Lou Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty) is fired in the wake of a tragic week on Coronation Street which left one beloved resident dead.
PC Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) was killed in a brutal run-in with Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton) who had just learned that his son was not his own.
Mick’s unravelling began after a stray comment from rival Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) – who had just figured out that teenage Brody (Ryan Mulvey) is his biological son.
Returning home, he forced Lou to admit the truth, leaving her licking her wounds as he stormed off in a booze-drenched fury.
Bad news for Craig, who caught up with Mick just in time to cop a battering for his trouble – later dying in hospital of his injuries.
With Craig dead and Mick awaiting trial, Lou’s place in Weatherfield now seems uncertain – even more so, when she’s fired by Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon).
With Craig’s death still causing shockwaves over the Street, Maria tells Lou that she’s fired from the salon.
After storming out, she tells Gary Windass (Mikey North) that she’s sorry Mick gave him a beating… although he’s given her plenty over the years too.
Feeling sorry for Lou, Gary buys her a drink.
How will Maria react when she catches Gary drinking with the enemy?
The rivalry between Maria and Lou was already simmering away before Craig was murdered – and this isn’t even the first time she’s been fired from the salon.
Lou clashed with Maria soon after getting a job at Audrey Roberts’ (Sue Nicholls) salon, chucking a pot of hair dye over her as they argued.
While Maria fired Lou on the spot, Audrey ultimately agreed to give her a second chance after learning about her tumultuous home life and worries about son Brody, who had been serving a sentence in the STC (Secure Training Centre) at the time.
Animosity between the two families only increased when Mick locked Liam Connor Jr. (Charlie Wrenshall) in a shed at work – savagely beating up Gary when confronted over his bullying.
Lou’s firing comes amid a tumultuous time for the Michaelis family, with Mick in prison awaiting trial for Craig’s murder.
With Brody convinced that Kit is responsible for his dad being locked up, he breaks into Kit’s flat, attacking him.
In the aftermath, Kit is shocked to hear that Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) has given Brody an alibi for the attack. When she reminds him that Brody is his son, Kit sets the youth an ultimatum – change his ways, or end up in prison like his dad.
Elsewhere, Mick suffers a terrible beating in prison. He tells Lou that Kit organised the beating – and that if he doesn’t plead guilty, the next attack will be worse.
Brody is heartened when Mick decided to go ahead with his not guilty plea – but is he prepared for the consequences?
