Here's a song for the Kats and Lolas of the world and all who sail with them without assuming one iota of responsibility, but who - at the same time - ask for our understanding and pity:-
What a welter of self-pity and woe, centering around two women who are, respectively, the Queen Mother and Crown Princess of Entitlement, who act inappropriately and precipitously, but who, when called to account, are awfully, awfully sorry that they got caught, but aren't in the least bit sorry for the trouble their actions have caused others.
In this episode, we had the addition of the Crown Prince of Darkness Entitlement - AKA Michael Moon.
Once again, all characters for whom TPTB beg us to feel sympathy, but who elicit not one whit of the stuff. I found myself, in this episode, feeling immensely sorry for Phil Mitchell. His scenes with DamienDen wherein he bonded with the boy (something I've consistently predicted would occur) were touching - Steve McFadden always works so well with children.
Phil and "Denny" have bonded. "Denny" likes cars (remember that Ben also loved cars when he first arrived, and he was less fey than Denny). Denny also likes "Uncle Phil," and the lesson Phil taught him about grassing was totally different from lying. Phil simply said not to tell tales, and Dennis took this literally, as a six year-old would, when he ran into his mother.
Sharon's po-faced reaction, with the walking penis standing nearby and taking the moral high ground was a sight to see. Jack Branning has the morals of an alley cat. With kids scattered far and wide whom he never sees and him not being above parading nameless chicks in front of his young daughter daily, he is in no position to treat Phil as if he were scum, when Jack is just as scummy. One wonders if Sharon is fully aware of Jack's pedigree.
Another interesting thing is the dichotomy that Sharon is now. Juxtapose a scene of Sharon with Jack alongside one of Sharon with Phil and it's as though you're watching two different characters. The natural spontaneity of her interaction with Phil is realism abounding, yet whenever she's with Jack, she assumes the caricatured slink, and sloe-eyed mannerisms of Miss Piggy in a seductive mood, crossed with the tragic Alice Matthews of 1970s American soap Another World.
I am astounded. Can the producers not see how rank Sharon is when interacting with the Brannings? Can the producers not see that, however nice a man Scott Maslen is, his character stinks?
But I am optimistic - at least a little. If Sharon's eventual path leads to Phil, then I must suffer her being a Branning satellite for the time being. I just wish she weren't so embarrassingly awful in her scenes with Jack. She plays a vamp like she's playing comedy, and it ain't funny.
Meanwhile, Alfie so does not trust Kat, but we all must love Kat and see how noble she's being now that she's lost Alfie his job and her family their home and livelihood. Kat's ever so sorry - ever so sorry that she got caught. She's befuddled as to why Alfie doesn't want to stand and fight for his job. Alfie is resigned. If he has to live with the trollope, he's taking her as far away from London as is humanly possible. She's begging for pity every time she whines about being sorry she lost him everything. And that's the tack she takes with Phil, preying on his vulnerability because he's lost everything and asking that he understand the Moons' predicament. For all Phil's involvement in Ben's fate, the Moons' plight, brought about by Kat's boredom at not being the centre of Alfie's universe, doesn't begin to compare with what Phil's lost and why he's lost it.
He owes the Moons nothing. They couldn't even keep up rental payments, made bad business decisions and caused the pub to flounder. Keep Roxy as manager and let Alfie stay on as barman. And Alfie should have balls enough to punt Kat to the curb where she belongs. How dare she have the nerve to question his trust of her! He has every reason in the world not to trust her, even though his love for her is still abiding - or else he wouldn't have taken her back.
Every time she's out of his sight, every time she banters with a punter or speaks to another man, he will wonder. He even wondered if she'd slept with Phil Mitchell in return for him giving the Moons a second chance - albeit with Roxy now on staff as well. I hope this sets up an eventual pairing, legitimately (with Kat kicked out) of Roxy and Alfie, because they suit each other so well.
