Wednesday 2 May 2007

like a pinter man
ken fights the mundane dragons
blanche and diedre

I had a lovely day off today and stayed home, listening to Radio 4.
When the Ugly One got home we settled down to watch Coronation Street, where Ken and Diedre’s relationship is turning into some existentialist drama experiment, or maybe some bizarre re-imagining of Othello in which Blanche (Diedre’s strangely twisted mother) has become a Iago, whispering aspersions on Ken’s masculinity into his ear and goading him into some kind of dramatic moment, which would be a tall order for Ken. As everyone knows, Ken’s idea of heightened tension is banging the earpiece of his spectacles against his teeth and frowning at Eccles the dog.
Diedre, for reasons best known to herself, somehow now blames Ken for Tracy’s imprisonment in the Weatherfield Maximum Security Shed for Bad Lasses (despite the fact that Tracy confessed to whacking gormless Charlie Stubbs into the next life with a bit of Objet D’Art).
Ken attempts to be reasonable but Diedre’s having none of it, and in an action which has become somewhat predictable over the last few weeks, picks up her cardy and prepares to flounce out into the Weatherfield night claiming that ‘I want some spaaaace!’
Suddenly, shockingly, Ken shouts.
‘If you go now, I won’t be here when you come back!’
But alas, Diedre is not swayed by this sudden display of Northern butchness and completes her flounce.
Later she returns to find Blanche sitting like a malevolent spectacled spider in the dark sitting room.
‘He’s gone!’ says Blanche, heading for the stairs.
As Diedre sinks into a chair at the Barlow family table of psychology to clasp her hands to her face Blanche calls over her shoulder.
‘Is that enough space for ya?’
Eeeeeh! It’s classic!