I know the phrase "critical thinking," as well as the activity, itself, is on a bit of a downer amongst the extreme Right wing of the American political system, but I really hadn't thought "critical thinking" was off the agenda in the British education system.
Well, not until I started reading Digital Spy and Walford Web kindergarten. Either "critical thinking" isn't on the curriculum anymore, or people are just so amazingly arrogant and comfortable in their narrow-mindedness, that they are incapable of seeing situations on more than one level.
There's a numptie on Digital Spy soaps forum, benbenalen, who is either very young or not very bright or both. He's started a thread entitled Why Is Alfie So DUMB? Going on Holiday as Soon as He Finds Out!
It's one of a number of threads and innumerable comments made regarding the "reveal" of Kat's infidelity last night. benbenalen and others are disappointed, and think that Alfie's forgiven Kat, taken her back and decided to go on holiday.
These people don't know their arses from their elbows. They are stupid and can't see beyond one level - and that's a level which wasn't even portrayed last night in any scene with Kat and Alfie.
Right ... let me give you my opinion about what should have happened last night, had Bryan Kirkwood still have been at the helm. Let me stress this: What I'm about to say is my opinion. It's not fact, simply what I think may have been what was supposed to have occurred.
Actually, I don't think this storyline was meant to end, even partially, last night. When the damned thing was punted about in PR blurbs, it was quite categorically stated that the Shagger's identity would be revealed "in the autumn." Technically, we're in the dying days of summer, so I think this storyline was originally meant to run until mid-October at the most, when Shaggerman's identity - as well as Kat's extra-curricular activity - would come publically to the fore.
We would have had a "duff-duff" from one episode with Alfie sussing not only that Kat was cheating, but also with whom. We may even have had a few more interim episode before there would be a big, public, in-the-Vic reveal ... of course, Shaggerman would be Derek, and of course, Kat would have been named, shamed, shunned and left Walford.
Because I believe, had Kirkwood stayed, that this was going to be Jessie Wallace's leaving line. Serious affairs in soaps usually herald the departure of a major participant, and affairs involving someone linked with the Vic are usually painfully made public.
For example, there's this classic original:-
Or this little gem from 2000:-
The first example, Sharongate (the original sibling-sharing storyline), heralded the beginning of the departure storyline for Letitia Dean, the first time. The second example, was Mike Reid's last departure from the soap.
My premise is that Shaggerman would, under Kirkwood's tutelage, result in the big and very public reveal of Shaggerman as Derek in October, to a packed Vic, which would result in Alfie publically repudiating and kicking Kat out. It would be Jessie Wallace's departure. Kat would leave Walford in disgrace, and Derek would stay to gloat. This was his payback for Alfie's having scammed him earlier in the year.
There is really no way Alfie and Kat, separated, could remain in the Square. Were that to transpire, you'd have a repeat of that kabuki theatre production that Max and Tanya have become. Nope, instead Kat would be identified (correctly) as a spent force (thanks entirely to Kirkwood, himself), whilst Alfie would be allowed to remain and be developed in another direction. It's why so much time and effort were invested in his relationship with Roxy, especially since the viewing public recognised the chemistry existent between the two actors - just as the viewing public did in 2002 between Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie.
But I think the storyline's been tweaked and for a variety of reasons. I think Newman, who is reputed to be savvy regarding viewer interests, knew that the storyline was immensely unpopular with viewers - so unpopular, that I think it actually surprised the production team. Therefore, Newman pulls the actual "affair" bit to a close early, rearranges things so that Alfie discovers Kat is having an affair, but not with whom, and does some more tweaking in order to bring the Shaggerman reveal more in line with "All Things Bright and Branningful" which is what this autumn is rapidly becoming, leading up to a Very Branning Christmas, which will involve Max, Tanya (and Max's secret), Derek dealing with the fall-out from Joey's accident (one is praying that Mr Muscle is rendered kaput from the car crash), the reveal to Alfie that Derek is Mr Shaggerman and the ensuing establishment that Kat is a lying piece of skank, possibly Derek finding out (via the return of Shirley the Woman Scorned) that Phil was the lychpin in covering for Ben as Heather's murderer, and quite possibly Derek finding out that Lola's sprog sprang from Ben's loins.
All roads lead to Derek. And Derek may even be traveling that final road in an oaken box (probably made from Joey's remains).
So with the Newman version of Shaggergate in mind, let's look at why Alfie and Kat last night, especially Alfie, isn't exactly what it might have seemed at first to the less intelligent viewer. Or the one who is incapable of thinking and analysing.
This is actually a bit troubling, because even lotty27, who's usually a very astute long-term viewer didn't seem to get the multi-leveling of Alfie's reaction last night:-
To begin with, I don't think Wallace's lacklustre performance had anything to do with hersuspension "heartbreak" of last year and everything to do with the fact that Wallace is an actress who lights up the screen only when the writing given her with which to work is above par. There are quite a few soap genre actors who can take a mediocre script and make it sing - Steve McFadden is one - but Jessie Wallace simply isn't.
