Well, the first thing I have to say is that I am so impressed with Simone Lahbib’s arrival as Katy Lewis. The story unravelling is engaging and deeply uncomfortable in equal measure. I had no idea how it was going to play out when Katy arrived on the Square but the way it has, blindsided me. This woman is clearly a master manipulator. She is wrapped up in beautiful smiles and a gentle voice and it was so unsettling to watch her persuade Mick that nothing had ever happened between them. Danny Dyer was incredible in these scenes as Mick began not to trust his own, very clear memories of how their relationship began. And she was so convincing! And so lovely to him at times. So bloody clever.
Katy is a master manipulator… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Tina was delighted to see her and looked like she had as much of a crush on her as Mick once had. She forced Mick to persuade Frankie that he had been wrong and couldn’t be her Dad. Frankie was furious and disgusted with him that he could have let her believe her Mum was a paedophile. It really has been awful to watch but also fascinating. Eastenders has cast this so well. She is the nicest, girl next door type character. And yet, there she was, pressuring Mick, manipulating him, without him even realising it half the time. Changing his memories. Confusing him.
Mick suffers in silence… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
However, could I just suggest that the obvious answer is a paternity test? Just saying.
With Mick still in a dark place and his family not understanding why, Tina very sweetly persuaded Ian to ask him to do a shift at the Vic. And for a moment, Mick was back in his stride. But conversation between him, Tina and Shirley soon turned to Katy, he dropped an expensive bottle, Ian told him off and accidentally revealed that it was a pity shift. Mick was back to square one, leading to a very emotional scene between him and Tina where he so nearly told her the truth. I actually begged him out loud to tell her! But he closed up and kept his silence.
Mick temporarily gets his groove back… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, Jay confronted Lola and Peter about their infidelity but a chat with Honey made him realise that he and Lola were not meant to be and actually, he felt okay about it. She didn’t want his baby, she didn’t want to marry him, she didn’t really want to move in with him. Finally, he has realised he deserves better! Hooray! May I suggest he gets together with Honey? I hadn’t seen it before but recently, I’ve concluded they would make an excellent match.
It’s the end of the road for Lola and Jay… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Kat made her presence felt at Phil’s when she did the cleaning, stealing a football shirt in order to get his attention. She then requested his help in the robbery again. My wife and I actually laughed out loud when Kat turned up at the office with Phil in a cleaning pinny, allowing Kat to make fun of him in front of the security guard she had befriended, with a view to rob the place the next day. It really was funny. However, Phil decided that was no point robbing the place for a few grand and backed out, frustrating Kat. When he spotted the fancy cars parked in the underground car park though, he was much more interested and a new plan began to form. Kush was hurt when Kat refused to let him get involved, admitting that she didn’t trust him.
Sometimes pictures don’t need captions… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Stuart and Rainie were told once and for all that she could never carry a child. Having been friends for all of ten seconds, they then asked Tiffany if, for £10,000, she would be their surrogate. After a lot of thought, she agreed but Keegan was not happy about it.
Keegan isn’t happy with his wife’s decision… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Jack was supportive as Denise continued to try and bond with Raymond and help him through the grief of losing his parents. They took him to his old church, where he finally smiled and began to come back to life. Denise was able to speak to the church leader and find out more about Raymond and his family, as well as to get some advice about the way forward. Is this the storyline that will bring evil Lucas back into Denise’s life, I wonder…?
Denise will do anything to reach out to her son… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm
So, I have decided to be the bigger person and put my feelings about Doctors ignoring Covid-19 aside and just enjoy the episodes for what they are. I do accept that filming a medical drama in a socially distanced fashion would be very difficult. So with that in mind, this week, the show has been back to its usual standard.
Emma teases Zara about Harper… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
For starters, Harper has gone! Hooray! No more stupid Harper storyline! But first we got to enjoy some brilliant Zara and Emma scenes, with Emma teasing Zara about her new obsession and finally, Daniel (and Joe) had had enough and they and Zara staged a ‘Viking funeral’ for the thing. It is gone!
Daniel forces Zara to say goodbye to Harper… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Al and Lily’s relationship continued, with her buying him some tickets to a beer festival. She told Deborah they were seeing each other. Jimmi overhearing them was hilarious. Al confided in his friend, explaining it was all very casual. But I absolutely love this pairing. They are so well suited and it’s nice to see Al happy.
Al and Lily’s relationship is blossoming… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Sid had to let Deborah down gently, although I immediately became concerned that she overheard that Daniel and Zara talking about Ruhma having ‘custody’ of Tanya. If the relevant authorities find out about it, Ruhma will lose her job for good. Deborah wants to stay. I have no idea why she wants to stay in a job where nobody likes her. But could she be that ruthless?
