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
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.
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
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
(Monday 15th June – Wednesday 16th September 2020)
Well, a LOT has been happening in Summer Bay these past few months! I hardly even know where to start!
Ben and Maggie bid farewell to Summer Bay… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Firstly, Ben and Maggie had split up when Ben found out that twenty odd years ago, when they were on a break (hello, Ross and Rachel), she slept with his brother, Marco. Bad form. But the good news is, that they eventually found their way back to each other. The bad news is that they decided to start afresh in Italy. Great for the characters, sad for the show as the Astonis’ were a great asset, as were the actors. Ben gifted his Board Shop to Dean and they offered him and Ziggy the house for cheap rent, although they stupidly decided they would prefer their cramped house share with Colby and Bella. I mean… why? And who will move into the house…? I have one idea but we’ll see how that pans out.
The Parata Family have been at the centre of a lot of storylines recently. They’re kind of like a palatable version of the Braxtons’ from ten years ago. Speaking of, I hear they’re bringing Heath Braxton back next year. I really hope they’re not just pulling Home and Away back into that hideous period of criminal gangs. It was awful back then. I had to stop watching. It’s much more interesting watching families and friendships. If I wanted to watch The Sopranos, I would.
Anyway, Tane Parata arrived in the Bay, wanting to look after nephew, Nikau and suddenly produced a house without any legal income for them, Ari and Gemma to move into. He immediately struck up a flirtation with Mac, who was already seeing Ari and while nothing has happened between them, Mac has struggled to control her attraction to her boyfriend’s brother. More recently, he has started sleeping with new girl, Amber so Mac, who has given Tane a job at Salt, hasn’t been able to control her jealousy. She admitted her feelings to Ari but they decided to make things work and Mac has since put every effort into her relationship.
Mac throws herself into her relationship with Ari (photo credit: Metro)
There was a break in at the Diner, setting Colby on the case of the Parata Family. He was utterly convinced that Ari was responsible because the intruder, who terrified poor Leah was wearing a generic black hoodie and hey presto, Ari along with almost everyone on the planet, also owned a generic black hoodie. Mac tried and failed to provide him with an alibi. Borne out of jealousy, Colby seriously targeted Ari but was unable to prove he was responsible. When the anniversary of her husband’s death came around, Gemma and her family were required to return to New Zealand to scatter his ashes in their family’s tradition. However, Colby put a stop on all the boys’ passports so on Gemma managed to get through security, trapping the boys in Australia. I believe the actress who plays Gemma has now left the series completely (which doesn’t really make sense for the character) and the rest of the characters are staying put.
Meanwhile, Bella returned from therapy a changed person. She is actually likeable! She is mature, calm and thoughtful and currently makes Colby look like a complete and utter mess. She immediately set boundaries between her and her brother. Well, someone had to! And she was able to reconcile with Nikau and so far, they have developed a lovely, caring relationship, which both of them are happy to take slowly. Aww.
Poor John collapsed with a stroke, leading Marilyn to end up as his carer. For a moment, it looked like they might get back together but it soon became clear that she still wasn’t in love with him. They just couldn’t get along as she struggled to look after him and he struggled to cope with his condition. So now, Marilyn has moved in with Alf, Martha, Roo and Ryder and John has remained at home, which has all the adaptations they made for Jett with Amber as his carer. She seriously pushes him hard to improve his health. It’s sad. I really wanted John and Marilyn to work out. But the siege really destroyed their relationship.
John and Marilyn face reality… (photo credit: Metro)
Ryder got a real shock when his Dad, Evan showed up wanting to develop a relationship with him. More shocks were in store when he found out that Evan was dying. The pair were able to make some lasting memories before Evan left town, not wanting Ryder to see him die. Roo left with Evan, not wanting him to die alone and clearly having developed feelings for him, even if that was unsaid. Ryder was devastated when Roo returned alone and broke the news to him. She brought Evan’s guitar with her, with a plaque on it: For My Son. Poor Ryder. What a sad story.
