Pre Warning re Tonight’s Eastenders

ferry23

The other thing that I ALWAYS find annoying in EE is that 99% of the time the square and Bridge Street are bustling with people even late at night. But whenever someone is in distress or needs help - oopsy - there's absolutely nobody about. And this wasn't even particularly late if you think about the story line.

But anyway, I need to focus my brain on more lofty matters now. That's enough of showing the uncultured, soap watching side of me. Off to critique a Dostoyevsky novel now.

Mmm , I can see what you are saying , BUT this was at a Church event ! In a busy community centre with “ lots of people around”
The person who assaulted her in the storyline , then had the audacity/ nerve / bar faced arrogance to continue with a speech & get Yolande onto the stage to be feted for what she had brought to be ! 😖So yes there were people - they weren’t on the street as they were perhaps all in that community centre!

I think Yolande and Patrick, (well, the real people), acted superbly last night, as a couple. It didn't have me in tears, (!!), but it was strong and emotional, and the dynamics were thoughtful with the exasperated husband now back on the scene.

The other thing that I ALWAYS find annoying in EE is that 99% of the time the square and Bridge Street are bustling with people even late at night. But whenever someone is in distress or needs help - oopsy - there's absolutely nobody about. And this wasn't even particularly late if you think about the story line.

But anyway, I need to focus my brain on more lofty matters now. That's enough of showing the uncultured, soap watching side of me. Off to critique a Dostoyevsky novel now.

I admit I’ve never warmed to the character, ferry, but watched last night to see how the story was handled. Well, happy to be in the minority here.
Her facial expressions, the dreadful gurning, were so incredible they were a total distraction and stopped me from listening or caring. Surely nobody should attempt that level of over-acting to display distress ….. even in a Soap.

I agree with Birdie22 as well.

That's a good point, ferry23. Consistency in a character is something script writers and directors need to be careful about. Otherwise the actor's reactions might seem confusing or incongruous.

Ferry23, I agree, but I suppose it also highlighted the fact of how we actually judge a person's character, when in fact they react totally differently in certain situations were we imagine them to be strong.

I agree ferry23

Interesting observations here. I watch Eastenders (I also watch University Challenge if that evens things out a bit). .

I'm with the small minority who thought Yolande's reaction was a tad over the top. But not so much in relation to the crime, more in relation to her character.

She's been portrayed as a feisty, strong even somewhat domineering woman. When she was first introduced and on her subsequent return, she was flirtatious and, I would go as far as to say, suggestive with Patrick. There have been many times where we've been led to believe that their interactions have led to the bedroom - so she's clearly a character who is comfortable with herself and her sexuality/sensuality - however you wish to describe it and her strength as a woman.

In no way am I playing down the crime here, both the physical act and the manipulation leading up to it, but I just felt the reaction was out of keeping with the character.

I understand the underlying message it was giving out etc. etc. but imho a woman with a the characteristics displayed by Yolande would have played it out quite differently.

Yes, I know you didn't mean JW, Doodledog though she is rather a fruity person in real life too!! I liked your post.
I think Kat has big struggles in EE, as do half the characters. What I meant is that I put neither real people nor the EE characters portrayed down. Talking about the things you mention is good, poo pooing them isn't!

No one needs putting down, neither on TV or in real life.
Absolutely, but talking about infidelity, or abortion, (or breast cancer) is so much less harmful when the 'person' being discussed is a character, and not real. I hope it was obvious that I wasn't referring to Jessie Wallace but the character 'Kat'.

I think we somewhat lose the art of crying, (and laughing a lot), as we age. Look at children who cry at anything. I stand with them. Uninhibited.

*nor

Isn’t it better to put down Kat Slater than to try to make real people feel inferior (and posters are real people).
I spoke to Kat Slater, the real person. She was in the queue behind me at M & S Food in Epping High Street. She was funny, very pleasant.
I was at school with Carol Branning, (that's Bianca's and Sonia's mum, Jack and Max's sister for those who dont know!). She wasn't at all working class, infact she lived in a posh house and she spoke well. Her breast cancer storyline in EE was very well acted.
No one needs putting down, neither on TV or in real life.

Allsorts
I quote often cover my face if a scene looks to become violent .
But I wouldn’t not watch or leave a Theatre 🎭 if I thought it would upset me .

