Well, one thing Shirley and Phil do have in common - they both have two creepy sons. Once again, this was a brilliant episode. Purist that I am, I gave it a 9 out of 10 solely for the offensive presence and minimal dialogue of Dexter. Other than his foul presence, it was near as dammit a perfect episode with everyone, absolutely everyone firing on all cylinders.
When We Were Two Creepy Boys.
I don't know what to make of Ben. Final judgement will be rendered after a few more episodes, but he's quirky, in the way that Ben always was quirky, except that quirkiness is more sinister now. The final twist in the tale was a corker, and now we know why, amidst all the brouhaha of various people saying Jay's reflection was seen in Lucy's Smartphone as it was being buried, the show pulled that episode and that particular scene.
Did Ben kill Lucy? Ben's killed before, and his line tonight in the pub was chilling:- It's amazing how people treat you when you've killed someone.
We know that Ben's crimes have occurred mainly through his overreaction to events - Jordan's injury and Heather's death - so it's plausible that Lucy may have seen him with Jay that night and said something about letting Ian or Phil know, which may have prompted his lashing out at her in order to stop her. If that's the case, then this (from now until the 30th) is Ben's swansong. Disabuse yourself of any notion that he'd stick around, if he did kill Lucy. He's on licence, and he's already broken that, if they find that he's robbed that off-licence. If Ben killed Lucy, he's toast - but think of the impact that would have on both the Mitchells and the Beales. Walford really would never be the same.
It's also patently obvious that Ben's a prize manipulator as well, and he recognises that Phil's a soft touch when it comes to him. Jay's told him of Phil's infidelity, and he's hoping to get on Phil's good side by bigging up Shirley. (Pardon me, but when did Shirley ever rescue Phil? She ran a mile when he broke into being a full crackhead and came back only when he was cured. She lied to Social Services in order to get him custody of Louise, only for Ben to torture her. Phil and Shirley brought out the worst in each other. They didn't help each other in the least).
No only is he manipulating Phil, he's now got Jay over a barrel, and Jay realises that much too late in the day. He thought he was doing Phil a favour in reuniting him with his son, only now to find himself a prisoner to Ben's manipulations, cognizant of the fact that Ben could easily turn the tables to get Jay in real trouble.
The actor who plays Ben, plays him as suitably creepy, and as his character progresses, it's easy to see that not only do alcoholism and domestic violence run in the Mitchell family, but a strain of psychopathy does as well - Archie, Ronnie, and now Ben.
I did enjoy Shirley's reaction to his return. I have to ask myself exactly what Shirley expected in her obsession with Phil. Did she not realise that his son would be released from prison one day and that the two of them would make contact? Surely, she should realise by now that the most important thing to Phil is Ben. After all, he his Ben's crime from Shirley whilst living under the same roof for months, and even then, Shirley offered Phil an alibi. Almost one and the same, did Ben honestly think that Shirley would be all forgiveness and light with him? But then, as narcissistic as Ben is, he would think that.
If anything, Ben's presence forced Shirley to remember Heather, someone whom she hasn't referenced in months, especially not since she's been lusting after Phil again, but more than anything, I enjoyed this storyline because of Dean's reaction.
Notice that it was Dean, and not Mick, who smacked the shit out of Ben when he pushed Shirley, and it was Dean who comforted her upstairs in the kitchen. That had to be one of the best scenes in the episode tonight, and the only fault I have was that it was too short and only began to touch on the issues Dean and Shirley have with each other. It was ironic that their connection came over the memory of Heather, because in the early days of Shirley and during Dean's first stint on the show, it was always said that Shirley abandoned her children to go party down with Heather, and Heather's constant whine was that Shirley abandoned their friendship for Kevin and marriage. Even more ironic was the fact that it was Dean's memories of Heather which touched Shirley, and there was a moment when Shirley referenced prison changing Ben. Dean's laconic remark?
It can do that.
