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Eastenders Baby Death Storyline

1392 replies

deemented · 28/12/2010 18:30

Once again, no one can live happily ever after Sad

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.

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LadyintheRadiator · 29/12/2010 17:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

norfolkBRONZEturkey · 29/12/2010 17:27

I'm glad I know about it so that I can make sure I stay well clear.
Sensitive? Really? Bollocks to that is I can say.
I'm offended on behalf of all those wonderful, sane but sadly grieving parents. Will put in a complaint

hellymelly · 29/12/2010 17:35

I think enders has got worse and worse.I agree with punk that there isn't a single character now one could imagine having as a friend.Anyone nice gets killed off or written out.This story line is horrible,ridiculous after the Danielle death,and incredibly insensitive.I am lucky in that at the moment I am a woman who hasn't lost a child (one early mc which was bad enough)and so I'm only imagining how it would feel,but I agree absolutely that portraying grief as lunacy is a dreadful thing to do.It is crass,I hope the Beeb read this thread.

beachholiday · 29/12/2010 19:41

The story is likely to run and run.

When the actor that plays Alfie Moon was interviewed about his return he said Alfie and Kat were to have a big storyline that would run for over a year, and their jaws dropped when they told what it was.

I assume this would be it then.

The Beeb could still pull this if they had a bit of sense and decency. They have cut scenes at the last minute before due to real life events and sensitivities.

Or at the very least they could quickly resolve it and not drag it on as a horrible reminder of the poor taste they exercised in coming up with this in the first place.

Spoilers about soaps can be annoying but IMO in this case its just more important that anyone who is going to be very distressed by watching sees the warnings and avoids it.

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deemented · 29/12/2010 20:12

I can't believe they are going to let this run for over a year - it would seem to me, that given a very similar storyline in Emmerdale a few years ago, that the scriptwriters have no imagination whatsoever.

In all honesty, i did watch the Emmerdale SIDS storyline, and thought it was brilliantly portrayed - the aftermath however, with the babies found to be swapped at birth ect was just plain silly, IMO.

I honestly can't see a way that Eastenders can do this in a sensitive thoughtful way that isn't crass or in very bad taste.

Surely, there are some lines out there that even soaps should not cross?

Is nothing - not even a baby's death - sacred anymore?

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Lydwatt · 29/12/2010 20:13

I refuse to watch it...nasty Sad

whoneedssleepanyway · 29/12/2010 20:38

My friend used to work for FSIDS and knows people who still work there and apparently they have been involved and say the issue has been dealt with really well...that said I don't intend to watch it myself...can't believe they have done that to Ronnie after the storyline with Danielle that was bad enough.

beachholiday · 29/12/2010 20:39

The producers seem to have made some cuts to the scenes where Ronnie finds her baby has died. But they are deliberately ignoring the point that most people's objection is the swapping storyline that follows.

whoneedssleepanyway · 29/12/2010 20:43

It does seem reminiscent of that ridiculous storyline in footballer's wives where Tanya Turner swapped the babies....

gregssausageroll · 29/12/2010 21:04

Puppy, this is about the 5th or 6th thread on the subject on here alone. You must have been living on the moon not to have known it was coming up.

beachholiday · 29/12/2010 21:56

Plus the facebook campaigns against the story and the coverage in the newspapers about the complaints already received by the BBC.

Not having a go at Puppy, just saying this is one storyline that deserved to be spoilt.

Because the subject-matter should never have been misused in such a heartless sensationalist matter.

gregssausageroll · 29/12/2010 22:04

agreed beach.

gregssausageroll · 30/12/2010 13:02

Someone asked me how I knew kat realises straightaway that the baby isn't hers....Tommy is born with a club foot. Surely Ronnie can't keep that hidden for long?

norfolkBRONZEturkey · 30/12/2010 14:39

Who wouldn't recognise their own baby anyway

What utter utter tosh and it would be laughably funny if it wasn't so obviously not.

Original poster
deemented · 30/12/2010 14:46

Apparently a midwife does notice the baby's lack of club foot, but decides not to say anything.... Hmm

It's disgraceful, it really is.

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cornsilkcornedbeefhash · 30/12/2010 14:52

puppy monkey it is all over the news at the moment - numpty. You're not suggesting that Dee has ruined the episode for you surely?

PenelopeReindia · 30/12/2010 16:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fallot · 30/12/2010 16:36

Am I the only person who will be looking forward to EE as I always am?

Of course it's unrealistic and far fetched - it's a soap ffs.

As for out of bound story lines - all soaps are full of them. As for ronnie doing a swap - we already know she went a bit psycho after danielle's death which caused break up of her and Jack. So it's not that out of character.

I think it's a bit silly to think that just because a soap character behaves in a certain way then that's a reflection of all people who have experienced something in life like sids for example.

amothersplaceisinthewrong · 30/12/2010 16:46

Eastenders is just so utterly miserable these days and full of horrible twisted nasty characters. This storyline is just thes straw that broke the camel's back for me - I won't be watching any more. Corrie Rules OK.

Original poster
deemented · 30/12/2010 16:49

A baby dying, a bereaved mothers decent into madness and a baby swap - what's not to look forward to? Hmm

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RockinRobinBird · 30/12/2010 16:51

That statement from FSID is very interesting and necessary. EE have been using the backing from FSID as a defence for this, saying that they were doing everything by the letter when it was obvious to people with any sense that FSID were only advising on the death of the child, not the nonsense that follows. It's about time they clarified things.

bytheMoonlight · 30/12/2010 16:54

When is this actual episode on, I am refusing it - disgusting and agree with comments about final straw

AngeChica · 30/12/2010 16:58

Any EE baby that survives is destined in any case to be hidden upstairs in a nursery for 99% of its day. There will be no baby detritus strewn around the house. There will be no incessant feeding or sick stains on sofas or clothing or crows feet around the parents' eyes. This is the LAW of SOAP.

RockinRobinBird · 30/12/2010 17:07

The babies are born tonight and it all kicks off tomorrow, for a nice festive NYE.

True though AngeChica :o Max's son is a month older than DD and they still treat him like a baby (when he appears). DD is almost at school.

nightmareafterchristmas · 30/12/2010 17:11

I was reading about it in the tv mag.....
ronnie's baby has a club foot.
kat's doesn't

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