Coronation Street Review: "Yes!"

This GIF rather accurately sums up the mood and I'm not just talking about these reviews. It feels like it's been forever since Kate AND Rana last graced our screens. During Friday's double episode where we were treated to Kate gushing from happiness at the thought of being reunited with her love after a lengthy absence, she wasn't the only one holding onto her heart. Because Coronation Street don't do things by halves, Rana did in fact return tonight and in the process Kate and Rana got engaged!

But before all of that Nick is obviously back and now back at the factory. Trying to be semi-professional I'm going to say I'm not particularly fond of him, being back at the factory and I still find it unrealistic that Peter would be so angry with Carla he'd sell his share of the factory to his sworn enemy. Kana aren't the only thing back this week, as we get more from Corrie's beloved spin-off 'Behind Bars' with Sophie and Sally having a heartfelt conversation over the phone whilst arranging plans for Sophie to visit Sally in prison. Sophie wasn't exactly impressed with how exactly Tim is coping with events, which includes getting drunk and sporting a stinging hangover.

When it was first announced that Nick would be coming back, it was blatantly obvious that he and Leanne would be getting back together. In fact that reconciliation is more obvious than the build-up to Peter/Carla 2.0 in the aftermath of him breaking up with Toyah. Am I gonna be thankful that the producers have moved on from the tedious square that blighted our screens for what felt like 84 years? Well sure, but they're still all really boring. Considering Carla confirmed she does indeed understand the definition of insanity, she should really be checking herself over again for giving Peter time in her mind.

Source: Kate and Rana

Now with a Kana proposal we also get my second favourite thing about Coronation Street: CONNOR. SCENES. Or more specifically Johnny and Jenny scenes. He knows that there's something Jenny and Kate aren't telling him, he wants to know, but obviously Jenny has been sworn to secret over the fact that KATE INTENDS TO ASK RANA TO MARRY HER. Our sweet, lovable, adorable dork intends to ask her beloved girlfriend for her hand in marriage because #soulmatesgonnasoulmate, and honestly? If I could just dedicate this whole review to that engagement then I would've because it's more interesting than talking about Peter/Carla and NO! Carla/Michelle scenes do not help to ease that blow. As much as I may like Peter/Carla, they are absolutely terrible together and it wasn't that long ago Carla was reading him the full riot act.

I really hate this idea that single, independent women just can't completely pull free of THAT toxic mess of a man they have in their life, and keep handing said man power by admitting they can't be without them. We even have to deal with Johnny admitting that Carla's feelings for Peter are beyond comprehension, but still encouraging Peter to try and make things right with her.

Because Sally can never give up being Sally, even inside she's trying to keep things running smoothly and standing up to a prison guard denying them their rights at activities. Sally gets all the prisoners together to try and come up with a form of action to get the prison wardens to be fairer to them, which involves prisoners rights. I'm gonna resist commenting on how much this scene felt like an after school special and PSA for prisoners rights, which better shows have done much better.And outside of prison her sister Gina is still getting up close and potentially personal with Sally's husband Tim, because even the least problematic couple on Corrie aren't immune to relationship drama. Tables have now thoroughly been turned on us and Gina is the one giving Dev the cold shoulder because she realized she doesn't like him anymore, and this is when you know things have truly hit a low point for the sake of plot.

Source: Booasaur

RANA HABEEB IS BACK IN THE BUILDING AND CORRIE'S BUDGET EVEN STRETCHED TO A BIT OF LOCATION FILMING OF KATE AT THE SHIP DOCK No-one needs to point out it wasn't an actual dock and also missing a 24 piece band to serenade the loved up couple, let's just be glad Corrie at least made the effort. Whilst Jenny is darting off to call Kate and get her back to the street and to her great love Rana, she takes the moment alone with Johnny to ask for Kate's hand in marriage. KATE CONNOR HAS HER WHOLE HEART AND THE TIME AWAY HAS ONLY MADE RANA REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH SHE LOVES HER AND WANTS TO BE WITH HER FOREVER. Sure I'm hyperboling slightly but this is exactly what happened and it's just so damn cute of Rana to be so proper that she would seek Johnny's permission. It's also wonderful to once again see on screen just how far Rana has come. We've had declarations of how she feels about Kate before, but it's never been quite this personal and truly hit the nail on the head of just how deep her feelings and love for Kate is.

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As much as this does all make my heart swoon for eternity, given how Corrie did build the hype for this episode? Rana's return and asking Johnny permission should've really gotten more than 2 minutes of screen time. We do not need the billion scenes Corrie insists on giving us surrounding Carla/Peter & Nick/Leanne. Heck I would take more scenes of Sally's prison spin-off than the same old het drama, and if this was a straight couple we were talking about? Kana would be getting far more screen time and I'm not just talking about over their proposal episodes.

