EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Page 8 out of 9:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/The-Papers---National-Newspaper-Front-Pages-On-Saturday-April-17-2010/Media-Gallery/201004315606027?lpos=UK_News_Left_Promo_Region_0&lid=GALLERY_15606027_The_Papers_-_National_Newspaper_Front_Pages_On_Saturday_April_17%2C_2010

Edited April 16, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[DRW50]

I don't think Eastenders' dropping rating for Thursday is a huge deal, especially with the repeat figure, but I was still surprised that Emmerdale beat it in their timeslot, especially since Emmerdale was having a regular episode. I think that the BBC should take that as a little wakeup call, not about Emmerdale being a threat (it isn't), but about the quality of the show. The episodes of the past months have been rotgut.

I don't think Stacey cares enough about Charlie to be devastated. I think she will be upset but will keep herself together. My guess is Jean will be the one who falls apart. She smiled through Bradley's death, but Charlie is someone she spends most of her time with and he's also a reminder of her late husband. If they keep in with Jean's history, I think this is going to be a horrible blow to her.

I think getting rid of Charlie is a mistake. He had a nice relationship with Kat and Kat is going to need those ties because she has few real relationships with anyone left on the show. He also helped keep the Slaters together. I would have written out Big Mo.

As for the rest...Minty is finally going to f*ck off! Woohoo!!! :D :D

Edited April 16, 2010 by CarlD2

[Y&RWorldTurner]

This is supposedly just the beginning. Well, at least, it's nice they've noticed that there's too much dead weight on this show.

Hopefully, Kat has some nice goodbye scenes with Charlie, if she comes back during that time.

[DRW50]

As for future firings...I think Perry Fenwick's very shapely backside should be worried. The E20 people are fodder, but I would guess he isn't being allowed to fire them, even if he wanted to, since the BBC is trying to use this for some type of synergy or whatever to build up E20. The woman who plays Denise must also be very worried. I actually hope they keep her and just build her up as a single woman picking up the pieces of her life, as the actress is wonderful and has never had a real opportunity to show this.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I wonder if they'll be bringing in some new characters. But we haven't heard anything about Kirkwood bringing on new characters other than Zoe Lucker's Vanessa.

[DRW50]

They probably are bringing in new characters. I think that the show needs them but they also need to help a lot of the people currently on the show. So many of the characters on there are so one-dimensional and plot-driven and confusing, they need to be better defined.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think the show will be changing and going in a new direction, with news of these sudden axings. I didn't think so before since everyone is still praising the show, but I think Kirkwood has come in with some type of strong vision and its ready to implement it.

[DRW50]

Most of these firings are fringe characters, so I'm not sure what's going to happen. If he was firing Roxy (if only), then I'd think there were big changes ahead, but most of these characters were the low-hanging fruit.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Yeah, but I don't think Roxy was ever considered a filler character. She's supposed to be still be "popular." LOL!

The show has a lot of filler characters, but this batch is supposed to be just the beginning of a cull, so more could still be on the way. There could also be some "popular" characters in the next batch, who knows.

I'm surprised Danny will axed so soon. I actually expected him on the show for some time more. LOL!

Edited April 16, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner

[DRW50]

Yeah, I meant if Roxy was being fired then I would think we were getting big changes. That's what the show seriously needs. If I heard that Roxy, Tanya, and Jack were all going, then I'd get very happy and sure that big, needed changes were on the way.

I do think we'll get some more firings but it may just be E20 people, or Denise and Lucas, or Syed, or Darren.

I'm going to keep hope alive about Roxy though.

I think they may have had some future plans for him, either as an Archie figure or redeeming himself and turning against Glenda, but the actor is just SO awful. I still think Santer only hired him because they have similar hair. That he is going gives me a little more hope that EE will start casting better young men in major roles. No more wet-eyed, wimpy types.

Edited April 16, 2010 by CarlD2

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Why do you hate Tanya so much, Carl? I actually really like Jo Joyner, which helps me like Tanya.

[DRW50]

I never got over her behavior in 2008. Burying Max alive, endangering herself and her family by manipulating psychotic killer Sean Slater, shacking up with Jack and putting him above everyone else in her life, including her very confused kids. Then he dumped her ass and showed just how stupid it was to jump into a relationship with him. Throughout all of this selfish, unpleasant stuff, she constantly acted like she was the injured party.

She has little connection to anyone on the show, aside from Jane and Max, and they have ruined her relationship with Max with the burying alive and with the endless "Poor Tanya has to put up with Max and his schemes." The debt collection story was just stupid -- they could have said her sister Rainie had overdosed and Tanya had to go take care of her. Instead, Tanya not only skipped town again and found a rebound man yet again, she was so cold that she tried to stop her kids from showing up at their brother's funeral, then sat out in the car waiting instead of paying her respects.

What is there for her when she comes back? If it's another round of noble Tanya, how will she put up with her worthless husband, then I say no thanks.

Edited April 17, 2010 by CarlD2

[Y&RWorldTurner]

With quotes from three of the fired actors:

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a214903/six-characters-to-leave-eastenders.html

[Y&RWorldTurner]

There's also speculation that a new family may be brought in. I think that could be a good thing, since the show seems overrun with Mitchells and Branning/Jacksons right now.

[DRW50]

I'd rather they wait until they fix the families and characters they have left. The Mitchells are very badly damaged and played out and the Brannings still have some potential but have been waylaid by Santer rarely bothering to write them as a family, and by bad casting (Scott Maslen, Devon Anderson). The Masoods are the only successful new family the show has had since the Slaters, but they were damaged by Syed's arrival and the loss of Shabnam.

Once some of this is sorted out a new family would be good. The Slaters worked because they were a contrast to existing characters. These days the show doesn't really have that existing character base.

Edited April 17, 2010 by CarlD2