Home and Away: Off the Rails…

(Monday 28^th September – Wednesday 7^th October 2020)

A female officer supervised Angelo’s interview with Bella who coped remarkably well. Honestly, I don’t know what all the dramatics were about. She answered the questions fine, apart from possibly unhelpfully informing him that Colby hated Ross but she didn’t have a breakdown or anything. At this point in time, she’s coping and behaving a lot better than her brother, quite frankly.

Angelo is an even worse husband than he is a police officer…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Colby continued to work on Taylor, who I feel extremely sorry for. Firstly, she is married to Angelo. I mean, that’s a pity party right there. Secondly, she has been ignored and neglected for a long time by a policeman who makes Colby look moral and yet is so focussed on his job, he regularly forgets she exists. And now Colby has targeted her in order to seize as much information from her as possible. And the poor girl thinks he is being genuine. So she is going to end up really hurt.

While Bella suffered the consequences of running away, first the wrath of Colby and then struggling to work things out with Nikau, whose feelings were really hurt (although they did make up in the end), Colby’s friends grew seriously concerned by his reckless attitude, especially when Dean discovered that Angelo has bad blood with the River Boys.

When he learned that Taylor is a massage therapist, Colby helped her find some contacts through Willow and the gym. Of course, no murky storyline is complete without an actual massage scene, which inevitably leads to a make out session, which inevitably leads to Colby’s little sister walking in on them.

Taylor fell prey to Colby’s charms…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Bella was horrified to realise who Taylor really was and it almost led to a punch up between Dean and Colby. While Taylor was eaten up with guilt for betraying her husband, Colby managed to use the momentum to glean more information from her – Angelo had gained a forensic report from a car. He took things further by impersonating Angelo at work to get the report over the phone and rather proudly announced to Bella and Willow that he and Dean had removed every trace of DNA from Ross’s dead body from the car. Bella was upset. Willow was disgusted. Both of them were worried by his behaviour. Honestly, he always seemed so nice…!

Meanwhile, Dean had his own problems as he attempted to get to know his son, Jai but ended up pushing Ziggy away in the process as with Jai, comes Amber who has made it quite clear that she too wants to be in his life. With Amber setting the rules, Ziggy backed off, even moving into her parents’ house to give herself and Dean some space. Dean finally tackled Amber and after Willow ran some interference, Amber agreed to parent Jai together and not get in the way of his relationship. Willow also warned Dean not to step in with whatever Colby was getting himself involved with this time and not to get himself into trouble. He has other priorities now.

Dean loves being a Dad to Jai…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

In other news…

Justin struggled to come to terms with the idea of having the operation, to the point he refused to go ahead. He was furious when Tori attempted to pressure him to go ahead by inviting Ava to visit him and then couldn’t cancel her.

Jasmine objected to her counsellor wanting her to visit Robbo’s grave but reluctantly agreed when Tori took her there with Grace.

Alf, Marilyn and Ryder helped Owen connect with his now lost twin, Evan, particularly through music with Ryder lending him his guitar. Roo admitted to Alf and Marilyn that she was in love with Evan and thought he had felt the same.

Mac’s tenancy came to a sudden end, prompting her to move in with Ari, which was somewhat awkward with Tane, especially after he accidentally walked in on her in the bath. He resolved things by asking for opposite shifts at work so they should never be at work or at home at the same time if they can help it.

Home and Away currently airs on weekdays @ 1:15pm & 6pm on Channel 5

Sneak peek on 5Star, weekdays @ 6:30pm

These reviews are based on the lunch time episodes

Eastenders: Who’s That Girl?

(Tuesday 22^nd September – Monday 5^th 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

Home and Away: Coming Home

(Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th September 2020)

Despite Bella’s objections, Nikau took the decision to find help when their car broke down and who should he run into by Mack (whose name I’ve been spelling wrong all this time, as it turns out!), Tane and Ari. He ran off but they easily tracked him down and by the time he led them back to Bella, she was gone. She had clearly made the decision to leave, the moment he had defied her and decided to get help.

Against her better judgement, Bella turned her phone on to a barrage of messages from Colby and Nik. When she listened to a voicemail from her boyfriend worrying that she had panicked about them sleeping together and begging to meet up, she relented and went to the meeting place he suggested. Nik and the others were relieved to see her but she was annoyed to realise that she had been tricked.

