DRW50

Greg Watkins nearly died in a boating accident in summer 1995. He was fired not long after, as part of the large cast cull. When he returned that likely was a reason for some of the differences.

I’m sorry, but those scenes with Ste and a “high” Cameron were hilarious. I don’t really know how you could play those scenes, so I will not be too hard on the guy who plays Cameron, but - wow. Just...wow. I know Ste isn’t very bright, but he’s spent most of his life surrounded by drugs, he’s dealt all kinds of drugs, he’s taken all kinds of drugs. He would know when someone is not actually on something. The stupidity of this character, and the stories they give him, continues to astonish me. If they were going to go for a random, trashy storyline, they should have had Cameron lay pipe with Ste, get a guilt-ridden Ste to fess up to Leela and Harry, and then convince Leela and Harry that Ste was making the whole thing up because he’s bitter and depraved. It would make about as much sense, and it would involve the weird chemistry between Ste and Cameron being put to use...and it would involve Cameron being naked, which would automatically make the storyline better. Oh, and who in the world decided that a man who cheated on partners again and again, at one point impregnating a woman and at another point getting HIV and exposing his partner to it, should EVER get to play morality place with a boyfriend? EVER? What a joke.

That conversation with Elizabeth and Carl, where she says she feels like every moment is their last, is so poignant. And I love that catfight with Michele and Bridget.

The article Vee mentions above is a fascinating read, and very enlightening, in that it's all about grudges and "payback." For all the hype of Bernie not being like other politicians, he really, really is. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/bernie-sanders-campaign-last-days-224041

Given the number of fans I still see insist the Sparrow isn't bad, the comparison is sadly on the nose.

She knows that Sanders and his supporters will now forever say it was all rigged and he never had a chance in the last contests. It also gives him a better chance of winning more states tomorrow as his supporters will be determined to lash out. The "liberal" media shows yet again that they have no time for Hillary. On the Trump topic - a typically inane response from Kelly Ayotte, a far right Republican who has always gotten too much of a pass because she got a lot of undeserved hype early on and because she and McCain and Graham are BFFs and they can help the Beltway remember their beloved "sensible" party. “I felt that his comments were wrong and offensive, and I’ve urged him to retract them,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), who is running for reelection against Maggie Hassan, her state’s Democratic governor. “I’m running my race and focusing on the people of New Hampshire. I’ve said he’s our nominee; I plan to vote for him, but I’m not endorsing.”Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/donald-trump-republicans-congress-senate-223968#ixzz4ArSb0MfI If you're voting for him, you are endorsing him, brain trust. I really hope she loses in November.

I thought most of the Donna scenes in this episode were a good articulation of who she is and what she's feeling. I'm sorry that no one in her life is telling her that having a baby doesn't mean happiness, but then this is DTC-era Eastenders, so why would they? The scene with Pam was a nice example of their relationship and it was written true to them. The problem, beyond the laziness of another baby plot, is the Vincent "twist." I don't even really care that much about their being "brother" and "sister" as I do that it's obvious one of the main reasons they had her ask him was because they wanted us to be shocked due to them being "siblings." It's just lazy shock value. Beyond that, I just don't really care about the relationship between Vincent and Donna. Like most of Vincent's relationships, we hear about how close they are, but I don't feel it. I actually did laugh at one Kim scene - when she reminded none of the class to take any video of her. It was just so typical of her, but not in an overdone way, like the rest of the scenes unfortunately were. I thought Bonnie Langford did a pretty good job - she seems to know the way to play this type of material is straight. The scene with Ben and Paul was cute but also felt very contrived. If Paul wasn't leaving we would be getting none of this. Yet again the Pam and Les material was the bright spot of the episode, in spite of loathsome caricature Babe, who makes Dotty-era Nick Cotton seem like a masterpiece of creative writing. I loved how she threw Babe's food out, because there were no smirks or snappy comebacks for that - it was just the definitive way to show Babe how worthless she is. They've really cottoned onto something special with Pam this year, as part of the community and as her own person, and I hope we won't lose that just because she doesn't have the right last name. I do not believe Ronnie would encourage a relationship for Roxy and another man the way she's doing. If Ronnie thought Roxy needed to get away from a "bad" man, or from one of Ronnie's men, that would be one thing, but a vulnerable, alone Roxy is Ronnie's catnip. She'd never want to give that up. It's just too contrived. I will say I thought the scene with Andy and his father - which on paper should have been cringeworthy - was oddly moving. Jack Derges is a really strange actor in that sometimes I think he's poor and sometimes he can be startlingly good and effective in some way that is totally different to anything else on the show right now. It becomes more and more apparent with each episode that Kathy's return was to prop up the morally bankrupt, cretinous Jane and Ian. I have a feeling someone is patting themselves on the back that Kathy is just like Lou, or some other "matriarch," in banging on and on about family, to the point of badgering people over the phone for Jane to return and hold Ian's hand (oh wait - thanks to her beloved son she can't do that anymore). It's pretty disgusting, and even as I keep seeing it day after day, I'm still disgusted. I think more than anything I'm disgusted with the framing of the Kathy and Lauren scene and the Lauren material in general in this episode - they're already setting Max up as the bad guy here. Max cutting ties with Lauren and Abi, who just want to see their father (after letting him rot in prison for nearly a year). Kathy encouraging Lauren to remember that Jane and Ian were just trying to protect their family, and that she is now their family too (what a colossal joke that is). Anything Jane and Ian did is justified, because they protected their son (who went on to try to kill another boy, push his mother down the stairs, and nearly kill his mother, but how would they possibly know anything like that could happen...?), unlike Max, who doesn't care about his children. Kathy would never bleat and bleat and bleat this way. Kathy did not grow up with a loving family or home. Kathy knew that "family" was not enough to justify keeping a child that reminded her of her rape and that she was too young to be able to raise. Kathy never truly felt like she was part of the Beale family, as she often clashed with Lou, and fought hard to do what she - not Lou, not "family" - felt was best for Pete, herself, and Ian. Kathy had to cut all ties to Donna - "family" or not - when Donna's presence in her life brought back devastating memories and when she knew Donna was too far gone. Kathy was willing to break away on her own after Pete could not support her following her second rape. She was always willing to stand up to Pauline and she was always willing to stand up to Ian. Kathy was never someone who passively accepted, or even worse, actively encouraged the worst of family. Never. Never. Never. This is not Kathy Beale.

