Sunday Comments January 22

We start the week where we left off last episode with Anna at the bottom of the stairs, the sounds of fireworks going off outside at midnight and celebrations going on in the pub. Kevin is out with the breakdown truck rescuing Johnny who was delivering an order on New Year's Eve, a very silly contrivance. Phelan found Jack out on the street and discovered that Anna had fallen and can't get up. I'm surprised Jack didn't go knocking on doors or go into the pub for help but he is only 6 after all and scared. The door must have been on the latch because it locked behind him so Phelan had to break in the back way. Anna freaked out to see Phelan standing over her when she came to.

Kevin freaked out to find Phelan there as well, fixing the back door. Oh and more contrivance. Phelan conveniently overheard Kevin talk about delivery of a new tow truck and the paperwork in his jacket pocket which was equally conveniently laying over a kitchen chair near where he was fixing the door. It looks like he's going to nick Kevin's new tow truck, using a new throwaway phone as well. Kevin still doesn't have any warm and fuzzy feeling towards Phelan and nor should he! Phelan really should leave well enough alone and stay clear but there was a method to his madness, he stole Kevin's mobile phone to aid in his plan and his stooge, Andy, will be the one to pretend to be Kevin and take possession of the truck.

Steph is alone in the Bistro and wondering where Andy is while watching Luke and Tracy playing tonsil hockey. I can't blame her for looking a bit put off. They can't keep their hands and lips off each other. Steph decided to go looking for Andy and saw Phelan. I forgot he got home from the hospital earlier in the day. She found Andy just about ready to leave the flat and they had it out. Poor lad doesn't seem to know which way is up these days. He didn't leave in the end so I guess that means he'll continue to be Pat's puppet for awhile longer until he breaks because Phelan is making threats about Steph's safety though I don't think he'd actually do anything to her. Andy believes him, that's all that matters.

Mary and Norris watch the fireworks while trying to discuss difficult subjects. Norris and Mary are both emotional you can tell. She wants him to visit or at least "video call" but he seems to be finding excuses. When Jude joins her, he really seems to be genuine, not wanting to put any pressure on her. I hope he really is that genuine. She does deserve a family of her own without drama and tragedy. Norris couldn't face seeing Mary leave in that taxi so said goodbye in the pub. You might not like Norris, I certainly don't, but I don't think anyone could watch these scenes without a lump of sympathy in their throats. I may not like Norris but I do think Malcom Hebden is a very good actor and he knocked it out of the park. He doesn't get the chance to really get his teeth into something like this very often.

All the rest of Mary's friends saw her off with a song. It's a difficult thing, leaving like that, even if you know it's what you really, really want to do. Starting a new life is scary but often worth it. In the end, Mary couldn't go and came back to Norris. Is there more there than best friendship? I don't know.

Roy and Cathy looked awkward in the pub on New year's eve, didn't they? Roy's still trying to sell up as well but I really don't think he will in the end. He's got a person coming to view and Brian has a plan to scupper the deal. He tried to get Cathy to talk to Roy but she says she keeping out of Roy's business. She must have reconsidered because she went to the cafe anyway and told Roy that Alex managed to get his own flat in an assisted living facility. Now Roy feels guilty about "breaking up the family" when living on his own is probably the thing Alex is most happy about!

The cash buyer for the cafe was awfully pretentious but Brian had another aspect to his plan. He reeled Sally in. Sally parroted to Roy everything that Brian apparently poured into her ear, which we could tell from him listening and nodding slightly to her words. Then she dug herself in a hole in the pub and Roy realized it was a set up and he was furious at the pair of them. I'm very glad he shot Brian down for interfering.

Brian has a lot of sucking up to do but Roy is a man of little impression when it comes to that. Deeds not words, mate. At least, not sucking up words. Cathy doesn't really want him to sell up, I think she realizes she shouldn't expect him to give up his life. She wants to stay friends and I think they can manage that.

Shona's popped up again and Sean has brought her to Todd and Billy in the Bistro and then they brought her home tipsy. Todd did a bit of investigating and found David's wallet with Kylie's picture. Hmmm. Did Shona realize that David lived right across the street from the Grimshaws? She does know and is going to do a runner. But Todd confronted her about finding David's wallet and laid a guilt trip on her. He doesn't want anything to do with her and I don't blame him for being suspicious. Billy took her to a resource centre but guess what? She stole from the woman running the place. I don't care if she stole the money to refill David's wallet before she returned it. Billy really should either call the police or at least wash his hands of her.