She's also lost the ethos of Kat and has done so since her return in 2010. That may partially have to do with the excessive botox she seems to have used, it may have to do with the crap writing given her character; but mostly, the actress hasn't been able to capture the public's empathy this time around. Especially during the odious babyswap storyline. The oddest thing about that clusterfuck was that the two most sympathetic characters in the entire mess were the males concerned - Alfie, because he was so totally ignored and humiliated by his wife, and Jack, who suffered the worst of deceptions by his wife.
But too many viewers are equating Alfie's agreeing to go on holiday with Kat to forgiveness (again) and capitulation. It wasn't.
Once again, let's review the situation analytically:-
Alfie had actually begun to suspect something wasn't quite right about Kat's behaviour a couple of episodes ago, with the arrival of the roses. In fact, that was how he broached the conversation with her, gently stating the simple fact that dads don't send roses to their daughters.
Kat and Alfie are husband and wife. Incredibly, they read each other's actions and vibes like books. Max and Tanya are the same, which is why they are so frustrating. Max knows how to manipulate Tanya, and she knows exactly what his shortcomings are, yet she tolerates them.
Alfie knows the signs when Kat is hiding something from him; and Kat got those sort of suspicious vibes from Alfie, which is why she was initially panicking about being discovered.
Also, we, the viewers, know that Kat's "confession" was only half-baked and riddled with lies. She admitted to the affair, but refused to identify Mr Shagger, instead telling Alfie he was someone Alfie didn't know and made up a convoluted lie about someone from Catford, whom she couldn't remember where she'd met him yadda yadda.
Alfie bought none of this, even pushing back, almost violently, to glean the truth from her, to no avail. So what does Alfie do?
He lets her wallow in her lies. He knows she's lying. He knows that Shaggerman is probably local, someone he knows and someone who drinks in the Vic. He's simply giving her enough rope with which to hang herself. Kat, on the other hand, probably knows full well that Alfie doesn't believe her, but she thinks that if she keeps maintaining that Alfie doesn't know the culprit, if the man stops calling her (because she's destroyed the cellphone) and if she gives Alfie a couple of meaningful fucks, it might all blow over - in time, but she hopes it will.
Alfie, knowing she's lying, is settling down for the eventual to happen - a lie usually outs itself before long, and once this lie is proven, Kat is toast. His trust in her is gone. The reason he's with her now is because of Tommy and the business - now, more than ever, his words to Roxy ring hollow and true.
As for the apology, Kat never once thought of doing this on her own. Instead, her first defence - and she presents a defence - is that she's "like that." She's dirty, and the inevitable, she isn't "right in the head." As if that excuses her inappropriate behaviour.
Alfie buys none of that bullshit.
In fact, it's Michael who plants the suggestion in her head that maybe she really ought to apologise, like beg on her hands and knees for Alfie's forgiveness, because Alfie loves her. And even though Kat acts upon Michael's advice, the viewer (and Alfie) actually gets the message that Kat's eventual apology is all about being sorry she got caught and nothing more.
She has an urgency to paper over the cracks, run away from the scene of the crime (which only alerts Alfie to the situation that Shaggerman, more than ever, is a local yokel), and hope that maybe Alfie's as shallow as she is and will accept her attempts to laugh away her misbehaviour away from Walford - all the time protecting the identity of the mystery shagger, which (of course) Alfie knows she's doing.
Yep, Kat said that she was sorry, but did anyone hear Alfie say he forgave her? I didn't. In fact, when he agreed to go away with her, he was at pains to remind her that he couldn't promise and wouldn't promise that this "holiday" would change the way he was feeling at the moment.
That's not an apology. That's not a capitulation. That's biding one's time. Kat doesn't realise now that her marriage is a boiling cauldron, with Alfie sitting on the lid. He will stay with her long enough now to expose her as a liar and discover the identity of Shaggerman.
Of course, this will all happen at Christmas.
If Lorraine Newman is cognizant of the EastEnders' code, which she should be, Kat (and Jessie Wallace) should be toast by 25th December.
Well, not until I started reading Digital Spy and Walford Web kindergarten. Either "critical thinking" isn't on the curriculum anymore, or people are just so amazingly arrogant and comfortable in their narrow-mindedness, that they are incapable of seeing situations on more than one level.
There's a numptie on Digital Spy soaps forum, benbenalen, who is either very young or not very bright or both. He's started a thread entitled Why Is Alfie So DUMB? Going on Holiday as Soon as He Finds Out!
It's one of a number of threads and innumerable comments made regarding the "reveal" of Kat's infidelity last night. benbenalen and others are disappointed, and think that Alfie's forgiven Kat, taken her back and decided to go on holiday.
