EastEnders: the SPOILERS thread!

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the EE spoilers thread, where we post and talk about any EE spoilers we've read about, including those in early release episodes on iPlayer.

Link below to watch episodes on iPlayer - these are usually dropped at 6am on broadcast days - and you can also read brief synopses of upcoming episodes:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m86d

Just read that we haven’t seen the last of Dean. Jade goes to visit him in prison next Thursday.

I guess Jade needs to have that talk with Dean, to demonstrate how completely alone he is now.

@Icehockeyflowers we didn't see the assault, we just saw Yolande crying in the stock room as the pastor left. There were flashbacks as far as 2002 when the pastor first starting offending with parishioners - always women of Yolande's age. They all reported it but in the earlier cases the church elders said it would reflect badly on the woman, keep quiet. Pastor was moved to a different parish to reoffend there. I think there were five incidents shown between 2002 and now, and as time went on the women were believed and listened to - and were speaking to other women rather than men. But no action was ever taken. In the final case (2018 I think) a female detective was telling the woman the CPS could not prosecute as no evidence.

All of those cases were interspersed with Yolande talking to Elaine, and given as 'evidence' as to why it would be unwise/pointless for Yolande to report it. Yolande is a very private person and said she could not report what happened to authorities like church/police. The actor playing the pastor is very good at his role, to the point I can barely watch him.

Cindy and family were in the pub reminiscing about Lucy (10 years) and Cindy realised she'd missed so much of her life she barely knew her, got upset, went to find George. George told her the kiss was a mistake and "Elaine is a good woman".

This is exactly what I felt. No point reporting it because nothing will happen.

I suppose to me, this raises awareness of sexual assault and rape on older women by younger men.

Tie in the Hollyoaks episode where Maxine was violently attacked after walking home from a night out and other crimes against women on soap operas and how much of this actually means more men get charged with violent crimes against women? Two of the women, Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard, lived not far from me, in fact Cator Park where Sabina walked was a park I had rediscovered over lockdown (had known of it before but not been there much) and Sarah walked nearby to where I live too and is in fact where my nana and grandad lived (nana, Battersea and grandad, Clapham Common). I've never walked through Cator Park alone at night, but I've certainly walked Sarah's route before, at night.

I mean I appreciate awareness being raised, but if it's just to raise viewing figures... I do sometimes find this in poor taste.

I'd actually thought Yolande's attack was going to be shown. In some ways, I was pleased it wasn't shown, as it could be triggering to many of us, and in another way, I thought it was sort of glossed over by not showing some of the attack.

On another note, I heard Kacey Ainsworth (Little Mo) might be returning. Loved her when she was Little Mo.

I've not watched yet but I think yolande is so private that she would be mortified to talk to a police officer/Church officials/Patrick about what he did, she knows its wrong she knows she isn't at fault but it would be too much for her.

Thank you both so much.

There seems to be a running theme in EE of men assaulting women without consequences..

They portray the Six as strong women but really they are anything but, they anre all abused women.

I’m still not over the scene of Dean assaulting Linda in the kitchen.

Does Stella know her husband does this? It sounds like it?

Maybe Yolande or someone ( Elaine?) might find out about the other cases online ?
Although it's difficult without any or much evidence I suppose to convict him?
Not sure if Stella knows anything or not tbh.
She is such a nasty woman she may even be in on it ? Which is a vile thought , but she isn't the nicest of people so who knows? Or would just defend him anyway. Why go with an older woman kind of attitude, she is lying.
I didn't think her scene with the Pastor was as bad as Linda with Dean , that was much more graphic I thought , but this was still upsetting none the less.

I'm just catching up the whitney stuff is irritating, and it isn't going to end well.

I think Whitney will be off soon
She'll probably take Britney and live with Bianca
I saw a tv guide with Lauren and Whitney on the front saying LIAR for next week, so I guess it'll come to a head eventually
Lauren will meddle

I was thinking the same @Icehockeyflowers - the Square is a magnet for psychos, no woman is safe. Dean has barely left and another one already has his feet under the table. There has been an overdose recently, with Stacey’s stalker, Dean’s many crimes, the pastor, Keanu trying to strangle Sharon. Probably others I've forgotten.

I agree I found Linda’s rape really harrowing. Yolande’s assault was barely seen, what was upsetting was the lengthy aftermath showing Yolande’s distress, which was very well done.

