Jump to content

EastEnders: Discussion Thread


Toups

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 8.6k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

This was in the NYTimes, but seems to be a syndicated piece.

UK Soap 'EastEnders' Celebrates 25 Years of Misery Sign in to Recommend

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: February 19, 2010

Filed at 6:42 p.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- Someone killed Archie Mitchell, bludgeoning the pub landlord with the bust of Queen Victoria that stood proudly atop his bar.

Millions of Britons wanted to know who did it; thousands placed bets. Mitchell was a character in the soap opera ''EastEnders,'' which marked its 25th birthday Friday with a live episode, when up to 15 million viewers tuned in to learn Stacey Slater had murdered him in revenge for raping her.

The BBC said even the actor playing the killer did not know whodunit until half an hour before the live transmission. The cast rehearsed 10 possible endings as it prepared for a complex broadcast involving 51 actors, 36 camera operators and 13 makeup artists.

British soaps have a special place in the nation's heart, attracting huge ratings and generating political debate, despite being gritty, unglamorous and routinely derided by cultural commentators.

''American soaps are about watching beautiful people suffer,'' said Tim Teeman, arts editor of The Times of London newspaper and a big soap fan. ''We like to watch ugly people suffer.''

''EastEnders'' was launched by the BBC in 1985 as a cockney rival to the northern English soap ''Coronation Street,'' which is marking its 50th birthday this year. ''EastEnders'' is set in Albert Square, a TV version of a typical working-class London district. There's a Tube station, Victorian houses, a street market, a cafe, a laundromat and a pub, the Queen Victoria, that serves as the center of community life.

The Queen Vic is where the show's first great villain, ''Dirty'' Den Watts, served his wife Angie with divorce papers at Christmas 1986 after she had lied about having terminal cancer -- an event watched by 30 million people, more than half the British population.

More recently, it is where Archie met his demise -- the 76th ''EastEnders'' character to die.

Past residents of Albert Square have been shot, stabbed, strangled, impaled, burnt to death and run over. A study in the British Medical Journal once concluded that a soap character was a more dangerous role than bomb disposal expert, steeplejack or Formula One race car driver.

Unlike their American counterparts, British soaps are broadcast in the evening, and have a strikingly earthy tone. ''EastEnders'' is a distinctive mix of violence, implausible plots -- long-lost children pop up regularly, and more than one character has come back from the dead -- and finely observed everyday detail.

Jamie Medhurst, a lecturer in film and television at Aberystwyth University, said British soaps emerged from a tradition of social realism, and still have one foot rooted in that world.

''They have to keep within the bounds of realism,'' he said. ''The audiences have to be able to see something of their own lives.''

The stars, too, are expected to remain down-to-earth. Gillian Taylforth, who starred on ''EastEnders'' for 15 years, said her family had been less than thrilled to learn she had got a part in a soap.

''I said: 'I've got this fantastic new job,''' she told the BBC on Friday. ''And my mum and dad went: 'Oh,' and their faces dropped ... They said: 'We thought you were going to tell us you'd got engaged.'''

British soaps have fans in high places -- Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, recently expressed a desire for a walk-on part in ''Coronation Street.'' But some politicians remain unconvinced of their worth.

Two Conservative lawmakers squared off this week on whether ''EastEnders'' is good for society. The party's culture spokesman, Jeremy Hunt, wished the show happy 25th birthday and praised it for raising difficult social issues. But children's spokesman Tim Loughton said it perpetuated damaging stereotypes.

''Social workers are always caricatured as sandal-wearing interferers; the police as pretty dim and flat-footed and teachers as snotty busybodies,'' he wrote on a Conservative blog.

Supporters argue that ''EastEnders'' takes on serious social issues, from teen pregnancy to drug abuse, racism and homophobia, and has reflected -- and at times pushed -- changes in British society.

The show recently saw its first Muslim wedding, when Syed Masood married his fiancee Amira in a lavish ceremony -- to the dismay of his secret boyfriend, Christian.

Some had predicted there would be a negative reaction to a gay Muslim character, but the story line has been welcomed by viewers, with many fans rooting for Syed and Christian's romance to succeed.

