EastEnders | Friday 7th September 2012 | Episode Discussion Thread
Preview

BBC One/BBC HD 20:00
BBC Three 22:30

30 Minutes

Director Ian White
Writer Pete Lawson
Executive Producer Lorraine Newman

spoilers

Cast list
Music played
Ratings for 6th September

News
Phil & Shirley - its the end of the road...

its been 5 years since they first met. they've been friends & lovers. It's been complicated and it hasn't been really clear just how genuine phil was.(since they got together) and finally last night was the big conclusion for their story - he loved her enough not to drink.

As friends it was simple - he went to her when he needed a friend after he found out Stella abused Ben they got drunk together and had fun. He was there for her when Deano left and when she had a cancer scare. She'd always fancied him and he liked her - they had chemistry. She fell for him hard and after he brought her to the hospital she told him she wanted him but he turned her down so she tried to move on and went out with Vinnie. They stayed friends but it was always clear they had something. He was embarrassed for having romantic feelings for her. Heather pushed him later that year and told him shirley was in love with him if he felt the same way he'd stop her from going. It lead to them first sleeping together and it was very passionate. It got too complicated for Phil - he only wanted to be her friend and nothing more. He wasn't ready for a serious relationship after Stella (hence suzy) they got together when he was drunk being drunk made it easy he could be with the woman he liked but not be in a complicated/serious relationship - it didn't last long when she got fed up of it.

On NYE 2009 he tried to stop her when she thought he killed Archie - he kissed her yes he was drunk but his old feelings for her came back and he soon stopped drinking. He did use her but he still liked her. When Ben assumed they were a serious couple he moved out. They weren't really together properly it was very casual and nothing too serious. After the live ep he chased her and they got together on 16th March 2010. It was still quite casual and he liked it - he wanted to be with her and treated her with respect.

They moved in together for louise and thats when it got too serious for phil - things went downhill from there. He used her, generally treated her crap lied to her and chucked her out. They had some good scenes during his drug stuff but they weren't together when he was with Rainie (i dont understand why people think they were ) he used her again after this but he never once drank again.he had the affair with Glenda but did treat her a bit better generally. Hated it when glenda slagged her off. He dumped her after he proposed to shirley - he felt guilty for the affair (IMO he showed signs of this during the affair when shirley had asked him where he'd been etc) After their non-wedding ep they were finally in a serious committed relationship and although he was still horrible sometimes he was generally better at being faithful - of course when a pretty woman like Rainie comes along again he'd find it hard to resist but he regretted it soon after. They had passion but he still found it hard to show affection

I'm not going to post their whole life story and every detail as that would take forever. I think generally the heather story was good for what it was at the start - it kind of all went downhill from July but i liked the way they built them up to the obvious return (sharon) she was bored of her life and wanted some excitement - on the vic roof everything came together and he was happy. Sharon had been in the background of their relationship for the 3 years they were together. She knew sharon used to be a big thing for phil and knew she was a "pretty blonde" that he'd find it hard to resist. she knew as soon as sharon came back that it could be the end. Seeing Sharon again is what made it so final that he could move on from her and be happy with Shirley. Of course he did feel something for Sharon but he knew Shirley was better for him in the long run.

As a fan...

for me being a fan of them its been hard - if i had the choice i would've chosen not to be a fan of them (of course i'd still be a fan of Linda but not phil/shirley) the first year (2008) was amazing. i liked them instantly when shirley told him she wanted him i mostly liked it from the way phil reacted and their chemistry. If that year hadn't happened i don't think id have become so obsessed. They just had something for me - i've been a fan of quite a lot of couples in different shows but these two had something different. They were complex and interesting. Generally most couples i liked were not that interesting and were just basic love stories with no edge to them. They were a bit ruined with having it far too complicated - they would've been a lot better had it been clear what Phil's motives were from the start but i guess they wouldn't have been so complex had it been so simple. I think as characters they needed closure also. Shirley never thought he loved her or never believed him but last night i think part of her did. Now she can move on from him. Their drinking is the kind of relationship that would end so badly but somehow they got through it and now they have closure the kind of closure i wanted after so long waiting. That one line is the kind of thing id been waiting for something that tied up everything. Phil has to look out for himself but he is thinking about what shirley needs aswell. As a fan with strong views after last night thats my final view/closure on them no matter what happens now. As Santer once said "they are a couple that would never make it...."

my hopes for the future
i dont want phil moving on quickly i think they will always have love between them but i think they need time apart and moving on with other people. I think there's a lot more scope for storylines with phil/shirley/sharon i hope this isn't the end of those 3 and although i dont want phil/shirley together any time soon i think they don't need to get back together for them to have storylines etc maybe in a few years if Linda is still around and phil has developed as a character and been redeemed. id like to think they could end up as a couple who could grow old together & be happy but it depends what the producers want at the time etc i think im too much of a romantic not to want to see them together and properly it would be a nice change to see phil genuinely happy with her whenever he deserves it he deserves nothing now.

my top 10 iconic lines/scenes youtube clips