On a street filled with villains and simmering grudges, Rita Tanner and Brian Packham might have just made their biggest mistake yet and they don’t even realise it. In upcoming Coronation Street scenes, the pair accidentally take on Hope Dobbs, and if history tells us anything, that is not a battle you walk away from lightly.
Rita And Brian Unknowingly Cross A Dangerous Line With Hope
Coronation Street has no shortage of troublemakers. From paedophile Megan Walsh to abuser Theo Silverton, slippery Carl Webster and newcomer Jodie Ramsey, danger lurks around almost every corner. But representing the younger generation of chaos is Hope Dobbs; the daughter of a serial killer, with a troubled past that once included a worrying obsession with fire. Though Hope has calmed down in recent years, she remains fiercely sensitive and emotionally volatile.
And when Rita and Brian inadvertently find themselves at odds with her, they may be stepping into far deeper waters than they realise. The situation begins when Brian gives David Platt’s daughter Lily a paper round for The Kabin. Lily hates the idea of delivering newspapers at “God-knows-what time in the morning” and promptly dumps the lot. Meanwhile, Hope pops into The Kabin to ask Rita for help with her Duke of Edinburgh award. Everything seems cordial until Hope makes an absent-minded remark about Rita’s age, instantly souring the mood.
Jodie Twists The Knife And Hope Starts To Doubt
The next day, Jodie shifts her attention directly to Hope. She waxes lyrical about how badly Lily has been treated, portraying Rita and Brian as unfair and cold. At first, Hope defends them. She insists they were right and refuses to entertain Jodie’s version of events. But Jodie doesn’t back down. Calculated and ever-scheming, she subtly changes tactics. She suggests that while Rita and Brian may smile to Hope’s face, they could easily be criticising her behind her back.
Those seeds of doubt take root. Hope’s confidence wavers. Given her past, her father’s crimes, her own history of pyromania, and years of being labelled troubled, she already carries deep insecurities. Jodie recognises that vulnerability and quietly pours what can only be described as poison into Hope’s ear. Then comes the moment that changes everything. Later, Hope overhears Rita and Brian discussing her difficult childhood and the various scrapes she has found herself in over the years. They may see it as harmless conversation. Hope hears betrayal.
She feels deeply wounded. The people she believed in are now, in her mind, laughing at her past. Jodie’s earlier warnings suddenly feel justified. Hope starts to worry that she has been mocked all along. And this is where Rita and Brian may regret ever getting tangled up in this mess. Hope is not a child who simply lets things slide. Of course she won’t forgive and forget. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more Coronation Street spoilers.