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The Rise of Sharon Watts


View Poll Results: Do you think Sharon's better than she was 3 years ago
She is back at her best 19 18.81%
Improved but not quite there 57 56.44%
Quite indifferent to her 8 7.92%
She's ok but preferred her before 2 1.98%
Was better before, not too fond of her 4 3.96%
Can't stand her 11 10.89%
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Old 17-08-2015, 15:40
IanMandy
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I think this past year, Sharon has been amazing and has truly risen from the ashes. There are still a few areas she could improve in (needs to stand up to Phil more but think we could see this when Kathy returns) but otherwise, she has been a joy to watch. Sharon the character really typifies EastEnders in a very similar way to how Pat, and to an extent Pauline, defined the show and it really shows. Her enduring friendship with Ian is one of my favourite relationships on the show and I find that both Adam and Letitia bounce off each other so well.

Compared to the quite bitchy, weak-willed and quite horrible woman who came back three years ago, we once again have the bubbly, larger than life, sassy tough nut who truly is Den Watt's daughter. She's as tough as old boots as shown when standing up to the likes of Shirley, funny and warm ('the dirty cow comment was priceless) and maternal to Ben and Ronnie. Despite their dislike of her, they do have a reluctant respect for her and acknowledge when she is right. And putting Sharon in the Mitchells has elevated her character so much- she has once again become more well-rounded and I have adored following her journey.

What does everyone else think- is she as good as new or is there still a way for her to go?
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Old 17-08-2015, 15:42
IanMandy
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Poll up
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:06
Scrabbler
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I hope she doesn't get pushed out by Kathy. I am enjoying her increased role as part of the Mitchell family even if I am not that fussed about her marriage to Phil. Grant needs to return and steal her back.

I like her mothering Sbi. Sharon needs to be pushed into a more Agony Aunt role, her job in the Albert should enable her to bond with the young of the square and give them advice and a clip round the ear hole when needed.

I liked her blossoming friendship with Johnny. I wouldn't object to them brining back her brother Kristopher, make him gay and get him and Sharon comparing he's on their men.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:17
IanMandy
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I hope she doesn't get pushed out by Kathy. I am enjoying her increased role as part of the Mitchell family even if I am not that fussed about her marriage to Phil. Grant needs to return and steal her back.

I like her mothering Sbi. Sharon needs to be pushed into a more Agony Aunt role, her job in the Albert should enable her to bond with the young of the square and give them advice and a clip round the ear hole when needed.

I liked her blossoming friendship with Johnny. I wouldn't object to them brining back her brother Kristopher, make him gay and get him and Sharon comparing he's on their men.
Sharon really works in the Mitchell fold, I do like her and Phil together and I think they do work. However, if Grant was ever to return, Sharon would ditch Phil for him in a heartbeat I reckon.

I think Sharon could end up being the new Pat- compassionate and motherly to the younger generation. I really liked her mentor/protegee relationship with Johnny and think its a shame he left so quickly. The thing is, with very few younger characters left in the square, she can't really fulfill this role. I do hope she bonds with jay however, in some ways they are both outcasts in the Mitchell fold and both yearn for a family. I Shirley always paid more attention to Ben than to Jay and I think Sharon as a maternal figure in jay's life could do him wonders.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:19
wizardt
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She has improved but not at her best yet. She's a bit of a doormat these days and the old Sharon would never act like this. She's an EE icon and I'm always a bit surprised when people hate on her too much because she's an original character and she hasn't killed anyone etc. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:21
0...0
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Hi IM!

She's a work in progress for me. Sharon Watts is my favourite character ever in EE and I was horrified by the utter mess they made of her return.

DTC and co have improved her but the process has been rather clunky. I know I rant about it but her reaction to Phil/Dennis was dreadfully written. I would prefer them not to bother with it then give us such half arsed episodes. Similarly the process of her getting the Albert, becoming Linda's best mate and hooking up with Phil was written in a very rushed manner. Very little of it flowed and I think they all damaged the character further. The farce of her 'revenge' just made it worse.

On the plus side.
I'm glad she's meshed into a family unit and I would have liked to see more of her relationship with Johnny, Linda and Ben, the latter particularly because she's living with the effects of two murders and Ben is a killer. Realistically she would have misgivings about Denny living with him. There should have been some exploration of this. I like her with Abi and I like it when she's friendly with Ronnie, they have a lot in common regarding the Vic, Mitchells and fathers.

