EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Susan Tully retired from acting, right? I know she was asked back several times and said no.

Grant and the Mitchells still don't know Michelle left town pregnant with Grant's son. That's something that's never been resolved, Sharon must be the only one who knows.

It's amazing that Sharon and Michelle remained BFF's, when Michelle got knocked up by both Sharon's father and her ex-husband.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[DRW50]

Oh, Sharon knew about that?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The Grant stuff was never explicitly said, but I assume Michelle had to have told her at some point, given the age of her son and the fact Sharon was living with/close to her while in America.

I think they wanted Susan back when Grant came back briefly in 2005, and before that when they brought Vicky back. I think the stuff with Grant will remain unresolved since neither Susan or Ross are coming back.

[DRW50]

Did she ever tell Sharon she slept with Grant?

Supposedly they almost got Susan back once but it fell through. I think that might have been for a wedding or something.

I remember on Vicky's birthday in 2004 when Michelle called and there was some tension briefly as she knew Den was alive. I would have killed to have seen a conversation between them. Just one. Tully and Grantham were magic together.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

It was never discussed on-screen since Grant and Michelle slept together soon after Sharon left (their argument that led to sex was about Grant's poor treatment of Sharon), but I always assumed she had to have told Sharon who the father of her son was while they were living together all those years in America, and still living together since Sharon's second exit. Michelle left a couple of months after Sharon did in 1995, Sharon had to have worked that timeline out.

[DRW50]

Finally watched yesterday's episode.

I'm hoping the soldier Carol argued with might represent a new chapter for her. They sparked together from the start. I haven't seen such quick chemistry on the show in ages. I don't care about Billie or Carol or Whitney going on about Billie so I'd like to see her get to move on. Poor Shona, she was just hilariously awful in those scenes. I don't know whether it was intentional or not.

Glad that we won't have to deal with Louise and that frozen grin for a lot longer. The slap was better done than I'd expected, I thought it might end up like those Pat/Peggy slaps.

I'm liking Max and Vanessa; their ill-defined relationship seems very realistic. And all the showcasing of Jake Wood's bod epitomizes the so wrong but so right sex appeal of Max. Rainie reminds me of a lot of people. Laurie Metcalf. Summer from Hollyoaks. Among others. I know she's been around before several times but I usually never remember her. Interesting how she just immediately says, "I'm sober." Talk about a big neon sign.

The Abi/Jordan breakup was oddly done, but I guess it was supposed to be, to reinforce that Abi is trying to act much older than she is.

Great great stuff with Denise and family. I think this not being more OTT has led many to become uninterested in these scenes but I like the smaller moments. I think Tiana Benjamin is at her best in those quiet moments, particularly the one where she destroyed Lucas's watch. And Denise trying to deal with coming back home, Denise trying to talk and joke with Jordan and with Patrick, the awkward conversation with Libby. Just perfect. These characters, Denise and her kids, they could have been so much. While it's too late for Chelsea and Libby I hope this is just the start for Denise.

Edited August 4, 2010 by CarlD2

[Ann_SS]

I quite like the little actress who plays Louise. I will miss her. However, it is a good decision to send her to live with mother and save her from Phil.

I did like Carol's soldier. I hope this time around she softens so that this romance is somewhat believable.

[BadBoy93]

ill miss her too , but who knows ? Louise may return as a spoiled teenager one day and Lisa may be carved into a mental insitute.

Never the less Tonight`s episode spells the beginning of the end of the Original Mitchells.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Today's episode:

Lisa's return was short, and probably shouldn't have been promoted as much, but it got the job done. Her one-off return was clearly about explaining the loose ends in this story and why Louise was brought back, and to get Louise off the show again. I think they did a good job in that aspect, and it wasn't meant to be something overtly huge.

I'm happy that Lisa mentioned Jamie and Phil's relationship with him.

I know some are upset by the low-key exit that Chelsea, Libby, and Liz got, but really? Those characters just came off the Lucas story, and they were never anything more than secondary characters during most of their run. Their exits were the the best we could have gotten frankly. I thought the scenes between Denise and her girls were really good, and it was sad to see her in tears at the end with both of her girls gone, but realizing that it's for the best.

I'm glad Darren got to say goodbye to Libby.

Looks like Carol will be getting some loving soon. I had to laugh at her exchange with Rainie. "I thought you had overdosed years ago!"

I thought Peggy was heartbreaking in this episode and Barbara Windsor did a great job with Peggy being conflicted about giving Louise to Lisa, or to keep her with Phil. The scene where Lisa asked Peggy if she can guarantee her that Phil wouldn't hurt Louise was great.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[Ann_SS]

Wow, Lisa was blink and you'll miss her. Peggy may have been wrong about Phil drinking, but she did the right thing by Louise.

Phil didn't even apologize for hitting Peggy. He is such a bastard.

I feel so sad about Chelsea and Libby leaving. I can't believe it, but I teared up a bit. I'm glad that Darren and Libby got to say goodbye. Poor Denise.