''In the beginning soaps were leading public opinion, and that's why they were so shocking,'' Teeman said. ''Now public opinion is ahead of them, so you keep having to up the ante. You can no longer just have a gay couple. You have a gay couple who are separated by religion, basically. And the audience is on their side, 100 percent.''

------

On the Net: http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/twentyfive/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks for the articles. The NYT one is better than I expected, perhaps because they don't know that much about the show. I'm glad the usual cliches (it's so gritty, it's so depressing!) were kept to something of a minimum.

Thank you for the live article too Sylph.

I hate what they did to Archie. They have, in the space of a few months, made him into a rapist, and now someone who raped his own daughter. I don't believe that this was something which was initially built into his character, and they have not really explored any of the consequences of rape. It's just a plot device. When Kathy Beale was raped it was a huge and long-term impact on her life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I wonder if they will write Stacey out. All they do with her is pile on the misery, but now, she has caused Bradley's death, in that she knew all along she had killed Archie yet she let him become a prime suspect, she was out clubbing and laughing while he was having a breakdown, she let him panic for months, leading to his death.

I just don't know where this character can go after this. You can't get much more miserable or devastated than this, and they've ripped a lot of the soul out of the character. If she could do that to Bradley than she would do it to anyone.

Edited by CarlD2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Judging by the way he put his fingers in his mouth, Jake Wood agrees with you.

I did think it was silly. Thankfully we had some advance warning. I'm glad the tabloids are there for that. If I didn't know we'd have these stupid moments like Tanya burying Max alive or Nick blowing up the cafe I'd think someone just lost a bet right before taping.

Edited by CarlD2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

From digital spy

EastEnders' live anniversary edition averaged just under 15m last night and peaked at 16.6m in the final five minutes.

The half-hour live broadcast, which saw Bradley plummet to his death from the roof of The Vic before Stacey was unveiled as Archie's killer, pulled in an average of 14.91m (54.6%). The number peaked at 16.58m (59.4%) between 8.25pm and 8.30pm. BBC Three's repeat showing from 10.30pm added a further 1.42m (7.7%).

The George Lamb-fronted BBC Three reaction show EastEnders Live: The Aftermath drew 4.3m (15.9%) in the hour from 8.30pm and was by far the most-watched multichannel programme of the day. The figures were also BBC Three's best ever ratings and the highest ever ratings for a multichannel programme. A further 1.21m (9.4%) caught the repeat from 11pm.

Coronation Street's double bill, during which Gail told Tina the truth about Joe and the police arrived on the Street to question Gail, drew 9.94m (41%) and 8.63m (31.3%) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

ITV2's repeats in the hour from 11.40pm added 142k (1.4%) and 212k (4.8%) respectively.

Emmerdale's offering took 7.48m (34%).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

So all this time, Stacey knew not only that she killed Archie, but that her baby wasn't his? (Who is the father, btw?) I mean, [!@#$%^&*]. What kind of woman lies LIKE that to the man she loves? She never even broke a sweat about the whole thing, and poor Bradley was coming unspooled the whole time. I want to slap the bitch. Ugh. And now she literally has Bradley's blood on her hands too. I wouldn't be surprised if they just let Bradley take the fall (haha literally) as Archie's murderer and Stacey and the baby get to live happily ever after. As sick as it all was, I still think that's what Bradley would want.

Was not at all surprised to learn that Archie had sexually abused Ronnie. That was bubbling under the surface with her the whole time.

Roxy was being a cow. It's about time she realizes who her dad was stops trying to paint him as some "misguided" bad guy.

The acting was pretty good for it being a live show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • How did I never notice how tall Colton was?