So is Hillary at this point. I don't know how it will go. I know who the media loves...

I don't really think the average voter will be that interested in this stuff. They make Trump into what they want him to be, which is very dangerous.

Do you think they weren't able to write good for Peter once Ben Hardy played him or was it like that when Thomas Law played him too? Peter has never been a character. He was always overshadowed by Lucy, which is one of the reasons it was a mistake to kill her. I imagine it's yet another writer who just skims Wikipedia rather than knowing the history of the show. Why else would Kathy say Steven had "round trips" to New Zealand throughout his childhood?

Sounds really interesting. Is there any way you could put any of the episodes on Youtube, or send them privately or anything, when you get them? If not, sorry for asking.

The last one was a rapist and this one is using her to get to her sister. The Kathy and Steven scene wasn't bad, but there was a huge history blunder (there were no "round trips" to New Zealand - Steven did not know Simon Wicks was his father for 12-13 years, and when he did find out, he moved to NZ permanently) that got in the way. The show is having more and more of those lately.

A classic example of why liberals so often lose elections: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/wall-street-2016-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-213931

You can find full episodes on Dailymotion, or if you want to download, UKSoapShare. There are also Aaron/Robert clips (I think a Youtube channel called Aaron Fan has a lot).

Great post. You should try Emmerdale, even if it's all over the place at the minute. I do like the idea of so many lgbt characters - I just wish so many of them were not so poorly written. I also agree about Harry. I don't get anything with why he wants Ste. I just tend to assume Ste has a big dick.

I have a feeling Erika is going to be a trainwreck if she returns. So glad Yolanda is gone. I liked her early on but she is now a public health menace IMO. She's just dangerous and does not need a national platform.

I have to laugh at Paul Ryan being forced to endorse Trump. I don't even know why anyone cared, but I guess the right wing always has to fall in line in the end. I hope Ayn Rand haunts him from now to eternity.

May 17, 1983 - I don't think this episode has been up before:

January 1981 Daytimers

Didn't Sonny Hostin play Lilith Fair?

My God the endless pity party from Jane is unbearable. The last episode, which should have been about Bobby finally facing some kind of justice, was instead all about her bleating, her damn whale noises, and her making the whole thing all about her by telling Ian she was going to leave him. I despise her. The amount of time the show is devoting to trying to make us feel sorry for her and for Ian is ridiculous at this point.

This was a heavy watch but I thought the Holly material brought some real drama for the Bartons - one of the few times that the original Bartons actually felt like a family, instead of supporting characters to the Bartons 2.0. I swear I can't remember Natalie J Robb having a real opportunity to act for several years now. It was a nice reminder of what she brings to the show when given the chance. And the scene where Cain told Holly to leave was very gripping to watch - the whole thing is just so ugly, and you know why he's doing it, especially given his history with Shadrach. I enjoyed the pirate ship stuff, although I guess it will start coming unwound soon enough. I laughed at the scene where Nicola snapped the box closed and warned Dan that he wouldn't like the nasty her. I also enjoyed the Barton brothers making up (for now anyway). It meant a relatively well-balanced episode. Liv is just exhausting to watch. I get what she's feeling, I do, but I have to skip a lot of her scenes. It's nothing against the actress, who is very good, it's just so draining.