I just watched all of this week's eps back-to-back and genuine LOL moments, particularly with Shirley and Chelsea - some really good one-liners. I am loving Eastenders so much :wub: And Ryan looks gorge in a towel, oh yes.

I think it says a lot for the quality of the show currently that even this horrific gun crime storyline and the dreadful writing of the Balham crew can't drag it down as a whole. I've yet to watch Tuesday's and Thursday's episodes but I'm sure the Billie stuff was every bit as unbearable. It's a shame really because the girl who plays Kylie is a really decent actress who could definitely do well in a less stereotyped role.

 

Also what's with audiences at the minute? It's not even like the weather's good - where is everybody of an evening?! That said it's good to see EE score practically 1.5m more viewers than Corrie with repeats taken into account.

I was thinking that today actually. Kylie is really good and she actually makes me enjoy the character whereas I know the awful script should make me cringe at her. Billy is OK, but obviously has some horrible moments. He's got this big, lovable cuteness about him though which reminds me of a dog.

 

Interesting to see Stella's still got an influence on Ben too!

I cant stand the whole Kylie crew and i cant wait til they diseappear, i dont like the billie jackson storyline at all and the storyline hasnt been all that strong at all. As for the ratings they are very low for all the soaps and its early for them to dip so low, however its that eastenders is still performing better than its rivals which is always good to see.

I watched it last night and I have to say how funny it was.

 

Norma

Danny really is awful, hammy acting, terrible voice, punchable face. Can't take him seriously as a villain whatsoever and basically I just don't care. The sooner they realise this and axe him the better.

Danny really is awful, hammy acting, terrible voice, punchable face. Can't take him seriously as a villain whatsoever and basically I just don't care. The sooner they realise this and axe him the better.

THIS. or. THAT.

 

I agree completely, he sounds like he's trying really hard but that makes him sound $h!t. He needs a new voice and a different face, then he can come back.

Danny really is awful, hammy acting, terrible voice, punchable face. Can't take him seriously as a villain whatsoever and basically I just don't care. The sooner they realise this and axe him the better.

 

Agreed.

OMG IT'S GLENDA.

ALL Danny does is POUT. I want to jab him in the back of the shins with a blade.

Danny really is awful, hammy acting, terrible voice, punchable face. Can't take him seriously as a villain whatsoever and basically I just don't care. The sooner they realise this and axe him the better.

YES YES YES!!! I completely forgot abut him until he popped up the other day :D

I've only just caught up on the last few episodes thanks to I-player. General thoughts;

 

PLUS

+ I really do want the Phil/Shirley/Ben/Zsa Zsa/Heather family to work out. Shirley sparkles with all of them, Ben becomes increasingly the laughable highlight of the show, and Phil/Heather could make for some comedy GOLD, and Zsa Zsa is one of the best of the teen additions.

+ The enlarged Branning/Jackson clan is working brilliantly right now. Lindsay Coulson is now really beginning to settle back in as Carol, Jack works far better as an uncle/brother then he does when he's lusting after a Mitchell sister, and Bianca finally seems to have remembered she's actually related to Max/Jack/Lauren/Abi. There's quite a contrast; Bianca sitting worried in the hospital room after Jack's shooting, whereas I remember her only real reaction when Max was run down was to try and get some quotes for the local paper!

+ Chelsea is wonderfully vapid, and could oddly actually work with Jack.

+ Ryan has out of nowhere began to grow on me. Maybe it's just because he doesn't seem as bad compared to the new rubbish "hearthrobs" Leon and Danny.

+ Even Billie Jackson made me laugh when he threatened to wipe the dog poo in Kylie's face. I'd have liked to have seen it.

 

CONS

- Danny Mitchell really is appalling. Get rid before he drags Ronnie and Roxy down with him. My hope is that it turns out Glenda merely hired him as a con artist, and he's not really related at all.

- Roxy's reaction to Jack's shooting was a bit underwhelming, as was Stacey given she's supposed to be being concerned on Bradley's behalf.

I've only just caught up on the last few episodes thanks to I-player. General thoughts;

 

CONS

- Danny Mitchell really is appalling. Get rid before he drags Ronnie and Roxy down with him. My hope is that it turns out Glenda merely hired him as a con artist, and he's not really related at all.

