Shark Bytes

I used to think that Eastenders was more realistically written than American soaps. It's at the point where it's getting to be sloppy.

Over here I've just seen the episode where Lisa runs off with Lou a second time. Of course she leaves the postcard on the dresser so Phil will know where it is. Of course Sonia, otherwise a sensible person, would stick the baby's dress under the sofa cushion where its sticking out, and Phil will find it. First of all, if Mel is on the lam, why would Lisa put the card where anyone could find out where Mel is? Why didn't she just pack the dress and take it with her, to make it look like she intended to go back to the party, but got waylaid somehow? If Lisa is terrified of Phil, why would she brazenly write, "She's mine" on the mirror? For that matter, why would Sonia have opened the door to Phil a second time without calling someone for help? Furthermore, this all could have been avoided if Lisa had used her free time to see a lawyer and tell him that she was being emotionally abused and was unable to safely get her child away from the Mitchells. She was the mother and she still had rights. Phil didn't want a custody battle because of his criminal history, and besides he couldn't bring up the fact that Lisa shot him because he tried to blame another man for it, so Lisa had the upper hand after all. They could have shared custody,and she would have learned a valuable lesson. But noooooo. Phil is going to find Lisa and get his way again. I read on the website that they have a confrontation on the edge of a cliff and she hands over the baby. I would have written it that she calmly walked off the edge. It would have been the most sensible choice she ever made, and a fitting end to the dumbest sharacter on the show.

Characters like Phil & Grant, Steve, Dan, Johnny Allan. Dirty Den, made eastenders. It always had a bad boy character and that's what the east end of london was notorious for anyway. Folk like Ian beale have run their course and his annoying daughter Lucy is the worst character to have walked the square. Also bringing back Bianca and her extended family of step children is completely sinful.The writers turn character's children into mini versions of the parents.

The show jumped with the return of Dirty Den. It was a massive insult to the viewers intelligence and proved beyond any doubt that writers have lost the plot never to regain it. The show now revolves around pointless feuds, the occasional shock storyline and OTT characters who simply couldn't inhabit the planet Earth like the entire Slater family. Long lost, hitherto unmentioned relatives constantly pop out of nowhere and establish themselves as characters. Everybody works in the square and never seems to visit the rest of London, until they're written out and emigrate to Oz or NZ or some other remote location. The said square is inhabited by crooked cops, gangsters, thugs, paedophiles and murderers. In a recent episode young Jay decided to have himself commited to social care rather than be raised on the square, an example that every character in this has been soap would be well to adopt.

I've watched EE from the start in 1985, and it has always had its ups and downs, but it has never really recovered from the departure of the Watts family in 2005. Without the Watts the show just isn't what it used to be. When Chrissie Watts left it was the last straw - she was the only thing holding the show together, and without her it's pretty dire.

Bring back Chrissie Watts or Sharon and it might improve again!!

The last really great storyline the show had was the Who Shot Phil? one, which is now 7 years ago. The tension between Phil, Steve and Dan drove the plot, with the characters being played by 3 excellent actors. Since then the show had just lost the plot and great characters are being killed off every year. It's pathetic, someone on the square dies every xmas. The last remaining hopes, Dennis and Sharon and Martin and Sonia, are now gone and we're left with boring, contrived families, most of who cannot act. The Mitchells were the most iconic family on the show and had the best plotlines, but when Grant left, a void was left that can never be filled. I don't know why Phil's even still in the show, as he's not served a purpose since the Dennis-Johnny plot and they've now got him turning violent towards his son, the one thing he swore he'd never do. EE no longer has fantastic characters or stories and hasn't done for a long time. The writers kill off characters not because it's the best thing for the storyarc but just as a ratings ploy.

Our local PBS outlet in S.Cal abruptly pulled the plug on the on EE just as Little Moe was convicted (April 2002). Anybody know of a way to at least complete our viewing at least till Pauline dies (Dec 2006)... Torrents, Bootleg DVDs?

I used to think Eastenders was good when we had characters like Mel and Steve Owen. The Slaters kind of ruined it and Pauline dying was like the final nail in the coffin. At least Coronation Street and Emmerdale work much harder to keep their older cast members. I live in America also and the last time I saw it was when Pauline died when I was over in the UK for xmas 2006.

Our PBS channel is about a year behind.
For me, a loyal viewer since I was a teen, Eastenders has suffered because of the Slater family. There Charlie and his mopey face and whining; always giving advice to his daughter, Lynn on how to be a better victim in life; Kat, with her constant screeching and attacking, the writers have turned a compelling character who could have been another Tiffany into a over-the -top shrew; Zoe, who is determined to stay up under her smothering, meddling
depressing family, when she has spirit, intellegence and looks to die for(the most maddening character); Little Moe, the eternal martyr/victim who takes after her father; and the worst of the bunch, Nan Moe, the most annoying character on the whole show, who's voice is like a jackhammer to the brain. Her attempt at framing the Doc with drugs was a new low, even for her. Of, course the rarely seen daughter, Belinda, who had the good sense to get away from those people, is portrayed as a stuck-up shallow bitch because you can't be posh and be nice, right?
I also am finding it hard to stomach
Sharon with her twisted lip look when she's trying to be seductive, rotten-egg Phil who always gets attractive women to fall for his manipulations,(how?), stupid Lisa, who is determined to ruin her life over and over, and the dumbest of the lot, Mark Fowler who was once too suspicious; now when it comes to Lisa who, mind you, was going to run away to America without him if he didn't sabotage it by telling Phil; is oblivious to the fact that she and Phil are carrying on right under his nose. In a way, I can't blame Lisa. Any man who thinks a decent gift is a bracelet that belonged to his dead wife is not playing with a full deck. Also, I can't believe Phil would ever sleep with a woman who might be exposed to HIV, and even allow his daughter to live in the house with an infected person since he expressed concern about his niece, Courtney, being baby-sat by Mark's former wife.

The show was only great when it focused on couples like Den/Angie, Grant/Sharon, Grant/Tiffany, Mel/Steve and Sharon/Dennis. It jumped the shark when all these great characters left and we were stuck with crappy new characters who couldn't act to save their lives.

But let's face it, people. This show officially jumped the shark when that bitch Chrissie Watts came in from nowhere as Den's wife from Spain and viciously murdered him then buried him under The Queen Vic (Den's pub) and framed Sam Mitchell for it. That's when the writers officially lost the plot, and to see one of the greatest ever tv characters shamelessly depart from the show in such a horrible way, is when you know the show has just completely lost it. They should NEVER have brought him back after 14 years if this is the way they were gonna treat his character.

Dan...you may get your wish. We get EE here in South Florida on our PBS station (because of the large British community here). Last episode I saw Little Mo was just let out of jail after being accused of Attempted Murder of the abusive husband to give you an idea how far behind we are. After reading just two pages of comments here I feel like I just watched years worth in one fell swoop. And it ain't worth sitting though the second time.

it JTS when alfie left i loved him in it....he better come back :D i love shane ritchie such a wee cutie.

seriously, people watch this dross in aMERica? you people need to stop watching. do us brits a favour, we'll never be free of it if you don't tune out.

When pauline fowler died. she had been the main chracter from the beginning.

I tuned off a couple of years back, why, crap Kray type gangster, Eastenders is a Soap, not Sopranos. Also yes the rape of Little Mo for the second time was quite a shark jumper wasn't it. How much more horror will they put this woman through.

If there was a prize for the longest a series has gone on after jumping the shark this is it, the writer have jumped the great white they have grown wings. End it, now.