Five huge Coronation Street theories: rape survivor plots revenge, demon child strikes again and serial killer exposed
AARON Sandford is getting away with the rape of Amy Barlow but could she finally find a way to bring him comeuppance?
Elsewhere in Coronation Street, the walls are closing in on a villain while another could have found a new victim to take down.
1. Revenge plot begins
Convinced by her mother Tracy to report her rape to the police, Amy Barlow (portrayed by Elle Mulvaney) was devastated when it became clear she wouldn't be getting the support she desperately needed from the police.
This was a choice made by Corrie bosses who wanted to stick as much as possible to the reality of being a rape survivor.
As a result, however, this prompted Amy to brand the rape as a simple "mistake" on Aaron's part and she has decided to simply move on.
But some experiences are too traumatic to wipe out of one's mind.
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This week on ITV, Asha Alahan (Tanisha Gorey) realises she has messed up the booking for her girlfriend Nina’s surprise party which prompts Aaron to offer them the keys to the builder's yard flat.
Aadi (Adam Hussain) invites Aaron to the gathering with Amy's permission and with the party in full swing later on, she watches her attacker with loathing as he flirts with a group of girls.
Things go from bad to worse when Aaron puts a hand on her shoulder and the memories come flooding back to her.
In tears, Amy admits to both Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) and Aadi that she was hoping to block out her memories due to the fact Aaron raped her when she was drunk.
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But it's clear to her that boozing her sorrow away won't work and she stands by her statement once and for all.
The guests eventually leave the party and, while alone with Aaron, Aadi decides to stand up to him, revealing he knows everything.
Aaron reacts by assuring Aadi that Amy is lying and wanted to sleep with him.
When the pair tidy the flat, Aaron downs the remaining beers and passes out drunk on the sofa.
Furious with him, Aadi decides he wants revenge for Amy.
The time eventually comes for Aadi to square up to Aaron and the pair start to have a brutal scrap in the cobbles.
Their altercation is interrupted by an ambulance and Summer explains to the paramedic that she found Amy unconscious in Victoria Gardens.
Amy is taken to hospital and tells her parents Tracy and Steve that she is ready to face the reality of her ordeal.
With Amy finally acknowledging she was the victim of a hateful crime, actress Elle Mulvaney herself teased her character will be ready to take control of her situation.
"We’re going to see Amy gain a lot more confidence over the subject", Elle told .
"I feel like she will take control a bit more. We’ll see a bit more of Amy’s fire coming back."
Could Amy plot her own revenge, with the help of a raging Aadi and supportive Summer?
Will Aaron ever get comeuppance?
2. Serial killer caught out
Months of ignorant bliss have passed since Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) rocked up the cobbles... and wreaked terror by committing three brutal murders.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end - somebody knows what he's been up to.
Coming up, Stephen orders machinist Sally Metcalfe, Michael Bailey and Izzy Armstrong to pull out all the stops for the first Nippersnapper order.
But the power suddenly goes off and the factory is plunged into darkness - could somebody be trying to sabotage them?
Someone is definitely working against Stephen as, in later scenes, he opens a hand delivered letter.
He's shocked to find a single line reading "I know what you did to Rufus."
The letter rattles Stephen and he struggles to get into a happy mood while everybody orders drinks at the Rovers Return Inn to celebrate the second Nippersnapper order.
Stephen heads back to the factory and is approached by two individuals who reveal they sent the letter.
Fans of the Manchester-based program have recently taken to social media to complain about the storyline.
After witnessing Rufus Donahue's bizarre murder, many viewers have demanded bosses to bring the villain to justice.
Could this week mark the beginning of the end for Stephen or will he kill again?
A handful of viewers dread that Corrie could write Stephen out of the cobbles in the same way it has dealt with its previous serial murderers - by killing him off.
Could they be right?
3. Explosive fight
Aadi and Aaron won't be the only ones squaring up to one another this week.
Ellie Leach will be leaving the cobbles in upcoming weeks with her exit storyline possibly involving a tense love triangle.
Her on-screen alter ego was recently thrown into a reunion with her daughter Miley, years after the child was taken to Canada by her paternal grandparents and father, Jackson Hodge (Joseph Evans).
Against all odds, Jackson and Faye reconnected and viewers are expecting them to flee Weatherfield and settle down together.
But what could make things even more complicated for them is Faye's recent engagement to Craig Tinker (Colson Smith).
In scenes airing next week, Faye makes a huge mistake with Jackson and it could lead to her being trapped in the middle of two men fighting for her attention.
Craig first shows her some bridal magazines and wants to talk about possible dates for their wedding - but Faye is stalling.
She tells him that, while he may be eager to walk down the aisle, she would rather take things slowly.
How will Craig react?
Later on, Faye admits to Jackson that her feelings for him have changed due to his behaviour the previous day.
But instead of standing back, Jackson heads to the Rovers to get drunk... and soon tries to pick a fight with Craig.
This has led some fans to believe that there's confrontation ahead for both men as they try to get Faye's attention.
As her exit looms, what will Faye do?
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4. Hope gets new target
The devious schoolgirl played by Isabella Flanagan has worked very hard to stay on the straight and narrow, particularly as her relationship with Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) continues to blossom.
But when she senses she may get competition, Hope sees red - could she slip and turn back to her dastardly ways?
A loved-up Sam and Hope approach Stu Carpenter's granddaughter Eliza to join them for tea at No.9 as she could be set to start school at Weatherfield High with them.
But Hope shoots Eliza daggers following Sam's invitation.
At No.9, Hope performs some karaoke numbers and her mother Fiz, Tyrone, Sam and Eliza dutifully applaud.
However, Sam offers to teach Eliza to play chess, leaving Hope is furious.
Could she strike back in an attempt to scare Eliza away from Sam?
5. An exit in the works?
Although he will be taking part in Justin Rutherford's trial for his acid attack on both him and Daisy Midgeley, Ryan Connor is in need of some support he could only find outside of Weatherfield.
The waiter portrayed by Ryan Prescott was recently rejected by Alya Nazir, to whom he declared his love to while on his hospital bed.
To make matters worse, his hopes and dreams of a DJ career in Ibiza have been scrapped as Crystal made the decision to rely on another artist.
And seeing his injuries sends him on a downward spiral.
With his mother Michelle away from the cobbles, Ryan has been relying on Daisy, Alya and Crystal for support.
Could he be pushed to seek a fresh start away from Corrie?
Could Ryan even take it a step further by joining his mother?
Actor Ryan Prescott hasn't ruled it out.
"Ryan needs female energy in his life, especially going through this emotional trauma. He needs his mum and so he clings on to these female figures in his life like Daisy, Crystal and Alya, to try and feel some sense of comfort";, he told .
"His mother has always been the one that has grounded him, even when he found out that she wasn’t his mother by blood relation. He still didn’t leave the street after that, and he still didn’t try to find his actual family."
"Ryan likes to stay with the people he feels grounded with, and with his mum not here, you can see the panic in him when he tries to reach out to keep his other relationships safe and bring these people closer."
"When this has a polar opposite effect and things start dropping and people start moving further away from him, it pushes him into that overwhelming sense of, 'no one is ever going to love me again.'"
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How will Ryan cope?
Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8pm on ITV.