Shak and his mates suffer the effects of dodgy tequila… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
While Ruhma was still away and suspended (so, do we assume the amazing NHS episode is outside of the Doctors timeline and didn’t really happen as part of any of the characters’ storylines then?), Shak decided to have a party. Bear and Sid felt like the old fogies amongst the young students and while Bear almost pulled a disgruntled neighbour, Sid was concerned about a student he had treated for an STI, pulling a girl who had no idea. Things came to a halt when most of the party started vomiting dodgy tequila that STI guy had brought. Grownups, Sid and Bear were left to clear up but Ruhma immediately worked it out when she got home and found a trashed painting behind the sofa.
Uh oh… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
However, that was the least of her problems, as the day after her return, she caught Tanya leaving with the baby, wanting to go and live with her sister and receive support from her mother. She didn’t feel able to talk to Ruhma about wanting to leave and start again. Ruhma found it hard to let go but it was all pretty good timing as just as I suspected, Deborah did leave an anonymous tip about Tanya staying with her. Ruhma and Shak managed to persuade her otherwise but things are not looking good for her case. And unfortunately, it has put innocent Zara in the firing line as Ruhma concluded that she was the only one who could have informed on her…
Ruhma is devastated to say goodbye to Tanya and the baby… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
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
I’m sorry to say that after months of longing for Doctors to return to my screen, it was a bit of a lacklustre comeback last Monday. The episode wasn’t the most thrilling, as a handful of the cast had a social distanced birthday celebration for Jimmi, resulting in Al and new girl, Lily, bedding each other. I have to say, I am so up for this pairing! They are brilliant together!
Lily challenges Al to a drinking game… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Karen and Rob said farewell to their latest charge by taking him climbing and putting a rather unpleasant policeman in his place. And the annoying temporary midwife, Deborah, just about managed to deliver a baby. Is she even qualified? She seems to have no idea what she is doing. Also, in the NHS special, Ruhma was working so hard that she caught Covid-19 and nearly died so why is this woman even still here? Why wouldn’t Ruhma be back now? Unless she is still unwell. In which case, wouldn’t someone have acknowledged that or that Covid-19 has ever existed?
But anyway, Deborah continued to struggle to fit in, not helped by a sudden crush from nowhere on Sid which was not reciprocated. But undeterred, Deborah decided that The Mill might be somewhere she would like to stay.
Thankfully, Zara swooped in midweek and saved the show with a very cool episode about a very strange actress imitating her for a play. It was really quite creepy and the kind of Doctors episode we have come to expect. Unfortunately, this annoying Harper storyline still harps on. I did appreciate the Shakespeare’s sonnets though.
Zara is still obsessed with Harper.. maybe she should change the batteries as he clearly doesn’t have a plug? (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Now, the time has come to replace Ayesha and Daniel and Bear were sure they had found ‘the one’ until they checked the woman’s references. They were not good.
Daniel and Bear interview for a new nurse… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Now, I’ve watched Doctors since just after Joe was born so quite a few years now. My Nan got my Mum into it and my Mum got me into it. My wife lived in Birmingham for years and she loves it. Just in case you were interested. Probably not. But anyway, of all the soaps, I am never disappointed in this show. I think it’s the most underrated soap there is. It doesn’t show off and it doesn’t boast and yet it tells the most intricate, important, incredible stories. This week, we had mental health, grief, vasectomies, births, meditation for people coming out of prison…
So, I am shocked to discover the soap that’s set in a GP surgery has skipped the entire Coronavirus pandemic and is acting as if it’s all over. I just find it really strange. It’s also skipped it without actually skipping time. All the storylines (Ruhma has vanished without mention, Deborah is still there, they’ve not filled Ayesha’s position, Jimmi’s birthday was literally about to happen, that annoying Harper thing) just ran continuously from where they left off in the summer.
I get it in the Aussie episodes which always have that element of fantasy in them (and also didn’t really go off air) but in this kind of show, even more so than any of the others, I think Doctors has really missed a trick. Now, it feels like we’re in a weird vortex of time and space. It’s not something I would ever normally say about my beloved Doctors but attempting to skip Covid-19 entirely from the show feels like a huge error.
It looked ever so briefly like love was in the air for Toadie and Rose but alas, it wasn’t to be as Rose drifted back to her corrupt husband, James. Oh well, she was nice but she will never be Sonya. We will have to wait for someone worthier to come along.
Aaron, David and Nicolette bonded after a drunken party and the boys invited Nicolette to stay with them permanently. Hooray! I like this friendship. And I like Nicolette, although there is clearly a slightly viscous side to her as she took genuine pleasure in informing Pierce that she was staying put. Oh well. I have never liked him anyway.
