EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

When Kat was screaming and pounding on the door, I did feel something. And bits and pieces in the scenes when Mo told her everything. I think a lot of the failure is in the poor, repetitive dialogue - how many times did we need to hear her talking about how awful the Slaters are and she's been lied to? 

 

It's all very self-indulgent. Oh the Slaters and their lies and dirty secrets - it just feels like a self-parody.

 

I have always liked Charlie, weak as he is. I'll miss him.

[NothinButAttitude]

Charlie being weak is the main reason why I can't stand him. The only time I ever seen him possess some strength was when Kat revealed to him that his brother raped her, thus resulting in Zoe. 

 

I'm just over retcon history and deep, dark secrets with the Slater family. I'd prefer them to have a bright and happy year this year. Give them the comedic stuff. I'd rather divulge more into Denise and Kim's past. Masood's past. Kush and Carmel's past. Had they not f-cked up Sharon's return, I would've loved to have seen a backstory on her time abroad with Michelle. I would enjoy Vincent's backstory if it wasn't absurd and retconning the history of EE. 

 

I'm just over the Beales, Carters, Mitchells, and Slaters being in peril. 

[BetterForgotten]

I wonder how Tony Jordan and John Yorke feel about these Slater stories, they really loved and invested in that family. Charlie was mostly a nothing character, but I will miss him too and don't see the value in killing him off as he's not even a main contract character anymore. 

 

I see Sarah Phelps has been praising the these stories on Twitter, and it's making me reconsider the pedestal I've placed her writing ability on, and she did write some of the best episodes for Kat and Stacey at one point...

 

As weird as these stories are, I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Slater's, and the show has failed to introduce a successful family dynamic on the show since the initial years of this family. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by BetterForgotten

[NothinButAttitude]

I think the Masoods and the Foxes were the last great families to come onto the Square; however, DTC doesn't do them much justice. Especially, the Foxes. 

 

When it comes to the Slaters, I loved them too but this regime is starting to make me not care for them at all.

[BetterForgotten]

I think the Masood's had a goof first year that was quickly ruined by excesses on Santer and DTC's part, they could have been stronger, but the show never tried. They've also suffered without Zainab, and have proceeded to trash the character because Nina Wadia won't return. 

 

The Foxes have always been an afterthought to this show, Denise is the only one that's appealing, and I don't think she's a character that really needs family around her (but then, they don't invest in her by herself unfortunately). Libby and Chelsea were played by poor actors and never had any development, and Kim is pretty much a parody at this point.

Edited January 7, 2016 by BetterForgotten

[BetterForgotten]

I haven't seen it, but I am glad to hear that Sharon and Kat shared scenes in tonight's episode. I know there were endless reports in the press about Dean and Wallace not getting along in the early 00's, which they both denied, but the two characters always should have interacted more in the past. 

[NothinButAttitude]

Two part episode. I'll comment once I watch them.

 

[DRW50]

Episode 1:

 

- Everything with Kat and Sharon was exemplary, heartfelt, honest, and raw, and best of all, understated. To me this is Eastenders as it should be. 

 

- Kat and Charlie coming to terms and Kat forgiving him as he died was very emotionally powerful. Jessie Wallace really got to me, and it was Derek Martin's best work. It closed a door on the Slater history in a way that was, as someone mentioned before, melodramatic, but in a good way. And it wasn't about "mystery" or "twists" or "shock."

 

- I'm sorry that the show chose to overegg the pudding with the whole "Nite nite Dad" + Julia's Theme. I would have preferred to have seen Kat standing over his body, putting the covers over him, with Julia's Theme playing a bit more softly throughout, and having this scene extended a bit (there was certainly enough to cut). 

 

- Again the scenes with Alfie stood out for me, and he and Phil worked well in intertwined storylines. I vastly prefer Steve McFadden in scenes like this to the boozeup or raspy shoutfest of the week.