      Please register in order to view this content

    • They didn't need to have some slutty gay dude as their representation. Just a 'normal' guy getting involved with another guy or two (or three). Just like the straight characters. Thinking about it, they missed the boat by not having a few other single charcters at the beginning. Maybe Naomi or Ashley could be shown meeting Derek/Jacob andĀ  we could follow their romance. Too many characters were coupled up at the start. As a tattoo hater I was surprised to see Tomas so inked. Don't find it attractive or sexy. I'm surprised an actor would do that as it's definitely a statement and may not be appropriate for some roles. Suppose they can cover if necessary. I didn't buy Kat being all girly and then paying off Darius to get into Eva's room. Way too cliche. She should have just come along when the housekeeping was leaving and breezed in saying it was her room. And her smug looks in the hotel room and 'Now I've got you!!' talks to herself at Orphey Gene's...no. Ā 
    • Omg I was so annoyed. Like girl calm down. Coming on way too strong. Omg I forgot about this

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I thought it got stale before Jocks death lol. His death picked things back up for me.
    • 1976 Pt 5 Tony is summoned to the reading of the will in the Llanfair library,as he’s a principal in the will. He tells Joe there’s not a chance of coming to terms with Dorian, as he is sure she brought about Victor’s death by torturing him emotionally when he was her helpless prisoner after his stroke. Ironically, Chapin hand delivers to Viki a letter her father wrote before his stroke, praising Dorian and asking Viki to befriend and support his widow when he was no longer there. Viki feels a responsibility to her father’s wishes and vows to try with Dorian. Victor’s will leaves the expected amounts to members of his family and staff, with the lion’s share of his stock and property going to Dorian. Victor’s will explains that his son Tony expressed the desire that he not be ā€œbought from the grave,ā€ and, in keeping with his son’s wishes, the only bequest to him is the knowledge of his father’s love and respect. Tony is deeply moved. Dorian’s first attempt to use her new power is the recommendation of Peter as head of the Merideth Lord Wolek hospital wing, claiming that naming Larry would be virtual nepotism.Ā Peter, who has devoted considerable time and effort to helping Jenny get over Tim’s death with gentle, affectionate support, is happy at this suggestion, but Jenny points out Dorian is merely using him to hurt Larry. Viki disregards Dorian’s ingenuous assurances that she’s not trying to wield her new power but is merely putting Peter up for consideration for a future opportunity, if not this one, and tells her she won’t be able to fulfill her father’s desire that they be friends unless Dorian stops interfering. Larry, fully understanding Dorian’s personal motives, warns her he’s going to fight for the appointment no matter what. Realizing that she has made a tactical error, Dorian announces that she won’t even attend the board meeting but will give her proxy to Jim. She admits to Matt McAllister, still her confidant, that this was humiliating, but it was a necessary protective tactic. Dorian manages to win her next round at Joe’s office when, after he praises her decision to yield on appointing Peter, she expresses concern for Viki ā€œat a time like this.ā€ Joe, of course, jumps on her words, and Dorian, pretending great distress at having mentioned something she shouldn’t have, is ā€œforcedā€ to explain that she knew about the congenital heart condition Megan had and that any child of Joe’s is likely to inherit it. She overheard the doctors discussing it at the time of the accident, she continues, and naturally assumed that Joe already knew.Ā  Joe arranges a meeting at home with Viki and asks her how she could live a lie like this; how she could go through their lives as if everything were fine while every moment was a lie. He is further upset when, in trying to explain that it was out of her love for him that she kept the truth from him, she mentions that Jim and Larry also know but Cathy still hasn’t been told. Viki tells Joe that Dorian deliberately told him this way to hurt their marriage, and she is very upset when he starts toward the door, pleading that they have always talked things out in the past. Joe coolly points out that she didn’t do that when she learned about Megan and continues out the door.Ā  A tearful Viki is shaken and when Joe later returns, having spent several hours in a bar drinking only soft drinks,she breaks down, crying that she was convinced he’d left her. Joe assures her they can get through this despite everything, because their relation is based on love and mutual respect.Ā 
