Of course, the nearest victim of Grace's bullying is Faye. Faye is undoubtedly insecure despite Anna's attempts to show Faye how loved she is. Tim too, in his own way, loves Faye, but could be better at showing it. Grace telling Faye that Owen is nothing to her, will obviously encourage Faye to be more unpleasant to Owen, which might just be Grace's undoing. Make it soon, please, so that Grace stops all this, as much for her own sake as other people's.
Todd has no scruples. What has happened to the sweet boy who went to that London? His attitude to those who are helping him out, his mother, Sean and the place he's in, is obnoxious, talking about the pace of life being so slow and suggesting there is nothing interesting happening. Todd has the 'I just want to pay my mum back' mantra going on, but who really will fall for that? He easily accepts money and drinks from Sean. Obviously, his claims to want to be able to pay for the sausage sandwiches, 'One of these mornings the sausage butties will be on me.' are not very believable, as he just wants to keep his mum on side and clearly that is a good idea as Eileen has obviously asked Steve to give Todd a job, and Steve has done just that.
How do people feel towards David? Can't say he endeared himself to the viewers tonight when he left Tina a plastic bag for breakfast as he finished the cereal. Pushing your luck David! Tina tells him he's a mess, 'Look at the state of you.' Tina tells David that Kylie will never take him back like that and sure enough shortly afterwards Kylie herself sees David and tells him to 'Have some pride and move on.' David himself says, 'I hate me.'
So Coronation Street's ratings are up. No surprise whatsoever. No surprise either if the ratings go through the roof and bring in more viewers than any soap ever. Unbelievably brilliant acting from David Neilsen and Julie Hesmondalgh, Roy and Hayley. When we first see them tonight Roy has been looking at the effects of palliative care and also at first and third person accounts of what that's like, trying very hard to see both perspectives. The journey to Jane's funeral was painful and to see the grief of Geoff and Jane's boys was a brutal reminder of deep grief. That Jane had made a tape and had said that her love would be with them every day, surely brought a lump to many throats.
A brilliant twist was the writers having us believe that Roy had genuinely switched to supporting Hayley's wish to take control as the end drew nearer. That it was Anna to whom he revealed that it wasn't the case, was a good choice too. People have been very critical of Anna of late, but she does have compassion and was wise when speaking to Roy. It is going to be very hard for Roy now as he cannot disappoint Hayley and tell her that he lied to make her happy. Who knows - when the end cones, as it surely must, he may, along the way genuinely change his mind.
The whole situation is heartbreaking for Roy and Hayley, both in the detail and in the huge impact of Hayley's impending death. So intimate are the scenes and so convincing, that it is as if we are in the room with them. Particularly affecting are Hayley's final words and their raw simplicity. 'I don't want to die, I don't want to leave you, I don't want to leave life.' We had better steel ourselves and we had better do it now.
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