4430 - Wednesday 1 July
Weatherfield battleaxe Maud Grimes took on the bitter and
twisted Jim McDonald tonight in a battle of wills designed to
shake him from his darkest hours. She paid him a visit after seeing
his failed suicide attempt the other day and was there to try
and inspire some life back into him with some harsh words.
At first you might suspect that nothing of this nature would work but Jim proved everyone wrong when he came to see her later on after their knock down row. He was grateful for her help and seemed to have a renewed sense of purpose for his life. No one said it was going to be easy but now at least he had the will to try.
Roy and Hayley dillied and dallied in Amsterdam. The poor man was keen to honestly reveal his true feelings for Hayley however it wasn't easy for a man such as himself who had led such a sheltered life. All along Roy dropped subtle hints about his curiosity over Hayley's plans for the future and she said she would return to Weatherfield if she had someone to return for....
Spider was convinced into preparing for a proper election campaign thanks to Ken and Emily. He was also lined up for something of an image change as he prepared to do battle with the woefully ill prepared camp of Audrey Roberts.
Sandy was recruited by Alec for the Golden Years agency. The young man knew little about what his boss had in store for him or the sort of women he could be dating when he ventured forth on to the town on Alec's behalf. No doubt an interesting prospect nonetheless.
Maxine couldn't afford Fred's bond for the flat but strangely enough Greg could and would be willing to take on the flat himself. Maxine didn't seem to notice it would leave him situated very very close to chez Webster and more importantly Sally....
The night ended with Hayley and Roy on a canal with her dropping more hints about how she wished she could find love with someone she cared for. Roy was either being very naive or very embarrassed about the scenario but was saying very little....
All in all : O.K
4431 - Friday 3 July
Tonight brought some resolution to events that had been spanning
the last few episodes. Firstly Hayley and Roy in Amsterdam were
still picking carefully through their potential relationship.
It wasn't made easy by the fact that the both of them were finding it hard to express their feelings of friendship for one another and it hasn't been made clear whether their relationship will ever progress any further.
Back in England, Spider had been successfully rebuilt and remodelled for his role in the up and coming Weatherfield elections. It was his day for a photo shoot and although he didn't feel comfortable in a suit he bore his burden for the camera and even withstood the cajoling of Audrey Roberts who happened to be passing.
It wasn't going to be plain sailing for her though as she was about to get the photographs back from the session she had booked only days before. Her confidence in herself would be her undoing as a result.
Greg was the one who took on the flat belonging to Fred Elliott after discovering that Maxine wasn't able to meet the financial demands of the property. She anticipated a little love nest for the two of them but she would be wrong. You could almost see Greg waiting to break the news the flat would be somewhere for him to reside and *him* alone.
Back in Amsterdam, Roy and Hayley sat drinking tea overlooking the beautiful scenery. It was there that Hayley tried to find out just exactly how Roy felt about her. He was once again flustered by her line of questioning. It wasn't that he was unsure of his own mind but he was simply untrained at dealing with such aspects of life.
Hayley mistook his awkwardness and silence as rejection and told him she thought it better that he go home leaving her to get on with her life in Amsterdam. Roy sloped off to catch his plane feeling very crestfallen.
However as Hayley got ready to leave herself to go home to the boat she saw something that Roy had left for her. It was a gift in the form of a watch inscribed with the message "For My Friend". Hayley realised she had been misguided in her judgement and set off after Roy.
While Spider endured his photo shoot Audrey inspected the results of hers and recoiled in horror. She was aghast at how old she felt she looked and was in tears when she returned to the salon. Luckily Maxine and Fiona along with Rita were there to bolster her spirits and get her back on track again with a new young attitude.
Going back to the Rovers, Sandy breathed his last in the Rovers tonight as his little plans to make some money with Alec and The Golden Years Agency were foiled by Vera who spied them exchanging money. Alas for poor Sandy he had been seen downtown that day by Audrey who had effectively snitched on him.
He was out on his ear quicker than you could say "Betty's Hot Pot".
The night ended on a sour note for Roy and Hayley as she caught up with him at the airport and after some banging on the glass and shouting she managed to get his attention.
She realised he would be there for her as a friend when she got back to Weatherfield so she caught the plane with Roy and they took to the skies.
The problems began upon landing in England at passport control when they handed in their passports for inspection. Although Hayley had endured all the necessary surgery and alterations to ensure she was effectively female. The fact was her passport still declared her as male in gender.