 

I was thinking the same thing earlier funnily enough. Even if it wasn't the original storyline, I'd be happy for the producers to tweak it to this to accomodate the fact that he's the worst thing about the show currently, even moreso than Billie's crew.

Danny

is out to con Roxy out of her money. I don't know if Glenda is involved though...

I'm amazed by how much I'm loving the return of Carol in this, she's making me want to watch every episode at the moment when I'm usually only a casual viewer. I used to hate her character back in the day but she's really lighting up the screen every time she's on, pleased she's getting major storylines from the off.

 

Stacey is also obviously a very welcome return, she really is very convincing even with the throwaway lines.

Danny

is out to con Roxy out of her money. I don't know if Glenda is involved though...

 

 

The dum-dum moment of Friday's episode suggests she is. Although maybe she's actually wanting to con Peggy not Roxy?

 

Ah yes, silly me. I didn't realise she was in friday's since I've yet to get that far.

 

HOWEVER I have caught up on thursday's episode and I feel I should have a good old RAVE about how fantastic it was. Completely worth the weeks of crew, bruvva, familee chav rubbish for such an intense climax. From the moment Jack was shot it became a very surreal, sparse sort of episode but for the first time in a little while (Stax two-hander aside) the writing was just wall-to-wall brilliance. From Chelsea ('was that a real gun? Cos she said april fool!') to Darren with his sly little digs at Adam (I love how they're just not bothering with any PC crap in this storyline) it was brilliantly observed and yet didn't detract from the seriousness of everything at all.

 

Also not just my favourite bit of the episode but also my favourite EE moment probably since the live (again, Stax aside) was Ryan telling Janine he loved her, which was properly excellently written, and her face when she realised she couldn't say it back. This is why Janine is one of the very best characters ever; she can go from being completely inappropriate, entertaining and downright nasty (when she shouted at Ryan for shielding her lest anybody should notice - that was inspired) to utterly vulnerable in the space of a few minutes. And Ryan has come a long way to the extent that now he feels like he has a place in the show. It didn't take much, just a proper storyline rather than having him constantly invade other people's.

 

Another highlight was Carol, naturally; being so harsh to Billie at the end there was pretty shocking but completely believable, as ever. And speaking of Billie, he proved himself in my view whilst ranting about the police in the waiting room. Also good to see Carol sharing dialogue with more of the square's feisty bitches too; great stuff with the Ice Queen. You know everybody's on top of their game when Stacey is one of the less remarkable elements of the episode. Lauren has improved too.

 

Only negatives were Danny (just such a shockingly bad actor) and Ben (I know he can be comic gold but the joke is wearing a bit thin now - he will never be able to act).

Oh yes! That's something I forgot to mention. The whole Darren/Libby/Adam thing is really amusing me... especially that oh-so-unPC "I found half of him" line when Darren found Adam's wheelchair after the shooting :lol:

 

I am also still loving Carol! Whenever she's on-screen it's like watching retro 'Enders. She's even starting to annoy me because she's constantly angry, which is what I always used to think in the 90s. I also love the huge Branning/Jackson family and all the interaction they've had recently - with Stacey and Pat too who of course are linked to them. Then again, Ian is Bianca's uncle is he not? And his brother is a Mitchell. And Pat is everybody's Gran. So it's always been one big unhappy family really. [/ramble]

Oh you know, Adam has grown on me. He's so rubbishly miserable, like a disabled Victor Meldrew. If only the actor were a LITTLE better, it would be fantastic, but he's still relatively new.

 

Janine was marvellous, the part where she berated Ryan for protecting her was a genuine LOL.

 

 

 

I've decided if EE can axe Danny, Leon and Fatboy, and bring Liz in permanently, we'll have a pretty STELLAR cast.

Carol was always bitter and angry yet with a softer side showing only when absolutely necessary. I love how she's taken 11 years out, come straight back into her old role like nothing happened and getting decent storylines again (already seen her on the front cover of a couple of the TV listing weeklies - this is how you know you've made it!). She was always in my top 5 favourite characters in the 90's and she's gone straight back up there now.