I know this has probably been done already so i apologies for that! (:

I was just having a conversation with my mother-in-law about Eastenders as we are fans and we came to agree about several different things about the carter family!

1) if they wanted to play it out as dean hasn't done anything to Linda, which we know he has, but then they should not have shown the rape taking place as the viewers can make their own minds up as this might have been far more interesting
2) We think they should visit the Sylvia dementia storyline a bit better
3) Lee needs to not be as serious as he is
4) Mick needs to stop doing the angry face all the time

No bashing please, just want to know what your thinking XD

I do like your idea about us viewers not seeing the rape and let us audience make our mind up. I said something like this to my family last year.

BIB I definitely agree with this. It would have made a much better s/l and we would have been able to understand the reactions from all those involved so much better.

I don't think Lee was ever meant to be a big character as such. Johnny was the main focus of the Carter children, but with the actor quitting they were left high and dry. It was Nancy that they then tried to shoehorn into his role, but the strange personality change did not suit her. I wonder whether it was planned that Lee would go back to the Army but they were forced to keep him around just to make up the numbers. TBH DTC doesn't seem interested in the majority of the young cast, they lack any sort of development.

I want Mick to smile now and then...Linda manages it.

Whilst I agree with you about your first point and thought it myself, the producers are making it up as they go along. The original intention was clearly to write Dean out but they wanted to keep Matt Di Angelo on longer and now have no clue what to do. So they go around in circles until some spark comes up with an idea to keep both on the square.

This is why you should always stick to plan. No matter who you like or not. Its the story that needs to be interesting - nothing else matters.

As for Mick's angry face - he can't act any other expression - that is the actors problem.

I agree with all of your family's points. What will it take to disillusion tptb about what the Carters are actually doing to the show?

Shouldn't that be what TPTB are doing to the Carters.

Surely he can manage a smile ever now and then?

I think they need to put more thought into the storyline's they do

I don't think they were ever intending us to be in any doubt about the rape. It happened. It wasn't reported. Now there's a rift between two loyalties. It's all too common.

Having said that, they've sullied any credibilitiy the story once had by repeating scenes over and over and adding the Mick/Shirley dynamic. It over complicates the important issues.

Should it?

Well I'm glad they didn't do the he said - she said route. Either eventually Dean would have to admit it(and would that really be worth it?), or Linda would have to admit she was lying. The latter option would have absolutely ruined Linda as a character. I don't believe it would have ever been in character for Linda to lie about something like that, even if she was desperate to keep Mick and her family together.

The one thing that should convince everyone who knows Linda that she is telling the truth is that she would never want to put her kids through that kind of pain. It's one thing to know your mother cheated even with a family member, but the kind of pain you feel when someone you love has gone through something that they will change them as a person and there's nothing you can really do to make it better? It's worse.

It's actually fitting Shirley can't see this, as she really knows nothing about being a parent, not the kind Linda is.

****No I'm not saying Linda is a perfect parent so let's not argue about that*****

Also, I don't like the rape storyline either but that's a separate point. I just wanted to point out why I don't believe a he said - she said storyline would have worked here, It would never have made sense that it wasn't Dean who was lying.

Yet another thread on the Carters - yay!

People have defended the rapist despite knowing he's a rapist, so idk if having it ambiguous would change anything.

I think knowing he did it makes it more effective because it shows a pretty, charming face can get away with anything to some people, which is exactly why rake convictions and reporting of tales is so scandalously low.

It's not the Carter's fault the Carters were fantastic when they arrived and I think Linda is fantastic and Nancy too. The Carter's are not real and its not Kellie's, Maddy, Linda's, Danny's and Matt's fault is it?

I don't like the Carters. Deal with it.

DTC's obsession will be their downfall and his love for Matt DA/Dean and desire to keep him on, whatever the cost to other characters.

If the story had progressed and hadn't been dragged on for so long, it would have been fine. When Shirley wavered back in Feb, that should have been the conclusion of Dean's part in the story. And then we wouldn't have had to sit through so many repetitive scenes. It was bad enough before the reveal when we constantly had the 'what's wrong L' scene being rehashed in every episode.

Personally, I think that Babe's secret and meddling, Stan's cancer and Mick/Shirley would have been enough and the rape should have come later with the rapist being from a different family.

Buster and Shirley are among my favorites but they are being wasted in this story, Mick is unlikeable and I just don't really care for the story anymore, I just want it to end so that Dean can leave and the Carters can heal.

I'd like them to keep Shirley, Buster and Tina as a unit though and reconcile Shirley, Linda and Mick but still have Babe still meddling and causing mischief.

I actually like that rape suggestion. Maybe then can people see Shirley's point of view/other characters. Only Dean and Linda were on the room so no other character can be certain. Viewers need to remember that.

I think Shirley is being portrayed as a very inconsistent character. First she was happy to leave Dean to it when she did a runner after shooting Phil, if she cared that much to have him back in his life she should have stayed. Secondly she is putting 0 effort into finding middle ground with Mick, so far Mick is being portrayed as the only one showing any interest in making some sort of compromise, the sour face is doing nothing to try to give a bit to both sons. I have really had enough of Shirley as she is written at the moment

BIB: I wish they would write Shirley better - Linda Henry deserves better material than this. Her characterisation up until Christmas was spot on (bar the Phil stuff) and she was popular and now they are just assassinating her with this rape story. Why???

Shirley didn't want to leave Dean, Babe persuaded her too - Shirley wanted to go back for him but Babe said that Mick would look after him. The writing between her and Mick is inconsistent - she spent so much of last year wanting a relationship with Mick, wanting to be his mum and now....they seriously need to sort out this writing. I love Shirley but they are going to far with this.

I actually quite like them but imo they are over-used!

If DTC ever produces the episode with just Mick, Linda and Elaine chatting for 30 minutes (which DTC would love) I would literally NEVER watch EE again. I am happy for someone to remind me I said this if it does indeed happen.

He should not be making EE for himself but for the audience paying for the programme in the first place!

Let's hope not.

Me too.

IM ****in sick of them.

I was just saying in a diff thread that I would much rather have seen the truth come to light earlier and seen Shirley dealing with the fact that her son raped her other sons wife - to see how that would feel for a mother knowing that - rather than just seeing her blindly defending Dean and shouting the odds. It would have given Linda Henry better material also.

i would want pre warning if this was ever to happen, so i know to MISS that particular episode, otherwise it probably would put me off for life.

though when the Carters are on screen now i tend to pick up my phone/tablet see whats going on online till the next scene