The passport controller looked at her as though she was something he might pick of his shoe as he called over his assistant. She was then called through into their office for some reason or other which was not disclosed. All the same it was very cruel......
All in all : Good
4432 - Sunday 5 July
Tonight started with the late night return of Hayley and Roy
to his flat above the cafe in Coronation Street. To all intents
and purposes it had been a stressful evening thanks to the actions
of the passport control and thier interest in Hayley at the airport.
Roy was enraged and was keen to take some kind of action against the airport for thier role in the tampering with of Hayley's civil liberties. However Hayley made it quite clear that she was keen to keep a low profile on the matter. After all she was quite a private person.
It was difficuly to judge how thier relationship was going to progress from there on in however. Roy is so painfully shy you can't judge whether his reactions are to do with Hayley or just a reflection of how he genuinely is. Anyway they have got to the kissing on the cheek stage in their relationship now, so who knows ?
Rita was ill. In fact judging by the nature of her flu like symptoms and the fact that the episode made such a big deal of them I am sure we will see her health become an issue in some up and coming episode of the show.
However for now she was soldiering on regardless with the concern of Alec Gilroy behind her and the political slanging in her shop of Audrey and Emily Bishop to grind her down.
Greg explained why he found commitment such a difficult task tonight as he upset Maxine with the news he would be taking Fred Elliotts flat on his own. He explained that a good portion of his childhood had been spent without a father figure which meant he found it hard to commit his feelings to someone knew.
If you ask me it was something of a total excuse but Maxine seemed happy to fall for it .
Jim was in good form tonight and not showing his usual self destructive nature. He had time not only for his wife Liz but also for his therapist Micheal and it would seem between the lot of them they would get Jim if not back on his feet but somewhat more mobile and self sufficient.
In the wake of Sandy's departure from the Rovers. Jack had been getting round to finding a new barmaid. However Vera beat him to it by recruiting Natalie's niece. Jack heard a little about her and conjured images of a boot clad student laden down with piercings and the like. However what she was truly like we would have to wait and see.
Returning to political issues we saw Audrey unveil her new and improved poster tonight.. Fair enough it may have been an improvement but it was far from being honest. It showed an image of Audrey that was taken at least twenty years ago and showed her in a flattering light.
Audrey may have been happy with her new improved efforts but Spider was hardly happy with his own. His poster campaign he felt made him appear as something he wasn't. He decided from now on he would fight his own campaign without other people making him appear one way or another and in turn compromising what he truly was.
All in all : O.K
4433 - Monday 6 July
Tonight saw the beginnings of gossip forming over Hayley and
Roy with Gail's curiosity being the main culprit. Of course the
big question was were they actually sleeping together or not.
A question that Alma realised more than most could have some ramifications
if the whole truth about Hayley ever came out.
Spider meanwhile was apologising to his beloved Aunty Emily over his treatment of her somewhat antiquated ideas of what was right and wrong about her nephew's campaign for election the local council.
She decided it might be better for everyone involved if she stood down and let someone younger take up the reins. Someone who might have a better idea of what ideas might work for young Spider especially in matters of dress code.
In fact I think Emily was grooming Curly for the role of successor by building bridges between the two of them with the idea of settling their long running feud. Finally it would seem the sell out capitalist Norman Watts would be on the side of the young anarchist Spider after all.
While that was going on we also saw the more predatory nature of Greg manifesting itself. As we know poor Maxine had fell head over heels in love with the somewhat callous Battersby. However Greg seemed to be using her as little more than a plaything for his own amusement with little regard for her feelings. This was accentuated by the fact that Greg flirted outrageously with Fiona and to make matters worse it looked like she might at one point reciprocate the advance.
While this was going on the newly reborn Jim McDonald was entertaining his family and thanking them profusely for all their support in the past few months. It also looked like their might be some bridge building going on between Jim and his ex wife as well as something of a side line story between them.
We saw the arrival of Natalie's niece Lorraine as well. Fair play to whoever picked the young girl because I think there is actually a resemblance between the two of them but as far as acting ability went the poor girl was atrocious in my opinion. She blatantly over acted like a child in a school play with a stupid sniggering laugh that I suspect will soon get on everyone's nerves.
At the Kabin, Rita was still exhibiting signs of her recent flu like illness only it didn't seem to be showing any signs of letting up anytime soon. As a result Rita handed over the responsibility for the early shift as it was proving too much for her.
By the end of the night we saw Greg let Maxine down again at the Rovers thanks to the commitments of work. He still found time to seduce the young girl over the fax machine though.
