Eastenders Baby Death Storyline

[deemented]

Once again, no one can live happily ever after

Ronnie's baby James, dies and she puts his body in Kat and Alfies son's crib, and steals their baby boy, Tommy.

Why oh why oh why do scriptwriters insist on portraying bereaved parents - mothers especially - as mad and deranged??? Maybe it's because they can't begin to imagine how awful the death of a child is, but really, whilst we are mad with grief, it is our own child that we want back, not someone else's stolen child. When are scriptwriters ever going to understand that?

Still, it'll be a riveting watch, no doubt.

Ah yes, posh. Of course! Why didn't we all think of that? Anyone who has suffered multiple losses must be unhinged . That explains it all...

Not what you meant? Maybe not, but that's the stereotype this perpetuates .

They wont be able to claim they have stimulated public debate.

The overwhelming majority on this thread and on other sites I've seen are sharing outrage, supporting each other and discussing what to do about it.

The only "debate" is when you get the odd comment from someone who doesnt think this matters much. And people try to explain why it does to them.

And I dont think anyone should presume to tell someone who has been affected by child bereavement, that they "shouldnt" be affected or they "shouldn't" try to act. For any reason.

Christ, after losing triplets surely I should be locked up for fear of what I may do next?

but it's not all bereaved mothers that are being portrayed in this way; it is one bereaved mother.

Or should there never be storylines portraying black men as drug dealers lest this offends those black men who are not drug dealers? Or storylines where muslims are portrayed as terrorists/men as wifebeaters and so on.

I get that someone who habitually watches the programme could get offended by it and choose to complain, but I don't get this notion of watching a programme in order that you can be offended by it so that you have grounds for complaint. It's a bit like the people who complained to the pcc about the article Jan Moir wrote about Stephen Gately even though the majority of those complaining hadn't even read the article but were being egged on to complain via twitter and the like.

If it offends you at the time of watching, then by all means complain. But if you know it's going to offend then don't watch it.

And the reason why people say complaining is pointless is because there is nothing to be achieved. It's not like an advert that can be pulled for breaching certain codes of practice - the storyline is there, it can't be taken back.

Is anyone on digitalspy? What do they make of it on their soaps forums? What about Walfordweb? I'm wondering what younger people, women who aren't mothers and men make of it? Most of us here obviously have motherhood in common .

How long is this storyline going to last? Sure I read earlier in this thread - a year?

Some are the same as most of us here but others feel it is 'just a soap'. Some people are asking the bbc to show the uncut version on iplayer.

I'm on Digital Spy, and have been watching the discussion on this storyline. I haven't been posting because I don't follow EE much any more.

In general, with some exceptions, they like the storyline. They understand Ronnie's background/history and that she has suffered so long with many sad events. Many speculate she has some kind of mental illness unrelated to James' death, which has driven her to this.

Some reports say February some say up to 2 years.

HMR - I have spoken to friends without children who watched both Friday and Saturday's episodes of EE.

They have all been really upset and outraged by the 'Ronnie is a nutjob' storyline and have said that the snatch was the exception, rather than the rule in their opinions.

If someone of any race was being portrayed as being a drug dealer "because" of their race, there would rightly be uproar.

The bereaved mother is being portrayed as kidnapping someone else's baby, as an immediate and direct result of her being bereaved.

Wannabe -the BBC are claiming they took pains to consult charities etc to ensure their depiction was realistic. This is just bullshit. Babysnatching after cot death is not realistic.

Also, how frequently is cot death depicted in drama? If rarely or never then even greater the reponsibility to ensure the scenario portrayed is not outlandish, otherwise yes it is only one case, but if it's the only case depicted for a decade in Eastenders then it can't be balanced out by 100 more 'normal incidences IYSWIM? (God that sounds awful , but I can't think of a better way to explain). Others have also said that other BBC soaps/dramas have chosen similar angles for bereaved mothers, so it isn't a one-off.

The storyline cant be taken back wannaBe but it can be stopped. Either EE or the BBC can ensure it ends or clarify that its ending soon. There is currently a lot of doubt over how long this is going to persist, as evident on this thread.

Beacholiday's second sentence at 20.28 is spot on.

Wannabe, what positive portrayal of bereaved mothers has there been in soaps in the last few years?

