EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[Sylph]

Well, Jake Wood and you.

This kind of accidental death stories never works. It's not tragic as it should be, instead making you just stand there in front of a screen looking all and then just .

Edited February 20, 2010 by Sylph

[Ben]

So, did anyone else guess it was Stacey?

For a live episode, that was really good. And the behind-the-scenes show was good, too.

I agree, but then I don't. See, I think it was always ever so subtly insinuated during Archie's first scenes, in his mansion with Ronnie. This is what made them so creepy. I thought a sick love storyline was gonna follow, but it never did, only to appear now. Of course, it's all too late, and pointless. Instead of being a decent plot twist, where we could've seen it delve into Archie's psychology, it has simply been used to explain away Ronnie detesting her dad, even though it didn't need any more explaining. What Archie had all ready done to her, was all plausible in her hating him.

But I didn't buy into Archie raping Stacey, as it just didn't feel like it fit into his character. Sexually abusing his daughter, for whatever reason, is one thing, but Stacey is another. Archie thrived off of psychological warfare, not violence; he was controlling, but not violently controlling - everything was about mind games. Plus, he viewed Stacey has dirty, someone he wouldn't touch, unless it was very necessary - he never slept with Suzy, and only gave into Janine when he really had to.

She didn't let Bradley become a suspect; that was out of her hands. He decked Archie, leaving his DNA, which the police finally managed to extract, after months of getting nowhere. And it was Becca who dobbed him into the cops. I really believe, had Stacey 'fessed up to Bradley, that things would still have ended the way they did. He would've still been the prime suspect, eventually.

And I can't see them writing out Stacey, not unless Lacey decides to leave. She still has potential with being a mother to Ryan's baby, and making an enemy of Janine in the process. And lets face it: Lacey is one of their best actors.

She only foind out in Thursday's ep that Archie is not the father of her baby. Ronnie told her that cancer treatment had made Archie sterile. She soon figured that Ryan Malloy is the baby daddy.

[Sylph]

Times reviewed the episode too.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Frankly, I'm surprised Lacey has been on EastEnders this long and hasn't opted to leave yet.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[DRW50]

There were some insinuations, but since they never actually went there, I thought the story was more about control and mental abuse. Instead of giving her this motivation at a time when she needed it (since she has spent a year wandering around like a madwoman repeating endless scenes of "I want a baby!" and "He killed my daughter!!", with zero attempts to actually build her character), they tack it on in the live episode where it will not be properly dealt with and when they need people to have more reason to believe Archie raped Stacey. That's why I seriously wonder whether or not they planned for Archie to have raped Ronnie. With the weird pacing on this show who knows.

If she had gone to the police then Bradley wouldn't have been a suspect. Stacey let Bradley take the blame all while he had no idea she was the killer. All this time Bradley was falling apart and she was having fun with Becca, planning this wedding. There was never any real moment where I saw her as hiding this secret. That's one of the reasons I think not having the actor find out until the night of the live episode was not a great idea.

I can't see them writing Stacey out either but I'm not sure where they're going to go with her now because Bradley was the love of her life and she did that to him and probably won't face any punishment (aside from the cosmic punishment of him dying I guess). She's also had so many breakdowns and misery in such a short time, like Ronnie, that eventually it becomes overkill. They used to be able to balance that out better -- Kathy and Pauline and Sharon and the other women who were often miserable sometimes still had laughs and happy periods of time.

I like Ryan more these days but I don't know if there's a lot of story there with the baby. He's sort of a forgettable character. I guess it depends on the writing.

[Sylph]

I think she needs to go. They have completely ruined her with the flood of misery they brought upon her.

[Kylie]

I've only been watching steadily since October, but the Ronnie stuff didn't surprise me. I knew there had to be *something* else to it all. It was deeper then all the stuff we knew about. I kinda like that twist.

I still think Stacey as the murderer was a cop out. I never would have thought her, and now I dislike her for lying to Bradley like that. I'd be willing to bet that Bradley takes the fall as the murderer, and Stacey doesn't have to deal with any charges.

Bradley's fall was campy and totally soapy, but I think the reactions afterward were good. When they turned him over and we saw the side of his head all squished in...eek.

[DRW50]

I can't remember who mentioned the BB3 special but I did think it was good, for the most part. I felt sorry for Charlie Clements, as he seemed very upset the whole time. He said elsewhere that he only left the show because he was tired of being recognized. It seemed like he really loved the place and the people there.

I'm really going to miss Bradley. Over and over, any man on a soap who does not act like a jackass is labeled "boring," or "weak," but Bradley was such a great character, and kind and supportive men are something that are few and far between on soaps.

I am dreading his funeral, especially since

The worst Eastenders death for me was Dennis, mostly because of Sharon. I still don't understand how Letitia Dean didn't get anything for those performances. I think it was too much for people who only want to see a few tears and a wistful smile. She was extremely raw and watching her was just agony, especially when she began clawing at her face as Dot had to ask her to stop, and when she begged Phil to tell her how she was going to live without Dennis. It still stays with me.

