EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

It would. I hope both of them get the boot to be honest. Mal Young can do no worse than the regimes that've been in power the last ten years of the show.

[YRBB]

LOL the cynical part of me is thinking he just needed a job or wanted to be able to move to the US via work

 

Who knows what the future holds? Y&R is such a cesspit, anyways. It COULD get worse -- it always does -- but let's see.

[TimWil]

Daran Little actually could have "saved" AMC, in my opinion, but he was working under Chuck and then his visa ran out. I think Mal is a very strong personality and will wield influence at Y&R. Can't wait.

 

I think that the painting of Zoe as a heartless bitch in last week's episode was merely a set up for her to make a surprise appearance on Friday. I wouldn't be surprised if she utters something like "Go find him, Kat. Find my brother. Find your son."

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Tonight's episode was OK. The performances is what is making me come back. 

 

- So glad that Shabnam finally confronted Kush and Carmel over them knowing the truth about the baby. I normally like Carmel but I do wish that Shabnam would've back-handed her and her son. 

 

- I hate how they are writing Martin. I truly do. He's a d*ck to everyone he's around and you never see him happy. I'm one of the few that likes James Bye but they could give him better writing--more lighthearted moments. 

 

- I just don't care for Phil or Shirley at all. Those two having a heart-to-heart made me vomit seeing as neither character have hearts. 

 

- Belinda popping up as Alfie was about to reveal his prognosis was good. I'm seem to be drawing blank, but was there always such hatred between Kat and Belinda? Or is this something new? 

[BetterForgotten]

Kat and Belinda always had a rocky relationship from what I remember. Belinda looked down on Kat and saw her as something she'd never want to be, and Kat was always the one to remind Belinda of where she came from. 

 

A lot of the time it was humours though - like when Belinda asked a waiter if he took paper or plastic, and Kat asked her "What are you gonna do? She him your boobs?!" 

Edited January 11, 2016 by BetterForgotten

[NothinButAttitude]

Oh OK! Thanks for reminding me! 

[DRW50]

There were a lot of small moments in this episode that I liked, and which I didn't expect to see.

 

- Billy being uneasy about just treating Charlie as a body, and remembering their past 

 

- Patrick learning about Charlie's death

 

- the Shabnam and Carmel conversation, where she cottoned onto just how disgusting this deception has been, and booted her out rather than continue to have sweet poison dripped in her ear

 

I also thought Carli Norris (looking oddly like Emma Willis) did a terrific job with the final line. Great way to close an episode. And Rakhee was great in the aftermath scenes with Kush and Carmel - she played it all just right. 

 

As for the rest...

 

I'm not going to say that Lacey Turner did a bad job - she was very good. James Bye was also very good in those last scenes in the bedroom when he said he'd protect Arthur. I was touched by that. And I thought they made it believable as to why he couldn't get Stacey help - she is struggling and could slip at any moment. However, I just didn't care about seeing this take up so much airtime. It never goes anywhere, as Stacey's stories never go anywhere in recent years. It's just a "moment" to get people talking, and I don't think it warranted endless repetitive scenes where Stacey had to talk about God, the devil, demons, Heaven. I'm not sure how something so dramatic could be so boring, but somehow, it was. Meanwhile, what could have had dramatic power - Shabnam learning the truth, and Kat and the rest of the family holding watch over Charlie's body and trying to tell the kids the news, felt rushed. 

 

Then there's Phil and Shirley, which was the same scene they always have. Shirley "gets" Phil, and Sharon doesn't. Shirley is a wise sage. That's great for her. The problem is the only reason her family is so supportive and understanding of her hate campaign against a rape victim to a point where they immediately forgive her (and her son - the only one she really cares about in the family anyway - had already forgiven her when she still thought his wife was a liar and her rapist son was a victim) is because they are mugs. Then again, Sharon is also a huge mug, so I guess it's good advice after all, eh? 

Edited January 12, 2016 by DRW50

[BetterForgotten]

WTF?

 

Edited January 12, 2016 by BetterForgotten

[DRW50]

Ridiculous. The only good to come of it is if this leads to Mo leaving the show for good. 

[NothinButAttitude]

So Mo assists in Kat's baby being taken away and then delivers this blow to her too? Yeah ... this needs to be the end of Mo. Write her ass off for good and kill offscreen down the road. I never cared for Mo before and I sure as h*ll don't now. 

 

DTC is gradually succeeding in making me not care for the Slater clan. 

[NothinButAttitude]

Belinda is a twat and Lil Mo can seriously go after tonight. I can't believe she tried to imply that Kat screaming caused Charlie to fold over and die. Her and Kat's mom sin is what caused Charlie's death. 

 

Good for Shabnam walking away for now. I hope she takes Kush's ass through the wringer. 

 

Phil & Sharon.... meh. Though Phil came clean, we all know Sharon will forgive him yet again. Hell, I cannot still get why she is with him following finding out he had a hand in Dennis' death all those years ago. Can sensible Sharon please reemerge?

