Pregnancy Test
Eva goes into her bathroom on Wednesday to take a pregnancy test. We go in with her. It was one of the most intimate moments I can ever remember on Coronation Street.
As Eva sat on the edge of the bathtub waiting for the results, we could have a look around. Lots of shampoos, conditioners and body wash bottles in the shower caddy and tub edge. What you’d expect for Eva and Aiden. Crowded, but all neatly arranged. Also what you’d expect for Eva and Aiden.
Dev renovated the apartment fairly recently. The bathroom looks right for its history: a flat above a shop redone to rent out. Nicely done but not fancy. I recognize the sink, and know where to buy it in Canada. It’s not expensive, but looks good and doesn’t take up a lot of room.
Props to Props
The set design and prop people turned around what I feared would be a horribly cheesy soap “twist.” An unexpected pregnancy at the exact moment that somebody is going to dump somebody. I had figured that either Eva or Maria (or both) would get pregnant. Then I read “as we all know…” that Eva was. Knowing beforehand, I dreaded the big revelation even more.
But being inside the bathroom with Eva changed my feeling about the story. I liked nosying around the room as she sat waiting. I like the little touch of Eva-glam she added to an ordinary room. The black and white photo in its sparkly frame.
Then a twist that hadn’t been shared happened. That made it more interesting. She isn’t pregnant, at least according to the test, but is pretending to be. Just to make Aiden squirm.
Eva’s decision to play Aiden turns a predictable plot into one of revenge. If it’s how it continues to play out, it will be fun to watch. Both Aiden and Maria deserve everything that Eva can throw at them.
Props and sets provide a context for the characters and action. Tony Warren told a story about Coronation Street at its beginning. Two stagehands arguing while dressing the corner shop set. You don’t put soap next to bacon in Salford shop windows, one said emphatically.
Such attention to detail, thankfully, is still alive and well. We learned about characters with this bathroom scene, getting a glimpse from a different perspective into personalities and housing.
A little peek into the props department is in this Daily Mail article.
