Last night's double bill of my favourite soap blew people away. It was highly emotionally charged and both the writing and acting were award winning.
In the first episode we said goodbye to dear old Charlie Slater, which was a lot more heartwrenching than I expected when I first heard that he was going to Walford's heaven in the sky. I think maybe Kat's heartache, upon finding out that she has a secret son, and the betrayal by her mother and Mo, made it all the more poignant.
Kat had screamed blue murder at Mo, and Charlie, too, before his attack came on. In the shock of what was happening, the Slater secrets were swept under the carpet.
I thought it was so clever, that one of Charlie's last lines was all about Brian's secret family and the the fact that he had 'three girls'. The seed of doubt was planted in Kat's mind that Kyle was lying to Stacey about being her brother. Of course, we know that Kyle is Transgender, and hasn't yet managed to tell Stacey the truth.
This might well be a good thing, as Stacey's Post-Partum Psychosis escalated to frightening lengths during the second episode last night.
Convinced that baby Arthur is the son of God, Stacey thinks that everyone is out to take him away from her. And innocent remarks from those around her spurred this on.
I especially felt for Carmel last night. She's heartbroken for Shabnam and Kush, after discovering that they can't have any more children, and knowing that her one hope of having a grandchild is just across the Square was too much for her to keep quiet about. Bonnie Langford has slotted straight in to Alvert Square and I really like her character. The secret about Kush being Arthur's real dad was also revealed to Shabnam last night, as she overheard an upset Kush breaking down to Carmel, after he and Martin frantically tried to track Stacey and the baby down.
It's a complicated situation, where I feel for everybody involved, even Kush and Stacey, because although they did betray Shabnam and Martin by keeping their one night stand a secret, as far as I remember, that it happened while neither party was in a relationship with their now partners.
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| It was a sad goodbye to Uncle Charlie... |
I'm looking forward to the Ireland spin-off, where the Moon's head off to find Zoe's lost twin, Luke. The social media rumour mill has said that not only could Sean Slater be the boy, but also Stacey's ex, Luke, played by Matt Willis (remember?!) The only evidence is that the two share the same name, but as Sister Ruth said - adopted baby's names are more than likely changed.
If Kat does find her son, then another character may well be introduced to the Square - and that's never a bad thing. I assumed when the plot was announced that he would be someone already living in Walfiod (I love a Soap coincidence!) but as it's gone on, I think the likelihood of that has shrunk.
The second episode of last night ended with Stacey on the roof of the Queen Vic, but before getting there, she believed she'd found a 'sign' from her dad, and called Kyle to meet her, as she thinks that her dad sent him, as the only one she can trust. It was a heartwarming scene as Kyle, who seems so desperate to be accepted by his sister, went along with Stacey's erratic plans, promising to looks after her and Arthur, even though his face told that he was concerned about Stacey's behaviour. Once the penny finally dropped for Kyle, that Stacey wasn't well, he called Martin, who then subsequently told Stace that Brian had never had a son...
Stacey was now even more petrified, and a worried Kyle watched as Stacey ran with Arthur, into a cab, where she had a vision of Charlie, telling her to go home. For EastEnders, this was a risky scene, but worked, as it took us into Stacey's mind.
As Stacey went upstairs at The Vic, I found it strange that Nancy didn't seem worried that she just went up to their home, and didn't immediately go to find out what Stacey wanted in the flat above The Vic.
Anyhow, Stacey wanted to go on to the rooftop to be closer to God.
The episode's end was filmed beautifully picturesque, as the camera zoomed outwards and upwards, leaving Stacey teetering at the point where her beloved Bradley fell to his death. Lacey Turner was astonishing during these episodes, and her acting shone. She was even praised on Twitter for an 'Oscar Winning Performance'!
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| Lacey Turner's performance was award winning... Surely! |
Martin will then realise that something is seriously wrong with Stacey's frame of mind, but how will he help her? And now that Shabnam knows the truth about Arthur's paternity, and with Stacey suffering with her Post Partum Psychosis, will she reveal the truth to Martin straight away?
I think the secret will stay hidden for a while longer, at least. One thing I will be surprised about is if Kush and Shabnam's marriage survives. I just don't think that Shabs will be able to stay, knowing the truth. I would like to actually see her moved in with Shirley, Buster and her daughter, Jade. The relationship building between Shabnam and Jade has been a nice, slow-burning one to watch, especially with the circumstances surrounding, and I think that Shirley and Shabnam could actually be a good partnership with bringing Jade up, as they are so polar opposite.
EastEnders has surpassed its Christmas and New Year surprises, and it's only one week into the New Year. Looking ahead, I'm excited to see what's next... especially with Phil's cirrhosis storyline and him tracking down long-lost Louise... Roxy will also almost certainly have to return at some point, and Ronnie's life will be flipped once more with Jack's permanent return.
I definitely think it's time for a full-on Mitchell comeback over the coming months!
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