Sunday Comments, March 28

Lines of the week:

• Hayley to Roy "How do you feel about identity theft?"
  
• Anna to Eddie "You give scum a bad name"
  
• Sean "Being chirpy is exhausting" (you might find that, but Julie doesn't!)
  
• Sean "I am just the man to put Eye in Eye Candy"
  
• Blanche "Biographies. They shatter all your illusions"
  
• Peter after saying *those words* "I don't think i've ever felt worse"
  
• Betty on her job "Close on 40 years" Becky "So you're getting the hang of it"
  
• Peter "I'm Peter Barlow and I'm an alcoholic"
  
• Sean about Betty "She went out like a galleon under sail"
  
• Ken to Blanche "So what are you saying? Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic?" (well, yes, that's the point)
  
• Vanessa "Newton? I bet your friends call you Newt?" Bill "Only when i've had a few" (as in pi$$ed as a newt!)
  

And the next funniest moment was Roy's reaction when Hayley carted back one of the life size Eddies to show him! But you know, Hayley just has too big a heart and realized Anna really didn't give Eddie the passwords. She's just got the bad luck to be married to a devious deviant. I like Anna, though. She's the only really redeeming Windass there is. Roy, of course, doesn't want to take advantage of the free trip. Morally, ethically, he probably has a small point but Hayley's a force to be reckoned with. She shall have her mini-break!

See ya, Michelle, don't let the door hit you on your skanky ass on the way out! At least she knows that Leanne isn't out of Peter's system and she knows she's not really over Steve. (So was the way to get over one guy to get under two?) This set-back has backslide written all over it for Peter. He does admit to his father how upset he is. I wouldn't have thought he'd still have a bottle of booze hidden in the flat after all this time though. Still, he smashed it instead of drinking the contents. Then he nearly had a drink in the pub until Blanche took him under her Bingo wing. They're handling this well though. Any time in the past anyone had a drink problem it was always a temporary thing. This time they're taking it seriously. Peter needs help. He knows he does but going to a meeting is a big step and it's a tough step to take. It's hard to admit you need help and even facing the group, it's still hard to really admit it. Peter better figure it out sharpish though or he'll fall and he'll fall hard.

Now, see, if Joe wasn't hauling great chunks of wood around the building site, he might not have so much pain. Yes, i know, he supposedly has no help anymore now Gary's given up. He certainly seemed able enough when he was tearing the house apart for a man in so much "physical" pain. And David, smiling smugly behind his back after catching him in mid-freakout? Little toerag!!! how on earth was he able to sit in the Emergency for 4 hours to get some painkillers when he was that frantic?

It's interesting though, seeing two addiction stories going on. Peter trying desperately to recover and Joe spiraling out of control.

Julie is going to be Sean's life coach? Like she's got her life in order. I really don't think i'd want Julie advising me on my life. Poppy doesn't seems to be getting on with Betty and seems to be getting highly irritated with her. I'm telling you, you go up against Betty, you're going to lose. Poppy is being very heavy handed, cutting out all Betty's shifts. Them's fightin' actions and if she wants a fight, she'll have one. And what does the erstwhile owner do? Call his mummy. I don't understand where it all came from anyway. Betty always arrives before opening to get the hotpot in the oven. There's no point arriving really late because food won't be ready to serve at dinnertime.

MOlly figures if you go to a salon in town, you come out looking the same. I think Audrey has got that down to a science. Molly's really talking about looking the same as everyone else but it didn't come out that way. It's not as if Molly has a style really.

Bill is trying the singles nights at the bars. He meets a very posh sounding ma'am who is very condescending about the clientele. So what is she doing there week after week? Bill wasted no time telling lies including his name and his background. Pam cleans up nicely and she was just as bad, poshing herself up as a concert pianist.

David's putting his plan in place. He's having Gary rob Audrey's house and getting him caught in the act! Clever. The best part of this whole storyline was Graeme up a tree in stealth camoflage with code names (Mr. Savaloy and Pork Pie!) and a mobile. But oh no! Unexpected glitch? Ted had decided to house sit and was surprised by Gary. No wonder he had a heart attack! Eek! I bet David isn't feeling so smug now! He really does love and respect Ted. Gary figures Len will back him up and give him an alibi and he would have until he found out Gary really did it and could be identified.

I'm still waiting for Hayley to tear a strip off Pam for undercutting their lunch business. I can't believe she let it go this long.

Aw i think that was mean, taking the Gazette photo shoot away from Sean like that.

