I’m going to take it that this pretty much rules Cindy out as the mystery bride in the flashforward.

Actually feeling a bit sorry for Ian, I expect that might be largely down to the return of sanctimonious Jack who is of course still covering for the Six and the fact he shot Zoe last year.

What in the actual f*** was the ending to today's episode lmao

We don't need an Max and Cindy wedding.

Was I just not paying attention or was Oscar not in the episode he was advertised as being a part of?

10 minutes ago, JosephStyles said:

Was I just not paying attention or was Oscar not in the episode he was advertised as being a part of?

Yeah its odd, barring dancing in the background at the wedding her hasn't featured... yet featured in the promo pics 🤣

Maybe they just know he's a popular character so wanted to include him

Oscar and Lauren weren’t even in that from what I can tell.

Are we going to be seeing a Priya ‘who’s the daddy’ on top of a Penny one?

I’m guessing Eddie dies tomorrow. But who will be responsible?

Francesca Henry needs to be front and centre, what a talent. She was always the highlight of the Knights but I think since Anna has gone plus she’s got the unit with Harry, Penny and Vinny, she’s really come into her own.

Also for all the bumps in the road, I think Cindy has fit in so well lately. I don’t think they need to try too hard like they did with the ridiculous Christmas where she got attacked for example, a great soap character like her will work just fitting in “normally”. A bit of comic relief, the usual romance storylines, she doesn’t need to be shoved in our faces. I know people don’t like Elaine much but I feel she’s much the same, she’s great with Cindy in this enemies to frenemies to besties vibe and the Ian thing is amusing.

A very good week of episodes really and it just shows with the right amount of effort (dodgy prawn food poisoning aside) that they can execute some fantastic acting, direction and overall storytelling. So many stories were sewn up this week with a couple of new ones thrown in. We now definitely appear to have a proper direction towards New Year, though whose murder Max was being arrested for is yet to be seen so there's still plenty to come too. I was very much prepared to give up on the show again a few months back but I am starting to see that it is worth sticking with again. I guess the show can't be perfect all the time and perhaps the spotlight had been given far too heavy handedly to some stories/characters over recent months.

Looking forward to Denise and Chelsea being front and centre in the coming episodes and definitely keen to find out what's going to happen to Ian.

The random prawn storyline might not be that random

But then we've not actually seen Ian get unwell and he said he didn't eat anything 🤷🏼‍♀️

A great week. I haven’t felt the show has been as bad as some have been saying but one thing I’ve noticed is that Wadey does seem to respond to feedback.

Zoe overload. No longer but it’s kind of gone the other way too far.

Jasmine being unlikeable. That’s clearly being worked on.

Mark gangster crap. He’s better without it.

Vicki and Zack. Didn’t boil into a huge affair.

Sam’s cancer story barely featuring. Denise’s will be headlining.

There’s still work to do in places but I feel the show is going somewhere which is not how it seemed at Christmas.

I’m guessing the prawn poisoning will lead to Kat and Alfie losing the Vic. It was vague as to who owned it in the flashforward and, again, viewers haven’t really reacted well to them being there.

Could they lose the Vic over that? Would it not just be their food license or something? I have no idea who they'd put in the Vic, if it were up to me it would be Sam and Grant coming back full time and they can run it with Phil, it would be nice to have the Mitchells back

7 hours ago, Lindsey. said:

Could they lose the Vic over that? Would it not just be their food license or something? I have no idea who they'd put in the Vic, if it were up to me it would be Sam and Grant coming back full time and they can run it with Phil, it would be nice to have the Mitchells back

If they were to go that way I'd like it to be someone on the Square but new to running the place? I'm not sure who has the capability or the money (Max maybe? Ew). Failing that, Shirley to return with Lady Di the dog please.

I’m for Vicki running it tbh but that would involve Sharon buying it again probs

As much as I'm not wild on the Slaters in the Vic, I'm also hoping they don't lose it any time soon because it's felt a little like musical chairs there for a while. I know Linda was a constant when the Knights moved in but they were a new unit and it didn't feel like they were there for long before the Slaters took over, I'd quite enjoy some consistency and focus on making the Slaters feel more natural there than another round of selling the Vic and getting new owners etc.

Yeah I don't mind the Slaters in the Vic - it felt super convoluted to get them in there so quickly and really they weren't helped with the Zoe storyline. But having a family in there like Kat, Alfie, Tommy and co should work/ provide stories... just NOT the Zoe one!

I guess in the FF it wasn't clear who was running the Vic as Tracey was left in charge, so it will be interesting to see if anything does shift.

Nicola and George would be good running it - but then they have Harry's Barn and Knight Fusion now - having the Vic as well would be overkill.

Also want to say that as someone who's been highly critical of Wadey's era so far, I've thoroughly enjoyed this week of episodes. Dialogue is a tiny bit clunky but that's nitpicking, I really like how many stories have been set up! I'd have actually preferred them to start 2026 with this kind of thing as opposed to the terrible flashfoward.

I'm still sceptical of how things will be now that the "big" week has ended, there's a pattern where the aftermath falls by the wayside after the headline "event" episodes happen, but it's nice to see so much direction, it's not felt like this for a while and it's reinvigorated my interest in the show at just the right time.

(still need a few characters axed though cause I truly groan every time I see Zack, Callum or Johnny on screen... and Mark if they persist with any gangster stuff)

Bring back Stacey and Sean from Brazil and they can do it, that's the Slaters we want

Callum randomly being at the lock in at The Vic bothered me, it was completely unnecessary 😂. He's definitely overdue his exit now.

I don’t mind Kat and Alfie in the Vic tbh, they didn’t work outside of it at all. Honestly I preferred Kat with Phil but if it must be Kat and Alfie they have to be in the Vic really, it was more Zoe that ruined it I agree than Kat and Alfie themselves.

God this love triangle is excruciating, it’s an odd situation because all characters involved have merit by themselves but this is bringing out the worst in all 3 of them. The fact that Josh and jasmine have the history they do and Josh is the well adjusted child and Jasmine has the trauma I think is enough, and then the fact Jasmine is the Slater side and Josh is the Trueman side, I think that kind of family “saga” for want of a better word is what Eastenders does so well and that would have been enough.

Maybe this is “too woke” but also I don’t see why they feel the need to do a love triangle like this for a bi character like… as if they need to constantly prove in every scene Oscar is in that he’s bi. He can’t just… be bi? Turning what could be an emotional and transformative storyline for Zoe (not that Michelle Ryan could manage that lmfao) into a sensationalist love triangle is shit really. Also why do both of Max’s children have to be cheating and just end up like their dad?

But Zoe finally having a scene with at least one child klaxon