Corrie's Parent wars

(This post was originally posted by Llewella on the Coronation Street Blog in March, 2011.)

Let the competitive mothering commence! This week’s episodes saw the opening salvos in what could turn out to be quite the feud between sometime mates Leanne and Cheryl over the fates and fortunes of their respective offspring. The new ‘super-head’ at Bessie Street reckons Simon is a disruptive influence in class, whereas Russ has been labelled gifted and is set to receive special coaching. Whatever the rights or wrongs of those assessments, for now at least, Cheryl is cock-a-hoop, Leanne’s nose is well and truly out of joint, and their friendship has taken on a frosty feel. So will this escalate into all-out war, or simply fizzle out like a damp squib? I daresay we’ll find out soon enough.

This is the kind of low-key, background storyline where everyone’s mileage is going to vary. Some viewers will love it. Others will hate it. More still will be completely indifferent. Me, I reckon there’s a fair amount of potential in the concept, although it’s very early days yet to see where the show intends to take it and a lot will depend on the tone and execution. It is, at the very least, the kind of mundane, everyday storyline that should always outnumber the high-octane dramas soaps are so fond of. After all, trams don’t derail every day, but parents bickering over the exploits of their little darlings? That’s something most folk can relate to, and it’s not as if Cheryl and Leanne don’t have form in this area – they’ve fallen out over the boys before, and there has always been a slight edge to their friendship, so this latest development is definitely in character for them both.

We don’t really know Cheryl that well yet, even after almost a year on the show, so maybe this will be our chance to get to know her a bit better, since it looks as if she is going to be sticking around as a regular character. We have already seen hints that she has more than a touch of the Sally Webster about her: a woman with ambitions and aspirations she has rarely had the opportunity to indulge. This storyline definitely looks set to tap into that aspect of her personality, her desire to better herself, as well as her fierce devotion to her son. Depending on how things go, it might also cast some light on her fairly whirlwind relationship with Lloyd, which seems to have developed mostly in the background of other peoples’ stories. After all, they are looking to buy a house together, which is a pretty huge commitment to be rushing into, yet I can’t see Cheryl allowing Lloyd to interfere too much where Russ is concerned, so watching them negotiate those boundaries should, in theory, be interesting…especially if Chris starts sticking his oar in as well.

As for the Junior Barlows, a low-key storyline like this is definitely what the doctor ordered after all their recent dramas. For Leanne, as a stepmother whose place in Simon’s life has so recently been threatened, it makes sense that she would overcompensate for her insecurities by throwing her full weight behind him in this way. Plus, since Peter is usually the volatile one with Leanne having to rein him in, it is good to have a bit of role reversal now and then to remind us that Leanne can fly off the handle, too, at times, and that Peter is also capable of being the voice of reason.

If nothing else, I am looking forward to the inevitable scenes of Peter and Lloyd rolling their eyes at one another in resigned exasperation while Leanne and Cheryl argue the toss!