Sunday Comments, March 21

Lines of the week:

• Julie "Everybody likes The Sound of Music" Eileen "Why? It's just nuns, Nazis and Lonely Goatherds"
  
• Blanche to Peter's suggestion of "Grey"mail "I like you Peter. I always did"
  
• Sally "I think brains are overrated" (That's not what you said when you shagged your boss so Rosie could get an education. Mind you. Rosie doesn't have brains anyway
  
• Umed "A problem shared... " Audrey "Is a problem everybody knows about the next day"
  
• Graeme to David "That crazy cat you once knew no longer inhabits this body"
  
• Tony to Natasha "While I can ignore your non-existant personality and mind-numbing conversation, i think Jealousy is a very ugly trait in a person..." and "Don't ever upset Maria again. I'd hate for us to *really* fall out" um really?
  
• Michelle "I'm just a bad girl, aren't i?" (that's one word for it)
  
• David "When have i ever caused anybody any trouble?" (Yes, he was sarcastic)
  

Funniest scene ever: Hayley in the Cash and Carry seeing dozens of lifesized cutouts of Eddie as "Roy Cropper". Did you see her face??? It's like your worst nightmare isn't it? Eileen can't get rid of Julie now that Julie has decided they're going to be closerthanthis sisters. You couldn't get more opposite personalities even if the sisterhood circumstances were under better conditions.

Helping Chesney really is a lame excuse and i can't blame Sally for being upset after what she went through though she did go a bit overboard. Fiz says she'll give up John but you know she won't. She was on the phone to get a visiting order before Chesney was barely out of the door. Well at least she doesn't have to sneak around anymore. But she didn't break it off with John, he did with her, doing the right thing for a change, knowing it was making her life hell with her family and friends. There she is screaming and crying after him as they lead him away. Have a little dignity, Fiz! Have a little backbone! Oh no, sorry, Stape removed that already. Anyway Ches is back to school with a posse to protect him and he's being very cheeky and mouthy to Fiz. Fiz was definitely in the wrong but she doesn't deserve disrespect from Chesney either but i can't.

Michelle had a "holiday romance" with Luke and wasted no time having one with Peter after he gave her Eurostar tickets for Ryan. Who does she think she is? Rosie Webster? Please tell me there's not going to be a "Who's the Daddy" storyline in a few months? I don't blame Peter for getting picky about letting Michelle off early all the time if she's wandering in late and it's just to run around with another man. It had nothing to do with Ryan's alarm going off and everything to do with Luke's alarm, or something else going off in the morning. Peter found the right way to her heart, or bed at least, through her son. Getting concert tickets and buying Eurostar tickets were one thing, but defending her son against an angry father melted her little heart. So she's got Luke and Peter sulking because she's leaving, (Hey Peter... Leanne who?) both of them begging her not to go. And Luke telling Peter he's a dirty dog but really Michelle never made any committment to either one and with both of them scratching at her skirts, she probably should just get out of town and let them both cool their jets.

Joe should be more than happy to get rid of Gary instead of having to put up with him. Joe's pain seems to come and go, but by telling the doctor he's getting a bit better, she gave him weaker pills. Can you guess where his pain is really coming from? Can you say "Withdrawal"? Joe also seems to have a nasty side to him. Laughed at Lloyd's pub quiz questions, all to do with taxis! Blanche is back home. Ken wanted her back all along. She couldn't make it easy for him, though, and the "greymail" got something out of it for her. Odd though, he must be desperate because one of the things he objected to strongly about the time he met and took up with Martha was Blanche and Deirdre making plans for him to decorate her bedroom. It took Deirdre long enough to warm up again though you could see she wanted to.

I can see Norris is going to annoy me even more than normal with this half-brother storyline. Ramsay is a very nice man and had no bearing on Mrs. Cole's death. Norris is bound and determined Ramsay is not going to make any inroads and is well jealous that Ramsay is "using" his friends to get to him.

David is definitely setting Gary up for something. (oh, what happened to Gary's face? Did i miss him getting the tar beat out of him? What's with the black eye and scrapes or did the actor himself have an accident). Oh, right, I know exactly what David's plan is now. Why else would Audrey tell David all the flaws in her security system which seems to be on the blink? Can you say "break in"? Stitching up Gary!

Ryan's doing his very best to get his way with Sian. Can't blame him. Look at the example his mother sets. But somewhere Sian's father got the wrong impression and came gunning for Ryan! Thankfully Peter was there. Pretty cheap trying to bully a skinny teenager. Well how did he get the impression? She had condoms in her bag. What was her father doing rifling through her bag?