Karl and Jane stashed all their bulk buying rubbish on Aaron and David’s roof, causing it to fall in. As sick of the storyline as I am, Susan laid down the law – no more bargain basement hoarding or Jane has to move out. Now, can we move onto a story a little worthier of characters such as Karl Kennedy and Jane Harris? This one has been pretty insulting, quite frankly. Then the story moved onto Susan feeling crowded by Jane…
Thanks to a photo Aaron put online of him, David and Nicolette, an old friend of Nicolette’s suddenly pitched up in Erinsborough and the boys made her much more welcome than Nic did. Her name was Audrey and she turned out to be an ex-colleague of Nicolette’s. They both looked after a patient called Marco who was severely neglected by his horrible family. When he died, they cashed a winning lottery ticket of his and split the winnings. While Nicolette clearly had no issues spending the money, Audrey has been wracked with guilt all this time and not spent a cent until recently, when she bought a fancy handbag and then completely panicked. She now wants to confess and give the money back. Nicolette does not agree and spent the rest of the week trying to stall her.
Working at the hospital together, Audrey dropped Nicolette in it about visiting London two years ago when Jane had no idea she was there. Karl and Jane became concerned about what was going on between Nicolette and Audrey. Susan was concerned about Jane taking over her house. Karl searched through Nicolette’s records and concluded that she had been working in London, just as Audrey had said.
Ned’s life was in tatters as Scarlett continued to make complaints about him to the police and Yashvi’s trust in him was broken. She did agree to attend Ned’s exhibition, along with the rest of the residents in order to support Ned. He ended up winning the Osbourne Prize but not with the portrait of Yashvi that he submitted but with the destroyed portrait of Scarlett that she swapped, ready for the big unveiling right at the climax of the exhibition. She then appeared and announced that he had been stalking her before running off. Ned gave chase, ignoring his loved ones begging him to let her leave. Roxy was left to explain the whole debacle to Paul and Terese.
He chased Scarlett back to the maze, haunted by memories of the stabbing. Yashvi found him (not by the maze), asleep in his car with a cut on his head and no recollection as to what had happened the night before. While Ned suffered nightmares and flashbacks about what had happened, including holding his bloodied pallet knife and someone being locked in his boot, Scarlett was declared missing. CCTV footage then transpired of Scarlett being thrown to the ground by a mystery assailant.
While Ned’s loved ones were certain Scarlett had set Ned up, Ned was traumatised by his ‘memories’ and confessed to murder. The Detective who wrongly charged Tyler of murder, arrived to run the case and correctly stepped Yashvi down. Why on earth was she allowed to get involved anyway?! Ned was charged with murder and let out on bail thanks to Paul and Terese.
Ned is arrested… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
All the while Ned’s life was falling apart, believing he had killed Scarlett, she was actually hiding in The Hive, listening in on his oblivious friends talking all about what had happened. Once Ned had been bailed, she sneaked into the garage and tampered with a car. Meanwhile, Yashvi was certain that Scarlett’s journal, which had been critical in the case of her stalking Ned in the first place. Desperate to help, Shane attempted to get hold of it, only to get caught stealing it and charged for the offence by Levi. This of course landed him in a huge amount of trouble with Dipi, Toadie and Yashvi. Shane then infuriated Dipi further by suggested she be in charge of his decisions so he didn’t screw up again.
Chloe returned from visiting her mother, having reached a decision. She cannot think about the long term future due to her Huntington’s, which is understandable. She needs herself and Pierce to live for now. She and Pierce endured an awkward double date with Shane and Dipi, with Chloe and Shane unaware that their partners have shared a kiss.
When Aaron mentioned that Nicolette had a friend visiting, Chloe was jealous. There is no other word for it. I hope she realises soon that Nic is a much better match for her than Pierce. He was furious to overhear her admitting she missed her friend. When he then thought he saw Nicolette threatening Audrey, he decided to wade in and speak to Audrey himself which only landed him in trouble with Chloe.
Once she had calmed down, Chloe was ready to talk but she was set off again when rather than talking, Pierce presented her with a diamond necklace, feeling like he was trying to buy his way out of their marital woes.
Chloe was not impressed with Pierce’s diamond gesture… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Dipi was upset when Shane decided to quit University and persuaded him not to cancel his future. And that was the moment she and Pierce found solace in each other at the hotel. And I have to say, it was all a bit weird. I know they had to do it social distanced but it was a bit like someone pressed the wrong button and cut in an advert for their affair in the middle of the ‘moment’. However, judging by the obligatory half naked Pierce scene, alongside Dipi in her towel, we can safely assume they are supposed to have now slept together. Determined that it was a one off and they have now got each other out of their systems, Pierce and Dipi were determined to focus on their marriages.
Pierce and Dipi believe they’re getting their feelings out of their system… yeah, right! (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Dipi was jealous when Pierce began to launch a new wine brand and named it after Chloe. However, Chloe was crestfallen when she discovered the wine was called ‘Chloe Greyson’. She chose not to change her name from Brennan and couldn’t help but listen to Nicolette’s opinion that the wine was Pierce’s way of stamping his mark on her after he believe she was trying to take her away from him. Chloe challenged Pierce about the name, prompting a big row and him staying at the hotel yet again.
