EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[MichaelGL]

Back watching again, and I found the Nish/Eve confrontation riveting, as well as Ravi's change of heart. The show has really positioned him as a antihero of the square of sorts, kind of reminds me of how they sort of wrote Sean Slater as. 

[detroitpiston]

I can’t believe they made me care about Karan but this kidnapping exit story was great. The big reveal at The Vic where her and Keanu are just looking at each other and she gives him the okay to throw her under the bus was brilliant acting. I love that her and Mitch still ran off with Phil’s money at the end too, I’m actually gonna miss her now but the show could use a new family in that house.

 

@MichaelGL yeah the Nish/Eve/Ravi scenes were fantastic as well and I typically zone out during Eve & Suki material but they got me that week. I’m glad Ravi didn’t kill her and agree he’s a good anti hero character.

 

I love Sam and glad she’s back but I hope they put her in a new orbit now that it looks like Stacey is about to hunch on Jack ( Denise is an awful wife and character so I don’t blame him if this is where things are headed).

 

I don’t think I commented on Kathy and Rocky and the cafe fire but that was really solid story especially Cindy lashing out the way she did.
 

I also really liked Jay’s spiraling out and Gina’s involvement trying to help, she’s become my favorite of the Knight fam especially with how she supported Linda.

Speaking of I hope the six kill Dean so we can be done with him and any more of Shirley’s unfortunate offspring. I hate how the UK shows always have one creepy rapist always lingering around the canvas, its gross.

Edited December 9, 2023 by detroitpiston

[DRW50]

Considering how many times Jack tried to freeze her out or blame her for his daughter's self-harm, I think he's lucky she even stayed with him.

Jack has always cheated on his partners, no matter what they say or do. I just think this story makes Stacey look kind of pathetic, but then this whole year has been plot over character for her. I don't get the sense this regime understands her, or most complex characters. 

I'm glad if people found anything to enjoy in the Panesars. All of that is automatic skip for me as there's only one person in the family who can even act and I'm tired of toxic gay ships.

[Manny]

I still have this week's episode to watch, but I fell behind at some point due to life, but now I have just finished Karen's exit story and it was amazing!!

I never really cared for Karen or in general the Taylors, but I have to say... how everything unfolded was awesome! And amazing acting by Lorraine Stanley! She was so good, you could see Karen was heartbroken at taking the fall for her son, even though she resents him that he let her. And goodbye scenes with Bernadette and then Mitch agreeing to come with her. It was nice. I love that they took Phil's money. I don't like Phil. I hope Bernadette snitches on Keanu at some point. 

Count me in as someone who LOVED Nish/Eve scenes. I had no idea that Nish didn't know about Eve/Suki. When I came back to the show and was reading about certain characters, for some reason I thought that everyone knew that Suki and Eve had an affair. But it was great acting and really well done. Nish telling Ravi to take Eve and kill her reminded me of Snow White

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And then Ravi takes Eve to the forest (like the hunter does with Snow White hahaha) and eventually lets her go! Awesome! I do wonder how this will unfold when Eve comes back. I feel bad for Suki, Nish is really disgusting. I also wonder how Ravi will get out of this, since he already has Denise knowing he killed that guy on the video, plus now Ravi is involved with Eve's disappearance. 

Speaking of Ravi, I just hate his ex and his new daughter. They are both so annoying. Especially the daughter.

And then the story with Linda and Dean... Not knowing the history, I wanted to ask everyone how the show played the rape scenes. Was it really rape or did they have an affair? Based on the comments here, I see that it was rape. So it really makes Dean really disgusting. I feel bad for Linda. But like @Chris B said, these things happen.. men get set free all the time for rape, so I get the story from that perspective. But I really hope he gets punished. Because he's more than gross.

And something that happened in the previous episodes, Cindy clashing with Ian over Bobby, that was interesting. Lots of conflict there. 

