Corrie Scene of the Week Excerpts
Scene of the Week dates follow the Canadian timeline, 2 weeks behind the UK. For episodes before 2018, go to page numbers above ‘comments’ at the bottom.
Coronation on Corrie (May 29 to June 2, 2023)
“You’re talking about a show that’s named after a coronation, and this is the first coronation ever in its history. What you’re describing sounds as exciting as a bucket of warm spit.” That is what my husband said after I told him about CBC’s Coronation Street episodes on Friday that marked the May 6th Coronation of King Charles III. I was underwhelmed…
Hens’ Revenge (Dec. 21 to 25, 2020)
The stars of the 60th anniversary episodes for me were Yasmeen’s hens. Especially the overhead shot of them pecking around Geoff laying splat out on the ground. They were alive and he was not: proper hens’ revenge for everything he had done… (A one-off for the 60th)
Three Reasons (June 11 to 15, 2018)
Three reasons on Monday to leave Coronation Street. Three scenes that too quickly reminded me too much of other types of television show… (So this is my final Scene until further notice.)
Stag (June 4 to 8, 2018)
Robert’s stag do in Wednesday’s episode. Less than a handful of guys who don’t know Robert all that well gathered in the Rovers in mid-afternoon. On its own, a bit lame, even seeming a bit shoehorned in. But in costume?…
Royal Weddings (May 28 to June 1, 2018)
The chat in the Kabin on Wednesday about royal weddings and coronations. Liz and Rita remembering, Gemma trying desperately to remember her history lessons in school. Very funny…
After a suicide (May 21 to 25, 2018)
Tuesday’s episode – that’s my pick of the week. People on the street are trying to wrap their heads around Aiden’s suicide. So there’s the story of the suicide and the intersection of it with other stories. My only criticism is that its story arc is more like a spike…
Mother and Baby (May 14 to 18, 2018)
Glossy 8×10 photos of mother and baby, what Eva believes will be her only reminder of that single day she was a mother. From now on, she says, she’s Auntie Eva to baby Susie…
Life Sucks (May 7 to 11, 2018)
“It’s not the hot chocolate. It’s just the rest of my life that sucks.” Summer expresses what recent events have shown her. Life sucks. I felt sorry for her but also relieved to hear her say it…
Relations (Apr. 30 to May 4, 2018)
A lot of good stuff this week. Phelan, of course. And especially the reintroduction of Seb’s mother. David unravelling. But my favourite scene was Roy offering to diagram Connor kinship for Jenny. To show the relationship of those having relations, so to speak…
Reading (Apr. 23 to 27, 2018)
Sitting in comfortable chairs, reading. A pleasant, relaxing break at the end of a busy day. That was the case for Carla and Roy, and me, on Tuesday. Busy day? More like busy week on the Street. So how nice to just chill for a bit…
David lectures Sarah (Apr. 16 to 20, 2018)
David stopped me in my tracks Thursday. He lectures Sarah about Gary and about trusting people. About what people will do to you, given half a chance…
Watery Grave (Apr. 9 to 13, 2018)
Pat Phelan went to a watery grave Thursday. He fell off the pier, then clung desperately to a rope pleading with Eileen to pull him up. She didn’t. He almost made it on his own, then she stomped on his knuckles…
Martin Platt (Apr. 2 to 6, 2018)
Martin emigrating to New Zealand. David bemoaning his father’s past actions. Listing off Gail’s husbands, including Martin, by almost everyone. Lots of talk of Martin in the past couple of weeks…
Rehab (Mar. 26 to 30, 2018)
They tried to make me go to rehab, But I said no, no, no … (Amy Winehouse, 2006)
Give Phelan a few minutes with anyone, and rehab starts to look good. Billy started with no, no, no, but after a talking to by Phelan, it was yes, yes, yes…
Fool for Love (Mar. 19 to 23, 2018)
Phelan in two scenes. Monday, his ‘so whaddya gonna do about it?’ admission of fraud to Tim. On Tuesday, his ‘I’m a fool for love, I did it all for you’ confession to Eileen…
Heroin (Mar. 12 to 16, 2018)
Oh my God! Billy and Lee bliss out in the church. Lying in the aisle, propped up by the ends of pews. All in the name of pain relief, at least for Billy. For Lee, it’s just Monday…
Danny Zuko (Mar. 5 to 9, 2018)