Chloe sought Nicolette’s friendship over her latest row with Nicolette, prompting Dipi to stand up for Pierce. Dipi reported back to Pierce and the pair raged about their respective partners, Pierce for Chloe’s rejection of the wine and friendship with Nicolette and Dipi for Shane’s latest balls up with the police. Of course, they ended up in bed again.
Meanwhile, Clive tried everything to get back together with Sheila, even dressing up as a gnome, with Kyle getting burned on a barbeque in the process. But when she finally explains her reasoning and confessing to messing with Levi’s results, he agreed that their relationship was over for good.
There are a few victims in this whole Ross Nixon Murder Investigation Plot. I don’t think I count Ross. I mean, I didn’t watch the show then but he doesn’t sound like a tragic loss. However, the main casualties so far seem to be 1) Dean 2) Ziggy and 3) Taylor. And at some point, probably 4) Bella.
Firstly, Dean had just been about to start a new life as a Dad to the little boy he never knew he had. Then he was under pressure over keeping Ross’s murder a secret. He needed to prioritise Amber and Jai. And now he has lost Ziggy by telling her the truth.
Ziggy’s heart was full of hurt and confusion as she realised that she was the only one out of the loop and everyone in their group knew the truth but her. While Willow went into bat for Dean, Ziggy felt that her boyfriend was now a stranger. She moved into her parents’ house, only able to see things in black and white.
Sadly, Dean’s response was to get drunk and kiss Amber. Well, that’s always the way to win your girlfriend back, Dean! Well done, mate. Thankfully, Amber was sensible enough to back off and decide she was worth more than to be his rebound. She already got pregnant with Jai when he was rebounding with her after breaking up with Willow all those years ago!
Meanwhile, Colby was ploughing ahead with his affair with Angelo’s neglected wife, Taylor, despite his family telling him he was being the world’s biggest idiot. This story is unsettling me. Colby has always been such a good guy and always so kind and eager to do the right thing. I’ve watched Home and Away on and off since I was a child but this stint hasn’t been very long, I admit. So I’ve never seen this side of Colby before. And I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.
He has manipulated Taylor into believing that he has genuine feelings for her and all the while, he is using her for information on Angelo and the case. She is already in a relationship with Angelo, which must be bad enough. She is also being completely ignored and neglected. Now she thinks this apparently nice guy likes her and wants to give her some attention while her husband can’t be bothered to even speak to her. She is going to be utterly broken when the whole truth eventually comes out.
Things got very intense between Colby and Dean, as the boys argued about their individual actions. Dean couldn’t believe that Colby would start an affair with Angelo’s wife, which is a valid point. And Colby was furious that Dean would risk their secret by sharing it with Ziggy. He had absolutely no compassion for the situation Dean was in. And it was all left to Willow to mediate. And all the while, Angelo was lurking, watching every argument he possibly could.
Colby continues his affair with Taylor… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Colby lied to Bella about ending his relationship with Taylor, the teenager decided she couldn’t take it anymore and temporarily moved in with Nikau. He lied to her again after she moved back in and she photographed them kissing on the beach, sending him a photo via text. Furious, Colby deleted all the photos and seriously lost his temper with his sister, pretty much holding her responsible for Ross’s death. What a good big brother.
Bella catches her brother out… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, Ziggy was under pressure to explain Dean’s absence, blurting out the shock news that they had split up. Angelo attempted to use her as a way in but Ziggy wouldn’t budge, not wanting Dean to get into any trouble, despite how hurt she was over what he had done. Colby took things up a notch and barged into Ziggy’s house, indirectly threatening her to stay quiet. He informed her that it was Dean’s idea to bury the body and he persuaded him not to confess to the murder. Therefore, if she were to inform the police, she would be sentencing Dean to years in jail.
When he returned from clearing his head, Dean was allowed to have Jai for the night, only for him to become unwell with an ear infection. The good news was that Ziggy was on hand to help him and they really worked together as a parental team to get him medical help. Amber missed it all because she was getting drunk and having a one night stand and neglected to look at her phone even once until the morning. Do people even do that in real life?! But anyway, maybe there is hope for Dean and Ziggy? And for Dean to be an active Dad? Although with Amber having now lost her job with John (he has miraculously recovered), Dean has now offended Amber by giving her money…
Dean looks after his poorly son… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Having failed to target Colby directly, intimidate Bella and question Ziggy, Angelo set his sights on Dean. He worked out that he knew everything about the murder and possibly that he was involved, offering him a deal in exchange for everything he could tell him. He bargained with the fact that he has Jai to live for and Dean was genuinely tempted to roll over on Colby. Well, with the way Colby is behaving, I’m not surprised. But after another row, the boys kissed and made up again and Dean refused to budge.