Source: Kate and Rana

Rana/Johnny scenes is all that I've wanted ever since Kate & Rana officially became a couple, because Kate is a daddy's girl and Johnny has seen her in previous relationships to know that what she has with Rana is different, they're different, they're for keeps and Rana doesn't have to ask Johnny for Kate's hand in marriage because if he could he'd probably marry them on the spot. Whilst the dialogue was a little cringy in places and looked like something that wouldn't be out of place in a bad fan fic, the acting all round truly sells it. Corrie is blessed to have some good actors on board who can work miracles out of terrible scripts. It is blessed to have two talented actresses in Bhavna and Faye, who have made people all around the world fall in love with Kana And if rumours are to be believed Corrie are gonna need Bhavna and Faye's acting chops to get viewers through a speculated upcoming storyline. Sally Ann Matthews is a national treasure with excellent comedic timing who makes Jenny Connor such a wonderful character and Richard Hawley is excellent as Johnny Connor. If Corrie are ever looking for story ideas, they could give us an episode of Johnny/Jenny/Kate/Rana and I'd never complain.

What we're also treated to? JOHNNY AND RANA DECKING OUT THE FLAT FOR RANA'S PROPOSAL TO KATE. SHE'S EVEN GONE AS FAR AS TO CHANGE HER CLOTHES AND IS FULL OF CUTESY NERVES AS SHE WAITS FOR KATE TO COME HOME (Craig can look forward to sleeping somewhere else tonight). RANA IS OFFICIALLY TRYING TO TAKE DREAMBOAT KATE'S CROWN AS THE SAPPY DORK IN THIS RELATIONSHIP AND I'M HERE FOR IT.

Because this is a comedy of errors, Kate does eventually arrive back at the Rovers all out of breathe and Johnny is trying to get Kate to hurry off back to the flat whilst Kate is trying to stall at the Rovers because KATE AND RANA ARE BOTH PLANNING TO PROPOSE TO EACH OTHER, HAVE ROPED JOHNNY AND JENNY INTO THEIR SEPERATE PLANS AND THIS IS THE TYPE OF TEAM UP THAT I CAN EASILY WATCH. Still wish this got more screen time than the below though.

Leanne reminding us all of the messed up history in the square that is Leanne/Peter/Carla/Nick is probably a reminder that we didn't truly need, especially when it's not going to change the result. Peter & Nick doing business together is weird. Nick being willing to have joint ownership of Underworld with his ex-wife is weird. Leanne still detesting Carla so much is pretty weird. Nick being impulsive and doing things that is business savvy isn't at all weird and even if I don't particularly like the character, he is a good fit for Underworld and there's nowhere else that he can really go. All of this does though lead Peter to telling Leanne that Carla does still have feelings for him. All of the scenes involving this foursome is more of a rinse/repeat than when you're dealing with unspeakable levels of dandruff. It's all just so unspeakbly boring and yet we're treated to multiple scenes of it in one nights worth of episodes. All of Nick getting into her business though does prompt Carla into doing some digging.

We're also forced to watch through Peter challenging Carla on her feelings for him and Carla denying them because she's being stubborn, not to mention annoyed over Peter's dealings with Nick. Away from all that we're forced to continue watching scenes of Gina's feelings for Tim continuing to build up as every nice thing he suggests and does just makes her fall even more for him, and as a result take no interest in Dev. Can't really blame her for that since he is such a div.

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Eventually Kate and Rana do manage to be in the same place at the same time, and they do manage to propose to each other. They both go down on one knee at the same time, they both ask at the same time, they both say yes at the same time, all watched by Carla who is recording them, the Platts and of course Johnny and Jenny. It's lovely and it's beautiful, because they're lovely and beautiful, this is a scene that has literally been a year in the making because we've truly come soooooooooo far, and I love having them on screen. Like seriously, if you'd told me a year ago Kate and Rana would be an official couple and getting engaged because they're soulmates who love each other, and don't want to contemplate life without one another? Wouldn't have believed you. They both tried to drag each other their way, both couldn't understand why they were acting so strange, yes I will be rewatching this scene forever even if I have complaints.

Source: Booasaur

Having said that it does still feel extremely unfairly that even in an episode where they were proposing to each other? They got shafted screen time wise. This isn't a new or fresh complaint, and this probably won't be the only time I make it, but truly heterosexual couples and characters do get far more screen time than this, and if we're living in a society that is trying to show that being LGBT is normal and something that should be accepted without question? You can help that by giving the acceptable lengths of screen time and not sandwiching a proposal in an episode full of tediously long heterosexual drama, and then of course having the proposal be the last thing that happens in the episode. Not doubting it was sweet and lovely, but it truly did take great acting to make any of this work (and yes I did see you Coronation Street with the fireworks for celebration HOW APT)