Back in Summer Bay, Colby remained under pressure from Angelo to bring Bella in to give her statement. And Angelo’s suspicions only increased when he spotted Colby on the beach, revealing his River Boys tattoo. To give him his due, he does have first-hand experience of what the River Boys were like. He immediately looked him up on the computer, delving into his history as a gang member. He also denied Colby any access to any of the files relating to the investigation into his Ross’s death. It’s funny, ever since I started watching Home and Away again (I actually stopped watching it because of the likes of Angelo and the River Boys ruining the show), Colby has always been presented as such a nice guy. I knew he had killed Ross but I couldn’t imagine it. But recent weeks are really bringing out such a dark side to his character. I can now.

Angelo is surprised to discover that Colby is/was a River Boy…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Interestingly, Angelo’s wife, Taylor then turned up. When Angelo left the Bay in 2011, it was to be a happy little family with Nicole Franklin and her little boy, George. She obviously couldn’t put up with him! And it doesn’t look like this woman is tolerating him very well either as she and Colby have been flirting from the get go. Whether Colby actually likes her or its purely strategic, I’m not sure. But he’s managed to take her for a drink and spend time in the gym with her in less than a day, all the time getting as much information from her as possible about Angelo. And she has complained bitterly about her husband not having time for her. She has also mentioned that he is obsessed with Colby and the absence of his little sister.

Colby wastes no time getting to know Angelo’s wife…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Smug Angelo was just about to set off for the magistrates to get an arrest warrant for Bella, with her having run out of time to show up for interview when she walked through the door with Mack. She had been persuaded by her boyfriend and friends that she had put herself and her brother in a lot of trouble by vanishing and it wasn’t doing anyone any good. Angelo almost looked disappointed. He refused to let Colby sit in on the interview. He even closed the blinds. Probably not the best idea when dealing with a victim of assault if you’re trying to make them feel safe.

Ziggy gave Dean her full support over Amber and Jai, although she privately admitted to Willow, her fears of losing him. We all know that despite the fact he never wanted kids, Dean is the most loyal person ever and would never let his child down. It’s not that I think Ziggy should worry about Dean cheating on her. He clearly worships her. But I get that she is worried about him becoming so consumed with Jai that he may not have as much room for her as he once did. And that’s really sad. They make such a brilliant couple, especially knowing they are together in real life.

Anyway, Amber introduced Dean and Jai and despite some initial from the little boy, who is beyond cute, the pair got on like a house on fire. Amber decided to just introduce Dean as a friend though, not wanting to push things too much at first, although Dean was clearly eager for his son to know who he was.

Dean meets his son…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Justin has been getting very clumsy and forgetful lately and is clearly in a lot of pain, still unnoticed by either his girlfriend or his sister who is a Doctor. Well, they took notice when he had a terrible back spasm and collapsed at the garage, spilling a load of chemicals in the process. Thankfully, Alf happened to drop by and pulled him away from the chemicals and doused him in water before phoning for an ambulance. Good old Alf. What would we ever do without him?!

After a lot of tests, Justin was informed that he has a lesion/benign tumour on his back, which is basically a cluster of blood vessels that are pushing on the spinal cord. The back spasm he had at the garage was one of the blood vessels bursting. The situation requires surgery, which could potentially leave him paralysed and there is a chance that the tumour could grow back again. Justin decided he didn’t want to go through with it.

Justin gets back news…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Marilyn attempted to help Roo process Evan’s death when she thought she had seen his ghost in the Bay. Meanwhile, Alf and Ryder got the shock of their lives when the spitting image of Evan turned up at the Surf Club. They approached him and discovered his name is Owen and has no idea who Evan is. Bringing him home, Marilyn and Roo, in the middle of their séance, got quite a shock themselves!

Recalling that Evan was adopted, Ryder was sure that there must be some connection between the two men. Owen agreed to stick around and explore things. Even for Home and Away, this is quite a stretch of a storyline when it comes to killing off a character and keeping the actor in the show!

Home and Away currently airs on weekdays @ 1:15pm & 6pm on Channel 5

Sneak peek on 5Star, weekdays @ 6:30pm

These reviews are based on the lunch time episodes

Neighbours: #Fandangle!

(Monday 21^st – Friday 25^th September 2020)

In his desperation to raise funds for his exhibition, Ned stripped on video for one of his subscribers on the aptly named, Fandangle. Unfortunately, some leaflets in the background gave away his location, prompting the guy to message him to say he would visit him in Erinsborough very soon. I mean, he must have been zooming in pretty close! Spoiler Alert: It’s not a guy. It’s someone who already knows exactly where Ned lives and has been interested in his fandangle for some time… Eek!

