July 12th 2024.
Lauren's disappearance and presumed murder had been the talk of the town. Coronation Street was eager to drum up excitement for what they had deemed the biggest story of the year. But try as they might, I couldn't bring myself to join in on the hype.
From the start, Lauren's character had been shrouded in controversy. She was introduced as an accomplice to far-right terrorism, which made her a highly controversial figure among the residents of Weatherfield. Despite this, Roy Cropper, the beloved café owner, had taken her under his wing, much like he had done with other troubled characters in the past.
But Lauren's past came back to haunt her, and before we knew it, she had disappeared, leaving behind only a few traces of blood and a trashed flat. The following months were filled with the usual soap opera tropes - misdirection, implications of death, wrongful arrests, and incompetent police work. It seemed like the show was trying too hard to create a gripping mystery, but it fell flat for me.
I had initially been intrigued when show producer Iain MacLeod teased the upcoming story, mainly because it promised to involve various members of the cast. However, the mystery element of the plot felt formulaic and didn't quite hit the mark. The acting was strong, as expected from a talented cast, but the arrest and charging of Roy with murder felt like a recycled storyline that had been done to death (no pun intended).
And just when I thought I had completely lost interest in Lauren's story, the show managed to reel me back in with a gripping two-hander episode. In a rare move, the episode solely focused on Lauren and her attacker, Joel Deering. Calum, who played Joel, delivered a truly terrifying and unhinged performance, while Cait, as Lauren, held her own in their electrifying scenes together.
Through flashbacks, we finally got a glimpse into Joel's dark and twisted mind, and it was clear that there was more to him than just being a run-of-the-mill soap villain. This added complexity to the storyline had been missing all along, and it was what made the episode a standout for many viewers.
Despite the episode being hailed as one of the best of the year, I couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration that it had taken so long for the story to pick up. But as Calum himself had admitted, he was keen for the storyline to continue for a while, and this time, I was on board. The show had managed to salvage a storyline that I had almost given up on, and for that, I had to give credit where credit was due.
In the end, it goes to show that any soap has the potential to turn things around, even if it seems like all hope is lost. And as for me, well, I was just happy to be back on the edge of my seat, eagerly waiting to see how Lauren's story would unfold.
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