[DRW50]

This was Jessie Wallace's best sustained work in a very long time. The scenes of hers that have been chopped up or her roles in stories that were actually about her being given little airtime, especially last year - all of this ran through my head here as she got to have lengthy scenes, all about Kat, her fears, her regrets, and her pain. I always felt Kat's pain in her first stint, and that's sometimes been a struggle the second time around. I really did feel all of it here, both during the shouty arguments and the quiet moments. I can't praise her enough, and the dialogue was just as good. And she and Shane Richie were pitch-perfect together, as he usually is in high drama.

In contrast, I continue to just not be able to invest in Stacey's story, because I just don't see an actual character at this point, and I find the way other characters address her history (Tamwar never telling Nancy when she mentioned it tonight that Stacey was bipolar and instead just letting her think Stacey randomly lost her [!@#$%^&*]) to be jarring and odd. At this point the story is more about Martin or Kush or Kyle, or about "Lacey Turner deserves an Oscar," rather than what actually suits the character, whoever she even is now. I had to laugh when they had the shot of her journal with EVIL EVIL in large font. How subtle.

Carli Norris was excellent as Belinda - Belinda was always more of a comedy character the first time around, but I didn't see any of that here, which is good. She and Jessie worked great together. 

Kush just drags everything down for me. He's deluded, he's weak, and he's a leech. If he had any dignity or any GENUINE love for Shabnam, he would let her leave, not beg her to stay, sniveling as always. He kept on about how he knew they were wonderful together because she saw his true self on the market stall, but she's never seen his true self. He has lied to her over and over throughout their entire relationship. He was going to keep on lying. He was lying all over again claiming he feels nothing for Arthur, taking her for a fool, even though she heard him telling Carmel how much he loves Arthur. He never stops. 

I can't pretend that I care about Phil and Sharon and their future, but Steve and Letitia were certainly good.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

The perfect description of Kush. I just don't pity him, and Carmel weaseling around the Square on helicopter mode over this baby is starting to annoy me as well. This is where I wish Zainab would come back. She'd eat Kush's ass alive. I don't see Masood doing once he gets word of what is going on. 

 

As you pointed out too, I didn't understand why Tamwar didn't inform Nancy of Stacey being bipolar. Him allowing Nancy to ramble on and on boggled my mind. Same with Martin too. I was wishing they'd just clue her in so she could be shut down already. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Who the f-ck plotted this sh-t? Serious, they need their heads checked out. This episode was damn HORRIBLE.

 

Sharon ends things with Phil, and thinking she'd gain the gumption to dump the Beales out her life too (along with snitching on Bobby), she does the opposite. She takes Ian back in open arms once he moans and whines that he is suffering from empty nest syndrome. And who's fault is that? Oh yeah ... his! She then goes and finds solace at the Beales--the same family that has sent Sharon's life into a tailspin. 

 

Kathy, Sharon, and Ian have practically been decimate as characters. Any integrity they've ever had is shattered and gone all so they can set up their future nutter (Bobby) down the road to come and terrorize the Square. 

 

Then we have Shabnam, who showed strength in the last episode; she's about to leave Kush but once he burst into tears and guilts her about wanting a family, she acquiesces. The only good thing that came out of their exchange is that he now has to come clean to Martin, which we all know how that'll end. Martin will pout and brood all over the Square after he beats the hell out of Kush only to probably weasel his way back to dowdy ass Sonia. 

 

Next is Phil, who takes off in an inebriated stupor once he's called out on his mess. How many times have we seen this song and dance? Is this supposed to draw sympathy from the viewers? Because if so, it didn't feel anything. I felt hollow. Like Ben, I wanted Phil to go kill himself and for good. This character and his antics are tired and old. I am guessing Louise returning is supposed to set him on the right track and get him to clean himself up. 

 

Finally, we have Carmel going to Masood for 'sexual healing' when she was just distressed over Stacey and Arthur. Nothing is more worse than grief sex. Pointless grief sex at that. Had the occurred any other time as just casual sex, I would've been all for it. But this night of all nights? Ugh. Whatever. 

 

I think I am about to go back on hiatus with EE. ED is fulfilling me enough and I need to get back into Corrie with Kate Oates taking helm soon. I can do w/o EE and be fine. I'm seriously entertaining it....

[DRW50]

I saw many praising this episode. The thing for me is I've seen it over and over again and I just don't care. They love to give Sharon these speeches like something from an old Barbara Stanwyck film, but it's meaningless, because she'll always take Phil back. And the latest attempt to remind us that Ian and Jane can do whatever they want because they have a sad was just pathetic.

I stopped caring about Kush once he started guilting Shabnam about wanting marriage even as he never directly broke it off with her, and I've grown to hate him since. He's a weak, self-righteous, passive-aggressive coward who is constantly backed up by his mother, a mother who makes sure he stays weak. The way he turned on Shabnam when he thought she was actually leaving made me sick. She's too good for him. He will drag her down.