Stoke on Trent
Monday, Moira and Colin left Weatherfield for Stoke on Trent. They have been the only bright spot for me the past few weeks. And they maintained their style right to the end.
The telling of the tale in the Rovers, in blank verse. Undone by Cupid, Moira tells Liz and Steve, Norris and Mary. Stealing a vial of blood for a man. A man who knows how to kiss, oh, how he knows how to kiss.
But now what future for her? Pastures new, perhaps, suggests Liz. Not what Moira wants to contemplate. But then the resolution. Enter Colin. He woos his lady and, on bended knee, he suggests love ever after in Stoke on Trent.
The Lady’s Fate
This was brilliant. Moira slipped easily into rhythmic Shakespearean style as she bemoaned her fate and her foolishness. The surprise came when Liz responded in kind. And then the others – Steve, Norris and Mary. None of them, except Mary, characters you’d associate with such a literary device. That’s maybe why it was so funny. Brian Packham, yes, joined by Ken and Roy. Maybe Norris too. He’d pooh-pooh it, of course, but he’d be able to fall into the cadence.
Later Moira and Colin returned, bags packed and taxi waiting, and in natural speech said fare thee well. Waving them off out the door amid promises to visit Stoke on Trent as soon as – try stopping us – Liz and Steve heaved huge sighs of relief.
The loose ends of their stories had been tied up. Dr. Gaddas fired Moira for stealing Norris’ blood sample, despite Colin explaining why he had asked her to do it. Norris explained to Colin why his two weeks in Darlington in 1961 had been memorable. Not a fling, rather hospitalization due to a car crash. Colin sold the Kabin back to Norris. So, unencumbered, they were ready to exit the stage of Weatherfield.
I preferred watching Moira and Colin to any of the other storylines at present. Not because they had become integral characters; rather, they remained unintegrated add-ons. However, even though you had to suspend disbelief a lot, they were more believable and pleasant than most everything else going on. A surprising thought in light of the stories they were given. Sketches, really, with sometimes a bit of framework thrown on to sort of explain the action. So, Stoke on Trent and Liz, your gain is my loss.