The night ended with Roy and Hayley having something of a romantic interlude down at the duck pond. Roy finally plucked up the courage to tell Hayley he was ready to take the plunge albeit slowly and go for more of a relationship angle. The two cemented their new beginnings over a little kiss.
All in all : Good
4434 - Wednesday 8 July
The Street continued tonight with a good deal of the episode
focusing on Hayley and Roy and thier ongoing relationship. Hayley
was clearing out the remains of her father's house and with Roy's
help she was gathering up sections of her past.
It wasn't the easiest of tasks as Hayley was faced with reminders of her life before she decided to become a woman. There was the odd holiday snap of her from her childhood and it made for a few awkward silences as Roy looked down on photographs of Hayley's unhappy teenage years.
You could see Hayley wondering whether Roy's discovery would sour thier relationship but nothing could be further from the truth. Roy had more about him than to allow his new girlfriend to become unhappy about her past.
At the Salon, Maxine was still gloriously happy about Greg but could the seeds of realisation be beginning to sprout in her mind. Fiona was keen to cryptically warn her friend about the dangers of going with Mr Chiselled-But-Shallow. However Maxine being Maxine she didn't allow Fiona's warnings to sink into her head.
Jim was continuing the struggle for independence and a struggle indeed it was. With the help of Mike his physiotherapist he was now attempting to move himself from his wheelchair to the bed with the help of a mobility board, It wasn't easy and he found himself almost falling on the floor a number of times but his new attitude would surely mean he would persevere.
The campaign trail was warming up with Curly pledging allegiance to the Spider camp. and it has to be said both he and Spider himself seemed to be vying for the attentions of the new barmaid Lorraine (thankfully she was showing signs of a more restrained acting style tonight).
Audrey on the other hand was having a bit of trouble. She had composed her own speech. However you had to watch it just to hear how atrocious it actually was. Audrey however delivered in fabulous "cod snob" style.
When Alec and Fred responded to her words with a somewhat lukewarm reception she lost her temper and asked if Fred could do any better. The ball was now left in his court....
The Rovers ended the night looking quieter than a morgue. The World Cup television coverage had dragged everyone away to the Legion to watch the match on a wide screen TV. Alec's portable offering simply could not compete...
Alec then paid a visit to Rita to see just how she was getting on. It didn't look too promising either as her flu like symptoms had still got a grip on her health to the extent she was now somewhat unsteady on her feet.
The night ended with Jim informing Liz about the benefits she was entitled to from the state in return for looking after his well being. His manner of explanation was a little abrupt and she as hurt when Jim told her to take the money to make her "job" feel less like a bind.....
All in all : OK
4435 - Friday 10 July
Tonight saw Rita still in the grip of this mystery illness
which had been claiming her health for the last few episodes.
The old dear wouldn't succumb though and continued to drag herself
into the Kabin to subject herself to the rigours of work once
again today.
Jim meanwhile tried to push Liz away supposedly in a bid to establish more independce for himself in light of his new disability. Was he being honest with himself about his reasons though ? His physio Mike didn't think so, he considered his reasons more a chance to establish at least one decision for himself in his new "dependent" life.
Alec meanwhile finally relented to the slide in business in the Rovers and got himself a wide screen television for the coverage of the final. In the meantime he and Fred played campaign managers for Audrey as she continued her half hearted efforts to run for council.
In truth though Audrey was more capable of damaging her chances than anything else as quickly threw out any speech that Alec and Fred had prepared for her as she quickly came to the view point that everything they wrote was boring.
She wasn't wrong however, everthing they wrote was indeed very boring but Audrey didn't seem to have the ability to fare any better no matter how many hats and stickers she handed out to potential voters.
However it was an important night for the two candidates as they geared up for something of a rallying speech at Nick's local college. It would be the turning point for both sides in this local showdown.
Spider was up to the podium first and as you might expect he won the student body over without any real worries. His promises came along the lines of free education and better grants for students. Naturally in this environment it all went swimmingly well for him and he ended his speech to a rapturous applause.
Next up was Audrey, I expected her to fall flat on her face straight away but she wowed the audience with humour for starters by taking the rise out of Spider. She then began to address points he had missed in his speech by starting a talk on women's issues.
It all looked very promising for her at that point and I thought she might send Spider under at this meeting but then she successfully blew herself out of the water. All it took was her announcement that she would be backing the return of the Miss Weatherfield beauty pageant.