These people don't know their arses from their elbows. They are stupid and can't see beyond one level - and that's a level which wasn't even portrayed last night in any scene with Kat and Alfie.
Right ... let me give you my opinion about what should have happened last night, had Bryan Kirkwood still have been at the helm. Let me stress this: What I'm about to say is my opinion. It's not fact, simply what I think may have been what was supposed to have occurred.
Actually, I don't think this storyline was meant to end, even partially, last night. When the damned thing was punted about in PR blurbs, it was quite categorically stated that the Shagger's identity would be revealed "in the autumn." Technically, we're in the dying days of summer, so I think this storyline was originally meant to run until mid-October at the most, when Shaggerman's identity - as well as Kat's extra-curricular activity - would come publically to the fore.
We would have had a "duff-duff" from one episode with Alfie sussing not only that Kat was cheating, but also with whom. We may even have had a few more interim episode before there would be a big, public, in-the-Vic reveal ... of course, Shaggerman would be Derek, and of course, Kat would have been named, shamed, shunned and left Walford.
Because I believe, had Kirkwood stayed, that this was going to be Jessie Wallace's leaving line. Serious affairs in soaps usually herald the departure of a major participant, and affairs involving someone linked with the Vic are usually painfully made public.
For example, there's this classic original:-
Or this little gem from 2000:-
The first example, Sharongate (the original sibling-sharing storyline), heralded the beginning of the departure storyline for Letitia Dean, the first time. The second example, was Mike Reid's last departure from the soap.
My premise is that Shaggerman would, under Kirkwood's tutelage, result in the big and very public reveal of Shaggerman as Derek in October, to a packed Vic, which would result in Alfie publically repudiating and kicking Kat out. It would be Jessie Wallace's departure. Kat would leave Walford in disgrace, and Derek would stay to gloat. This was his payback for Alfie's having scammed him earlier in the year.
There is really no way Alfie and Kat, separated, could remain in the Square. Were that to transpire, you'd have a repeat of that kabuki theatre production that Max and Tanya have become. Nope, instead Kat would be identified (correctly) as a spent force (thanks entirely to Kirkwood, himself), whilst Alfie would be allowed to remain and be developed in another direction. It's why so much time and effort were invested in his relationship with Roxy, especially since the viewing public recognised the chemistry existent between the two actors - just as the viewing public did in 2002 between Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie.
But I think the storyline's been tweaked and for a variety of reasons. I think Newman, who is reputed to be savvy regarding viewer interests, knew that the storyline was immensely unpopular with viewers - so unpopular, that I think it actually surprised the production team. Therefore, Newman pulls the actual "affair" bit to a close early, rearranges things so that Alfie discovers Kat is having an affair, but not with whom, and does some more tweaking in order to bring the Shaggerman reveal more in line with "All Things Bright and Branningful" which is what this autumn is rapidly becoming, leading up to a Very Branning Christmas, which will involve Max, Tanya (and Max's secret), Derek dealing with the fall-out from Joey's accident (one is praying that Mr Muscle is rendered kaput from the car crash), the reveal to Alfie that Derek is Mr Shaggerman and the ensuing establishment that Kat is a lying piece of skank, possibly Derek finding out (via the return of Shirley the Woman Scorned) that Phil was the lychpin in covering for Ben as Heather's murderer, and quite possibly Derek finding out that Lola's sprog sprang from Ben's loins.
All roads lead to Derek. And Derek may even be traveling that final road in an oaken box (probably made from Joey's remains).
So with the Newman version of Shaggergate in mind, let's look at why Alfie and Kat last night, especially Alfie, isn't exactly what it might have seemed at first to the less intelligent viewer. Or the one who is incapable of thinking and analysing.
This is actually a bit troubling, because even lotty27, who's usually a very astute long-term viewer didn't seem to get the multi-leveling of Alfie's reaction last night:-
I completely agree, to me she's been quite unconvincing this week (if not throughout the whole storyline). Shane Ritchie acted her off the screen IMO - and I never thought I'd say THAT. He was excellent, I felt every emotion with him yet Jessie Wallace was lack lustre, she was saying the words but I didn't hear any conviction. Perhaps Jessie's not a fan of the storyline? Or perhaps not quite right yet after her heartbreak last year? Either way something is missing with her at the moment, she seems to have lost her spark. But I have to say that I LOVED the part where Alfie tore her tired old excuses apart and threw her out of the doorAbout time. Although I was quite surprised that he decided to drop everything and go away with her. Their return will be very interesting. Personally I can't see them being loved up, if he stays with her it'll be for Tommy as he loves that kid.