Billy headed back to the bar where Shona likes to hang out when he heard David got his wallet back. Sure enough, she came back to the bar. The criminal often returns to the scene of the crime. Billy offered her a place to stay at Eileen's, without asking Eileen of course and Todd blew a gasket. Why on earth did Billy sleep in a bus shelter with Shona? He's back in the church, doesn't he have access to the vestry? Maybe he doesn't, maybe the new vicar has moved in there. *has* Billy actually taken the church back or has that not actually become official yet? It's only been since Christmas he decided. It doesn't matter now. Todd has offered to persuade Eileen to let Shona stay there, against his better judgement. Eileen is a soft touch so of course she says yes and Shona reluctantly agrees as well.

At least Peter and Toyah both came clean to Simon and they cleared up the mix up. They really did lie and tell him Leanne was at Janice's when she was in hospital. Stupid, really, they keep treating him like a little kid. Good thing they told him when they did because Nick brought Leanne home from the hospital just then. After midnight on New Year's Eve. yes, that makes so much sense. And they decided to tell him the truth after all that. Simon didn't reveal what he knows for his mother's sake but he really doesn't like keeping the secret. I wonder what excuse Toyah made to Leanne to leave when Peter did or if she waited until Leanne went to bed.

There's still competition no matter how cool and collected Peter seems to be. One hint from Nick about a grand holiday and Peter needs to do something similar. He went for the adventure instead of the Caribbean cruise. Turns out Toyah's a drug counsellor but she wants to get some bar work to tide her over? Surely that's a skill in high demand. Apparently her bar experience is in demand, too because Liz is going to give her a shift or two after all.

Johnny seems ready for a life change. I wonder if having Jenny move in was part of that? Back at the flat, Jenny is hosting the party for quite a number of non speaking extras. They must be Underworld clients! Rita arrives. After midnight which seems odd though she was in the pub for the ringing in of the New Year, I suppose. Aidan played host with the clients instead of Johnny. Jenny was in her element, schmoozing with the clients and enjoying the anticipation of the perkes of being Johnny's partner from the sounds of it. Yachts in the Caribbean? Eva didn't look too thrilled at Jenny's gushing and playing Lady Muck.

Johnny's decision was more than Jenny moving in. He's decided to retire! Nobody really believes it but Aidan is quite pleased to be given full control of the factory. How long will it last? Anyone's guess. Jenny's looking forward to moving in with Johnny and Gemma is set to nab the spare room in Rita's flat before the sheets even get cold! She's not however, keen on Johnny retiring. Maybe she loses the power in the factory of being the boss's girlfriend? Yep, looks like it. Sally sure touched a nerve when she suggested it. She even tried to get Aidan to persuade Johnny not to retire. I think Adam might have done the job for her. At least temporarily.

Now Adam decides he's out for a bit of revenge and Peter's going to help him. Peter regrets giving back his 50% of Underworld that Carla gave him. No, he didn't get any money for it but then he didn't pay for it in the first place. Adam whines about getting ripped off the share of Underworld he inherited from Mike but he couldn't be bothered with learning how to run the place and took the low offer he was given from the Connors just to get rid of it. They're going to gang up on the Connors to get back the money they should have had and Adam just wants to scare them out of a settlement. Good luck with that. He doesn't even want an interest in the factory so he's clearly still not interested, just greedy.

I'm a bit surprised Aidan confided in Alya about Adam and Peter's threats. We don't see her for weeks on end and yes, ok, she's got a stake in the factory, being an assistant manager and now with the bespoke orders, a financial stake as well. It would make more sense if we actually saw her interact with the upper management now and then. Everyone is in a bad mood the next day and Johnny's back on the payroll.

In the meantime, Eva is determined to visit Maria and Aidan can't really get out of going with her except Eva ended up diverted by a broken down bus so Aidan went in on his own to see her. Maria called him out on breaking all his promises. He didn't tell Eva about them and didn't come to the court with her, either. Aidan insists he meant what he said when he said he loved her, but here's the rub, he loves Eva, too. Funny, though, I feel absolutely no sympathy for Aidan. He wants it both ways and Maria isn't going to be used. He also got in a few suggestions to head Maria off at the pass, so to speak. Telling Eva that Maria is angry and saying strange things might cover him if Maria decides to tell Eva she loves Aidan and he loves her.

