KSlater

I'm genuinely surprised that he's still employed. 

2 minutes ago, te. said:

Yep, now that it's reached proper mainstream coverage beyond industry press I can't see how they can keep him. I get the feeling that the reason the PR team was fired wasn't as much for budget reason but that Alarr wanted to keep track of this story potentially leaking. 

I agree about the PR team. I'm shocked that it took a situation like this so long to leak. I do feel for the actors and crew subjected to this madness. And Corday...I don't know what to say about the guy. 

I think Alarr is a true legal liability now that this is public. I don't think it's a matter of if but when he'll be fired.

I liked Barry's character even though he was a sad sack.

Oh, I would love for Janine to push Derek off a cliff. She's good at that kind of thing.

The Branning that I really have affection for is dear old Jim Branning. Miss him.

ITA about everyone needing to be the new ______ on soaps, both US and UK. It would be nice if TPTB to tried to blaze a new trail instead.

When I first started watching EE, I couldn't understand half of what was being said. My ears weren't used to the lingo or accents. It didn't take me too long to catch on except with Phil Mitchell. Sometimes I still can't understand a word he says, but I think that more due to Phil talking fast while mumbling more than anything else.

Now off to watch some episodes.

The past few episodes have been great with Janine's wedding, Diane back (even they she felt like an extra at the actual wedding), and Janine giving birth prematurely. Basically, Janine's been carrying huge parts of the over the last year or so.

Joey Branning is clearly the newest in a line of Dennis Rickman knockoffs, and he even looks a bit like Nigel Harman.

One article just pimped Lucy and Joey as the new Sharon and Grant...

Thanks, Y&RWorldTurner. I'm looking forward to those episodes.

No one comes close to my Dennis Rickman. But Joey is kind of "fit," as they say in Walford. I do like the actress playing Lucy. Not sure about the Sharon/Grant comparison. LOL

Speaking of Sharon, I hear that she's returning (yeah!).

The guy who works at the car lot, the one who is bullying Lucy, is he a Branning? He gets on my nerves already.

Thanks All My Shadows and CarlD2!

Billy has a granddaughter? Oh my LOL.

Rich Janine is insufferable, as usual. But I still enjoy her character.

I will search out those clips. Thanks for the tip.

I have been checking out EE online -- June 2012 episodes. I'm not quite caught up -- I'm at the point where Kat and Alfie have just returned and found out that Jean lost the money (I don't quite understand what happen -- that guy with Janine swindled her out of it???)

I haven't watched for a really long time -- probably a couple of years. I know that Peggy and Pat are gone (I miss both of them).

The show is much different, but I am liking it much more than when I tuned out. I'm glad to see Kat and Alfie, although I'm finding that I like Alfie with Roxy more than Kat.

I do have a few questions:

- Did Ian abandon his children?

- Who is the young blonde woman (I think she's pregnant) hanging around with Billy?

- How did Janine become a business woman?

- Is the man she's with related to Alfie?

- Why did Ben kill Heather?

That's all. Thanks in advance for your responses.

Thanks CarlD2 and Ann_SS! I watched the Syed/Amira wedding episodes this morning. The actress who play Zaniab -- I can't say enough about her. Zaniab is so bigoted and set in her ways, but still I adore her in spite of it all. I thought the confrontation between her and Christian, when she found out, was great. She kept pushing and pushing until Christian snapped -- and the way he blurted to truth out -- I could tell it cut her heart apart. And her confrontation with Syed -- also well done. Zaniab reminds me a little bit personality wise of Pauline Fowler in that she wants to rule every aspect of her childrens' lives -- they are her whole life, but she's too caught up in how things are "supposed" to be with them instead of seeing how things really are (if that makes any sense).

I think, like Y&RWorldTurner, that there has been too much happening since then to really be able to catch up, and starting from June 2010 is probably a good idea, but, I think it may be good for you to see some of the bigger episodes in between, which could broaden your perspective on what's going on now. Off the top of my head: Stacey being sectioned; Lucas & Denise's wedding/Owen's death; Christmas 2009; Zainab discovering Syed & Christian's affair; Syed & Amira's wedding; the Live Episode; Amira learning the truth...

