Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Understand THIS About Phil and Sharon

Everything Phil's become has been the ultimate result of not being able to be with Sharon. That's the simple truth.

Phil is not perfect. Indeed, he's a very flawed character; but he's lived his life in the shadow of two strong women - Peggy, his mother, and Sharon, the one who got away.

When push comes to shove, I'd say Phil loves Sharon more than she loves him. She was ready to break with Grant and leave him for Phil until she saw how vulnerable Grant was, and she shafted Phil for Grant.

Every marriage or relationship subsequent to that, for Phil, has been overshadowed by Sharon's unseen presence, including his relationship with Kathy, which triggered Sharongate. He drunkenly and truthfully pointed out to Tiffany, in Kathy's presence, that she wasn't Sharon. He raged at and cruelly manipulated Lisa because she wasn't Sharon, had angry sex with Mel because she represented Sharon; and he'd drop Shirley in a trice if Sharon would drop her knickers.

And whilst Phil's a convenience for Sharon, she doesn't love him the way he loves her; in fact, she's not above using him for her own ends.

And when we're talking about Sharon, she's actually had three (count'em) "loves of her life:" - Grant, Tom and Dennis. Discount the last two and concentrate on the first.

Want to shake Eastenders up? Bring back Grant Mitchell. Now. Why?

People expostulate and point fingers of blame at Phil Mitchell being "responsible" for Dennis Rickman's death. There's only one person responsible for Dennis's death, and it ain't Phil. It's the fragrant Dennis, himself. Dennis was 32 years old, a competent adult, assumingly with a modicum of common sense. And free will. He knew damned well he had a pregnant wife waiting at home to leave the country for a new start (although, in reality, Dennis would have been turned back by Immigration and Naturalisation at the US border for having a criminal record); still, he decided to play big man and defend his wife's honour with a man like Jonnie Allen, even emphasizing his perceived decency by leaving Allen his mobile in order to call an ambulance.

Dennis was either naive or stupid or both, and you'd think he'd have been neither, considering his former gangster connections. Jonnie's first thought, even though his head had been kicked in, would have been to get revenge, which is what he did, and Dennis was toast.

Now, people are also wanting "the truth" to come out about this for Sharon, just if and when she gets cozy with Phil, but how can she know? Who'll tell her?

Phil knows, and he won't - even though he wanted to in the wake of Dennis dying.

Peggy knows, but she's not around; and even if she were, that's a secret she'd take to her grave if it meant scuppering Phil's happiness.

Dennis knows, and he's dead.

Jonnie Allen knows, and he's dead.

Danny Moon knows, and he's dead.

It's doubtful that Phil would even have confessed as much to Shirley. If he wouldn't tell her his part in covering up Heather's murder, he's hardly going to tell her this. So how can Sharon ever know?:

Because Grant knows.

People don't believe it, because a lot of them are too young to remember, but there's still a lot of fall-out and unfinished business between the Mitchell brothers and Sharon; and all it would take would be for Phil and Sharon to get engaged, and Sharon to succumb to Grant's charms - a Sharongate in reverse - for accusations and recriminations to start sailing to the fore.

But even if Grant didn't return and some retcon enabled another character to keep this secret, how would she react? Milennium Sharon, of which this incarnation appears to be an extension, would wail, moan and beat her ample breasts; but real Sharon, while she would be angry at Phil, would be angrier at Dennis for having been so stupid. She and Phil would have angry make-up sex and she'd get on with it.

But this isn't the Nineties, and Eastenders has been dumbed down.

By the way, Jay forgave Billy in the most mature way. As for Kevin Wicks, he approached Phil about getting him some late model motors to sell in order to raise enough money to buy a house for Denise. Whilst Kevin realised the cars Phil provided might be stolen, neither he nor Phil sussed that they were actually cut-and-shuts. In fact, when Phil found out, he and Kevin went about systematically destroying the cars and stealing the few which had been sold.

You can't finger Phil for Kevin's death, and you certainly can't finger him for Dennis's.

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