All in all, even though I enjoyed a lot of stuff in second half of November and early December, I do hope EE lightens up a little bit with their stories. Every story is so dark and heavy. They need to have a least one lighthearted and cheerful story to balance it out. 

[j swift]

I just finished the Eastenders Revealed: The Six episode.  Highly recommended as a primer for Christmas.  Also, just so impressive that a production was able to pull this off.  So much could've happened in real life to divert the story, that is a marvel in terms of planning.  I'm astounded that nobody has cut their hair, gained weight, or changed their appearance in any way since February.

One can easily predict the critical fallout online.  Because there's probably going to be some red herrings, and everything won't be resolved in a single episode.  Also, without spoilers, there's been news about actors leaving which might disappoint those who are prone to that sort of obvious group think.

However, as an American, it is hard not to enjoy the all the PR and hoopla that has gone into this plot.

[Manny]

Since I only came back to EE this summer, I missed the flashforward in February. I actually didn't know about it until yesterday lol So I watched it and I watched the BBC special that @j swift mentioned today. 

I find this murder mystery to be very interesting. I love how they executed it. Really, from production standpoint, to have created in late 2022/early 2023 and then the rest of the story playing out only end of 2023, wow.. 

I am really interested who did it and who is the murder victim. 

But I want to venture a guess...

So in the flash forward, Linda seems to be coming into the room, so I think we can say it is not her, right?

Most obvious would be one of the three ladies closest to the body (Stacey with bloody hands, Denise holding the (I guess) murder weapon, and Sharon with a bloody wedding dress). 

Kathy had no expression on her face at all. So I think it cannot be her. Finally, Suki.. she did seem really shocked.. so she is still a possibility. Might be she killed him, then stepped back and the other three ladies got blood on them. 

As for the victim... I would love it to be Phil.. but I don't think it's him. They just have so many unresolved stuff to play out with Phil.. Albie's parentage, the fact he cheated on Kat with that lady.. 

There is no way Jack is killed. I haven't seen the first part of the year, but he's don't NOTHING in this second part of the year that I watched.

Theo.. could be.. obviously he's a creep.. but wouldn't he now get sent to prison after pleading guilty? 

Rocky... well the truth came out about what he did and Kathy didn't kill him.. lol And again, based on Kathy's expression in the flash forward, I just don't think she did anything.

Now Keanu... sure, Sharon might flip out if the truth comes out at the wedding. But I don't think he gets killed off at this point without Karen there to play out the death scenes. They would have killed him off sooner while Lorraine Stanley was still there.

So it is either Ravi or Nish or Dean.

Now, I don't believe Linda did it, but Dean being killed off is a possibility. However, they just brought his daughter in, and this whole thing with Linda "confessing" he didn't rape her in a recording surely will come back at later stage to play out.

So that leaves Ravi or Nish. I have been wondering how they would ever save Ravi from the murder he already committed as well as the kidnapping of Eve. So maybe him getting killed is the way out for the character. But the only issue is, I have seen that Eve actress is on some break, so I don't think this break would be so official unless it is bit longer. So the truth about him kidnapping her would not be possible to come out yet. And on top, the murder he committed has to come out in some way at some point. So I think he still has stuff to play out.

So then, would the body be Nish? Maybe they do find out he found out the truth about Suki/Eve and a fight happens, Suki kills him and is shocked, while other ladies stand around trying to help. And I don't see any loose threads in Nish story to keep him around. With Nish gone, Eve can come back, Kathy can maybe get her cafe back somehow, and Suki is free (because probably she kills him in self-defense). 

So I will go with that.. Suki kills Nish!

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[MichaelGL]

There's been hints that there might be two deaths on Christmas. I definitely believe Nish is one of the deaths, especially considering the cafe was signed over to him, this would a easy way to get the cafe back under the ownership of the Beales again. 