Amber caught Umed in one of his grand stories lol! Audrey came in ...saved by the Belle! ;) But he was in his glory with the tall stories trying to impress Audrey but he didn't impress Bill. But then Bill might have a few lingering jealous feelings there, too. The funny thing is that clearly, Audrey believes all his stories!

Tony was really harsh on Natasha for being bitchy to Maria wasn't he? Wow! He really went a bit too far. All he had to do was say "you're dumped". She warned off Maria and said he was bad news. Maria is going to take it like sour grapes and Tony is going to make it sound that way too but she's right. He IS bad news.

Sunday Comments, March 14

Lines of the week:

• Eileen "There was less hysteria at Princess Di's funeral"
  
• Emily introducing Deidre to Ramsay as "Blanche's daughter" Blanche "And a terrible disappointment!" Deirdre "You try having Atilla the Hun for a mother!"
  
• Blanche "Misery's infectious, you know!"
  
• Fiz "I don't want to love ya. I love ya" (oh heck. she's a goner)
  
• Chesney to Fiz "LIAR!!!!"
  
• Luke "Sorry i couldn't magic up a donkey. I did try"
  
• Police officer "He's been dead for some time" (Really? 2, 3 minutes?)
  
• Julie "There's wisdom in you Jason Grimshaw, I don't care what anybody says"
  
• Eddie "Oh you don't want to go there (London). Price of beer is a disgrace!"
  

Paula lashed out and called the police, mainly because she thought Eileen had forgiven her father. She wants Julie to take sides and poor Julie just wants to get to know her dad which tickes Paula off even more. It does look to me like now that the secret is out, Paula is doing everything she can to get her revenge, 30 some years late. I can't really blame her because what she went through probably haunted her all her adult life. And poor Colin figured he might as well give himself up since his own daughter has all but disowned him. However, all the stress and fear caused Colin to pop his clogs right there in Eileen's living room! And as others have already mentioned, how on earth could the cop say he'd been dead for sometime when he was alive earlier in the same scene! Eileen was only at the door with the police for about 5 minutes, 10 max if you use the television time stretcher.

Julie, as per usual, really let it all out didn't she? Eileen's right, she really did make a meal of it! Paula going to the police put a spanner into any sort of peace she might have made with Julie. Julie can't forgive her for inadvertently causing Colin's death. Eileen is really resentful of Julie as well.

So they've laid Colin to rest. Wasn't sure Eileen was going to go but she did and she spoke. Must have been difficult. Even Steve took Rita though they were late. No matter what Steve's drawbacks and faults are, he really is a nice, kind bloke. Anyone else think Paula was going to crash the funeral and let loose with a drunken rant again? She didn't though. Now Julie is hell bent on making it all happy families and bonding with Eileen who really seems to think poking her eye out with a sharp stick is preferable to being bezzy sisters with Steamroller Julie.

Sally went shopping with Rosie and neither of them had very full shopping bags for the size of them. Very clearly they were empty.

Michelle has finally decided Luke isn't such a bad guy and is going to date him, In the meantime, Peter is stepping up the rivalry and she's flirting with him too! And she's been offered a singing gig and she's going to go. So what does she do? Date the both of them. Peter sure didn't waste any time lusting after another woman. Leanne who? Easy to see why he ended up a bigamist. He can't resist temptation! And she acts like a teenager, snogging at the bus stop. I don't blame Ryan for being embarassed. She might have a little more decorum instead of showing herself up for the slapper she is. Aw but wasn't Luke cute setting up a beach blanket bingo in Maria's back yard for Michelle!

Jason wins 25 quid and the machine breaks down. I still think Hayley and Roy need to put their foot down with Pam undercutting their lunch business. Natasha is accusing Maria of being jealous but she's looking a bit green-eyed herself with the time Tony's spending with Maria. Joe's popping pain pills like candy. You can see where this is going, can't you? Joe said he was going to let Gary do the donkey work but he didn't wait for him.

Then there's Ramsay and Norris. Does anyone else think that Emily and Rita are being a bit interfering? Tina certainly does.The pub is having a quiz and apparently Rita and Emily are interfering further and inviting Ramsay hoping that Norris will come and they will speak. Of course Norris won't go.