I FF some of the pastor’s scenes so I am not sure about Stella, but my impression is that she is his ‘beard’. He has a gorgeous young wife so why on earth would be go around assaulting old ladies. She would not believe he was doing it, I think she despises most of the parishioners?

I’d forgotten the Whitney stuff - it is just an irritant isn’t it. I am still not sure what her exit will be, possibly Milton Keynes given that’s where this all started.

There are some good men about the square.
Harvey isn't perfect , but he tries his best I think and fairly decent.
Billy cleaned up his act a long time ago and is a good dad.
Alfie is flawed, but he also does his best
Phil has his moments , but not a brilliant role model, he can be good sometimes!
Mick was ok, but obviously gone now.
Patrick is a gent , but even he has a checkered past.
Not one is a normal working dad with his kids around him though and hasn't a past! It's rare in EE to get this kind of character.

Lauren will definitely meddle.

I thought Yolandes story was powerful and I liked the other stories interspersed was so different from the usual way they go.i hope it all catches up with the other church ladies will rally round Yolande but I don't think so.

They can’t ’rally around’ as they have already accused Yolanda and the pastor of flirting with each other or at least of the pastor flirting and Yolanda denying it.

Yeah it would have been a satisfying story end. That's obviously how he has got away with it he singles them out.

Stella makes my skin crawl too
What a tool she is!
Wouldn't surprise me if she knows but overlooks it all.

I imagine Stella is prickly because she thinks all these "old women" are bothering her husband, I wonder how long they have been married?

I agree. Eastenders feels like it’s gone down the route of trauma for the sake of it, particularly with regards to violence against women. It’s becoming very unpleasant. I don’t know how much can be justified in the name of raising awareness and how productive it actually is. It feels more like wallowing in the misery of an unfair society.

Meanwhile, I also don’t understand Stella’s motivations. Surely she must understand her husband is a sexual predator. Why is she bullying Yolande and enabling his behaviour? Unless the idea is that she is naive and maybe this storyline will be her awakening and she will be the one to take action?

I agree, Phil is actually one of my favourite characters! I don’t feel it’s so much that the men on the square are bad as it is that the female characters are portrayed as permanent victims or victims in waiting. I think the writers do not write women well. I think the male characters are portrayed as human and make mistakes and bad choices sometimes and can be cruel, but the female characters, even the ‘strong’ ones, are consistently portrayed as vulnerable and just one step away from being a victim. It’s quite dehumanising.

Yes. I agree the women are not represented that well.

@the80sweregreat Phil actually looks like a really good guy when you compare him with the likes of Dean and the pastor!

The church ladies said previously that the pastor is known for ‘having affairs’, they have no idea what he’s actually doing. I doubt they would believe Yolande - she herself would not have believed it before yesterday.

Older women in soaps have always been 'tragic queens' but they weren't getting repeatedly assaulted, it was more centred around them being cheated on/conned/dumped/bereaved. I suppose the original vulnerable victim was Angie, with her husband and drink problem.

Yeah, the others are better than Dean, the Pastor and Lucas for sure !

I posted on the other thread about too many assaults on women. It's putting me off watching, particularly with my other half. He feels the men are all portrayed as predators and I feel the women are portrayed as victims. I think they are getting it very wrong at the moment. Not because of the abuse storylines, but the sheer volume of them.

Plus people get away with a lot of stuff they shouldn't. Not just the pastor, but the six have killed a man and stuck him the ground and get away with it.

Mind you, I liked Eastenders when there were storylines about bins not being collected and I think I was a minority 😂

A dose of reality might not go amiss tbh !
The real ' life admin ' they never seem to do
The bins !!
Running businesses, which they make look easy and probably isn't nowadays
Why do all these places never have any deliveries? Sorting out insurance claims .. I could go on but won't ! lol
Maybe that is so boring for a soap , but would inject some realism into it from time to time

I agree with you it's all too much now, bring back Carmel marching about the market complaining about Bins!

The other abuse storyline I forgot was of course Nish and Suki. And of course Eddie terrorising everyone in sight.

The storylines individually worked well enough (except Stacey-Theo which seemed completely pointless) but they have been compressed into too short a timeframe. Soaps used to focus on one villain at a time, not a whole army of them.

Eddie managed to look folorn and vunerable in Prison for a few minutes - but how quickly he turned back to his real self