However if there is a second death, I suspect it will be either Dean or Jack. With the returns of two characters after Christmas (photos showing both women dressed in black) I can't help but to think Jack does indeed die, and this leads to the ladies killing Nish. The hints where Denise holding a bottle of champagne, the bottle Jack gifted Denise last week, and wasn't Jack in possession of the cufflinks? My first guess would be Dean, but Jack is quickly becoming a close second to who dies at this point. Isn't he also investigating Eve's disappearance too?

[Manny]

Well did I spoke too soon or what?

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My predictions were written before I saw all of the episodes of last week. 

Now I watched and my prediction doesn't change, I still say Nish is killed and Suki does it. They really were making people threaten Nish in public, haven't they? Kathy having a public fight with him.. even Keanu yelling he would kill him. It is a bit surprising that they are also creating these male suspects with all the threats flying, when apparently it is one of the six ladies who is the killer.

And then as I mentioned, I knew the Linda recording will come back, I just didn't expect it to come back so soon. And then here we had George yelling he would kill Dean in front of everyone. I still don't think it's Dean. His daughter just showed up and there is still stuff to play out. I.e. this gross thing with Gina.. are they really going there? Gina and Dean? Ew! Oh and Linda publicly said she would kill Dean when she caught him playing Santa with Ollie. 

Also, Kat finding out Sharon's secret. Did not expect that to happen now. But Kat will not tell Phil, I am sure. Making it even more clear it is not Phil who dies, because all this needs to play out. I cannot wait, because I don't like Kat and Phil. 

Oh and Theo is now suspected to be kidnapped Eve. I just don't get it.. is Theo in prison? Or not? Jack mentions he is in Scotland? And there goes Stacey threatening Theo to kill him.  But I do upgrade Theo to potential victim, because based on everything, Theo will somehow get free and visit Stacey again. 

And you gotta love Jean, questioning Stacey if she and Jack are getting involved and reminding her it would be a third Branning for her I laughed! Jean is right though. And the literally in the same episode, they kiss. Stacey/Jack romance is gross. The only way I'd be into it is if Max comes back. I love messy Max. 

 

Oh there might be two deaths? That makes it really interesting then. 

Yeah, the whole cufflinks thing I don't know. I read about it, but I think I read Phil has them now? 

I would be very shocked if they kill Jack off. I wouldn't mind it, but I would be surprised. 

I just think killing both Dean and Nish would be so obvious. If you're gonna do two deaths, then at least one of them should be shocking. Jack, for me, would be shocking. Basically anyone other than Nish/Dean/Theo, would be kinda shocking to me. They are the most obvious. 

Yeah, Jack is kind of looking into Eve's disappearance, but basically the police in general is. They questioned Ravi and Nish in the last episode on Thursday. Can you maybe share which casting news is making you think it's Jack? I am curious now  

[MichaelGL]

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[Manny]

I somehow still think with the onset of his affair with Stacey, that Jack still lives... I don't see them starting the affair only to kill him off next week. I could see it if the killer was someone outside of the six ladies, but with one of them being the killer... Hmmm.. Although nice catch about the bottle of wine that Denise was holding! 

[DRW50]

To me it's the type of forced stuff that reminds me why I barely sit through the show now. I don't have any interest in a show that stalls out for most of the year for the sake of an overhyped Christmas episode.

[Vee]

The UK soaps always splash out on good promotion. But the stories don't hold up in recent years.

I am curious to see whatever this is just as a lapsed fan, but I never hang around since that unfortunate Michelle recast a few years ago. I do wonder where it streams now.

[DRW50]

If you have Amazon Prime/Britbox it's there.

[Manny]

Hm, interesting. It didn't feel like the show was stalled, at least not in the second part of the year that I watched. Lots of stuff happened which is leading to the Christmas murder(s).. 

Just out of curiousity, what makes the stories feel stalled for you?

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Manny

[Manny]

Hahaha Alfie and Billy are selling those cufflinks to anyone and everyone

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 So I guess that those that ended up during the year with someone (Phil?), I guess doesn't matter... who will get to buy them maybe now?