The Appletons

The Appletons – Jude, Angie and baby – have moved to Weatherfield from South Africa. On Friday, Mary was making them breakfast, delightedly cooing at baby and delightedly talking with Jude about house hunting, job hunting and whatever else.

Angie looked like she was going to strangle everyone, starting with Mary. Just to stop the incessant chirpiness. I would help her.

I haven’t warmed to Angie, either on their previous visit or this one. She has looked ticked off with everyone and everything since they got out of the cab from the airport on Thursday. My first thought was please knock that chip off your shoulder, lady!

More than enough of Mary

But the few minutes I saw of breakfast with Mary was way more than enough for me. So when I thought about Angie faced with living with that, day in and day out, her surliness made perfect sense.

I am not looking forward to this story. There is going to be tension and fights among them all and Mary trying to mediate. I love Mary, but I don’t look forward to more scenes like this one. And with the Appletons set up as they are now, I don’t see how such scenes can be avoided.

Angie doesn’t want to be in England at all, and she especially doesn’t want to play happy families with Jude’s newly found mother and Norris. Jude will have his own issues of adjustment, I’m sure. Mary will drive everyone around the bend, cooing over the baby and hovering over them all. And Norris? He generally never makes any sticky situation better.

I hope this week isn’t a harbinger of what adding a sixth episode is really going to be like. More and more people with more and more convoluted schemes and angst. Six episodes a week already feels like work. Keeping track of complicated nastiness makes it not even pleasant work.

• Scene of the Week 25 Dec. 2016 gives you Jude’s backstory.