Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) finally snaps on Coronation Street when he wishes death upon bully Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale), just as his abuser returns. Schoolboy sleuth Sam was the only one who realized that Will was being groomed into an illicit sexual relationship by their predatory teacher, Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon). He exposed the monster's true colors, but not before enduring countless threats, intimidation, and academic sabotage from Megan, which drove him to take unprescribed Ritalin and collapse on the Cobbles.
Aftermath of the Truth
Even after the truth came out, Sam's nightmare wasn't over. Initially, the police couldn't find anything to charge Megan with because she had carefully covered her tracks. All coming forward did was drive a furious Will to seek revenge on Sam for trying to destroy his 'relationship'. The bullying got so bad that the troubled teen started to lose his grip on reality, experiencing distressing hallucinations of Will chasing him that seemed completely real. In one instance, he argued with himself and smashed his beloved telescope in the process.
Mental Health Crisis
This was only the beginning of poor Sam's mental health crisis. More recently, Sam listened in on his dad Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) discussing a wine order with Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor), only to hear a completely different conversation where they branded him a liar who is jealous of Will. Not only that, but Sam experienced a chilling vision of Roy Cropper (David Neilson), who gave him some disturbingly un-Roy-like advice, insisting that his enemies are everywhere and advising the boy to trust nobody.
Will's Struggle
While Sam is in the grips of a breakdown, Will has been suffering too. The hold that Megan had over him was finally broken on the day they were supposed to run away to Paris together, thanks to a heart-to-heart with Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine), who opened up about his own experience being targeted by a sexual abuser. This, combined with the crushing realization that Megan had only booked a ticket to Paris for herself, caused the scales to finally fall from Will's eyes, and he reported his abuser to the police, resulting in her long overdue arrest.
However, the road to recovery will not be an easy one. Will is struggling to come to terms with the fact that Megan never truly cared about him, leaving him unsure who to trust. He has already accused Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) of trying to touch him inappropriately when she was just offering him a caring hug. There is no doubt about it: Will is at rock bottom, and having his dad Ben (Aaron McCusker) at war with his grandmother Maggie (Pauline McLynn) really is not helping.
Sam's Angry Words
It is about to get so much worse. In upcoming scenes of Coronation Street, some angry words from Sam push Will to the point of no return. In the café, Will is confronted by Sam, who spits that he is evil and wishes him dead. Will is left seriously shaken by the encounter. These feelings are only compounded later when Will is devastated to hear an emotional Ben voice his fears to Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) that Megan has ruined Will's life.
Will's Dangerous Act
Devastated by what he hears, Will chugs some vodka and climbs dangerously high up on the shop yard scaffolding. Fortunately, he is spotted by Asha Alahan (Tanisha Gorey), who texts Maggie for help. Racing onto the scene, Maggie climbs up to Will and gives him a pep talk, urging him to take back control of his life. The Driscolls hold their breath: can Maggie talk Will down? Or will Sam get his wish?