Ryder spends all the time with his Dad that he can… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Jasmine has become seriously unwell over the past few months. She became obsessed with Grace, posing as her mother online at times and implying that Tori is a bad mother at other times. She drunkenly kissed Colby as well as attacked him, was aggressive towards Tori and awful to Willow who remained her faithful friend. When Tori was car jacked with Grace in the car, Jasmine went as far as reporting her to the police and contacting a lawyer, blaming innocent Tori for the whole thing. What had happened was that she had jumped out of the car to help John who had fallen out of his wheelchair. Nikau, scared of being fitted up for the break in at the Diner, as Colby was gunning for him and his family, stole the car in a bid to run away, not realising the baby was in the car. As soon as he realised, he called Tane for help. Tane returned Grace anonymously and so far, nobody knows who robbed the Diner and nobody has discovered who stole the car.
Jasmine became quite the keyboard warrior… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
After the truth came out about Jasmine’s online life, stealing items belonging the Grace and generally weird, obsessive behaviour, Tori was left with no choice but to take out an AVO against her as well as to try and get her some mental health support. Jasmine ran off to stay with Robbo’s parents but as soon as they discovered the truth, they sent her back to Summer Bay to try and get the help she needed. Tori and Jasmine finally made a breakthrough and hopefully, she is now starting to get back on track.
Dean got a shock when an ex-fling, Amber showed up (John’s carer) and immediately hit on him. He didn’t get time to warn Colby, who didn’t quite the same reception. She punched him in the face! So, the story goes that Colby, Dean and Amber’s brother, Jai were all attempting to rescue Bella from Ross when there was a car accident. Colby left Dean and Jai for dead on the side of the road without even checking if they were okay. Dean survived by Jai died. Amber has hated him ever since and it took a long time for Dean to forgive him.
Amber is not happy to see Colby… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Willow was thrilled to see Amber, who was a little unsure as she was worried about having slept with Dean after they split up. Willow didn’t care. A lot has changed since they last saw each other! The pair have since been going on a lot of wild nights out, with Amber pulling Tane and trying to get Willow to hook up with someone/anyone too, although Willow isn’t interested. All the Willex fans, including myself are still hoping that she is still too hung up on Alex to think about dating anyone new! Oh, and Ziggy’s divorce came through. Hooray!
Willow enjoys having Amber back in her life… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
But just as things began to look up, disaster struck – Ross Nixon’s body was discovered. And who best to investigate his murder but Angelo Rosetta, the police officer who was sacked from the force twice, once when he was jailed for murder and once because he deliberately let a human trafficker escape. I mean, why wouldn’t he allowed onto the police force a third time and be made Detective? That’s completely realistic! Honestly, I don’t think there has ever been a character I have disliked more than him so please excuse my tone in all future blogs. I won’t be able to help myself. Ugh! Vile!
Angelo returns and is somehow a Detective… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Anyway, Angelo arrived in the Bay and like me, Alf could hardly believe he had been let back onto the police force. He interviewed Colby and Dean about Ross, trying to ascertain what happened the last time they saw him. The boys held it together and stuck to the stories they gave at the time, although Dean was clearly rattled. At the time, he returned to the scene of the crime repeatedly, strung out on sleeping pills. Colby pretended he was holding things together but really he was haunted by memories of shooting Bella’s Dad on that awful night he found and rescued her. I didn’t watch the show then but I gather that Ross abused Colby and he suffered a great deal. It was in a moment of great distress that trauma that he chose to kill him.
When Angelo wanted to interview Bella and Willow, everyone panicked, Colby drilling the story into Bella, determined that she get it right. When Bella overheard Colby and Dean discussing a backup plan, which was basically Colby rightfully taking the blame (he committed the crime) and Dean, Ziggy (who is oblivious to the actual truth) and Willow taking care of Bella, she panicked and decided to run away. Shocked by the truth of what really happened and desperately in love with Bella, Nik stole Tane’s stash of cash and ran away with her.
