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Matt Di Angelo on EastEnders: 'I was asked to stay for longer'


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Old 16-06-2015, 10:01
Ell_Ren
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http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2...pfLalFc0r1Uzsy

So it seems that the original plan was for Dean to get his comeuppance and leave at the end of the rape story but TPTB decided against this and asked Matt DA to stay on. Most of us called this because of the sudden change in stance from characters - for example: Shirley began to believe that Dean had raped Linda and then suddenly she didn't - I think it was during this time where the story changed and would account for Shirley's sudden chance of heart when Dean returned.

This line struck me the most:

"But there are other ways for Dean to be punished, like getting physically abused by Mick, or having his financial or personal life attacked. He's constantly being faced with that - viewers will see him being punished on a daily basis."

I assume that Dean's penultimate comeuppance has been put on the back-burner for the foreseeable and they are using his daily struggles as his 'punishment'.

At least Matt has explained that Dean is in denial about what he did, there has been much debate about that but he has cleared that up.

So, what does this mean for the ongoing Carter feud? Will Shirley ever find out?

To be honest, if they wanted Dean to stay and they just had to find a way, I would have had him break down, receive treatment and then explore restorative justice.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:08
Imogen_Galeonti
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I rolled my eyes when Matt said the viewers should sympathise with Dean because "he's messed up".

I think Dean will be staying on the show until the Jade storyline is over which is Christmas time. Bet Shirley and Buster won't find out about Dean until the end of the year.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:12
GeekInfected
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Well I don't like to say I told you so.


So I won't.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:21
Lizzie Brookes
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[quote=Ell_Ren;78540320]http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2...pfLalFc0r1Uzsy

So it seems that the original plan was for Dean to get his comeuppance and leave at the end of the rape story but TPTB decided against this and asked Matt DA to stay on. Most of us called this because of the sudden change in stance from characters - for example: Shirley began to believe that Dean had raped Linda and then suddenly she didn't - I think it was during this time where the story changed and would account for Shirley's sudden chance of heart when Dean returned.

This line struck me the most:

"But there are other ways for Dean to be punished, like getting physically abused by Mick, or having his financial or personal life attacked. He's constantly being faced with that - viewers will see him being punished on a daily basis."

I assume that Dean's penultimate comeuppance has been put on the back-burner for the foreseeable and they are using his daily struggles as his 'punishment'.

At least Matt has explained that Dean is in denial about what he did, there has been much debate about that but he has cleared that up.

So, what does this mean for the ongoing Carter feud? Will Shirley ever find out?

To be honest, if they wanted Dean to stay and they just had to find a way, I would have had him break down, receive treatment and then explore restorative justice.[/QUOTE]

Same here.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:21
Ell_Ren
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I rolled my eyes when Matt said the viewers should sympathise with Dean because "he's messed up".

I think Dean will be staying on the show until the Jade storyline is over which is Christmas time. Bet Shirley and Buster won't find out about Dean until the end of the year.
I'm not sure that Buster will even be involved with them come Christmas, even if nothing happens yet, they are heavily hinting at a summer story between Carol and Buster. It may come to nothing, but if it does, I think it will be Denise and Shirley finding out at Christmas time. The holiday season does also tie in with what DD said about Dean's comeuppance. Surely they can't keep the Carter feud running until then though? I've been waiting for some scenes between Mick/Shirley/Linda.

It seems that the 'injustice' feelings from the audience were exactly what tptb were going for, I'm not sure if that will backfire for them in the long run though.

Restorative justice would be an interesting avenue for them to go down with Dean, it's a method used a lot but has never really been explored in soap.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:23
Adrian_Ward1
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Dean will be here till at least December
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:24
vald
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It was a bad decision on their part. They should have stuck to plan A.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:28
GeekInfected
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Dean will be here till at least December
Looks like it. Might have to start reviewing this statement.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:34
Ell_Ren
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Looks like it. Might have to start reviewing this statement.
You won't be watching for a long time then?!

I see what they are doing but I'm not 100% sure it was the right move. I would rather they hadn't made him a rapist at all.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:42
Lizzie Brookes
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You won't be watching for a long time then?!

I see what they are doing but I'm not 100% sure it was the right move. I would rather they hadn't made him a rapist at all.
I agree.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:49
GeekInfected
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You won't be watching for a long time then?!