Guilt ridden over Dipi’s Shane Pain, Roxy enlisted Pierce and Sheila’s help in organising a karaoke afternoon, which actually succeeded in cheering her up. It also succeeded in healing the rift between the two women.

Toadie and Rose continued to bond, sharing a love of practical jokes. Karl even noticed that there could potentially be a romantic connection. I noticed it too, which is why it is so annoying that she is only working for him to get some information from his files. She comes across so nicely. She is funny and charming and there seems to be a real connection there. I mean, obviously she’s no Sonya but she’s much less annoying than Dee. I don’t want her to be a liar. It’s so frustrating. Because she is a liar. She even got caught photographing some files by Hendrix and lied her away out of it by sounding like she was holding her hands up and confessing! That is an expert fibler if I ever I saw one! Hendrix agreed to keep her ‘secret’ by persuading her to hand over poor Mackenzie’s speech for the Council. Rose then bagged Toadie’s log in details and continued her deceit.

With Paul and Hendrix working on Harlow’s campaign, Mackenzie was largely working by herself until Rose stepped in to help her. She continually rejected disgraced Ritchie’s offers of help. Things had already started to turn sour between the girls but it was the straw the broke the camel’s back when Hendrix gave Mackenzie’s speech to Harlow (who was going first). Poor Harlow delivered the speech without having any idea it was stolen. Mackenzie was furious and then had to give a completely improvised speech herself. Susan was very proud! Harlow decided that Mackenzie’s unrehearsed speech was better than anything she could ever have delivered and she was the best person for the job. Now, those are some friendship goals! You know, assuming Mackenzie is in a forgiving mood.

Mackenzie feels betrayed by Harlow…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Chloe and Pierce were excited and relieved to find out that their baby was a boy but more importantly that he has low Huntington’s markers. They can finally relax into the pregnancy, knowing they can enjoy it now and go ahead. Not that Chloe actually seems very relaxed.

However, things became all too much for Nicolette, who decided she had to resign her job. Chloe was devastated and begged to know what she could do to keep her. Nic eventually burst out her true feelings for stunned Chloe who was kind but remained committed to her boring husband. Nic eventually agreed to stay on until Fay could transition to a new carer. Throughout, Jane was so supportive, even suggesting a weekend away with her daughter to clear the cobwebs. I am so happy they have properly reunited.

Nicolette confesses her feelings…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Yashvi got herself suspended at work by sticking her nose in a bit too much, trying to prove Dax’s connection to River. She all but proved it until River turned up beaten to a pulp (by Dax) and named her as his assailant.

While Yashvi was suspended, Dax warned Levi away from supporting her and just to make sure, he worked out that he was epileptic and messed about with his medication. So when Yashvi, Levi and newly returned Bea (with very nice hair) discovered yet another link, this time between Dax and Jeremy, the guy who torched all the files during Finn’s trial, it essentially put them all in danger.

Yashvi headed to the school (in uniform, despite her suspension) and finally identified the school dealer, Lacy who also gave up Dax. While Levi suffered at home, having an epileptic fit, thanks to his mixed up pills, Dax stormed the school, desperately trying to keep control and threatening Yashvi with a taser. Oh dear!

New recruit, Yashvi is clearly too much for Dax to cope with!
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Hollyoaks: The Monster Unleashed

(Monday 21^st – Thursday 24^th September 2020)

Juliet bravely came out to Peri who was really kind and understanding but sadly, she didn’t feel the same. For now. We all saw the flashforward! Although, several spanners may have been put in the works with filming all that due to the lockdown, I imagine. Will they even have time to pull it all together by the end of the year?! Time will tell, I guess.

But for now, Peri has told Juliet that she only sees her as a little sister, leaving heartbroken Juliet no choice but to follow Victor’s instructions and move back in with the Nightingale’s. She does so by coming out to them and while Victor lurks in the back of her mind, it’s clear that she is being earnest with them, especially Marnie who offers nothing but love and support. Juliet never wanted to hurt her in the first place. She loves her and thinks of her as a grandmother. She bought her a plaque to commemorate Nathan by way of apology for destroying his jacket. I genuinely love their relationship and I do hope they can heal together, despite the awful mess Juliet has got herself involved in.

