EastEnders: the SPOILERS thread!

[Southeastdweller]

Welcome to the EastEnders 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 BBC iPlayer - these are usually dropped at 6am on broadcast days - and you can read brief synopses of upcoming episodes:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m86d

And sorry to be personal but I absolutely hated Sonia and I thought Natalie Cassidy did a terrible job-her gurney and throwing around that tennis ball in a towel was fooling no one!

I'm so pleased she's going!

But I'll be sad to see the end of Bianca. Loved the brandy swigging!

I wonder if we'll see more of Grant next week coming to terms with Phil's depression and helping him through it. He's seemed woefully underused to far!

And can I just say how magnificent this thread has been this week through it all

Such a nicer place to discuss these things than FB and X!

It has!

It is an odd decision to kill off Martin. I get that they wanted a ‘big death’ but I don’t know why they chose him (it’s not clear if James chose to go, but even if he did they didn’t have to kill off Martin).

I still don’t know how Lacey is getting a maternity leave out of this. Stacey hasn’t got time to have a mental health collapse, even with what has already been screened she must have been working up to the day before the birth!

It seemed to be Natalie’s choice to leave from what I’ve read, she decided last summer. She has already been doing other work.

I wonder if Stacey will take the kids to "live in the country" as in their chat Martin alluded to wanting that? They can go for a year while she's on mat leave then come back cos it wasn't for them 🤷🏻‍♀️

The scream got me the most.

I'm still not ok.

I was hopeful that he would survive but I think when handsome paramedic said he's doing really well (or something like that?) the lady paramedic holding his IV bag thing shook her head and I said to my husband that confirmed it for me.

I'm not ok.

You know what? I'm sad about Martin obviously, but the thing that I'm grieving most is what could have been with him and Stacey.

I've always been team Martin & Stacey, was always rooting for them. DH hated them together and I'm blaming him for what happened last night 😂. It's the sadness of them getting back together only for it to be cruelly ripped away.

And I thought the death might have been Tracey Asia don't remember seeing her! Oh, how wrong I was 😢.

Don't come for me but I voted for Jack! I much prefer them as a couple and Ravi with Priya. I do agree that Jacks reaction was flat but I put that down as Scott being scared to mess up again 😂.

It was Stacey's scream that did it for me too. I keep saying it but she was outstanding last night if I was a casting director I'd be wanting her for bigger things

And yes this thread has been so lovely thank you all for the chat and company

There are some lovely tiktoks of a live watchalong at Boxpark in Wembley. Its crammed and you can hear all the laughs and shrieks and cheers from the audience - its like a big crowd watching a euros mens football final.

I agree. That was the most heartbreaking 💔

I suppose that Jack and Jack and Denise will be in domestic bliss for a while now or maybe even off screen.
I feel the new big story will be Grant leaving ( possibly with Nigel ?) and Sonia and Bianca too. I read that Grant asks him to come to Portugal with him. I hope he doesn't though.
It won't leave too many behind and just the prospect of Zac finding out his Barney's dad or maybe more Tommy and Kat , but the storylines are pretty scant ( barring Martins funeral , which I hope is a big one)
The knights will have to rebuild the pub with the insurance money and find somewhere for them all to live and Cindy will snarl at Kathy constantly

I can add Bianca's brandy swigging to my tv gold hi lights this week ! She was really good

As much as people are sad over losing Martin , they were even arguing whist he was being rescued. They would not have lasted for too long before one of them became bored with the domestic drudge.
Martin wasn't nice before to Sonia or to Stacey and she has form for straying.
She was begging him to take her back, he was always in two minds what to do for months even when she made it obvious she wanted a second chance and was almost throwing herself at him for being Mr January and at Christmas.
It's always hard losing big characters , but I'm not convinced they would have stayed the distance. They could have gone off into the sunset together I suppose , but not really dramatic enough for a 40th anniversary.
The actors did well with the live one though
Stacey was particularly good and is one of the best actresses on there.

I don't know how to add posters names, but the one who quoted a post of mine and said Bianca shouldn't talk to Sonia. I kind of agree because Sonia turned a blind eye on purpose to his behaviour, she got on her high horse whenever someone questioned his behaviour, she enabled him. Bianca loves Sonia but it's clear that the love isn't reciprocated. I really think Sonia should have died. It's a shame they turned her into what she is.

The funniest part for me was when Lauren said something like "we don't need to discuss the family tree". I actually thought her and Bianca did the live comedy timings well.
I'm never going to think that Martin was the correct death, as I've said before, they could have recast. For me the character Martin Fowler is Eastenders. He was the first baby and has grown with the show. There will soon be no original families left and that seems not only sad but unnecessary.

There are some family members left though.
They are not old enough for any big stories yet, but they are around ( Hope and Roman spring to mind) maybe Julia will be a Fowler too ?
Lily was brought up by Martin for years and saw him as her dad.
Ian was Martin's uncle so he has links there too.
Family names can die out, but it won't happen here I'm sure.

I feel like a big chapter of EE history has been closed. But life has to go on and I guess that’s what the writers are pointing out with the birth of Julia in the same episode of him dying. They wanted to get rid of the character, not the actor, so recasting wasn’t an option. This would be a big drop in income for James Bye - I can’t imagine the pressure he may be feeling now as a dad of four.

It did feel like the end didn't it south.
Maybe they shouldn't have spent loads on the new sets and just ended it here with a few wise words and just a one off special for Martin's funeral and a big old goodbye everyone !
I can't see it lasting another forty years really , or maybe it will in a different format.
The east end isn't like this anymore anyway.
It is completely different these days.
I'll carry on with it though , but I often wonder when it will end and how tbh.
( I know Corrie is still around though )

@Anyonecanfallinlove if you type an @ a list of posters should pop up...

FB has rehearsal photos for the alternate choice. 'Gerrin there D!'

She had more chemistry with Ravi !..
However , at least he can now peruse Priya

Thank you, for some reason only 4 posters come up and it won't let me scroll down to see more. Even if I write the full username it doesn't come up. I tried before just entering the typed name but then it doesn't actually tag the poster.

Yes Ravi and Priya are better suited. If Priya wasn't interested in Ravi, then I think the vote would have swung in his favour. The problem at the moment is there's no suitable couples, it's all a mismatch of randomers. There's no strong romance at all

This would be a big drop in income for James Bye - I can’t imagine the pressure he may be feeling now as a dad of four.

I often think this when characters are killed off - was it their choice? Have they been sacked? What will they do now? And they still have the pressure to perform at a high level, at least while the camera is on.

I suppose it’s the same for any high paying job (I’m making assumptions here that he is/was highly paid) but at least a random made redundant can get on with life in private.

Historically, a lot of soap actors don’t make it big elsewhere.