EastEnders: Discussion Thread

Y&RWorldTurner · September 25, 2010

Someone said Charlie is leaving at the end of the year, and it looks like Stacey and Jean's exit was extended with sources saying they're leaving in early 2011.

Y&RWorldTurner · September 25, 2010

Here's the Kat and Alfie Revealed special for those who might not have seen it:

Y&RWorldTurner · September 25, 2010

Have you seen this from 2003?

http://www.kalfievideostorage.talktalk.net/singing2.wmv

At least we know Louise Berridge had a sense of humour about things. I can't imagine Santer or Kirkwood agreeing to be apart of one of these sketches.

Y&RWorldTurner · September 27, 2010

I just watched that and the Kat and Alfie two-hander following the reveal.

That whole story angle was so trashy and such an American soap storyline. Something Sheffer, Guza, and Higley would do and pull out of their ass.

Louise Berridge's era seemed to be filled with these really unpleasant plot devices. I guess I understand why Shane said that Alfie was probably so popular at the time because the show was filled with gangsters and hardmen, and Alfie was just a regular nice guy who loved Kat unconditionally.

I hate stories like this when the woman has to sleep with another man in order to protect her husband's life, and then the woman ends up getting crapped on by both her husband and the guy who forced her into having sex with him.

Shane and Jessie did some of their best work in that two-hander though. I hadn't seen it before, and of course Tony Jordan wrote it.

DRW50 · September 27, 2010

Thanks for finding that. Ugly stuff, although I guess we're supposed to be happy that they still wanted to be together (what was it that made her leave for a while? Jessie went on maternity leave later that year didn't she?). You're right that it's very Sheffer-esque. I guess it wouldn't have been any better, going by the Mercedes/Malachy/Calvin story on HO, but I wonder if they should have had Kat want to sleep with Andy, and eventually succumb, without any type of blackmail or rape.

I guess like you've said before, that time period was about women who revolved around men.

Do you think they overused two-handers at that time or were they right to use so many?

dannigold · September 27, 2010

Eastenders E2O has been renewed for a third series.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2010/09_september/27/learning.shtml

BadBoy93 · September 27, 2010

Good Choice. Its been good so far with some strong character development this series.

DRW50 · September 27, 2010

2004 is saying hello to Janine and wondering where she's been...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xez31h_sharon-marshall-s-soapbox-27-09-10_people

Y&RWorldTurner · September 27, 2010

Alfie is unable to raise the money, so Andy threatens to kill him unless Kat sleeps with him. A reluctant Kat does so, but unbeknown to her Andy tapes the liaison and sends it to Alfie. Alfie becomes cold and distant whilst Kat resorts to alcoholism. After a one-night stand with a stranger, a disgusted Kat leaves Walford.

Big Mo would track Kat down a few months afterwards.

I think a lot of them were very well done and had interesting concepts at the time. I remember seeing the two-hander between Dot and Den, I thought it was a really cleaver idea.

Here's a list of all the two/three/four handers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EastEnders_two-hander_episodes

DRW50 · September 27, 2010

Someone at DS once rated them best to worst, earlier this year. I can't remember what he said was the worst. The one from 2003 or 2004 with Ricky and Phil, possibly.

I wonder if they know how to do them now. The one with Max and Stacey didn't do a lot for me.

Apparently Simon Ashdown is writing the episode

What did you think of the preview clip of Janine? I'm not sure how it will play in the episode but it's been a long time since I've seen that fire from her.

DRW50 · September 27, 2010

Tonight's episode:

I'm not going to make a judgment one way or the other on the new Lauren but I thought for her first day she was off to a good start. She has very natural rapport with Max, and while that might not be true to their relationship, I think it has good story potential (and of course I doubt she is all that close to him, she's just using him). Tanya is...Tanya. Cold, smirky, more interested in being right than in much else. At least she and Vanessa, after Tanya got her kicks in, managed to respect each other and focus on what was best for Lauren. It's a nice change to the idea that all soap women need to slap and yell.

