History Today
Friday Sinead makes peace with Roy and, in doing so, spurs him to make peace with his and Hayley’s history. Sinead’s brush with mortality makes her empathize with Hayley’s illness, one from which there could be no return to good health. Putting herself in Hayley’s shoes, and Roy in Chesney’s place as sickbed companion, she sees the emotional pressure that Roy has felt. No wonder he snapped and attacked an intruder, she realizes.
Roy comes to the hospital, bringing magazines. He brushes off her praise of his selection. Chesney chose, he says. Train magazines and History Today comprise his tastes. Shouldn’t it be History Yesterday, Ches says. Roy ignores the pun and explains it is about understanding past events with contemporary analyses. Perspectives change, he says.
Sinead agrees, and gives her new perspective on Roy’s behaviour. It still comes from sentiment, and Roy’s self-assessment is based in logic. But, despite talking past each others’ meaning, they both take away important insights. Sinead realizes that Roy is the gentle man she knew him to be but that everyone has stress limits beyond which they cannot be pushed. Roy sees that he must accept his emotional responses and let them inform him instead of locking him in history. it is time, he decides, to move to the present without losing his memories of Hayley. He should, as she wished, use her as a guide but not a limiter.
Loading up our Woody
All this coincides with the Woody needing an inspection certificate and a good clean up and drive. Carla and Tyrone take over the practicalities and give a needed nudge. Hayley wanted you to learn to drive, Carla reminds him. He argues that he has no need or wish to drive, so find the car a new home.* But the marble of driving starts rolling around in his head.
The Woody takes Roy, Tyrone and Chesney to a park to find a spot for Hayley’s ashes. He has given a lot of thought to Hayley’s wish that her ashes be taken to Blackpool. But he decides that a place filled with only good memories of their love is better for him, the one still living.
It is nice that it is Sinead who causes this shift in Roy. She is a soul as guileless as both Hayley and Roy. He returns the favour by showing her that judgement cannot come from emotion alone. Carla and Tyrone will do well the heavy lifting of implementing change in Roy’s practical life. I thank God that Fiz is still away so she cannot ‘help’!
*According to Coronation Street Blog in 2014, the Woody was indeed soon looking for a new home in real life.