I also felt sad for Dot losing her friend and not being able to say the words.

Zainab continuing to reject Syed is so ridiculous. I'm hope Denise tells her off soon.

Y&RWorldTurner, I just saw your post. We had almost the same thoughts on this episode.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Ann_SS

[DRW50]

Yeah I don't get the huge outcry about this at DS. I've heard some people say that one or all of them should have been killed as this was a far worse exit. Why? Does anyone care about Kevin Wicks just because he was killed?

I can understand why some might wish the reveal had been more explosive and that's down to the reveal episode but I thought the exits were fine. I think they could have taken more time with Libby, as her exit seemed the most rushed, but Libby has never been a very strong character...if it were me I would have her make occasional visits, like what they used to do with Aunt Sal. But as for Liz and Chelsea, it made sense, and in Liz's case she got some very poignant final scenes with Dot and with Patrick, some of her best scenes in her entire run. Liz has always been a plot device anyway, moreso than a character. And I have a soft spot for Chelsea so I'm glad she had at least a little dignity and got to possibly find some peace.

Diane Parish was, as always, fantastic, and I liked how they tied in Zainab and Syed as well as the brief argument with Carol. I like how they are not just forgetting that Denise was presumed dead. I know this will end soon but the little touches help enhance the characters.

The decision to say months ago that Lisa and Phil would have an "explosive showdown" was a mistake, but otherwise, the show never hyped Lisa's return. Fans who are used to big overbaked reveals or returns hyped it, and what a surprise, they were disappointed. Personally I thought Lisa's return was overall just about right for a character who has few ties to Walford and who has very little to say to Phil besides a shouting match. If she knew about Louise's abuse at Ben's hand, I'm sure she'd have more to say, but that has been dropped.

There has been a lot of hostility towards Eastenders at DS lately and while I have felt that way before I think I now enjoy the show more for the reasons others seem to be upset -- there is much less of the BOOM ZAP POW stuff. For instance, Lucas might have held the community center hostage with a Bible stand if this story was going on a year ago. While I agree that exits and big moments are important, I don't think the show as a whole should be sacrificed for them, and for some years now the little moments have been sacrificed.

One example would be those wonderful scenes with Carol and Bianca, where we got to see a more vulnerable side to Carol and Bianca trying to encourage her to take a chance with the soldier. They had such a natural chemistry, one I have rarely seen since Carol's return. And then Carol and her brief scene with Max. I like that type of thing. It reminds me of the Eastenders I once knew and loved.

Really I think the episode overall was extremely well-crafted, from Denise building up for her kids to breaking down after they were gone to Peggy slowly realizing she had to get Louise out no matter what. I'm sorry that expectations seem to have led to such a sense of disappointment with some, especially as that seems to be leading to a lot of "Kirkwood sucks" type of posts.

[Ann_SS]

But DS is such a varied board with lots of reactionaries and lunatics. I can't take most of the outrage or unhappiness over any story seriously. Santer wasn't much more popular than Kirkwood. All this being said, I think the disappointment at Lisa's brief stint is legitimate. EE is at fault for building it up as more than it turned out to be yesterday. The show should not have over sold what it was planning to deliver. Yet the show's ratings have been good so I doubt Kirkwood is losing any sleep over the few complaints.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Ann_SS

[DRW50]

In one sense there wasn't a lot of hype for Lisa's return or for the Lucas reveal; there was no promo of the latter from the BBC, and the former only got an interview on This Morning, I think. I guess some were expecting more because of the claim that Phil and Lisa would have an explosive showdown, which, given the "explosive" real life relationship Lucy Benjamin and Steve McFadden once had, may not have been very likely. But I think the other part is that the show has trained them to always expect BIG when that doesn't always suit the story. There was no reason Libby or Chelsea needed big exits.

DS is always very erratic, it's just odd that now you see so much so and so sucks, so and so is terrible, this was awful, when a lot of dross periods over the past few years didn't seem to get quite that reaction, even if they weren't always pouplar.

Edited August 6, 2010 by CarlD2

[Ann_SS]

I consider DS to be the British equivalent of SOC. Lots of posters with every view on the planet. There are some decent posters along some lunatics on the edge. I think it is most useful for spoilers and ratings info which I would not have ready access to not being in the U.S. I also check in on the episode thread when I don't want to wait until later in the day to know when went on in today's episode.

Talk Walford is the best EE board, but it doesn't have a lot of posters and has its own set of drama and tensions. However, the conversations about EE are far more in depth and interesting. Also, it gets interviews with the actors/producers and has the occasional insightful EE column.

[BadBoy93]

DS posters expect change quickly because its Kirkwood - The Man Who Gave Hollyoaks Its Golden Era.

Personally the show still excites me , but i can see why people don`t like it. There isn`t a major event going on. Right now its build up to the vic fire and Peggy`s exit.

Hopefully by September we will have full Kirkwood control.