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!
I am continuously impressed with the storylines The Carter Family are thrown in Eastenders. Individually, each character stands up on their own, dating back to when Shirley turned up as Hev’s mate, full of attitude and from the off, the family were thrown in at the deep end. We’ve had some amazing and emotional stories such as the truth about Shirley being Mick’s mother, Linda’s rape, Johnny’s coming out, Lee’s depression and last year, we had the incredible Kellie Bright tackle some of the strongest episodes ever as Linda was caught up in the midst of her battle with alcoholism.
We then suffered the horror of watching her and Mick drift further and further apart as Mick couldn’t open up to Linda about his childhood sexual abuse but despite her own experiences, she couldn’t seem to recognise the signs of trauma and instead, got sick of him pushing her away and bedded local lothario, Max Branning. It was hideous, shout at your screen viewing.
Frankie has found a family in The Carters
Thankfully, it seems to have all turned out okay. The truth is out, Mick and Linda are stronger than ever, he has pressed charges against his abuser, Katy, and they have even welcomed the daughter he never knew he had, into the family home. And it truly has been lovely watching them very tentatively getting to know each other. Frankie is one of the best soap characters ever written. She is so feisty and so funny. She allows no sympathy for being deaf. It is not a disability, it is part of her and unlike Ben (who appears to have had this operation and very unrealistically had his hearing restored to absolute perfection the second he woke up), she wouldn’t change it.
I am enjoying watching her get to know Shirley. There are a lot of similarities there! And this week, Nancy returned, which is brilliant in itself but throwing in the sister she never had is only going to make that all the more interesting. My only sadness about Nancy’s return is that it is likely to spell to end of her and Tamwar.
Katy has a lot to answer for…
As for Mick and Katy – this story has been absolutely incredible so far. I think it is some of the cleverest casting ever. Danny Dyer is so brilliant in Eastenders anyway and although Mick is very capable of being a gentle character, he is usually cast in the ‘tough guy’ role and has been throughout his career. Casting the incredible Simone Lahbib as Katy was a stroke of genius. She is always the girl next door; she is always the one you are rooting for. As Helen Stewart on Bad Girls, you were so desperate for her to succeed, to overthrow the system and of course to get a happy ending with Nikki Wade. So I think it’s really clever to essentially have a role reversal of the ‘good girl’ in the evil role and the ‘bad boy’ as the person who has been the victim of abuse. It’s very clever writing and the way all the actors have portrayed these scenes (especially in the current circumstances) has been amazing.
Plus, I am sure I am not the only lesbian who feels a little conflicted during her scenes in Eastenders – I feel the suitable amount of hatred for the character of Katy but I adore Simone to the point that my wife is finding Eastenders a little irritating. In fact, Katy hasn’t been on screen for a while. Is she coming back?
Throwback to the days of Bad Girls – Helen and Nikki got their happy ending!
After Kheerat persuaded his mother to let the Slaters stay, albeit at a much higher rent, Kat and Kush’s relationship was left hanging by a thread. In desperate need to raise funds, Kat happened upon a new scam to commit a robbery but even Phil rejected her request to join in. He did offer to let her clean his house though.
While Tiffany scored a job as a beautician at the undertakers, Keegan accidentally ran Rainie over on his moped. At the hospital, Rainie was distraught to learn that she wasn’t pregnant but having a phantom pregnancy. She attempted to run away from her husband but he persuaded her to stay, offering nothing but love and support. Bonkers that Stuart came into this show as an absolute monster.
An accident leads to a revelation about Rainie’s pregnancy… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Lola and Jay were preparing to move in together despite the fact that she looked like she would rather move into a jail cell than live with her boyfriend. After spending some time with eligible bachelor, Isaac, he called her out on her reluctance to move in with Jay, forcing her to confront how she really felt. She finally admitted everything. And I mean everything. She even confessed to sleeping with Peter! Ouch.
Lola confronts the truth about her relationship status… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Mick finally caught up with Frankie who wanted nothing to do with him now she knows that she is the result of her mother abusing him. He was distraught when she referred to her mother as a paedophile. Shirley became suspicious of Mick’s fidelity when a random man barged into The Albert, warning Mick to leave Frankie alone.
Mick denied an affair and attempted to explain his apathy towards Shirley for abandoning him, something it had been easy to assume has been sorted out as they do normally get along. But obviously there is a lot of deep rooted pain that we were only just beginning to scratch the surface. He told her in great detail how he struggled in care and that it was Frankie’s Mum, Katy who was there for him, looked out for him and helped him survive. It was Katy who made him feel special. He didn’t tell her about the abuse, which he doesn’t seem to understand himself yet. And he didn’t tell her about Frankie.
