Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Coronation Street's Jim McDonald: Orange is not the New Black

please note this post makes reference to the August 26 episode on CBC

I hate to say it but prison life seems to agree with Jim McDonald*.  Apart from being locked up until One Direction qualifies for a senior discount, the irascible, gregarious felon seems to be fit and fine, thank you very much.

Just look at him striding around the detention facility in his casual Friday shirts and slacks (what, no jumpsuits?). Jim doesn't seem to be constrained by trivial details such as confinement to cells, deprivation and lock down. Prison guards (practically non existent as far as I can tell) seem happy to let the big galoot wander around doing whatever he likes.  It makes 'Orange is the New Black' look like 'Oz'.

And there's more. Jim seems to have acquired status and respect on the inside. They call him the  'Landlord' because he used to own a pub (The Admiral Shiv? The Screw and Sixpence? The Soap and Shower?) (that's quite enough - ed).  And, he's become quite the entrepreneur, kind of a Sir Richard Branson of the correctional world. His in-house booze manufacturing and distribution business is thriving (thanks to Peter Barlow). His personal fortune can be measured in biscuits (a Garibaldi millionaire? - ed), currently more valuable than bitcoins.

And, if that weren't enough, Jim even has time to dispense pearls of wisdom to the inmates. Kind of an Irish Deepak Chopra or Dalai McLama. He even convinced Peter to enter a 'not guilty' plea. Yes, Jim finally seems to  have it all together. Too bad he's behind bars.

*for the purposes of Jim McDonald humour, please assume that every sentence in this post ends with "so it is" or "catch yourself up". Thank you.

4 comments:

  1. Wow! Sunny, bucolic Laval gets your creative, humorous juices flowing. Feel free to take such breaks whenever you can!
    As for Jim, he's become the poster boy for incarceration. For someone who couldn't control his jealous temper at the slightest provocation, and who couldn't manage a basic bank robbery, he sure has gained insight inside!

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    1. Thanks for the comment and for the handy suggestion. (I hear Laval is particularly beautiful at this time of year). All the best.

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  2. Suggestion for a blog post - what would be the Big House nicknames of some other Corrie characters? I suggest David "the Devil's Spawn" Platt, Carla "the Black Widow" Connor, and Roy "the Conductor" Cropper.

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    1. Good idea! Let me ruminate on it for a few days. Thanks for the comment and the suggestion. I invite other readers to chime in with suggestions (i.e. Tyrone 'the mechanic')

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