Did you see Blanche steal Rita's drink after Rita went home? Ken's trying awfully hard to get Blanche back home, could it be there's just too much togetherness between he and the ever-spiteful Deirdre? He pointed out that the stairs to Peter's flat are a problem. Does he have to help her up the stairs to get to the toilet at his house then? It still baffles me why Emily brings Norris' mail over to the Kabin all the time when it would always still be there when he got home. Postcards aren't so bad but she's hauled over parcels too.

Chesney wasn't long finding out where Fiz really goes. He already caught her in the lie about the hospital. Why she didn't just say she was visiting someone, i don't know. She's a terrible liar. I am surprised there actually is a home school network! Why on earth couldn't Fiz have used them instead of Stape? Because she still loves the ... well i can't publish the names i'd like to call him. I don't know what they did to Fiz but she's ruined. Now that Chesney knows, i can't blame him for being upset. And she wouldn't have got caught if she'd taken her scooter. We've not seen her with that for ages, does she still have it?

After everything Stape put Fiz through, she goes back to him and lies to Ches about it. She says Chesney is the most important thing in her life yet knowing how vehemently he objects, it doesn't stop her going. There's a whole Home School Network she could have used and she didn't, she went to Stape. There's nothing she can say now that's going to console Chesney now that he knows the truth. And he did a runner but he only ended up ... in the Windass's (formerly Morton's) shed. I can see Anna taking Ches under her wing, she's very motherly. I can even see Gary and Ches being mates. Gary could use the adoration of a little brother and Ches could use an older brother figure who has one or two more clues than Kirk. Not that Gary's that much better, but he's not quite as "innocent" as Kirk in more ways than emotionally. Boy the Websters weren't too happy to hear Fiz is back together with Prisoner 666 again. Everyone else is pretty shocked but they have a lot more interest in the situation. I'm just really pi$$ed that he's back because i detest him and i don't trust him. He's sly and manipulative and he's ruined Fiz.

Sunday comments, March 7

Lines of the week:

• Simon "That man's got no clothes on!" (Well, he does run a business empire!)
  
• Blanche "I feel like brillo padding my eyeballs"
  
• Mary "She was very dear to me, mother, but sometimes i could have quite cheerfully murdered her" (somehow, i'm not so sure that was a joke!"
  
• Mary about Bangkok "Not keen on the Ladyboys but the sunsets are meant to be glorious" and "Mother's lazy Susan could tell a tale or two"
  
• Umed to Dev "Sometimes bouncing back takes time"
  
• Umed to Amber "So your pride is hurt. Think how he (Dev) feels"
  
• Eddie "I thought you were going to arrest me!"
  
• Norris to Rita and Tina "You pair of old gossips!" (pot or kettle?)
  
• Norris "This is the man that killed my mother" (Eek!)
  
• Colin about Julie "Does she ever shut up?" (i ask that meself!)
  
• Julie about Eddie's cab "There's only so much taxi driver B.O. i can cope with in one day!" (ewwwww)
  

I know Dev lied about being with someone else, but he really did believe he and Tara were over. I think Dev is right. He did have a lucky escape. She would have turned into her mother and she's not far from it now. Well he's the talk of Weatherfield now and probably the star of YouTube! Tara didn't think very much about how her revenge would affect Amber. I hope she's happy. She got what she wanted. Glad to see the back of her. If i was Amber, i might be embarassed but i'd also feel my father got the worst of the deal and i'd be supportive of him after telling him off about the one night stand. And how much nerve does Poppy have by saying Tara really put the pressure on her? Poppy couldn't *wait* to spill the beans! Umed was the one that got Amber and Dev back together and seems Dev is also selling off the art gallery too. She got enough money off him so he is due to get something in return. She got money off him for that art project too, and i bet he doesn't see any of that back either for all his humiliation.

Paula isn't dealing with things very well, is she? She seems to be drinking a lot and making ranty phone calls and staggering around trying to talk to Julie and shouting at Eileen. And Julie and her mother are clashing over the whole business. Maybe they've got it sorted now. Julie is so cheerful isn't she? And she dresses that was as well. Bright pink coat? And i loved her bright yellow handbag so much i bought myself one last spring as well! (because i was watching this in the UK timeline as well) Colin is underfoot and Eileen isn't happy about it and neither is Paula who isn't willing to listen to Eileen's side of it and decided to go to the police!!

I don't think i would trust David with 500 pounds cash and trust him to bank it. Fiz all smiley about seeing John and Maria can see something's up and after John got himself beaten up, (awfully coincidental, that, just in time for Fiz to give it up and admit she still loves him) Maria's going to have to keep the secret. It won't be long before Chesney finds out. These things never stay secret.