To begin with, I don't think Wallace's lacklustre performance had anything to do with her
She's also lost the ethos of Kat and has done so since her return in 2010. That may partially have to do with the excessive botox she seems to have used, it may have to do with the crap writing given her character; but mostly, the actress hasn't been able to capture the public's empathy this time around. Especially during the odious babyswap storyline. The oddest thing about that clusterfuck was that the two most sympathetic characters in the entire mess were the males concerned - Alfie, because he was so totally ignored and humiliated by his wife, and Jack, who suffered the worst of deceptions by his wife.
But too many viewers are equating Alfie's agreeing to go on holiday with Kat to forgiveness (again) and capitulation. It wasn't.
Once again, let's review the situation analytically:-
Alfie had actually begun to suspect something wasn't quite right about Kat's behaviour a couple of episodes ago, with the arrival of the roses. In fact, that was how he broached the conversation with her, gently stating the simple fact that dads don't send roses to their daughters.
Kat and Alfie are husband and wife. Incredibly, they read each other's actions and vibes like books. Max and Tanya are the same, which is why they are so frustrating. Max knows how to manipulate Tanya, and she knows exactly what his shortcomings are, yet she tolerates them.
Alfie knows the signs when Kat is hiding something from him; and Kat got those sort of suspicious vibes from Alfie, which is why she was initially panicking about being discovered.
Also, we, the viewers, know that Kat's "confession" was only half-baked and riddled with lies. She admitted to the affair, but refused to identify Mr Shagger, instead telling Alfie he was someone Alfie didn't know and made up a convoluted lie about someone from Catford, whom she couldn't remember where she'd met him yadda yadda.
Alfie bought none of this, even pushing back, almost violently, to glean the truth from her, to no avail. So what does Alfie do?
He lets her wallow in her lies. He knows she's lying. He knows that Shaggerman is probably local, someone he knows and someone who drinks in the Vic. He's simply giving her enough rope with which to hang herself. Kat, on the other hand, probably knows full well that Alfie doesn't believe her, but she thinks that if she keeps maintaining that Alfie doesn't know the culprit, if the man stops calling her (because she's destroyed the cellphone) and if she gives Alfie a couple of meaningful fucks, it might all blow over - in time, but she hopes it will.
Alfie, knowing she's lying, is settling down for the eventual to happen - a lie usually outs itself before long, and once this lie is proven, Kat is toast. His trust in her is gone. The reason he's with her now is because of Tommy and the business - now, more than ever, his words to Roxy ring hollow and true.
As for the apology, Kat never once thought of doing this on her own. Instead, her first defence - and she presents a defence - is that she's "like that." She's dirty, and the inevitable, she isn't "right in the head." As if that excuses her inappropriate behaviour.
Alfie buys none of that bullshit.
In fact, it's Michael who plants the suggestion in her head that maybe she really ought to apologise, like beg on her hands and knees for Alfie's forgiveness, because Alfie loves her. And even though Kat acts upon Michael's advice, the viewer (and Alfie) actually gets the message that Kat's eventual apology is all about being sorry she got caught and nothing more.
She has an urgency to paper over the cracks, run away from the scene of the crime (which only alerts Alfie to the situation that Shaggerman, more than ever, is a local yokel), and hope that maybe Alfie's as shallow as she is and will accept her attempts to laugh away her misbehaviour away from Walford - all the time protecting the identity of the mystery shagger, which (of course) Alfie knows she's doing.
Yep, Kat said that she was sorry, but did anyone hear Alfie say he forgave her? I didn't. In fact, when he agreed to go away with her, he was at pains to remind her that he couldn't promise and wouldn't promise that this "holiday" would change the way he was feeling at the moment.
That's not an apology. That's not a capitulation. That's biding one's time. Kat doesn't realise now that her marriage is a boiling cauldron, with Alfie sitting on the lid. He will stay with her long enough now to expose her as a liar and discover the identity of Shaggerman.
Of course, this will all happen at Christmas.
If Lorraine Newman is cognizant of the EastEnders' code, which she should be, Kat (and Jessie Wallace) should be toast by 25th December.
Great analysis. I don't see how anybody failed to miss that Alfie was still clearly disgusted by her, and hadn't at all forgiven her or 'got over it'.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like Phil and Shirley. The very same day Phil admitted that he couldn't promise loyalty, and Shirley decided to not go through with their wedding so that it would be 'easier to walk away next time' (ie she couldn't trust him), they were off going on their non-honeymoon like love's young dream to Julia's Theme, with Glenda a distant memory. THAT was pathetic.
I'm loving your analysis. It sounds legit and I hope the events you stated really do happen as you've said. I admit to not completely agreeing about the sudden vacation rush, but it was still obvious Alfie was furious. I hope he doesn't seriously forgive her again. She's been unfaithful enough times. I quite like the chemistry he has with Roxy and they are good together. I'd like to see EE pair them some day.
ReplyDelete