EastEnders: the SPOILERS thread!

I'd really love it if they actually showed the shit side of disability though. My son is severely autistic and non verbal. The only programme they have ever really represented him and his disabilities is There She Goes, and even then they airbrushed a lot of the issues accessing help and support/getting them a special school place. They don't show the food getting thrown everywhere, the refusing to walk, the aggression, sleep issues, the poo you have to clean up, and the not knowing what your child wants because they can't talk. Obviously I'm not asking them to show dirty protests on EE, but at least show the toll it takes on people!

It's pointless virtue signalling about disabilities whilst not really showing how hard life can be for disabled people and carers. It is as harmful to just show the positive side all of the time - people make assumptions about conditions and start minimising people's needs. My son's disabilities took a huge toll on my family as well as him.

I think they are just petrified of getting a normal abled person in to play the part, because inevitably the higher functioning community would be offended as it isn't a 'celebration' of disability. They tend to stampede over any suggestion that some people need 24/7 care 365 days a year. It's a real shame though, it's a good opportunity to show a lot of people the true reality of raising a child like this. So many people don't have a clue and assume parents are exaggerating how difficult it can be.

Some would be, but not all religious people are homophobic, and I think Yolande lives the type of life where it would be quite hard to maintain that position.
Even Dot became very good friends with Colin and that was about 100 years ago.

@Alucard55 I'm not saying you are wrong by the way. I think it's good they show people like Jodie too, but I just don't ever see anyone like my son or a family like ours represented at all.

They don't show the realities of any type of disability or illness on soaps. They didn't do a bad job with Nigel, but mainly they shuffle dementia off screen within a year and don't show the worst bits. It's inevitable, people don't want to watch too much double incontinence or aggression or distress.

Totally agree that the real life experience of many people who have to care for loved ones with disabilities is always sanitized in soaps and dramas.
The closest one I watched a few years ago was ‘ there she goes’ with David Tennant and just how isolating and difficult it must be to live with every single day. Ollie has autism , but nothing much is shown around his diagnoses.
I thought they should have at least mentioned that Jodie has Noonan syndrome, but maybe the actress didn’t want it brought up. I don’t know tbh.

I understand why people are blaming the producer , but also it must be relentless trying to come up with new storylines and different angles to things to keep it fresh as well. Once Nish died , they haven’t had a real baddie around all the time. Chrissy was fleeting and although Janine is coming back, I don’t think it’s for long?
I’m not sticking up for him at all , but I feel the pursuit of storylines makes it hard and they do seem to dream up some odd ones that don’t make a lot of sense as well. He is pushing the new family onto us a lot and agree that Ned won’t be around this time next year !

@Urgentbiscuitrequired I agree with you. On one hand I do like the people are different get on with it approach but on the other hand they show very sanitized versions on illness and disability.

I may be getting this completely wrong but I'm sure I read that someone with Penny's condition wouldn't have much if any felling below the waist. Meaning she would have a catheter and no sexual pleasure. Yet pre Vinny they protrayed her as enjoying sex. Again I could be talking nonsense.

I loved Phil’s line today “I know, I’ve grown” so simple, yet so effective, made me laugh out loud. I wish he’d be more involved with Amy she is his 2nd? cousin after all.. I said the Mitchell’s should be more involved with her the other day. Her walking in to Jack and Phil and saying “wow, I am in trouble” was brilliant. I wish Wadey would give us more of that, and less faff.

I agree that they usually want to show the best case scenario and put a positive spin on disabilities which does a great disservice to families living with the reality of caring for a disabled person. I think there is a pressure to show disabled characters as people who are just like everyone else but the reality is not like that. The fact Kojo was able to literally walk into a job in a garage and settle into a nice flat despite not having any references, banking history or even legal status in the UK was laughable really. They have occasionally shown him feeling overwhelmed but in general George has not really had a difficult job looking after him.

It would be a powerful storyline if they showed the discrimination disabled people face when seeking employment or somewhere to live but I'm sure soon enough Jodie will be scooped up into an equally unrealistic situation where she manages to land a job out of the blue.

I suppose with Jodie they are doing a good job of showing that disabled people can be as unpleasant and annoying as able people.

Kojo was shown as being aggressive and difficult when he first arrived which is why Kobina left him here, he couldn't cope. But Kojo has been dusted with Walford magic now.

They did show Will having to look after Janet when Honey was in hospital and Billy was useless, but that only lasted two episodes.

Yes, I don't remember Kojo's visa status ever being resolved.

The Kojo character isn’t true to life at all.
Agree that Phil was good today. He has grown!
(Maybe he’ll help Sean to take down Craig though !)
If the soaps did show what it’s really like living with people who have disabilities of any kind they would probably be accused of being too realistic or upset others ( as mentioned below) so keeping it light is probably how they deal with it and gloss over the very bad bits. The same as they do with big stories of problems and health and within a few months or a year it is forgotten. Alfie came back from the brink with his brain tumor and then his prostate cancer ( for one example)

Kojo facing work discrimination would have been a good storyline, but easier to keep him on the square as a mechanic and not do any work there instead.

Liked the scenes with the teens today , especially Avani! They all work well together.

Yes they bounce off each other well.

Craig is going to do something awful now he knows she lied.

Yep, it’s signposted isn’t it, poor Amy :( Hopefully it’ll be resolved soon. It’s a horrible storyline

Wadey has failed to notice that there is often a difference between a good storyline and a horrible one.

Not always, but often.

For example the Shakeel knife one was horrible but very well done.

Girls do get taken in though. It’s realistic in one way , she thinks his fine because he is older.

I harbour vague hopes of Denzil rescuing her somehow.

Denzil seems to understand the situation, but he can’t do much about it.
its a shame that Denise is ill as he could have told her his suspicions.

Apparently ( and I had to read it again ) Max had a house in New Zealand ! It’s a story on late next week , but I have never heard him mention it at all. The tax office are after him too as well as Cindy. So tough times ahead for him! Lol

A house is New Zealand? You couldn't make it up at this point.

I did have to read it again re house ! Maybe when he went off with baby Abby he went there then ? Or just bought it unseen ? It’s not made clear

Cindy 'causes chaos' next week apparently by uncovering the New Zealand house. It also seems she also works out he was the one who left Zoe to die (although he didn't).

It doesn't look good for Denzil in the spoilers either as looks as if Craig does something very unpleasant to him.