Hillman Jr ?

spoiler alert: this post makes reference to the August 4 episode on CBC

Tony Gordon takes a leisurely stroll in the dead of night, walks across Weatherfield's own Bridge of Sighs and casually tosses Liam Connor's wallet into the canal. At this point, the comparisons with Corrie's last killer (Richard Hillman esq) are only natural. However, I think Tony is a very different kind of psychopath and, apart from an apparent love of the canal, I'm not sure they have that much in common.

The biggest difference so far is the modus operandi (that's enough Latin - ed). Richard Hillman was a..um.. 'hands-on' murderer. He didn't sub-contract any of the heavy lifting and was strictly DIY. Tony, on the other hand, doesn't do any of the heavy lifting ('heavy killing', surely - ed). He has yet to get his hands dirty and must have a big rolodex (enough euphemisms -ed). Whenever Tony needs a 'job done', all he has to do is look under 'L' for lowlife and, Bob's your uncle, he has the number of some thug to help him achieve his ends.

And, while Richard Hillman's stated goal was to succeed financially and have a happy (if not underwater) family with Gail and the Platts, Tony's endgame is much more sinister. When Tom tearfully ponders the cirucmstances of Liam's death, Tony says, "Don't think." (Not a problem in Tom's case, actually). Later on, when he's back home watching Carla inhale single malt, he muses about the 'price of love'. "No sense of loss quite like it," he says matter of factly.

Tony's objective appears to be nothing less than complete revenge and the sick satisfaction that comes from the pain and suffering of others. In some ways, that's even more chilling than the Hillman saga. Let's just hope that someone (the police or maybe Roy Cropper - he seems to have won in the case of 'Gordon v. bats') can derail Tony Gordon's plans before it's too late.