Coronation Street has kicked off another murder plot in a matter of months - before the first one has even concluded. The world's longest-running TV soap has come a long way since its original premise of focusing on everyday dramas between neighbours on the Manchester backstreet, and recently has favoured an onslaught of crime stories above all else.
New Murder Plot Unfolds
In April, evil scaffolder Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) was killed off and Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) has been charged with his murder, whilst Gary is sailing close to the wind as the police know that he was involved in the cover up. Towards the end of last week, viewers were introduced to Tim Metcalfe's long-lost cousin Richie, who had never been mentioned before, and he ended up stopping on the sofa at number four after claiming to have had an argument with his wife Rachel.
Later on, he returned home but Tim noticed he had left his wallet behind and went to return it to him, only to realise that he had blood on his shirt. As the ITV soap continued on Tuesday, Tim's next door neighbour DS Lisa Swain, who is also heading up the Theo Silverton case and usually locks innocent people up, called round to inform Sally and Tim that Richie had been charged with the murder of his wife.
Fans React to the Storyline
In scenes that followed, the incompetent policewoman asked Tim what he knew about his long-lost cousin's marriage but, unsurprisingly, he knew very little. Later on, Tim saw Weatherfield's other copper DC Kit Green, whom Sarah recently broke up with to save his career, round at the precinct and the two bonded over how they had both accidentally become caught up in murders at the same time.
As the episode drew to a close, Tim began to wonder how he could have acted differently when his long-lost cousin turned up out of the blue, and wondered what the situation now might mean for Richie (Nathan Sussex) and Rachel's young daughter. He told Sally: "He spent two nights sleeping on our sofa trying to avoid her. That was a pretty big clue. Either he was afraid of her or frightened of what he might do to her. He just wanted to stay away from her, and I didn't believe his marriage wasn't worth fighting for. I was the one that made him go home. Now, Lucy's with strangers, Richie's in a prison cell and Rachel's in a morgue. I've got blood on my hands."
Mixed Opinions from Viewers
Viewers were quick to react to the new plot, as they pointed out just how unlikely it would be that Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers), a popular character thanks to her relationship with Street legend Carla Connor (Alison King) would be heading up so many investigations at once, especially since she is so close to all of those involved. One wrote on X: "Why bring Tim’s cousin in just for a murder storyline? It’s like they’ve run out of ideas for Tim & Sally and can’t let them be happy!" and another wrote: "Considering Weatherfield police are the busiest police force in the North of England it’s highly unlikely that DCI Connor Swain would be in charge of a new murder investigation when she hasn’t really solved the first one satisfactorily!"
A third pleaded: "Can @Itvcorrie stop inventing murders ,crimes etc for Kit and Lisa to investigate etc they could have scenes with neighbours ,the factory lot ,pub goers ,the list goes on and on," and a fourth suggested: "Lisa has proved to be a very popular addition so I don’t understand why the scriptwriters don’t explore her back story, family etc , they seem to with other actors but not her?" However, others were pleased with the way in which the latest murder on the backstreet had been dealt with. One wrote: "Very interested in this Richie killing his wife story and like how none of it was shown," and another praised the casting as they wrote: "The casting of Richie, is FANTASTIC! He does look related to Tim. Just like the casting of Jodie, as Shona's sister."
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