I can't think of any other significant episodes... Can anyone else?

Thanks for the suggestions, Ben. I saw a little clip of the Live episode on the EastEnders Youtube channel last night and was blown away.

That family was just so poorly drawn from the get-go. Kareena had to be one of the most useless and annoying "heroines" I've ever encountered. They really tried to make her happen and it failed.

I started watching the show most religiously during the John Yorke era in 2000 on BBC America. I had followed it on and off for years on PBS though.

My PBS affiliate is airing stuff from the earlier part of Berridge's era right now and I'm getting to examine that era all over again. Kat and Alfie are just getting together, and Kareena is all over the place crying about her "love" for Tariq, and there's Vicky and Sharon and Pauline trying to support her in that awful pregnancy story.

Ugh -- Tariq and Kareena. The family seemed thrown together. I was happy when they left. Kat and Alfie at the beginning was so entertaining. I've tried to forget about awful Vicky.

I started watching on BBC America right before Steve Owen was blown to smithereens. At first, I was so confused because of the amount of characters/storylines. The rhythm and look of the show was so different from US soaps. And I had a horrible time figuring out what Phil Mitchell was mumbling at first -- took me a while to get an ear for some of the characters accents. But I loved that fact that stories moved, the actors for the most part were wonderful, and the dialog was, in comparison to the soap that I was watching at the time (Days), light years ahead in quality.

Dennis, oh my beloved Dennis. Damn them for getting back at Nigel for wanting to leave and killing Dennis off. I would give my right eye for Dennis, Sharon, and little Den to return to the Square, take over the VIc, and feud with the Mitchells. Sharon would give those Mitchell sisters, especially Roxy, a run for their money.

Ann_SS, that's how I always refer to Dennis -- my beloved Dennis and I've got to give Berridge props for him and for pairing him with Sharon.

Carl_D2 -- I also wish that Dennis faked his own death and would return, but that's not going to happen I guess *sniffles*. I would love for Sharon to return too. I don't think she'd overlap Ronnie and Roxy -- she's so different from them.

ITA about little Mo's second rape. Truly unnecessary. And the Ferriera family -- I never got into them after the dad left.

Thanks for the articles Y&RWorldTurner. Very interesting reading.

That's quite a daunting task to try to get caught up in all that's happened since. I think you're best starting off with the June 2010 episodes, since it informs what's happening now. You can read Wiki to catch up with what's happened before. If you want to start off with a "big" episode, I might suggest the June 23rd hour-long episode where Stacey gives birth. The Lucas storyline is very frontburner at the moment and will be until the end of the month. It seems like the show will begin transitioning to newer stuff in August. You could also start there if you wish.

Is the K in your user-name for Kat? How do you feel about her and Alfie coming back in September?

I wonder how the re-design will look, or if it will be the same design as before.

That's nice that they had a BBQ for Barbara's last day..

Thanks Y&RWorldTurner! I'll start off with June 2010 then.

Yes, KSlater is for Kat Slater. I can't believe they are coming back -- I am happy because loud, mouthy, too short-skirt wearing Kat Slater is one of my all time favorite soap characters ever and I adore Alfie, although I wonder about his character without Nana and Spencer in the mix. Should be interesting. I know that the Louise Berridge period is often criticized as awful, but that is when I started watching EastEnders and a lot those characters featured during that time are near and dear to my heart.

I've been cutoff from EastEnders since right after Heather gave birth. I'm about to start trying to catch up -- is it worth watching from that point up to present or should I skip over some stuff? I know that a lot has happened since then. Thanks.

Does East enders come on any American channels. I would love to get into it?

I pay for it on DishNetwork - $9.95 for a monthly subscription. It's about four or five weeks behind the UK. I am rethinking continuing my subscription right now. For the first time since I started watching, I'm starting to get bored with the show.

I really cannot stand the actress who plays Sam Mitchell. I know she's the original (I never saw her before) but I think she's terrible.

Two movies the same weekend:

Hairspray--Fabulous! Left in a great mood after watching it.

La Vie en Rose--If Marion Cotillard isn't nominated for an Oscar, I will be shocked. She was brilliant as Edith Piaf.