I love Mary. She's quirky and she annoys Norris. What's not to love? But is it just me or does anyone else think she's got stalker potential? She's very focussed and single minded going after something she wants. I can't imagine driving around the world in a camper van. I wouldn't have thought either of them would have enough money to pay for petrol and food and especially shipping costs if they were to go overseas like it sounds. She looked very nice in her pink flowy dress for her dinner party with Norris but unfortunately Norris wasn't biting. She finally set the scene for a seduction and he ran a mile in a panic. What did he think she felt? Surely he could see she fancied him. He seemed to give the impression that he did. Certainly he gave her mixed signals. I'm surprised he went to the trouble of finding orchids to give her. He didn't get them at Dev's. He's too chicken to say that he just thought of her as a platonic friend. Did you see Amber giving the motorhome a horrified look when she noticed it "rocking" (though it was just Mary dancing to Sheena Easton) Poor old Norris. But at least he finally told Mary how it is. Norris says he doesn't have the confidence to travel the world yet he sort of regretted not going anyway.

Now we take Norris from one storyline and straight into another one. Seems Norris has a brother, Ramsay Clegg, and he wishes he didn't. would you recognize someone you hardly knew after 50 years? Maybe. He certainly looked like it threw him for six seeing Ramsay again. He accuses Ramsay of killing his mother but Ramsay insists that though their mother was shocked to see him, she didn't die for a full year later.

Looks like Luke and Peter are about to be in competition over Michelle. He didn't waste too much time pining for Leanne, did Peter? Eddie is getting caught out pretending to be Roy at the cash and carry in quite a spectacular way! I don't understand why an account with a large business like a cash and carry wouldn't have an accompanying card rather than relying on someone telling you a number and code word. Seems very inefficient and a set up for fraud which it obviously just did do! Deirdre seems to be doing everything she can to annoy Ken and it's working! Funny, though, he didn't have any problem finding excuses to spend hours away from home when he had Martha. Surely his beloved library is still open for business?

DVD Review: Classic Coronation Street, volume 4

You may recall that I reviewed a volume of Classic Corrie episodes back in November. E1 Entertainment is releasing 2-dvd sets of an assortment of Classic Coronation Street episodes every few months. The episodes are taken from a series of boxed sets released in the U.K. a few years ago but are in North American dvd format. This is great news for Corrie fans on this side of the pond who want to relive the early days of our favourite show, now in it's 50th year.

Volume 4 has episodes from 1966 through 1968. And what do you get? You get aftermath of the train crashing off the viaduct. Who's missing? Jack Walker, Lucille Hewitt, Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner. You see that Val and Ken Barlow's twins go missing, every parent's nightmare! You get a glimpse of a young Bet Lynch, blonde, leggy, and sassy and working in the raincoat factory! And cheeky Dennis Tanner finally gets married.

There's a great argy-bargy between Elsie Tanner and Annie Walker on the cobbles. There's a location shoot at Tatton Park where the women of the Street admire the gardens and stately home while the lads take a trip on a canal boat but get nowhere fast due to stubborn horses on the towpath. Even worse, the beer goes for a swim! I have to say, though, that episode is a bit dull but the one with Annie Walker at the football match more than made up for it!

Each year has a "blurb" to sum up the year prior to where the episodes start. In these few years, Ray Langton first appeared and it was also the first appearance of Bet Lynch (in the raincoat factory). Cheeky Jed Stone was in residence early on, and David and Irma Barlow owned the corner shop. Stan Ogden fell afoul of the ice cream vendor gangs and a herd of cows, and of course his wife. We've got sweet Jerry Booth and cranky Uncle Albert. Len Fairclough swaggered around, the tough builder-cum-town councillor. Irma Barlow and Elsie Tanner's hair styles get higher and puffier as the years go on.

There are no end of snobby lines from Annie Walker, including my favourite "There are limits to how far one can condescend."

These are arguably some of the best years of Coronation Street, when Stan and Hilda were at their peak, Annie Walker still had long suffereing Jack, Elsie Tanner in her red headed glory and Ena Sharples terrorizing everyone!

Where can you get the dvd? Well, online, Amazon has it (but as of this writing, they're out of stock) as does Chapters Indigo but I'm unimpressed. Chapters doesn't even have a picture and they say delivery is 1-2 weeks. I've also seen previous volumes in Walmart and Zellers and HMV as well so check those and other retailers.