As Ken takes Eccles for a walk (hopefully well-armed with poop bags), the police arrive to tell him they have news of Carla. Her bank card has been used near the squat where Peter was searching for her. Peter races down there with Johnny in tow and proceeds to kick in the door and rough up the ne'er-do-well squatter inside. While I've no wish to advocate violence towards the underprivileged, I’m afraid I did have a bit of a flutter when Peter got all heated for the love of Carla. But then I am reading Ivanhoe at the moment. Anyway, as brave Sir Barlow battles the ruffian for the love of the Lady Carla (sorry, sorry), Johnny pulls him away and they leave with Peter telling him that he fears Carla is dead. As Johnny comforts Peter we see a familiar dark head peer out of the squat window. Ms Connor is far from dead, but she has outstayed her welcome at the squat. Where will she go next?
Out on the street, a cycling Jan crashes into Mary as she is loading up the flower van and injures her arm. She is helped into the medical centre by Moira who seems far more interested in the contents of Jan’s trousers than Mary’s arm. Personally I can’t see the attraction. But then the last time I dated a man with long hair Hanson were number one. Anyway, Jan is getting close to Eileen so he’s bound to turn out evil. She’s already had Paul the racist and Pat the psychopath. If she doesn’t date Jan the scriptwriters are going to fix her up with either the ghost or General Pinochet or a nest of angry wasps.
Also in the medical centre is Gemma, who has been feeling dizzy. She still hasn’t told Chesney that she’s pregnant, but he has at least conceded that she might be afflicted with more than a hangover. She admits to Dr Gaddas that the baby was unplanned and she feels scared, but the doctor is reassuring and tells her she’ll be a great mum as long as she brings the kid up not to attack paramedics (basics there). When she returns to Rita’s, Gemma has decided she’s keeping her baby.
Meanwhile Nick is having a really bad day. He’s also really starting to resemble a smarmy villain from an 80’s teen movie…possibly played by James Spader. Anyway I digress. He has a meeting with Jo, the Underworld client with the totally indistinguishable accent, who is unimpressed with the community centre set up. Nick begs her for more work to keep them afloat, but she is quite literally not buying it. Then he meets with the loss adjuster, who tells him that there will be no insurance pay out until the police investigation is complete. This is overheard by Toyah who goes to the Rovers to tell Johnny that the roof was sabotaged for the insurance.
In other news, Seb calls in the nail bar to see Alina again. She gives him a manicure and agrees to meet him on her break, but when she catches him taking his HIV medicine, she is suspicious. Inviting her back to No. 11 Seb reluctantly explains that he is HIV-positive, but Alina is understanding. She kisses him and asks for his phone number on a piece of paper because she doesn’t have a phone (hmm?) Then when his back is turned, she stuffs a handful of biscuits in her bag. What is her story?
Back at No 1 in utter despair Peter reaches for the bottle of Scotch. Nice of Ken to just leave it out there on the side in full view of his recovering alcoholic son! He knocks back three drinks in a row then stumbles into the Rovers where, after Johnny and Jenny refuse to serve him, he takes a bottle from behind the bar. A horrified Ken finds him in the ginnel, well into his second bottle. Reminding him he’s been sober for four years and seven months, Ken takes him inside and tells him he needs to sober up before Simon sees him. But it’s too late, Simon is in the living room. Peter refuses to relinquish the bottle but when all seems lost it looks like Si could be the one to pull him back from the brink. Simon takes the whisky bottle from his dad and pours himself a drink. He tells Peter that if he is drinking then he will too. The bluff works. A weeping Peter can’t stand to see his son going down the same path as him, and puts the bottle down.
And on that dramatic note, that’s it for this week. I hope Carla returns soon. If Peter is going to go all Richard Burton again he’s going to need his Liz Taylor.
I'll be back next Friday as Kosmo is on his hols. See you then, or you can catch me on twitter @mskelstar.
Laters
Kelly
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