Sunday 5 February 2017

Sunday Comments February 5

We start this week still waiting for Michelle to finish her goodbyes and Liz handing over a flask of whiskey to Steve, and trying to support her son. I'm glad the midwife gave Michelle contact numbers for her to reach out if she wants to talk. She might not feel like it now but it's important to get that support. She has to let Steve be there for her too, because he's lost a child as well. Who's the first person that Michelle sees when she gets home, though? A pregnant Leanne. Leanne is in bits and feels even more guilty because the baby is Steve's and she's with a man that seems to have a stone for a heart. He's jealous and spiteful and possessive.

Michelle is furious that Steve and Liz packed up the baby's things and she's doing exactly the wrong thing, pushing Steve away, her grief so overwhelming. Michelle gazes blankly out the bedroom window all day, gently stroking the card with the imprint of two tiny hands and feet. She's in such bad shape that she can't even speak to her mother on the phone and admits to Steve she's scared. She can't imagine being a part of the world ever again, not one without her baby son. All Steve can do is hold her. Steve asks Liz to talk to Michelle because she knows what Michelle is going through but Liz doesn't know if Michelle is ready to talk yet. She suggests that Tim and Sally go through to the back for a drink with Steve, to help distract him. But it feels more to Michelle like Steve is having a little party, while she's grieving.

Steve has to go over to the cab office to sort something out. Eileen is comforting but Steve just wants to have a distraction. Everyone grieves in a different way. Steve is sad but functioning. Michelle is resentful when she finds out Steve went to Streetcars so Liz calls him back. Earlier in the day, in the cafe, Nick wants to show Leanne some baby things he's bought but she would rather keep their happy anticipation private, not wanting to show joy when Steve and Michelle are grieving. Nick keeps wanting to know what happened to cause Michelle's late miscarriage because maybe it was genetic related which means her baby could be at risk too. On his way home, Steve encounters Nick who can't contain himself any longer and obtusely asks Steve if the miscarriage was caused by anything genetic. You understand why he's asking but it's really neither the time or the place for it and Steve answers him with a thumping to the face. The nation cheers. Michelle, who has seen it from the bedroom window, does not. She asks Steve how he hurt his hand. He lies but she calls him on it so he lies that Nick was banging on about the food delivery service.

Michelle tears a strip off Steve for trying to be normal, drinking with Sally and Tim, working and fighting in the street. She won't have any comfort from her husband and she tells him she wants him to leave. He strenuously objects, he points out that he's grieving too, and he's not going to roll over and wallow in self pity even if she's happy with locking herself away. That does it. She wants nothing to do with him and seeing that there is no meeting of the minds here, he turns his back and walks away. It's a tragic fact that the death of a child will often take a very heavy toll on a marriage. Steve ends up staying with Sally and Tim.

Liz feels in the middle i think. She knows how Michelle feels but she also knows a lot more about Steve's secrets. Maybe Steve should come clean? Liz doesn't think so. Good to her that she's worried about his condition, too. It certainly would be reason enough for his depression to take over again. It was nice that Peter went to talk to Steve, offer a shoulder. Poor Steve blames himself, thinks losing his baby is payback for the one night stand with Leanne which he blurted out to Peter. Talk about Gobsmacked. Now another person knows the secret and he's got to keep it, too.

Billy is now back in his rightful job and he's got the tough job to talk to Michelle about the funeral. He's a bit surprised that Steve wasn't there. Oh and Michelle actually mentioned her son, Ryan. You'd think her son would have come to Weatherfield to be with his mother but it doesn't work that way on a soap. Liz wasn't too happy that Michelle made all the arrangement without Steve. Michelle resentful attitude prompted Liz to confide her own loss, finally. I know Michelle already knew about it but it still needed saying.

Sinead wants to help promote the kebab shop but Chesney doesn't seem to think she has anything to contribute. Chesney and Gemma are still trying to come up with marketing ideas. They've been at it all weekend. Sinead wants him to take the night off from work stuff. Gemma's suggestion of a grabber granny night at the Ritz is not to his taste. He speaks for both he and Sinead, saying they both like their home comforts. Sinead does not look as if she completely agrees. In fact, she goes out for some air later, and we find her sitting on Maxine's bench, not in a happy mood, where Daniel later finds her. He's quite impressed with her and her marketing ideas, one of which he's used with his MA application. He even tells her he thinks she's brilliant. Oh, you can see where this is heading, right? He invites her for a drink and she's happy to go.