Angelo thinks Dean is the weakest link… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Clever Willow pointed out that Angelo has been very busy getting as much background information on them as he could so suggested Colby did the same. Now, what could Colby possibly find out about dodgy cop, Angelo? Could it be that in 2008, he accidentally shot and killed fellow police officer, Constable Jack Holden and then rather than confessing, he lied and was eventually found out, kicked off the force and jailed? Could it be that in 2009, he cut and deal and was somehow allowed back onto the police force, where he was set the task of hunting down a human trafficking ring and deliberately let the culprit escape and was again removed from the police force. No! Manslaughter and human trafficking errors and being removed from the force TWICE haven’t even been mentioned yet apart from Taylor referring to working hard to ‘get back on the force’. Apparently the worst thing that’s ever happened to Angelo is in the case of some guy called Andrew Felton, he sent the wrong person to jail. And that’s why he’s so obsessed with his work and needing to prove himself.
Deciding this was exactly what he needed, Colby made a formal complaint of harassment against Angelo, who immediately became aggressive with him. While Dean couldn’t understand what he was doing, Colby reassured his friends that it was a good plan – discrediting Angelo will make his case much harder to prove. Unfortunately, Taylor was very upset and felt very used by Colby. Because she is being used. She accurately described herself as collateral damage. Spotting them together yet again, Bella took it upon herself to warn Taylor away from her brother.
Angelo loses his cool with Colby… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, Ari was devastated when Mac decided it was time to move out. Things had become too awkward with Tane and Ziggy was lonely in her empty parents’ house so it all seemed perfect. While Ari begged her to stay, she still refused. Then he got wind of this whole Tane situation which I just don’t understand. If you think your girlfriend and your brother have feelings for each other, why are you still in the relationship?! It’s all a bit weird. But, whatever.
Justin had difficult but seemingly successful surgery thanks to Christian (and Tori) and everything so far seemed to be happy in his world. However, Tori was all of a flutter, having now shared two kisses with Christian. She then mistakenly believed that he was interested in Jasmine who very quickly made it clear that that was not the case. Tori also decided to drop the AVO against Jasmine, wanting her to be part of Grace’s life again.
Christian has got Tori hot under the collar… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
After some faffing about, Roo and Owen finally got together and their relationship had the full support of their family, including Ryder. There was a small wobble on Owen’s birthday, which would also have been Evan’s birthday. Owen opted to shut Roo and everyone out at first but they all barged their way back into his life and they celebrated together. How lovely.
Love is in the air for Roo and Owen… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
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
The big shock these past few weeks was the discovery that Frankie’s Mum, Katie was a carer for the family and Mick was twelve when Frankie was conceived. Of all the places I thought this story was going to go, this was not one of them. I’m also not quite so excited about one of my favourite actresses, Simone Lahbib taking the role! I mean, I am sure she will absolutely kill it. She’s amazing. But I wanted her to be fabulous. Not a sex offender. However, putting that aside, this story is going to be incredible in the kind of way only a soap can achieve. I know it will. I have been so ready to rant about Eastenders changing Mick and Linda’s past and there they go, throwing in the biggest curve ball ever. I can’t even fathom how emotional this story will be.
Mick is struggling… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
For now, Mick has been failing to hide his pain and anxiety and instead, taking everything out on Linda and especially on his mother, Shirley, who left him in the situation to be abused in the first place. And Frankie has vanished in a state of distress over the truth of her beginnings.
In response to her hurt, Shirley had the clever idea of stealing the swanky new car that a Covid-19 patient gifted Sonia. However, her conscience got the better of her and she gave her the money for it.
In some good news, Whitney was found not guilty of murder! Hooray! Although, how Gray was allowed to act as her emergency barrister when at the beginning of the trial, he was physically removed from the court, I have no idea. But anyway… success! Traumatised by everything that has happened (you know, murdering his wife and all), Gray went home and decided that everything had to stop. He tucked the kids into bed and set off the gas. He was just about to flick on his lighter when Shirley barged in to tell him off for having a go at Linda earlier in the day. Realising the depth of pain he was in, Shirley then took Gray under her wing. She failed her son so she wanted to help Gray instead. I have been enjoying their scenes, although I am desperate for someone to realise the truth about Chantelle’s death! It’s not fair!
Martin and Ruby returned from a trip away to announce they were married. Martin better watch himself – he’ll soon have been married as many times as Ian Beale. There’s been Sonia, Stacey and now Ruby. Eventually, he’ll ditch Ruby and remarry Stacey, of course, so that’s four at least…
And tensions are high. Very high. It’s fair to say that Stacey and Ruby hate each other. I am Team Stacey, of course. But it’s sad. Only last year, Stacey was the best friend Ruby could ever have asked for. She got her through the worst time in her life. Now, Stacey believes that Ruby has stolen her husband (they were already split up, to be fair) and has robbed Ruby blind. And while Stacey was at least being upfront about her hatred of Ruby, Ruby was being utterly vile behind her back. She got Dotty to post a rat through their front door. She had Stacey assaulted outside the club. And finally, she teamed up with Suki to use Kush’s gambling addiction to lose them their house.
