EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Yeah but who would the others be? Johnny? Lee is gone soon. There is no other young male adults in their bracket unless Mark is long-term.

[DRW50]

I figure they may bring more in. Beyond Johnny, I'd say Kush (although he's about 10 years older than they are), or they could bring back Liam. 

[NothinButAttitude]

I couldn't imagine Kush living with them. I could see Liam, who is someone they need to desperately bring back. Wouldn't he be in the same age bracket as Louise, Bex, and Shakil?

[DRW50]

Liam would be a few years older than they are.

 

I guess there's Kyle.

[Bright Eyes]

It should be Lola. The three of them could be a pretty fascinating dynamic.

[Bright Eyes]

It should be Lola. The three of them could be a pretty fascinating dynamic.

[Skylover]

Lisa doesn't care what happens to Louise?

And apparently Michelle has talked to Mark a lot about Grant 

[DRW50]

That last one is a bunch of bullshit. It's absurd enough that she would write Peggy (a woman she hated) a letter about Mark, let alone spend years telling Mark what a terrible man Grant was. She would never talk to him about Grant because she didn't want him to know who his father was. And wouldn't Sharon be angry that Michelle spent decades trashing Grant when she knew that she had his baby? Oh wait, we can't have Sharon do or say anything of value. 

 

The whole thing was lacking in any energy or believability, from the casting of the thugs to the home invasion scenes, to the laughable bit where Grant got into it with "Mark Fowler Jr." 

 

The Denise pregnancy (hate this story) scenes also felt lifeless and endless, and I hate seeing Claudette and Patrick loved up in Dot's living room after what she did to Fatboy. 

 

The execution of this episode just sucked. If you're going to do this at least have some sense of danger. 

[Skylover]

The kidnappers looked and sounded more like in the closet gays than gay bashers. It was totally laughable. 

Phil having a baby with Denise is just ridiculous, as if the Mitchells don't have enough stories

Did I miss something, why was Mark hanging around with Shakil all the time?

Edited September 6, 2016 by Edward Skylover

[DRW50]

[NothinButAttitude]

Can I just say that I am so thrilled that Grant's arc/Paul's murder story have wrapped up? Both of them were dismal and deplorable. 

 

Ross Kemp should've never returned unless the writing was completely there. His entire stint was cringeworthy and the various gaps didn't help. I burst into laughter over the scenes of him chasing them young boys with a bat and them running. What young boys would run from old ass Grant when a few of them had weapons on their hands and still outnumbered Grant, Ben, and Mark? 

 

Might I add, that I found it hilarious that Sharon (of all people) had the nerve to tell Mark that he doesn't need Grant in his life b/c he's toxic, destructive, or whatever she said. Are they serious? Furthermore, can they make their mind up with Sharon? Is she gonna be pro or anti-Mitchell? She's sucking face with one of them one second and denouncing them the next. I pray to GOD that the first thing O'Connor does is fix Sharon if it is possible. 

 

Just so many missed opportunities within the last few months. Especially, with Mark. That story being unraveled alone should've altered EE for decades to come. Instead, it was a little blip or bump in the road if anything. 

[Bright Eyes]

I am very happy the Mark story is over with, but I will say I connected more to Grant in his brief return, then I have with Phil in years.  Though there have been a few scenes, like the great one where he admitted to Ian he was afraid of Ben. Elsewhere, people have critiqued Ross Kemp's acting, but I never noticed any primarily badly acted scenes by him, so I don't know what show they were watching. If it were me, I wouldn't have touched the Mark Fowler plot, but instead had Grant return to reinvigorate Sharon back to who she was. She's lost so much of herself, and with their strong chemistry that shone through in one scene than in any I've ever seen with Phil, his presence would remind her what she's missing. There wouldn't be any affair, maybe just a passionate kiss, and Courtney could still return, maybe learn about how horribly Grant treated Tiffany, and it could still end the same way for them. Grant and Sharon's relationship would get closure, and she would be start to distance herself from Phil, maybe buy back into The Albert, but once Phil gets his inevitable transplant, she'd be out of there like a shot.

[NothinButAttitude]

Your vision of Grant's return would've been good enough for me. I would've preferred Courtney to learn about Tiffany's demise over DTC touching EE's and possibly UK soaps' greatest secret.

