The week before Christmas, and the writers were getting all their ducks in a row for the big festive bust ups. Derek and Mavis started fretting after Victor said he wanted a word. The company sales were down and so a company reorganisation was needed - one that would see the Weatherfield branch closing. It looked like Derek was in danger of spending a second consecutive Christmas in the dole queue. Martin went out for a pint with Kevin and forgot to pick up Gail. She overreacted to a quite astonishing degree, accusing him of not caring about her and her kids and screaming at Sally in the shop for letting her husband lead him astray. Their make-up drink in the Rovers somehow ended up with the women turning against the men. Liz hinted that she might have to spend Christmas Day working in the pub so Jim told Alec to think again. He was surprised to hear the staffing arrangements were public knowledge, and realised Jack had been gabbing away. He told Jim that Liz would be able to have a family Christmas because Jack had "volunteered" to cover her shift. Jackie and Mike were at each other's throats and when he tried to make it up with her, they ended up snogging in the car. This may or may not have had something to do with her planning on buying him out of the factory. They confessed their love for one another and Jackie promised to wait for him. Meanwhile Alma blithely told Audrey it was going to be her "best Christmas ever". Talk about cursing it.
TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 21st and 24th December 1990
It's interesting how attitudes have changed since 1990. Back then the plotline of Curly pressuring Kimberley into a dirty Christmas in a hotel losing her virginity was entirely comical. Now it's just... creepy. Curly spent two episodes rubbing up against a clearly unenthusiastic Kimberley, heavy breathing and making innuendos, until her mother twigged what was happening and she burst into tears. Curly was sent out of the house with a flea in his ear and a pain in his pants. Alf was about to give a speech to Weatherfield's retailers when his car broke down. Kevin went out to help which meant he missed Sally going into labour. The baby didn't hang about and she dropped Rosie in Rosamund Street (see what they did there?) in the back of Don's cab. That's fifty quid she owes him to clean the gunge off the seats. (Liz was there to help, which is weird for us in 2018 - you'd think Sally would be a lot closer to the woman who helped usher her first child into the world). Marie went round to the Brennan's for Christmas, and immediately left the baby with Ivy so she could go out on the lash with her mates. Ivy was as thrilled by this as you can imagine. Mike confessed that he was in love with Jackie. A heartbroken Alma moved her stuff out of the flat and back in above the cafe.
WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 25th and 26th December 1990
It's Christmas! Again! 1990 has flown by. Jack bought a dog off a bloke in the pub as a gift for Vera. It turned out to be a devil dog, eating their turkey, chasing Alec down the road, and generally causing havoc, so he demanded that the bloke take it off his hands. He didn't get his money though, and Jim told him selling the dog on then taking it back was a con he did every year. In short, a hell hound arrived on the Street the exact same day Gail gave birth to David. Coincidence? I think not. She was visited in hospital by Human Colonoscopy Ivy, who immediately kicked up a fuss that the baby's wristband said "Tilsley" and not Platt. This was part of her scheme to ruin life for all the young mums in Weatherfield, as she also drove Marie out by criticising her parenting skills and trying to force turkey on baby Jamie. She went back to her terrible flat and was never seen again so presumably Don's milk of human kindness has run dry. Ken spent Christmas with Susan - completely failing to mention seeing his grandson Adam, for some weird reason - and came back with presents for Tracy and Deirdre and renewed confidence that his ex-wife would be his. Deirdre decided not to open his gift and instead took Phil's present: a trip to Paris.
THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 28th and 31st December 1990
1990 came to an end with nobody in a very good mood. Mavis was in a strop with Derek for getting a new contract with his ex-wife behind her back. Alma cried on Audrey's shoulder about Mike's infidelity. Ivy was sulking because Gail had given birth to David and everyone was telling her he was her "grandchild". Curly was sad because the Taylors came round and insisted that he marry Kimberley right away so he could satisfy his filthy primal urges. But saddest of all was Ken Barlow. He invited Tracy round to his flat for New Year's not because he was a good dad, but because he wanted to use her as an excuse to see 1991 in with Deirdre. Tracy told him she was away in Paris with Phil and he exploded, ranting about the humiliation of seeing her with other men, but Trace threw it right back in his face and told him that the whole thing was his fault for going off with Wendy Crozier. She went off to her mate's and left Ken feeling sorry for himself in number one. He helped himself to Deirdre's single malt and went though the photo albums, looking at pictures of all the dead Barlows (Val! David! Frank!) then even hearing their voices echoing in his head. He found a bottle of pills and poured them out as the Rovers' patrons counted down to midnight...
FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 2nd and 4th January 1991
Bet realised there was someone in number 1 and let herself in. She found Ken (he'd only managed three pills) and they had a heart to heart. She convinced him that things get better and he needed to pull himself together. Obviously, Julie Goodyear was absolutely magnificent in these scenes. Deirdre returned from Paris and heard about Ken and Tracy's argument; when she spoke to him, he said he'd accepted she had moved on and he had too. Ken commiserated with Alma in the cafe. Was that a spark I saw? Emily and Rita went to a tea dance and ran into - oh God, it's Reg Holdsworth. He made a beeline for Reet and turned up in the shop to invite her out on the town. She rejected him but he then appeared in the Rovers to buy her a drink. Mavis promised not to fret about Angela any more, a promise that lasted about eight minutes when she discovered Derek was going to Darlington with his ex-wife. She told him that she was coming along to keep an eye on them.
@merseytart is going to try and make the best of Ken's change of heart.
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