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
Things finally came crashing down around vile Geoff this past fortnight with not only him being carted off by the police but his son Tim, also has also had the scales fallen from his eyes and can finally see him for what he truly is – an abuser. It all started after yet another row between Geoff and Alya where Tim was clearly rattled by the way Alya is clearly so broken and so desperate over the way she believes Geoff has destroyed her Gran. He and Faye have both seen flickers of a different side to him and when he mentioned the cameras in the house, Sally bravely took it upon herself to steal Geoff’s laptop and even managed to wriggle out of it, despite her fear, when she got caught.
Tim was clearly uncomfortable but helped her break into the laptop and was satisfied when they uncovered nothing. However, when Fay returned and discovered what they were doing, she had a millennial’s way of examining a laptop and although Geoff had done a good job of deleting the camera footage, there was a link to his phone gallery and on it was that awful, hideous video he took of Yasmeen on the night of the magic show. All three of them watched it in horrified shock.
Faye and Sally examine Geoff’s laptop… (photo credit: Metro)
At home, Geoff realised the computer was missing but it was too late. Sally and Faye had already taken it to the police station, leaving him to come face to face with is heartbroken son. Tim now seems sure that Elaine is his Mum and Geoff is the reason she has disappeared. He even called him an abuser, referencing the video, the red dress, burning Yasmeen’s clothes, how frightened she has seemed for months, locking her in the box – everything is suddenly clear. Then the police turned up to arrest Geoff. Finally, the truth is coming out!
Of course, Geoff managed to squirm out of it somehow and the people didn’t hold him. However, he didn’t manage to win Tim back. Tim located Elaine’s address and attempted to find her but she hadn’t been home for some time.
David lost patience with Shona after an entire day of inappropriate behaviour, including nearly stripping off in the Street, insulting customers, losing Lily and then eating the kids’ dinner. This was a very creative way of dealing with maternity leave! Most people have a row and go to Spain…
Upset about the day before, Shona decided she wanted to leave Wetherfield and start again. It was Nina who pushed her back to David and the family (plus Nina) spent the day in the garden, having a barbeque while Shona annoyingly jumped up and down on a trampoline. That was until a big sinkhole opened up in the garden, narrowly missing swallowing Shona. I mean, that really would be terrible luck, considering everything.
A random sinkhole appears in the Platt’s back garden… (photo credit: Metro)
When the house was declared unsafe, Ray stepped out of nowhere and saved the day, putting them all up in his hotel, which allowed David and Shona the chance to start anew in their relationship. Now, somehow, the whole thing has been set up by Ray, who seems to want to take the house or something. I don’t know. Orchestrating a sinkhole seems a little outrageous but we are in bizarre times… Anyway, he proposed to David, once the insurers wouldn’t have a bar of it, that a friend of his would buy the house. David saw through all his kindness instantly and knew something was amiss but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can do anything about it. Anyway, it’s all a bit weird.
Todd still hasn’t reappeared. A body turned up in the canal, which Billy thought may be Kel. He opted to go the police first and they seemed to agree that it was indeed him, leaving Billy with the task of breaking the news to distraught Paul who had only just started to put the past behind him.
Toyah and Imran were passed to be foster carers. Dev has to sell the kebab shop to cover the kids’ school fees despite the fact that ignorant Asha has started seeing Corey again. She even wants to move out with him, if you please. That weird and slightly annoying storyline between Daniel and Nicky (I thought her name was Vicky, I cared that much) continued. Oh and apparently Ali got four months. I can’t actually remember what he did, he was so boring. Drugs, wasn’t it?
And in an actually important storyline, Leanne’s plans to take Oliver on holiday were scuppered when he was rushed back into intensive care and they were told he may not recover this time. Poor Leanne wasn’t able to process the news and remained fixated on the holiday. Jane Danson is breaking my heart in every scene. Meanwhile, Nick bumped into old flame Natasha (who I vaguely remember) from ten years ago. Keeping the news from Leanne, Nick overheard Natasha talking to the medical staff about her son, who would be just the right age to be his son. Apparently she aborted his child at the end of their relationship (which I didn’t remember). He confronted her and after a bit of faffing about, she confessed that her little boy was indeed his son. Well, that’s bad timing, isn’t it?