In this politically correct age such an event would be frowned upon especially when you are trying to shove it down the throats of the younger element,
As the audience began to backlash against Audrey she lost her cool and got drawn into something of a slanging match with some of the students and effectively cost herself any votes she could have won.
The night ended with old Rita at home and finally succumbing to her illness. She was staggering around the flat in obvious pain when she sank to the floor and seemed to pass out.......
All in all : OK
4436 - Sunday 12 July
Rita continued tonight battling with her ailing health. It
seemed that even getting out of bed to face another day was becoming
something of a chore for her. We watched as she fumbled for the
alarm clock and it was increasingly obvious that she was suffering
with more than a bout of mere flu.
Kevin and Sally returned from their Disney land excursion and even though they had been away on a refreshing holiday it still seemed there was an underlying tension between the two of them. Kevin tried to do well by his wife by arranging a meal out for the family so she wouldn't have to cook but Sally was simply too tired to go.
The Rovers was gearing up for the big world cup final match and Jack was keen to continue a tradition he had been running for many years of never missing a final.
Vera had other ideas though and she wanted to come out from behind the bar and no longer be a football widow and to her credit when the build up began on the TV she did seem to become something of a spirited supporter of the game.
Jim was continuing his independence drive at the cost of all around him. Mike the physio could see however that Jim still had feelings for Liz and was trying his best to encourage them to the forefront of his mind.
In fact he was playing something of a matchmaker in the respect he was bolstering Liz's feelings over a drink in the Rovers, He encouraged her not to be shut of Jim's life and to make a stand to stay part of it.
Audrey was planning on staying in the election campaign despite something of a disastrous night at college the episodes previously.
Alec was keen to back off with his efforts but Fred convinced him if they were successful the rewards would be worth pain they were going though trying to build the perfect candidate.
Rita took to her bed for the afternoon after confessing her fears to Sally about how she might be suffering from a brain tumour like her late husband Ted.
Her pain increased as she spent some time alone and when she tried to to getup she collapsed to the floor unconscious.
The next half of the show saw Alec and Fred trying to bribe Spider out of the running for the election. It was of course unsuccessful as Spider was indeed a man of principles and would not be swayed by thier attempts at skullduggery.
Greg meanwhile began getting predatory on Sally in the Rovers with his slick chat up lines although Maxine's arrival cooled his ardour a touch.
People began to get concerned about Rita when she couldn't be found in the Rovers or raised at home. Sally and Alec decided to go and see if she was alright and when it was discovered she wasn't answering the door heroic Greg kicked the door down.
Rita was found unconscious and an ambulance was called with Greg taking Sally behind him in the car. All little more than a ruse to win brownie points with Kevin's wife......
All in all : O.K
4437 - Monday 13 July
Tonight was a night of interesting developments in the Street.
As you can imagine a good deal of what was going on revolved around
Rita Sullivan and her sudden collapse the night before in her
flat. The show more or less picked up with Greg, Sally and most
importantly Alec Gilroy pacing the floor of Weathefield General
as they waited to find out if she would live or die.
At least that is what Alec and Sally were present for. Greg on the other hand was merely using Rita's condition to bolster his somewhat heroic appearance in front of Sally and he was doing a damn fine job of it as well. In fact I would go as far as saying his perfomance was absolutely flawless in execution. He was playing on the vulnerable Sally like a complete professional with his caring and compassionate attitude and as the night wore on we could see Sally falling for his charms even if there was nothing they could do about it.
A prime performance came from Alec however as he portrayed a man terrified at the prospect of the loss of one of his closest friends. He wandered back and forth agitated to an extreme as he theorised about the possible causes of what had brought about Rita's downfall. We discovered that she had fallen prey to carbon monoxide poisoning often brought on by faulty domestic appliances and it had left her very close to death.
While the locals awaited more news we saw Fred looking more than a little concerned about the condition of Audrey's campaign especially after he had potentially jeopardised it by trying to bribe Spider Nugent out of the election running. Both Curly and Spider were milking the situation for all they could worth to get the butcher worried about what he had done.
In the meantime Curly tried to impress Lorraine the barmaid with his tales of election supremacy but all he succeeded in doing was making himself look rather sad as he hadn't really done that much at all. Going back to Audrey she was to discover just what Fred and Alec had been up to with Spider and when she discovered the truth she was none too pleased and nothing Fred could do could make her see him in a different light.
The night wore on and saw Rita pulling out of danger while Greg pulled closer to Sally in his efforts to win her over. Was he after her I wonder or just the substantial inheritance she had just recieved from her mother's estate. Only time will tell but I don't think his motives were pure by any stretch of the imagination.