[Bright Eyes]

Just watched Dennis' death scene on YT. Did the guy he bump into stab him? Why?

[DRW50]

Dennis had bad blood with local mobster Johnny Allen. Johnny told Sharon that if she did not get Dennis and leave town, then Dennis would die. Sharon's ex Phil, who wasn't a big fan of Dennis himself, told Dennis about this threat. Dennis beat Johnny to a pulp. Johnny then paid a thug, Danny Moon, to kill Dennis.

There was a very good scene at the funeral, where Sharon lost it completely, and Phil told Peggy what had happened and how he wanted to tell Sharon the truth. Peggy told him that would destroy Sharon and to never let her know what he'd done. And he never did.

[DRW50]

Adam Woodyatt interview.

http://www.walfordweb.co.uk/item.php?id=2232

http://www.walfordweb.co.uk/item.php?id=2233

[Sylph]

Worrrd.

[Ben]

I agree. B/c of those introductory scenes, I do think it was intended, but the plotting probably pushed it to the backburner, or it was simply forgotten about, until recently, and tacked on to the Live show. It should never have been mentioned, really, seeing as the time had past. What really is the long term point?

If you were Stacey, would you have gone to the cops? You're pregnant, and you've just murdered someone in cold blood. The charge could probably be brought down to manslaughter, but you'd still be facing jail time. You'd keep quiet. And when Bradley did become a suspect (due to his own actions), what would have been the point in telling Bradley that she's the killer? Everyone knew Bradley didn't do it; the cops had evidence, and if she had told him, he would've covered for her. So the outcome would still have been the same. I just don't see how the outcome could've been changed, if Stacey had told the truth.

And I guess you can put the rest down to Stacey's bipolar meds, as they would numb her emotional responses to situations, so she wouldn't have a "normal" reaction to killing Archie; hence no moment of hiding her secret. The last time they mentioned this side effect of the meds, was with Jean, a couple of years ago.

I like Ryan, too. But like a lot of the other new male characters, he has yet to be fully developed. He does have promise with Janine, so I can see Stacey and their baby being an obstacle for Ryan & Janine.

I've not been a big fan of Bradley for ages. He became a bit of a non entity for a while, and most recently has been shown to be really selfish and rude. The way he treated Syd and Noah, in that cold, detached way; the way he treated Becca for no apparent reason (there's no excuse for rudeness). And I really don't get why Charlie quit due to public attention - surely if he gets another role that becomes popular, or is on a big show/film, then won't he get the attention all over again?

And I like Becca; she's a lonely, damaged soul. She needs Stacey, b/c she's all Becca's got, and her infatuation with Max, is interesting and slightly creepy, depending on her motive. Plus, we don't know what went on in her past that made her self harm; there's lots of potential, and she seems like a competent actor.

[DRW50]

I guess the question is did Stacey love Bradley enough to not let him fall apart over facing these charges? She didn't. If she did then she would have confessed when he became a suspect.

The problem is that there was no tension or uncertainty or remorse in Stacey over these past few months. The only time she seemed worried was about the baby being Archie's, and occasionally about Bradley. Otherwise she was planning her wedding, she was having fun with Becca. I think she came across as shallow and as not caring about Bradley as much as I would hope she would have. I put that down to bad writing, as they sacrificed her character to a degree for the "shock" reveal.

I put that down to bad, lazy writing. The show was too lazy to ever give him a purpose (beyond dupe for various women). They ignored his relationship with Max until recently and only cared about him when it was time for a reunion with Stacey. Just as the show has never bothered to write for Jack as anything other than a penis until recently.

The story with Syd and Noah was ridiculous and I do not believe he would have just dumped them that way. More plot over character.

The way he was with Becca was more lazy writing, as he suddenly became very openly rude to her so she would call the police. With that said, I think he was nice to even put up with her as long as he did, given how possessive she is of a woman she barely knows.

I'm not sure if they are going to do anything with her beyond plot device. The actress is OK. Not the best, but perhaps she will grow into the role. She's better than awful Lucy, Leon, Zsa Zsa, et al. I just hope they know what to do with her. Chelsea has been on the show 4 years and they still don't bother.

[Kylie]

Last nights episode was...interesting, I guess. I felt so bad for Stacey. At the end when she freaked out, you knew that would happen at some point, but man.

That Becca girl needs to be slapped. She is so cold.

There was a bit to much with Bradley's body. But the Stacey stuff was totally needed, I think. I really liked that she was relating to her mother over her father's death.

Zainab makes me want to scream. I almost felt her being stuck in the Unit was karma. I hope someone gets to her before she has the baby, but she's so damn stubborn about the whole Syed thing. I wonder how Mashood would handle it if he knew?