Sienna got the truth out of Brody regarding his visit to Buster. He took Damon with him and managed to get an apology in exchange for Damon promising to visit again. When he heard about the apology, Ollie also wanted to visit but having worked out that Damon wasn’t going to return, Buster took everything back and was absolutely vile to both boys. Ollie ran off to his Mum’s, making a sudden off-screen departure from the show. A new actor is going to take his place, apparently, another thing throwing off this flash forward plot, as of course, we saw the original actor as Ollie, suffering from drug addiction in that episode. I think the moral of the story is showing soap characters a year ahead in time is problematic. Granted, they couldn’t have guessed that a global pandemic was coming our way…

Damon supports Brody as he confronts Buster…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Brody had even more on his mind when Liberty suddenly went into labour and of course, being Sienna’s baby, nothing went smoothly. While Sienna was cornered over the growing tension between her and Warren, Liberty was rushed into surgery with a bleed and the baby was suffering with perinatal asphyxia. While the new parents got the news that the baby was okay, Liberty appeared to have a personality transplant; she went from being emotional and delighted to have provided her sister with such a gift, to being determined that she was the baby’s mother. Oh dear.

Liberty wants to keep the baby…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Mandy grew concerned over Darren’s mental health as he became obsessed with some baby ducklings, one of which sadly died and his mood became increasingly erratic. She broke his trust by reading his journal, desperately worried that he was suicidal like Kyle. He admitted that he was feeling patronised and that he didn’t want to share his troubles with her because he didn’t want to worry her.

Mandy is worried about Darren…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Martine found Damon with The Red Door, the book about Toby when he was being experimented on, although Damon had no idea what it was. Snatching it off him, Martine determined to get rid of it but not before Toby and Celeste found her with it. Toby lost it with his mother but Celeste was far more reasonable. It’s funny really, as when these two first arrived, Celeste seemed far more vicious but it’s actually Toby that’s the psycho. Celeste actually wants to reach out to her family. At home, Celeste tried to calm her brother time but he insisted that reading the book would bring out ‘the monster’. I think that kind of already happened when you murdered Lisa, mate. Something about the way these two talk suggests to me that Lisa was not his first kill though…

Hollyoaks airs Monday – Thursday, 6:30pm on Channel 4 (sneak peek on E4, 7pm)

These reviews are based on the E4 episodes

Hollyoaks airs ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’ on Fridays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4

Eastenders: Goodbye Chantelle Atkins

(Friday 18^th – Monday 21^st September 2020)

Friday was a pivotal episode and truly one that will go down in soap history. It was unnerving, overwhelming and heartbreaking as Gray and Chantelle returned to the Square with the kids. Gray trapped Chantelle, who finally stood up for herself and informed him that she was leaving him. Of course, he ensured that that would never happen, forcing her to phone Kheerat and let him know that the plan was off. But when he caught her with her stashed cash and spare phone, all hell broke loose, resulting in her falling back on the open dishwasher.

For a while, I couldn’t work out what was going on after that. One of the kids woke up so he settled her. Then he told poor, dying Chantelle that he was going to get help. Instead, he took her spare phone and cash, wiped them and threw them away in an outside bin, making sure he was seen by as many people as possible round the Square. Then I realised he was making sure that people could confirm that he wasn’t in the house while his wife lay dying in the kitchen. He even had half a pint in the pub.

Returning home, Chantelle wasn’t quite dead but she passed away, suffering and in pain, moments after he arrived back. He then positioned a toy car to look like she had slipped on it and fallen back. Then he staged his arrival, dropping the pint of milk he had just deliberately bought in the shop, broke down at her body as he would genuinely have done, had the scenario been real and then called the police in tears. What a psycho. What a very clever psycho.

Gray tells his story to the police…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

I cannot applaud Eastenders enough. This story has broken my heart and to have killed Chantelle off rather to have saved her from Gray is such incredibly brave way of propelling this story forward and making its point. My only criticism is that I desperately wish this hadn’t been Chantelle’s only attempt at escaping. The show could have gone a lot further by exploring and highlighting the services that are available to people who are the victims of domestic abuse if they had had Chantelle contact someone such as the Domestic Abuse Helpline or Women’s Aid just to name a couple of options. I think that could have done a lot of good for anyone in a similar position, to have seen the kind of help that was available. However, I hope that the grief of the end of this story will also do what it intends to.

