Who would you consider to be the Ultimate Matriarch?
Who is/was always there for her family in time of crisis?
Do the current Matriarchs compare to those in the past? Who would you cast as a future Matriarch?
Am I asking too many questions?

Lou Beale

Poll Up.

Either Pauline or Pat for me.

Pauline was so fiercely protective of her family, she really was the heart and soul of the Fowlers. And I loved how Pat was kind of a matriarch for the whole Square - anyone could go to her for advice in a crisis.

I'd love to see Carol, Denise and Sharon as future matriarchs.

lou Beale

Lou Beale.
Pauline. Pat, Dot and Carol in recent years.
Yes. Dot and Carol make great matriachs.
Future: Carol, Shirley or Ronnie for the Mitchells.
You'll soon find out.

I was only a babe when ee first started but have seen some old episodes and I can see that Lou was great. But it will always be Pat for me, she had been round the block and found it harder to judge others who were in need.

What is a matriarch?

A female head of the family/clan.

Pat had a history of being a terrible mother when she arrived.

I went for Pat.
I'd say Zainab was a good attempt at one though.

Yes I know, that's why I love her even more. She wasn't a perfect person by any means, she knew she was a bad mother and she did strive in later years to be a better person. She was a rock for Bianca for instance in her later years.

Oh, so can men be one of those?

I would say Peggy.

Only if they have sex changes!

Male leaders are Patriarchs.

I have never heard of that before, Patriarchs.

I haven't made it up

Probably Lou, closely followed by Pat. Saying that, I voted for Pat simply because I've always considered her the ultimate 'go-to' woman. Peggy and Pauline were, indeed, formidable women, but they were very much concerned with their own families and those who may earn the privilege of being welcomed into the fold.

Pat was there for everybody; and she never judged and she never shamed. That's what made Pat so brilliant and gave her such a unique position in the show's hierarchy - she'd been there, done that and got the T-Shirt, and she wasn't about to shame anybody else for doing the same. Offer some stern words of advice and tell a few home-truths; sure, but she'd have your interests at heart. She was always looking out for you, not looking down on you, and she'd never get on her high-horse because she knew damn well she didn't have one to get up on. That's why Pat is the ultimate matriarch for me, because she wasn't just the matriarch for her clan or those close to her; she was there for everybody.

Great post, that's exactly my opinion on the subject.

Got to be our Pegs.

Lou Beale all the way. Second would be Pat.

Don't believe Peggy's getting more votes than either of them, she's awesome but she's not as good as Lou and Pat...

An elderly, female elephant.

My thoughts too. It's a shame that not more people remember Lou Beale.

Good post. She kept Phil and Grant in their place too. That whole rubbish off her being terrified of Derek was nonsense.

Yes it was, they really mucked up Pats exit.

Lou Beale. There hasn't been another like her since. She really was the lynchpin of the Square, a rare product of times gone by, absolutely no one crossed Lou. She struck fear into those she deemed needed it, was fearless herself and yet when you were down, there was no one better to listen to your problems and set you off with the perfect advice.

Pat, Peggy and Pauline all had elements and a scene with the three together was always the best of any episode, but no one encompassed all the qualities of a great soap matriarch like Lou.

I don't really feel Dot qualifies as a matriarch at all. She's just a nice old lady, she isn't the head of a family, she doesn't have any power or clout in the community or amongst her neighbours. Similarly, Kathy doesn't qualify, she was never top of the tree.