EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Apparently, Alan Jackson has a 5 year old son that we'll see next week...

http://www.thecomet.net/news/letchworth_youngster_to_appear_in_eastenders_1_684090

[DRW50]

The Billy/Billie confusion doesn't die even after Billie did.

At first I was surprised they were casting a son for Alan, since he probably won't be around long, but now I see why -- the little boy looks so much like Billie did at that age. Carol is going to be devastated.

[DRW50]

HD starts November 3rd.

http://www.digitalspy.com/broadcasting/news/a283202/bbc-one-hd-sets-launch-date.html

[DRW50]

They're adding a scene where Patrick and Charlie talk about the drastic new spending cuts in the UK.

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a283418/eastenders-to-reference-spending-review.html

[dannigold]

Eatenders transitions to HD on Christmas day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/10_october/21/bbconehd.shtml

[DRW50]

Thanks for finding that. I thought it was early November.

[dannigold]

Here is the new Queen Vic

Edited October 21, 2010 by dannigold

[BadBoy93]

looks quite good. Very detailed.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Here's a pic of the new Vic with the Queen Victoria pic on it:

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Today's episode:

I felt sorry for Jim when Carol started yelling him and called him a racist. John Bardon is so old and fragile, it was hard to watch, though a realistic reaction from someone like Carol. Dot and Jim were not close to Billie, so obviously there was always going to be more pics of Sonia, Robbie, and Bradley there. Did Carol forget that Jim basically took care of two of her children when she was off the show with her beloved Billie? I did however hear there's a pic somewhere in Jim's livingroom of Billie, but I guess it was taken out.

I know Carol is grieving and her reactions are in character, but I don't feel sorry for her when she's raging at an old man. I loved when Dot told her ass to leave. It's a credit to Lindsey Coulson though that she made those scenes so understandable and you felt Carol's pain, even as Carol was acting out in really hateful ways. In the hands of a lesser actress, those scenes wouldn't have come off as competent.

At least they came up with excuses for why Robbie and Sonia wouldn't attend Billie's funeral. Sometimes I think if it were any of her other children that had died, Carol would not be reacting so strongly...

Morgan is one disgusting kid. A crisps with ketchup sandwich? Yuck. I can't help but feel the kid playing Morgan is brain dead most of the time, he's just not animated enough. Though, I wouldn't want someone as animated as the actress who plays Tiffany...

Liam's ass needs to be matured more. There's no reason why a 13 year old needs to be playing with his 4 year old younger brother all the time. I did feel sorry for him when Carol smacked him and he bled, though. I wonder how Bianca, Ricky, and Pat will find out about this and what their reactions will be. At least Carol felt guilty about it immediately after it happened.

Kat and Janine's banter was hilarious.

I'm glad Stacey and Ryan were ultimately able to work out a way for Ryan to see Lily peacefully. Though, you know Janine is going to do her best to screw that sh!t up. Kat is already telling Stacey to move in on him, she knows Janine won't cope well with this arrangement.

The poker game was OK and a nice way to get characters who wouldn't normally interact together.

I thought they worked in the dialogue about the spending cuts wisely. It's believable that old men like Charlie and Patrick would talk about stuff like that.

I have to say, though he's not a big character and hasn't had much material in years, I'm kind of going to miss Charlie just "being there." Probably has to do with my affection for the Slater era of the show. Derek Martin isn't the greatest actor, but he's believable as the old man who loved his girls and just wants some peace in his life.

[All My Shadows]

The new Vic looks nice! I wonder if the green is supposed to be a homage to when the whole thing was green in the early 90s.

I caught up on this week's M/T episodes. The R&R stuff was hilarious! Janine vs. the Slaters was comic gold, as was drunk Billy. I love Kim. She fits in well with every character they put her with, and I'm loving the atmosphere she brings to her scenes. The actress keeps looking familiar to me, but I'm too lazy to IMDb her. Drunk Billy was adorable, with all of his "What, I'm not cute enough for you!? I'm Billy Mitchell!!" huffing and puffing. Carol rejecting him is kinda funny considering what happens next week. Oh, and good on Roxy for spiking boring Syed's drink. She should have spiked it with a haircut.

When does Blossom return? I don't think I've ever seen any clips of her at all.

Edited October 22, 2010 by All My Shadows

[DRW50]

You might remember Tameka/Kim from Beautiful Thing. I've never seen it, actually, but do remember her from the promo, as she dressed as Mama Cass and when someone asked why she didn't dress as Madonna she said Madonna was rubbish or something.

New spoilers:

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1372352

[Bright Eyes]

Not really excited about having Ronnie and Roxy on all week. But they are the reason for Glenda ... such a double edged sword.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Today's episode:

It was funny and nice seeing Janine with Lily. I loved that Janine ran to Pat for help when she couldn't deal. It seems like Pat is everyone's maternal figure these days, and I like it very much.

You can tell Janine didn't think this was going to be a permanent arrangement though, especially when she made it a point to bring Lily back to Stacey. She seemed shock when Ryan told her that Lily would be spending more time with them soon.

Seems like Roxy and Alfie are developing a friendship. Roxy seems so lonely especially since they've said that she and Christian haven't been hanging out much since Christian and Syed became official. She's clearly looking for friends, and she and Alfie do have a nice dynamic. I hope it won't be romantic though. It seems like their friendship could be similar to the one Sam and Alfie had when Kim Medcalf was in the role.

Billy and Julie work really well together.

The stuff with Carol inviting the family was nicely done and then when she went off on them when Bianca noticed what she did to Liam. Carol's outburst was in character, but made her seem like a total cow, but that's the way she deals with her pain and grief. I think the scene between Bianca and Lauren when Lauren didn't want to show up and Bianca had to persuade her to come was really good.

I felt sorry for Bianca when Carol told her that Billie wouldn't have died if Bianca didn't drag him back.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

A preview from Monday November 1st involving Janine, Ryan, and Lily:

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