    • If you think about it, DALLAS and DYNASTY grew stale right about the same time, even if the ratings were slow to reflect that.Ā  FC and KL, on the other hand, tried to stay fresh, but KL was way more successful at it, I think, than FC.Ā  (That [!@#$%^&*] with The Thirteen does not hold up well, lol).
    • GH 1976 Pt 8 Heather takes advantage of the situation by asking Jeff to come and look at Tommy. She uses sympathy, compassion, and her own feminine wiles, together with his misery and his pills, to lure him into bed. Later, sober, he apologizes. Learning from Pearson that Monica has seen a divorce lawyer, Jeff confronts her, and she insists it’s a lie. Avoiding his attempts to kiss her, she musses her hair and tears her blouse, then rushes to Rick’s, claiming that she can’t stay with that maniac any longer. They wind up in Rick’s bed, and after making love he confesses he always loved her. Rick replies to her question of whether he wants to marry her by saying he has to talk to Jeff. Monica insists that Jeff not bear any pressure from their problems. As she leaves, Rick gives her a key to his apartment. Jeff, having spent the night drinking, misses his surgical assignment, and Steve, informing him that his personal life can’t interfere with his profession, puts him on suspension. Rick can’t persuade Steve to reverse his decision, but Mark, sensing what’s at the heart of Jeff’s problem, convinces Steve to lift Jeff’s suspension and transfer him to Mark’s service. Rick asks for his key back, telling Monica they can’t do anything as long as she’s under Jeff’s roof. So she has a duplicate made and moves into intern’s quarters, explaining that Jeff’s violence drove her out. She tells Jeff she needs privacy to work things out, and tells Rick Jeff wanted her out. Thinking that this is the preliminary to a divorce, Rick tells her she can come to his place. In New York, Leslie’s abortion is delayed by a mix-up in scheduling, and she calls Terri to commiserate. Rick overhears Terri’s conversation and forces the whole story from her. He flies to New York to stop Leslie, feeling responsible for pointing out how evil Cam was, and arrives to find that she has decided she can’t deny her child the right to live. Monica, meanwhile, expecting that Rick will be home, uses her key to let herself into his apartment and is shocked to find Mark there; knowing that Mark was uncomfortable at the hotel, Rick offered Mark use of the apartment in his absence. Monica is upset to learn that Rick is in New York with Leslie, and Mark doesn’t know why. Mark does advise Monica to play fair with Jeff, but she resents his interference. The next day, while covering for Leslie at the clinic, Monica discovers Leslie’s lab test report and jumps to the conclusion that the baby is Rick’s. When Rick and Leslie return, Monica wastes no time in accusing him. He is dismayed to see that she is still as suspicious and possessive as she was before he went to Africa, and points out that her making a duplicateĀ  key proves she hasn’t changed. Terri encourages Leslie to see Rick in a romantic light and then suggests to Rick that Leslie is interested in him. Rick likes this idea and tells Mark he’s growing ā€˜unwilling to cope with Monica’s unreasonable demands. But Monica immediately recognizes the threat Leslie represents and decides to attack. She goes to Leslie and tells her flatly that she and Rick are having an affair and he’s her exclusive property. Leslie, who realizes she has been falling in love with Rick, is hurt, and Rick is mystified when he feels Leslie pulling away from him. Monica’s big moment comes when she brings Rick a housewarming gift and seduces him into letting her stay overnight. She is in the bedroom when Leslie stops by to apologize for refusing his dates, and makes a dramatic entrance into the living room draped in Rick’s bathrobe. Leslie turns and runs out. Rick later informs her he’s disappointed in her, because she prejudged Monica and him rather than giving him the benefit of the doubt. Heather tries to arrange another tryst with Jeff, but he replies that he still loves his wife. Heather decides there’s only one way to get Jeff to be pregnant with his child. She manages to overhear Monica putting Jeff down by telling him he no longer turns her on and should look for someone he does. Heather goes to Jeff and tells him that she heard Monica and that she is the one he’s looking for. She manages to get him into bed again, and sweetly assures him this is right. She then sets the stage for future meetings. Steve, meanwhile, offers to help Monica and Jeff work out their problems. Jeff is willing, but Monica turns the idea down. Instead, she presses Terri to convince Jeff to end the marriage. Terri now knows that Monica isn’t a good wife for Jeff and promises to try. But Jeff makes it clear to Monica that he still loves her and won’t let her go. She is bitter and upset, as she has already implied to Rick that she will soon be free. Audrey is upset to find that Florence Andrews has been inquiring about Tommy and herself. She goes to Florence’s home and finds she’s away now. Florence has gone down to Mexico to sign a sworn statement that she purchased a false death certificate for Tom, to protect his son after his wrongful conviction. Tom, learning from her that Steve and Audrey are to be married and Steve is planning to adopt Tommy, tellsĀ  Florence not to do anything, as there’s still no assurance that he’ll ever get out. But the judge does accept the statement, and, ironically, on the day that SteveĀ  and Audrey are married, Tom is released from prison.