Daniel gave Sinead a Venus Flytrap (plant) to thank her because a bug eating plant reminds him of her. Eh? It's mysterious, Exotic and different, they stand out from the crowd. Yep, I think he's got it bad already and she kind of likes the attention. It's more than she's getting from her boyfriend. Gemma is intrigued by the Venus Flytrap and persuaded Chesney to bring it to the shop to feed it kebab. That must have been the fatal flaw in their plan. When Sinead came home, the plant looked very ill indeed. Chesney "Maybe something disagreed with it" heh. He admitted they gave the plant the kebab. She was furious. She used it as an indicator of their failing relationship.

Kevin has a photo of the forged signature. I don't suppose insurance will pay out, they certainly won't if they can help it at all. Kevin is leaning towards blaming someone in the garage and that's not going to make him easy to work with, now, is it? Freddie's solution is to set up a security system that he got from a retired friend, inside and outside the garage. That security system happens to have caught a very incriminating conversation between Phelan and Todd and Phelan is bricking it now. He's very good is Phelan at finding out what he needs to know. He now gleans from Luke that the footage gets downloaded to Kevin's laptop. I foresee another job for Andy to be forced into before long, don't you?

Poor Andy, he's having nightmares about beating Phelan up. It was like a video game, with Andy whacking non stop Phelans with a chunk of wood over and over again, but, like Weebles, they don't fall down, and another keeps replacing that smirking face. The man is stressed and doen't make it to work that day after a chance meeting with his tormentor on the street. Steph just doesn't understand! But Phelan is trying his best to get his hands on that laptop where the cctv footage is stored. Not too successful, either. He nearly breaks in but then nearly catches Luke and Tracy. She'd gone to the garage to give him a morning eyeful of skin under that coat she was fastening up!

Phelan makes an excuse at the garage about wanting an invoice and comes back when Kevin's there, managing to knock the laptop off the table, hoping to break it but it's ok so he's got to figure out a Plan B and that's going to involve Andy. He politely asks Andy to burn down the garage. Just like that! Andy refuses but of course Phelan insists and he's got Andy over a barrell, holding Steph's safety over Andy's head. To get the keys, he later gets Kevin blind drunk on the premise of making peace between them, in the Bistro and piles him into a car in the old garage. I really thought Kevin had more stamina than three spiked beers and a shot. If Phelan was spiking the beer that strongly, surely Kevin would have noticed.

In the Bistro, Steph worries about Andy. Robert mentions a convenient phone call she's had from Katy Armstrong who has told her about jobs in her boyfriend's bar. Robert suggests they go on a little holiday, not to stay of course but they could use a get away. Not a bad idea.

Meanwhile, Tracy overhears the lads talking about the CCTV and realizes her little private show was probably caught on camera. She insists Luke goes to the garage and removes the footage even though he thinks she had her back to the camera. When they get there, Andy is already inside (new garage) so he hides until Luke deletes the footage while she watches. You would think in this day and age, footage for fancy systems would be stored in a cloud server. Luke, Freddie and Tyrone find Kevin passed out in the car in the other garage and, waking him up, realize how drunk and aggressive he really is. This will come into play later.

Andy's dropped the keys and the flames burst up around them very quickly. The alarm bells are going off, Kevin is now out of the car and looking dazed. Anna's across the road, freaking out at the fire and Kevin's proximity to it and Sarah is the one that takes her inside and calls Gary home to be with his mum. That's so that it will be convenient for them to get back together. Again. Kevin can see from the ferocity of the fire that the garage will be gutted even as the fire fighters arrive. Phelan looks smug as he watches.

Back at the flat, Andy is tearing his smoky clothes off and stuffing them in the washing machine and we see he's taken Kevin's laptop. Does Andy know that there's incriminating footage of Phelan on it? I don't think so but it would likely have footage of him in the garage setting it on fire so he's nicked it, the one thing Phelan was hoping would be destroyed in the fire, of course. But he panics because the washing machine seems to be broken. Steph comes in and finds Andy's smoky clothing. He immediately admits Phelan's blackmailing him and also admits to everything else including trying to kill Phelan. Andy's defence is that Phelan is threatening Steph to make Andy do what he wanted but she runs out, devastated and confused. But Phelan creeps her out when he finds her outside, passing on a message to Andy that he'll be keeping an eye on the pair of them to make sure they're "safe". She realizes everything Andy said is true. She goes back to the flat, shaken. She suggests they move to Portugal and take those convenient jobs at Katy's boyfriend's bar. It's the only way out.

Andy and Steph are leaving for Portugal on Friday and oh, apparently Luke is living with them. Was that known before? He's going to have to get a flat mate. I don't think Luke would lose his job, Freddie was the last one in so he should be the first one out. Not surprised Robert took a double resigning badly from the sounds of it. Short notice, too. Andy found out from Tyrone about the CCTV and he realizes he must have the evidence in the flat. He decides to check it to see if he can save footage of Kevin being drunk and send it to the police, without saving footage of himself starting the fire. Steph has to go on to the airport without him after a visit to her parents.