Now, Jenny overheard a vague reference that Johnny made about Aidan and other women and she zeroed in on it, extracting from Johnny an admission that Aidan is having a fling but not with whom so Jenny leaped to the wrong conclusion and suspects the other woman is Alya. She doesn't know Alya very well, does she? She really put her foot in it, though, and told Eva that Aidan and Alya were having an affair. They were at the flat but they were having an innocent business meeting. Jenny really only told Eva about the affair out of spite to get back at Aidan for being stern with her and putting her in her place but in reality, I'd want to know if my fella was playing away. I would just want the accusation to have some proof behind it which Jenny's didn't.

So Alya got embarassed and Eva mortified and Aidan enraged when he found out it was coming from Jenny. There's a confrontation in the factory office but it didn't get too far because Adam has sent the police with a complaint that Aidan harassed him. He got off with a warning but it's fuel for the fire, isn't it? All the aggro proves to Johnny that he can't retire just yet and boy, Aidan isn't very happy with that. So much so that he is threatening to start up a rival factory with no money and no plan. That'll work, then. Sounds more like he's just having a hissy fit. He got over it. Hot and cold, that Aidan.

And Jenny's actions, telling Eva about Alya, backfired on her. She's going to have to move back out days after she moved in! Johnny's not ready to forgive her, so Gemma, who overheard their conversation, decided to "help". She pretended to be a client over the phone to get Jenny and Johnny in the Bistro to give them a chance to talk. She did it for the right reasons but neither Jenny nor Johnny was happy with her interference. Jenny went to talk to him anyway but he made a wrong assumption that she did the fake client thing and sacked her. Thing is, he does love her. At least Gemma confessed and Johnny discovered the truth.

He's a good man is Johnny, certainly willing to admit when he's wrong but did he have to propose? That's going a bit beyond the call of duty, isn't it? Actually, I like them as a couple. It's a soap, they may not get very far but I hope they do.

Jenny and Johnny's breakfast lasted from 9 o'clock to noon, judging from the clock on the wall that we saw at the start of one episode and then later on, when they were still just leaving and Brian came in, the clock was on 12! Apparently, where they filmed Aidan for being in front of the prison? That was the ITV studio gates! Steph got her job back. Steph has a friend! She's going to set her up with Robert who is reluctant to say the least. How was Toyah going to make the tea when Leanne said there was nothing in the flat and she was going out to do the shopping. Meanwhile, Kevin is dipping into the garage tax account to pay the American medical bills. Tyrone is not best pleased.

Michelle is hanging out with Robert these days. He still is banned from driving remember. Michelle seems to be keen to spend time with him, just hanging out like mates but it's pretty clear that he's making puppy dog eyes at her. The newlyweds seem to be having a few teething pains both sharing the bed and dealing with Mother Nazir's supportive efforts towards grandchildren. She even gave Rana ovulation kits. I think Rana's going to have to speak up. It's Daniel's birthday and Ken has actually bought him a tablet or ereader, Ken who is dedicated to the printed word on paper! Wow! Daniel wants to go back to university.

Seems Michelle wants to call the baby an Irish name and Steve isn't keen. Her hormones are raging and poor Steve feels a bit at sea as to how to cheer her up. Amy suggested a baby shower so you know it will be organized and sorted within days as is usual on a soap. Meanwhile, Eva feels left out with Leanne spending time with Toyah and Sean suggests a baby shower. I feel a conflict coming on.

Eva and Toyah are awkward with each other and it wasn't helped when Toyah told Eva about Maria stealing her boyfriend years ago and had nothing good to say about her. I don't blame her, with that experience in her past but Eva wasn't too pleased with Toyah badmouthing her friend and warning her to watch her back. Just wait until she finds out Maria's got her claws into her boyfriend. Deja-flaming-vu! More conflict, Eva was going to organize the baby shower and didn't know Toyah was doing it as well, as a surprise. Now they have to work together. And Liz has contributed to the bucket of conflict by making Toyah realize that Eva hadn't told her about the shift Liz wanted her to work. It's going to be handbags at 40 paces which doesn't help Leanne's stress. At Robert's suggestion, Michelle offered Leanne a truce, too, and a shared baby shower. Looks like that's what's going ahead.


Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter


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