    • 1976 Pt 12 Final part Laurie agrees with Stuart that Peggy is rushing into marriage to prove that the rape didn’t ruin her life.Ā  She points out that the only way Peg can be sure is to make love with Jack before the wedding. Stuart admits she’s right but points out that he can’t suggest that to Peggy. As the wedding approaches, Peg seems happy that Jack’s become close to the family. However, her happiness is shattered by a nightmare in which her loving bridegroom turns into a leering Ron Becker, forcing her to cancel the wedding. Jack reassures her he’ll wait as long as it takes, and Chris confides that she and Snapper didn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night because of her own rape experience, but Peggy tells Chris she might never be ready.Ā  Despite her desire to keep Karen as her own daughter, Chris helps a police artist create a sketch of Nancy so it can be printed in the newspaper as part of a search for her. When the attempt proves fruitless, however, Chris asks Greg to file application for permanent custody of the child. Greg points out that adoption is the only way to prevent Ron from returning and claiming the child, and that it will take quite a while. Meanwhile, a nurse in the psychiatric ward sees a resemblanceĀ  between the newspaper drawing and her autistic patient, Mrs. Jackson, but since ā€œFranā€ doesn’t respond to the name Nancy and no one else sees the similarity, she fears she’s mistaken. Jill is horrified to overhear Kay, when brihging baby Phillip a Christmas gift, telling the child she remembers the night he was conceived. Kay has to then admit to Jill she saw her with Phillip in the bunkhouse that night. Jill is aghast to realize that Kay new the truth all along and put her through such agony in spite of it, denying her baby his father’s name. Lance tells Laurie they’ll marry on Valentine’s Day. He laughs that it’s corny but agrees, secretly wishing it were sooner, as Vanessa has vowed to prevent it. Indeed, Vanessa makes an unprecedented venture out of the house to visit Brad, telling him to rebuff any advance Leslie might make to him, as she’s reaching out to him only from a sense of duty. But Laurie then makes a concerted effort to reach Vanessa. Without being sure why she’s trying so hard, she tries to assure the woman she’s not losing Lance and she, Laurie, will help her find a plastic surgeon somewhere who can help her. Grudgingly, Vanessa seems to be reconsidering her view of Laurie, and Laurie is delighted when Lance offers her a choice between two diamond necklaces, explaining that her preference will be Vanessa’s Christmas gift. Learning from Les about Brad’s blindness, Stuart tells Brad he could have turned Leslie away only out of great love. Knowing that Les is going to see Brad again, Laurie warns him not to bring the baby into their discussion, as Leslie will come back only she’s convinced he loves her, not for the babies sake. Leslie finds Brad disheveled and sloppy, and proceeds to straighten the apartment, stating that she can't respect him if he lets himself go. Realizing that neither Brad nor Les will make the first move, Laurie hurries things along by refusing to help Brad with his grooming, saying he should ask his wife. Then, having learnedĀ  that Brad offered Les the use of their piano, Laurie untunes the Brooks' piano forcing Leslie to accept his offer. By refusing to cater to hisĀ  blindness, Les manages to get Brad to stop wallowing in pity, and by the time Leslie’s Christmas braille message of her love and her need for him arrives, they are husband and wife again Lance takes Laurie on a business trip on New Year's Eve, and tells her, on board his plane, she won't beĀ  won't be able to call him ā€œMr. All Talk and No actionā€ after tonight. When Laurie protests that waited this long and will continue to wait until married, Lance delights her by instructing his pilot to land in Las Vegas, where they are married immediately.
    • Yeah, not sure why Jack and Jen didn’t rush to Marlena - or even Carrie - to offer their condolences. A few flashbacks would've been a nice touch too. Instead, we got a whole episode of them talking about Chad and Abby? Come on. On the bright side, I loved Anna’s scenes with Marlena and Carrie - sweet and heartfelt, felt like a real 80s throwback.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy