The departures of Lee and Linda will hit Johnny hard. He is very close to his mum and brother and enjoys having his family around.
I hope that EE use this early part of 2017 to maybe see Johnny struggle to deal with the impact of these departures including more pressure on him to help out at home which could lead to him smuggling to keep up with his studies.
EE could develop stress related story or as you say a eating disorder but it would good to see Johnny struggle for a change and Mick/Ben/Whitney could be the ones to help him.
Yes, that's sort of what I was thinking. We could get little hints in the next couple of months that he's not really taking care of himself because he's stressed about his studies, but obviously with Linda around she would always look out for him and keep reminding him to take care of himself. With her going, and with something potentially awful happening to Lee which Johnny may blame himself for (as it looks like he's going to become increasingly aware of Lee's depression over the next couple of weeks and he may feel he could have done more to help), I think it would be very realistic for him to develop some sort of stress disorder; either an eating disorder or perhaps substance abuse (NOT hard drugs, maybe over-the-counter caffeine based pills etc in order to pull all-night study sessions.)
It could be a really good story for him and as you say, it would be refreshing to see others worrying about him and taking care of him as usually he's the one doing that for others.
The search is knackered so I can't locate the Johven thread but do you guys think this dream is now over?
Possibly. I think it depends on a few things, the first being whether both Johnny and Steven are going to be long-term characters. I'm not so worried about Johnny anymore but I do feel Steven sometimes has the of someone who has been brought in for a specific purpose and who will be dispersed with once Peter returns. I hope I'm wrong though.
If they DO both stick around then it may be an easy pairing for the writers if they ever needed either Johnny or Steven to have a one night stand.
I don't really hold out any hope now for a long-term relationship between them but who knows? Stranger things have happened.
Storyline suggestion for Johnny:
After waiting so long to get a boyfriend, he ends up developing confidence issues (he's already not the most confident person, so it wouldn't appear that obvious) and he develops an eating disorder. EastEnders have rarely tackled eating disorders, and it would also be an interesting slant as Johnny is both male (who rarely get eating disorder storylines) and gay (gay culture can be very superficial).
While the first bit is slightly in jest, I feel it would actually make sense for Johnny and it could be a good way for him to get his own storyline that doesn't make him less important (as in Paul never really got his own story aside from being Ben's boyfriend, and its likely if Johnny enters into a relationship now, he'll be Ben or Steven's boyfriend as opposed to a character in his own right). It could also tie in with Kellie's maternity leave. Linda always smothers him in love - he is her sausage, and while that focus has gone to Olly more recently, it still makes sense that she's like this offscreen. Without Linda, without Nancy or Lee, and without Gianluca - Johnny's own insecurities come out.
Going by Johnny's unhappy face in the stag night I don't think Lee tells Whitney and maybe it won't come out until after the wedding.
Horrible situation for Johnny to be in keeping a secret of his brother from his best friend just before their wedding. No win situation
This is a spoiler for next week, so after the stag do. However Johnny does cotton on to Lee and Whitney's spending this week which may account for why he isn't feeling great at the stag do. I expect that whatever Lee's 'secret' is, it relates to this spending he's doing. I doubt he'll actually tell Whitney.
Johnny is in every episode next week, as you'd probably expect, and with decent placing on most days in the top half of the credits.
Storyline suggestion for Johnny:
After waiting so long to get a boyfriend, he ends up developing confidence issues (he's already not the most confident person, so it wouldn't appear that obvious) and he develops an eating disorder. EastEnders have rarely tackled eating disorders, and it would also be an interesting slant as Johnny is both male (who rarely get eating disorder storylines) and gay (gay culture can be very superficial).
While the first bit is slightly in jest, I feel it would actually make sense for Johnny and it could be a good way for him to get his own storyline that doesn't make him less important (as in Paul never really got his own story aside from being Ben's boyfriend, and its likely if Johnny enters into a relationship now, he'll be Ben or Steven's boyfriend as opposed to a character in his own right). It could also tie in with Kellie's maternity leave. Linda always smothers him in love - he is her sausage, and while that focus has gone to Olly more recently, it still makes sense that she's like this offscreen. Without Linda, without Nancy or Lee, and without Gianluca - Johnny's own insecurities come out.
The more I think about the idea of an eating disorder storyline for Johnny, the more I like it. Ted is noticeably more 'slight' than Sam was when playing the role so we could assume he already lost a bit of weight in Italy (maybe it could come out that Gianluca used to tease him about it a bit which was what got Johnny feeling insecure about it in the first place) and with all the stress he's about to go through with Lee and Linda leaving, and his course probably getting a lot more demanding, it really feels like a plausible and realistic route for them to go down. We could have some good scenes of Mick not knowing what to do, and possibly if Linda DOES leave as a result of not being able to cope with what happened to Lee, this could be the storyline that brings her back. It would also be a way to get Ben and Johnny's relationship out of the one-sided emotional support rut that they've fallen into with Ben only turning to Johnny when he's feeling vulnerable and wanting reassurance. So if they did want to go down the Ben/Johnny route, this would be a good way to do it.
