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Aren't we just being a tad hypocritical about Kat?
BumbleSquat
Posts: 7,176 Forum Member
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A long post so bear with me...
The hate for Kat Moon on the internet forums is palpable to say the least. The current ''sh*gger'' storyline has tipped many viewers over the edge in how they now see the character. Her first stint made her a true icon in not only EastEnders, but in soaps in general. Since she returned in 2010, feelings towards her were never quite the same. Some felt the current writing team didn't quite 'get' her, while she was nothing without that Slater family dynamic around.
She's been back for almost 2 years and nothing has really improved. It doesn't look as if there's a light ahead in changing perceptions. In 2005 she had come full circle. She fell in love with her 'man in the moon' - her Alfie Moon! She got her happy ending - a stripped back Kat with no make-up and bare feet, being lifted into Alfie's arms to drive off to their fairytale ending. The book had closed on Kat.
But forget her first stint for a moment and take her for what she is in 2012 - a deeply unhappy woman who craves constant attention. She doesn't feel she deserves Alfie's obvious love for her so she reverts back to the ''dirty Kat'' persona she believes she has. This is what viewers find so grating about her. I do, however, find the hatred a little unsettling and somewhat hypocritical.
Take Max and even Tanya for example. Max left his first wife Rachel for babysitter Tanya. Years later he moved their family to the Square where we learn he's just cheated on Tanya and Walford is their fresh start. Only a few months later, he's being tempted into Stacey's bed - the then ex-girlfriend of the son he abandoned years before for his babysitter!
Max and Stacey's affair was karma for Tanya. If he can cheat WITH you then he can cheat ON you. She retaliated by burying him alive and sleeping with his brother. They reconciled a year later but that went downhill after his further lies. She then returned with a new fiance Greg while Max had shacked up Vanessa - another broken marriage as result. It wasn't until Tanya's wedding day to Greg that she was kissing Max - in her wedding dress! ''Just like Stacey''...
These are characters who have cheating in their DNA. Max is even a suspect on this ''sh*gger'' storyline! I've said it before and I'll say it again - it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Max was the culprit. The phone and the sh*g pad are both little stunts he's pulled during his affairs with both Stacey and Tanya.
Yet, despite the Brannings being on the show for over 6 years now, they have never quite had the vitriol and hatred directed them quite as much as Kat. Kat may have a toddler now - but Max had baby Oscar on the way. Bradley was only 5 when Tanya broke up Max and Rachel's marriage.
Heck, even Glenda Mitchell had Ian Beale and Phil Mitchell on the go at the same time - she was even letting Ian pay her rent for the pleasure! Then there's Jack who we saw enjoying a drink with 2 air-hostesses after their walk-of-shame escapades.
These are all characters with some very loose morals. They repeatedly do this, just like Kat.
So why the Kat hate? Is it simply because Kat wears a lot of slap, short skirts and boobylicious tops? Would it make a difference if Kat dressed like a Jane Beale type?
The hate for Kat Moon on the internet forums is palpable to say the least. The current ''sh*gger'' storyline has tipped many viewers over the edge in how they now see the character. Her first stint made her a true icon in not only EastEnders, but in soaps in general. Since she returned in 2010, feelings towards her were never quite the same. Some felt the current writing team didn't quite 'get' her, while she was nothing without that Slater family dynamic around.
She's been back for almost 2 years and nothing has really improved. It doesn't look as if there's a light ahead in changing perceptions. In 2005 she had come full circle. She fell in love with her 'man in the moon' - her Alfie Moon! She got her happy ending - a stripped back Kat with no make-up and bare feet, being lifted into Alfie's arms to drive off to their fairytale ending. The book had closed on Kat.
But forget her first stint for a moment and take her for what she is in 2012 - a deeply unhappy woman who craves constant attention. She doesn't feel she deserves Alfie's obvious love for her so she reverts back to the ''dirty Kat'' persona she believes she has. This is what viewers find so grating about her. I do, however, find the hatred a little unsettling and somewhat hypocritical.
Take Max and even Tanya for example. Max left his first wife Rachel for babysitter Tanya. Years later he moved their family to the Square where we learn he's just cheated on Tanya and Walford is their fresh start. Only a few months later, he's being tempted into Stacey's bed - the then ex-girlfriend of the son he abandoned years before for his babysitter!
Max and Stacey's affair was karma for Tanya. If he can cheat WITH you then he can cheat ON you. She retaliated by burying him alive and sleeping with his brother. They reconciled a year later but that went downhill after his further lies. She then returned with a new fiance Greg while Max had shacked up Vanessa - another broken marriage as result. It wasn't until Tanya's wedding day to Greg that she was kissing Max - in her wedding dress! ''Just like Stacey''...
These are characters who have cheating in their DNA. Max is even a suspect on this ''sh*gger'' storyline! I've said it before and I'll say it again - it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Max was the culprit. The phone and the sh*g pad are both little stunts he's pulled during his affairs with both Stacey and Tanya.
Yet, despite the Brannings being on the show for over 6 years now, they have never quite had the vitriol and hatred directed them quite as much as Kat. Kat may have a toddler now - but Max had baby Oscar on the way. Bradley was only 5 when Tanya broke up Max and Rachel's marriage.