Then when Stacey came by it was a nice use of history and also of their current relationship. Stacey and Max are great together, but then it was obvious Stacey has her own problems and is not fully in Max's orbit. While I know it was a very fast plot device, perhaps better suited to a few episodes, I liked the way Max blurted out the truth. I'm sure his own regrets about Bradley come into play.

I couldn't help being very distracted by Ryan's bulge when he was walking around in those last scenes.

Janine's hysteria and joking seemed to rattle everyone and suggest she is starting to lose it again.

I really really enjoyed the supporting humor which ran through the episode, from the broken plate and the random oddity of Grace having all these Royal Family items on display (I wonder if Princess Anne has ever even been mentioned on EE before), to Fatboy running around with Jim wearing chocolate medals. That was great fun, and was something Jim would do, instead of just sitting around watching the world go by. This was the first time I felt like Grace came closer to being a character, not a caricature, and I still think Mercy fits in well as a supporting, solid character, I'm not sure why so many write her off.

The show seems to be working hard to establish Alfie, and I can appreciate that, but I hope they are not going to overlook Kat. I'm not sure if having her as miserable and snapping in every episode does her any favors. She can be very stroppy but she's also more than that. At least there was the fun scene with Mo's underwear.

That scene where Stacey talked about how boring it was to hang around old people made me kind of sad, because I felt like that was her way of saying she was going to go back to being more fun. Then as soon as the words are out, reality hits her in the face.

Y&RWorldTurner · September 27, 2010

Today's episode had a nice flow with so many stories and characters going on.

I like new Lauren and think she worked well with Max and Tanya today. Lauren finally looks like Abi's older sister now. While she was never that close to Max, I can see why she's with him and not with Tanya regarding the reasons for why she was expelled from school.

I think Max may be genuinely falling in love with Vanessa.

Those scenes with Stacey switching from being happy to dour were well done. It's how a lot of bipolar people are. I think Kat and Alfie's return has brought back some genuine laughter to Stacey's personality again. Of course seeing Ryan again was going to crush that. Stacey's scenes with Max were also well done, and it's nice they're at a place where they can just be friends without all the baggage.

I had to laugh at Janine's pregnancy joke, she really had them all fooled.

That was a nice little moment when Charlie brought in Kat's leather (as if Kat would wear anything else!) jacket for her to wear. We're not getting much insight into Kat yet, but I think it's intentional since she's the focal point of an upcoming story. The scenes in the Slater kitchen with Big Mo's underwear were funny. Kat and Alfie have brought back a playfulness to that house, too bad we're losing most of the Slater's left by the end of the year.

I didn't mind Fatboy and Leon today, they were pretty entertaining. Mercy and Grace were too.

Anyway, it was a pretty entertaining episode overall.

Edited September 28, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

MichaelGL · September 28, 2010

So much to comment on with this episode!

An awesome cliffhanger with Max/Ryan/Janine.

Ryan's such a douche bag, I found it amusing when Janine played that trick on him.

I like how Max is Stacey's protector. Vanessa is slowly growing on me, and I agree, it seems like Max is falling for her.

Loved how Kat/Alfie/Leon/Fat Boy stories all tied together in the end of the episode. Loving Kat and Alfie as usual.

LMAO at Alfie mistakingly using Mo's underwear as a towel! The Slater family bonding was really a heartwarming scene, I loved it.

Fat Boy and Jim are quite the team, I enjoyed the little scenes they got today.

Very good episode today, can't wait to see how the rest of the week plays out!

Forgot to add: I'm liking the new Lauren as well, the actress didn't seem all that bad today, and seeing her slip back into the flow of the square is something I could like seeing play out.

Edited September 28, 2010 by MichaelGL

DRW50 · September 28, 2010

This thread cracks me up, although I know that wasn't the intention.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1353037

Y&RWorldTurner · September 28, 2010

A few interviews from the Inside Soap Awards:

Neil McDermott:

Nina Wadia:

Zoe Lucker:

Himesh Patel and Charlie G. Hawkins:

Bunmi Mojekwu:

Scott Maslen:

EastEnders: Discussion Thread

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