Friday, for the first time I ever remember, someone walked out of Audrey’s salon looking different than when they went in. I was so amazed that I didn’t get the Danny Zuko joke at first…
Helpful Hints (Feb. 26 to Mar. 2, 2018)
Monday and Tuesday episodes were like Hints from Heloise – what to do and what not to do. No. 1: Empty pockets before doing a wash…
Living Donor (Feb. 19 to 23, 2018)
Thursday, a transplant unit assessor talks to Aiden about being a living donor. “We do like to shower people with pamphlets,” he chuckles when Aiden says he’d read all the pamphlets. A PSA done well…
Soup for Henry (Feb. 12 to 16, 2018)
Friday, Henry and his little game got unmasked. Not a big surprise, but done in a way that I found worth a replay. Soup dumped on his head. Not just one bowl but three…
Secrets and Lies (Feb. 5 to 9, 2018)
Thursday’s episode starts with two stories packed full of secrets and lies. The one that works is Nicola conspiring with Gary and Seb to bring Phelan down. The one that doesn’t is Toyah and Eva deciding to pass Eva’s unwanted baby off as Toyah’s much wanted one…
Metaphor in a T-shirt (Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, 2018)
Monday’s second episode, a bar fight. Must be on the production to-do roster, I thought. So now they can check that item off. Then it became a bit unusual, relatively highbrow. “Oh look, the bimbo used a metaphor,” Toyah sneers at Carla…
Register Registry (Jan. 22 to 26, 2018)
Monday it’s Chesney and Sinead’s wedding at the Register or Registry Office. On the actual wedding day, I mainly thought please, let it end because my eyes hurt looking at the dresses…
Dawn Light (Jan. 15 to 19, 2018)
You never see dawn light on Coronation Street. But in the first scene of Wednesday’s episode, there was the gray of dawn. Not from fog or drizzle. Just that brief morning twilight before the sun fully rises…
Team Acts (Jan. 8 to 12, 2018)
Carla and Roy. Roy and Brian. Carla, Roy and Brian. Maybe add Cathy to any or all of these team acts. Friday, all four were in Roy’s kitchen. It was the moving of Brian out and Carla in…
Let it bleed (Jan. 2 to 5, 2018)
Peter presses down on Billy’s leg wound to stop the bleeding. Then he takes away his hands. He lets it bleed. Billy has been telling him a story, a confession…
Carrie Anne
19 Apr 2011Holy mama it was a week all right. Proper movie. I have to catch up on my scene-of-the-week reading. I got all absorbed in a project. I don’t think I have a secret handshake. (That would be cool though.) Usually I can comment on blogs because I am signed into my Google account and it uses that as my ID. There are other accounts you can use. Let me try and look into that for you. Aw, thanks guys.
Carrie Anne
1 Apr 2011Hi Dorothy! Have to agree on what a lovely couple Haley and Roy make. I love that quirky pair. And can’t wait to see what you write this week. I’ve only seen Monday, so far. Oooh…
And I wanted to say what a lovely surprise it was when I saw your wee little head and cat on my b. You inspired me to pull myself up and out of the winter blues and find my funny bone again. Thank you.
Dorothy
1 Apr 2011Hi, it’s quite a week on the street and that’s all I’m saying until Sunday. I was trying to comment on your blog and it wouldn’t let me even after I ‘joined’. Just kept telling me I couldn’t be verified, so could you let me know what the secret handshake is? Jim wanted to comment too, he really liked your snow day photo. Make sure you don’t miss Sunday’s omnibus!
Carrie Anne
19 Jan 2011You read that one, Dorothy. Oh my! I was feeling particularly silly that day. Sometimes, you just have to laugh. I’ll be looking in the paper for a rush on banana boxes. You could be right, the fork certainly does add a whole other level of intrigue. Now you’ve got me laughing all over again. Where’s that tissue?
Dorothy
9 Mar 2011Carrie – I was trying to comment on your blog and couldn’t – at least I don’t think it, or they (since I did it more than once), went through. It didn’t like my address. So I hope you get this message. Thanks for the lovely words, and congratulations on your “lovely blog” award. It is indeed that. Hope you’re doing well. I’ll go back to your blog now and continue reading.
Carrie Anne
17 Jan 2011Still reading, Dorothy. Fantastic insights. I love to come and see what you’ve written after a week of watching. Happy 2011.
