Honestly, I find it really hypocritical when several people on here say that LN doesn't understand her history and hasn't studied her character properly when frankly, a lot of the people on here haven't either But anyway, back to my point...

I've posted this many times before but I really want to get my point across so I'm making a thread about it. The writing for her is deliberate and her characterization is in the right place. The concept of Sharon's character was to see how a child will be able to grow up after a childhood with poor parents [Den & Angie]. Sharon had a fairly distant relationship with her parents as a child and they generally neglected her because they were so focused of their relationship troubles and then when she was still quite young, they both left her. This left Sharon desperate for some comfort as she was growing up. Any comfort or love she received, it somehow vanished away. Dennis in particular was the perfect man for her and his death really hit her hard because he was what Sharon had been waiting for her whole life.

Sharon felt like she had lost a lot of love and comfort because of that and that made her really desperate for any source of love and comfort, which explains all the men she's been with since she's been back and why she said she alluded to several one-night stands in America. As for the stuff with Denny, as I said, Sharon is reaching out for any source of comfort. Believing that she is a great mother and Denny is the perfect child satisfies her. Deluding herself in to thinking that she is better than everybody else makes her happy, which explains her conversation with Ronnie and her treatment of Ava.

This has made Sharon come across fairly nasty and deluded which is why she seems so un-likable. It doesn't have anything to do with 'bad characterization/writing', it's just the way her character has developed. And while I think that her and Dennis going off happy in 2006 would have been the better ending, killing off Dennis ensured that Sharon would return and this was the only direction her character could have gone in. I know Sharon was generally more likable on her last two stints, but she isn't the same person and it will take quite a bit for her to go back to how she was. And people on here need to realize that.

The stuff I do think is bad, I will admit, are her current storylines. She's being very dragged out and not moving forward. Also Letitia's acting is currently a bit dire and she is hard to warm to and understand, I'll admit. But her characterization is in the right place. Thanks if you read all this, but I had to let it off.

I agree it's deliberate. They've given her the Pauline treatment. The actress objected to the direction of her character publicly (and likely privately) so now they've decided to destroy the character so no one will miss her when she leaves.

Feud Week, as I'm calling it, will be the final nail in Sharon's coffin.

utter disgrace to an iconic character - what has Letitia Dean done to deserve this?

She criticised the precious writers. Barbara Windsor is lucky she's a national institution or else Peggy would die off screen due to Barbara tearing her script up.

Letitia has every right to be critical...i will tell you if Letitia leaves again thats it - How and why has this been allowed to happen?

When did Dean criticise the writers?

Whether it's deliberate or not, I think Sharon is horrid. She needs to bugger off and take her vile son with her.

The old Sharon would never act like this though. I do agree about Denny only lol

They haven't destroyed her. Like I said, this was the only way her character could go. From now, I'd like something major to happen to Denny and then see her grow as a mother. Honestly, there's not a lot more they can do with her.

It is not a disgrace. It's the only way her character could go. The storylines are being dragged out though.

Because as I said, she isn't the same person. Honestly, a lot of the cries on here sound like fans desperate to live in the past. She isn't the same person and has developed in to a fairly unlikable character for the time being as I had already said.

This. People can keep blaming on the writing as much as they like but Dean's acting doesn't help. Max is given tedious storylines time after time but I've never doubted Jake Wood's ability to actually act. Her performance during the pill popping storyline was just a joke

Sharon may have been important in the past but she doesn't matter to the recent viewers.

How is it the only way her character could go?

They could have reintroduced her by getting her involved in the search for Ian since she came back at around the same time he did. They could both have helped each other through their struggles and we'd have seen Sharon in a more sympathetic light while allowing her to deal with her grief. Further down the line she could have tracked down her birth family to give Denny some links in case she passes away. Hell they could even have said Denny died years ago and she fled the USA with a child she illegally adopted. Anything would have been better than what they've actually done with her.

There is no good reason to turn a formerly likeable character into a bitch and leave her that way a year later. How many Sharon fans would have hoped for that when they heard she was returning? I'm willing to bet none.