It wasn't a coincidence that Shirley referenced Ben being just a little boy when he first went to YOP, and that other boys "did things" whilst he was in there. She should have looked at her son's face when she said that, because Dean was wordlessly listening to her expostulate over someone else's son, when he, Dean, had gone into prison an innocent and very pretty young lad, where other people "did things" to him. Shirley reached out to Dean and remarked how comforting it was to talk to him, but Dean's cutting the embrace short was evident that maybe she should have listened to what Dean couldn't say.
I was a more than a bit put off by the Carters standing en masse outside the kitchen door evesdropping, Tina with the glass propped against the door; but at least Mick recognised that this was a moment of progress, both for Shirley and for Dean. Quick note at Linda, who was about to enter the lounge where Mick was sitting with Shirley, and quickly retreated. Does Linda know her place in this dynamic?
But is Dean all he's cracked up to be? He makes a beeline for the drunken Tosh, with an offer she's going to find hard to refuse. Dean's a manipulator too, as we'll soon see.
Back to Ben, and I'm glad his reception in the Vic was muted, including Peter's reluctant hello (especially in view of the final frame in the episode and Ben's "heartfelt" condolences) and Billy's meagre warning that Lola needed nothing from Ben. Very telling that Ben riposted with the statement that he wasn't there for Lola (and by extension, Lexi).
Shirley Queen of Scrotes.
There's no doubt that Shirley's an interesting character played by a good actress, but her sense of entitlement is appalling. It's very hard to find her sympathetic at all, especially since she's the one doing the cheating and the hating in this episode. The look on her face when she spied the framed picture of a young Phil Mitchell and a young Sharon, when she really was a part of the Mitchell family was one of pure hatred. The acidic banter at The Albert was amusing, but Shirley was out of order to invite herself and sling insults at Sharon. She's a jealous, vindictive crone of a woman who's obsessed about Phil. It's funny how she can easily recognise that Phil's son is out, only for himself, and yet not acknowledge that Phil is exactly the same. Phil cannot even tell Ben the truth about his association with Shirley, nor can he Jay.
Ben's assessment of Sharon, after only one meeting and the prejudiced opinions of the late Kathy and Peggy, was understandable, but maybe Phil needs to man up and admit to everyone, Peggy included, that he lied about Sharon's part in Sharongate, that it wasn't Sharon who came onto Phil, but the other way around, that Phil had planned on leaving with Sharon, but she abandoned him to return to Grant. Everything he told Peggy was a lie. Then, I wonder if Ben knows his sainted mother had it off with the local vicar before bedding down with Uncle Grant, not out of any sense of affection on Grant's part, but only as a tool by which he could get back at Phil for seducing Sharon.
There are two sides to every story.
Whatever happens to Shirley in the wake of this storyline, I do hope they have something whereby they address her alcoholism. The moment something doesn't go her way, she reaches for the bottle. Oh, the irony of her reminding Mick that her name was above the door (for the umpteenth time) as she nicks a bottle of vodka and smiles to herself, sighting Phil, before noticing that Ben is there too.
Sharon.
At last, someone's given the writing room some sort of direction in Sharon's character. Pete Lawson wrote so many crap Branning-centric tripe about her during the previous two years, it's hard to believe she was almost back to being recognised as the Sharon of old tonight. She was razor sharp and insistent with Phil that she didn't want Ben in the house. She has every right to be concerned about Ben and his influence on Denny, but Ben is Phil's son and Denny is Sharon's. She's still got the gun, however, in her make-up bag beside her bed.
The End of Stax.
The other brilliant scene tonight was the scene with Max and Stacey. Stax was, effectively, put to bed and buried tonight. Stacey continues to grow in maturity and likeability this time around, and hats off to DTC for totally redeeming her character. I never [i[ever[/i] liked her previously, but this time around, she really impresses me. She's one of a small number of characters who has benefitted from having a child on the show.
She's acknowledged the fact that she can't work or live under the same roof as Max because her presence makes it difficult for Max to move on. Jake Wood rose to the occasion, when, previously, he'd only been phoning in his role. Funny how Max glossed over everything that happened to Max after Stacey had left - Tanya's brief marriage, her infidelity with Max and Vanessa's departure, his own marriage to Kirsty, Tanya's cancer and the marriage complications. Instead, he dismissed all of that as "silly things" and admitted he'd met someone in silly Summerhayes, whom Stacey encourages him to pursue.