Phelan found out before Steph could get away from the Street. The old brain is ticking over. He visted Andy and coincidentally, Andy had just found the footage of Phelan and Todd on the laptop. This isn't going to end well, is it?

Eileen is looking forward to her wedding and it's not been easy keeping it a secret so she decided to tell Liz, her bezzie mate. Everyone in the Grimshaw house is pleased, more or less. I don't think Todd is too happy but he was honest with her. Pat gave Eileen money for a new frock to feel beautiful in. What she chose was a dark purple top and a black or very dark coloured suit. Not very wedding-y.

Poor Kevin looks stunned the day after the fire. He reckons maybe someone has a vendetta against him. (Doesn't seem like he can think of anyone but what about the man Kevin hates beyond reason? Might that not be mutual?) Maybe it's just bad luck. Could be. Tyrone never wanted to expand anyway so Kevin did it on his own. But the keys that were found in the garage were Kevin's and there's no laptop that might have proof that Kevin didn't do it. That and him in financial trouble are good cause for suspicion and the police are focussing on him sure enough. Tyrone suspects Kevin, too, thinking he did it while drunk. Bad form, though, confronting him in the pub in front of everyone. Never mind, he got arrested in front of everyone, too.

It's definitely going to hurt the business, too. Someone's going to lose their job. It would have to be Freddie, last in first out. Kevin's beligerent attitude with the police isn't doing him any favours. Steph suggested to Tyrone that Kevin might not have burned the garage down, pointing out circumstantial evidence. All of her points were so obvious about Kevin being beyond drunk and why burn it if you know the insurance wouldn't pay?  At least Tyrone went to the police after that. But here's the thing. He really does believe Kevin did it but he lied to the police and insurance company so they would pay out.When Kevin spoke to him, it became clear that Tyrone still can't get over Kevin's affair with Molly all those years ago and that's why he was so quick to believe Kevin could do something else immoral like burning the garage for the insurance. Nice little throwback, there.

In other storylines, Gary arrives back from Germany to find out from Dev straight away that the gym is closed. Luke encourages Gary to talk to Sarah. Later on, at the Websters', they do talk. He wonders what he's going to do now he doesn't have a job. He could move to Germany, what's there to stay for? Faye doesn't need him now she's older and his mother has Kevin and he's lost her, too. He seems to have forgotten little Jake. Bethany's happy with Sarah and Gary getting back together. Sounds like she's over her crush, especially now that she's got Nathan and a new one germinating.

Bethany is heading towards a career in beauty, maybe she'll fill Kylie's nail business shoes. That curb crawling Nathan keeps wheeling Bethany. Nathan seems to be encouraging her to stay in school and she can still pursue her other interests. This time she's telling him she's just home from doing hair and makeup for a school friend, even though last week she told him she doesn't have any mates. He's flattering and encouraging her to do online tutorials. She can even use his camera! She is duly flattered and is up for the challenge. He's starting to feel a bit slimy, isn't he? He had a huge professional video camera and offered her the use of the salon to try it out.

Shona is working at the cafe and Roy is a precise time and rule keeper, two things Shona isn't quite getting her head around. She's also been avoiding David like the plague. Does he not know she's living and working in the street? In a street where gossip is like life's blood? There's obviously contention between Shona and that Nathan, too. If looks could kill! David finally clapped eyes on her and she admitted she put it back through the letterbox but didn't stop for a chat.

More and more I really detest Adam. He's very condescending, isn't he? But Daniel doesn't seem to let it bother him and often has a very good reply.
Sally wants to go on holiday. Maybe a cruise with a 24/7 butler? That doesn't sound to Tim like the ideal holiday. She gets a bit irritated with him but he's got other things on his mind and they scarper out of the Bistro with a glint in their eyes. They end up in the pub later where he tells her she's the best "bird" he's ever had. Ever the romantic, is Tim. He likes that they argue and make up but she's then exasperated because he makes them sound like "farm animals" and he thinks she's just starting another argument so they can make up again. Not this time. She is concerned that they don't talk through their problems and only deal with them with bedroom shenanigans. Tim doesn't see anything wrong with that. Sally wants a meeting of minds so he is tasked with finding five topics of conversation. Somehow, I don't think Global Warming is up Tim's street when it comes to topics of interest but he bests her anyway, by reminding her what her past experiences riding the bus have been when she suggests they get rid of the van. Sally decides to impose a sex ban until they can have a grown up conversation. A bit drastic, that.

In relatiation, Tim decided he'll give her the silent treatment but he's not very good about it. It didn't last long. She offered to lift her ban if he lifts his and suggests they find a common hobby. He's come up with an idea. Season tickets to Weatherfield County. Sally and football hooligans. Nope. Can't see it.



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