Coronation Street fans were stunned by pre-watershed scenes involving drug taking and a sex worker in Monday night's episode of the soap (February 13). One Corrie viewer said it was "too much" as killer Stephen Reid looked like he might claim another victim in businessman Rufus Donahue as he visited his hotel room.
Underworld boss Carla Barlow told Stephen to resurrect the deal with Rufus and in return he’d receive 15-per-cent commission and a permanent contract. At Rufus’s hotel, Rufus made it clear he wasn't interested but offered him some cocaine and the hallucinogenic drug LSD.
Rufus gave Stephen a vial of LSD and headed to the bathroom, from where he could be heard snorting coke as Stephen listened. Suddenly, Rufus collapsed clutching his chest.
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For a moment viewers wondered if Stephen might leave Rufus to die. But as the paramedics arrived to attend to him, it was clear that Stephen had hatched another plan and he assured Carla over the phone that her contract was in the bag.
As the paramedics wheeled Rufus out, Stephen practised Rufus’s signature on the unsigned contract when he heard a knock at the door. Then a sex worker called Candice barged her way in.
After at first thinking Stephen was Rufus and propositioning him, she demanded her money, giving Stephen a new deadly idea. Stephen pocketed the LSD and used the sex worker to blackmail Rufus as he recovered in hospital.
Soap watchers took to Twitter to complain including @pam_debeauvoir who said: "Oh for goodness sake. Stop with the drug taking already. It's too much." And @busby4868 also complained: "Really scraping the barrel throwing snorting drugs as a story line."
@JamieTVandNews observed: "Rufus having a cocaine heart attack. A regular Monday on the cobbles." And @SARamsay1 exclaimed: "Was Rufus taking coke just now? It sounded like he was!"
@PardonMeImBlunt said about the storyline: "If you think #Corrie has been really bonkers lately, you ain't seen nothing yet when next week the Canadian meets a work client who gets off his t**s on coke & LSD while booking a prostitute at a hotel. The creator of this show would be doing somersaults in his grave!"
@TheRealDeclanK1 asked: "What is going on with #Corrie lately?" And @MegWarr09285908 tweeted: "Drugs, stolen bikes and prostitutes. Am I on LSD?"
@HarryFan4Life_ declared: "Think I'm gonna be sick." And @VampLover27, thinking Stephen might pretend to be Rufus, said: "Ewwww Stephen don’t you dare." And @floweroflondon tweeted: "Eww."
But @Ockeghem1497 cheered: "LOL! This Stephen storyline rocks!" @sofaneilas admired: "Drugs, OD mess, Forgery, and a Hooker! My lad Stephen is living it large." And @FillsWhales said: "Coke, LSD and a hooker. I have to admire Rufus' style."
From Wednesday, Carla is targeted by Stephen after explaining that Sarah Barlow is now Head of Design while Stephen will be Office Manager. Determined to have his revenge on Carla, Stephen slips into the Underworld office with the vial of LSD from Rufus’s briefcase and slips the drug into Carla’s coffee.
Carla heads onto the factory floor, clearly discombobulated and woozy. In the Rovers, Stephen spikes Carla’s red wine with another vial of LSD.
Peter calls at the pub and immediately realises Carla isn’t well. Carla stares at the factory girls, her paranoia growing by the second and is helped out of the pub by Peter who is worried sick that her psychosis is returning. Stephen sneaks into Carla’s office, deletes a meeting with Dick Haversham from her diary and muddles up her paperwork.
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