EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Phil/Shirley is one of those couples that makes a lot of noise online, but likely had little following in the real world. I have never understood why Shirley fans desperately want her to be with a man who spent years all but putting a paper bag over her head.

I do like Shirley, but not with Phil and not with the tag-ons. It's telling that the ratings and the fan interest in that family has declined since the focus shifted to their being a byproduct of Shirley's angst.

I see that Saint DTC is once again giving Max nothing but stories about where his dick goes. I will say what I always say to these non-stories - at least give us an ass shot to make us care.

[Ben]

No-one ever develops Max. He's so preoccupied with his next lay that he hasn't made any on screen reference to David taking all his money out of the business.

When DTC's material first started (around the time Shabnam returned), the plotting and pacing was spot on. They were producing each block in a similar fashion to how Neighbours and H&A produce, by showcasing about 5 stories over the week, which were very character-driven. Now, they've dropped back to having characters and storylines randomly disappearing, for plot points to have relevance only to never be mentioned again (Stacey's key, Shabnam's secret, Ronnie killing Carl, etc), to only showcasing about 3 stories over a week, which have been a bit plot heavy in places. Suddenly, everything has lost momentum.

There's still a lot to like about the show. I love Roxy & Aleks - in fact, Aleks has turned into an awesome character. I appreciate them trying to make us sympathise with Tosh by giving her a tragic backstory, but no amount of Mummy issues will make her a likeable character. Dean is also awesome, and I like his relationship with Tina, but, I feel like he will eventually be thrown under the bus in favour of the Carters.

[ReddFoxx]

Max did make a quick reference to David taking his money out, it was when Abi was cleaning up in car lot office.

[Ben]

Thanks. That was the episode my attention was on multiple things, so I must have missed it.

[DRW50]

One of the problems is that DTC was never good at plotting or pacing. His first EE stint was often shockingly paced and the stories often just stopped, usually ending with a big stunt to try to hide the lack of material. Without Santer's PR skills I guess it's not as easy.

I think Dean only came back to prop Mick and Shirley, which is a shame, as Mick became much less interesting once he was clearly there just to be Shirley's golden boy.

The Carters in general should be more interesting than they are. I guess I should be happy they didn't rush the self-discovery party of Johnny's story, but I've noticed that the actor who plays him has little range beyond endless "baby cry" faces. I guess considering how often Syed made those faces, that's DTC's idea of a gay man. Who knows.

[BetterForgotten]

1994 episode with the car lot fire.

I loved Pat telling Carol, "I know you, you've had more traffic through you than a black wall tunnel."

The era just before and after Sharongate seemed like a really strong period for the show. But look at that ridiculous hat on Natalie, despite that, I've always had a soft spot for Lucy Speed/Natalie.

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[Ben]

You mean: "I know you, you've had more traffic through you than the Blackwall Tunnel." It's a tunnel in east London that goes under the Thames. I know, I'm being major pedantic.

The difference between eras is quite evident. 1994 had more heart and spark than anything modern EE can muster.

[TimWil]

Ben, your correction was perfectly respectful. I admit I was tempted to do the honors, myself, but I'm new here and reluctant to seem a smartypants!

The early 90s were a fantastic rebound from that awful time when Pauline was ill, Northerner Julie ran the salon and Trevor was the "lovable loser" you wanted to smack.

[BetterForgotten]

It's cool, I wouldn't have been offended, lol. It seemed like the show really hit its stride with the 3 episode a week format, and just couldn't sustain the same quality with 4 episodes.

I wonder if the BBC ever regrets the decision to go to the 4 episodes format (which albeit, was initially successful when the first Friday episode in 2001 beat Corrie in a highly publicized timeslot clash).

[BetterForgotten]

DTC is promising another "surprise" in tonight's episode. If this is Carter related, I have absolutely no f.ucking interest.

https://twitter.com/dominictc/status/478434864283521024

[Bright Eyes]

I am going to go out on a limb and say the mother of Aleks' child is someone we already know.

[TimWil]

But isn't Aleks' baby mama in Latvia?

I really think the show could bring on Phil's long-lost son from Romania. Remember when he married that Romanian woman Nadia to get her green card and it all went very wrong? He did sleep with her one more time on Christmas Day 1993 before she went away. She did return for a few episodes in 1994 but she could have been pregnant and just hadn't shown yet. Besides, the show would have no trouble retconning that final encounter, anyway.

[BetterForgotten]

Oh, so I guess the surprise was Rainie returning....

Nothing against the actress (who is wonderful) and character, but this isn't a surprise to promote on Twitter...

[TimWil]

Roxy made such a big deal about having a "slap up meal' and she and Aleks ended up at Beale's for burgers? That's her idea of a "slap up meal"? Talk about a cheap date.

Edited June 17, 2014 by TimWil

[BetterForgotten]

God, both Ben Hardy and Matt DiAngelo are such bad actors. Hardy is way too hammy and overdone, and DiAngelo is so stiff.