I’m already enjoying this new Chelsea a lot more than the old one .

Sharon was amazing!!!

 

I truly hope Ian dies tomorrow, it could help them grab attention but I have next to no hope!

A decent episode, hopefully Chelsea and Lucas will reinvigorate things.

Are we really having another cancer storyline for Jean though? :(

 

I actually hope Ian gets the boot tomorrow :lol:

The episode was actually thebest it's been in a while, not too much of the hammy whodunnit shit (which at least came to something good tonight with Sharon) they just managed to make it properly about Sharon and let her shine, plus bits of family drama and intertwinings which was great.

They normally always smash the Christmas episodes so I'm not surprised it was a good one tonight.

 

I've no idea how Ian will survive but he obviously will :lol:

 

If Jean's cancer is back, I assume she's leaving for good and they're going to go down the terminal cancer/her dying route? :( Which would be peculiar timing with Lacey Turner going on maternity leave again.

Oh and Diane Parish was brilliant tonight!

The best episode in A G E S. It felt exciting and gripping to watch, which it hasn't in the entirety of 2020! The Denise / Slaters / Sharon storylines all worked brilliantly. Gray's scenes were chilling! Overall it had the right blend of what we want in a Christmas episode and I really hope the follow through in the coming episodes build on this excitement because I so badly want this show to be great again.

 

They need to bin Tina, the horrid primary school teacher, Stuart/Rainie, Mick/Linda and focus on the SOLID families like we saw today!

It was decent but not their best, with ian I just have zero sympathy for him and I dont think he carries these kinda scenes very well.

I can totally see Tina dying the same way as Chantelle, the dishwasher scene was chilling.

 

Sharon really shone in that episode. It’s so good to see her actually behaving like she has a dead son and therefor some quite human moments from her. The only problem is that the story barely has any legs because I can’t see them killing off Ian. He’s due a break so we’ll see, I guess it could have been fake news to cover a permanent exit but after all these years I just can’t see Adam Woodyatt going.

 

The Fox/Trueman stuff was all great. It will take me a while to get used to the new Chelsea as she’s very different to the old one but this one is a much better actress.

 

I thunk Jean will just have a cancer scare tbh. It would be appalling timing for her to get a cancer diagnosis every single time Lacey’s due on maternity leave.

Eastenders always bringing me back for the Christmas episode - a tradition since 2005 :lol: really enjoyed it so hopefully the quality keeps up so I don't lose interest again

It was decent but not their best, with ian I just have zero sympathy for him and I dont think he carries these kinda scenes very well.

Tbh I don’t think many have sympathy for him. I think the majority are hoping Sharon actually manages to kill him :lol:

 

Was I watching a totally different episode to the rest of you?

 

Angry doesn’t begin to cover it. Sharon is over. Ben is a joke. I can’t begin to go into it all.

 

Aww isn’t great that Karen has got over her dead daughter for Christmas? Bless.

 

Look at Kat laughing at Ian when she did the exact same thing two Christmases ago.

 

It says something that Ian is the most sympathetic character.

 

At least Denise and NuChelsea going head to head was good.

Was I watching a totally different episode to the rest of you?

 

Angry doesn’t begin to cover it. Sharon is over. Ben is a joke. I can’t begin to go into it all.

 

Aww isn’t great that Karen has got over her dead daughter for Christmas? Bless.

 

Look at Kat laughing at Ian when she did the exact same thing two Christmases ago.

 

It says something that Ian is the most sympathetic character.

 

At least Denise and NuChelsea going head to head was good.

I mean Karen was literally crying two episodes straight over Chantelle not being around for Christmas earlier this week . I fail to see how Ian is the most sympathetic character either lol .

 

I mean Karen was literally crying two episodes straight over Chantelle not being around for Christmas earlier this week . I fail to see how Ian is the most sympathetic character either lol .

Karen’s grief is turned on and off like a tap, as if the writing team don’t talk to each other to ensure their episodes flow properly. One episode she’s laughing and joking at the Santa auditions, then she’s too upset to think about Christmas because of Chantelle, then last night she’s stealing from the Vic and laughing again.

 

We’re expected to laugh and jeer at Ian and be on the side of those against him, yet they’re no better or even worse than Ian. Look at Ben casting judgement and thinking his shit don’t stink when he’s the most morally bankrupt character on the square. Well, Sharon could give him a run for his money now.

I don’t think we’re supposed to be laughing at Ian though? That’s not the vibe I got last night. They quite accurately portrayed how Ian views the others in the square and vice versa. I don’t think we’re meant to be cheering Ben and Sharon on at all. People are on Sharon’s side because she’s still grieving, she suffered one of the biggest losses the show has ever seen earlier this year and it’s something no parent would be able to forgive especially not after less than a year. Sharon’s desire for revenge is a very human reaction. Her actions are OTT for soap drama reasons but her motive is fully understandable and literally better than ‘he ruined our surrogacy plans’, ‘he was mean about Mick’ or ‘he knows about my affair’.

 

 

Sharon being motivated by grief would make reasonable sense if it was actually explored, but it wasn’t so it doesn’t count for much. Sharon is not a murderous person. I don’t recognise any of who Sharon is in the scenes played out last night, just an empty vessel doing things for the sake of plot. There was potentially a really interesting, tragic story to be told, seeing Sharon try to come to terms with her best friend being part of the chain of events that led to Dennis’ death, but they’ve neglected all that for sensationalism and Twitter “yasss queen” moments. How can Sharon want Ian dead but not Phil, despite Phil arguably being more responsible for Dennis’ death? It’s going to take a lot of work to recover from this but I have no faith at all that the show is going to explore Sharon’s motivations properly.

 

I keep thinking “this is what they killed Dennis off for”.

3.54m oops, :rolleyes:

The killing off of characters rarely brings any long term good to the show, I think they kill off just for a sensational episode rather than long term benefits to the show, the killing off of lucy worked and did set up some great episodes but I think that's the last one that had long term impact.

He survived ffs

The death is gonna be

Tina

isn't it?