Natasha accidentally stumbles back into Nick’s life… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
At the hospital, Leanne and Steve were told that it was only life support keeping Oliver alive. Neither of them could accept that it was the end.
Coronation Street airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm and 8:30pm
The Walford gang have been living in lockdown like the rest of us these past few months and we have a hell of a lot to catch up on! And one of the best things to report is that Kat is back! Hooray!
When we last saw everyone, Ian and Sharon had just bought the Queen Vic together, with Ian having pinched Max’s money from the restaurant on the pretence of looking after it for him while he divorced Rainie (Ian is just getting darker and darker, isn’t it?!) Well, it turns out that during lockdown, they have been cosily living together at the pub, with Ian having apparently forgotten all about his Mum and Bobby back at home. It’s all about Sharon and Albie (the baby, who used to be called Kayden). I’m not sure which name is worse.
Sharon has a lot to deal with… (photo credit: Metro)
Having got off her drugs charges but with Ian still lording everything over her, Dotty finally lost her temper and revealed everything about Denny’s death to Sharon. But with no proof, Sharon couldn’t believe that her dearest friend would ever do such a thing and threw Dotty out of the pub. Undeterred, Dotty decided that the pair deserved each other and wound Ian up by convincing him that Sharon had feelings for him. Having harboured feelings for Sharon for months (probably years, to be honest), the moron finally made his move, only to be turned down. Awkward. Very awkward. Oh and now Max’s divorced is through and he wants his money back…
Ruby is has had her credit card stolen and is being rinsed. I can’t remember if we know who by… But she and Vinny planned an insurance job that went wrong. Before Ruby could call it off, Vinny was chased down by Martin who ended up getting smacked in the head with a fire extinguisher, which was a bit extreme! Suki covered it all up and got him sent off to hospital. I was quite impressed by how well it was all filmed, actually. I’ve been impressed by how almost everything has been filmed – in all the soaps. They’re doing amazingly well in the circumstances.
Vinny knocks Martin out… (photo credit: Metro)
One thing that did let Eastenders down though was one scene in the Chantelle and Gray storyline and it’s such a shame as this story has been utterly flawless since the beginning and of course, the news has been released that this week, Chantelle will be murdered by Gray. I am absolutely heartbroken that this is the way the story will end, not to mention shocked. But I have to applaud the show for being honest about how these situations do pan out sometimes. Not everyone gets a happy ending and it’s important reflect that. In a horrific and heartbreaking way, this plot may save lives.
However, while every step of this abuse plot has been chilling and uncomfortable and genuinely upsetting, last week’s bath scene was just weird. I’m sorry. I know it must have been really difficult to film but it was just so weird. It made no sense at all. For starters, if, over lockdown, Gray had started this kind of breath play abuse, why, when she knew he was furious with her and wanted a divorce and her out of the house, would Chantelle have ever thought, hey, I’ll go and have a lovely bath? Absolutely ridiculous.
I just hope the next few episodes live up to the truthful, clever storytelling we have witnessed since it began. And it truly has been clever. If we think back, we knew there was something up with Gray long before they ever showed anything. We never saw inside their home for weeks and weeks. The only version of themselves we ever saw was what they presented to the outside world so we knew there was something not right before it was ever explicitly shown to us. As horrific as the next few episodes may be, I hope they do the story justice.
At the point we have left them, Chantelle so nearly made her escape, turning Kheerat, who had fallen in love with her, down and planning a holiday with her parents and siblings, from which she didn’t plan to return. Of course, Gray got wind of it and banned the children from going. Chantelle was left with a dilemma – abandon her children and escape her husband or stay behind? Well, it’s obvious what she will do and what the consequences will be…
Gray thwarts Chantelle’s plan of escape with her kids… (photo credit: Metro)
In other news, Ben’s operation finally went ahead and his hearing returned. But more trouble lay ahead when Callum saw the CCTV footage, identifying Ben at the warehouse job. Cue: Ballum tension. However, Callum agreed to tackle the problem at work if Ben persuaded Phil to roll over on Danny Hardcastle, the person that the police are really trying to nail. Phil refused.