I was also very impressed with how well they managed to film it, considering they had to social distance throughout! It was very creative and Toby-Alexander Smith (who has taken this story so much to heart) and Jessica Plummer were absolutely incredible.

Last night saw the fall out from Chantelle’s murder (although to be honest, not enough of the episode was focussed on it). Gray gave the police his perfect story, although Kheerat and Mitch were not so sure. Poor Karen was devastated at the loss of her child and had no suspicions at all.

Karen is devastated at the loss of her daughter…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Meanwhile, Callum was under pressure regarding Ben’s arrest and Ruby discovered that it was Stacey who had been stealing from her as revenge for ‘stealing’ Martin. And… Stacey returned! Hooray!

Stacey returns!
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm

Eastenders: We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday…

(Tuesday 15^th – Thursday 17^th September 2020)

Ian desperately scrambled to raise the cash to pay Max back before he noticed that his money was missing. Of course, he failed, messed up his opportunity with the Council and is now in big trouble with Max. His response was to throw his (metaphorical) weight around with Sharon, still wounded from being snubbed. What a grown up.

Martin miraculously recovered from his injuries all in the space of one episode. Honestly, the magical healing powers in Walford are incredible! Remember Phil recovering from his never again mentioned drug addiction? Out of it during one episode? Right as rain in the next? Well, Martin was practically at death’s door on Monday. He was up and about and walking on Tuesday and in shock as guilt ridden Ruby told him she loved him. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t. I’m pretty sure she just feels guilty that she nearly got him killed (or didn’t, as the case may be). Honestly, who ever heard of someone getting smashed in the head with a fire extinguisher and walking away with barely a scratch?! Also, how come Walford General allows visitors? That’s not currently NHS policy…

Anyway, after he recovered from his shock (rather more slowly than he recovered from the fire extinguisher) and stopped to have a few pints in The Vic with Kush (obviously recommended after a head injury), Martin decided he loved Ruby too. Aww. Isn’t that sweet? Well, no, not really. Because if it’s true that Ruby does love him, she is seriously going to get her heart broken because he will always love Stacey. Obvs.

With Phil refusing to play ball, Ben enlisted Jay’s help to set Danny up for the warehouse job but alas, when the police arrested Danny, he rolled over on Ben. Callum’s superior spotted Callum and Ben together and worked out that they were a couple (the fact that Callum just left Ben out of his vetting form is completely unrealistic) and offered Callum a deal – Ben can walk free if Callum helps them take down Phil! And in all that hassle, Stuart and Rainie’s hen and stag nights were completely forgotten. Oops.

Of course, the big story of the week is of tragic Chantelle as she attempted to escape evil Gray. I was completely wrong in my last blog in my assumption that she wouldn’t depart for the holiday with her family. She did, leaving the kids behind with Gray. On the trip, Mitch was desperately worried about his clearly distressed daughter but she couldn’t open up to him. Eventually, she told him she was missing the kids so off he went on the train to fetch them. While Chantelle made plans with Kheerat, deciding she could take a chance on him after all and asking him to let himself into the house and fetch her precious baby box so they could escape together, she had no idea that Gray had driven Mitch and the kids to the holiday home.

Chantelle is unaware that Gray is onto her…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Gray listened to her phone call, undetected and then spent the rest of the day as a threatening presence over his wife, as he has for their entire marriage. While Karen remained oblivious to what was happening, Mitch has known for a long time that there is something amiss. That’s one of the saddest things about this and how we know things are going to play out tonight (as has been released in a formal statement by Eastenders in order to be responsible). If only Chantelle could find the words to tell her Dad the truth, he would have been able to protect her.

Instead, Gray secretly changed the alarm code to the house so when Kheerat followed Chantelle’s instructions to get into the house, the alarm went off, prompting Gray to drag the family home. Chantelle objected but Gray insisted. There was a moment when Mitch gave Chantelle the opportunity to stay but sadly, she chose to go with her husband.

I found it truly devastating to watch these scenes and to watch Chantelle at this crossroads in her life during this episode, knowing what she will face in tonight’s episode. I think Eastenders are very brave to tackle this story in this way, as sad as it will be. I am both eager to watch how it plays out and also dreading witnessing it. But I think it’s an important story to tell and to my memory, no soap has done this before. Please feel free to correct me. Sometimes I think soaps get a hard time of it but creating these stories, especially with the current limits on filming is a genuine achievement.

Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm

Neighbours: The Path to Healing…

(Monday 14^th – Friday 18^th September 2020)

It was a very awkward anniversary dinner, with Karl and Dipi being the only people unaware of Shane’s drug addiction. Dipi found out fairly quickly when Mackenzie challenged him about it as soon as she got a moment alone with the only real father figure she has ever truly had. Dipi walked in on them and her whole world shattered. While the others scattered, Toadie supervised husband and wife attempting to talk things through but I worry that it will be a long while before these two find their way back to each other properly. I also wonder, with Chloe and Pierce in the state they are and Dipi and Pierce’s growing friendship, if they are gearing up for something to happen between them too.

Shane has a lot of explaining to do…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

But anyway, Shane and Dipi’s relationship is in tatters, although at least the truth is out. Dipi was particularly hurt that Roxy had known and he still couldn’t be honest with her. Clever Mackenzie worked out that Ritchie knew more than he had confessed and it turned out that he had been the first person to supply Shane with anything. He gave him ADHD medication to help him study but turned him down when he wanted more. He has been worried ever since as Shane bought stronger and less legal drugs from other people.

Dipi and Toadie decided that Shane needed to go to rehab, meaning he had to defer his course. While at rehab, Shane kept in touch with Toadie, inviting him to a therapy session but Dipi was feeling distinctly shut out. She turned to Pierce for support again. Roxy was also feeling pretty broken by the whole thing. Dipi was unforgiving, although she did accept she had been too harsh; Roxy should have told someone but really, it wasn’t her fault.

Yashvi panicked that her Dad may now be caught up in the criminal investigation into the drug ring. Levi suggested questioning him unofficially just to get the information they need about the dealer but Yashvi decided not to go lightly on him, angry about what had happened. She even assisted in the interview, which of course would never happen in real life. The police tried to connect River (Shane’s Uni friend/dealer) and Ollie but Shane didn’t really know anything. Dax redirected the case, not wanting them involved anymore. When Yashvi pushed it, Dax threatened to put Shane in the thick of trouble and then put Yashvi on desk duty.

Yashvi confided in Levi that she thought Dax was dodgy, to which he admitted he had thought for a while. Dax was thrilled when Ollie was sprung for dealing but resisted them going after River, which suggests that Ollie was innocent and River was the culprit. The young cops decide to do their own investigation on the sly.

Karl offered his full support to Dipi and laid into Ritchie for setting the wheels in motion in the first place. Mackenzie decided not to go for the role on the Counsel in light of what had happened. Harlow stepped up in Mackenzie’s place but Ritchie put Mackenzie forward without her consent, meaning that the two girls were running against each other by accident. They have promised to keep it friendly! Yeah. We’ll see.

Toadie was completely overworked and interviewed a woman called Rose Walker to be his PA. They sparked off each other and got along well, prompting him to hire her on the spot, only to find she wasn’t as great on the computer as she had been on the phones. However, she managed to retain a very difficult client, thus proving herself to him. But as soon as she had the chance, she let herself into the office and began trying to break into his computer, so clearly she isn’t all that she seems…

Toadie’s PA is definitely up to no good…
(photo credit: WhatsOnTV)

Mackenzie interrupted Rose trying to hack into the computer and in the process of trying the password so many times, she locked Toadie out of the system. Rose managed to get a brief lowdown from innocent Mackenzie on Toadie’s personal life. Suspicious of Rose’s authenticity, Mackenzie caught her Googling how to run invoices. Rose ‘came clean’ about fudging dates on her CV and not being great with some technology. Toadie was forgiving and agreed to get her trained up. I am suspicious. Very suspicious.

Nicolette had a lot of time on her hands having very strangely decided not to go away with Fay, Aaron and David, being that she is Fay’s nurse. You’d almost think it was scripted so that she could spend every second with Chloe and damage her marriage with Pierce…

But the first thing that happened was that Chloe took on the challenge of sorting out Nicolette’s relationship with Jane. With the help of Paul, she arranged for mother and daughter to have lunch and properly talk things through. Nicolette opened up at her hurt over the way Jane shut her down when she came out, desperate for Mrs Mangel not to ever find out. It prompted Nicolette’s relationship to break down and eventually for her to move from the UK back to Australia.

