EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[hsfolk]

it was kind of surprising the show didn't going the Steven & Johnny route, because when they met at the Vic it seemed like Steven was almost flirting w/ him

[DRW50]

 

Aaron Sidwell, I believe, said they did that as a fakeout so viewers would be surprised he was now with Lauren.

 

Not only did it not work (Steven/Lauren was so obvious people called it from their first scene together), it's since been a noose around the show's neck, as they had far more chemistry in one queerbaiting scene than Lauren and Steven ever had. 

[hsfolk]

it's more like a middle finger..both Steven and Ben left the show as gay and came back claiming to be straight

[cassadine1991]

Was this under the previous EP?

 

Lauren should've stayed with Peter or they should've recast him

[hsfolk]

maybe, didn't really follow EE until Johnny...hell, Ben came out as gay and left then when he came back he was straight before coming out again

[cassadine1991]

Yeah that was infuriating 

[DRW50]

 

He was never straight. He was written as lusting after men very quickly. He was lying to himself for Phil. It was a bad storyline (as it was obvious DTC just wanted to do his own version of Ben's coming out story - there were no stakes, Phil didn't give a damn about Ben when he was "straight" or now that he's openly gay), but he was never straight. 

 

They seem to actually be saying Steven is straight. Or at the very least allowing people to assume he is. Aaron Sidwell tweeted that Steven is bi, but that's not on the show.

[hsfolk]

Steven being bi would have made it interesting 

[Vee]

Yeah, nothing about the Steven character makes an ounce of sense if we are expected to take his conversion seriously (which I don't). And his past being swept under the rug is equally strange. He's a non-entity.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Vee

[hsfolk]

i wonder if Christian came back would the show ignore what went down between him & Steven?

[MichaelGL]

I think the actor acknowledging that his character is bi, just shows that the show is waiting to play on that part of Steve at the appropriate time. It's why they writers are purposely trying to paint Lauren and Steven as being incompatible. Perhaps once Lauren and Steven are obviously done with they explore his bisexuality more. 

 

[DRW50]

 

I took that more as the actor appeasing fans, especially since the scene was one of the more blatant examples of queerbaiting I've ever seen. I do think it's a possibility, but now if he suddenly goes after men while being "bad" again, it will just be another stereotype. 

[InLoveWithSoaps]

I felt quite old when they mentioned Ben's age. I thought he'd be 25 by now. No way was Paul only 20! Ben & Johnny wouldn't work but I expect this "no way are we dating!" thing to lead into them developing feelings for each other. I can't see Ben with Steven either, but I just don't enjoy seeing him in relationships to be fair. He is so smug generally. Jay has not had any relationship in a long time either. It's just that the whole early 20's set is not a priority it seems, I mean it's weird they haven't put Abi & Jay back together given they're both single, they just don't care. Lauren & Steven, talk about boring. I'll never understand having her leave the country with one brother and coming back with the other. Why couldn't it have been a new guy altogether, it's not as if Steven has had more than 30 minutes of airtime since coming back. Is the guy Lauren met Will Savage from Hollyoaks? He looks familiar.
They need to stop with those quiz nights and board games and what-not. It's just filler and so repetitive.
The Kat & Alfie spin-off is apparently airing in May. I miss Kat.

[DRW50]

 

I think Ben could work in a relationship, as he did when allowed happy moments with Paul, but the show doesn't really care about giving him a relationship. 

 

I think the idea was supposed to be that Lauren was with the "good" brother she thought went bad, and was now with the "good" brother who was actually bad. I imagine we were supposed to soon learn that Steven was wicked and wrong. We probably still will.

 

The guy who played the boring copier man - http://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/tv/eastenders/eastenders-extra-photo-copier-guy/

[Skylover]

I don't have a problem with Steven's bisexuality not being explored while he's in a relationship with a woman, but the strange thing is that no-one has questioned Steven being with a woman after he dated Stacey and that went pair-shaped because he came onto Christian. If this was real life the characters would at least mention it.