Tina grew closer to Frankie when Kathy gave her a job at The Albert, once she had offended and then corrected herself over some thoughtless words about her being deaf. Linda teased her mercilessly when she brought her for some drinks at The Vic, with it being quite clear that Tina fancied her, although it’s not clear as to whether Frankie feels the same way. What is clear is that Frankie is attached to Ollie, who reminds her of her little brother, Harry who died when he was very young. Later, Frankie, a photographer, took secret pictures of the Carters while they played football in the Square. I can’t decide if she is nice or strange. Time will tell…
Frankie bonds with Ollie… (photo credit: Metro)
Eastenders airs on BBC1 on Mondays @ 8:05pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:35pm & Fridays @ 8:30pm
Roxy continued to try and support Shane by herself, without telling anyone what was really going on and ended up becoming the victim of his temper when she threw his drugs away and her shoved her about. Kyle rescued her and told Dipi about her husband’s behaviour. Dipi turned to Karl for support, believing that Shane was suffering with depression. Shane refused to defer his course but decided to go away for a few days, lying that he was visiting his brother, Stonefish. Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Stonie covered for him, leaving Shane to hide out in his hometown in an abandoned shed to try and go cold turkey until he panicked and phoned Roxy for help. Roxy finally told Kyle and Toadie the truth, sending Toadie to go and sort his brother out and bring him home.
Toadie tracks Shane down… (photo credit: Metro)
Shane, Dipi (and Toadie) were the only people unaware that Mackenzie was very sweetly arranging a party to celebrate Shane and Dipi’s 20th wedding anniversary, which, after a lot of stumbling blocks, she changed to a romantic dinner for two. However, she found out from Ritchie at the last minute about the drugs, which he claimed to have found. I don’t buy it. Remember the hushed conversation he and Shane had weeks ago? And he has known for days that there has been something wrong, clearly more than he has been letting on. I like Ritchie but I haven’t trusted him for a little while now. Those drugs originated from the school, remember? Well, we’ll see.
Chloe brought Fay home to live with her, Pierce and Hendrix, plus Nicolette, their new live in nurse and I wouldn’t say it has gone smoothly. Basically, even without knowing that Nicolette has feelings for Chloe, Pierce is jealous. He’s jealous because he doesn’t trust Chloe’s bisexuality. He doesn’t even know the full story yet. Although, Hendrix has since found out more information. Now, I think I like Nicolette. She’s good with Fay and she is clearly sincere when it comes to Chloe. And I cannot stand Pierce. But she is a bit interfering, I do agree with him there. She pushes a bit too hard. Also, isn’t a bit weird that Aaron and David are taking Fay on holiday without her nurse? Isn’t that the point of her? I would assume it’s lazy story telling so they can focus on Nicolette, Chloe and Pierce? Anyway, one nice moment that has come during these past couple of weeks is that she has finally turned to Jane for support over it all so hopefully they will continue to reconnect.
Nicolette plays a trick on Pierce… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Things began to look up for Emmett with Terese giving her a job at the hotel but she promptly lost it for stealing booze. Soon enough, a previously never before mentioned aunt moved back into the country (all orchestrated by Jenna) and was deemed a perfectly suitable candidate to care for him and off he went. Suddenly what had been a very prominent storyline seems to have been hurried away and although Aaron seemed fairly accepting, David did not take it well at all.
David and Aaron say goodbye to Emmett… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
In other news
Harlow, Hendrix, Mackenzie and Ritchie staged an eco-protest to persuade Paul to make changes at the hotel
Tensions between husband and wife led Terese to go and visit her kids in L.A.
Bea and Levi fake dated – fated?!
