Couples – Possible, Present and Petering out - Part 2 - Present
Having discussed last week the possibility of some characters getting together, it is now turn to have a look at the existing couples and put their suitability/unsuitability/potential longevity under the Weatherfield microscope.
First under examination are Carla and Nick. At first, I wasn’t convinced, but as the weeks go by I have become more open to the possibility of these two working. Nick is no Peter Barlow; he doesn’t have the bad boy credentials and the rugged handsomeness of Peter, but then again, he doesn’t have the roving eye, the womanizing ways or the strong attachment to the good life that Ken’s son has. Nick did though have a brain injury, which Queen Carla seems to have magicked away. As she gets older, maybe she now feels that she needs more stability, less unreliability, a man she can depend on and even if he doesn’t send her pulse racing, at least he’s there with a kind word. Carla does seem to appreciate Nick’s good points and as for Nick, maybe he is struggling to believe how lucky he is.
But – the spoilers tell us that Carla will have a fling this Christmas and as we know, Alison King is going on a break from the cobbles so maybe she and Nick will end. On the plus side, at least Carla won’t have to put up with Gail as a mother in law.
A couple I am really hoping will last is Billy and Sean. It is pleasing to see Sean in a relationship with someone who genuinely cares about him. We know about Sean’s past love life, including the child he had with Violet. As yet, we know very little of Billy’s, and it would be great to discover more. In fact, some character development for Billy is necessary. We know he is devoted to God and his parishioners, but little else.
Maybe this section should be in the 'petering out section, but Mary seems to be in the throes of passion, so despite Mary and Brendan’s relationship being doomed, I cannot write them off yet. Brendan is married and though he does seem to like her, the writing is on the wall. Though their relationship and their characters are predominantly for comedy purposes, there is sufficient poignancy in Mary’s life for us to expect her to be heartbroken. Mary may not wish to agree with Tennyson’s lines: Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Sally and Tim MUST stay together to entertain us for as long as Coronation Street is on air. Putting those two together makes them more than the sum of their parts. Wildly different though they are, they work. For the viewer, it is bliss.
Nessa is played by Sadie Shimmin and I think she is a great actress. Nessa’s zest for life, her determination, her seduction of Ken, should appear admirable, but because she is in the way of Audrey, and working in Audrey’s salon, we are likely to be more irritated by her than impressed. Audrey did give her a Marge Simpson, though. Nevertheless Ken does enjoy her company and is clearly flattered. But, surely she will have to make way for Audrey at some point.
Robert seems a decent enough guy: He is a good chef, gets on well with his work colleagues, is helpful and kind to Simon and Leanne, is easy on the eye and yet he chooses to be with Tracy Barlow. He even took the time to convert in part Barlow’s Buys into a florist’s. Her ingratitude was predictable enough. But why, as he claims, was he in love with Tracy through his previous marriage? And why is he still in love with her? Or is he? He lives with her and you would have to be desperate for accommodation if you were only staying with her to save the rent.
It may well be Rob, manipulating people and events from his cell, who finally succeeds in opening Robert’s eyes, by exposing Tracy’s deceit. So, presumably that will leave Tracy high and dry, as Robert and Leanne get together and Rob can have some sense of revenge.
Maria and Luke, I believe, are still a couple, but a couple who seem rather directionless. Samia Ghadie is not on the cobbles because she has recently had a baby, but despite her absence, the romance feels as if it will fizzle out before it really got started. It’s odd how some pairings work and others don’t. On the surface, it should work.
Eileen and Michael – really. But why? Was it just an attempt to annoy Gail? What’s more, they seem to be continually sniping at each other. Where is the joy in Eileen’s already overcrowded house? If Eileen keeps up her unlucky in love record, we might see Michael return to Gail, though that might not be much fun to watch either, as Gail goes into loving wife mode overdrive. Not sure I can take it.
Now, Roy and Cathy are fond favourites of many viewers but not this viewer. I tolerate them more than I used to, but I still find them difficult viewing. They are awkward with each other, but awkwardness was Roy and Hayley’s trademark, so it’s not that that troubles me. They just don’t convince in my view and it’s also too soon. Cathy and Roy would have been better as just friends for a while longer and preferably, they would have stayed that way.
Though they are having a blip at the moment and David behaved like an idiot in asking out Eva, David and Kylie will endure, though there may be further splits and blips. They both love Max and Lily and David treats Max as his own and loves him despite Max’s being Callum’s biological son. Unless the actors’ contracts aren’t renewed it would be wrong to split those two.
Kirk and Beth seem devoted, Chesney and Sinead, Fiz and Tyrone too. As for Steph and Andy, they too seem pretty tight having survived the Jamie intervention, the Gandy deceit and working together each day, which could be a togetherness too far.
Forgive me for not mentioning Steve and Michelle, but the situation is a little sensitive.
You can read Part 1 - Possibles - here
You can read Part 1 - Possibles - here
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