EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[TimWil]

Bravo, Carl. I loved your assessment of tonight's episodes. I agree with practically everything you've written except I actually like the Carters and feel they've been a good thing for the show. I continue to see real potential in Maddy Hill (Nancy) but I'm not sure that they will ever find a really good story for her. I could see her fall in live with a Muslim man (NOT Tamwar) and convert fully, including wearing the hajib. That would send Mick round the bend.

Here's a nice article about The Walford Gazette, which I've been conducting actor/production staff interviews for since 1995. I can be spotted in a pic taken at a 2012 gathering in NYC with Michelle Collins.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2960350/EastEnders-biggest-fan-New-Yorker-s-s-stars-stay-don-t-tell-happens-Lucy-s-ten-years-behind.html

[BetterForgotten]

I guess the show can now claim it has 3 characters dating back to the first episode (Ian, Sharon, and Kathy). The most it has had in a long time.

[DRW50]

And one of the reasons I'd say I prefer this to the 25th. The deemphasis of the Mitchells is, for all my complaints about the current show, a good thing, as is not having that block of wood Scott Maslen taking center stage.

[DRW50]

Thanks for linking that article. Great insightful look into the Gazette, and it doesn't make fun of him, which is nice. I had no idea the guy even had to decline benefits to keep the paper going.

As much as Linda and Nancy annoy me (Tina is irrelevant and while I think the guy who plays Lee is a limited actor, the character is pleasant enough wallpaper), I think without Mick I might care more. Danny Dyer and his dogged inability to have any reaction at all beyond brow-furrowing and weird happy-face that makes him look like a pet on Johnny Carson's show - he just wears me down, especially because he gets so much airtime.

[NothinButAttitude]

Sad part is that we'll never get rid of Danny Dyer at this point. DTC is determined to make him the next patriarch/mainstay on the Square. I'm sure once this arc is up with Dean, he'll still continue to dominate story.

And I agree, Carl, the Carters are the most isolated family to ever grace this show. It's been a year and they still haven't blended with the canvas. Even with them running the epicenter of the whole community, The Vic.

Minus Dean, I want them gone. All of them. Shirley included. It's time for Sharon to reclaim her rightful spot behind that bar.

[BetterForgotten]

I want Janine [in a few years time] to have Sharon's 2001 comeback. A secret return where it's revealed that Janine is the new owner of the Vic. She deserves it.

Edited February 20, 2015 by BetterForgotten

[TimWil]

Thanks for the kind comments re: the Gazette, Carl. Larry's a nice guy. And by contributing to the Gazette I got to meet and interview June Brown, Barbara Windsor, Pam St. Clement, Anita Dobson, Patsy Palmer, Shaun Willuamson, Deepak Verma, Gillian Taylforth, Martine McCutcheon, Edna Dore, Lucy Speed and many others. Of everyone I interviewed the only one who I had to fight hard to not sound like a douchebag in the Q&A format interviews was Sid Owen. Uggh. What a dickhead.

I disagree about the Carters being the most isolated family. They run the Vic! And Mick became friends with Ian, albeit in a rather contrived way. The Ferreiras have been the most isolated family by far. For weeks we'd only see scenes either just between them or with The Other Shirley.

Isn't it possible there's one more twist to come? Where's Cindy in all this? Maybe he's covering for her? There was a telling shot last night of her creeeping into bed and spooning with Bobby. Ewww.

I liked the flashback episode although I have a feeling Liam was four inches shorter on Good Friday.

I was watching the episodes on my phone so I didn't get a clear look but it looked to me like Ben Hardy mouthed "f**k" when Ian corrected him about Denise.

Edited February 20, 2015 by TimWil

[DaytimeFan]

There were three highlights from this week...overall I'm quite pleased with what EE did for the 30th!

The shots of London, absolutely stunning, particularly the night shots across to Canary Wharf. London has my heart forever.

Kathy Beale! Gillian looks fabulous and she was not phoning it in, EE rectified a big mistake when Kathy was killed off, offscreen and I look forward to what's to come with her.

Peggy's return to the Square was really nice to see and Barbara Windsor was in good form, unlike her last cameo when Peggy was in Portugal and told Sam to crash Phil's wedding and Barbara was basically playing herself in a bad mood. The Peggy and Mick scene was a great example of the Peggy I adore, the Old East End Peggy, the scene was subtle and effective. There was clearly the door left open for her to return with Phil saying the Square misses her and she misses the Square. I do think the show could work Barbara in for longer arcs.

[TimWil]

Absolutely fantastic episode. Woodyatt and Brett were superb.

I still disagree with the decision to have the murder actually be an accident involving a ten year old child. Not with all the time that we invested in it.

[NothinButAttitude]

Tonight was a great episode but I agree with TimWil.

That murder was not an accident and I actually lost respect for Ian tonight. I lost love for the entire Beale clan tonight. Peter was the only sensible one in the room, and I am glad he left being pissed at Ian. I hope Ian enjoys his murderous tot and surrogate daughter.

