Eastenders (BBC) - General Discussion

[darkestboy]

Another superb episode last night.

The acting was incredible, every scene with Ian, Jane, Cindy, Peter and Bobby was just superb and Jane's explanation as to what she did with Lucy's body was shocking to hear.

The letter made me want to cry though. That was a harrowing scene to watch.

This whole week has been excellent from start to finish. A great resolution to Lucy's murder and the set up of some more interesting stories down the lines.

DTC wasn't kidding when he said Lucy's death would be a game changer for the Beales.

[TimWil]

I loved the live episode, too, but really could have done without the fireworks and dance music at the end. I realize it was a way to get all of the cast outside but I hate it as much as when they all run outside just because it's snowing.

[Wootini]

Yes, the letter got me, too. But the whole time they were all agreeing to cover for Bobby to protect him, I kept thinking that they were the ones who didn't understand what happened and were pretending. Because I'm pretty sure Bobby knows exactly what he did, and is just playing dumb, and they're all going along with it because the alternative is to horrific to even think about. I fully expect plenty of Creepy!Bobby scenes in the near future.

 

I understand they wanted to get the entire cast in a big group and set off fireworks to celebrate the anniversary, but it was super jarring after all those dramatic Beale Family scenes to suddenly start cheering and playing loud dance music and setting off happy fireworks. Perhaps if they had cut between the two to juxtapose how everyone was celebrating this wedding while the actual bride and groom were in their house miserable while hearing the fireworks and cheering, it would have been more effective.

 

Because seriously, worst wedding ever. The bride and groom just disappear from the reception, and everyone just carries on partying like they didn't even notice! How rude!

[M. Darcy]

Well, it was an Ian Beale wedding.  They always go wrong. 

 

Article on 14 things we learned from the episode (including a spoiler about Peter)  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/eastenders/11426496/EastEnders-live-30th-anniversary-things-we-learned.html

 

And, Jacqueline Jossa had a baby girl on Feb 15th!  Which explains why Lauren wasn't around for the live portions of last week.

[Wootini]

Yeah. She was quite obviously pregnant, hiding behind large bags and props and wearing her coat EVERYWHERE. :)

 

I was a little upset learning a spoiler about Peter during the backstage broadcasts. I try to stay as spoiler-free as possible.

 

At least we know how they were able to tape around the reveal of the murderer months ago, since the Beales are going to circle the wagons and act like it's all normal (ish). That oughtta help. 

[M. Darcy]

And why they said the killer wouldn't know themselves until 30 minutes before.  Not that the kid couldn't keep a secret but he is a kid.  I wonder who would have been the killer if his Dad said no - probably Abi. 

 

My guess is that one day Ian will get angry at Bobby and being Ian will tell him that he killed Lucy.  Its Ian - when he is angry, he doesn't think about what he is saying.

[TeeVee329]

Well I read a spoiler that

someone eventually does get arrested for the murder and Ian, Jane, etc. have to decide whether to let that person take the fall.

[Decider]

DTC has said that Cindy was their first choice to have killed Lucy, but Bobby's name was brought up and the writers realized that having him as the culprit would have more of an impact.

[Wootini]

I think Bobby is a more interesting choice. Cindy would have just been a jealous teen who would be shipped off to jail for murder. (At least I assume. I can't imagine them asking the audience to buy that the family would rally around CINDY to protect her!) But with Bobby, you have the question of "Does he really know what he did? Is he a monster?" which has potential.

 

I was really interested to see the first episode after live week, because they would have filmed this months ago before the revelation, so I was curious how it would play out. I now wonder if the Beale family scenes were actually shot more recently, like just a couple weeks ago, at least the scenes where they specifically mention Bobby. The other ones would be vague enough that it wouldn't spoil anything to have shot them back then.

 

Not sure how Charlie thought admitting to harboring a criminal was going to get Dot released and wouldn't just simply get him arrested alongside his gran. Not the brightest bulb, there, eh?

 

I was also pleased to see that the majority of the teasers from the end of the backstage show at the end of live week ended up being in this first episode back. I was initially wary of watching the preview because I didn't know how spoilery it would be. But it wasn't too bad. The preview clips were just vague enough to not give too much away, and as it turns out, they were mostly for the first day back! :D

[TeeVee329]

I think Bobby is a more interesting choice. Cindy would have just been a jealous teen who would be shipped off to jail for murder. (At least I assume. I can't imagine them asking the audience to buy that the family would rally around CINDY to protect her!) But with Bobby, you have the question of "Does he really know what he did? Is he a monster?" which has potential.

