Just when viewers thought the mystery was about to be solved, Coronation Street pulled off a spectacular stunt.

Tia Wardley – the name that has haunted Lisa and Carla for months – finally appeared.

But just minutes later, it all fell apart: it was just “fake Tia”, a play set up by Costello.

In the shocking episode, Lisa and Carla were celebrating their engagement party when a strange woman walked into the Bistro.

She introduced herself as Tia Wardley, telling an emotional story: she had been involved with the Radcliffe brothers, and Becky – Lisa’s late wife – had helped her escape the dark path. For Lisa, this was proof that Becky was not a corrupt cop, but a fallen hero. Carla was also moved to tears, seeing her loved one finally able to hold her head high.

But then the truth is revealed in the most brutal way. On the way out of the Bistro, the woman meets DI Costello. The line sends chills down the audience’s spine: “I gave them a Meryl Streep performance, used it all. The blonde almost cried.” In the credits, ITV confirmed that this was just “Fake Tia Wardley”.

The audience exploded. It turned out that Lisa and Carla had been blatantly deceived. The trust and hope that had just flared up immediately collapsed. For Lisa, this shock was like losing Becky again – because the truth about the person she loved was still distorted and hidden by some force. For Carla, she was helpless as she saw the woman she loved continue to be tormented.

The point is that Costello’s motives are still unclear. Why did he have to create a fake Tia? Did he want to distract Lisa, to hide a more terrible truth? Or was Tia really still alive, being held by Costello somewhere? These questions make the audience unable to take their eyes off, because “the more they look, the more unusual they see”.