Ann_SS

Like I said, we disagree on Christian because I cannot relate to anything that you have posted about him, especially when it comes to using the word, "perverted." You clearly have your own issues going on there. I think that Christian is a great character and he is one of my favorites.

Obviously, we can't all like the same characters e.g. I don't get the Kat love that people go on about. While I'll tell you how I view Christian, I'm not debating this with you because obviously we'll never agree. I don't think that Christian is poorly drawn or a caricature. In any case, I think the word, "caricature" is used to describe any character that someone does not like. If you see a gay stereotype because he likes to have sex and party, well then that is your view. I love that Christian is out and proud, enjoys sex and partying. It isn't all that he is. He is a smart, funny, caring, loving man with a terrible temper, but quick to forgive. He loves his family and it is too bad we don't see him more with them. I adore his sibling relationships with both Jane and Ian and how much he loves the Beale kids. I think his friendship with Roxy is shallow at times, but I like how he pulls her up when she is wrong. I think that Christian has suffered from bad writing e.g. the Steven story was a debacle, but it didn't permanently damage him. While I have not been pleased with a lot of the Christian and Syed story, overall I think that it has been great for Christian. The affair has established him as a real Albert Square resident. Just about everyone has had their forbidden affair at some point and gone on with their lives. It is a rite of passage. Loving someone blindly may not be the best idea in the world, but it does make Christian human and relatable, imo. Frankly, I think only people in the audience who are bigoted and think like Zainab could possibly view Christian's love for Syed as "perverted." Syed is not a well drawn or developed character, but it doesn't mean that he can't become one. When I watch EE, I'm open to most characters becoming stronger with good writing. I turned around on Jack, Max, Ronnie, and Fatboy in the space of two to three weeks. No reason that can't happen with Syed. I have loved all everything about Syed since he did the therapy conversion and chose to believe that his sexuality and religious beliefs are not diametrically opposed. The recording for Shabnam that he erased was touching as well. I see a lot of good things ahead for Syed.

I think that it is a struggle to find a favorite character on EE. Some of the characters aren't well drawn and others can be so unlikable at times. My current faves are: Christian - I just love him. He does make me light up, especially now that he is back to being himself. Dot - now she is no longer a mean bitch Ian - He is such idiot at times, but I have liked him since he was a teen Denise - I love her fierceness Zianab - Nina Wadia makes me keep her on my fave list even though I have been ticked off at Zainab since she started her bigoted rants.

I can imagine that Kat will have a lot to say to Janine about trying to take What is Vanessa screaming about? Does she think that Jody is in the fire? I'm not loving how they are involving her in so much of Max's life.

Christian just wants to cuddle in. I love it. LOL!

I think that Roxy is being saved for Michael Moon. However, Kim and Denise are single and available, even Shirley can use a new man without Phil's baggage. I think Kim would be perfect friend for Syed. She is loud and opinionated, but seems to be a really caring person who will listen to a friend's troubles. She also has tons more relationship experience with men than Syed. Christian going out on the town and getting pissed with Roxy wouldn't faze Kim, but she would tell Syed if she thought Christian was crossing the line. The teens/younger characters as a whole need to be a more cohesive group with stronger friendships. I watched some old YT clips of Sharon, Michelle, Ian, and Kelvin just hanging out in the Square and at each other's houses. I was struck by how tight they were and how much fun they had which is why they could get past their occasion disagreements and have such fast friendships as adults. The writers have to invest similarly in the current younger group.

I did think that Mr. Allcock was hot. For a second, I thought that Jane might have an affair with him, but not likely. I like that the show has Tamwar determined to stay in his brother's life, but yesterday showed that Syed needs a real friend. Syed should be hanging out with someone his age, but with more experience on the relationship front. Instead of staying at home, Syed should have been at the pub, playing darts with his friend and having awkward encounters with his parents. I don't want Max and Tanya back together, but I don't want him with Vanessa. I see what they are trying to do with Vanessa, but seriously Zoe Lucker is a dire actress. Jake Wood is too talented to be stuck with her. I hope that she doesn't stick around very long or there are some very long painful years ahead.

If it is true that then I highly doubt that anyone will die. However, you are not alone hoping that Heather dies. I loved Christian coming home drunk wearing Roxy's skirt. Hilarious. My problem is with Tamwar. It felt like he was stirring for no reason. Syed didn't have a problem with Christian going out with Roxy. Yet there was Tamwar wondering if it meant that Christian didn't care. WTH? I hope Syed insisted that Roxy clean up her own sick because that is disgusting though not as disgusting as Minty and Heather. I like Dot's version of tough love with Max. Jake Wood is a solid actor, but I can't get past how Max treated Bradley. Max can only move on by doing right by Darren and his other three children. So Jane knows the truth. The Beales are in for a rough time.

I disagree with almost everything on that list. How can Grant be above Den? I can't believe Angie is so far down or that Ricky is above Kathy or Nick Cotton is above Ian. It must have been deliberately done to stoke controversy.

I loved those EE teens much more than the current lot. I found this link to pictures of George's christening on DS: http://tv.sky.com/ea...inty-snog-shock

I'm surprised that the writers didn't have Ian mention that Sharon was singing on that tape.

EE doesn't have enough men for the women on the canvas. It should be adding men not women.

Only Dot and the Beales saved this episode. The Beales are a wonderful family. This stuff with Ian reclaiming his youth and trying to convince his kids that he was once cool just doesn't ring true with me. Also, Ian knows that Lucy was planning to cheat so why is he acting surprised? Poor Peter. Lucy will always make his life difficult. Arthur is the sweetest boy. We have got to see more of him. Vanessa definitely has OCD. You and me both. Gross. I don't know why Kirkwood insists on torturing us like this instead of just sending Minty on his way. Gah. Minty is such a fool. He deserves to be treated like crap by Sam.