The episode bowed out with the estranged Jim and Liz. In a scene that was capable of curling even the most rigid of toes he finally explained how he felt about his ex wife. In a somewhat clumsy scene he declared his true feelings for her but declared he could never love her in the way she wanted him to. Liz didn't seem to mind though and explained she felt the same way about him that he felt about her. It looked like they were set to give things another go and sealed the night off with a kiss......
All in all : Good
4438 - Wednesday 15 July
Tonight's episode saw the cementing of the newfound love between
Jim and Liz. He was unsure of how they would progress now he was
living in a wheelchair but Liz assured him that things between
them would be O.K in the long run. After all they were both older
and wiser.
Greg continued to play sexual predator with Sally as he skirted round her again. He learned via the Mazine grapevine that Sally had been through an affair with Chris Collins from the garage. It seemed to arm Greg with a knowing confidence which suggested that he could do the same with her as well.
Lorraine was the object of Curly's affections but she didn't know he was alive. That was because Spider was on the scene and he was unwittingly a little bit of what she fancied although she hadn't admitted it yet.
While everyone was trying to woo everyone else Fred and Audrey had a swanky meal at a restaurant. FRed was as flirtatious as ever in his own and Audrey seemed to be loving every minute of it. It did look rather like his desires for her were starting to get the better of him though and in the subtlest ways Audrey had to get him off the amourous track.
The night ended with Liz and Jim once again in a slightly cringe making scene as she debated whether or not to spend the night with him. In all honesty she was keen and he was not. However they decided with a little mutual support Jim would eventually get back on his feet and they would know complete happiness....
All in all : Just O.K
4439 - Friday 17 July
Tonight definitely stepped up the pace a little after somewhat
pedestrian times in the Street of late. We saw the night start
with a few more cracks appearing in the marriage of Kevin and
Sally Webster.
He waltzed along as though there was nothing to worry about oblivious to the fact that his wife was about as interested in him as she would be in watching grass grow or paint dry.
Still the day moved on and we saw both Sally and Alec visiting the sickly Rita. The old girl looked like someone had steamrollered her into her hospital bed as she lay there weakly thanking all and sundry for the their recent life saving efforts.
Alec also discovered the reason for Rita's illness as well. He called in a gas fitter to diagnose the problem. The fitter returned aghast at what he discovered. It would seem that when Rita had a new gas fire fitted about a year ago the workmanship was terrible.
When Alec asked her who had fitted the fire we were reminded it was none other than a job by Jim McDonald and son Steve.. Alec was clearly brimming with anger but the hospital was neither the time nor the place to begin recriminations.
Speaking of Jim, he and Liz took another step towards their renewed lovers bliss as they discussed moving back in together. Liz was like some star crossed lover and Jim was not much better under the circumstances.
Anyway moving on to the real meat of the episode which I am dying to tell you about. As I mentioned earlier Sally was hardly the happiest gal in the world tonight and seemed to be making moves to remedy the situation. She went out and bought herself a new top for starters.
It wasn't just any top either. A somewhat cropped little figure hugging number that seemed designed to get her noticed and believe you me Greg did indeed notice.
He noticed so much that the two of them ended up in the factory alone together after work. Sally began to spill out her troubles to him over a convenient glass of wine and before you knew it they were embroiled in a kiss.
It wasn't just the usual soap screen kiss either. There was some *real* chemistry between them as they kissed and caressed and she breathlessly told him to.....lock the door.
All in all : Good
4440 - Sunday 19 July
It wasn't quite the sizzler I expected following the previous
episode but all the same it did coast along at a reasonable little
pace.
One of the primary concerns of tonight was Alec and his pursuit of Steve McDonald over the faulty gas fire that had been present in Rita's flat and had almost killed her with carbon monoxide fumes.
Steve heard about the news direct from an enraged Alec and was under threat of police action and all manner of legal recriminations. Steve had to think fast to dig himself out of a mire and to his credit did so with his usual oily cunning.
Steve reasoned it would Jim McDonald and Bill Webster who would face problems if prosecution occurred. Although he fitted the gas fire he was only a labourer at the time and as a result the bosses of the firm would face the brunt of the trouble.
Coupled to the fact that Bill would be highly unlikely to be brought back from Germany over the matter that would be leaving Jim to face the music more or less alone.
Steve thus visited Rita and played on her sympathy in a bid to get her to hold off any potential action she might take against him. Fearing she could be the one to hold back his progress in getting back on his feet seemed to slow Rita's determination straight away.