Dorothy
17 Jan 2011Thanks, Carrie, glad you’re enjoying them, and happy new year to you too. I recently read your “banana box” post (complete with photos). I laughed myself sick. Haven’t had a chance to look at the $store for one. But your description made me, and I’m sure lots of other people, want to buy their own. Dollarama will wonder why there’s a run on banana boxes! My theory on the little fork is it’s just a clever marketing ploy – to make us think “hmm, wonder why they put this little matching fork in here? I’d better buy two!” And the image of pogo-banana – a banana impaled on a chopstick – is still in my mind… (to anyone else reading this, go to Carrie’s blog – it’s great)
Carrie Anne
24 Nov 2010Oh, neat… on the Canadian doc. That will be fun.
That is true, there’s always more time for things to come out. I just don’t recall ever having to wait this long! We shall see.
England was actually beginning to turn more American (when I visited four years back), pubs shutting down and flashier wine bars opening in their place. *sob* At the very least, pubs were getting a revamp and acting more as restaurants. I guess the whole credit/loan thing eventually spread over the pond, but it wasn’t long before the recession hit. Might be a factor, as well, though they didn’t show “why” and “how” things were changing very effectively.
Polarizing morality, and bringing in religion with the kids seems to have brought it back. Smart. (Not that I’m religious, but it was an interesting backlash). Also, I love how the kids are becoming smarter than the parents through technology.
*Carrie zips her lips*
Carrie Anne
24 Nov 2010Hi Dorothy! This is great, an in-depth study of Corro’s. Love it! I’ve been watching since I was thirteen… so, 22 years. Crikey. I missed a couple of years when I moved back to Canada as it made me feel home sick, and then I actually stopped watching for a couple of years – was not happy where it was going (all the oldies were being written out…it started to feel more American, to me). I tuned in again about a year ago and my love has been rekindled. The generational themes and cycles, having watched for so long, are fantastic to observe. On the Molly and Kevin affair (the jerk), when you say affairs always come out in the end as part of the drama… yeah, that’s a definite formula. Except for the one time (did I miss something?) when Sally had that affair with her smarmy boss, and Rosie ended up keeping it a secret for her, not wanting her family to break up again. I kept waiting for Kevin to find out, but that one blew over for some reason. Was that Sally’s final “lesson” to appreciate what she has, and stop being a slapper?
One thing that started getting to me before: the old ‘break-up/one-night-stand “affair”/make-up/find out/break-up again’ formula. Affairs left, right and center. I realize we need drama’n’all, but it can get a bit much. I used to love the old days when they stopped to chat about the price of bacon, or something equally random.
Okay, I could go on forever. Signing off, for now. Thanks for this, Dorothy! 🙂 Carrie.
Dorothy
24 Nov 2010Hi Carrie, thanks for writing. You’re right, Kevin never found out about Sally’s affair with her icky boss. It may still come out though – that’s the beauty of continuing stories. There were a few years when it got very “Americanized” when Percy and other old timers left. That producer, whose name I am not sure of – Brian Park I think – wanted to make his mark on the show, I remember reading. He should have known, as the successful producers have, that you have to work with what you’ve got, that the show has its own momentum and you can’t, and shouldn’t, change it too much. Harry Elton, the original producer, said that many years ago after he had watched the progress of the show for several decades after he left. In early Dec. there’s going to be a Canadian doc on CS, the show and fans, on CBC for the 50th anniversary. I’ll post something when I check on the date and time.
Diane/tvor
10 Nov 2010I really like these! I’m going to link to your blog from mine. I thought scenes between Kevin and Bill were really good, not just these ones but others that they’ve discussed when Kevin’s mother was ill and Bill remembering it with Sally as well. Did you know that the actress was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time? The scenes aren’t shot in sequence so some of them may have been filmed after the cast found out, probably the ones we are seeing now for sure but some of the earlier ones as well. I think there were a few scenes where Michael LeVell wasn’t really acting all that much, as he and Sally the actress are good friends. It probably hit them all quite hard. She’s back at work now and all clear!
Dorothy
10 Nov 2010Thanks a lot! I watched the UK tv broadcast with Sally posted on Corrie Canuck. She said she found out right after she’d taped the big scene with her telling Kev. It never struck me that some of the scenes would indeed have been taped with her, and the other actors, knowing she actually had cancer too. How hard would that be, for all of them! Yes, every scene with all the Websters has been remarkable – all of them responding so much in character and with such heartfelt acting/emotion. Even Rosie, and her boob job foolishness, has made me laugh and cry at the same time. Thanks for linking to me, and so nice to hear from you.