And, thus, we now have the re-appearance of Stacey's key. What significance can this hold?
Bloody brilliant episode.
When We Were Two Creepy Boys.
I don't know what to make of Ben. Final judgement will be rendered after a few more episodes, but he's quirky, in the way that Ben always was quirky, except that quirkiness is more sinister now. The final twist in the tale was a corker, and now we know why, amidst all the brouhaha of various people saying Jay's reflection was seen in Lucy's Smartphone as it was being buried, the show pulled that episode and that particular scene.
Did Ben kill Lucy? Ben's killed before, and his line tonight in the pub was chilling:- It's amazing how people treat you when you've killed someone.
We know that Ben's crimes have occurred mainly through his overreaction to events - Jordan's injury and Heather's death - so it's plausible that Lucy may have seen him with Jay that night and said something about letting Ian or Phil know, which may have prompted his lashing out at her in order to stop her. If that's the case, then this (from now until the 30th) is Ben's swansong. Disabuse yourself of any notion that he'd stick around, if he did kill Lucy. He's on licence, and he's already broken that, if they find that he's robbed that off-licence. If Ben killed Lucy, he's toast - but think of the impact that would have on both the Mitchells and the Beales. Walford really would never be the same.
It's also patently obvious that Ben's a prize manipulator as well, and he recognises that Phil's a soft touch when it comes to him. Jay's told him of Phil's infidelity, and he's hoping to get on Phil's good side by bigging up Shirley. (Pardon me, but when did Shirley ever rescue Phil? She ran a mile when he broke into being a full crackhead and came back only when he was cured. She lied to Social Services in order to get him custody of Louise, only for Ben to torture her. Phil and Shirley brought out the worst in each other. They didn't help each other in the least).
No only is he manipulating Phil, he's now got Jay over a barrel, and Jay realises that much too late in the day. He thought he was doing Phil a favour in reuniting him with his son, only now to find himself a prisoner to Ben's manipulations, cognizant of the fact that Ben could easily turn the tables to get Jay in real trouble.
The actor who plays Ben, plays him as suitably creepy, and as his character progresses, it's easy to see that not only do alcoholism and domestic violence run in the Mitchell family, but a strain of psychopathy does as well - Archie, Ronnie, and now Ben.
I did enjoy Shirley's reaction to his return. I have to ask myself exactly what Shirley expected in her obsession with Phil. Did she not realise that his son would be released from prison one day and that the two of them would make contact? Surely, she should realise by now that the most important thing to Phil is Ben. After all, he his Ben's crime from Shirley whilst living under the same roof for months, and even then, Shirley offered Phil an alibi. Almost one and the same, did Ben honestly think that Shirley would be all forgiveness and light with him? But then, as narcissistic as Ben is, he would think that.
If anything, Ben's presence forced Shirley to remember Heather, someone whom she hasn't referenced in months, especially not since she's been lusting after Phil again, but more than anything, I enjoyed this storyline because of Dean's reaction.
Notice that it was Dean, and not Mick, who smacked the shit out of Ben when he pushed Shirley, and it was Dean who comforted her upstairs in the kitchen. That had to be one of the best scenes in the episode tonight, and the only fault I have was that it was too short and only began to touch on the issues Dean and Shirley have with each other. It was ironic that their connection came over the memory of Heather, because in the early days of Shirley and during Dean's first stint on the show, it was always said that Shirley abandoned her children to go party down with Heather, and Heather's constant whine was that Shirley abandoned their friendship for Kevin and marriage. Even more ironic was the fact that it was Dean's memories of Heather which touched Shirley, and there was a moment when Shirley referenced prison changing Ben. Dean's laconic remark?
It can do that.
It wasn't a coincidence that Shirley referenced Ben being just a little boy when he first went to YOP, and that other boys "did things" whilst he was in there. She should have looked at her son's face when she said that, because Dean was wordlessly listening to her expostulate over someone else's son, when he, Dean, had gone into prison an innocent and very pretty young lad, where other people "did things" to him. Shirley reached out to Dean and remarked how comforting it was to talk to him, but Dean's cutting the embrace short was evident that maybe she should have listened to what Dean couldn't say.
