Forget characters having transplants, some of the recent takes in this thread are very WTF?

As for this episode, we’re getting the drama this week but I feel Liam is right about Zack, they’ve tried a lot with him and none of it sticks.

For me, it’s clear there just wasn’t a plan. They ended up writing Sharon into a massive corner-Keanu left, Phil ended the marriage, Denny died, she lost Ian through trying to kill him, lost Linda through throwing Tina under the bus and then wrote her out of the Vic quickly. Zack was one of their many attempts to salvage what they’d done (giving Denny a child was another attempt) and he was a good enough actor/character to help pull it off.

Outside of Sharon and Martin, he hasn’t worked. The Whitney stuff was extremely forced and produced one of the worst storylines in the shows history. And now the Barney story is just frustrating. I like Barney as Teddy’s son-he doesn’t seem at all like Zack. Plus I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the way they’ve written Zack to be so entitled to Barney. There’s more to being a parent than depositing some sperm.

8 minutes ago, T Boy said:

Forget characters having transplants, some of the recent takes in this thread are very WTF?

As for this episode, we’re getting the drama this week but I feel Liam is right about Zack, they’ve tried a lot with him and none of it sticks.

For me, it’s clear there just wasn’t a plan. They ended up writing Sharon into a massive corner-Keanu left, Phil ended the marriage, Denny died, she lost Ian through trying to kill him, lost Linda through throwing Tina under the bus and then wrote her out of the Vic quickly. Zack was one of their many attempts to salvage what they’d done (giving Denny a child was another attempt) and he was a good enough actor/character to help pull it off.

Outside of Sharon and Martin, he hasn’t worked. The Whitney stuff was extremely forced and produced one of the worst storylines in the shows history. And now the Barney story is just frustrating. I like Barney as Teddy’s son-he doesn’t seem at all like Zack. Plus I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the way they’ve written Zack to be so entitled to Barney. There’s more to being a parent than depositing some sperm.

I mean scientifically the sperm is probably the biggest thing to being a father LOL

12 minutes ago, Rough_edges said:

I mean scientifically the sperm is probably the biggest thing to being a father LOL

What an unfunny sentence. Anyone biologically fortune can have a child. But there is so much more to being a parent than that.

7 hours ago, T Boy said:

What an unfunny sentence. Anyone biologically fortune can have a child. But there is so much more to being a parent than that.

It wasn't supposed to be funny?

1 hour ago, Rough_edges said:

It wasn't supposed to be funny?

Forgive me, I thought the LOL at the end of what you said meant that you found it amusing.

Clearly a massive error on my part.

12 hours ago, Rough_edges said:

Am I being completely out of touch here or has Jean, Linda, Phill, Cathy, Honey, Mo, Kat had complelte personality changes? Where is penny?

Jean has bipolar, I don’t think being like this is really a turnaround, she will crumble and have a “crash out” now and then. Linda makes sense as she’s gone to rehab and come back better plus she has run the pub for a decade and is kind of the centre of the Square. Phil also had a stint away as he was in the psych unit, both him and Linda having character development as they come out the other side of a traumatic period is not a wild concept imo.

Linda’s is also a lot to do with presumably the rewrites of Sharon’s scenes, obviously nothing is confirmed but I assume Letitia Dean is off work for whatever reason and it was sudden. Especially with Vicki being involved when Zack has nothing to do with her really and she’s only just met him, but she is basically the only “family” he had left other than Sharon to be involved with this storyline.

Love an episode where Honey properly takes charge.

Loved Nicola and Ravi’s conversation and that she asserted the point that Barney was actually happy with things the way they were. Too bad for him that Vicki mouthed off at the end.

You just know that final scene was meant for Sharon. It's hard to see Vicki caring THAT much

Nicola is sensational what an amazing actress, breath of fresh air, whole family actually

Nicola is a character we didn't know we needed, the drama and campness of all her scenes is perfect, obsessed with her sitting in her dark office in a bright red dress listening to sad pop songs at least once an episode 😭

This unit really have been a success story for the show. I’m sure it’s far from over but I actually loved that they stuck together in the end tonight and that Teddy, Nicola and Harry could put all the hurt and betrayals behind them for Barney-the only one who hasn’t wronged them in any way.

I’m sure it won’t last with all the tensions bubbling but I loved that Barney didn’t want Zack. Zack has been written so poorly throughout all of this. Blood isn’t as thick as they say.

PUT YER WILLIES AWAY will go down in EastEnders history.

I'm absolutely obsessed with Nicola. May she be a part of this show for years to come.

On 27/05/2025 at 22:16, T Boy said:

Forget characters having transplants, some of the recent takes in this thread are very WTF?

As for this episode, we’re getting the drama this week but I feel Liam is right about Zack, they’ve tried a lot with him and none of it sticks.

For me, it’s clear there just wasn’t a plan. They ended up writing Sharon into a massive corner-Keanu left, Phil ended the marriage, Denny died, she lost Ian through trying to kill him, lost Linda through throwing Tina under the bus and then wrote her out of the Vic quickly. Zack was one of their many attempts to salvage what they’d done (giving Denny a child was another attempt) and he was a good enough actor/character to help pull it off.

Outside of Sharon and Martin, he hasn’t worked. The Whitney stuff was extremely forced and produced one of the worst storylines in the shows history. And now the Barney story is just frustrating. I like Barney as Teddy’s son-he doesn’t seem at all like Zack. Plus I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the way they’ve written Zack to be so entitled to Barney. There’s more to being a parent than depositing some sperm.

This. Why is he obsessed with this kid who he has NOT been the father to? On what planet would this academic boy, doing his GCSEs, abandon said GCSEs to run up to Scotland with a man he BARELY KNOWS tto live with ANOTHER FAMILY?! And why is Zack now telling this secret, which he thinks imperils his life, to HALF HIS NEIGHBOURS?

I think he needs killing off. I'd have killed him off in the Vic, not Martin.

16 hours ago, lewistgreen said:

You just know that final scene was meant for Sharon. It's hard to see Vicki caring THAT much

You are so right here.

If you play that scene out, it fits perfectly for Sharon.

Phil going to the house to tell her, then her kicking off and blurting out the secret, even Linda being in every scene.

100% for Sharon.

I'm not warming to Vicky at all.

Nicola is probably the best character in the show at the moment.

Barney may well be a close second. He's a cracking actor.

Vicky is crap. She looks nothing like Vicky, her accent is ridiculous for a woman who spent sll of 5 minutes on the square in the early 00s, and her having Sharon's lines is laughable. Linda is Shaeon's feiend, so that makes sense. I was wondering what on earth she was doing there, and why she was so invested in these rsndom neighbours' lives.

Also Linda: I'm finding you drinking wine hard...

You own, work in and live in A PUB

Honestly, Zack was only ever an interesting character when he was paired with Nancy and even then she carried him, he's a character that can only exist in the presence of a strong female character which is what they thought Whitney was but honestly she wasn't at all which is probably why their relationship always felt a bit flat

They've given Zack good storylines but there is just always something I don't quite buy with him and idk why, had he actually drowned I don't think he'd have been missed much

Given I couldn’t stick Nancy at all, he wasn’t even good for me then. The only time I’ve felt anything for him was last year when Whitney was being a cow before her exit.

I can picture nicola landlady of the Vic and I need it to happen ASAP x

Oh 100%, wasn't there rumour of the Knights moving out? Maybe the new Mitchell's move in for a "fresh start" after all the Zack and Shireen stuff

I'd heard that too about The Vic!

Spoiler

Oscar Banning is definitely returning with Max