Coronation Street - John Stape

So, the whole John Stape storyline has finally come to an end...or has it...?

I must say, it was great to see such a big-name soap providing a full week of episodes after the watershed. I think I counted three separate uses of the word b*tch.

Very intense stuff.

However, as much as I really want to discuss every storyline that was intertwined within these late-night episodes, I'm afraid I must dedicate this solely to the climax of the story surrounding the accidental murders executed (pun intended) by John Stape...

The week began with Fiz stumbling upon the bumbling fool, that is her husband, digging up the body of Colin Fishwick from beneath Underworld.

Now, if this had been any other murderer, and bearing in mind the episode was at 9pm on a Sunday evening when a little bit of fictional terror would not go amiss, every viewer across the nation would have been a quivering wreck, hiding behind the sofa, whimpering.

However, in a strange twist, that only Coronation Street could pull off, every viewer must have felt just a little bit, or even a lot, sorry for Killer Stape.

No one wanted him to get caught.

He is the one killer, serial killer actually, that is considered adorable by women everywhere. We sympathise with the accidental killing spree he managed to embark upon. We know that he did not mean to hurt anyone...well, maybe not until he kidnapped the Hoyles and Chesney. There was no fear, just empathy for the family man who handled things badly.

It was great to see the penny finally drop when Fiz realised what her husband had done. It was a relief for all of us - Fiz is not the sharpest needle from Underworld's machines. She proved that by helping Killer Stape dump Colin's body in the canal.

WHY?? I'm sure an earthquake ruptured across Britain as each viewer shouted the same question at their television.

Surely you would phone the police?! But not Fiz, oh no. She assists in the crime instead.

Bizarre!

It's not till she has shouted at Maria a couple of times that she finally notices John's odd behaviour. That's when she decided to follow him and was led to, not only the Hoyles and Ches, who were locked in the basement, but a confession from John about the crimes he had committed.

Good grief.

After that it was a wild goose chase trying to find Killer Stapey after he fled the scene of the kidnapping.

Where could he have possibly been?

In the loft, of course! Why would anyone check in there?

So, after a few close-calls of bumping into Fiz & Friends, he eventually could not resist the cry of his baby daughter, Hope. That was the moment when Fiz found him. Did she scream to inform her friends (who were downstairs) of his presence?

Of course not! Because, as we have all established, that's just not the way Fiz rolls. Instead, she left the exit clear for Old Johnny Boy to escape. And so he did.

Then Fiz chased him, got knocked down by Owen in his van (personally, I think he was cruising the block hoping for such an opportunity to arise), ended up in hospital and was then visited by John.

However, even though the police were chasing after this murderer, so everyone should be aware of what he looks like, John is actually a master of disguise.

A doctor's coat made him undetectable. The fact that this doctor looked shifty, and was also carrying a baby round the A&E department, did not render him suspicious in the slightest.

Don't worry though, we all knew Fiz would save the day. She secretly called for the nurse from the hospital bed using the remote control. A master plan!

Oh, wait, no it wasn't...

The nurse's entrance startled Stapey who then fled to the roof. He could not get to the exit as two policewomen, who spotted John holding a baby (after just being informed that there was a murderer on the loose, holding a baby), were standing in the way and did nothing to stop him - it took them about 20 seconds to realise he was a bit suspicious. By that time, he was on the roof.

In fact, everyone was on the roof.

John was edging closer to the...well...edge, and Fiz was convincing him to hand baby Hope back to her. There was actually a moment when I thought the writers of Coronation Street had gone incredibly heartless and were going to have them both jump off the roof. But John gave Hope to his wife before letting himself fall.

*GASP*

When the police looked down, I expected John to have disappeared, but there he was. He was just lying there, presumably dead.

Fiz, Hope, and the residents of Coronation Street were safe.

Oh wait, this is a soap! Of course they aren't safe.

The police turned up to inform Fiz that John had disappeared and was possibly on his way to Dublin.

Ah yes, nothing like a cheeky Guinness after such a rollercoaster of events.

So, when will this nightmare end for Fiz? Not any time soon, that's for sure, since she has been arrested for suspicion of her involvement in the murders.

Classic Corrie.


- Loulabella posting from her iPhone