Cindy better be on best behavior too or she'll get bashed in the head as well.

Seriously, I want Bobby gone. Maybe because of my love for Lucy, but I can do without the evil spawn of the devil. And Jane can go too. I never liked her.

I am glad that they played Julia's theme and paid homage to Tony Holland and Julia Smith.

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[Bright Eyes]

I don't see why they had to cover it up. Kids on tv are horrible anyway, so why not send him to juvie until he's 18 or so and then bring him back, trying to acclimate to a normal life again and all the story beats that can be played from that.

[DRW50]

The Carter material still stuck out like a sore thumb for me, with a whole host of silly and completely unsuspenseful wandering around and dithering that yet again, miraculously, managed to isolate them from most of the cast until the end (Danny Dyer was, IMO, very poor, as was Maddy Hill - he barely tried and she was very obviously "acting"). I actually saw someone saying that Danny Dyer stole the entire episode. I guess opinions are like assholes...

I don't know if you could have a more sobering contrast between the strengths and weaknesses of Eastenders as what we got in that episode.

Otherwise this episode was much stronger than I'd expected. There's an idea that live TV is just a reason for goofs, but it can also be a reason for searing drama that you "feel" more strongly because you are watching as it happens. I'm glad we got that in this episode.

The decision to lie for Bobby is one that doesn't make any great sense, as he killed someone, he could kill again, he needs treatment. Yet, for the characters involved, I thought it made sense. Jane sees Bobby as her great hope after her other plans to have kids never panned out. Ian is a very weak man who has often made the wrong choices with his children. Cindy spends most of her time with him and has a young child of her own, and in many ways is still a child herself (I do wonder if Bobby will end up hurting her daughter).

The main reason this worked for me is because the show had Peter be so disgusted with their decision, instead of what we often get on this show (and on most soaps these days) - lots of insincere chest-thumping and pouting. I guess Ben Hardy's decision to leave helped solidify this, but it still felt so believable and it actually did get to me seeing the family torn to pieces by this lie. That is probably the only reason I could support this writing choice - I have no time for "psycho soap child" stories, especially since I don't think the boy in the role can play that type of material. When they focus on the fallout of the choice, it is far stronger writing. Seeing Peter rage that he was going to kill Bobby, seeing him lunge at Jane and have to be physically restrained, seeing him tell Jane he isn't even her son and she just uses him, that Ian never even wanted Bobby - wonderful use of Ian's tattered history and a great way to blow up this family. Bobby overhearing them fighting when he'd killed Lucy to stop fighting was a sobering moment.

All the (offcamera) smashing of dishes and Ian going to vomit didn't feel melodramatic to me, as they normally would have. They just seemed like the release the characters have been denied while trying to force themselves into happiness over the last year.

Hearing them go on at length about Lucy's murder, moving her body, her body rotting away on public display ("you made her a victim!") were everything that needed to be done to remember that Lucy wasn't just a generic blonde girl killed off for shock value. She mattered. I hadn't felt like they'd remembered that so I was very pleased they did tonight.

Mimi Keene was a little off for me in various scenes but she sold the hell out of the letter-reading scene, as did Adam Woodyatt.

Adam is, when he gets the chance, a wonderful actor. So often he's just treated as a joke and a loser in the writing, and never given lead material. The Beales shouldn't be treated that way. They still have so much to offer Eastenders. I'd like to believe tonight was the start of finally giving them proper respect, especially with Kathy coming back. I really would like to believe this...

One of my main complaints with DTC has always been that I feel like he mistakes bad camp and bizarre Dynasty/Dallas hybrids with good drama. That everything has to be a parody or dumbed down. That he doesn't see you can have strong, tough, and yes, over the top drama, and still treat it seriously and with integrity.

Tonight, for the first time since he took over with Santer in 2007, I felt like he really, truly got it.

And for the first time, I think Julia Smith and Tony Holland would have been proud.

[DRW50]

I also thought it was odd, and oddly hilarious, that Christian was completely excluded from anything with the Beales (even just a quick scene in this past episode of him seeing Peter run out of the house and looking concerned would have made sense). I never thought of him as part of the family, but I thought the show did. Oh well. No big loss.

Max and Abi grinning and celebrating felt off to me too. I get the idea of wanting a happy moment at the end, but I would have just gone with the show ending on Julia's Theme and the Tony and Julia heart on the wall. Still, it was an OK end.

Edited February 21, 2015 by DRW50

[Bright Eyes]

Did anyone else see the promo at the end of the Backstage Live special?

Edited February 21, 2015 by Bright Eyes

[DRW50]

Is the trailer on Youtube?

Matt di Angelo is so hot...I feel guilty every time I say that now, even though he's not his character, obviously. Ugh.

I haven't watched the Backstage yet but I saw that Joe Swash was hosting part of it. The Millers seem done and dusted - they aren't bringing him back are they? I didn't mind Mickey, but Swash has annoyed me in his presenting gigs.

Edited February 21, 2015 by DRW50