EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[BetterForgotten]

It's not exactly out of character for David to just up and leave everyone behind. Predictable yes, but not out of character as he's never been able to commit to anyone for too long.

[Bright Eyes]

That Ian/Carol scene was really good. And Sharon apologizing to Ian was one of those moments where you could feel the writers apologizing to the audience, too. I never stopped loving her, but that still felt good to see.

David and Carol break my heart with the quickness.

As soap children go, I really like Rebecca so far and want to see more of her.

[BetterForgotten]

Christopher Reason wrote this episode, and he's one of the show's longest running writers. He's usually the only one that's able to get Sharon right and bring in a semblance of what made the character popular in the first place.

[BetterForgotten]

Aw, today's episode uses Julia's Theme. I'll never get sick of hearing it and the contrived emotions its meant to stir up.

Carol is still an ungrateful, vile, and self-centered woman. If played be a lesser actress, I would hate her completely. But Lindsey Coulson is just too good to overlook.

I will miss Michael French/David, but at least the door is open for him to come back. He just fit back in seamlessly - he had a great rapport with everyone, especially Carol, Janine, Bianca, Ian, and that brief scene he had with Sharon earlier this week.I really wish French would commit long-term to the show, but alas, that's probably never going to happen.

This episode really should have been a Carol/David two-hander as they took up 80% of it, the Sonia/Bianca stuff was a waste.

[Bright Eyes]

I don't have any problem saying Lindsey Coulson is the best actor this show has ever had. I'm glad David got to leace with some self respect this time and not as a deadbeat. I like to imagine he'll find Janine and they'll have some wicked fun together (platonically). And I think Bianca was necessary to be in the episode. I wanted a goodbye scene between them and I got it.

David and Carol are probably as close as this show is ever going to get to the chemistry of Den and Angie. No other couple is even remotely up to par.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Bright Eyes

[BetterForgotten]

I wish Bianca would remember Alan, you know, the man who helped raise her and who was the only consistent father figure in her life. In fact he was the only father figure in all of Carol's kids lives.

[BetterForgotten]

Christopher Reason wrote this episode too, I really wish he got more attention for his work. I always thought he was better than Simon Ashdown, who got all the praise for the same old bag of tricks. I'm glad he's no longer with the show as I thought it suffered a great deal from his influence.

[DRW50]

What parts with Ashdown bothered you? The Branning stuff?

Sadly I doubt Reason will get much notice or credit, as it's clear a lot of the vocal fans now only watch for the Carters and non-stories like Lucy's murder. Bleh.

[TimWil]

Bright Eyes, I'm pretty sure French originally was supposed to leave at the end of last year (perhaps with Janine but it got messed up by her arrest?) but he signed an extension.

In all those EastEnders Revealed documentaries I've seen over the years Ashdown always comes off as deeply shallow in his general attitude toward the show-almost like a shill on one of those UK morning shows. The platitudes he'd spout as well as overuse of the word "iconic" would really work my last nerve.

Edited June 1, 2014 by TimWil

[BetterForgotten]

He was very good with Janine, which was great as he never got the chance until this stint to interact with Charlie's version of the character (I don't count Pat's death). Yeah, I know there was the whole blackmail thing, but he was the only person on the show that saw her as a human and didn't judge her for being the way she is. They're actually quite similar in many ways, which David told her in her last episode. I love that he acknowledge her as his sister and she acknowledged him as an older brother.

Both Carol and Bianca have never once shown proper gratitude for what Janine did for them. They were often late with the rent, never had a good word to say to her and were overtly rude. Bianca knew Janine as a child and a young adolescent. When Janine returned to Walford in 2000, Bianca was gone and she didn't see Janine again until 2008; from then on, she did everything in her power to turn Ricky against his sister. Both are on my [!@#$%^&*] list for the way they treated her in her last episode to support that airhead Alice - who let me remind you, conspired to kill Janine. At least Bianca's kids loved Aunty Janine and showed that at in her last episode.

[TimWil]

I agree, Janine deserved better.

I just finished reading Michelle Collins' autobiography This Is Me. I must confess something of a bias because I've spent a bit of time with her over the years beginning with the night she appeared at a WLIW fundraiser and I got the DJ at Fiddlesticks to play "The Bitch Is Back" when she arrived!

Her descriptions of her time on EastEnders is largely favorable. She mentions her working relationship with Michael French as having its "ups and downs." She does mention that in her final stint on the show that one of the younger actresses went out of her way to invite everybody to her birthday party but Collins. I wonder who that could be? Any guesses?

[Bright Eyes]

Martine McCutcheon or Patsy Palmer?

[BetterForgotten]

Probably Martine McCutcheon, who was in her early 20's and apparently growing quite the ego during this time. If so, at least Collins and her have the distinction of getting on Matthew Robinson and Mal Young's bad side, hence why their characters were killed off.

Speaking of McCutcheon, I was watching some old Tiffany scenes a few weeks ago, and even thought I know Tony Jordan created the character, it was easy to spot that the character was an early prototype for what would become the Slater girls. There were elements of Kat, Little Mo, and of course Stacey that were so prevalent in that character, though she was obviously weaker due to her association with Grant.

I think the only person Patsy has some early conflict with was Barbara Windsor, but they got over that.

Edited June 1, 2014 by BetterForgotten

[BetterForgotten]

David's first exit:

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The 1992-1996 era is probably my favourite years of the 90's. 1997 seemed like a big lull, and then Matthew Robinson's big revamp happened in 1998-1999 and the show definitely became a bit more glossy with that and for years to come.

[TimWil]

Ah, yes. Probably McCutcheon.

But, Better Forgotten, it wasn't really a matter of McCutcheon and Collins' getting on Mal Young and Matthew Robinson's bad side that got their characters killed off. It was the fact that both had quit to "do other things." It was actually the BBC's way of saying "You're daring to leave us? Well, screw you, then" to them both by killing off Tiffany and Cindy because, unlike in American soaps, once you're dead in a UK soap you tend to stay dead! And the exact same thing happened to Martin Kemp. He was extremely well liked and always said he'd love to return to EE someday but when he signed that "Golden Handcuffs" contract with ITV the BBC gave his character Steve a particularly gruesome death-he blowed up real good! Tamzin Outhwaite was staying with the BBC on other projects so that's why Mel escaped the Grim Reaper or they both could have blowed up real good.

Edited June 3, 2014 by TimWil