WTH is that? British pop acts are so cheesy.

I recall that you saying that unlike Christian and Syed, Sharon and Dennis never hurt anyone, well, they did hurt Zoe. It is just more tolerable because Zoe was annoying and unlikeable. Sharon and Dennis' lies about their affair had negative consequences. If they had told the truth when they decided they still wanted each other, Den would have never been able to use Zoe to drive a wedge between Sharon and Dennis. I was just glad that they were able to reunite eventually and we got to see them happy and married in Walford. I loved Nigel Harmon as Dennis. He combined sex appeal, cockiness, and vulnerability that made Dennis must see tv for me. I will miss my beloved Dennis forever. Damn EE for killing him off.

I always get the impression that the dissatisfaction that Ian occasionally expresses is far deeper than not having fun in his life which I think is far more plot driven than character driven. Perhaps Ian does regret not having a more glamorous wife than Jane. Mel was his most sophisticated wife and she didn't last. Not that I could ever see him happy with her in the long run. I think that a lot of times the spoilers tend to be overly dramatic compared to what actually happens on screen.

Exactly. I never buy the Ian is dissatisfied and a failure spiel that the writers come up with almost every year. Since he was a teenager, Ian loved to cook and wanted to do exactly what he is doing now. I remember Pete ragging on him because he was afraid that Ian loving to cook meant that he was gay. I vividly recall Den scolding Pete, telling him that he should be pleased that Ian was doing something that he loved, was good at, and made him happy. It was a light bulb moment for Pete who completely supported of Ian from then on. Ian may not be a millionaire, but he is the most successful businessman and richest man in the Square. Yes, people tease him and he can be a prat, but his life is great. Compared to the other families in the Square, his family is in good shape. He has one messed up son, but his other three kids are doing well (Lucy relatively). Ian is married to a woman who loves him for some unknown reason and is basically his mum incarnate. He has a brother-in-law who indulges him despite all the teasing. I can believe Ian misses his parents, cousins, grandmother, Aunt Paul, and Sharon, but he has Dot if he needs that support. I simply don't buy that Ian is so unsatisfied.

It occurred to me that Shirley has been sidelined exactly because Heather is her only real friend. This may be one reason that Shirley has not been well used by the writers. She has not been integrated into friendships with the other important women characters like Jane, Zainab, Tanya, Denise, etc. She should be spending time with these women, not babysitting Heather.

This doesn't seem like a reason to fire her. Something else must have happened.

I thought that Gary was decent enough when he was with Lynn, but he should have gone when their relationship was over. I didn't realize that Kara Tointon was fired. EE seemed enthralled by her, seeing her as the hottest woman to walk the planet.

ITA. The lack of physical affection hurt Christian and Syed's love story from start. I appreciate that Kirkwood is rectifying this situation. He must have been chopping at the bit to let them have these intimate scenes. The kiss at the end got cut off, but the rest of the physical stuff was sweet. After watching Kirkwood's interpretation of Christian and Syed, I am taking a much harsher stance on Santer and Treadwell-Collins. They could have done a much better job with Christian and Syed's love story. There was no reason that Christian and Syed could not have been this way when they were alone since their relationship started last year. Syed could have been much physically closer with Christian and less so with Amira. However, maybe it is the success of Christian and Syed's story that is allowing Kirkwood to push the boundaries. For all we know, there might be lots of complaints after today's episode. I love Syed's long hair, but this made me bust out laughing. I have a thing for guys with long hair. Watching Minty tonight, it is hard to believe that he and Gary survived so long. Just uninteresting characters, played by mediocre actors. I feel the same way about Heather. I don't know how she survived Kirkwood's axe.

It was a recent picture of Kelvin, but we only saw it briefly on the computer. It would be good to have him back. I wonder if this mention is leading to his return. Kim and Denise are both manless.

Another enjoyable episode. Ian is hilarious. Trying to befriend his kids' friends on Mates Gates was so funny and pathetic at the same time. I had to look up Kelvin Carpenter on Wiki. I remember him and Carmel now. Now I feel old, like Ian does. Lucy is such a bitch at times. She is great. I hope the new Lucy is just as bitchy. I think Peter was brought by the stork. I love contrast between the two of them. How many years has Minty been mooning over Sam now? It is ridiculous. I can't believe that he proposed. However, kudos to Minty for telling Peggy off. She is so delusional about her parenting skills. Poor Ricky. I really hope that baby is not his or Jack's. Neither of them deserve to be stuck with Sam. I really liked Abi's hair, but the outfit sucked. The fear on Abi's face listening to Kim go on about styling her hair was so funny. I thought Vanessa was very sweet with Abi. Christian and Syed are so cute together. After all that over the top drama, it is nice to see them happy and in love. Syed looked very handsome in that suit. It is a surprising development:

I didn't know that Todd was fired. I have to admit that I wouldn't have liked to see Mark die from AIDS on screen.

Windsor has talked about coming back, but it seems like they are ushering her out permanently. The person who posts the Shannis clips on YT just put up Mark Fowler's death scenes. They are so sad and difficult to watch. It is good to see Wendy Richard. I have missed Pauline.They should have never killed her. Pauline should have been sent off to Florida to make Michelle and Sharon's lives miserable until it was time to kill the character off screen. Watching these scenes reinforce my opinion that Sharon has got to return. EE needs her presence to center the show and expand the Beales. I didn't realize that Ian lives in the Fowler house. Did he buy it or is it still the family house?