Kyle was jealous of all the attention Sheila lavished on Levi to make up for her guilt
Ned made some very questionable ‘art’ to earn cash
Hollyoaks returned after a couple of months break, now four days a week (with a ‘Favourite’ episode every Friday on E4) and flitting between previously filmed footage and newly filmed footage. The story picked up on Scott and Mitchell’s wedding guests giving police statements regarding a missing person. So, who’s missing? Well, Mitchell, Lisa and Martine are definitely not giving statements. And over the summer, during the BLM debates, both Rachel Adedeji and Imran Evans resigned…
So, the wedding went ahead with the miracle of all miracles – Joel persuaded Walter to attend and be supportive of the happy couple. This further enraged bitter Toby who ended up in a vicious row with Mitchell, as he’d only informed Walter about the wedding so that he’d kick off and cause trouble. After the fight between the boys, both Mitchell and Lisa ended up in their rooms (Mitchell because he was upset and Lisa because she was waiting for Felix who appeared at this point to be bedding her, Martine and Grace!) Twisted up with rage, Toby found the hotel master key and beat Mitchell to death in his bed. Except it wasn’t Mitchell. It was Lisa. They had swapped rooms.
Celeste tries to rescue her brother after he murders Lisa… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Horrified, Toby left the room, only to bump into Celeste who was distraught by this turn of events but it looked like this wasn’t the first time she had bailed him out of a horrific situation. She created a distraction and they got rid of the body, meaning that for the past few months, it looked like Lisa was missing (or in Ibza – you decide!) Bearing in mind she had no suitcase, ticket or any kind of social media presence apart from one brief message of congratulations to the boys.
Now, I totally get they wanted a dramatic story and exit and everything, not to mention a dramatic relaunch after being off air but it seems like a strange character to do this with. I mean, it seems strange to me that after a lifetime of Lisa being missing, her mother and brother would vanish from her life forever anyway. But now she’s missing again and what? They don’t come running? There’s no kind of reaction from the family members that loved her, lost her and missed her for years? And when it comes out that she’s been murdered, let me guess, they’ll be too busy to come back for the funeral, yes? Even if they recast them, honestly, for the sake of some kind of continuity, you would have thought that the ‘missing girl’s’ mother and brother would give a crap that she’s vanished again. Or that she hadn’t for the past few years, for that matter.
Meanwhile, Verity was shocked to find Tony living in the caravan in The Dog car park, having not been able to control his angry outbursts thanks to Edward doubling the dose of testosterone. Well, you know my feelings on the details of this particular storyline. I am hoping that Verity will bring some sanity to proceedings soon.
So, PC George Kiss doesn’t like PDAs but he was jealous when John Paul spent time with James who was utterly gleeful at the idea of winding the situation up, getting himself and John Paul arrested and thrown into a cell together so John Paul could decide what he really wanted. While John Paul decided it was George he wanted, despite a compelling case from James, it turned out that safe, gorgeous, moral George may not be all he seems. While John Paul and James were thrashing it out in their cell, the policeman was meeting up with his ex, Dean who was in rather a sorry state. He had been in therapy and was on medication, having been left utterly broken by his relationship with a somewhat unrecognisably heartless George. Why can’t anyone just turn out to be nice in these programmes?! I am devastated!
George laughs at his ex’s upset… (photo credit: Metro)
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
With the news of Kyle’s death having spread, Nancy was overwhelmed with visitors, all paying their respects. Two of those were Leela, joined by Jordan, one of the people that nobody knows was Kyle’s dealer and is generally a very bad person. But somehow, he managed to use the visit to prove himself worthy of Leela really giving him a chance, although their relationship continued to remain under wraps for now. You know, with him having previously been sleeping with Leela’s daughter and all. In secret. Didn’t we have a very similar story between Leela, Tegan and Ziggy once upon a time and I’m sure there was a dodgy love triangle involving their Dad once as well. There must be a gene. But it’s all very murky. Very murky indeed.
But what Kyle’s story has done is provide an incredible talking point regarding depression and suicide. Kyle’s death was absolutely devastating and Adam Rickett carried the story so incredibly well. Now it’s time for Jessica Fox to take the helm, portraying the role of the confused, broken partner, left behind, having had no idea of the pain her partner was enduring. And she is doing a marvellous job. This story has been done so well, as Kyle’s suffering slipped under the radar, as does depression and mental health itself in so many ways. We were all so focussed on watching Darren’s struggles, I for one didn’t even notice Kyle until he said the words out loud. And that’s been the genius and the heartbreak of this story.