Ruby teamed up with Suki to try and get rid of the Slaters… Unforgiveable! (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Thankfully, Stacey had already bonded with Kheerat (emotionally and physically) and he persuaded his mother to cancel the bet and in exchange for higher rent, the family were allowed to stay. For now. But it looks like it might be the end for Kat and Kush, as she felt she had been let down by too many men before and he had proved to be just the same. I’m upset, to be honest. I know the actor is leaving but did they have to completely ruin his character on the way out?
Has Kush lost everything? (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Lola heard that Phil had been visiting Raymond at the hospital and befriended his grandmother, Ellie, she immediately broke Mitchell Rules and Ranks and did the right thing – she told Denise. With Callum still working ‘undercover’ for the dodgy cop, he discovered that Ellie was not a nice lady at all and actually, the reason her family died was a revenge killing by her enemies.
Phil persuaded Denise to take Raymond back, offering his support but promising not to crowd her. He then forced Ellie’s hand, with Callum’s help. Unfortunately, taking Raymond back spelled the end of Denise and Jack, one of the Square’s dullest couples. Jack insisted that Phil would never stay away from Raymond and he couldn’t have him involved in his children’s lives. He has a point. The first thing Phil did was attempt to pay Isaac to feed him information. Isaac took the money and gave it to Denise, telling her everything. It’s the first time I’ve liked him since he joined the show.
Bobby continued to struggle with OCD. He has also been working very hard on the Lucy Beale Foundation and asked Max and Sharon to be the treasurers, hurting Ian’s feelings. However, I’m sure he felt justified when the truth came tumbling out that Ian had fraudulently mortgaged the café behind Kathy’s back in order to pay back the money he had stolen from Max. I mean, he’s not exactly an advert for strong financial decisions right now, is he?
Peter switched Kathy’s age down by twenty five years on a dating app, not telling her until the last minute. The date went well until she fell over outside and her grandchildren accidentally outed her. Her date, Iain was not very kind.
Honey’s world was left in pieces yet again… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
However, her date was nothing compared to the horror of what poor Honey went through with a guy called Paul. He drugged her drink and when she was suitably incapacitated, he dragged her into an alley when he filmed her. It’s not clear whether he actually assaulted her or was about to when Jay turned up, worried about a ‘drunken’ phone call she made to him. He chased the guy off and rushed Honey to the hospital where she couldn’t remember anything and was heartbroken to discover what had happened. She bravely pressed charges and Jay was absolutely amazing, supporting her through everything. He also talked Billy down when he attempted to go after Paul. Of course, Billy was haunted by memories of what had happened to his ex-wife, Little Mo. I feel so sorry for Honey. She was only just putting her life back together and now this has happened…
Billy was devastated over history repeating itself… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm
Chloe and Pierce struggled to communicate, both handling their grief over the miscarriage in different ways. Wanting to give her daughter time and space to focus on her own life, Fay headed back to Adelaide but not before she stopped to kindly ask Nicolette to keep her distance from Chloe in order to let her focus on her marriage. Unfortunately, the conversation was overheard by Pierce, revealing the Chloe knew about Nicolette’s feelings all along.
More revelations were to come when Pierce challenged his wife and she admitted that she had been having doubts about their marriage and about the baby – and that she had confided in Nicolette about it all. With the couple wanting to resolve their marriage woes, Pierce suggested doing something fun: Dipi’s cooking class. The look on Chloe’s face suggests that she did not think that was fun.
And she was right. The class was a disaster for everyone, including poor Hendrix who had turned up to partner Susan, with whom he has developed a lovely relationship. Things became very intense between his Dad and Chloe as she wanted to forget their troubles and he wanted an intense conversation. Shane turned up to help Dipi, despite Pierce warning him off and as ever, his help was more of a hindrance. Shane and Pierce got into a nasty row and everyone got upset.
After the class, both couples argued. Chloe refused to talk to Pierce who stormed out. Across the road, Shane blamed Dipi for his addiction, prompting her to also storm out, throwing her and Pierce together in their distress. While Pierce gave Dipi a complimentary room at the hotel for the night, Toadie spent the night at home, talking Shane down from using drugs. This set Dipi off again, straight into Pierce’s arms and the pair shared a long expected kiss, which they both regretted immediately and decided to keep a secret. While Yashvi blamed Shane for everything going wrong, a chat with alcoholic Terese helped her become more supportive of her Dad. You’ve gotta love, Terese. And I did feel sorry for Shane, especially when he apologised to not only Dipi but Pierce as well.