Could get Johnny working as a male escort because he's too proud to go to his parents for extra money?
:) Interesting idea but I don't see EE ever doing a storyline like that especially with Johnny who I think would find ways to make some money without resorting to these measures.
I did wonder if they might do a storyline where Johnny goes online to find a date or to chat to someone because he is lonely which could lead to a dark storyline where he gets involved with someone who is maybe out to target young gay men. This is quite relevant at the moment and no soap has really done something like that
What's sad is that there's so much potential for Johnny, and none of it has been realised either when Sam Strike was playing him or now with Ted Reilly. Both actors deserve(d) better
What's sad is that there's so much potential for Johnny, and none of it has been realised either when Sam Strike was playing him or now with Ted Reilly. Both actors deserve(d) better
This would actually be appealing to me, it's a chance to build his character and give him some love sometime. :kitty:
I saw Steven's episode today and it'd be nice for him to find someone becuse Lauren is soooo gonna leave him especially if he does something stupid to prevent the peter thing from getting out.
My thing is, Lee is on his way out.
Linda going on break, Babe.
It's gonna fall on Johnny to keep the carter circle interesting.
What's sad is that there's so much potential for Johnny, and none of it has been realised either when Sam Strike was playing him or now with Ted Reilly. Both actors deserve(d) better
Put in my dream storyline of a hot and steamy affair with a university lecturer (preferably that sexy silver fox we've seen a couple of times already) and I'd say that's a pretty decent list.
Agreed that it's disappointing how many wasted opportunities there have been with Johnny. I was willing to give DTC the benefit of the doubt after Sam left so quickly but he was probably disenchanted over the lack of long-term planning. I do think SOC has been using Johnny more effectively so far than DTC did since bringing him back but there's still a lot of work to be done.
It's a shame he doesn't appear to be at the Halloween party at the Vic in Monday's episode, even though he's listed in that episode. We'll probably get a morning appearance from him and he then won't appear again. Tuesday we've got the episode where Whitney's left speechless after a conversation with Johnny but we don't know why yet. Thursday should feature Johnny pretty heavily and he's mentioned in the episode spoilers:
Friday he isn't mentioned again but is in the pictures and appears to be supporting Lee so presuambly Lee either tells Whitney, or lets Johnny think that Whitney knows, or maybe Johnny drops it when he realises the pressure isn't good for Lee.
Overall, I'm liking SOC a lot right now.
some people find him boring atm but i feel things are building up in a cool way.
It feels..smoother? idk.
I agree, I like what he's doing with EE. DTC started off well but there were tons of issues by the end of his tenure. Actually, his treatment of Johnny summed up his work quality in a nutshell: started off with a brilliant storyline for him, lost interest, let the actor slip through his fingers, recast the character but didn't show any long-term planning for him, left him in a bit of a mess.
SOC seems to be looking at all the characters with a fresh pair of eyes and he could be absolutely brilliant for Johnny if he decides to keep him. Johnny feels a lot more 'real' already, with these little details like running out on breakfast because he's in a rush to get to lectures, or having that brief, sweet moment with Pam. If and when SOC gives him a storyline that's about Johnny, rather than Johnny being on the outskirts of someone else's storyline, it could be really brilliant. I still think they'd be mad not to take advantage of Ted's very innocent looking face which, at the risk of sounding a bit sadistic, would make him perfect for a storyline where he's really hurting about something.
I really feel SOC is the right producer to give Johnny some depth- instead of all those 30secs scenes behind the bar we got from DTC- though I did love his support to Ben after Paul's death, because that was still DTCs work, right?
Anyway, when Johnny meets a guy and starts dating him- I feel that we'll actually see their journey, for example the build up to their first kiss, instead of a meeting/drink/night of passion, and then they're together- all in one maybe two episodes. From watching SOC's start at EE, I feel he takes time to give the characters some depth, and I think that's really refreshing to see!
I really feel SOC is the right producer to give Johnny some depth- instead of all those 30secs scenes behind the bar we got from DTC- though I did love his support to Ben after Paul's death, because that was still DTCs work, right?
Anyway, when Johnny meets a guy and starts dating him- I feel that we'll actually see their journey, for example the build up to their first kiss, instead of a meeting/drink/night of passion, and then they're together- all in one maybe two episodes. From watching SOC's start at EE, I feel he takes time to give the characters some depth, and I think that's really refreshing to see!
