Natasha, who's finally got a storyline, is getting the short end of the stick with Tony who's clearly using her.