With his marriage to Aggie over, Ed Bailey is down in the dumps. He’s been seeking solace in the music of reggae great Gregory Isaacs, but staying up late has left him feeling tired and irritable. Unlike Ed, Leanne Battersby refuses to be buffeted by life’s tribulations. She’s now a devotee of The Altovalent Insitute. As Leanne watches a motivational video that instructs her to visualise her ideal self, Toyah Habeeb says the message sounds like a tagline from a Jean Paul Gaultier perfume ad. Considering that many perfume adverts are beyond-parody pretentious and carry a heavy stench of bullshit, it isn’t the most flattering of comparisons.
Sam Blakeman thinks the best way to take Roy Cropper’s mind off his troubles is by challenging him to a game of chess. Unfortunately, Sam has lied to his dad Nick Tilsley, who didn’t want him to visit the cafe while Roy’s getting abuse from tragic freaks. Sam is taken home by Shona Platt (who she calls Samwise, after the hobbit from The Lord Of The Rings), while Nick unfairly takes Roy to task. JRR Tolkein’s epic trilogy featured troll-like humans who served the evil Sauron, not unlike the keyboard warriors currently harassing Roy.
Slack-jawed Mason Radcliffe is found guilty of possessing a knife, and he faces a custodial sentence. Liam and Maria Connor unwind after a gruelling day in court by watching a superhero film. When the film ends, Maria jokes that the heroes always seem to win. Liam thinks it’s how they win that really matters. As for Mason, he has definitely lost – and living proof that Nick Berry was wrong in 1986 when he sang Every Loser Wins.
Coronation Street episode 11234/11235. Originally aired 8th April 2024.