Hope it makes sense, lol!
Yes, the scenes after Paul's death was DTC's work (though I think at the point of filming he'd technically left as producer, but obviously he'd plotted beyond his leaving date.) I agree they were nice scenes, but all too few, and I didn't like the way there was no resolution after Ben was so horrible to Johnny.
It would be really nice to see Johnny embark on a brand new relationship with all the pre-relationship 'will they won't they' jitters, first kiss, first time being intimate etc. We'll have to wait and see whether that's the plan for him.
Comments
Yes, that's sort of what I was thinking. We could get little hints in the next couple of months that he's not really taking care of himself because he's stressed about his studies, but obviously with Linda around she would always look out for him and keep reminding him to take care of himself. With her going, and with something potentially awful happening to Lee which Johnny may blame himself for (as it looks like he's going to become increasingly aware of Lee's depression over the next couple of weeks and he may feel he could have done more to help), I think it would be very realistic for him to develop some sort of stress disorder; either an eating disorder or perhaps substance abuse (NOT hard drugs, maybe over-the-counter caffeine based pills etc in order to pull all-night study sessions.)
It could be a really good story for him and as you say, it would be refreshing to see others worrying about him and taking care of him as usually he's the one doing that for others.
Oh yay, there's Johnny!
*blinks*
Aaaand he's gone...
It's not been his finest week, admittedly. Hopefully the next couple are a bit better! :kitty:
Possibly. I think it depends on a few things, the first being whether both Johnny and Steven are going to be long-term characters. I'm not so worried about Johnny anymore but I do feel Steven sometimes has the of someone who has been brought in for a specific purpose and who will be dispersed with once Peter returns. I hope I'm wrong though.
If they DO both stick around then it may be an easy pairing for the writers if they ever needed either Johnny or Steven to have a one night stand.
I don't really hold out any hope now for a long-term relationship between them but who knows? Stranger things have happened.
http://buff.ly/2eTPo6D
Should hopefully be a good scene for both of them.
The guy has to be an interesting character though and a hottie ofc.
Looks like it will be a good scene:)
Going by Johnny's unhappy face in the stag night I don't think Lee tells Whitney and maybe it won't come out until after the wedding.
Horrible situation for Johnny to be in keeping a secret of his brother from his best friend just before their wedding. No win situation
After waiting so long to get a boyfriend, he ends up developing confidence issues (he's already not the most confident person, so it wouldn't appear that obvious) and he develops an eating disorder. EastEnders have rarely tackled eating disorders, and it would also be an interesting slant as Johnny is both male (who rarely get eating disorder storylines) and gay (gay culture can be very superficial).
While the first bit is slightly in jest, I feel it would actually make sense for Johnny and it could be a good way for him to get his own storyline that doesn't make him less important (as in Paul never really got his own story aside from being Ben's boyfriend, and its likely if Johnny enters into a relationship now, he'll be Ben or Steven's boyfriend as opposed to a character in his own right). It could also tie in with Kellie's maternity leave. Linda always smothers him in love - he is her sausage, and while that focus has gone to Olly more recently, it still makes sense that she's like this offscreen. Without Linda, without Nancy or Lee, and without Gianluca - Johnny's own insecurities come out.
omg that'd be a trip of a storyline!
This is a spoiler for next week, so after the stag do. However Johnny does cotton on to Lee and Whitney's spending this week which may account for why he isn't feeling great at the stag do. I expect that whatever Lee's 'secret' is, it relates to this spending he's doing. I doubt he'll actually tell Whitney.
Johnny is in every episode next week, as you'd probably expect, and with decent placing on most days in the top half of the credits.
The more I think about the idea of an eating disorder storyline for Johnny, the more I like it. Ted is noticeably more 'slight' than Sam was when playing the role so we could assume he already lost a bit of weight in Italy (maybe it could come out that Gianluca used to tease him about it a bit which was what got Johnny feeling insecure about it in the first place) and with all the stress he's about to go through with Lee and Linda leaving, and his course probably getting a lot more demanding, it really feels like a plausible and realistic route for them to go down. We could have some good scenes of Mick not knowing what to do, and possibly if Linda DOES leave as a result of not being able to cope with what happened to Lee, this could be the storyline that brings her back. It would also be a way to get Ben and Johnny's relationship out of the one-sided emotional support rut that they've fallen into with Ben only turning to Johnny when he's feeling vulnerable and wanting reassurance. So if they did want to go down the Ben/Johnny route, this would be a good way to do it.
Hmm, maybe, although I can't see Johnny being confident enough to do it?
As far as I'm aware it's a story that hasn't been covered by a major soap.
They could also do it with Steven.