 

I was really interested to see the first episode after live week, because they would have filmed this months ago before the revelation, so I was curious how it would play out. I now wonder if the Beale family scenes were actually shot more recently, like just a couple weeks ago, at least the scenes where they specifically mention Bobby. The other ones would be vague enough that it wouldn't spoil anything to have shot them back then.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't have bought Ian or Jane rallying this hard around Cindy.  It would have to have been a completely different story because Jane wouldn't have moved the body in that scenario.

 

I feel like I read that the Beale actors found out about Bobby just before Christmas because they had to film scenes related to the reveal.

[Wootini]

Yeah, if it had been Cindy, Jane would've been on the phone to the police so fast it would've made your head spin! :D

 

And yeah, in the backstage segments after the final live show, I think I remember Laurie Brett saying she found out before Christmas and Ben Hardy saying he's known since November. I love that they didn't trust the kid, though, so they waited until Monday to tell him! HAHAH!

[TeeVee329]

Wait, so Lauren thinks Jane's the one who killed Lucy, right?

[Wootini]

You know, I don't know… I guess so? I never thought about that. 

 

This is the problem with being vague to keep things a mystery. You're never quite sure exactly what people are talking about!

 

Although if she goes to New Zealand with Peter, I guess it won't matter anymore.

[TeeVee329]

Well the actress does have to disappear for her maternity leave on-screen soon.  So either she'll go with Peter or, as she talked about yesterday, she'll go to stay with Tanya for a while.

 

Speaking of moving, Abi's moving in with Ben?  Oh girl, stop it.

[Wootini]

Oh, I forgot about that bit! I loved when he was like, "You can totally stay here when you visit so you don't have to deal with your dad." and somehow in Abi's demented mind that translated to "I want you to move in with me." Next think you know she'll be picking out a ring for herself! But the wedding could turn awkward if Ben decides to go with Jay as his best man and then tries to make out with him again before the ceremony!

[M. Darcy]

 

Speaking of moving, Abi's moving in with Ben?  Oh girl, stop it.

Honestly.  All Max said was maybe you should visit your Mum and she heard it as GET OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW - I HATE YOU.   And she moved out with that little suitcase.  Please.  She was like a small child that runs away (and gives up at the end of the driveway).

[doesntworkonwood]

Abi is so selfish. I used to like her a lot, but jeez, how do you get so self absorbed? 

[TeeVee329]

I was amused by how the Peter/Lauren scenes were shot to maintain the secrecy about Bobby being the killer.

 

Peter: I have something to tell you.

 

[camera zooms waaaaay back so we can't hear what they're saying]

 

Lauren: Wow, that was something.  Now I have a secret to tell you.

 

[immediate cut to something else]

[Wootini]

Yeah, the zooming out in the cemetery was obviously a cheat so they didn't need to actually exchange dialogue about the murderer. :-)

 

Although I was surprised that during the Peter/Bobby scene, they did actually say it out loud. Must have been a closed set… Also, I know he's just a child actor, but he didn't really play it like he was psycho and knew he killed Lucy and was just acting innocent. He seemed to actually be upset at the idea he might have been the one who killed Lucy. Oh well. I was hoping for psycho Bobby!

 

Abi is just ridiculous. Max suggests she go live with her mom (Seriously, is Max just the worst father or what?) and she takes it as "You should move out." And Ben suggests that she could stay with them when she comes back for a visit now and then, and she takes it as "Let's move in together." What color is the sky in her world?

 

Not to mention that Ben caved and actually said that he was still kind of sort of gay-ish, and she only had to think about it for a hot second before she said "It's okay. We love each other and it'll be fine." Yeah, it'll be fine until he doesn't actually want to have sex with you. Or throws himself at Jay again. Or goes after some new hottie who moves into the Square… Oh, this girl… (I honestly wanted her to be Lucy's killer just so we could send her to jail and I wouldn't have to watch her anymore)

 

I'm also glad that Nancy said something to Linda. It's right that Linda should know that Dean sneaked in and tried to set fire to the pub. Everyone needs to know what a dangerous psycho he is. Sure, she might be upset to also learn that Mick nearly crushed his throat, but… well, you can't have everything!

