Just when you thought Christmas in Weatherfield this year would just stop at an argument in the kitchen and a few too many drinks, Corrie decided to call Evelyn Plummer back to… take the audience straight into a nightmare.

Evelyn’s return this time is not about teasing Tyrone or criticizing the lazy Weatherfield people, but a collision with a strong detective style: she accidentally caught the aftermath of a horrific attack on Boxing Day night.

The atmosphere is set up very Coronation Street standard. It’s dark, the wind is cold, the street is almost deserted, Evelyn is hesitantly taking a shortcut home with her bag in hand when she stops because she hears a strange noise in the alley.

A bang, a broken moan, the kind of sound that would send a shiver down the spine of even the most sober person.

Normally, Evelyn would utter a few sarcastic remarks and then quickly take a different route, but this time, instinct pulled her deeper into the darkness, only to discover a body lying sprawled on the ground, so severely injured that it was almost unrecognizable. The victim was clearly the target of a deliberate attack, not simply a car accident or a minor street crash.

From here, the film’s pace shifts to an investigative tone. Evelyn calls for emergency services, calls the police, but at the same time, her eyes begin to scan every detail: who usually goes this way, who has been causing trouble recently, and why this incident happened to her in order to uncover the truth.