The Roy and Anna Show

(This post was originally posted by Scott Willison on the Coronation Street Blog in May 2014.)


The death of Hayley was a momentous occasion in the world of Coronation Street, and rightly so.  A much-loved character breathed her last in heartbreaking, brilliantly acted scenes.

The moment that resonated with me the most in the whole episode, however, didn't involve Hayley or Roy; it involved Anna.  Arriving in the flat after Hayley had taken her lethal cocktail of drugs, Anna quietly picked up the glass she had used, washed it, and stowed it in the cupboard as if it had never been there.  She didn't say anything at all.  She just did it, understanding that she could help this horrible situation in a tiny way.

I loved that moment because it showed the essential good at the heart of Anna.  She can be misguided, a bit dodgy perhaps, and she's got terrible taste in men.  She's also saddled with a pretty annoying family.  But Anna herself - she's just a lovely lady, doing her best to get through life.  The whole Phelan saga has been something of a slog for me; I find it very hard to sympathise with Owen when he knew right from the off that Pat was dodgy as hell.  Even now I can't work out why he's selling the yard (which he can use for his business) and not Tina's flat (which is probably worth a lot more and is just a bit of property).  Anna has remained a centre at it all; watching her quietly collapse - and then sell herself for the good of her family - is devastating.

And that's why I really enjoyed her almost, but not quiet, confession to Roy in last night's episode.  I was willing her to tell him what she did.  Of all the people on the Street, Roy is the one least likely to judge; he'd view her decision with cold hard logic and he'd try to help.  He wouldn't be moralistic.  He'd also see it as a fair exchange for when he confided Hayley's decision in her.  The moment when he described himself as Anna's friend was beautiful.

I hope this is how the storyline continues, with Anna and Roy's friendship developing and they try to work things through.  Those two characters talking in the cafe really touched me.



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