 

And while I thought it was sweet that they gave Lauren and Peter the special farewell ending music, I still never saw them as a couple. That seems to be a problem with this show. More often than not, couples have next-to-no chemistry. They just sort of throw together people who they think it would be convenient to pair up. I mean, have you ever seen any heat between Ronnie and Charlie? Not to mention the sudden "I guess we should have sex together even though we've barely looked at each other like that before" moment between Roxie and Charlie. Ben and Abi obviously wouldn't be supposed to have chemistry. But I keep forgetting that Lee and Whitney are a couple. They're barely ever on screen, and when they are, there's nothing there anyway.

[TeeVee329]

But I keep forgetting that Lee and Whitney are a couple. They're barely ever on screen, and when they are, there's nothing there anyway.

 

Same.  When they popped up yesterday, I was like, "Oh yeah, those two."  Maybe now with Peter and Lauren cleared out, they can get a story.

[M. Darcy]

Heh, I can't decide it Ben was really admitting he was gay or was just desperate for Abi to move not in.  

 

So, do we think that Dean is dead? 

[Decider]

Dean isn't dead.  He'll be back.

[Meredith Quill]

Heh, I can't decide it Ben was really admitting he was gay or was just desperate for Abi to move not in.  

 

So, do we think that Dean is dead? 

 

Re Ben, I'd say both.

 

Dean isn't dead.  He'll be back.

 

Yes, this^.

[M. Darcy]

I just keep thinking of Homer Simpson's advice on how to break up with someone - three words  I Am Gay.

 

I wonder if they will really close the Mini Mart.  Where else will people gossip about someone as that person is walking in?  And where will people buy their chocolate? 

[TeeVee329]

Heh, I can't decide it Ben was really admitting he was gay or was just desperate for Abi to move not in.  

 

So, do we think that Dean is dead? 

 

Weren't Ben and Abi close friends when they were kids?  I do think, on some level, he feels bad about the way he's using her, but her crazy ass doubling down let him off the hook.

 

No way is Dean dead, especially with the whole story with his baby with Shabnam still dangling out there.

Edited February 28, 2015 by TeeVee329

[Wootini]

So clearly Dean was trying to fake his death so everyone would stop looking for him and he could sneak back to Walford and torch the Vic in peace or whatever else he might have had planned. Unfortunately, he didn't do a great job of it and they realized the body wasn't his. Although if they're eventually planning on redeeming Dean, this new move of sticking some poor guy in a car with his ID and then torching the whole thing isn't going to help at all.

 

They need to move on with this Ben/Abi/Jay story because it's just painfully annoying to watch. Ben and Abi are just swimming together in that river called Denial, and it's getting tedious. I need Abi to catch Ben making out with some dude just so we can get to the next chapter already.

 

And I totally forgot that they were closing down the Minute Mart. That was a big deal when Shabnam lost her job. And then I wondered where everyone was going to buy all their overpriced groceries (I always loved how people just shopped there like it was a local grocery store. It always seemed more like a 7/11 kind of thing to me so stuff would be more expensive than at a proper supermarket.). And then I wondered what they were going to open in its place. But it still seems to be there. Maybe they forgot about that subplot in all the live week shenanigans… ;)

[M. Darcy]

Heh, I wonder where the local Tesco is.   All those years of staring at those boxes of chocolates in the background that you can see when someone is buying something, they can't get rid of that.

[Decider]

There was mention made in today's episode about prices being slashed in the Minute Mart, probably part of the closing sale.

[M. Darcy]

Forget the Free Dot campaign - I'm going to start a Save the Minute Mart campaign. 

[Wootini]

Seriously, you can't close the Minute Mart. Where are people supposed to buy their wine now? I imagine the Vic has an even steeper markup than the Minute Mart.

 

Honestly, it's a wonder nobody's opened a liquor store. With the amount of wine the women on this show drink like water, they could make a mint!

[M. Darcy]

Just from Denise alone. 

[M. Darcy]

I hope this doesn't mean that Zoe is coming back.   We finally got rid of Michelle Ryan in the states - hope she isn't returning. 