This prompted Paul to wonder if it was revenge that made Nicolette destroy Jane and Des’s relationship. He went against Jane’s wishes in order to tell her daughter everything that led up to the wedding, including the catfishing episode. Guilt ridden, Nicolette orchestrated a meeting between Jane and Des where they were finally able to make peace, agreeing that now isn’t the time for a relationship but promising to be friends forever. Nicolette confessed that it was her own hurt about the past that provoked her attitude towards Jane’s marriage to Des and she actually apologised. Could it be that she and Jane are finally ready to heal and move on as mother and daughter?

Nicolette and Jane have finally turned a corner…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Chloe and Nicolette have clearly been up to something in secret, written in such a way as to make the audience curious, play on the ‘love/crush’ theme and make Hendrix and Jane jump to the wrong conclusions. Excellent! Nicolette caught them investigating, thus potentially undoing the hard work she and Jane have put into their relationship recently. As it turns out, they were using the ‘non ethical’ hotel chocolate and cosmetics and using David and Aaron’s empty house as a day spa. Nicolette then decided to have it out with Hendrix once and for all, finally persuading him that she is not after Chloe. Unfortunately, Hendrix told Harlow who was not happy about Chloe and Nicolette’s lack of ethics. Forgiving Jane, Nicolette turned to her mother over her still present feelings for Chloe; the more time they spend together, the stronger her feelings become.

Neighbours airs Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Home and Away: Where’s Bella?

(Thursday 17^th – Friday 18^th September 2020)

Willow, Colby and Dean desperately tried to track Bella down, finally realising through Tane and Ari that she and Nikau had taken off together with $5,000 of Tane’s dodgy cash. Colby, Ari and Tane very reluctantly worked together to try and work out where they had gone off to as well as trying to stall Angelo, who warned Colby that he would have to issue an arrest warrant if Bella didn’t turn up for her interview.

While the clever Detective remained oblivious to Colby printing out plane tickets literally in front of him, Colby planned to follow his sister and Nik to where he thought they had gone until it was pointed out that he had to stay behind and keep up appearances. So it was decided that Dean, Tane and Ari would go without him.

However, Amber kicked off about Dean getting involved in Colby’s mess, pointing out that he always ended up hurt somehow. While Dean and Ziggy fell out at him keeping secrets from her, Dean couldn’t understand why Amber had such an issue with what he was doing. Then she informed him that he was the father of the child she hasn’t once mentioned or appeared to have any kind of involvement with in all the time she has been in Summer Bay. You know, working all day, a bit of leisure time and then getting trashed all night and going home with random men. At what point is she fitting in any kind of childcare?

With Amber having thrown his keys away, Dean backed out of the trip to deal with the latest revelation. Ziggy felt further pushed out when Dean turned to Willow with his latest disaster instead of her. Willow questioned Amber who explained that her son is called Jai, after her brother. She panicked when she found out she was pregnant, which was why she left Mangrove River. Dean’s decision prompted Mac to join Ari and Tane on their quest, hoping that she might be able to get through to Bella should they be able to find her. Well, they’ve been BFF’s since the siege, I guess.

Meanwhile, Nik and Bella appeared to be having a whale of a time! Despite the dire situation, it’s lovely to see them so happy! The only drawback was that Nik missed his family and felt guilty for walking out on them when he knew they would be worried.

Nikau and Bella enjoy their escape…
(photo credit: WhatsOnTV)

Back in the Bay, Colby continued to make excuses with Angelo who began to get very impatient. One would assume he would have started to smell a rat by now. It’s not like he isn’t the dodgiest cop Summer Bay has ever seen. Colby was furious when he discovered that Dean had prioritised his own life over finding Bella; Ziggy and Willow had to break up a potential fight over Colby being disgustingly selfish yet again. Ziggy demanded answers once and for all from Dean, who confessed he had a kid.

Amber’s revelations could have far reaching consequences for Dean and Ziggy…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Justin has been very forgetful recently, alongside headaches and body pain, which nobody seems to have picked up on, not even the Head of the Emergency Department he lives with. Clearly he is going to end up with some life threatening condition they’re not going to notice until it’s almost too late and then they’ll save his life just in the nick of time. They really are a very unlucky family, The Morgans. Throwing Leah’s luck into the mix as well is just begging for disaster!