I’d love to watch Out of Africa again but I just can’t. 😥

Doodledog
👌 I enjoyed reading your response with my morning coffee , which I made in my 18th century farmhouse kitchen by lighting the fire under the pot which held the water . It takes a long while to heat so I was able to collect my thoughts on the happenings of the world while I waited .That scullery maid will be the death of me , she forgets her station in life , her beginnings in a hovel of a house in that London are in her blood . “ Cor Bimey” that’s all you hear from her . Yet again the wench has slept late , but I am well able to fend for myself before I take her to task on the lack of fire . Maybe I will send her back to her “ cor blimey- love a duck family”they be market workers and frequent the public house , fisticuffs on every corner .
I wonder if someone will write a tome about the East End one day .

Thanks Allsorts. I watch Mr Tom from time to time and it is very moving. Like you I refuse to see Warhorse. The suffering of animals upsets me very much, even though I don’t cry.

I watched Mr Tom recently, again, I was in tears when the little boy was so cruelly treated. Can’t watch Les Miserables, walked out after 10 minutes, wouldn't even go to see Warhorse. It’s because these things happened and still do and it’s so unfair, good people broken by circumstances they cant control and it’s the injustice of it. I regularly mute tv programmes and look away if a violent scene is on for the same reason.
GSM cares deeply too as much as anyone, just not a crier, wish I wasn’t.

Bump

What Doodledog said.

Crying or not crying isn’t an indicator of depth of feeling. Some people cry easily, and others don’t, but it doesn’t mean they don’t all feel pain. Putting people down for their choice of entertainment, particularly when the detractor doesn’t have the advantage of having actually seen the entertainment in question, however, is almost comically prejudiced.

Is this a soap box that I see before me? . ( Clambers onto box in ungainly manner )

Many people use tv and radio to wind down after a challenging day. Not everyone needs to have gaps plugged with educational content, and continuous dramas can be cathartic, and form points of connection between viewers. Water-cooler conversations about storylines can explore difficult topics, and gossip about characters is healthier than talking about real people. Isn’t it better to put down Kat Slater than to try to make real people feel inferior (and posters are real people)?

As for naturalistic dialogue - it’s hardly unusual nowadays. Can you think of a single dramatist since Stanislavsky who doesn’t use a combination of naturalism and realism in their work? Experimental theatre might flirt with different forms of expression, but that’s probably the extent of it if you exclude children’s tv.

To use the above example, would it sound better if 21st century working class characters said something like ’How do you do? Would you be so kind as to explain the situation, old bean?’

Most people would probably disagree - nobody has written like that in living memory (other than in pastiche).

Thematically, ‘going down the same road’ is nothing new either. Drama explores real life, even in unreal settings. Men in positions of power sexually abusing women is a very old theme. It featured in Ancient Greek theatre. Shakespeare wrote about it in Measure For Measure. Sadly it is a universal issue, both in real life and on stage.

There are tv programmes that don’t appeal to me, so I don’t watch them. Sometimes I see a bit of something accidentally and realise I was wrong about it and go on to enjoy it, and sometimes it’s just not for me. Nobody enjoys everything. But I don’t make assumptions about those who do enjoy them, or sneer at their viewers. Why anyone should be snooty about other people’s viewing is beyond me. It usually shows a limited understanding of drama and how it works, or a very narrow world view based on hierarchy and oppressive concepts of ‘respectability’.
( Steps down from soap box and heads to kitchen )

Bump

Never watch EE it may be well acted but it’s all so miserable and negative
And - at the risk of being snobby - a tad rough?
(I only have an opinion on this because my autistic son watches it and gets very involved)
However I often feel moved to tears by fiction
Good fiction brings real life into focus
I have also cried plenty over my own life too - there’s plenty to cry, and to laugh about. Emotions are better expressed-for our wellbeing if we need that excuse

"A hard hitting 1 hour episode tonight, which has had me in tears - extremely emotional & well written" - and it apparently explores the ' predator of children' topic? Well, good for them, though umpteen other dramas have gone down that road in the last few years.

We stopped watching EE years ago, and when we stray onto the show (when changing channels) I see it has the same wildly irritating characteristics as before, "orright, innit, like, woss apnin like, innit, orright?".