Coronation Street fans have been sharing their thoughts after Dylan Wilson was attacked by Lauren Bolton, who railed at him for what happened to her friend Betsy Swain.
Betsy, 18, was rushed to hospital after being found collapsed at her home by Ryan Connor, where doctors confirmed she had suffered a stroke. She later suffered a second stroke while in hospital.
Blood clot and strangulation revelation
Doctors said the strokes were caused by a blood clot, resulting from neck artery damage due to a temporary loss of circulation. Betsy then revealed her boyfriend Dylan had strangled her during consensual sex, though both believed the pressure was minimal.
Despite being told she could make a "good recovery", Betsy pleaded with her mum, DS Lisa Connor-Swain, to leave Dylan alone after she reported him to police. Betsy did not give a statement, so no charges were pursued.
Confrontation and attack
In Monday's episode, Betsy expressed a desire to speak with Dylan, and Ryan summoned him to No.6. Lisa returned and demanded Dylan leave, then berated Ryan for allowing the visit. The next day, Betsy told friends Lauren and Brody about the visit, with Lauren insisting Dylan must be held accountable.
Later, Lauren confronted Dylan after he had a verbal altercation with Brody. Nina Lucas separated them, but then found Dylan unconscious in the precinct after he ran into Lauren. Lauren slapped him and pushed him to the ground, where he hit his head and was left unable to move or speak.
Fan reactions
Some fans were critical of the storyline. @SwainsCoat said: "I see what Corrie are trying to do here but I'm sorry, Lauren pushing Dylan so he hits his head is nowhere near the same as him choking Betsy to the point she has 2 strokes."
@SwarlaDaily replied: "I think it’s also about showing Dylan’s perspective. Sometimes people don’t think about the consequences of their actions or realise how much harm they can cause. Maybe Lauren is now starting to understand why Dylan reacted the way he did."
@TheConnorSwains shared: "Not sure how I feel about #Corrie drawing a parallel between Dylan & Lauren’s actions. Consensual strangulation involves an inherent power imbalance, a level of control over another person’s safety that simply isn’t comparable to Lauren pushing Dylan and him falling over a kerb."
However, @eastleedslass commented: "It's ironic that Lauren hates Dylan because he did something to Betsy that wasn't intended to cause her great harm, but it did. Then Lauren does something to Dylan that wasn't intended to cause him great harm, but it did. And she can't see the similarity? #Corrie."
@J_WBerry added: "I can't stand sour-faced, hypocritical Lauren. She's been a terrible friend to Betsy - just causing her more distress while she pursues her own agenda against Dylan. And, now she pretends to care about Dylan so he won't tell anyone she attacked him #Corrie."
