There's a lot of comings and goings in this episode. A lot of disagreements too, although I guess, that's not particularly unusual in Brookie!
Luke's back from Ireland. His appearance was a surprise to Niamh and it's made her day. Ahhh.
Lindsey Corkhill is also back on the Close. She's moved back into Number Nine, much to Jimmy's dismay - he's afraid of what she might be letting herself in for. Funny really - that's what he said when she went to stay with Shelley!
Lindsey has been doing some thinking - her first act upon arriving home was to phone Callum and arrange to meet him on Saturday at The Shelf. She tells him that she's ready to admit defeat and wants to talk about the future of the club. Her second act is to phone Rose and also invite her to The Shelf on Saturday. Interestingly, Lindsey told Rose that the meeting was for pleasure, not business, so it's clear that R'Linds is up to something or other.
Over at Mick's, Sinbad is still having hearing difficulties. "Have you heard any more about getting a hearing aid?", Mick asks him.
"You what?" replies Sin, which is followed by "I'm not bothering, I'll see how it goes."
In Bar Brookie, which Ron still seems to be using as his office, the proprietor of Great Grannies is hacked off (as usual, I hear you say) with the "get rich quick merchants" (that's Ron-speak for the developers), who have offered him "peanuts" for the lease of his shop.
As he tells Jacqui:
"I'm staying. I'm in the right. I not having them walk all over me."
Jacqui thinks that Ron ought to consider accepting the offer before he finds his rent hiked up and gets made a *lower* offer.
Katrina has ordered a taxi and having loaded Harry and Emma into it, she shuts the front door to Number Seven and briefly considers posting her house keys through the letter box, but changes her mind. The taxi takes her to the hospital where she curtly informs Susannah that she has no intention of carrying on looking after the kids given what she knows about her and Greg. She tells Susannah that she objects to having been used and defiantly throws the keys onto the bed before walking away, leaving behind the kids in their buggy, much to Susannah's obvious distress.
As Trine leaves, Jacqui arrives. Susannah pleads with Jacqui to look after the kids for her but Jacqui refuses saying that she wouldn't be able to cope.
On her way out of the hospital, Katrina bumps into Max and tells him about the affair with Greg. Max is shocked and later, says to Susannah rather hopefully:
"I suppose that [the affair] makes us quits."
Susannah doesn't agree: "Oh no," she says. "Not quits. Nothing like, Max."
As Susannah isn't likely to be discharged for another few days, the hospital staff have suggested that they arrange for the kids to stay with foster parents for the time being. This horrifies Susannah, but she still refuses point blank to allow Max to look after them.
Back on the Close, the residents' meeting is underway at Mick's house. Leo, Jerome and Ryan are in favour of violence. Mick and Jimmy are dead set against that. Jim is also keen to avoid getting the bizzies involved. Niamh wants to face Josh and his gang "as a community". Alec thinks that everyone should simply move house.
"In the end, I had to leave me job on the ships cos we got swamped out by chinks and darkies", he says.
"Dad, for God's sake", pleads Niamh.
"You apologise or get out", demands Mick.
Alec says that he has no intention of apologising and leaves. As he departs, Luke arrives, which in turns causes Nikki, Jerome and Leo to leave as well.
Outside, Jerome bemoans the view taken by the majority at the meeting that they should all stand up to the gang together. He has an alternative plan, and shows Leo a box of petrol bombs which he has stashed in the boot of his car. Leo looks on with a look of horror on his face...
Well, I said there were a lot of disagreements, arrivals and departures, didn't I?
Summary © 1999 Graeme Selway
Brookside and all related materials are © Mersey Television 1982-2001