Dipi and Pierce share a secret kiss… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Chloe sought out her brother, she ended up chatting to Nicolette again (who lives with him and David) but got caught out by angry Pierce, setting everything off all over again. But it was Hendrix’s words that forced Chloe to sort things out with Pierce in the end. When did he get so wise? Probably when he got together with Harlow. Chloe went ahead with the marriage counselling and also ended her friendship with Nicolette before heading off to Adelaide to make sure Fay had settled in okay. Alone and needing space. Possibly not a good idea to leave her husband unattended right now but then, quite frankly, she’s better off without him.
On Nicolette’s advice, Levi got another medical assessment, independent of Clive so nothing looked suspicious and he didn’t end up pushing himself beyond what he was medically capable of. While Levi was understandably upset with his Gran, Sheila ended her relationship with Clive, having broke the single condition he set when they got back together – no deceit.
Now, Nicolette really was a busy girl this week, dishing out help not only to Levi and Chloe but also to David and Aaron by putting them in touch with a friend who once acted as a surrogate. I am so desperately disappointed with this storyline. I thought it was amazing that they were fostering and providing a home for vulnerable kids. I think it’s absolutely crap that they ran that story once and now it’s all about having a biological baby. Don’t get me wrong, I love Aaron and David; they’re my very favourite Neighbours couple and one of my favourite couples in soap history. That’s probably why I’m so annoyed about it. They could have been the Pippa and Tom of Ramsay Street!
Anyway, the upside is that the story did give way to one of my favourite scenes in a long time. They mentioned to Paul about paying a surrogate from abroad, which would be legal but would not be legal if they had a local surrogate. They also claimed it would be ethical to pay for it that way, although I’m not entirely sure what difference the location makes in terms of morals but whatever. Anyway, mentioning money to Paul is like a red rag to a bull and he immediately visited Nicolette and offered to pay her friend (and her) if her friend would have the baby for the boys. Getting drunk with the boys that night, Nicolette revealed her conversation with Paul, which led to a drunken phone call with ‘Paulie’ to tell him off for meddling, which was overheard by a very angry Terese. Very funny.
Drunk Aaron told Nicolette that Chloe missed her friendship. He and David told her that they didn’t want her to move out. Hooray! Also, Aaron’s stubble is officially turning into an actual beard.
Ned fought his demons enough to complete the portrait of Scarlett, only for her to declare it a rush job and destroy it, terrifying him. He decided that it wasn’t worth the trauma of being around her and told Yashvi the truth. Understandably, she felt utterly betrayed. Meanwhile, Roxy met Scarlett’s oblivious fiancé, who was under the impression that Ned had been Scarlett’s stalker, not the other way around. And in the meantime, Scarlett made a complaint to the police of the same vein. But surely her history of stabbing him would prove that that wasn’t true?! And Bea and Roxy took on the role of Ned’s bouncers by handed back to ruined painting to Scarlett and warning her off. This story is a bit weird, to be honest. Scarlett Part One was quite good but I’m not sold on Part Two. Sorry.
Scarlett destroys Ned’s painting… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
After some pressure from Mackenzie, Toadie decided to do the right thing and warned Rose not to sign her divorce settlement, telling her where to look for evidence over where her ex-husband, James has hidden his assets. After some interference from Susan (it’s usually Karl’s job), Toadie and Rose ended up on an accidental date and admitted that they liked each other. Yay! I do hope this works out. I know she’ll never be Sonya (RIP) but Toadie deserves some happiness.
Then there’s this slightly strange storyline where Karl and Jane have raided one of those Costco places and have so many bulk buy items they can’t store it all. They ended up having to pay Nicolette, Aaron and David a fee for storing it under their house. Yes, that’s an actual plot. I guess the writers took panic bulk buying to heart in lockdown…
So, Warren, Brody and Felix were in quite the pickle, trying to work out what to do over Cormac, who was now half dead on the garage floor. Warren wanted to finish the job but the other two stopped him. While Felix disagreed with Brody about handing themselves into the police, he did agree with dumping Cormac at the hospital, where he was in a coma and not likely to recover.
While Brody fell to pieces, Warren made it clear that he would have no qualms in putting him out of his misery if he were to hand them over to the police. Brody finally cracked and told Sienna everything and while she was prepared to hand his previous murder confession to the police, she and Brody eventually decided that the smartest thing to do would be to take all three kids and run away. Yes. Running away from Warren has always worked out so well in the past!
Brody was always going to regret getting involved with Warren… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
They also don’t just have themselves to consider of course. They seem to have forgotten that Sienna’s sister is deeply involved in their baby Faith’s life, as she was their surrogate. What they don’t know is that she much more involved than they realise. Suffering from post-partum psychosis, Liberty was seeing visions of Nurse Nico, encouraging her to bond with and even breast feed Faith in secret. On the sly, poor Liberty was getting more and more attached to Faith and snappier and snappier with her sister.