The friendship with Ian is great as well, can't believe there wasn't more of this when she first came back.

There have been some great Shazza episodes - the Albert attack, Marcus, Gordon episodes and the Sarah Phelps episode and I'm interested in the Gavin/Kathy stuff. So on balance they're doing ok. But with some better writing she could really become the character she once was.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:22
IanMandy
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She has improved but not at her best yet. She's a bit of a doormat these days and the old Sharon would never act like this. She's an EE icon and I'm always a bit surprised when people hate on her too much because she's an original character and she hasn't killed anyone etc. But everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Its interesting because I watched the 1985 eps that are on Youtube and I couldnt stand her, as much as I love her now. I think a large part of it is the spoiled brat trait which has retained in various ways over the years, as thats what annoyed me. I do love her now though because its made Sharon who she is today
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:33
jamesc_715
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Sharon has always been one of my favourites but her return was a disaster wasn't it? She came back needy, annoying, bitchy and she was weak. She was "best mates" to Tanya. As if Sharon would ever be friends with Tanya. They made Sharon man-dependent which stunned me because she used to be a strong independent woman and she was always caring. She was never a "gold-digger" until this stint. But since DTC took over, he improved Sharon but she has LOTS of flaws and it's perfectly acceptable for her detractors to point out her faults and criticise her a lot.

Nevertheless, I love Sharon and I'm glad she is the matriarch of the Mitchells. She always dish out ultimatums to Phil but this woman has a heart of gold and it wouldn't be right if she turns a blind eye on the Mitchells' criminal activities. I'm looking forward to Sharon's continued role as the matriarch of the Mitchells and I hope she stands up to Phil more in the future. They need to have an equal partnership but Sharon belongs with the Mitchells and I don't think the producers will split up Phil and Sharon. They have too much history together.

I will rate her 7/10. Some writers get Sharon and some don't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQNr9G3Rhg - this is one of my favourite ever Sharon episodes.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:45
Harlowe
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Hi IM!

She's a work in progress for me. Sharon Watts is my favourite character ever in EE and I was horrified by the utter mess they made of her return.

DTC and co have improved her but the process has been rather clunky. I know I rant about it but her reaction to Phil/Dennis was dreadfully written. I would prefer them not to bother with it then give us such half arsed episodes. Similarly the process of her getting the Albert, becoming Linda's best mate and hooking up with Phil was written in a very rushed manner. Very little of it flowed and I think they all damaged the character further. The farce of her 'revenge' just made it worse.

On the plus side.
I'm glad she's meshed into a family unit and I would have liked to see more of her relationship with Johnny, Linda and Ben, the latter particularly because she's living with the effects of two murders and Ben is a killer. Realistically she would have misgivings about Denny living with him. There should have been some exploration of this. I like her with Abi and I like it when she's friendly with Ronnie, they have a lot in common regarding the Vic, Mitchells and fathers.

The friendship with Ian is great as well, can't believe there wasn't more of this when she first came back.

There have been some great Shazza episodes - the Albert attack, Marcus, Gordon episodes and the Sarah Phelps episode and I'm interested in the Gavin/Kathy stuff. So on balance they're doing ok. But with some better writing she could really become the character she once was.
Agree with 0..0