[eejm]

I like the direction the Kat/Harry's money story is taking.  That's got to have something to do with why Zoe won't talk to her anymore, but I'm still confused as to how all of this came about.  I wouldn't mind Zoe returning, but I'd rather she is played by a different actress. 

 

The scenes on Friday with Mick and Linda were sweet.  It's about time they had something to be happy about.  I seriously doubt Dean will stay away much longer, especially with Stan sick. 

[M. Darcy]

 

I wouldn't mind Zoe returning, but I'd rather she is played by a different actress.

Yeah, its more I'm anti Michelle Ryan than Zoe herself. 

 

At least the cute priest (minister/vicar?) was back for Pearl's christening (baptism??) .  Man, I guess I should say at least the cute religious guy was back for Pearl's religious ceremony.

[Wootini]

I also feel like if they wanted us to feel sympathetic towards Kat with the reveal that Harry's past was more horrifyingly sordid than they'd thought, maybe they could've made her not act like such an awful cow for the past couple of weeks… just a suggestion. :)

[M. Darcy]

There were reasons already - the fire, the fact that Alfie set it but her drunken awfulness has just been too much.  She hit on Martin!  Martin!  Heh, ok, I did enjoy her pushing Sonia into the cake.

[Wootini]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I actually thought Billy and Carol were rather adorable...

 

But once again, when Martin showed up at the tube station to intercept Kush and Shabs, I was like "Who is this guy?" Maybe one day I'll recognize him as Martin… But not today!

[eejm]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I actually thought Billy and Carol were rather adorable...

 

But once again, when Martin showed up at the tube station to intercept Kush and Shabs, I was like "Who is this guy?" Maybe one day I'll recognize him as Martin… But not today!

 

I thought Carol and Billy were cute together too!  It seems like fate that they'd start up something given their similar histories and ages. 

 

I think the new Martin is one of the better recasts over the past few years, but I agree that it's tough getting used to him being Martin.  I'm sure it will get easier as he has more scenes. 

 

Also, Martin?  Don't yarn on about tomatoes unless it is to other grocers.  Reading people obviously isn't Martin's forte as he didn't notice that Kush and Shabnam were 1) obviously headed somewhere together and 2) bored out of their minds by The Great Tomato Lecture.

[Wootini]

Oh my God, Kush is just so charming and hot. I can't take it. And I got so excited for him and Shabs only to watch it completely fall apart. Which happened so quickly it made my head spin! I get why Masood was upset that they'd kept it a secret, and it stings more that other people had found out before him (not really their fault, tho), but what the hell was all that about where he was like, "Congratulations on your engagement!" Is that a muslim thing? Where once you sleep together you have to get married? Can muslims not just casually date? Or can you date, but you can't do more than hold hands? I feel like I'm missing something here.

 

And you'd think that we would have been able to actually SEE the scene where Tamwar blew it with Nancy. Because from what I saw, she went in for a kiss, then he kissed her and everything was going great (yay! I love them!) until the later scene where Tamwar admitted that he'd blown it. Off camera. Seriously? SHOW, DON'T TELL.

 

Oh, and what is up with Les and this mystery woman? I can't believe it's an affair, so there must be some other explanation, which I'm sure will be stupid. She didn't seem young enough to be an illegitimate daughter, but that's all I could think of.

[Amello]

When Tamwar first told Masood and Shabnam that he blew it, I got the impression that he was lying. Him telling Kush the same made me question that, but maybe my first instinct was correct. Possibly because Nancy has so much going on she wants to take it slow or something.

[Wootini]

Yeah, I kind of thought the same thing about Tamwar lying about it. Nancy was kind of blank faced when she left the house, so it's possible she was covering. Maybe Tamwar didn't want to have to deal with the same thing Shabs did? With Masood basically being like, "Glad you and Nancy are together. When's the wedding?" Unless that's just the way muslims treat their daughters, not their sons.

 

Because otherwise, why wouldn't you show that scene? So the lying makes sense. And he'd tell Kush the same thing because look what happens when you tell even ONE person the actual truth… Kush and Shabnam's secret got out in about five minutes! You can't let anything slip on the Square...

[atlanticslide]

but what the hell was all that about where he was like, "Congratulations on your engagement!" Is that a muslim thing? Where once you sleep together you have to get married? Can muslims not just casually date? Or can you date, but you can't do more than hold hands? I feel like I'm missing something here.