And I wouldn't really call her iconic. She's a great character but is only really known by soap fans. No one outside of soap fans would really know her. I think realistically, the only iconic EE characters are Dot, Pat, Peggy, Den and Angie.

I think half the problem is the fan's expectations. They expected her to sail into the square, rich and successful, to be a wonderful mother and to immediately take over the Vic. To bring her back as a broken, penniless drug addict was rather brave. Only time will tell if it was too ambitious.

Because it wouldn't outline her character enough. People don't understand that she IS a bitch now. I explained all of this in my post. Believing that she's above everyone satisfies her. When you think back to her childhood, it all adds up. She was desperately looking love all her life, found real love with Dennis, then he died s she was looking for more love and comfort. Deluding herself about everything satisfies her. If she had immediately sorted her problems when she came back, it would have seemed like an easy way of forgetting what she's going through. There wouldn't be much else to do with her if she had immediately sorted out her problems. From the way she is now, we can see her DEVELOP and GROW. She would have came across one dimensional if she had immediately sorted herself out on her return.

Very well said. The most realistic post about Sharon I've read on this forum since her return. People need to accept there is different layers to her character now that they might not like. But it's the way her character is.

When did she criticise the writers?

Anyone got a source or link? She has always been professional about the show to my knowledge - and rightly so considering it's given her regular plots and income.

I've seen loads of people speculate on here that stuff has gone on behind the scenes but that's just unfounded forum gossip.

And yet this is exactly what they've done with Ronnie within the space of a week. Forgiven by Kat, back in a position of power, back in the Mitchell fold, back in Jack's bed.

Anyway I don't agree. Sharon was gone for almost 7 years. She would have dealt with her grief in part during that time. She'll never get over it fully but the great thing about Sharon was how she always bounced back from tragedy and kept going. Having a child would make her more determined to pick herself up and carry on. They're just humiliating the character for the sake of it now. Mopping the floor on Ronnie's orders? Give me a break!

I don't agree with Ronnie's return and think it was a bad idea but that's how you return a character to a show (lack of reality aside). Put everything in place for the character to shine and remind viewers why they loved her in the first place. No one is rooting for Sharon anymore. She's too unlikeable and too much of a side character for anyone, old or new viewer, to give a damn about.

I agree with this 100%. I've seen a lot of people on here put words in to other people's mouth when really it's just their own opinion.

Did you even read the OP?

Ronnie is different though. We saw Ronnie grieve and hit breaking point 2 years ago so it's now time to start building her up again. Sharon hasn't gone that far down the line yet.

And it's actually pretty realistic. A lot of tragedies, crime cases, affairs e.t.c go on for years and years. On soaps, they obviously speed things up in screen or it will be too dragged out. It's perfectly reasonable that Sharon has been grieving for 7 years. And it isn't just about 'grief'. It reflects on her childhood and character overall. It isn't just 'grief about Dennis's death'. It all comes back down to having Den and Angie as parents. As for the Ronnie scene, I thought that was a good scene. It really brought out Sharon's current character. As I said, Sharon is deluding herself in to thinking she's above everyone else as it comforts her which is why she immediately criticized Ronnie. Ronnie hit back though and told Sharon some home-truth's which she didn't want to hear which is why Sharon wanted the conversation to end.

And they're purposely making her unlikable to then re-build her and we can watch her grow as a mother. I guarantee that is what they're doing. I admit they've dragged it out too long though which is why we're all getting fed up of Sharon's bitchy side. But it is the only way her character can continue on, as I posted before.

Thanks I respect all the posters on here but it does annoy me when people can't be bothered to read what someone else has to say.

This is it, some people on here are so in love with Sharon they get angry when any other character or poster on here doesn't bow down to her and lick her boots, Sharon coming back happy, rich and successful has been done before and considering what she has been through would have been unrealistic, what we have is a dark, vulnerable and lonely Sharon, I agree the Producers could have done more to show this like with the pill popping storyline but like with everything it takes time to get there message across. I agree that Sharon's return hasn't been a success but it isn't her characterisation thats a problem its the lack of storylines and potential they are wasting like the pill storyline and her interaction with characters she knows and has history with.

Tell it like it is vald. Well said.