I did wonder if they might do a storyline where Johnny goes online to find a date or to chat to someone because he is lonely which could lead to a dark storyline where he gets involved with someone who is maybe out to target young gay men. This is quite relevant at the moment and no soap has really done something like that
We've already got:
- Eating Disorder
- Escort
- Grindr stalking
- Johven
What's sad is that there's so much potential for Johnny, and none of it has been realised either when Sam Strike was playing him or now with Ted Reilly. Both actors deserve(d) better
This would actually be appealing to me, it's a chance to build his character and give him some love sometime. :kitty:
I saw Steven's episode today and it'd be nice for him to find someone
My thing is, Lee is on his way out.
Linda going on break, Babe.
It's gonna fall on Johnny to keep the carter circle interesting.
Put in my dream storyline of a hot and steamy affair with a university lecturer (preferably that sexy silver fox we've seen a couple of times already) and I'd say that's a pretty decent list.
Agreed that it's disappointing how many wasted opportunities there have been with Johnny. I was willing to give DTC the benefit of the doubt after Sam left so quickly but he was probably disenchanted over the lack of long-term planning. I do think SOC has been using Johnny more effectively so far than DTC did since bringing him back but there's still a lot of work to be done.
some people find him boring atm but i feel things are building up in a cool way.
It feels..smoother? idk.
http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/feature/g24339/eastenders-30-brand-new-spoiler-pictures-whitney-lee-wedding-week-sharon-shock/?slide=13 - Some sort of conversation with Whitney, the contents of which is being embargoed but which apparently leaves Whitney 'speechless'.
http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/feature/g24339/eastenders-30-brand-new-spoiler-pictures-whitney-lee-wedding-week-sharon-shock/?slide=22 - Helping Whitney to prepare for the wedding
http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/feature/g24339/eastenders-30-brand-new-spoiler-pictures-whitney-lee-wedding-week-sharon-shock/?slide=23, http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/feature/g24339/eastenders-30-brand-new-spoiler-pictures-whitney-lee-wedding-week-sharon-shock/?slide=24, http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/feature/g24339/eastenders-30-brand-new-spoiler-pictures-whitney-lee-wedding-week-sharon-shock/?slide=25 - Confronting Lee and getting angry when Lee ignores his ultimatum
http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/feature/g24339/eastenders-30-brand-new-spoiler-pictures-whitney-lee-wedding-week-sharon-shock/?slide=29 - Nice pic of him and Lee on the wedding day
It's a shame he doesn't appear to be at the Halloween party at the Vic in Monday's episode, even though he's listed in that episode. We'll probably get a morning appearance from him and he then won't appear again. Tuesday we've got the episode where Whitney's left speechless after a conversation with Johnny but we don't know why yet. Thursday should feature Johnny pretty heavily and he's mentioned in the episode spoilers:
http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/spoilers/a811903/eastenders-spoiler-lee-is-caught-out-when-johnny-discovers-his-secret/
Friday he isn't mentioned again but is in the pictures and appears to be supporting Lee so presuambly Lee either tells Whitney, or lets Johnny think that Whitney knows, or maybe Johnny drops it when he realises the pressure isn't good for Lee.
I agree, I like what he's doing with EE. DTC started off well but there were tons of issues by the end of his tenure. Actually, his treatment of Johnny summed up his work quality in a nutshell: started off with a brilliant storyline for him, lost interest, let the actor slip through his fingers, recast the character but didn't show any long-term planning for him, left him in a bit of a mess.
SOC seems to be looking at all the characters with a fresh pair of eyes and he could be absolutely brilliant for Johnny if he decides to keep him. Johnny feels a lot more 'real' already, with these little details like running out on breakfast because he's in a rush to get to lectures, or having that brief, sweet moment with Pam. If and when SOC gives him a storyline that's about Johnny, rather than Johnny being on the outskirts of someone else's storyline, it could be really brilliant. I still think they'd be mad not to take advantage of Ted's very innocent looking face which, at the risk of sounding a bit sadistic, would make him perfect for a storyline where he's really hurting about something.
Anyway, when Johnny meets a guy and starts dating him- I feel that we'll actually see their journey, for example the build up to their first kiss, instead of a meeting/drink/night of passion, and then they're together- all in one maybe two episodes. From watching SOC's start at EE, I feel he takes time to give the characters some depth, and I think that's really refreshing to see!
Hope it makes sense, lol!
Yes, the scenes after Paul's death was DTC's work (though I think at the point of filming he'd technically left as producer, but obviously he'd plotted beyond his leaving date.) I agree they were nice scenes, but all too few, and I didn't like the way there was no resolution after Ben was so horrible to Johnny.
It would be really nice to see Johnny embark on a brand new relationship with all the pre-relationship 'will they won't they' jitters, first kiss, first time being intimate etc. We'll have to wait and see whether that's the plan for him.