Home and Away currently airs on weekdays @ 1:15pm & 6pm on Channel 5

Sneak peek on 5Star, weekdays @ 6:30pm

These reviews are based on the lunch time episodes

Hollyoaks: In Too Deep

(Monday 14^th – Thursday 17^th September 2020)

Jordan kept the pressure on the kids to improve their sales, which have apparently been lacking in lockdown. Well, I guess every market has been suffering…

Sid turned down the chance to join a band, which Jordan had set up in order to expand market opportunities. He also continued to two time both Leela and Peri. I’m pretty sure it’s Leela he’s interested in and Peri he’s using but he’s not that easy to read. Juliet was absolutely livid when she found out, being that she has been harbouring feelings for Peri for a while.

During a meeting with Victor, Juliet spoke out of turn and Sid gave himself away regarding the band opportunity, dropping Jordan in it, as he had lied for him. While Jordan got a beating, Sid and Juliet got dumped with a huge batch of drugs to sell in a very short space of time.

Juliet and Sid then hijacked Imran’s party, inviting as many ‘randoms’ as possible in order to sell as much ‘gear’ as possible. Yes, I know putting ‘gear’ in inverted commas makes me sound a hundred. I am wasn’t down with the kids even when I was one. Juliet ended up selling to Ollie who got off his face on ketamine after an argument with Brooke. He was uncharacteristically awful to her when she didn’t feel able to go to the party with him, telling her he hated her autism and having a go at her about giving up their baby and spending so much time looking after Oscar in the wake of Kyle’s death. It was pretty hideous. The next day, he desperately tried to apologise.

Peri and Juliet kiss…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Juliet got somewhat distracted when she and Peri finally kissed. The next day, completely smitten, she left a rather embarrassing voicemail for her crush and spent some of the drugs profit on an outfit for her lunch date. Sadly, she was left crushed when she realised Peri was embarrassed to have kissed her and was trying to pretend she didn’t really remember it. She also cancelled their ‘date’. Juliet risked a lot of trouble for Jordan for taking £50 from the money bag. She saved his hide at the last minute by opting into the ‘gang’ deeper and offering her particular skill set. She was raised by a drug addict. She knows how to spot vulnerable people and how to target potential addicts. Victor welcomed her aboard.

Juliet steps up her involvement in drug running…
(photo credit: Metro)

Misbah was furious to come home from her extended trip away to find a load of teenagers in her messy house, post-party and Tom in her dressing gown. She let him keep it. She was very concerned about a mass gathering and no social distancing. Speaking of, I am a little confused. Are Hollyoaks showing old footage or new footage or a mix of footage? Are they not social distancing? Are they doing very clever filming beyond what the other soaps are capable of? Because there doesn’t seem to be much social distancing going on in scenes.

Meanwhile, Diane refused to give up on Tony, who continued to display severe aggression, even thinking he could take on Warren Fox. Thankfully, deep down, Warren can be a nice guy and wasn’t about to fight with him. Edward continued to manipulate the situation, making Tony think his kids were scared of him and that he should set Diane free to be in a relationship with him instead. When neither he nor Tony can persuade Diane to choose him and give up on her husband, Edward manipulates Verity into persuading her. Edward then lets up on Tony’s ‘blood thinners’ so I don’t know if that was the trade-off. At least Verity has a conscience.

I don’t know but I am just dissatisfied with this plot. After everything Tony went through with Breda, I just wanted him to be happy before the next story. He deserves that. And I know Edward is supposed to be really sinister and I very much dislike him but this controlling plot, all the dark, backstabbing, manipulation, it just doesn’t have the punch it’s supposed to have. Perhaps it’s because Coronation Street and Eastenders are running two incredible coercive control/domestic abuse plots at the moment with Geoff and Yasmeen and Gray and Chantelle that this story is rather pale in comparison. And that doesn’t mean it won’t improve. But I’m not happy with it. And I think Tony deserves more. Firstly, he deserved relief when he finally got home. And secondly, if they were going to torture him more, they should have tortured him better! And yes, I accept that I am completely contradicting myself.

In other news:

John Paul’s son, Matthew finally got a speaking part and confirmed his approval of John Paul’s relationship with George.
Romeo got a job a The Dog in order to remind us that he fancies Cher.
Brody admits to struggling with his past with Buster and his future as a Dad.
Has Misbah met someone?

Hollyoaks airs Monday – Thursday, 6:30pm on Channel 4 (sneak peek on E4, 7pm)

These reviews are based on the E4 episodes

Hollyoaks airs ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’ on Fridays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4