I didn't see all of the episode but do they (aside from I assume tina) even know Jim has died? Also, without wanting to sound harsh, they never met him and none of the Brannings were in the Pub at the time we're they? I can understand them thinking only about their relative and not considering a man they have never met, even if he was a former local and related to current locals.

Exactly. Just said the same thing.

Also, even if it had occurred to them, i'm not sure it would have been appropriate. I think i might have got quite upset or annoyed if somebody that had never met my Mum had raised a toast to her on her death in a public venue without talking to me first, especially if it was as some kind of add on to them honoring the member of their own family that had just died.

I feel like the Carter's current situation would be so much more tolerable if the Dean stuff was resolved. Well, as in to the point he was off our screens for good with everyone knowing the truth rather than us subjected to the raw emotion of a self-pitying rapist. The fact that this yo-yo'ing about is STILL going on (seriously has the story moved on at all in the almost 4 months since it was revealed??) is detracting from what could be decent, character-led stuff. Watching Shirley live with the FACT that her son's wife was raped by her other son, whilst struggling with her father's death would be better than this. It just makes it so hard to buy into any thawing of the relations between Shirley and the Vic clan when we know it's going back to square one two minutes later. And, I don't know, maybe then the rape storyline could actually become more about the victim, than her attacker? And that, in a nutshell, is one of my main Carter problems.

Don't even get me started on Roxy and Charlie.

I agree, the uncertainty with the end of the rape storyline is making the Carter stuff difficult to watch.

Yes, but she's not in a fridge.

She has done very well


Nobody is ever on Shirley's side


Not family


Good point.


No He bust a blood vessel

and don't come back


Poor Nancy


I thought she did really well. There is life outside the square


Why ?????????


The Carters don't even know who Jim was.

BIB: Good God. Her fiancée died and no one thought to tell her! I'm not surprised she was mad as hell. Quite frankly they'd have got worse than that off me.

Agree that Patrick's line was brilliant.

Was Sonia paying her half of the mortgage when she left? If not then she has no right to complain as she must have known he couldn't pay it by himself?

HATE the Charlie/Roxy storyline. Makes Charlie look like a right arse. Loves Ronnie until she's lying comatose in a hospital bed but then she's of no use to him so he'll move onto her sister *roll eyes* And as for Roxy



It was. Especially as everyone seems to think because she's gobby and snarls she IS strong. You'd have thought they'd noticed by now that when the going gets tough Shirley either flees or hits the bottle.



Excellent post.

EE is infuriating me at the moment. It's got the cast and, after the Live episodes, I believe it's got the writers to be brilliant. But it continues what it's been doing for weeks now; treading water being average to terrible.

This is where DTC's slow building up of storylines fails, because he has nothing to fill up all the time in between with.

Stan's dying and Dean raping Linda has been turned into being all about Shirley and Mick. And, quite frankly, I'm getting bored of the lot of it. Dean should not still be hanging around like he is, as it's just the same stuff over and over. He turns up, causes trouble, Shirley sides with him (and thus makes herself look damn well horrid). Rinse, lather... etc.

Why did they have to have Dean rape Linda? I actually wanted to feel sorry for him tonight. There were shades of what could have been here - Dean could have been a long term character that people invested in. I think Matt's much better at making us feel sorry for Dean than playing him as a near psychopath. Ah well.

Everything outside of the Carter yoyo was just crap. The Masood storyline is just rubbish (anything involving that God awful Shabnam is just awful). Charlie suddenly loves Roxy for some sudden reason, does he? They had a fumble over their mutual concern for Ronnie. This isn't love, guys, it's lust. Like every other single relationship that Roxy has ever had, with the notable exception of Alfie. How are we supposed to get behind the two of them here?

Ronnie's waking up, is she? About bloody time. Wonder how long Sam filmed for this time.

I don't know EE. Think I might turn off for a bit. Text me if they ever do actually get around to bringing Kathy back, telling us what Stacey's damn key's all about and explaining why Ben was going to Miami.

I don't think anyone here actually wants to see anyone raped in a soap, it's just that some people have mentioned that it's a subject that EastEnders have never covered and it's a fair point. The only people who actually want to see such things are twisted sadists and I don't think that describes anyone here.

If Matt is still able to make people want to feel sorry for Dean, he's doing a very good job.

Did anyone think Cora's words of war with the carters last night were rather true?
It is all about the carters.

I thought she was spot on last night.

I like to think that the writer put that in on purpose as a jab to DTC.

Good post. I agree. Esp the BIB.