While Nancy’s grief almost kept her from the funeral, it was her loved ones who persuaded her to be there and supported her through it. Darren very bravely told her the truth about his own depression and that Kyle saved him from ending his own life. She laid it all on the line, forcing him to tell Mandy the truth. I just hope that with the lockdown, this story isn’t one that gets forgotten and pushed to the side. All the lessons from it need to be learned more urgently than ever now.
Goodbye Kyle (photo credit: Metro)
John Paul and PC George Kiss started to get closer, much to the annoyance of James who decided that John Paul was the love of his life and he wanted him back. To be honest, I can’t keep up with James. Not so long ago, it was Harry who was the love of his life. Now he can’t live without John Paul. Personally, I like George. But let’s face it, this gorgeous, kind, lovely policeman is likely to turn out to be a psycho for all the previously mentioned reasons. Because nobody in soap is ever who they appear to be. Apart from Valerie in Doctors.
Meanwhile, Evil Edward continued to drug Tony with testosterone, sending him into angry rages that he couldn’t control. He even blamed poor Nancy for Kyle’s death when she set up a memorial for him outside the restaurant. Diane and Tony were devastated when Edward confirmed that this state of affairs was permanent, having persuaded them not to get a second opinion about his condition. I still think this is flawed story telling. Firstly, I just don’t buy that after all their history, including Edward sleeping with his wife, Tony would have him as his surgeon, plus I am pretty sure it’s against hospital ethics to treat a member of your own family. Secondly, why is he medicating him? Why isn’t this being done at the Doctors/hospital/pharmacy instead of just casually in the lounge? And why hasn’t someone noticed a load of T is going missing? And why would Edward have such easy access to it as a neurosurgeon? This story is a bit silly, to be honest and it doesn’t make much logical sense.
And in the story that the lockdown must have seriously panicked the show about… Jordan decided to release the pressure on the kids when it came to selling at the school but after a visit from his ‘boss’, Victor, he quickly changed his mind. It’s interesting to see him, who acts so in charge of everything all the time, under the control of someone else. Of course, they got caught, Sid taking the fall for Juliet and ending up getting thrown out of school. I feel sorry for Sid. Nothing has ever gone in his favour. Awful family, from his Dad right down to his cousin. Trapped in this situation, selling drugs when he doesn’t want to but he’s too scared to say no and now he’s having to recruit younger kids like Charlie. Plus the girl he’s in love with, is swooning over someone else. I know he said he was supportive but she could be a little bit sensitive! Of course that’s all taken a bit of a turn now that she’s found Peri in bed with Jordan (who is still secretly sleeping with Leela). I mean, complicated isn’t the word!
Speaking of complicated situations, Sienna, Brody and Liberty (and a little bit Warren?) found out they were having a baby girl. How lovely. I mean, that’s a weirder family than the Lomaxes. Sienna and Brody are a couple. Liberty is the surrogate, sister of Sienna, in love with Brody but also quite fancies his best friend Damon who has a very complicated history with Maxine. Then there’s Sienna’s ex Warren, with whom she has two children who she used to hate but recently kissed (and did he go out with Maxine at one time too…?) I think I need to sit down.
Also, Warren recently revealed that Toby, Celeste and Mitchell’s Dad, Felix bullied him at their children’s home (what a coincide that they knew each other as kids, happened to be arch enemies and also happened to show up in the Village at exactly the same time). It all traced back to a staff member who physically abused Felix, meaning he took everything out on Warren. Horrified, Brody reported the guy to the police.
Warren and Felix have a chequered past… (photo credit: Digital Spy
While Felix managed to open up to Martine about his past, he also found himself hooking up with both her and Lisa. Lovely bloke. Meanwhile, Scott and Mitchell returned to reveal they were getting married. Well, they more whispered it because Mitchell was scared of the disapproval of Walter, making up this story about a charity event in order to get him there. Of course, Toby stepped in and told Walter the truth in a bid to ruin the big day… And then the show went on a two month break!
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 Soap Dish 