Speaking of Phil, his power was shown, yet again, tonight when Max was forced to sack Jay in a choice between selling hacks on a backstreet as opposed to getting "quality" (if not dodgy) ware courtesy of Phil. Phil is part-owner now of the car lot, and Max needs money (to pay his babymamma and the little brother or sister about whom Abi and gurney Lauren know nothing yet.) Everyone is indebted to Phil.
As if Kat isn't enough, TPTB are still begging that we like poor, pitiful Lola, who can't seem to fathom that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. It's no wonder the Social is on her case. This is one time Billy's dishonesty is catching up with him. BTW, are they still squatting in the flat? Because if they aren't, then they'll be owing someone rent. And, of course, Lola wasn't going to declare any of the cash-in-hand payments received for her "cleaning services."
The girl gang was a joke, as was the miniature catwalk model who plays Alexa. Why do I have a feeling she'll become a permanent fixture and fitting on the show sometime in the not-too-distant future. The social worker is as bad as Lola, herself. They've made her a doubly hardass so we'll all feel sorry for poor, pitiful Lola, who really shouldn't have been tagged because - all together now - "she's fifteen and pregnant." Now the chorus is she's "just a kid wiv a kid, 'erself."
Put a lid on it, please.
She lives in a squat, still steals when she wants and can, doesn't declare any earnings, her "Pops" (please, can we dispense with this sickening name?) is as much a thief as she is, and their place is a tip. Axe. Now. Please.
The third member of the pity party is Michael Moon, another one whose actions have caused his own predicament. He didn't know how to treat a wife, and he sure as hell doesn't know how to treat his child. The final scene where he turns the television volume up against a baby continuously crying is actually quite chilling. I kinda fear for Scarlett. Janine loved her totally, but was meant to feel that she was an inadequate mother. Michael is simply incapable of loving her and only wants to fob the child off on someone else. Kudos to Roxy for reading his signals. As for Katshit, I can't believe she'd even go near Michael - if only because Alfie will be the first to suspect.
Watchable episode, but TPTB should stop forcing unlikeable characters on us. They're established now. And broken.
One positive note: Jay looked good in a suit.
What a welter of self-pity and woe, centering around two women who are, respectively, the Queen Mother and Crown Princess of Entitlement, who act inappropriately and precipitously, but who, when called to account, are awfully, awfully sorry that they got caught, but aren't in the least bit sorry for the trouble their actions have caused others.
In this episode, we had the addition of the Crown Prince of Darkness Entitlement - AKA Michael Moon.
Once again, all characters for whom TPTB beg us to feel sympathy, but who elicit not one whit of the stuff. I found myself, in this episode, feeling immensely sorry for Phil Mitchell. His scenes with DamienDen wherein he bonded with the boy (something I've consistently predicted would occur) were touching - Steve McFadden always works so well with children.
Phil and "Denny" have bonded. "Denny" likes cars (remember that Ben also loved cars when he first arrived, and he was less fey than Denny). Denny also likes "Uncle Phil," and the lesson Phil taught him about grassing was totally different from lying. Phil simply said not to tell tales, and Dennis took this literally, as a six year-old would, when he ran into his mother.
Sharon's po-faced reaction, with the walking penis standing nearby and taking the moral high ground was a sight to see. Jack Branning has the morals of an alley cat. With kids scattered far and wide whom he never sees and him not being above parading nameless chicks in front of his young daughter daily, he is in no position to treat Phil as if he were scum, when Jack is just as scummy. One wonders if Sharon is fully aware of Jack's pedigree.
Another interesting thing is the dichotomy that Sharon is now. Juxtapose a scene of Sharon with Jack alongside one of Sharon with Phil and it's as though you're watching two different characters. The natural spontaneity of her interaction with Phil is realism abounding, yet whenever she's with Jack, she assumes the caricatured slink, and sloe-eyed mannerisms of Miss Piggy in a seductive mood, crossed with the tragic Alice Matthews of 1970s American soap Another World.
I am astounded. Can the producers not see how rank Sharon is when interacting with the Brannings? Can the producers not see that, however nice a man Scott Maslen is, his character stinks?
