With murder week currently unfolding, the stakes have never been higher in Coronation Street.
As a number of stories reach Earth-shaking crescendos, it’s clear that life in Weatherfield will never be the same again.
Certified hall of shamer’s, paedophile Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon), psycho Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown), slime ball Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard), domestic abuser Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) and murderer Maggie Driscoll (Pauline McLynn) will all face a comeuppance for their various evil deeds, and for one, it will prove to be fatal.
For the Platt’s, though, who’s family have been infiltrated by Shona’s (Julia Goulding) sister, Jodie, the consequences will be enormous.
Of the five baddies that have been named as potential victims, Jodie is by far the most mysterious. Almost everything she says is later proven to be a well rehearsed, deeply researched lie, and her true motive, besides the abject destruction of Shona’s life, remains unclear.
Ever since escaping from Graham Foster’s (Andrew Scarborough) van as worlds (and cars) collided in Corriedale, Jodie’s malignant presence has taken root at No.8, as she silently injects her poison into the Platt clan, manipulating Lily (Grace Ashcroft-Gardner) while aggressively pursuing David.
When she’s taken time away from trying to rip Shona’s life to shreds, she’s targeted Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove), breaking into her house to cut her face out of her wedding pictures, stealing a book from Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) and helping herself to Lisa Swain’s (Vicky Myers) police badge to steal an iPad, all the while filling her eerie trinket box with ‘trophies’.
While her reign of terror has counted multiple victims, the first real threat to her insane game has been the emergence of Olivia (Lucy Dulson), someone who Jodie had previously nannied. Despite Olivia’s apparent joy at finding Jodie, she was warned to stay away with a story of murder and witness protection being spun.
Olivia, though, was undeterred, reappearing in Weatherfield on the hunt for a hard drive belonging to her dad. With her back against the wall, Jodie told Shona that she’d stolen the hard drive as protection; Olivia’s dad is her incredibly violent ex-boyfriend and her possession of it would keep her from being killed.
After two heavies heard from Olivia that she’d failed to get her hands on the hard drive, one of whom declared that her dad would decide their next move. Said next move includes scaring the living daylights out of Shona when she’s accosted outside of their home.
Jodie hands over the hard drive and, despite previously asking her to leave to avoid her family getting caught in the crossfire, Shona asks her to stay. Just when it seems that things could be mended between the sisters, Jodie finds proof that Shona did receive her letter, pleading to be saved from their family, all those years ago.
Her next action leaves her alone on the precinct, with no family and nowhere to go, totally vulnerable for a confrontation.
Next week, the street is abuzz with the news of the murder, while Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) and Lisa lead the charge from a legal standpoint, determined to find a culprit amid terrified residents, resulting in tense interrogations.
No.8 is a scene of horror, as Shona struggles to deal with the events of the previous week, leaning heavily on David for support as she’s trapped in a destroyed house. As the forensic results return, David is forced to tell Shona a dark secret he’s been keeping, which could blow them apart forever.
David later hands evidence to the police and after they bicker about Jodie’s past alarming behaviour, he suggests they tell the police everything. Before they can, though, Shona is hit with another bolt from the blue.
Is Jodie’s game finally over? Or has it just begun?