I see what they are doing but I'm not 100% sure it was the right move. I would rather they hadn't made him a rapist at all.
I'll probably start watching when Kathy returns even though I'm convinced of how that will turn out .

I don't mind the fact they made him a rapist. Rape is often committed by a family member and it was also good to see that it's not just the old man by the playground that could be a sexual predator - it can be the guy who looks like he "gets all the girls".

It was everything that followed that put me off the storyline. You can't make Dean a rapist, then not have him convicted, then have him in denial, then allow him to live across the road from his victim, then try to make us feel sympathy for him and then move on to the next story as if nothing has happened.

It's all too much bad luck, instead of warning people that this is what can happen , its like they're trying to scare people by saying this is what will happen.
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:53
Get Den Watts
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Dean's comeuppance:

Mick might hit him (Mick's done that already)
His business might struggle (like everyone else's in Albert Square)
His finances might be hit (you can be sure he'll still be out drinking every day and getting breakfast in the cafe)

Justice?
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Old 16-06-2015, 10:53
TellMeMore
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I still firmly believe he'll be gone when the story finally concludes. His comments about his future hint that there's a set exit for Dean somewhere along the line, just not when originally planned.

Crass of him to suggest that Dean's current day-to-day struggles can be seen as a form of justice for what he did though. What Dean's struggling with at the moment is nowhere near the level of suffering he put Linda through. On the other hand at least these comments can put to bed the notion that we're being asked to feel sorry for Dean, but what we're seeing now isn't near enough for the audience to feel that an alternative form of justice is being served to the character.
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Old 16-06-2015, 11:04
shrinkingviolet
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I just don't understand why, if they wanted to keep the character around, they didn't go down the mental health and rehabilitation route. Dean would have been punished and Linda would stop getting attacked every other week and it would have fit in with the characters messed up background.

Idk...people will forgive characters anything if they feel they've been punished for it - him struggling with his business isn't punishment for months of sexual harassment then raping a woman.
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Old 16-06-2015, 11:07
bass55
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"Dean is being punished on a daily basis".

Not good enough, and frankly a cop-out. There are plenty of other characters facing money worries, and they haven't raped anyone. And no, viewers should not feel sorry for Dean because he's "messed up". What's messed up is that anybody expects viewers to feel sorry for a rapist.

The only satisfactory conclusion to this story will be Dean confessing and then facing proper justice for his crime. That means prison, I'm afraid. Only after that has happened can we start talking about redemption.
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Old 16-06-2015, 11:23
GeekInfected
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I still firmly believe he'll be gone when the story finally concludes. His comments about his future hint that there's a set exit for Dean somewhere along the line, just not when originally planned.

Crass of him to suggest that Dean's current day-to-day struggles can be seen as a form of justice for what he did though. What Dean's struggling with at the moment is nowhere near the level of suffering he put Linda through. On the other hand at least these comments can put to bed the notion that we're being asked to feel sorry for Dean, but what we're seeing now isn't near enough for the audience to feel that an alternative form of justice is being served to the character.
Humble pie?
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Old 16-06-2015, 11:56
TellMeMore
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I said that I expect Dean to leave by the end of the rape storyline. The rape storyline hasn't ended yet, so I have yet to be proven right or wrong on my prediction.

That doesn't mean he still won't be leaving at some point, and an eventual exit is hinted at in some of these quotes.

Nicola Stapleton's contract was extended, as was Michael French's. Granted, in both cases these contract extentions only came to light when both their departures were annouced but it also shows that just because an actor has had their contract extended it doesn't automatically mean that they won't be leaving, just that they are being kept on a little bit longer than intended.
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Old 16-06-2015, 12:06
GeekInfected
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I said that I expect Dean to leave by the end of the rape storyline. The rape storyline hasn't ended yet, so I have yet to be proven right or wrong on my prediction.

That doesn't mean he still won't be leaving at some point, and an eventual exit is hinted at in some of these quotes.

Nicola Stapleton's contract was extended, as was Michael French's. Granted, in both cases these contract extentions only came to light when both their departures were annouced but it also shows that just because an actor has had their contract extended it doesn't automatically mean that they won't be leaving, just that they are being kept on a little bit longer than intended.
You said the following:

- There is nothing at all out there that prooves that the show writers are "desperately" trying to redeem Shirley and Dean.
-There is nothing out there that prooves that DTC is desperately trying to hang on to Matt Di Angelo.
-I personally believe he'll be gone by the time the whole story has concluded, but if he hasn't then I'll gladly hold my hands up and say I was wrong.