She far better then 2012-2013 Sharon, she still had a bit of a away to go, but if LD serious about staying put Sharon could become fabulous again with good material.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:46
little-monster
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Sharon's return was a massive disappointment. Lorraine Newman did not have a clue what to do with her. Her relationship with Jack and the painkiller addiction went no where and did nothing to make the character. DTC took over and she began to improve. But Sharon was resorted to an awful love triangle with Phil and Shirley and the promising but disappointing story of her screwing Phil over. The whole week of her and Phil's wedding and Phil getting shot imo remains the worst set of episodes of DTC's reign. It was predictable and massively anti-climatic. Don't even get me started on that vomit inducing dress she was wearing. But we have seen Sharon's fantastic realtionship with Linda, the short lived one she shared with Johnny and for Sharon to try and track down her father. But at the moment, she often feels like a bored housewife. Most of the time she is eye rolling and moaning about Phil's latest schemes. There have been moments where Sharon has really shined as there have been small snippets of her becoming a matriarch throught trying to pull the family together. Her scenes with Abi have been a delight to watch and give Abi the mother figure she is missing from Tanya. But Sharon still feels misplaced. A character that has a lot of promise but when given a chance to shine, the writing is always a massive let down and she sometimes resorted to playing the good cop to Phil's neverending schemes.
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Old 17-08-2015, 16:48
vald
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I've always been indifferent to her. As a teen she was a spoilt brat and now she's just another Peggy Mitchell in the making.
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Old 17-08-2015, 17:03
LaceyLouelle3
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I'm glad there was a 'can't stand her' option as thats exactly my opinion.
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Old 17-08-2015, 17:11
bass55
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Sharon 2012-13 was such a let down. Her return was absolutely shocking and I found myself starting to dislike a character I had previously adored. She gets a lot of stick on here but I don't think there was anything wrong with Letitia Dean's performances - it was just the material they were giving her, it was atrocious. Sharon was always a bit of a drama queen but NEVER a bitch. That's what she became under Newman; a Tanya clone.

Since DTC took over there's been a huge improvement but she's still not back to her best just yet. I thought the revenge plot in 2014 was a great opportunity to get real Shazza back, and bring Phil down a peg or two (killing two birds with one stone) but it wasn't utilised to its fullest. Having said that I still find Sharon to be one of the most watchable and enjoyable characters in the show. I love her relationship with Ian, I think she and Phil have wonderful chemistry, and I'm loving her new role as Mitchell agony aunt. Sharon really could become the true succesor to Pat. I hope she stays forever.
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Old 17-08-2015, 17:41
Aaron_Silver
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Hi IM!

She's a work in progress for me. Sharon Watts is my favourite character ever in EE and I was horrified by the utter mess they made of her return.

DTC and co have improved her but the process has been rather clunky. I know I rant about it but her reaction to Phil/Dennis was dreadfully written. I would prefer them not to bother with it then give us such half arsed episodes. Similarly the process of her getting the Albert, becoming Linda's best mate and hooking up with Phil was written in a very rushed manner. Very little of it flowed and I think they all damaged the character further. The farce of her 'revenge' just made it worse.

On the plus side.
I'm glad she's meshed into a family unit and I would have liked to see more of her relationship with Johnny, Linda and Ben, the latter particularly because she's living with the effects of two murders and Ben is a killer. Realistically she would have misgivings about Denny living with him. There should have been some exploration of this. I like her with Abi and I like it when she's friendly with Ronnie, they have a lot in common regarding the Vic, Mitchells and fathers.

The friendship with Ian is great as well, can't believe there wasn't more of this when she first came back.

There have been some great Shazza episodes - the Albert attack, Marcus, Gordon episodes and the Sarah Phelps episode and I'm interested in the Gavin/Kathy stuff. So on balance they're doing ok. But with some better writing she could really become the character she once was.
Good post I love Sharon too, and I think you're right her most recent incarnation since 2012 was rather made a mess of and DTC has made progress but very slowly
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Old 17-08-2015, 17:55
IanMandy
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I do agree with a lot of points, I think ther is still room for Sharon on the show, which considering she has been there on and off for 30 years, is quite an achievement. Sacrificing her character to make Tanya and the Brannings seem amazing was awful direction but I do love how Sharon has seemed to forget all about her so called best mate

As for the revenge storyline, Im probabaly in the minority but I think it was very in character that she didn't go through with it, because that is exactly what happened with Grant in the lead up to her '95 exit. Sharon is an incredibly compassionate woman and rarely breaks her moral code so I completely understand why she didn't go through with it. She needs to stand up a bit more to Phil, like the old days. But this is exactly the problem Shirley faced, a strong woman who bowed down to Phil to make him seem indestructible (although at risk of suffering the ire of hardcore, Shirley fans, I would say Sharon was probabaly more successful in standing up to Phil than Shirl).