Greg and Sally escaped being caught by the skin of their teeth tonight. Maxine came a looking for her boyfriend and found them just after an obvious little tryst. What was ridiculous was the fact that Maxine didn't twig anything had happened. After all they looked flustered, there was am empty bottle of wine on the filing cabinet and in particular Sally looked guilty as sin.
However good old bubble head simply took it in her stride and went for a drink with Greg while Sally sloped off back home looking like the cat that had got the cream.
I don't think they will manage to keep their fling secret for long though. Not if Sally keeps wandering round with a coy little grin plastered all over her mug every time she sees Greg walking around.
Curly was no closer to getting any closer to Lorraine. He simpered in her presence like a love sick fool yet she was clearly more interested in Spider. This of course led to the touching of raw nerves with Toyah who as we all know carries the biggest torch ever for the local eco warrior.
Anyway they were all sat round at Curly's talking politics and planning their next political moves. Curly was trying to impress Lorraine but as usual she was eyes for Spider. The strange thing is I don't think Spider realises she is attracted to him. However it was clear Toyah does and she was keen to dissuade her rival.
The night ended with Mike talking of giving Greg more responsibility in the factory. As they celebrated Kevin and Sally wandered in full of the joys as Kevin was getting ready to buy Natalie out of the garage. Sally however looked on at Greg and a pensive expression crossed her face. She almost seemed to realise her fate was being sealed with the buying of the garage....
All in all : O.K
4441 - Monday 20 July
Kicking off to an extent with young Toyah and her obvious
lack of confidence in her abilities. She had began to look at
her self as something of a fool. The reason being the fact that
she was surrounded by people like Curly and Lorraine and Spider,
all people of supposed intelligence which made her feel somewhat
inferior. Luckily Roy was on hand to bolster her spirits and give
her incentives to use her brain.
Then there was Alec, a man with a grudge against all things McDonald and despite Rita's pleas for his silence he was a man who was determined to say his piece to Jim about the dodgy fire that had been fitted in Rita's flat.
The Webster household meanwhile was harbouring a guilty secret in the form of Sally and her recent fling with Greg. Kevin thought all in the garden was rosy. He didn't suspect his marriage was heading for disaster courtesy of his wife's indiscretions. IN fact he was so happy he was even including her in his plans for the garage....as a partner.
There was of course the usual triangle between Curly, Lorraine and Spider Good old Spider was as ever the focus of attention while Curly might as well have sat on the sidelines again. She was clearly not interested in him and it showed.
The night began drawing to a close with Sally doing some overtime for Baldwin in the the hope of slaving over a machine in a different kind of way. She was waiting for Greg and for a while it looked like she might be disappointed as the only person around was Mike Baldwin. However Mike eventually left and Sally was greeted by the site of her hunky new lover in the doorway.
The night finally ended with Jim holding something of an impromptu council with Steve in the Salon. He declared Rita was going to the authorities about the bad workmanship in her flat and the two of them could be in deep deep trouble,
All in all: O.K
4442 - Wednesday 22 July
Tonight saw a couple of ongoing storylines move forward although
not with any remarkable speed surprisingly enough. Greg and Sally
provided interest as the sparks of jealousy were fanned into flames
as the latter began to object to the presence of Maxine.
It all looked potentially dangerous if you ask me because Sally was exhibiting signs of Fatal Attraction style feelings and I am sure Greg wasn't aware just how much he had bitten off under the circumstances.
Curly meanwhile continued to simper over Lorraine despite the fact she was clearly disinterested in any romantic liasion. It was clear Spider was still in her sights even though she was badgered into going for a curry with Curly alone.
The results of that little event left Curly thinking she actually liked him all the more. Even when he forced a clumsy kiss on her at the end of the night she didn't do the decent thing and tell him straight where he stood.
Rita looking very frail came home tonight with Alec completely unwilling to relenquish his role as knight in shining armour even though his recent workload looking after the shop was leaving him exhausted.
Toyah proved to hold an interesting storyline tonight as she became increasingly with her lack of education. She seemed keen to gain a higher level of articulation to be able to hold her own with Spider, Curly and Lorraine. I really felt for her as she struggled to understand Ken's newspaper and even worse struggled to appeal to her ex-teacher for help in private tuition.
Going back to Greg and Sally the two of them were almost caught out by Kevin as he came to find his wife at the factory after work. She was asking him to ditch Maxine in between getting mouthfuls of her new lover. Still as dumb as ever Kevin suspected nothing... but how long can this go on for?
