EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[Bright Eyes]

Now that I can only make time for Emmerdale and Shorty, there have been times where I am interested in things with Corrie and Hollyoaks, but not one damn thing on this show sounds, and judging from the trailer, looks at all watchable. I can't believe I was so wrong about Sean O'Connor. I blame Y&RWorldTurner for always hyping that era of the show O'Connor first worked for lulling me into a false sense of security.

[DRW50]

 

The show is basically monologue, monologue, stall stall stall, with all the major beats always played offcamera. No characterization that is consistent (my favorite was Jay being hostile to disabled people for a day), and lots and lots of the black holes known as Lauren and Whitney. The characters are generally unpleasant and the tone of the show is often very regressive and bigoted. 

 

It's watchable, but that's about it. 

[Vee]

Are they doing Mick and Whitney or not? She looks like she's getting some sort of bonkers bipolar arc.

[DRW50]

 

She still has a thing for him (she called him up pleading for him to come home in an episode earlier this week). No idea if he still does for her or if that has been dropped. 

 

Some guy from Game of Thrones is currently on the show as the manipulative boss and soon to be bed partner of ever-hapless Lauren. He's boring as hell - I have no idea what he was like on there.

 

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Eddie_Eyre

[victoria foxton]

The only good thing is that FakeMichelle isn't featured in the promo. 

Edited May 13, 2017 by victoria foxton

[Skylover]

Poverty storylines are literally the most boring storylines in soap so I don't understand why one is running with Denise straight after the Carter one.

 

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I am enjoying the show but I wish the bullies would either disappear or somehow get their comeuppance/be redeemed. I am 5 eps behind though.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Edward Skylover

[InLoveWithSoaps]

The show just feels aimless now, they're trying to be all ~realistic~ but it falls flat, and is ultimately boring, the bins, the community center, the leaks at the Vic, Denise's empty fridge. EastEnders never had to try that hard to be realistic. And then you have a bunch of random filler stories going nowhere. The stunts they came up with this year, for example. Tracey getting fired (I mean who cares?), post-it's invasion, Woody/Tina's one night stand... I mean they have at least an episode a week that's somewhat good, but maybe it's time to bring in a new producer. I also find the younger scene to be dead, Lauren & Abi are still there but haven't been relevant in years, it feels to me as though no one wants to write them off but no one has any idea what to write for them either, Whitney is kind of the same, Ben & Jay are in perpetual limbo. Bex is the only one that feels like she could lead the near future but her stories are repetitive and bring her down.

[DRW50]

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[TimWil]

 The WLIW/PBS episode on Wednesday began with Pauline gazing at a photo of newborn Dennis. There was a close up shot of Mark's photo on the shelf. Later in the episode she told Joe that she still felt intense anger that she had outlived one of her children. I guess it's the last time Pauline was ever shown in anything resembling a sympathetic light.

In the same episode Ian was taking Bobby to the creche and Bobby emerged from the house wearing Lucy's old Cinderella costume. Tee hee. Maybe he clocked her because he found out she'd given it to Oxfam? 

 

Britbox has Redwater-first episode is already up.

Edited May 21, 2017 by TimWil

[BetterForgotten]

Damn, this looks terrible:

 

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[NothinButAttitude]

Eww. The new family looks trashy as hell. I am guessing that they are supposed to the modern day answer to the Jackson clan, but I don't see it. I give them a year or 2 before they are all disposed of. If anything, I can see the eldest son being kept for the fact that he'll be hunky eye candy. 

 

I played a bit of catch up with what is going on and I'm regretting it. Steven/Lauren disgusts me. This is why I loathed the fact that they turned him from being gay to being 'bisexual,' so they could pair him with Lauren. He should've been a constant foil to Ben and his romantic pairings. Him poking holes in condoms and stalking Lauren (of all people) is horrid. I wouldn't be surprised if he is a casualty come next Christmas. 

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I can't bear to watch Denise be poor either. While Diane Parrish is killing the material, I am sick of Denise being in constant doom and gloom. Can she find some happiness for once? Can they bring back all her kids (Chelsea, Libby, and even Jordan) for her? Can she get a proper love interest? 

[DRW50]

 

He's not even bisexual in canon. They just ignore his past altogether. 

 

The family looks generic and the trailer is generic. And the pattern of humiliating Sharon continues as that woman punches her.

 

The promo photos for her are grotesque too. Just gurning and mugging gone wild. Awful.

[hsfolk]

so a white trash trailer park family moves into the square? 

[KMan101]

One of the problems, IMHO, with the UK soaps is this desire to write people in and out and kill them off for shock value, and bring on new character after new character.

 

I haven't watched in quite a while. I don't really like how they seem to like to humiliate the women on the show. Sharon, Denise, Michelle ... to name just three.  And if they aren't being humiliated they're turned into unlikeable screaming banshees.

 

Not to mention, IMO, the terrible view towards gay men.

Edited June 3, 2017 by KMan101

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I thought he considered himself bisexual his first run? Didn't he try coming onto Stacey? I just remember him falling for Christian and causing Jane's ass to be shot (sadly she didn't die). Regardless, they should've never paired him with Lauren. It was just stupid. I would've preferred for them to just be friends and he accompanied her home b/c Peter didn't wanna come home. 

 

And of course Sharon had to fall on the sword for this new family. Sharon (besides Denise) is SOC's kicking post. At times, I wish that Letitia Dean would've never returned to this show. The detriment that has been done to Sharon this entire past run is horrendous. She is nothing like the old Sharon; she died back in 05 with Dennis Rickman. 

 

 

I think that EE has a terrible view towards gay men. Emmerdale and Corrie are actually handling their LGBTQ characters better. Billy and Todd (on Corrie) are happy and getting a child via adoption. While on Emmerdale, Rob/Aaron are getting over Robert having a slip up with Rebecca, they are at least still a unit and forgiving each other. 

 

Ben is f-cking miserable on this show. It's been about 10 years since the character 'came out' and he still hasn't come to terms with it or truly got to enjoy his sexuality. The second you think he does, he regresses. Johnny is a non-factor. They are just window dressing on that show. 

 

And I agree that they love to humiliate the elder veteran women on this show. Mainly Sharon, Denise, and Michelle as you pointed out. All 3 of them have been made to be bitter and miserable at all times. It's super annoying.