I like her friendships with Roxy and Linda, and most especially her relationship with Ian. Sharon has always been a girl trying to find her identity and the fact that Ian is perhaps the only person left on the square who has known her entire life (aside from the incaracerated Dot) is important. As much as Ian and Sharon have always been close, Sharon tended to turn to Michelle, Mark, Pauline or Pat if needed. Now nobody else is about, Ian and Sharon are closer than ever before and even though they dont socialise very often, they know that the other can be relied on to be there and to confide in due to their shared history.
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Old 17-08-2015, 18:05
sorcha_healy27
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I'm loving sharon these last few months
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Old 17-08-2015, 19:52
kingcnut
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I think she's now a combination of Angie, Pauline and Pat. Agree she would ditch Phil for Grant (again).
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Old 17-08-2015, 20:34
bean_of_sb
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQNr9G3Rhg - this is one of my favourite ever Sharon episodes.
I was so excited about Sharon's '12 return but they completely fluffed it. The writers and the storyliners didn't have a clue who the character was that they were working with.

Fortunately, she has improved dramatically, and while I'm still not buying her as a massive doormat with Phil, Sharon deserves to be the head of a family, and I love that she has become a go-to character for those in need of advice or a chat.

That clip makes me feel a bit sad, seeing Sharon interacting with the likes of Pauline and Peggy. Both are sorely missed. But it is a reminder that with characters like Sharon, you have 30 years worth of history that you just can't buy or thrust upon new characters. The show needs characters like Sharon now more than ever.
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Old 17-08-2015, 21:51
0...0
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Too many posts to agree with but I concur with most of you on here. As much as the process of integrating her back into the show annoyed me she is in a better position than 12/13.
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Old 17-08-2015, 21:54
big dan
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Yeah, I agree with most of the comments along the lines of 'she's getting there'. Though for me a lot hinges on how she handles finding out about Bobby. I'm already despising Ian and Jane enough as it is.
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Old 17-08-2015, 21:59
MrJames
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Even if she's not at her absolute best, I absolutely adore the position that she is in now. Right at the centre of the Mitchells... it feels bizarre that they didn't do this from the moment that she returned. And she's so camp and sassy and fabulous in a way that she hasn't always been before.
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Old 17-08-2015, 22:30
djfunnyman
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Sharon's return was a massive disappointment. Lorraine Newman did not have a clue what to do with her. Her relationship with Jack and the painkiller addiction went no where and did nothing to make the character. DTC took over and she began to improve. But Sharon was resorted to an awful love triangle with Phil and Shirley and the promising but disappointing story of her screwing Phil over. The whole week of her and Phil's wedding and Phil getting shot imo remains the worst set of episodes of DTC's reign. It was predictable and massively anti-climatic. Don't even get me started on that vomit inducing dress she was wearing. But we have seen Sharon's fantastic realtionship with Linda, the short lived one she shared with Johnny and for Sharon to try and track down her father. But at the moment, she often feels like a bored housewife. Most of the time she is eye rolling and moaning about Phil's latest schemes. There have been moments where Sharon has really shined as there have been small snippets of her becoming a matriarch throught trying to pull the family together. Her scenes with Abi have been a delight to watch and give Abi the mother figure she is missing from Tanya. But Sharon still feels misplaced. A character that has a lot of promise but when given a chance to shine, the writing is always a massive let down and she sometimes resorted to playing the good cop to Phil's neverending schemes.
Sharon was wasted with Jack who turned into such a dull character on her return but has noticeably improved since
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Old 17-08-2015, 23:00
IanMandy
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Even if she's not at her absolute best, I absolutely adore the position that she is in now. Right at the centre of the Mitchells... it feels bizarre that they didn't do this from the moment that she returned. And she's so camp and sassy and fabulous in a way that she hasn't always been before.
I too am absolutely puzzled as to why Sharon was left out of the Mitchells for so long, I assume was to set up for Jacks final exit (realising he loved Ronnie then couldnt stay with her etc).
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Old 17-08-2015, 23:58
Keyser_Soze1
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She has improved since her disastrous return but she is still merely a doormat with a blonde wig on top whenever she is around King Cockroach.

Perhaps I should finally accept this as all characters (no matter how important) are totally destroyed at his altar.

It will be very interesting to see how she reacts on Kathy's return - especially as she will be jumping into bed with the Philth almost immediately.

That is inevitable - it is how TPTB's minds work when it comes to Mitchell.

Sharon Watts is long dead - and will continue to remain so until she leaves the Poison Potato for good.
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Old 17-08-2015, 23:59
owen10
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I think she has been great in the last few episodes
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