But I am optimistic - at least a little. If Sharon's eventual path leads to Phil, then I must suffer her being a Branning satellite for the time being. I just wish she weren't so embarrassingly awful in her scenes with Jack. She plays a vamp like she's playing comedy, and it ain't funny.
Meanwhile, Alfie so does not trust Kat, but we all must love Kat and see how noble she's being now that she's lost Alfie his job and her family their home and livelihood. Kat's ever so sorry - ever so sorry that she got caught. She's befuddled as to why Alfie doesn't want to stand and fight for his job. Alfie is resigned. If he has to live with the trollope, he's taking her as far away from London as is humanly possible. She's begging for pity every time she whines about being sorry she lost him everything. And that's the tack she takes with Phil, preying on his vulnerability because he's lost everything and asking that he understand the Moons' predicament. For all Phil's involvement in Ben's fate, the Moons' plight, brought about by Kat's boredom at not being the centre of Alfie's universe, doesn't begin to compare with what Phil's lost and why he's lost it.
He owes the Moons nothing. They couldn't even keep up rental payments, made bad business decisions and caused the pub to flounder. Keep Roxy as manager and let Alfie stay on as barman. And Alfie should have balls enough to punt Kat to the curb where she belongs. How dare she have the nerve to question his trust of her! He has every reason in the world not to trust her, even though his love for her is still abiding - or else he wouldn't have taken her back.
Every time she's out of his sight, every time she banters with a punter or speaks to another man, he will wonder. He even wondered if she'd slept with Phil Mitchell in return for him giving the Moons a second chance - albeit with Roxy now on staff as well. I hope this sets up an eventual pairing, legitimately (with Kat kicked out) of Roxy and Alfie, because they suit each other so well.
Speaking of Phil, his power was shown, yet again, tonight when Max was forced to sack Jay in a choice between selling hacks on a backstreet as opposed to getting "quality" (if not dodgy) ware courtesy of Phil. Phil is part-owner now of the car lot, and Max needs money (to pay his babymamma and the little brother or sister about whom Abi and gurney Lauren know nothing yet.) Everyone is indebted to Phil.
As if Kat isn't enough, TPTB are still begging that we like poor, pitiful Lola, who can't seem to fathom that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. It's no wonder the Social is on her case. This is one time Billy's dishonesty is catching up with him. BTW, are they still squatting in the flat? Because if they aren't, then they'll be owing someone rent. And, of course, Lola wasn't going to declare any of the cash-in-hand payments received for her "cleaning services."
The girl gang was a joke, as was the miniature catwalk model who plays Alexa. Why do I have a feeling she'll become a permanent fixture and fitting on the show sometime in the not-too-distant future. The social worker is as bad as Lola, herself. They've made her a doubly hardass so we'll all feel sorry for poor, pitiful Lola, who really shouldn't have been tagged because - all together now - "she's fifteen and pregnant." Now the chorus is she's "just a kid wiv a kid, 'erself."
Put a lid on it, please.
She lives in a squat, still steals when she wants and can, doesn't declare any earnings, her "Pops" (please, can we dispense with this sickening name?) is as much a thief as she is, and their place is a tip. Axe. Now. Please.
The third member of the pity party is Michael Moon, another one whose actions have caused his own predicament. He didn't know how to treat a wife, and he sure as hell doesn't know how to treat his child. The final scene where he turns the television volume up against a baby continuously crying is actually quite chilling. I kinda fear for Scarlett. Janine loved her totally, but was meant to feel that she was an inadequate mother. Michael is simply incapable of loving her and only wants to fob the child off on someone else. Kudos to Roxy for reading his signals. As for Katshit, I can't believe she'd even go near Michael - if only because Alfie will be the first to suspect.
Watchable episode, but TPTB should stop forcing unlikeable characters on us. They're established now. And broken.
One positive note: Jay looked good in a suit.
I thought Janine ended up buying the flat and Billy rents it off her?
ReplyDelete