EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

That article infers they'll be a new team of storyliners, so he's probably just one of many. This is a shock, but we won't know if it's a good thing until the actual storylines and episodes start airing. But, hopefully, it will be a move in the right direction.

Same here.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Today's episode:

Diane Parish was brilliant once again. Don Gilet was great too. But did Lucas rape Denise?

This episode made me realize how thankfully the teens have been sidelined since Kirkwood took over, they're basically just supporting now. Also, Zsa Zsa and Leon have been sidelined for Mercy and Fatboy. I'm actually liking Fatboy these days, I thought he worked as a great catalyst for Lucas/Denise in this episode.

I didn't know the teens were going to dig up Owen's body, but it makes sense.

The day to day episodes seem to be fun again too. The stuff with Ronnie, Roxy, and Glenda dancing to 80's hits was fun.

I also love how Peggy and Glenda continue to spar. In particular I loved the line Glenda had about Peggy fitting in quite well with the old furniture behind the bar.

Becca is a ticking time bomb. She looked absolute mad when Ryan came over to give Stacey flowers, and the way she hovers arounf Stacey is just not normal. I really think she'll be kidnapping that child or hurting her in some way.

I also enjoyed the Stacey and Mo scenes towards the end, they were quite effective and touching.

I thought it was nice we got shots from different characters as they heard the teens screaming over finding Owen's body.

[Bright Eyes]

That was a great cliffhanger. And then we saw Lucas just knowing sh*t was about to hit the fan. I love Diane Parrish, such a great actress. Also, the actor that plays Leon is pretty cute, I can't judge him as a character but it's sad he's going since there are NO good looking guys on this show, sans Ryan. But, I hope you will all indulge me and answer some questions for my noob self ...

1) I'm guessing Shirley and Denise shared a man? (hilarious scene)

2) Other than Stacy, does anyone else know Bradley isn't Lily's father?

3) Who are Chelsea and Libby's parents? Who is Lucas' mother?

4) Where do the characters think Owen is?

5) Where is Sean? (Stacey's brother, right?)

Edited June 30, 2010 by Amello

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Kevin Wicks.

Jean knows, and so does Max I believe.

Lucas is Chelsea's father and Denise is her mother.

Owen is Libby's father and Denise is her mother. Lucas of course murdered Owen.

I assume you meant who is Jordan's mother? That would be Trina, who Lucas also murdered.

They don't know, they think he just left and doesn't want to be heard or seen again.

Yes, Stacey's brother.

From his Wiki profile:

On January 1, 2009, Sean gave Amy to Stacey and asked her to look after her for a few days, but she couldn't do it and gave Amy back to the Mitchells. Sean returned to the Vic and convinced Roxy to leave with him and Amy, but drove them to an icy lake with Ronnie and Jack in pursuit with the intention of driving into the water and drowning as a family. Roxy quickly got out of the car but Amy was still strapped in. When Ronnie and Jack arrived, Roxy coaxed Sean out onto the ice to allow Amy to be rescued. With Ronnie and Jack watching, the ice broke and the pair go under. Sean freed Roxy from the weeds in which she was entangled as Ronnie dove into the water to rescue her. Roxy and Ronnie escaped the frozen lake, but there was no sign of Sean. Roxy saw Sean crawling out of the water while Ronnie and Jack were warming up back at the car. She urged him to flee, and Sean walked away into the darkness.

[Bright Eyes]

Thanks. One more question. You guys keep saying Becca (who I do not like) is psychotic. Is this just speculation, or has the show foreshadowed this?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

She's been creepy and strangely overprotective and controlling of Stacey since day one. I think that's foreshadowing for her doing something drastic in the future.

[DRW50]

Becca was first seen in a mental institution with Stacey. As a "joke" she had bandages on her wrists.

Sean is a racist thug played by an actor who tended to look constipated most of the time.

Leon looks good sometimes but other times the scrawniness and the spots on his face work against him.

I think the show struggles to cast men with gravitas, or has in recent years, so that's why they may not seem as attractive. Of recent hires I think Fatboy is good looking, and Christian, although he's a bit overdeveloped (choosing body over face) and the expressions he makes when he cries are like EE's version of the ugly Oprah cry. And of course I think Max is very hot.

[Bright Eyes]

To answer YOUR question, I don't think he raped her. I just think he treated her like a slut in the sack, maybe was a rough with her?

Which leads me to another question ... Why doesn't Lucas want to sleep with her?

[DRW50]

He sees wanting to have sex with a woman as being impure, and wants his wife to be pure.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Well, before those scenes, Denise was heard shouting, "Lucas!" in a very scary tone. Then when we next saw her, she was shuck up and in tears.

Consumed by guilt and f.ucked up by religion over what he's done. So, he hasn't been focusing on anything else.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I forgot to mention, I also think this episode set up well the stuff regarding Archie raping Ronnie and how Ronnie wanted to tell Glenda...

[Bright Eyes]

Me too. I enjoy Samantha Janus. Who else knows about it?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Roxy, who refuses to believe it.

[Bright Eyes]

Not even Peggy? That surprises me for some reason.

[DRW50]

Before I watched the episode I heard the usual chorus of gee isn't Zsa Zsa wonderful, how can she leave, then when I watched she barely had anything to do, other than scream. She could fit in a Doctor Who episode I guess.

I'm not entirely sure that Fatboy's actions were in character for him but I agree that it was a good catalyst for other stories. I've heard some say that Mercy "whines", but I thought they did a decent job of showing how hurt she was. He really did humiliate her. I was actually very happy to see a teenager on the show be furious with the endless variations on, "Let's go to a party and spike the drinks and act like morons."

Diane Parish's work in this episode got to me on a level I have rarely felt with this show, especially not in recent years, where even the most harrowing scenes tend to have some sort of glass wall over them. There were so many just heartbreaking moments, and sad little things almost funny, like her reaction when Fatboy kissed her, but her face after Lucas forced himself onto her was just so hard to watch. I wonder if they will get any complaints. For me the scenes were critical in showing just how truly dangerous Lucas is and how beaten down Denise has become. A story where he grinds his family into the dust is where this should have been all along, as it's really come alive over the past month or two. He had no idea of what he had done to Denise or that she had any existence beyond some fantasy wife.

I have started to like Liz (now that she's leaving, sadly) but the back and forth between she and Patrick confuses the hell out of me.

I loved the sense of community in the episode, like everyone reacting to Zsa Zsa's screams, or earlier, when Ryan was sitting in the Vic and giving Peggy advice, or when Denise and Shirley were talking about the men in their lives. Is that the first real scene she's had with Shirley in ages? I also liked some of the layering of the characters, like having Shirley and Peggy ridicule Glenda, yet take up for her when that idiot said she was too old (I wonder if that stuff is still written with the original actress in mind, as Glynis Barber looks almost the same age as R&R, even though I know she isn't). The scenes with Peggy and Glenda where they snipe and smirk and sneer and then it starts to get truly nasty, they're addictive. I wish they had kept this up from the time Glenda first appeared in January.

Anyway, overall I thought this was the strongest episode in a long long long time.