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

That would make sense. We've already gone through that with Nicola and Barney but Wadey does like a reprise.

They did similar with the 'Rose' character in Corrie last year (Ma Driscoll), she had a secret affair 30 odd years earlier although it was just to facilitate a half-brothership between Ben and Steve.

Next week looks pretty dire. Ned is everywhere, sticking his oar in with Mark and Lauren, and with Ryder. And Kat is having a breakdown.

Next week with Kat does look particularly depressing. She is drinking and leaning on Phil for comfort , not a man that gives out empathy vibes at the best of times! Although he has just lost Nigel , so he might have some words of wisdom.

It’ll be Ned now from now on won’t it!
I bet he gets Mark to beat up the man Ryder was with.
Only a guess, but has to be a reason we saw the man with Ryder.

Yes it'll be something to do with Ryder, you could be right about that.
I wonder if we will get an explanation for Ned being a homophobe. In the closet himself? The film American Beauty featured a homophobic closeted ex-soldier.

Hmm, speculation online that Ned is probably gay or bi himself. He doesn’t seem that close to Gemma or put on a bit. More angst if this is the case

There was also that drama earlier this year, TipToe, with a murderous closeted bigot. I expect Wadey watched it 😆

Tip toe was disturbing wasn’t it shelling.
Yep, Ned doing something like that wouldn’t be a surprise now I know what he is like! Good call.

.. although they still didn’t get Ned to sort out Megan’s boyfriend! Which is weird.

It's just shoddy storytelling I think? They don't seem very good at joining the dots at the moment!

Yes TipToe was disturbing. And thinking back, the guy discovered his son was gay didn't he, that was what kicked off his reign of terror.

It’ll probably be elements of tip
toe 🙄 I can see it happening now you said it!

I don't see how Ned would get away with being homophobic on Albert Square.

No, that is true that Albert sq isn’t like this , but Ned has a problem with it and it then involves Ryder. Two characters we could all do without tbh! Lol
( although Ned doesn’t make a terrible baddie really, potential there)

But we've been through the "parent struggling with their child's sexuality" so many times. Phil and Ben, Mamood & Zainab's son (Syed?), Calumn and his dad, Elaine's husband led a gay double life, Linda initially struggled with Johnny... and these are just the more recent ones. I remember back in the day, the original Tiffany's gay brother Simon and their homophobic father. It's a minor EE obsession.

Surely there will be some kind of twist to make this SL a bit more original. Ned is young and it's surprising that he'd be homophobic so I think as a PP said perhaps he is gay. He doesn't seem to have any genuine interest in his wife. Maybe he had an affair with someone in the army. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned why he left.

I think that Ned was retired out the army , but I may have made that up 😆?
He then became a counselor, a bad one I guess as he was quick to use that recording against Adam wasn’t he!

I haven't watched last weeks but maybe the confusion is because Ryder has found himself a boyfriend from outside of the Square <gasp>

Of course when we find out who he is , Ned would have had some sort of run in with him. Either a client from his therapy , a fight , a blackmail victim , a conquest or a "stay away from my son, I'm warning you"

ill be really annoyed if this is another “I’m ashamed of my gay child because I’m secretly gay” storyline. It’s lazy writing. We are already dealing with the revisit of that with Suki and Ash right now. Which is probably why, they will all support each other with the coming out of the closet.

maybe it’s just me but I don’t feel it’s a necessary storyline in this day and age, I’ve not met anyone ashamed of their sexuality for over 20 years.

Ash has every right to be annoyed at Suki after the stick she gave her for being gay!
Maybe they will do something else with Ned and this story , but it appears it may be the same old, same old.

I don't think Ned is secretly gay or bi - think it's building up to Ned being homophobic but only when it comes to his son - that's perhaps part of his reasoning when he said to Nic that Ryder has to have the 'right' life. Jamie Bamber has a hugely varied CV and this is his first soap which makes me think he signed up to a short contract. I can't imagine him being one of the 'lifer's'.

I agree.. there’s so much more potential to him than lazy writing.

Also this ruthless, cunning version of Ned we are seeing is at odds with a man who was so easily defrauded by that bumbling business partner. I mean it’s odd that he is so clever at getting his own way with Nicola and the club, seems to be scheming to manipulate Ian, yet he was tricked by the business partner who took all his money and pretended to flee abroad (but was in fact living just down the road). It’s quite inconsistent.

@MyWildOliveGoose agree it's such an old fashioned storyline.

New thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5588048-eastenders-the-spoilers-thread

Why is Zack staying at Peacock Palace

Wasn't he staying at the Slater house and they got evicted? Or was he somewhere else? It's always like musical chairs with regards to who lives where in Albert Square 😆