The article posted in the OP suggests the opposite to those three quotes. The rape storyline looks like it's been done and dusted. What makes you think it's not over yet?
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Old 16-06-2015, 12:37
TellMeMore
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You said the following:

- There is nothing at all out there that prooves that the show writers are "desperately" trying to redeem Shirley and Dean.
And nothing in this article has proven that this is the stance of the writers. From what Matt says here, we're meant to be seeing what's currently happening with Dean as a form of justice, not a redemption arc. On this occasion however I will say that I think they're going about that in the wrong way.

-There is nothing out there that prooves that DTC is desperately trying to hang on to Matt Di Angelo.
Matt's quote, "Our producer Dominic said he was happy with what I was doing and asked if I'd be willing to stay a bit longer"

Yes, he's hanging on to him, but asking if he'd be willing to stay "a bit longer" suggests to me that the intention is still for Dean to eventually leave by the conclusion of the storyline. Not the signs of someone desperately trying to hang on to an actor.

-I personally believe he'll be gone by the time the whole story has concluded, but if he hasn't then I'll gladly hold my hands up and say I was wrong.

The article posted in the OP suggests the opposite to those three quotes. The rape storyline looks like it's been done and dusted. What makes you think it's not over yet?
Again, a quote from Matt in the article - didn't you read it properly?

"At the end of the day it's a soap, so we have to finish the story and not leave it unresolved in any way."

That makes it pretty clear to me that the story is not done and dusted. And that's without mentioning that DTC said at the BAFTAs last month that we're currently in the middle of the storyline, with an ending planned.
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Old 16-06-2015, 12:45
GeekInfected
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And nothing in this article has proven that this is the stance of the writers. From what Matt says here, we're meant to be seeing what's currently happening with Dean as a form of justice, not a redemption arc. On this occasion however I will say that I think they're going about that in the wrong way.



Matt's quote, "Our producer Dominic said he was happy with what I was doing and asked if I'd be willing to stay a bit longer"

Yes, he's hanging on to him, but asking if he'd be willing to stay "a bit longer" suggests to me that the intention is still for Dean to eventually leave by the conclusion of the storyline. Not the signs of someone desperately trying to hang on to an actor.



Again, a quote from Matt in the article - didn't you read it properly?

"At the end of the day it's a soap, so we have to finish the story and not leave it unresolved in any way."

That makes it pretty clear to me that the story is not done and dusted. And that's without mentioning that DTC said at the BAFTAs last month that we're currently in the middle of the storyline, with an ending planned.
Pride that hard to swallow?
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Old 16-06-2015, 12:51
Lizzie Brookes
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I just don't understand why, if they wanted to keep the character around, they didn't go down the mental health and rehabilitation route. Dean would have been punished and Linda would stop getting attacked every other week and it would have fit in with the characters messed up background.

Idk...people will forgive characters anything if they feel they've been punished for it - him struggling with his business isn't punishment for months of sexual harassment then raping a woman.
BIB - I agree.
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Old 16-06-2015, 12:57
Sez_babe
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Interesting....I'm glad we've had confirmation at least.
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Old 16-06-2015, 13:05
masterquan
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I still don't get how mick is living on the same street as dean and hasn't killed or maimed him. Or at least moved away himself.
It's unbelievable
Dean is Tracey Barlow from coronation street they're just going to keep him around that people's get used to him and their dislike fades. Most will still keep watching anyway it's not going to damage the show
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Old 16-06-2015, 13:17
GeekInfected
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I still don't get how mick is living on the same street as dean and hasn't killed or maimed him. Or at least moved away himself.
It's unbelievable
Dean is Tracey Barlow from coronation street they're just going to keep him around that people's get used to him and their dislike fades. Most will still keep watching anyway it's not going to damage the show
I agree. For an issue based storyline it has completely sent out the wrong impression.
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Old 16-06-2015, 13:32
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Well we all guessed this.

Good writers and producers stick with plan A regardless of anything else. Otherwise its milking a cow or feeding fan whims.
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