Watery Grave
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. And that was that. He plunged into the icy cold water. He couldn’t survive. Could he?
Beautiful scenes, at night on the pier, looking out over the expanse of sea. Also tension. Was Pat planning to kill Eileen? Would she realize the danger she was in? Would the people in Weatherfield figure out where she and Pat were? Would either she or Pat get enough bars on their phones to make or receive a call? Yes to all, although it does seem Pat really didn’t want to kill Eileen. But needs must.
I am glad Eileen is safe. I’m glad that Pat has paid for his sins. But. I like Pat and will miss him. Not the truly evil, moustache-twirling schemer, but the funny and conflicted family- and businessman. The man who cares for others but, when push comes to shove, will do whatever he believes he needs to do.
No body means options
We haven’t seen his body. Therefore he may have survived. In soaps law, if you don’t actually see someone die, they can still be alive no matter how unlikely the recovery. It’s mainly an American soap thing, but we recently saw it on Coronation Street with Billy surviving that horrendous fall off a cliff.
So, in my future storyline, Pat survives his would-be watery grave and makes landfall somewhere. He is so thankful for his life being spared that he dedicates himself to the Lord. Truly repentant, he seeks to right the wrongs he has done. He becomes an evangelist, gathering a large flock of sinners and downtrodden around him.
His personality is the sort that would be equally successful as secular conman or big-time preacher. So we wouldn’t have to suspend disbelief too much for that part.
The problem is how could he be visibly present in England and avoid prosecution? He did kill three men and watched another die. There is no statute of limitation on murder.
Maybe he could rescue someone so heroically that his sentence would be shortened or commuted. That might take some serious suspension of disbelief to successfully pull off. But I’d be willing to do it.
This location reminded me of Joe McIntyre and his accidental suicide. He is another Corrie character who met his end in beautiful Lake District waters.
