EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Sadly it's all about protecting Phil. 

 

I do hope Shirley says something when the truth comes out. To Phil and to Ben.

 

I agree Denise could be that - if they bothered.

[Skylover]

I was half expecting Ben and Stacey to compare murders in that scene. Maybe Ronnie should have been about so she could have joined in too. I did like it though, I don't recall them ever interacting.

Kathy and Sharon are annoying me the most in this storyline too. Following Sharon's 'Get him out of here' re Bobby yesterday, she suddenly seems to have done a backflip today. Like you say Kathy just offers nothing at all.

I think the actor who plays Bobby is good. Shame he has become one-dimensional - only a few days ago I read an article where DTC was saying he wanted to tell Bobby's story from the heart. That couldn't be further from the truth.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

And that'll never be b/c they just take advantage of this character and Diane Parrish. 

 

 

 

Sharon helping Bobby today just killed the character for me. Like you said, it was a total backflip--a regression for the character. I don't even know where to put Sharon at this point. She flip-flops as the days go by. 

[DRW50]

Points of View segment on Vicki Fowler's wandering accent.

 

[DRW50]

 

[Skylover]

Thanks for those clips.

I actually feel sorry for Bobby. He doesn't know why he has these urges to harm people when he gets angry. The actor is doing a good job. Ugh having to have Christian back but at least it makes sense to the story. Shame I'd like to see Syed too.

Found it quite endearing in a weird way that Phil was looking after Bobby/being supportive to him.

Also got to say, I find Jay soo attractive these days, I never did, he's not really conventionally attractive, I don't know what happened haha.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Edward Skylover

[DRW50]

I was actually embarrassed watching Sharon tonight. This is "Ma Mitchell." This is what living life for the Mitchells (well, one Mitchell anyway) does to a character. Ineffective, pointless simpering in every scene. And then it turns to simper in stereo with Linda, a relationship that I still find forced any time it appears onscreen. To top it off, we get her abortion of a "father." If there was ever one episode that summed up the damage done to Sharon during DTC's run, this is it. 

 

So much of the rest of the episode was more unlikeable characters moaning their usual lines about Bobby, more blank-faced mutterings from Bobby, more self-righteous indignation from Ian, and scene after scene of unearned sympathy for Jane, a horrid person whose sick fixation on having a child meant that she added endless layers of toxicity to an already disturbed family. I just don't care about Jane. I haven't since her shameful behavior during Lucy's pregnancy. I doubt I ever will again. 

 

John Partridge managing to wildly overact his two lines was quite a feat. At least Lynda Baron's overacting is entertaining, in some 1973 kids show way. 

 

Rita Symons and Jamie Borthwick work very well together, which carried their scenes, even if the rest was, fittingly enough, crap. I was especially confused by Billy needing to remind Jay that his father was a "chancer," when he has absolutely no moral high ground to ever talk about Jase. Perry Fenwick had some good moments that showed his comedy skills (the best was "Jay: Do I look like a thermometer? Billy: Yeah actually you do, a bit."), but he wasn't even needed in the scenes, other than to point out how oddly self-aware the dialogue was. Ronnie remains a tired mug, and Jack continues to get upset over what should be the least important things in his life at the moment. Rinse and repeat. 

 

Somehow even with the general stupidity and overegged dialogue of it all, Pam, Babe and Les ended up being the best material in the episode. 

[Skylover]

I think Babe is brilliant. I think she's a pretty unique character considering she's also such a cliche, if that makes sense. I like Les and Pam but I wish they'd just grow some balls. Who cares if he cross dresses, it's 2016 for goodness sake.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Edward Skylover

[DRW50]

Babe is one of those characters where for me she did too much and got too many free passes from other characters.

[Skylover]

I didn't see any of her stuff during the Mick/Linda story as I wasn't watching then, but I thought she was good during the Abi stuff.

[DRW50]

First I should say I thought the opening scene with Phil refusing Sharon's help was the best of the episode - good work from Steve and Letitia, with lighting and direction that knew less is more. I can't lie and claim I care about Sharon having to hold Phil's hand, or about the millionth "My Phil Feelings" conversation (with Shirley now in the talk-to role - Letitia and Linda Henry always work well together don't they?), but overall this is a Sharon I can at least recognize, unlike that silly person yesterday. 