Heck, even Glenda Mitchell had Ian Beale and Phil Mitchell on the go at the same time - she was even letting Ian pay her rent for the pleasure! Then there's Jack who we saw enjoying a drink with 2 air-hostesses after their walk-of-shame escapades.
These are all characters with some very loose morals. They repeatedly do this, just like Kat.
So why the Kat hate? Is it simply because Kat wears a lot of slap, short skirts and boobylicious tops? Would it make a difference if Kat dressed like a Jane Beale type?
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oh and max knows what he is and never uses any excuses.
Kat behaves as if it's a really tough decision every time she responds to a seedy text message. She's had no reason to cheat on Alfie, yet she continues to do so based on some idea that she's being ignored.
The seedy nature of the storyline hasn't helped either. She parades herself in front of the men and winks and smiles at them all to make us confused as to which one she's sleeping with.
Edit - And I'll add that yes Max has cheating in his DNA, but Kat doesn't. Kat was, as you say, the self proclaimed 'dirty girl' who men only wanted for a good time. So why has she gone back to that when she found someone who loved her?
Max and Tanya battle with each other for the moral high ground. When Max cheats, he apologises because it was his fault, for instance. Tanya doesn't, but this has been addressed by Cora, so we know that we're thinking along the same wavelengths as the writers - Tanya is selfish.
With Kat, it's all about portraying her as the victim, whereas we all know it is ALFIE who deserves our sympathies.
Kat is an abuser. She shifts the blame onto Alfie. She justifies her cheating by branding herself a "dirty girl" - this wasn't present during her first stint, where she only slept with Andy to keep him from killing/hurting Alfie. Why the sudden change? What's the logic?
My biggest problem with the shagger storyline, in fact with the Kat/Alfie relationship in general is that we're supposed to SYMPATHISE with Kat. Reading the spoilers, it's as if the writers are saying "poor Kat, look at the way Alfie treats her. She SHOULD have an affair" - that I can't abide.
Kat has flirted her way through the men of Walford, slept with men and blamed Alfie and then turns on Roxy for being a good friend to Alfie, showing just how hypocritical and insecure she is. She punched him in the face. She slept with his cousin and had his child, then shifted all the blame onto Michael. It takes TWO to have an affair, Saint Katleen!
Do you see why I can't stand her? I could go on, but I can't be bothered to talk about her anymore.
And Jack and Glenda are a totally different story. Jack is not in a relationship and can sleep with whoever he wishes to; even if it might be a wiser move for him to invest some time in his children. And I don't think we were ever supposed to sympathise with Glenda or consider any of her behaviour commendable or just.
Quite
A lot of people say that Kat is an abuser - and verbally (and perhaps physically at times) she probably is. But what a lot of people don't realise is that Alfie is emotionally abusive to Kat - and those are the bruises that take longer to heal.
I'm not condoning her affair in anyway, but I happen to think Alfie has behaved atrociously towards her.
as i said max has learnt from his mistakes. he said no to roxy and seems to have settled with tanya. kat just never learns and never wants to change.
To be fair, Mona, until he's eliminated as a suspect in the Kat's affair story, we can't say that he's learnt from his mistakes. He might just have knocked one woman back and moved on to another one.
I still believe he only said no to Roxy because he was aware he'd face an overwhelming backlash had it come out he'd cheated on his 'wife' with cancer. Remember, Tanya hadn't received the all-clear at that point. He was smart enough to know there would've been no way of redeeming himself after that. Take Tanya's illness out of the equation and he'd have been in Roxy's bed in a flash!
just me?
i think max didnt cheat because tanya was so ill and cos he does love tanya (yse he is selfish and probably loves himself more) it was a way of moving the character forward. they did the same with phil last year hence why he never cheated after glenda. i dont think characters think they need to be redeemed though? if that was the case nobody would cheat or do anything bad lol
Max always had a thing for Stacey. He even asked her to run away with him when she left on Christmas Day 2010.
Stacey = Kat + a few years
It really wouldn't surprise me...
I actually think an affair storyline would have been more palatable if they hadn't done all the previous affairs since she's been back. Having tommy not be Alfie's was really disappointing to me. The way she turned the blame on michael for "sleeping with his cousins wife" was just annoying like she had nothing to do with it!
I could see a bored Kat having an affair but not multiple affairs it just makes Alfie look weak for staying with her. He wasn't a weak character before.
I'd agree. They treat the character as if she's got no history and no future, just a one-dimensional being stuck perpetually in some kind of Groundhog Day with her knickers round her ankles.
The Kat of old would have done almost anything for her family and would not have thought twice about abandoning casual knob-hopping so that she could bring her son up within a stable relationship. They seem to have forgotten all the years that she was forced to watch her own daughter being brought up as her sister - Tommy would be the apple of her eye in reality, but they've got her paying him so little attention that I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear him gasping incredulously 'You aint... my muvva?' a few years down the line.
She was also ferocious in the face of insults at one time. If Alfie had unjustly suggested that she was pregnant because she'd been sleeping around, he'd have been wearing his Jaffas for earrings and swallowing the Vic's condom machine sideways.