It has nothing to do with being Muslim. I'd guess it's a Shabnam thing. It seemed pretty obvious that she jumped the gun on the relationship, made assumptions based on conversations she and Kush had about the future and being seirous about the relationship, and told Masood that they were engaged.

[Wootini]

Really? Because I kind of got the impression that Shabnam mentioned that they'd talked about their future together, and Masood was the one who made the leap to being engaged and confronted Kush with that. Because when Mass was "congratulating" Kush on the engagement, Shabnam had this look on her face like she wasn't really happy about this turn of events. But it was the only way to save face with her father, letting him bully Kush out of the relationship. 

[M. Darcy]

 

Where once you sleep together you have to get married?

Masood seem to date a few women without getting married. Though, I could never figure out just what his relationship with Jane was.

 

 

Also, Martin?  Don't yarn on about tomatoes unless it is to other grocers

 

I finally watched that episode yesterday and had not clue it was Martin for the longest time.  That seemed strange - old Martin didn't seem so clueless.

[Wootini]

Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected more than that. Ugh. So we pick up on Kush still trying to talk to Shabnam, who has apparently been ignoring him over the entire long weekend? And with nobody actually talking about how they're feeling, I can't get into this storyline AT ALL. I simply can't understand why Shabnam went along with Masood's "Congratulations on the engagement" thing to get Kush to freak out and run away. She clearly actually liked him, so why not stand up to her annoying father and defend their relationship? Say that they're really happy together, but they've only just started seeing each other so no engagement quite yet, dad, thanks though. I mean, SERIOUSLY. And don't even get me started on whatever the actual eff went down between Tamwar and Nancy. OFF CAMERA. (At least we got to see the Kush/Shabs relationship implode on screen, even if it made NO ACTUAL SENSE WHATSOEVER) I honestly thought that maybe he was lying to his family to keep them out of their relationship, but no, it does appear that after she kissed him and he kissed her back… she decided she DIDN'T actually like him? What? 

 

I can't get into the Kush/Shabs story because I don't understand any of the characters' motivations. And I can't get into the Tamwar/Nancy relationship because I don't really understand what happened between them BECAUSE IT WASN'T ACTUALLY SHOWN ON CAMERA. 

 

Ugh.

 

But I look forward to Shabs and Tam both ganging up on Mass when they find out that he went against his religion and gambled. (I really don't know why Masood continues to insist that he's a good Muslim when he breaks their rules ALL THE TIME.)

[M. Darcy]

 

I can't get into the Kush/Shabs story because I don't understand any of the characters' motivations.

Seriously - what's not to like about Kush.  Not just that he is the best looking guy in the Square but he is really nice, he has a job and seems to care about her.  Is she holding out for Martin??

[Wootini]

Right? He's fit, smart, caring and employed. 

 

And I should have added that his is the only character motivation I actually understand. I totally get that he's not going to want to commit to marrying a girl he's only just started dating. And I get that he'd want to talk to her about it. It's Masood's irrational leap from "Okay, you're dating?" to "Then you're engaged to be married" that makes little to no sense. And what makes even less sense is Shabnam going along with it and cutting Kush out completely.

 

Sorry, but this storyline is actually making me angry in its stupidity and the really bad way they're telling it.

[M. Darcy]

It really makes no sense.  And, my guess is that it will all work out and then her daughter by Dean will return.  Heh, but it is Albert Square.  No one gets a happy ending.

 

But my save the minimart campaign worked! 

[Wootini]

I still don't understand the point of that. The MinuteMart is closing down so Shabnam gets upset but is spurred to think about her future and possibly going back into the pharmacy. This creates lots of new storyline potential.

 

But then it stays open… and… um, everything goes back to normal? What was the point?

[TimWil]

Well, I can never unsee Stan's bottle of wee and I can't unhear Donna talking about getting waxed.

If there HAD to be filler episodes like these to allow the "primary live cast" to rehearse the anniversary stuff then I'd have been happier with flashback episodes of Elaine Peacock singing show tunes, Tina and Zsa Zsa, Sonia and NuMartin, Pam and her grandson Paul, Stalker Sarah seeking redemption as caregiver to Willie Roper, Patrick and Cora before his stroke, Sylvie before her dementia, ANYTHING but what we've had to suffer last week and this week.