 

- Lacey Turner is a wonderful actress, but I was reminded throughout the episode that it's not always about acting. No amount of acting talent could make me invest in the highly repetitive scenes of her pottering here there and everywhere with that baby, complete with various characters getting stupid pills just so literally no one would stop her. I had to laugh when Kush was transfixed, gawping at the window, so that she could very, very slowly leave Dot's house with the baby. I still feel like this story should not have been put in the same week as Charlie's death - Charlie having to take a break from dying to spit out expository dialogue about Brian's "3 daughters" took away from some of the power of his scenes.

 

- For all the talk of Claudette being "the new Peggy," Carmel reminded me far more of Peggy (mid '90s-early '00s Peggy) with Kush. Push, push, push, while claiming sweet and nice. Kush is a weak man and the show allows him to remain a "nice" character by shifting all the plot movement onto the women in his life. I'm sorry to see Carmel going this route, but I guess I'm not surprised.

 

- Given the publicity over the importance of hiring a transgender actor, I'm not sure why this episode chose to cloud transitioning as something nefarious and mysterious, complete with an evil-looking grin on Kyle at the end of the episode. 

 

- The girl who plays Jade works so well with Shabnam. I'm so glad we got those quiet, soft scenes of them together.

Edited January 8, 2016 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

I enjoyed Sharon and Kat. I thought their scene were cute together. I enjoyed Carmel and Denise bonding too. Tonight was a good night for female friendships. 

 

I skipped over Alfie/Phil. Both of them annoy me to no end. 

 

I was moved to tears when Charlie died and Kat told Stacey. Lacey and Jessie brought the house down. 

 

I actually enjoyed Stacey descent into madness. It was actually good. 

 

Martin got on my damn nerves tonight being rude to Kyle. I'm kind of ready for the rug to pulled from underneath his ass. 

[DRW50]

Episode 2:

 

- I guess the guy who plays Kyle at least got brought in with a flashy story, which many would envy, but I felt like he was out of his depth in all of the scenes where Stacey went on and on some more. Then again I thought almost everyone involved in this just resorted to histrionics, and it felt like a lot of nothing. The only scenes I could take were the quiet ones - her Charlie hallucination, the talk with Shabnam that made her want to go on the roof. 

 

- The scenes with Nancy and Tamwar were a nice balance to all the misery, with, thankfully, minimal Babe. I laughed when Tamwar was horrified by Masood's shirt (I tend to wonder if that was an ad-lib). Kamil is really growing up. It will be nice to see Tamwar not have to be abused on the stalls...

 

- Shabnam's knowing, weary, but still very potent fury when she overheard Kush's latest chin-wobble was the best part of the episode for me. She knows how to give a look. 

 

- Second best was probably Kat at the Slater flat, numb over Charlie's death. Good stuff. 

 

- I would have liked the Denise and Carmel talk more if Carmel hadn't blithely given out Shabnam's medical information. Still, it was nice to see Denise. 

[Dion]

The Shabnam death stare is worthy of a million memes.

[YRBB]

Former EastEnders actress, Sian Blake, and her two sons found murdered. 

[BetterForgotten]

With the Julia's Theme ending for Charlie's death this week, it got me thinking. I think the Slater's are the family with the most Julia's Theme endings in the show's history.

 

Here's a recap of all of their JT moments:

 

- Anthony proposing to Zoe (2002)

 

- Little Mo's return from prison (2002)

 

- Alfie's interruption of Kat's wedding to Andy Hunter (2003)

 

- Zoe's exit and goodbye with Kat (2005)

 

- Stacey's return to Walford after Jean's suicide attempt and looking at a picture of her brother, Sean (2005)

 

- Stacey holds her daughter after giving birth (2010)

 

- Stacey leaves Walford (2010)

 

- Charlie leaves Walford in a train after saying goodbye to Kat (2011)

 

- Kat and Alfie are reunited with Tommy (2011)

 

- Jean leaves Walford with Ollie (2013)

 

- Kat and Alfie leave Walford for Spain after winning the lottery (2015)

 

- Charlie's death after coming to terms with Kat (2015)

[NothinButAttitude]

Not surprised, but nowadays, anyone can get Julia's Theme when it used to be used for special occasions. 

[NothinButAttitude]

Jordan has been recast: