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EE- It seems like it's the same people appearing every episode


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Old 04-06-2014, 22:15
Tom_James2
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Is it just me or does it seem like it's the same characters appearing in the episodes of Eastenders.

I know some of the cast are away but it really shows on screen as you can notice the same characters again and again or is it just my imagination.

I'm not saying it is a bad thing as i really love Eastenders, just more of an observation
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:20
lionkingonstage
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Is it just me or does it seem like it's the same characters appearing in the episodes of Eastenders.

I know some of the cast are away but it really shows on screen as you can notice the same characters again and again or is it just my imagination.

I'm not saying it is a bad thing as i really love Eastenders, just more of an observation
It feels like the BK era where we had block story telling. I haven't seen Dot, Charlie C, Mo, Kat or even the Cokers for weeks! The balance between the cast is getting better but it's still not great.
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:27
SteveOwen
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I agree, OP.

Ian, in particular, seriously needs to be off-screen for a while. I appreciate that grieving is a long and arduous process and while I applaud EE for depicting it properly, I don't need to see it in every single episode. It's just not fun to watch.
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:27
Tom_James2
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It feels like the BK era where we had block story telling. I haven't seen Dot, Charlie C, Mo, Kat or even the Cokers for weeks! The balance between the cast is getting better but it's still not great.
I agree although Jessie Wallace is currently away on a break so Kat won't be on screen for a while. When it was announced she was going on a break I thought she would go to prison for lying about seeing Alice stabbing Michael. Seems pointless really now lol
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:31
Ell_Ren
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Instead of having stories running simultaneously in each episode, EE does tend to block them, so we will have a few weeks of the same characters and then it will rotate to the next set, it's a continuous cycle, like this week and next week it's mostly Ian/Sharon/Phil, Tina/Dean/Tosh and Billy/Honey etc..
They are getting better but I do think they need to work on it a bit.
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:37
dd68
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It could be said in a few weeks only it will be different people
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:50
Tanz01
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Where has Charlie gone , that storyline was just gaining momentum and now it's forgotten about : David has left and we're left watching filler episodes ( which Lorraine Newman was sacked for ) and as many Carters as DTC can pack in .
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:55
Tom_James2
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It could be said in a few weeks only it will be different people
Well carol seems to be in it every single week (and David before he left)
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:56
Tom_James2
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Where has Charlie gone , that storyline was just gaining momentum and now it's forgotten about : David has left and we're left watching filler episodes ( which Lorraine Newman was sacked for ) and as many Carters as DTC can pack in .
It really shows on screen aswell as you can notice that Ronnie and Charlie are not about and many others!
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Old 04-06-2014, 22:57
0...0
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The pacing is very patchy I agree.
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:04
jamesc_715
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I hate block storytelling as some characters disappear for many weeks and that's really frustrating. EastEnders should be an ensemble show but I am fed up of seeing characters not being onscreen for a while without explanation. Where is Ronnie?!? (I know Samantha Womack is filming Mount Pleasant).
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:06
Tom_James2
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I hate block storytelling as some characters disappear for many weeks and that's really frustrating. EastEnders should be an ensemble show but I am fed up of seeing characters not being onscreen for a while without explanation. Where is Ronnie?!? (I know Samantha Womack is filming Mount Pleasant).
I know what you mean! We are meant to believe that Ronnie is at work the whole time or out with amy or Charlie who is also offscreen ATM
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:07
MrJames
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I think the pacing is brilliant, actually.

Ok, so it still happens in blocks. Last we week was all about about David and Carol. This week is focusing on Tina, Tosh and Billy. But the turnover is fantastic. Apart from the possibly Ian, the attention never stays on one story or one family for too long. One set of characters goes out as another set comes in. The Carters and the Beales were always going to be prominent throughout this year - we just have to deal with that,
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:12
Tanz01
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It really shows on screen aswell as you can notice that Ronnie and Charlie are not about and many others!
The last two episodes have been so boring , it has reminded me of the Lorraine Newman era . Who is actually interested in this Tosh and Tina storyline anyway . The Lucy Beale storyline , although it's going to be a talking point until the reveal , people are going to get sick of it soon . I for one , don't want a million Carter stories while we wait especially with a 40 year old Tina that dresses and acts like a 8 year old .
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:13
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I hate block storytelling as some characters disappear for many weeks and that's really frustrating. EastEnders should be an ensemble show but I am fed up of seeing characters not being onscreen for a while without explanation. Where is Ronnie?!? (I know Samantha Womack is filming Mount Pleasant).
She's with Madonna in Malawi opening a creche.
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:30
danyell
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I thought soap actors couldn't be in other programmes at the same time as part of their contract. I don't see why Samantha Womack gets special treatment.
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:40
Tanz01
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I thought soap actors couldn't be in other programmes at the same time as part of their contract. I don't see why Samantha Womack gets special treatment.
Because she was contracted to that other show first I think . Same situation with Lacey Turner .
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Old 04-06-2014, 23:47
MrJames
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Because she was contracted to that other show first I think . Same situation with Lacey Turner .
Correct.

If EastEnders wanted Sam and Lacey back, they had to fit in with their existing contracts.
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Old 05-06-2014, 00:00
klendathu
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the DTC bubble will burst soon .

Repetitive filler episodes following the headline grabbing will be his downfall .
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Old 05-06-2014, 00:29
Tanz01
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the DTC bubble will burst soon .

Repetitive filler episodes following the headline grabbing will be his downfall .
That is exactly what I think. The Charlie storyline was exactly what was needed to keep viewers interested after David 's departure but DTC failed to recognise that . The Carters are new but I don't find any of them interesting and the last thing we needed was Shirley shoved down our throats every five seconds .

Also looks like Bianca is heading towards more criminal activities to pay for the kids chicken nuggets . How many times can you do one storyline over and over again Lorraine Newman was criticised a lot and I was far from being her biggest fan but she was sacked for giving us one filler episode after another and yet DTC has free reign to do the same and no one says anything .
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Old 05-06-2014, 00:35
MrJames
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The 'filler' is still watchable and enjoyable though, and the ball keeps rolling on all the other stories.

I genuinely think that Cotton story is moving at a slower pace because of June Brown's limited working hours. Plus, the nature of the story allows for it to move at that slower speed.

A quieter week will absolutely not derail the work being done on the bigger stories, not at all.
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Old 05-06-2014, 00:51
Tanz01
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The 'filler' is still watchable and enjoyable though, and the ball keeps rolling on all the other stories.

I genuinely think that Cotton story is moving at a slower pace because of June Brown's limited working hours. Plus, the nature of the story allows for it to move at that slower speed.

A quieter week will absolutely not derail the work being done on the bigger stories, not at all.

Filler scenes are not enjoyable , before you know it , you're getting TunaGate . These type of episodes lead to complacency and back to what Lorraine Newman gave us. They worked so hard getting those one million or so extra viewers , do they really want to lose them again ?

Everyone is like we love the Carters but from what I can see , none of their storylines are that interesting . Their big massive secret (Shirley being Mick's mum ) hasn't had the reaction that DTC was after . They've brought Dean back but now that storyline has been forgotten about in favour of this Shirley /Mick one .
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Old 05-06-2014, 01:28
Cuddly_Cat
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Where has Charlie gone , that storyline was just gaining momentum and now it's forgotten about : David has left and we're left watching filler episodes ( which Lorraine Newman was sacked for ) and as many Carters as DTC can pack in .
I don't like the way we don't see some characters for weeks then they are onscreen too much. I agree that the Charlie Cotton story should pick up again instead of leaving us hanging. I also didn't like too much of Phil and Sharon recently. I don't mind the Carters. Tosh just bores me rigid.
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Old 05-06-2014, 01:37
VioletSummers
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I think the pacing is brilliant, actually.

Ok, so it still happens in blocks. Last we week was all about about David and Carol. This week is focusing on Tina, Tosh and Billy. But the turnover is fantastic. Apart from the possibly Ian, the attention never stays on one story or one family for too long. One set of characters goes out as another set comes in. The Carters and the Beales were always going to be prominent throughout this year - we just have to deal with that,
^ this

And I find it quite sad that people are referring to Billy's storyline as dull filler. It is a very real scenario for many men that the mother can take the kids halfway around the world and he is left powerless.

It also showed how much Ian has changed too - "take the day off, full pay". Old Ian would have never have said that.

On the topic of Ian - the man is rebuilding his life after losing his daughter. It isn't going to be exciting but I'm glad that we aren't seeing miraculous recoveries. Grief affects people in different ways and in soaps people generally throw themselves into work, go to stay with a relative or hide away off screen.
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Old 05-06-2014, 01:59
Broken_Arrow
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It's become pedantic again. It's been heading that way for a while. If I'm honest the best part of DTC's era so far was just before Christmas with Janine and David and then the initial introduction of the Carters.

Stacey's return was a drawn out flop of a storyline, Lucy's murder hasn't been all that entertaining so far and the Carters big storyline is all about that horrible witch Shirley. Now we're seemingly back to filler stuff with Billy's annual 2 week storyline. Carol's cancer is being handled well but it's really not all that entertaining to watch someone dealing with such a terrible disease and after her shenanigans last week towards poor David I couldn't care less if the miserable cow pops her clogs.

The Charlie Cotton storyline seems interesting but it's constantly put on the backburner. I'm not interested in Sharon's upcoming storyline because the spoilers indicate it will be yet another storyline for that vile bully Shirley and the ridiculous attempt to retcon her as the love of Phil's life. I expected more from DTC and frankly who the hell thought it was a good idea to bring Sonia back?
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