Yikes, it's the first time that I've started a new thread, please be gentle.

Is it just me, or does anybody else think that Phil and Shirley seem a lot more believable than Phil and Sharon? He seems a lot more tender with Shirley and there seems to be genuine affection, sometimes he seems slightly disgusted with Sharon.

I could be wrong because I am a bit of a lapsed Eastenders fan. I have watched it since the beginning, but stopped around Christmas because I am fed up of the Carters (especially Linda), don't like the way that Max is being portrayed and I hated the unbelivable Stacey/Janinine rubbish. Perhaps I'm missing something with Sharon and Phil, but I much prefer Shirl and Phil. Anybody else agree?

I think there is more chemistry between Linda Henry and Steve McFadden. As the characters go Phil does seem to be more tender with Shirley. I think they'll end up together.

I never know whether to post on these threads as if you question the Phil/Sharon relationship, you get lynched but, I completely agree with you. Phil/Shirley amazing chemistry (Linda and Steve do too, which imo is what makes it work so well) and there is also a genuine understanding and affection between them. I think Phil he is in love with the idea of Sharon as she was always the unattainable one but his heart truly lies with Shirley.
Sharon's attack will no doubt strengthen Phil/Sharon's relationship so I assume DTC is sticking with them?

I think Phil realised early on that Sharon was just using him, which is why he had Ricky keeping an eye on her. I expect she is rarely home and he spends his evenings babysitting her son. He's beginning to look disillusioned with his 'dream woman'.

Well at the moment, Phil loves Sharon. He may love Shirley but there are no signs from Phil to suggest this. I think when Sharon gets attacked, Phil and Sharon's love will get stronger. Phil and Shirley may reunite in future but nothing is confirmed yet.

Hee, I thought it was the other way around. It seems to swing back and forth but yes it looks like phirley is on. I don't care cause I was always a Shannis shipper and I'm incredibly irritated that Sharon is still with him 5 months down the line from the Dennis reveal. To rescue her characterization she has to screw him over and leave him. 2006 Sharon would have done a lot worse.

I don't agree as I don't find it believable that anyone could be attracted to Shirley's vile personality.

Interesting post but for me, I think Sharon and Phil have the most chemistry as lovers.

I never bought into Shirley and Phil. I felt that even when he finally gave in and started a relationship with her, they were more like mates than lovers.

Just my opinion but I do think Sharon is the woman for Phil. Quite what her motives are is still unclear. I think she's always loved him too but is she plotting long term? Honestly not sure.

Haha, I think it does swing back and forth, can never quite keep up. I half expect an angry mob with pitchforks to turn up at my door if I mention any of them in a sentence!
I wonder where DTC is taking Sharon with this attack story-line.

To be honest, I think Phil and Shirley should reunite because Sharon needs her OWN family. If Phil and Shirley have an affair (which is very likely), then I hope Sharon gets revenge on Phil and then I hope she goes in a new direction. I would like Vicky to return (recast) and bring in Vicky's husband (not Spencer), or find other relatives for Sharon. I miss independent Sharon.

Well I'm keeping you talking while they crank up the Sat nav.

Its all a bit silly to be honest. Phil gets with Shirley, screws Tanyas sis and his Auntie, covers for Ben. Sharon rocks up and gets with Jack. Phil spends a year trying to get her back. Jack and Phil propose to Sharon. She spends a day thinking about it. That day just happens to be the anniversary of her husbands murder but she doesn't once reference it. She gets dumped by Jack, spends a few months floating about, gets back with Phil after Shirley turns him down.

Then he reveals his hand in Dennis's death which is a huge step and commitment to Sharon. She spends one ****ing day thinking about it, drags Linda along to Dennis's grave, says ta ra, schlepps back to Phil, who now has the woman he's wanted for 20 years but now wants the woman he treated like crap back.

In the meantime Sharon is shagging the bloke she holds partly responsible for hubbys murder, wittering on about her bar and driving people like me slightly mad as we descend on DS with our mad theories: Its got a balcony, surely she'll push him off, she brushed her hair slowly, surely she''ll get an assassin, he wants to shag, surely she's sticking bromide in his Coco Pops, she rolled her eyes, surely she's going to batter him to death with Denny's hair tongs. For God's sake woman do something!! :>(

Er, this was supposed to be a short answer. I think I need to start watching Emmerdale or get a life.

Sharon just hasn't worked since her return, even the chemistry between her and Phil has steamed out of the window. Axe her

Aside from the initial fling that led to 'Sharongate' i've never bought into the whole Sharon Phil thing. The fall out from that was meant to show that she really did love Grant & was devastated when he threw her out. Then, on her first return to the show after a while away, we see her getting back with Grant with the idea of jilting him at the altar as revenge for throwing her out, only to realise that she did still love him but too much had passed, so she let him down gently and left.

Fast forward another few years & she returns again but this time Grant has left & it seemed like they tried to forget that Grant was meant to be her big love and create a love story with Phil to give her something to do. Always having Sharon go back to Phil has felt lazy to me.