One interesting part of his dialogue is that he told her about trying to contact Katy multiple times, right up until Lee went to secondary school. So… twelveish? Around the age he was when Katy abused him?
Mick was furious when Shirley, unaware of what had truly happened between him and Katy and feeling desperately guilty for letting him down as a child, contacted Katy and invited her to the Square. He accused her of not listening to him and was shocked at the end of Friday’s episode to find himself face to face with his abuser. For me, this is possibly the most brilliant casting ever. Katy is going to be so awful and so complex. And yet she’s played by such a beautiful, lovely actress who I’ve adored since the late nineties. It’s unsettling. Very unsettling.
Katy Lewis pitches up in Albert Square… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm
(Tuesday 22nd September – Monday 5th October 2020)
Ian’s life plummeted even further down the toilet as it all came out about his theft of Max’s money. For the second time in a row, Max wrecked his attempt to raise the cash to pay him back, Sharon took him down a peg or two after the way he has been throwing his weight around with her since she turned him down and he continued to completely let his youngest son down. He really has become a terrible, terrible person.
Speaking of Max, he and Linda suddenly seem to be BFF’s, don’t they? I know they did that wife swap thing a while back but I didn’t realise they were besties now! However, Linda was quick to look out for Max when she realised he was being screwed over by Ian. And on a night out with the girls when she caved and had a drink, feeling stifled by Mick who was genuinely trying to look after her, Max stepped in and made sure she was okay. But of course, in soap, nobody can just be mates, can they? Of course they had to have a secret snog. Unacceptable!!!
Max hasn’t stolen anyone’s wife for a while… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
For now though, Mick is distracted by his dislike and discomfort with Frankie’s interest in his family. Tina has completely misread the signs that Frankie fancies her, leading to a more awkward moment than she even realises. But when Linda allowed Frankie to babysit (because her son was annoying her), Mick lost it and snatched Ollie away, demanding to know why she was so interested in his family. The young girl finally confessed that she believes his family is her family – that he is her Dad. Now, while I am annoyed at the potential rewrite of Mick and Linda’s entire relationship, I do like Frankie and I am curious to know where this is going to go. I am also excited at the prospect of Simone Lahbib coming bounding onto the Square, presumably as Frankie’s mother. Bad Girls reunion anyone?! I mean, just to wave my rainbow flag for a moment, any gay woman my age (maybe not even my age) was in love with Simone Lahbib back in the Bad Girls era. I actually cannot explain how exciting it is to think she is joining Eastenders.
Mick is shocked by Frankie… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Ahem. Moving on.
So, what on earth is going on with Callum, the nicest boy in soap? He’s only been in uniform for five seconds and he’s turning into some kind of dodgy cop, controlled by an even dodgier cop. He’s also managing to turn into a Mitchell, controlled by Phil. He’s making Martin Fowler look like he’s had the last year completely under control! Honestly, what are the writers playing at? I don’t like it. Callum is our equilibrium in Eastenders. He is the good amongst the dark. He is the moral compass. If you have him beating Phil’s gangster mates up and trying to fit Phil up with the police, what hope is there for anyone?!
Meanwhile, Gray’s murderous activities seem to have so far gone undetected. Although Kheerat raised the alarm with Mitch, Karen dismissed the idea completely out of hand. She is going to be so distraught to have believed in him so sincerely. Mitch did suspect him. He has always suspected him. Unfortunately, Gray used Mitch’s own guilt for being an absent father to deter him from any accusations. He really knows how to get into people’s heads. And the funeral is on the first day of Whitney’s trial. Of course it is.
Denise confesses all to Jack… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
In other news:
Martin had to persuade Ruby not to press charges against Stacey for the sake of the kids but Jean quite rightly didn’t welcome her daughter back to the Square with open arms.
Denise was shocked to be reunited with her son, Raymond when his adoptive parents were killed in a car accident.
Amy accused Isaac of smoking weed when he dropped her as a tutoring student, upset because she had a crush on him.
Stuart and Rainie participated in the first social distanced wedding, with him trapped inside a car. Very creative! She also announced that she was pregnant, which a lot of people have objected to as she was previously revealed to be infertile and they think it is unrealistic. I have two words for you: Sharon. Mitchell.
Jags and Habiba came out as a couple. Suki was not happy. She even wasted a perfectly good cupcake.
Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm
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