All in all: OK
4443 - Friday 24 July
It was election fever tonight as the candidates entered the
final furlong of the race for council possibles Spider and Audrey.
It was Fred Elliott whoever who thought he had found the key to
victory as the two parties got into a slanging match in the Street
as they canvassed for votes.
It turned out that Spider had been in prison for refusing to pay a fine a couple of years ago and this had led to him being imprisoned as a result. Under council regulations apparently he would be disqualified for having a criminal record. However Fred intended to keep this quiet from the madding crowd until the final hour.
A new development came from Alec's corner as well as he spoke very candidly to Rita about his feelings for her. All of a sudden he told her he wanted to take his "friendship" with Rita a step further and possibly have a relationship with her.
Rita of course gave him a very gentle rebuff and told him not to be such an old fool. Alec took it as well as he could and agreed to give the old girl some time. What was concerning for him though was in conversation Rita appeared to be getting a touch forgetful.
Could this be the start of some after effects of the gas fire incident I wonder ?
Greg and Sally seemed to be showing signs of a slight cooling period. Although it was clear they were both still up for some hot and steamy sex sessions with each other. Greg however was very cavalier about it all. He was clearly enjoying having his cake and eating it and having Sally literally hanging by an emotional thread all the time...the cad :)
Toyah finally got it through to Ken she was serious about having some education. Her sincerity was so sweet to watch as she told him how she wanted secret lessons to avoid the scorn of her friends and family. Her determination to better herself was admirable.
Meanwhile Fred and Audrey's final slog to the campaign trail seemed to have come to a halt. After all why should they try any more now there main competitor had tumbled out of the running with a disqualification.
They were more than content to pour cryptic scorn all over Spider and Co while they basked in the warm light of complacency. It was all going to get a little bit bent out of shape in no time at all though.
As the votes were counted Fred announced to Spider he would now be out of the running because of his jail term. However in a masterful double stroke it was then announced that would not be the case.
The reason being that he had only served 14 days and to be disqualified you had to have served more than three months. Fred was aghast, Audrey was shellshocked and Alf, well he being the seasoned campaigner looked on and merely shook his head as these novices caught the ball and fumbled it (the old lad still looked feeble though).
Anyway the votes came in and after a dramatic rundown the winner was none other than....... Audrey!
She snatched victory by the narrowest of margins leaving Spider as an also ran while she would be the new councillor working for the best interests of all and sundry in the Weatherfield district.
Spider was not totally beaten though, he vowed to watch her and observe her every move during her term and when she fell foul and no doubt she would....he would be waiting to hammer home any blemishes on her record.
The night was ended with Steve and Alec in slanging match form. Steve appeared to in a phone call which allegedly involved him cutting corners. Alec overheard this and went crazy calling him all the names under the sun and provoking a full scale row which he lost.
It was enough to make Alec phone the health and safety people and spill the beans about who fitted the dodgy gas fire in Rita's flat......
All in all : Very Enjoyable (but then I am in a great mood today anyway) :)
4444 - Sunday 26 July
An interesting little episode tonight with the obvious fallout
from the election campaign affecting Spider in as negative a sense
as possible. The poor lad was heartbroken and left feeling he
had let all his supporters down in a terrible way.
He was however bolstered by the likes of Curly and more improtantly Lorraine. It was there we had another revelation as Lorraine explained how she had no feelings at all for Curly but instead she confessed to an attraction for Spider leaving him gobsmacked.
Elsewhere a Health & Safety officer came to visit a somewhat befuddled Rita. He was responding to Alec's anonymous phone call the night before which had left Steve and Jim in the mire.
Needless to say Rita had nothing to say to the man and her temper with regards to Alec was now being sorely tempted. It would seem their friendship was now being strained to the limits as she viewed her wishes being disobyed.
Toyah began her learning process with Ken. He saw fit to start from scratch and try to rebuild her somewhat shaky self esteem. With any luck she would soon be on the road to self improvement and a more confident outlook on life.
Hayley approached Mike for a job at the factory. She was apparently a very gifted seamstress and she thought she would be capable of doing Mike a power of good on the machines. Mike however rudely dismissed her leaving Roy to come forward and try his luck in finding her gainful employ.
Roy tested Mike's mettle by offering a bet to him. If Hayley out performed all the girls she would get a job. If however she didn't Roy would lose the bet and have to give Mike £100. Mike couldn't face losing and took the bet on.....