I quite liked her with Jack but Scott Maslen leaving meant that they had to end that. I would rather they brought in a new love interest for her. It would be ok if it did turn out she was after revenge on Phil but I would have preferred that she get her revenge without falling back into his bed for the umpteenth time, thus being the feisty Sharon of old.

Totally agree, I think Phil and Shirley will get back together but because of Sharons attack I doubt it will be this year now.

[quote=secretagent;72791420]Yikes, it's the first time that I've started a new thread, please be gentle.

Is it just me, or does anybody else think that Phil and Shirley seem a lot more believable than Phil and Sharon? He seems a lot more tender with Shirley and there seems to be genuine affection, sometimes he seems slightly disgusted with Sharon.

I could be wrong because I am a bit of a lapsed Eastenders fan. I have watched it since the beginning, but stopped around Christmas because I am fed up of the Carters (especially Linda), don't like the way that Max is being portrayed and I hated the unbelivable Stacey/Janinine rubbish. Perhaps I'm missing something with Sharon and Phil, but I much prefer Shirl and Phil. Anybody else agree?[/QUOTE

Welcome to the party.

I agree. Sharon is using Phil to feather her nest. I believe there is genuine affection for Phil by Shirley.

Phil preferring Shirley over Sharon would be a MASSIVE retcon.

Phil always loved Sharon, even when he threw her under the bus for having been the one to initiate the adultery between the two of them. Sharon was the ideal woman for BOTH Grant and Phil. This retcon of Phil getting tired of Sharon is exactly that: a retcon. For Phil, it has always been Sharon. For Grant, it has always been Sharon. The Mitchell Bros were made for Sharon. This love that Phil has for Shirley is crap. Phil even told Shirley to her face that had Sharon been there, there wouldn't have been any drugs or any affair. But since DTC seems to prefer Shirley to Sharon, of course Phil will want to be with Shirley instead of Sharon but before she came back, Phil said that had Shirley been Sharon, he wouldn't have banged his uncle's ex-wife or gotten addicted to drugs.

100 % correct.

I don't think it would be a retcon. It seems people use 'retcon' to justify something they don't like. I believe Phil loves Sharon but he isn't 'in love' with her anymore. IRL love isn't black and white and therefore it can't be portrayed in such a way in soaps. I still know the first person I fell in love with, but, just because I loved them back then and have a fondness for them now, it doesn't mean I am 'In love' with them.
You never know who you will meet in life and who will take your heart.

People do tire of other people over time, no matter who they are. It would be ridiculous to suggest that everybody would welcome back their "first love" or "one true love" after a huge amount of time and live happily ever after with them.

Yep, this exactly.

Phil and Shirley have a lot in common but when they are together, they seem to destroy each other. I like the relationship they have now that they're apart. Steve and Linda do work well together.

Phil does love Sharon but I think he loves Shirley too and deep down, it's probably her that he wants to be with. I think Sharon knows that.

Sharon doesn't love Phil..

Sharongate was 20 years ago. As said people change over time. Phil and Sharon are NOT Frank and Pat for example. Phil has had several relationships since Sharon and he never longed for her within that time. Phil chose Kathy over Sharon and ironically Phil wasn't jealous of the fact Dennis was on the scene because of Sharon. He was jealous because of Dennis and Kate's previous history!

I do think some people put too much into Sharon being the love of Phil's life. Sharon was the love of Grant's life. All Grant's jealously of Phil which came out during the 1999 Thames crash was because of Sharon. When Sharon returned in 2001, her and Phil tried a relationship and called it off when they knew it was never going to work. Sharon then moved onto her childhood sweetheart ''Tom the Irish fireman!'' this without a thought for Phil.

Phil and Shirley probably are more suited. They are equals in many ways. Both failed parents, both alcoholics, both social rejects.. my guess is they see a lot of themselves in each other and from that they take comfort. Lorna was similar to Shirley as was Rainie so Phil is drawn to these types.

I also agree the 'retcon' term is now just being used by people when they dislike a story. If a retcon has taken place it was Sharon going back to Phil in the first place. Not Phil going with Shirley.

I think the truth about this current situation is this. Letitia has bombed during this stint. Her acting has been awful. Lets not pretend otherwise. At times it has been embarrassing to watch. She actually looks uncomfortable. DTC realised the only person Sharon worked with was Phil and put her with him in an attempt to make something of her return. However Letitia is still acting like she is on some theatre stage and is dragging everyone around her down. I think its kinda insulting Letitia's big storyline of her year will see Sharon in a coma! lol but it speaks volumes about where the character now is. I think all of Sharon's faults this era come down to Letitia's flaws as an actress. Not the writing and not DTC, Newman or Kirkwood.

I love Sharon but that's ^^ how I see this. Sharon needs Vicky back. She doesn't need Phil.

I remembered Phil chose Kathy after he realised that Sharon preferred Grant? But yes Sharon was the love of Grant's life.

Why would Phil be so obsessed with a two bit lush ?