Finally, Coronation Street DS Lisa Swain will become a full-time regular.
Played by Vicky MyersSwain first appeared in 2021 as a no-nonsense police detective and led the investigation into Seb Franklin's (Harry Visinoni) murder.
One of Swain's most memorable moments was when she delivered killer Corey Brent's (Maximus Evans) revenge in powerful scenes.
Three years later, Swain is still the first port of call when a serious crime has been committed in Weatherfield. Still, she's been a fairly one-dimensional character up until this point – save for a handful of brief moments, played to perfection by Vicky, that have given us insight into the kind of person she is.
An example of this was when Swain went off the record to tell Seb's mother, Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine), that Corey would finally go to prison for his heinous crime.
During Amy Barlow's (Elle Mulvaney) rape storyline, Swain showed she was passionate about protecting women's safety.
Whether this is due to personal experience, or simply because it is, rightly, a priority for her remains to be seen.
But more recently, Swain turned a blind eye when Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) stole her abuser's phone, Nathan Curtis' (Chris Harper) phone, in the name of justice.
As Detective Sergeant Swain, she is cool and calm. But Lisa, as we'll call her from this point on, is also full of empathy and understanding, and clearly has her own story to tell beyond that icy facade.
As the case surrounding the disappearance of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) becomes more intense, Lisa Carla Connor (Alison King) tells the story. about her sad teenage daughter, and the loss of her partner. What happened to her other half, and what exactly has Lisa been going through in her life, while we were busy focusing on everyone else's?
Vicky recently confirmed that Lisa is gayand even hinted that a local might have 'caught her attention' – but work and her troubled child means she doesn't have time to focus on love at the moment.
Still, we shouldn't dismiss Vicky's teaser. Lisa's new status as a show regular certainly means she'll enjoy a romance at some point – the question is: with whom?
Now that Carla is single after her sad divorce from husband Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), Fans have expressed their hopes that she and Lisa will start a relationship.
The flaw in this theory, of course, is that Carla has always been straight. However, a friendship between the fiery women looks promising, with Carla offering Lisa's daughter work experience at the factory after hearing of her problems.
Carla is never one to mince her words, and Lisa is also known for dishing out sharp comments or deadpan one-liners. While this could lead to her clashing with Carla at some point down the line, Carla could use the presence of another strong woman in her life right now.
Now, about those one-liners. Just because we finally get to delve into Lisa's life doesn't mean we want her to stop being her sarcastic self when the mood calls for it.
We could see her putting Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) in her place, or giving a witty response when Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor) inevitably told Lisa, 'my daughter is a lesbian'!
In the meantime, we're optimistic that Roy Cropper's (David Neilson) name will be cleared for Lauren's murder – if she's dead at all. When that happens, we want Roy and Lisa to have a frank conversation, away from police matters.
Roy is a friend to the entire community, but Lisa may one day find a place among his closest confidantes; if the likes of Evelyn Plummer (Maureen Lipman) and Roy's niece Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher) can forgive her for putting him in jail in the first place!
Roy himself is so gentle and compassionate that there is no doubt that he will be as kind to Lisa as he is to everyone around him. At the time she writes this, she still thinks Roy is strange. However, if she really wants to settle down, it's essential that Lisa discovers who Roy really is and why he could never have supported Lauren's fate.
There is no better way to make this possible than for Roy to offer his unconditional support to Lisa if and when she needs it.
Being closer to the action also allows Lisa to bring the duplicitous 'Institute' leader Rowan Cunliffe (Emrhys Cooper) to justice, as she joins forces with Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) to rescue Leanne (Jane Danson). from the cult.
Let's also have Lisa on hand to arrest the mysterious person responsible for Abi's deepfake ordeal. If Lisa had been around during serial killer Stephen Reid's (Todd Boyce) reign of terror, she might have caught him!
Whatever the future holds for Lisa Swain, we can't wait for her to make her mark on the cobbles of Coronation Street.
MORE : Tragic confession as Coronation Street favorite reveals their partner has died
MORE : Evelyn Plummer makes a big break with Roy Cropper in Coronation Street – but stabbing horror follows
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