And as that realisation sank in, we watched Gail on screen absorbing the enormity of how utterly and ridiculously, pathetically stupid she's been over losing her loot to Lewis. She's losing the home where the drama of her life has played out over the years.And I thought to myself - what we need now is a Flashback!
Yes, a Flashback! That exclamation mark is not optional, by the way. The camera could pan to Gail sitting on the sofa with her head in her hands, sobbing her little heart out, while viewers are fed a Flashback! of scenes from her life played out on screen.
There could be sights and sounds from the past. David with his hand ready to push his mother down the stairs, Nick returning, Sarah Lou leaving. There could be the deep boom of male voices - Richard Hillman offering his 'portillo' to Jack and Vera at Gail's tea table, Phil the foot fella offering to rub Gail's corns, Martin Platt leaving. There could be the wail of the cop cars as they swoop to her front door, blue lights flashing through her cheap and nasty nets to bring all manner of bad news to her door - David's in the canal, Joe McIntyre's drowned, her dad Ted Page has gone AWOL.Has Corrie ever used a Flashback! before? If not, why not? And surely it's time to start now.
You can follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlog
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License