And the point was actually about how it seems to be acceptable for some sections of society - mainly male ones - to complain about unfairness (it is not that long ago that black men WERE portrayed exclusively in certain ways, or gay men, and so on, and in fact Asian commentators have voiced concerns over a plethora of 'mad bomber' plotlines recently) but that when it comes to how women and not just women, but MOTHERS are portrayed, it seems anything goes so long as it is done in the name of entertainment, and somehow people - no, not just other people but other women tell them they should not complain, it's just TV, switch it off if you don't like it blah blah and the usual bollox.

Seriously, are there idiots out there who think that "it's only a soap, it's not real, just turn it off" cuts it? Seriously? How many times have you overheard people talking about what is happening in soaps? How many times have soaps been commended for their sensitive handling/educational approach to things e.g. grooming/bipolar etc? Whether you believe it to be true or not is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. There are people out there who do think it represents real life. Soaps both reflect and shape our society. They therefore have a responsibility bigger than possibly any other part of the media (except the News I guess).

This is why murderers always get found out (even when they deserved it), as someone said earlier - children who are abused do not commit suicide, anorexics always get better, racists and rapists get what is coming to them.

The baby swap story is plain WRONG. This would never happen. If you have children, just imagine for a second what it would feel like to hold that precious being lifeless in your arms. Imagine for a moment how devastating that would be, how you could not bear to let them go. And then picture voluntarily putting that precious child down in another child's cot so that you can never say goodbye. Not to mention deliberately inflicting that horror and pain on another mother.

All the stupid bits about not recognising your baby (duh!) and the midwife accepting that a club foot disappeared even though a baby across the square died suddenly (as if!) and that new borns were left for so many hours unattended in the first place all pale into insignificance if you picture letting that child out of your arms voluntarily.

Shame on eastenders and shame on you if you think that this gross misrepresentation is acceptable in the name of entertainment.

"They understand Ronnie's background/history and that she has suffered so long with many sad events. Many speculate she has some kind of mental illness unrelated to James' death, which has driven her to this."

See, even that's bad enough... the logic appears to be going: someone has experienced many traumatic events, therefore they have developed a mental illness, therefore it's reasonable for them to respond bizarrely to grief and commit a criminal offence.

There is so much judgement, prejudice and stereotyping in that that I don't even know where to begin .

but ronnie is a bit of a nutter anyway - no? (I don't actually watch it but from what people have said that would seem to be the case). So we're not talking about a woman who is generally considered to be mentally stable being driven over the edge by the death of her child - we're talking someone who is already considered volatile being driven to do something like this following the death of the child - iyswim.

I've said it a number of times - it's a bloody ridiculous storyline. but it is just a story.

Can I just say aswell, that bereaved fathers must find this hard to watch too?

I know my DH did. He turned round and said to me 'why did she do that, you didn't'

I find it concerning how many women want to silence the voices of other women :(

If we sit quietly, nothing will change. With no outcry everything will seem to be alright. If we do nothing we have no power, no voice, we go unheard.

This is what women have done for centuries except at times when they join forces. And it saddens me that even these days some seek to silence others, to keep the status quo, to keep things nice and smoothed over.

When we are upset should we not scream it from the rooftops? Or should we pop a little pill, and get on with the ironing?

a bit of a nutter???? She is mentally unstable so she might do these kind of things???

Oh fuck. Soaps really do rot the brain if this is the kind of thing that is acceptable....

Watching a 'bereaved' mother mourn the loss of a child who is actually fit and healthy is cruel and abhorrant.

Sorry Mouseface . I'm sure it's awful for anyone it touches.

Wannabe if you don't watch it and aren't familiar with the characters, why are you coming on here telling fans like me not to complain ? What on earth does it have to do with you?

well said tigerseyemum

"This is why murderers always get found out (even when they deserved it), as someone said earlier - children who are abused do not commit suicide, anorexics
always get better, racists and rapists get what is coming to them." No, they don't.

Rape storyline in casualty a few years back; the man got away with it. Victim then killed him and skipped the country with the help of the rapest's sister's boyfriend (are you still with me?) Rapest's sister then committed suicide. Righting the wrongs? - I don't think so.

There have been numerous storylines in soaps where people have been killed and the killer has never been brought to justice - Louise that shot phil in EE some years back iirc? (he didn't die sadly but ykwim). And the list goes on.

The fact is that most of what is portrayed in soaps is totally so beyond the relms of realistic as to be laughable.