The green-eyed monster
The tension in the air is palpable this week as Carol struggles to deal with Robbie and Hayley’s growing closeness. As her jealousy increases, Robbie feels compelled to warn her to back off, and Yates is also taken aback by the extent of Carol’s bitterness. But that’s not the end of the story as Carol cannot help but lash out at Hayley, leading Robbie to insist that she take a step back from the Station – a decision that causes her further hurt. As Yates considers a move away, Carol’s constant snarkiness causes Nora to raise her head above the parapet and confront her about her poorly concealed jealousy.
As if dealing with a cantankerous Carol wasn’t enough, Hayley and Robbie have some issues to iron out between each other. Robbie tells Hayley that he thinks she is using him for his money, but that he’d like to keep seeing her. However, he also states that she needs to be straight with him in the future. Later, Hayley is less than impressed when Robbie offers to babysit Jack in order to allow Carol and Yates to go on a date. Nevertheless, the pair continue to be drawn closer to one other, until Darragh throws a spanner of his own into the works and gives Hayley reason to reflect when he suggests she sees her relationship with Robbie as casual.
With so much going on around them, it’s no surprise that the ‘happy’ couple aren’t sure where they stand, and Hayley is further disgruntled when she gets the impression that Robbie is testing the extent of her feelings for him. Having probed Robbie about it, the pair decide that they need to set some ground rules, and find themselves on a surer path. Carol isn’t going to like that!
Elsewhere, Jackie and Hughie appear to be on a collision course over the direction of McCoy’s. Jackie wants the venue to be more adventurous and, with the help of Anto, manages to convince Hughie to put on some music sessions. However, Hughie feels decidedly uncomfortable when Jackie pushes for more changes and revels in Anto’s lack of success when the first performance fails to draw the punters. In the wake of this, Anto and Leo warn Hughie that his reluctance has irked Jackie, while Sash suggests that he seek reassurance from Jackie that she isn’t trying to change him rather than just his business. Hughie responds by telling Jackie that, although he values her opinion, he’d rather she kept her nose out of pub business. Will she finally get the message?
Meanwhile, affairs of the heart weigh heavily on poor Doug, who feels obliged to insist that he is just being friendly towards Erica. Things get worse for lovelorn Doug as he tries to bury his disappointment about Erica’s interest in Darragh by allowing her to help him set up a dating profile. While Doug continues to pine for the oblivious object of his affections, Erica longs to get closer to Darragh. Will any of the unfortunate players in the love triangle get what they want?