 

A story like Mark needed Ross Kemp to sign on for at least 3-6 months nonstop. As I aforementioned (too), Peggy's death should've been wrapped up in this too. The climax should've been Mark's reveal occurring around the time Peggy committed suicide. Peggy's death and funeral should've opened the door for Mark and Grant to attempt a relationship, and Courtney/Grant/Mark should've left the canvas together going to Portugal as a family to bond. 

 

I just don't believe the ending they gave Grant. Grant would never walk away from a child of his. He caused Tiffany's death b/c she was trying to keep Courtney from him. I just don't see him stepping away from Mark either. Yeah, I don't see him giving Michelle grief, as he's older and should understand why she chose to do so, but I still don't see him not attempting a relationship with his son. The story was just anticlimactic and cemented why the secret should've remained a secret. Mark's return was utterly pointless and further destroyed Sharon, the Beales, and the Mitchells. 

[DRW50]

He never meant for Tiffany to die, and her death haunted him. Grant is a selfish and at times very nasty and dangerous man, but he's never been the monster that Phil is. He's always been nuanced. It's one of the reasons why the scenes of Sharon demanding Mark not know the truth because Grant is so toxic and abusive made no real sense, especially when there was no evidence he'd been that way in the last 20 years. It was all false, cheap melodrama. 

 

The ending of the story - with Grant realizing he needed to step back and Mark realizing the truth but deciding to stay with the life he knew - was probably the best it could have gone (for me anyway) and I have to wonder if that was the original plan. Thursday and Friday had a number of scenes that did not feel like the original plan for me - chief among them Jay's exit (I'm about 70% sure he was going to be written out for good when he went out with Ben, and the bizarre sprint on Tuesday/nonrole on Thursday/quick exit on Friday are cover for him not being in the scripts for a while). 

 

I really wish they'd never touched this story. The bizarre and bewildering rewrites of Michelle that, among other things, claimed she constantly talked trash about Grant (even though she spent 20 years desperate for no one to know he was the father of her son), were cheap and just reflected DTC's overall contempt for women. And until a few scenes at the end, Mark was a creepy, generic cipher. 

 

I know a lot of people felt Kemp was wooden, but I thought when given the chance he was more than decent enough. Most of his return scripts were crap. The last two days, he had decent scripts, and he rose to the occasion. I doubt we'll see him again, but with better material and a longer stint, he'd likely add to the show. 

 

My eyes went all the way back in my head when Ben offered to give his abuser part of his liver. The show will never stop trying to sell Phil as a loving father - without ever actually showing us this - and I will never, ever buy it. Ben saying he would miss "yelling and winding [him] up" made no sense, as we have never seen that. Unless he means the loving dad moments where he called Ben a queer. 

 

The funeral was never going to be what it should have been as most of the Coker grieving was offcamera, but still, they missed an opportunity not showing Ben's speech. It made his feelings seem more hollow (not for the first time). 

 

Colin's return was very PSA-ish, and I wish they'd had him interact with Sharon, but at least he was happy and had had a good life. I'd assumed he was long dead. Colin was always one of my favorites so I can't really complain.

[NothinButAttitude]

I am so over Sonia wanting to breakup with Tina every five seconds. Enough! Honestly, send Sonia and Tina off into the sunset. I'm sick of both of them. Sylvie too. 

 

Masood and Carmel lost their heat a long time ago. I wish the show would stop trying to push it. Should've pulled the trigger when they did. Now, I just want Masood to find his happiness before he departs. 

 

Seeing Lee and Buster today reminds me how stupid it is getting rid of both of these characters. Out of the Carter clan, these 2 are the only ones I can stand to watch. I thought it was cute watching Lee be anxious but excited over a baby. I just wish it wasn't with Whitney.  Lee would've been perfect with Lucy had they not killed her. 

 

Denise's pregnancy story depresses me. I don't want another spawn of Phil's on the show. I seriously hope she miscarries. Sorry but I do. I don't want Denise attached to that loser. 

 

Jane & Ian.... Thought it was so stupid of Jane wanting to send Bobby some stuff in jail. Bitch, didn't he just crack your skull a few months back? Ain't he the reason you're paralyzed? Catch the hint and leave well enough alone. Stupid.

Edited September 13, 2016 by Nothin'ButAttitude