 

Next I should say I HATE the simpering and general weakness has around Ian. I hate it. That was never Kathy. She was always blunt with Ian, even as she tried to support him. I find this Kathy unwatchable.

 

I didn't feel like the episode was any worse than yesterday's, other than the Roxy material, which is, as per Roxy stories, very poor and pointless. It's just that the material reinforced what's been reinforced over and over in the last few years - that even as there is story progression on the surface with Bobby's story, it's mostly the same scenes over and over and over. 

 

There's little point in caring about Stacey's quest for justice, because we know Max won't be back until near the end of the year, and we know that no one in Walford, other than useless Lauren, gives a damn anyway. I'd much rather see Stacey on the surface moving on but secretly and quietly working over a period months than see a repeat scene of sneering princess Abi shutting her down. 

 

While Lynda Baron and John Partridge gave nice performances today, there's little point in the merry-go-round about Bobby because anyone who finds out end up keeping quiet, while Bobby mostly exists to blankly deliver a variation of Bobby-looks-sad-and-confused or Bobby-is-evil. We now seem to be moving back into the "it's not Bobby's fault" phase of the story, after DTC and friends gleefully publicized and hyped the idea that he was a remorseless psycho killer on the loose. If they don't care, why should I?

 

There's no real reason to care about Gavin's latest stunt, because obviously Denny won't be going anywhere for long, or at all, and even if he did, would anyone notice? Even Sharon might not, as she now has a new son - Phil. 

 

Watching all the haggling over Amy's welfare today, I was reminded again of what a blank child she is, and of how vague and meaningless many of the children on this show are. While I don't need to see tedious little Tiffany clones, I think that if Amy actually had any real character, it would make this story feel less hollow. 

 

Is anyone surprised that Roxy took the easy way out (again) because Jack was a prick (again)? And Ronnie will likely run to the rescue (again), probably after some psycho drug lord played by someone who was on a popular television show in 1983 beats the stuffing out of Jay and threatens to hurt Roxy. It's typical Roxy. And it's sadly typical that we get absolutely no POV from Jay on this, even as his life is now so desolate that he has to work drug deals with one of the biggest idiots to ever stagger through the streets of Walford. 

 

A part of me wonders if the only reason they had Linda and Linda interact was due to the first name joke. Nothing wrong with the scene, but Jane/Linda is yet another Linda relationship I don't really buy. 

 

It's nice that we keep getting these pointless Claudette cameos to remind us she still exists. Yay...I guess? She's the reason that Youtube edits exist.

 

I'll wait and see about Steven and Lauren.

[NothinButAttitude]

Jesus Christ! Can Sharon give Phil f-cking space?! I'm finding her so pathetic. I pray that Sean O'Connor restores Sharon to what she used to be. 

 

I truly don't care about Jane. Plus, I don't understand why people pity Ian either. Glad Steven is back as I hope he raises pure h*ll and calls Ian and Jane out on their sh-t. 

 

The Linda/Linda scene was stupid. Yet another scene of them trying to force something that isn't. I also don't ever remember Linda and Jane being bosom buddies. 

 

They should've seriously left Gavin dead. I find the character to be dreadful and uber campy. If he takes Denny with him then oh well. He's been irking my nerves as of late too. 

[DRW50]

There's some speculation that Lauren and Steven are now a couple, so I wonder if they're going to remember he was at point bisexual or if they're recycling the tired "psycho gay in denial" stuff they had at the end with him, and later with Ben.

[Vee]

Wow - I did not recognize Bonnie Langford. Age suits her. It's always nice to see classic Doctor Who alumni with busy careers here and now. It wasn't the same for many of them decades ago, whereas the 2005 revival has springboarded many, many actors to bigger things.

 

The kid who played Jay grew up cute.

[NothinButAttitude]

Ugh. Really? I hope Lauren and Steven aren't together. What I do hope they remember is that Steven and Stacey were close. I hope they utilize this as Stacey hopes to clear Max's name. I hope Steven plays a part in this while nailing Jane and Ian in the process.