I was a more than a bit put off by the Carters standing en masse outside the kitchen door evesdropping, Tina with the glass propped against the door; but at least Mick recognised that this was a moment of progress, both for Shirley and for Dean. Quick note at Linda, who was about to enter the lounge where Mick was sitting with Shirley, and quickly retreated. Does Linda know her place in this dynamic?
But is Dean all he's cracked up to be? He makes a beeline for the drunken Tosh, with an offer she's going to find hard to refuse. Dean's a manipulator too, as we'll soon see.
Back to Ben, and I'm glad his reception in the Vic was muted, including Peter's reluctant hello (especially in view of the final frame in the episode and Ben's "heartfelt" condolences) and Billy's meagre warning that Lola needed nothing from Ben. Very telling that Ben riposted with the statement that he wasn't there for Lola (and by extension, Lexi).
Shirley Queen of Scrotes.
There's no doubt that Shirley's an interesting character played by a good actress, but her sense of entitlement is appalling. It's very hard to find her sympathetic at all, especially since she's the one doing the cheating and the hating in this episode. The look on her face when she spied the framed picture of a young Phil Mitchell and a young Sharon, when she really was a part of the Mitchell family was one of pure hatred. The acidic banter at The Albert was amusing, but Shirley was out of order to invite herself and sling insults at Sharon. She's a jealous, vindictive crone of a woman who's obsessed about Phil. It's funny how she can easily recognise that Phil's son is out, only for himself, and yet not acknowledge that Phil is exactly the same. Phil cannot even tell Ben the truth about his association with Shirley, nor can he Jay.
Ben's assessment of Sharon, after only one meeting and the prejudiced opinions of the late Kathy and Peggy, was understandable, but maybe Phil needs to man up and admit to everyone, Peggy included, that he lied about Sharon's part in Sharongate, that it wasn't Sharon who came onto Phil, but the other way around, that Phil had planned on leaving with Sharon, but she abandoned him to return to Grant. Everything he told Peggy was a lie. Then, I wonder if Ben knows his sainted mother had it off with the local vicar before bedding down with Uncle Grant, not out of any sense of affection on Grant's part, but only as a tool by which he could get back at Phil for seducing Sharon.
There are two sides to every story.
Whatever happens to Shirley in the wake of this storyline, I do hope they have something whereby they address her alcoholism. The moment something doesn't go her way, she reaches for the bottle. Oh, the irony of her reminding Mick that her name was above the door (for the umpteenth time) as she nicks a bottle of vodka and smiles to herself, sighting Phil, before noticing that Ben is there too.
Sharon.
At last, someone's given the writing room some sort of direction in Sharon's character. Pete Lawson wrote so many crap Branning-centric tripe about her during the previous two years, it's hard to believe she was almost back to being recognised as the Sharon of old tonight. She was razor sharp and insistent with Phil that she didn't want Ben in the house. She has every right to be concerned about Ben and his influence on Denny, but Ben is Phil's son and Denny is Sharon's. She's still got the gun, however, in her make-up bag beside her bed.
The End of Stax.
The other brilliant scene tonight was the scene with Max and Stacey. Stax was, effectively, put to bed and buried tonight. Stacey continues to grow in maturity and likeability this time around, and hats off to DTC for totally redeeming her character. I never [i[ever[/i] liked her previously, but this time around, she really impresses me. She's one of a small number of characters who has benefitted from having a child on the show.
She's acknowledged the fact that she can't work or live under the same roof as Max because her presence makes it difficult for Max to move on. Jake Wood rose to the occasion, when, previously, he'd only been phoning in his role. Funny how Max glossed over everything that happened to Max after Stacey had left - Tanya's brief marriage, her infidelity with Max and Vanessa's departure, his own marriage to Kirsty, Tanya's cancer and the marriage complications. Instead, he dismissed all of that as "silly things" and admitted he'd met someone in silly Summerhayes, whom Stacey encourages him to pursue.
And, thus, we now have the re-appearance of Stacey's key. What significance can this hold?
Bloody brilliant episode.
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