That doll is VERY creepy! (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, the McQueen family were having big problems when they started receiving threatening messaging, each with the theme of the seven deadly sins. Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Deadly Sinners. Seven McQueen’s. So, John Paul, Mercedes, Sylver, Goldie, Nana, Cher and newly returned Theresa (hooray!) gathered to work out what to do: pay up or face up to the sins of their past. Led by Mercedes, they decided to track down their blackmailer and call their bluff, only for the cash per sin to increase and a warning to be issued: the first sin is wrath and one of them will go to jail.
Theresa McQueen returns to trouble… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Prior to this, John Paul’s only concern was his discovery that boyfriend George had mishandled Jordan’s arrest, earning him a suspension and Jordan getting released. James had been delighted to announce the news and it had led John Paul to question George’s honesty. This was only furthered when shaken James reported that George had burst into his house and threatened him. This was completely true but manipulative George, who has everyone on side, persuaded John Paul that James was lying. I so wanted George to be a good person but he is clearly evil. I am so disappointed!
Speaking of evil, Edward attempted to cement his control over Diane by creating symptoms of a condition that mean her hair began to fall out. He told her that the condition is due to stress and advised that she start divorce proceedings with Tony, who was devastated at the finality of the end of his relationship with the woman he loves. When Sami realised that Verity had put off anyone taking Tony on, he felt too sorry for him and took him on himself.
Yazz was devastated when Tom broke up with her, believing that his world would eventually be too small for her big ambitions. Wanting to prove her love for him and the love of everyone around him, Yazz began a video project of messages for Tom to let him know how loved he was, starting with Tony. Well, it’s only fitting on their 25th birthday that the show honours Tom Cunningham, the boy that stayed.
Eager to fulfil her new role as drugs pusher, Juliet has pressured Charlie into dealing for her but when she and Victor saw him just about managing to dodge George, Victor instructed her to drag little Ella into the gang as well.
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
The Ross Nixon murder investigation became even more intense this week as Angelo finally made a breakthrough. After closely observing Bella and abusing Irene’s trust, he discovered Colby lied about why her interview was delayed; she and Nikau ran off and that Mac, Tane and Ari brought them back.
When he interviewed her again, Bella explained that she ran off due to shock and not wanting to face up to what had happened to her Dad. Knowing a thing or two about covering up a murder (he’s done it before, of course), Angelo didn’t buy it. Bella was firm, telling Angelo who her Dad really was – an abuser and a murderer who had shot her friend and wouldn’t have thought twice about hurt her to hurt Colby. She claimed to have no idea what Ross was thinking that night or what had happened to him.
Willow is worried about Colby’s behaviour… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Angelo and Colby argued about him going after Bella but Angelo was now certain that one of them was protecting the other. Seeing that her friends were going into free fall, Willow stepped in, making an anonymous call to the police with a fictional sighting of Ross from after the night of the murder and sending Angelo temporarily out of town to investigate. She was furious then, when, having got Angelo off their case, at least for the time being, Colby continued pursing his wife, Taylor, spending the night with her in a motel.
Colby is using Taylor… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Dean discovered what had happened, he could easily foresee Colby bringing his world crashing down around him. He had to bail on seeing Jai, prompting Amber to stop him seeing him completely and he also refused to let Ziggy move back in. Deciding his girlfriend needed an explanation for his behaviour, Dean bravely told Ziggy the truth: Colby shot Ross and he helped him cover it up. Both of them were devastated, knowing their relationship would be fundamentally changed forever, if not ruined. Ziggy sent him away as she tried to process what he was telling her.
Dean confesses to Ziggy… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Tane ran into trouble when some old ‘colleagues’ turned up wanting him to do a ‘job’ for them. When he refused, they tracked him down at Salt and stabbed him. Mac dragged him down to the hospital where they promptly got trapped in the lift. Will these two ever stop getting thrown together? It’s as if they’re stuck in some kind of forbidden love triangle… When they were rescued, Ari was waiting for them. Tane was treated and Mac lied for Tane over how he ended up with a knife wound. The tension continues…
Meet Doctor Christian Greene… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Justin enjoyed spending quality time with Leah and Ava. His daughter eventually got the truth out of him about his illness and got him to agree to the operation. Cue the entrance of handsome Doctor Christian Greene, who will not only perform the surgery but is set to be Tori’s new love interest, starting with being arrogant and annoying. I mean, he’s no Alex Neilson (#Willex forever!) but he seems alright, I guess.
Justin and Leah prepare for surgery… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Roo and Owen tentatively began dating, which is sweet. Roo hasn’t had a relationship in a while. I just hope she isn’t replacing Evan with Owen because that won’t end well, although that is literally what Home and Away have done, I guess!
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
The Soap Dish 