Yes, my relief at the end of the disappeared-presumed-murdered Caz saga sees me willing to overlook many of the zany elements of this story, but the sheer presumption and convenience in tonight’s conclusion were entertaining in themselves, and so definitely worth a look.

It was with lightning speed that Kate spotted a camera purchase on Maria’s credit card statement and made the quantum leap to presuming there was one installed in the room, that she was being watched live on it by Caz, and deciding to lure her over by performing to it. It was some coincidence that, sure enough, Caz happened to be listening in at that very moment to hear Kate confess her undying love for her to an enraged Aidan and watch him storm out. We’ve wondered where Caz has been hiding out, and the speed with which she went from watching to standing face to face with Kate was such that I now suspect she was in the hallway under some coats all that time.

Again, within seconds, Caz revealed the camera’s location to Kate and begged her to run away with her. As soon as Caz’s back was turned, Kate rang Aidan, presumably in the hope that he’d overhear the goings on. A text reading ‘Help. Maria’s flat’ may have offered more guarantees considering they’d just had a row and he was unlikely to answer the phone. Sure enough, he hung up, but announced in the Rovers that he’d received a voicemail from her. Again, sheer luck obviously ensured he heard something worth running to Maria’s flat and calling the police for; we didn’t get to see this. As Kate recoiled from Caz’s attempted kiss, she told her Aidan was coming without knowing whether he was or not; a pretty bad tactic saved by pure chance as he busted through the door just as Caz was violently attacking his sister for tricking her.

PC ‘I don’t want to believe anyone or anything’ arrived on the scene very shortly after and seemed irritated to be taking a cuffed Caz away. Maria is released, and nearly snogged Aidan in the car only to be interrupted by Eva dancing out of her flat to herald a welcome home party.

At least Maria acknowledges that the Pablo saga may mean her troubles aren’t over yet, but Aidan encourages her to live in the moment. I’ve enjoyed Shayne Ward’s performances in this storyline, but I’m glad it’s over. I think there’s more chemistry between Aidan and Maria than there is between him and Eva, and I think it will be interesting to see where this is headed.

Erica can do no wrong in my eyes, and the support she gives Mary as she faces her doctor’s appointment with some concern is lovely. She’s worried however when Mary appears set on thinking the worst, even after a positive diagnosis. She later quizzes Norris to see if he’s noticed anything different about her lately and while he hasn’t, his concern is similarly affecting.

I had high hopes of seeing Zeedan and Rana glued to one another the day after their wedding, but they came across like it was no big deal and they’re together decades. As I said in last week’s review, it’s great to see Rana come into her own, and being the driving force behind getting Yasmeen’s jewellery back from the pawn shop endeared her further. I also expressed concern that she and Zeedan may not be compatible and his mention of children saw her look uneasy before running to the medical centre for contraceptive pills. Yes, it all happened fast, but how have they not talked about this most crucial of subjects? Yasmeen, of course, continues to light up every scene she’s in.

One of the things I’m loving about Corrie at the moment is the burgeoning male contingent. Not only do we have the Barlow dynasty, but the inspired return of Brian Packham, his moving in with Norris and Sean, and reignited friendship with Roy, ensures renewed focus on male relationships on the street, and it’s wonderful. Tonight we saw Tim invoke an archaeological dig to turn over his allotment and Tyrone ask lonely Freddie to move back in to his place. I have been waxing lyrical of late about the marvellous scenes and drama we are witnessing in Corrie at the moment, and with the strangest storyline I’ve seen in some time come to its conclusion, you’d hope that what’s to come is more along the lines of what’s happening elsewhere on the street.

By Emma Hynes

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This review also appears on the Coronation Street Blog.