November 2021 – The Soap Dish

I have to confess, that over the past few years, I haven’t really been feeling Emmerdale. The plots just haven’t quite been there and it just hasn’t been doing it for me. Then along came Meena…

Meena is secretly killing off the Village…
(Leeds Live)

I didn’t really notice her at first. I think that was the point. She crept up on me, doing these strange little things, winding people up for no reason and seeming to really enjoy it. Telling stories. Getting attention. Manipulating people. Enjoying the power.

Then she started killing people and suddenly Emmerdale has turned into one of those Netflix dramas you just can’t miss. In Meena, I am positive that we have seen the creation of the best soap serial killer ever. She’s amazing and once she’s caught and dispatched, which I really hope won’t be for a long time, Paige Sandhu will have a very long career ahead of her (I’m thinking Suranne Jones, Katherine Kelly, Jenna Louise Coleman level). She’s so incredibly talented.

She hooked me in when Meena killed poor Leanna on her 18^th birthday. After she pushed her off the bridge and she attempted to cry and… nothing! Then she laughed. That laugh! It was just brilliant! I hold my hands up. As sad as it is to lose Leanna, Andrea and now Ben, I don’t want Meena to be caught anytime soon! I love watching her and I can’t wait to see what bonkers thing she does next. She is so engaging, so soulless, so psychopathic and so dangerous. Whoever created her and this story is a genius! And Paige Sandhu is so fantastically talented for bringing her to life!

Right now, with Meena having moved on from David to Billy, I think Dawn had better watch her back!!! And I am not convinced she’s finished with Victoria either. She doesn’t strike me as someone to let grudges rest…

Meena has now set her sights on Billy
(Metro)

The rainbow bunting came out in my house recently when Eve marched onto our screens in Eastenders and what a march it was! Honestly, when Heather Peace announced on social media that she had joined the cast… well, it was actually more exciting than the day that Simone Lahbib made her announcement (but only because my wife and I both adore Heather and with Simone, I stand alone). In fact, for the entirety of Simone’s stint, I sensed an undercurrent of jealously – lots of ‘your Simone is on screen’ – that sort of thing. It was all very unbecoming.

Heather Peace as Sam in Lip Service
(insidemediatrack.com)

But my wife and I were both smitten with Heather since the ill-fated Lip Service, the Scottish version of The L Word. Then she popped up in Waterloo Road. We have seen her twice in concert, including going to see her in Eastbourne for our first anniversary. So yes, you can imagine the excitement at the thought of her being on TV again several times a week!

As for her character, I have to say that Eve made possibly the best entrance I have seen in a very long time! To turn up, flirt with Shirley and then punch Martin and Zack is quite the entrance! I already love the dynamic between her and Stacey (who I suspect she does have feelings for) and since her departure and return, I can see a slight glimmer of her and Jean beginning to bond. It was a great twist that she is actually a solicitor, which adds to the layers of her character (as opposed to the lack of layers when she was wandering around in her pants!)

Eve and Stacey: Reunited
fashionmodelsecret.com

I was very disappointed that Sean and Jean scared her away, although those scenes were brilliant – Heather Peace, Rob Kazinsky and Gillian Wright were just dynamite together. I was thrilled to see her back, drunk and causing merry hell with Suki. Now I am very much looking forward to seeing what havoc she might cause and to what connections she will make. Heather Peace and the character of Eve are most definitely a great addition to the show!