The rest of the Rovers was taken up with Audrey celebrating her victory. There were other issues to contend with though as she celebrated her rise to power. How would she juggle her hours in the salon now she would have to be dealing with council business.?
Also just how pliable would she be in the hands of Alec and Fred who sought to user her towards thier own ends in the local business world. Alf warned Fred not to have any ulterior motive as it would surely backfire in his face.
Kevin and Sally were at each other's throats tonight as she refused his wishes to go and work with him in the garage. She made excuses about how how she enjoyed her work over the road and insisted she wouldn't enjoy the garage as much.
In an effort to make things worse a couple of mystery phone calls came from Greg only to be rebuffed by Kevin in the heat of his bad temper. He still suspected nothing even though Sally as ever looked as guilty as sin....
All in all : Good
4445 - Monday 27 July
Tonight saw Sally getting more than a touch amorous as her
pursuit of Greg became more and more intense. It had now got to
the point where she was showing little or no interest in her husband
Kevin and what she viewed as his annoying obsession with the garage.
Instead she was fawning over the man of her dreams and astonishingly she was become more and more blatant about it as well. If she carries on at this rate it won't be long before someone probably Janice will find out about her little fling.
Let's just have a little run down of what our friend sleazy Sally managed to get up tonight. Firstly she lied to Kevin about her intentions for not wanting to work with him at the garage.
Then she lied to him when she said she would be spending the evening at Rita's consoling her about her recent row with Alec. Of course this wasn't strictly a lie because she did see Rita but only as an escape route to spend an evening of seriously dangerous passion over at the local hotel.
That in itself was incredible to watch as a seemingly love starved Sally launched herself at Greg over a drinks table in the foyer before they went upstairs to a room.
Meanwhile Toyah continued to build in self confidence and actually seemed to be taking her lessons to heart now she was learning from Ken Barlow. She still intended to keep her secret from all friends and family.
Hayley proved Mike wrong when it came to being a demon on the sewing machines. She proved herself to be a very very fast worker and the prospect of having someone on the books with her abilities put a smile on even Mike's face.
Alec was almost grief stricken thanks to Rita's dismissal of his friendship. However fair do's because Rita did ask him to keep his nose out of her affairs and not try reporting Steve McDonald to the health and safety people.
The night more or less ended with Sally coming home from her romantic clinch with Greg just before Kevin was about to ring her "at Rita's" where she was supposed to be. That alone was an emphasis on the danger she was facing in this little liaison.
4446 - Wednesday 29 July
An above average night for the soap tonight as we saw Hayley
taking to her new job at the factory. It was always going to be
something of an oddball relationship between the new girl and
her somewhat more lively colleagues at Underworld.
She did however make her niche when the girls discovered they could make use of her by shifting their workload across to her when they saw how fast she was on a sewing machine.
WIth this in mind she soon became to centre of attention and began to fit into the workplace without to many problems. She was even invited to the Rovers for the traditional lunch time drink proving no matter what she was one of the girls.
Elsewhere Spider wrestled with his conscience as he tried to fight back the inevitable attraction between him and Lorraine. He was constantly trying to weigh up his feelings against his loyalty to his downtrodden friend Curly.
Alec was neither use nor ornament in the Rovers tonight as he continued to walk round like a man in mourning following his fallout with long time friend Rita Sulliavn.
He had come to the stage in his life now where he no longer wanted to be ducking and diving and making enemies like he had spent so many of his years before. It was all a question of plucking up the courage to say he was sorry.
While he was doing that Sally was going crazy with lust from being separated from her new crush Greg. She was seeking any opportunity to be near him including taking a couple of minutes to sneak out of the house to go to his flat during the evening.
She also made the mistake of telling him about her inheritance and how she would have £25,000 left to play with after investing in the garage. You could fair see the wheels of his mind beginning to turn deviously as the news sank home. Then when he found out she couldn't stay for long he rang his standby girlfriend Maxine so he could seek gratification elsewhere.
The night ended poorly for Alec who finally went to see Rita in an effort to win her friendship back. He apologised profusely for his behaviour in the recent past and declared his true feelings for her claiming he was in love with her and if she would consent then would she marry him.
Rita flatly turned him down on the grounds that she couldn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Alec was heartbroken and left her flat near to tears when he realised he had possibly lost her friendship forever.
It got worse than ever for Curly as he went into the Rovers to find Spider fighting a lost cause with his conscience as he and Lorraine were engaged in something of a passionate clinch which in all fairness she instigated....
All in all : Good
