Watching Callum terrorise the Platt-McIntyre family the other night did make me laugh. Not just because Callum is as menacing as a cardboard cut out baddie in a tired old pantomime. Like many bad boys before him, it surely won't be long until Mr Logan is showing his softer side and appearing semi-clad emerging from the bedroom of Tracy/Maria/Katy (delete as applicable).
No, what really put a smile on my face is the transformation we see in David Platt. After all, it's not that long ago he was the villain of the piece. Remember when it was him bringing drugs into that particular front room? Or driving his car into the canal on Sarah's wedding day? Or pushing Gail down the stairs? Or smashing up the street wearing that horrible bright coral coloured jumper?
So much happens to characters in Coronation Street these days that it's just not possible for the writers to reference everything that has ever happened to them. They are a victim of their own imaginations, and perhaps five episodes a week. However there are still some glaring anomalies that really stick in my clack. David's meek and mild routine in the face of the tedious Callum is just the beginning.
Watching Kevin and Tyrone being the best of buddies the other night as they joked about Jenny was all very lovely, but it's only four years since Tyrone found out Kevin was much more than a running partner to poor, dear departed Molly. Not only that, but would Tyrone really volunteer to babysit the very child he thought was his but actually turned out to be Kevin's by Ty's dead wife? To quote another exasperated Scotsman, I just don't believe it!
After all Todd Grimshaw did to upset the applecart for Maria and Marcus, isn't it all just a bit convenient that everyone in the family at number 11 is now oh so trusting of him once again? And we still know absolutely nothing about what happened to Todd in London to turn him so vindictive.
It's not so long ago that the fragrant Audrey suffered a heart attack in the salon, but has she mentioned it once during Michael's health scare and subsequent open heart surgery? Just a minor detail perhaps, but surely a nice little scene displaying some old fashioned empathy would have helped join the dots?
I have written about my concerns over the characterisations of Norris and Mary before. Both characters are capable of showing a softer side and both actors are skilled at showing so much more. However we get mean, nasty and vaguely unhinged. Only a few years back Mary held Norris captive in that remote cottage and yet there they are, still drinking together in the Rovers while Rita sits opposite doing that exasperated look to the heavens we all know and love...
I think the scenario that bugs me the most is that of Anna and Roy. Anna treated Roy like dirt following Gary's attempt to rob the cafe. Fair enough, Roy should not have resorted to violence but he immediately regretted it and did everything he could to make amends. Anna was unrepentant however, castigating Roy whenever the opportunity arose and being remarkably unpleasant. There was no movement in the woman whatsoever, no acknowledgement that Gary had done anything wrong. Then suddenly all appeared to be forgiven - did I miss something?
What bothers me most about Anna's treatment of Roy is that barely a year before this she was one of Roy's closest friends as he struggled to cope with the illness and loss of his beloved Hayley. Along with Carla, Anna was there right until the end, even cleaning the glass after Hayley's death to protect her employer. Bonds like that are just not so easily broken.
So is Coronation Street becoming over-complicated? Do too many characters have personality overhauls just to suit the latest plot device? I do honestly think with long running serials like Corrie, the devil really is in the detail.
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