EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I thought this was a strong episode. I also thought it was notable that you had three big stories featuring characters of three different races -- this is something which really hasn't been all that common since the days of Tony Holland and Julia Smith.

They finally addressed that Patrick's biological family is long gone, he feels like he failed them. He has used Denise and her kids as a surrogate family and once that ended disastrously it is understandable that Patrick would implode. Patrick is a character again, not just a plot point. It's a long time coming. Rudolph Walker was wonderful. The scene which probably got me most was the look on Jim's face at what Patrick was saying. John Bardon is such a strong actor even now.

Tiana Benjamin is so underrated, she's been very good every day in this storyline. Nice continuity to remember the little troll doll Preeti gave her, even if it's gone now.

I always prefer Kim in the quieter moments, as she was with Libby and Chelsea and Jordan, but the railing at Lucas was a very dramatic scene.

I was not fond of the way Zainab was written in this episode. I don't believe that Zainab would be callous about Libby's feelings just because Syed has left the family for Christian. That scene where she couldn't believe the Minute Mart was closed was kind of odd. I also tend to roll my eyes sometimes at the idea of Tamwar torn between brother and parents, as he has never been all that close to Syed, and should have felt more resentment over what Syed did to Amira than he has felt. Still, the scenes where he asked Syed to come home were good.

Christian going to the mosque didn't surprise me. I do wish that they would address Christian's past inability to stay faithful to a partner. This is another occasion where you can't just say "Gay men don't cheat." Not all of them do, but Christian does. Anyway, overall Marc Elliot and John Partridge are believable in the intimate moments and I'm glad Eastenders let the characters kiss for a second.

Has Dagenham Dave been on the show before?

I was happy to see Olive again. Sylvia Syms is a very well respected actress in the UK and she always adds a little spark to her work on EE. Olive is a button-pusher and a real piece of work at times -- she always seems to say something that causes an uproar. I remember how rude she was to Stella, which ended in Stella banging her own head against the wall again and again.

The rape reveal scenes were as good as I expected, or better. I will say that I didn't really like how Glenda used the situation to her advantage, I would have liked more genuine remorse from her, but oh well, I guess that's her character. Seeing Peggy look and look for a reason not to believe Ronnie was just awful, but true to life. Roxy's anger was the best work I've ever seen from Rita Symons. And of course Samantha Womack was amazing, as Y&RWT mentioned she underplayed her scenes as Ronnie would. Heartbreaking stuff. The scene where Jack supported her was a very important moment, as this is the type of stuff Rack rarely had until recently. The moment I felt the worst for Ronnie was when she said she was just a little tart. And the way she talked about how Archie preyed on her, and her memories being so clear, all the little details. I feel like someone did their homework with these scenes.

It was strange she chose that as it was as dated as Glenda's wedding dress. I thought the dress was kind of strange for her but I did like the waist, what do you call that, empire?

I also really liked the scene where Libby remembered she has to plan two funerals. I don't normally think Belinda is the greatest actress but she's come into her own lately. Her reaction to Patrick throwing them out was so sad.

[Ann_SS]

I'm pretty sure that Syed's jealousy which has been there from the beginning was put there to lay the ground work for the issue of Christian's faithfulness. However, I really think that these two deserve a few episodes of happiness before more drama starts.

Does Christian cheat? I thought that he has never has a partner and has mostly done one night stands and flings. While I think that his partying, flirting, and faithfulness should be an issue for Syed, I really can't see Christian cheating on Syed anytime soon. It should be held back as a story for a couple years down the line.

I really have been impressed with Marc Elliot's portrayal of Syed over last three episodes. I believe that Syed loves Christian now. And I love the regular kissing. It feels like Kirkwood is giving the finger to the complainers on purpose. I really feel that the popularity of Christian and Syed allows Kirkwood to be more daring with them.

Edited July 21, 2010 by Ann_SS

[DRW50]

I thought that in Christian's early months on the show they said he cheated on his partners. I can't remember now.

I thought the show did a good job, at least in those scenes after Jordan got angry and left the Branning house, of showing why Abi would become tired of Jordan and have a crush on Darren. I was a bit thrown last week when she suddenly just had a crush on him.

I can't help feeling sorry for the young man who plays Jordan. For months all he had to talk about was that damn tree. Now it's endless talk about how it's my fault and think of me and me me me me me.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Ratings were VERY strong for last night's episode:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a247665/ronnie-reveal-attracts-88m-for-enders.html

[dannigold]

Last nights writer Colin Wyatt, has left the show after eight years.

Edited July 21, 2010 by dannigold

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Apparently, his last episode will air on September 14th.

He'll be writing for Holby City now and has original series in development at Red Planet with Simon Winstone and Tony Jordan.

I see he has his own site: http://colinwyatt.com/

[dannigold]

At least we know why he has left, unlike Pete Mattessi.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Apparently, the peak figure for last night's episode was 9.2 million at 8 PM.

I heard this episode didn't even get much promotion, and the fact that it did so well in a summer month is astounding to me. Kudos to the show for doing so well in the summer, which used to traditionally be a tough time for soap ratings.

[Ann_SS]

These strong summer ratings are good news for EastEnders, especially since they aren't doing tons of promotion. It shows that the audience is engaged. I think that the audience is tuning in for stories that are peaking or at crucial turning points. The Lucas reveal will be another big ratings draw.

[DRW50]

It's surprising to see the ratings so strong, because none of these stories are the traditional shock value fare -- no big explosions, no affairs being revealed. Denise was killed off recently but the aftermath of that is still playing out. For the show to get such huge ratings at a time when the stories are much more emotional and psychological, and involve very unpleasant subjects like a woman dealing with her sexual abuse as a girl, is really something. I think it proves again that you don't necessarily need sensational stories, just powerful, character-driven moments, and I think it also helps show that solid pacing will help keep viewers interested (although I know these ratings are also building up on what has been happening with ratings momentum for 2-3 years now).

Sometimes I think soaps say hey, let's just have some filler and then people will come back for the big moment. You can have a show where every episode has one big moment or another, and where the filler isn't slapped together at the last minute.

I know it's about more than quality (if it were about quality I think Emmerdale would be higher and Corrie lower) but still, I'm really happy the show is getting rewarded for their very consistent run this summer. The show hasn't been this consistent for me since John Yorke.

[DRW50]

Someone said that one of the soap magazines

[Y&RWorldTurner]

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Kirkwood said something about this while he was at Hollyoaks, so maybe he's applying that philosophy at this show or will in the future.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17095372&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=my-plot-to-clean-up-at-the-tv-soap-awards--name_page.html

[JamesF]

I fear we're rapidly heading back to the 'good' old days.

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Hilarious OTT moments, no drama that actually resonates.

[DRW50]

That was such a WTF moment. Say one thing about Kathleen Hutchinson (wasn't this still her?), she seemed to know how to do the American primetime soap moments better than just about anyone else at Eastenders.

Peggy can be such a ridiculous character sometimes, they were lucky to have Barbara Windsor who makes that stuff work (and of course she was lucky to have them). I guess it helped that Barbara wasn't around until the end of the story. Two years of Peggy yapping and snapping at the Watts would have been exhausting.