I started to give this an 8/10, then I thought again and gave it a 9 rating. I watched this, live online, away from the family who were arguing about other thingson television. After all the hype, I wanted to give this my undivided attention, and after that, I wanted to think about it.
Was it a good Christmas episode? In a word, yes.
Was it sensationalist? Again, yes, but as I've said so many times, there are several shades of sensationalism, and this was but one of them. And although I enjoyed it, I don't think the overladen gaggle of secrets and lies laden on the shoulders of the Carters is the way to go in the future - at least not so much over-egging, which has always been the weak point of this EP - he simply doesn't know when to stop when he's onto a good thing, and that can be as disastrous as putting too much whiskey onto the fruitcake and lighting a match nearby.
Did it have its weak points? Most definitely, as well as some incongruous situations.
At the end of the day, 90% of the acting was good, and at least some damned secrets and lies started to unravel. Not being as much of a Carter-shipper, I have to say that I enjoyed their debacle more than the infuriatingly smug Beale-Branning bunfest and the macabre zombie Christmas at the Cottons.
Home for Christmas.
Wow ... loss of innocence much in CarterTown?
You had all the signs, all the obvious indications that this was all going to end messily and that things wouldn't go, well, according to plan.
Mick saying, almost at the beginning, Vis is gonna be the best Christmas EVAH!
Well, you just knew otherwise.
Shirley panicking that Sylvie might blurt out to Stan that Mick wasn't his son, and Babe reassuring her Don't worry, that won't happen. As soon as she's had her dinner, I'll whisk her back home.
I mean, it's written in the stars, innit?
Even on Christmas Day, Mick is still packing two more major secrets - the fact that Sylvie's coming to dinner, never thinking about Stan having invited Cora, and the fact that he's going to propose to Linda, never imagining that she's been raped by Dean - or, indeed, that Dean's his brother.
And speaking of that, we've had hints galore.
Mick: I always fancied a baby bruvvah to kick around. Guess a nephew ain't so bad.
Shirley: You don't know how long I've waited to see the two of you sat round the same table. (But not Jimbo and Carly, eh, Shirley? They don't count as much, do they, Kevin's disabled son and the daughter who wasn't fathered from the fragrant loins of Buster).
And finally, there was Shirley smiling, Shirley happy and Shirley content, and you know that is absolutely a prelude to disaster.
We had the Carter extravaganza that DTC gleefully promised us - the good, the bad and the ugliest of them all. They were all there, one year on from their first appearance, even a Skype call from Johnny, who miraculously seems to have reached Italy in the dead of winter on his Lambretta. Christmas miracles do happen!
First, we had it drilled into us that the Carters are, really, nothing more than overgrown children aping at being adults - well, at least the older family members are. There was the Court Jester, suited up in children's onesie pajamas with an Inca-style woolie hat atop her head, there was Mick asking Nancy to hold the fort under threat of making her a bridesmaid for his and Linda's wedding and wearing a pink, creampuff dress, and Nancy, the proverbial, stereotypical tomboy of 21 going on 12, making a face and responding with a funny sound; there was Linda, jumping up and down in a paroxysm of childish delight and demanding her present from Mick.
Watching this all with the unmistakeable sense of dread, we all knew the whole shabang would be in tatters after an hour.
Of course, there were some bleeding obvious things to note here - like the fact that Mick's Christmas present to Shirley was a bottle of vodka, which, she informed him, she intended to crack open right away -and this was Christmas morning.
So there we have Peter the enabler of addicts across the Square, and Mick unwittingly enabling Shirley's addiction first thing Christmas morning, because, people, Shirley is an alcholic, make no mistake, and the sooner TPTB man up and address this, the better. We also caught a whiff of Dean developing an alcohol dependency as well, starting with a shot of booze at Patrick's and then proceeding to knock back the whiskey at Mick's as he listened to Mick's secret plan to propose to Linda, complete with the real deal replica of Lady Di's sapphire and diamond engagement ring. Turns out that all along that clunker Linda's been wearing on her finger is as phony as her marriage to Mick.
Dean's out for revenge, but he ends up, initially, helping Mick find Linda's ring and listening to Mick wax lyrical about his love for Linda; however, Dean wonders why Mick's never managed to marry her before, and Shirley, overhearing, is touched at Mick including Dean as a part of the family.
Matt di Angelo and Danny Dyer played blinders tonight. Di Angelo was so convincing in even swerving viewers into thinking that he'd thought better of his revenge motif and was actually touched at Mick's affection, but the next scene, as Mick scattered rose petals on Linda's bed brought out Dean's real motif, when Dean suggested that Linda was basically an easy touch, offending Mick, who thought Dean was drunk. Equally, earlier, we had a foretaste of Dean's manipulative side, when he told Linda that he didn't intend to tell Mick anything, that Linda's guilt would do all the talking, that she felt guilty for what she'd done and was now using that.
Not true, but then, there is an element of guilt which Linda is feeling and that has to do with the child. Dean was still using tactics of mind control to make Linda doubt what actually happened, but Linda's guilt lay with the child she's carrying and not knowing who the father was and always wondering.
Linda never intended telling Mick today of all days, but once she learned that Dean was upstairs, the die was cast, especially that brief scene where she was sitting in the Carter kitchen, at the table where the rape occurred and Mick's Pretty Flamingo wafted through from their bedroom. Of course, that was their song and the song playing the night Dean raped her.
The confession scene was good, but I felt Kellie Bright carried that scene. Dyer played it well, but I thought his emotions were a bit OTT, and I never cease to be amazed at how sexually aware the Carters seemed to be as children, with Mick's tale of the first time he'd seen Linda as he was playing football. Since Linda had the make-believe house-playing wedding with Mick when she was twelve, that would have put Mick perhaps at twelve when he first saw her and Linda at eleven. Prepubescent sexual longing.
It actually surprised me that she told him, there and then, about the rape and that he believed her. I believe him when he said that he truly loved her and that he would never not want her, but I caught a glimpse of hesitation in his face when she told him that she wasn't sure who fathered her child. That will prove to be an obstacle in their relationship.
The other thing which surprised me was that he actually told Shirley and told her to find Dean and tell him never to come around again. I never believed Shirley would buy Mick's word, alone. Shirley, until the last frame of the episode tonight, is the only person, bar Babe and a demented Sylvie, who know that Mick and Dean are brothers, and Shirley would definitely want to hear Dean's side of this story, especially as there's no love lost between her and Linda anyway.
(Don't forget that Shirley's told Linda that Linda's children hate her and want her gone, and that's wishful thinking on Shirley's part).
We had the wonderful scene of Linda and Mick sitting on the sofa, with Linda in the exact same position where she sat when Dean was upset, going over everything with Mick and even promising to go to the police after Christmas, then finishing it off with another example - this time a real one - of strength in womanhood: Linda virtually forces Mick to sit with the family and eat Christmas dinner as if nothing had happened, and Mick is barely able to do this because the revelation that his wife has been raped has so phyiscally affected him. I can sort of understand Linda not wanting to disrupt Christmas Day anymore with this coming out into the open and involving police, but I was more than just a tad amazed that she'd insist on going through the ritual of mingling with the family, amongst them Dean's mother, after that shit had hit the fan.
Of course, you knew what Dean would tell Shirley - that this was consensual sex, that Linda didn't tell Mick because she was afraid of getting found out, herself (and not because she was afraid of what Mick would do to Dean), so it's easy for Shirley to surmise that Linda was lying to save her own arse and to land Dean in it.
This has to be the "Shirley-Has-Dean's-Back" dilemma to which Matt di Angelo referred some months ago, but Shirley wants to have this out with Linda right now, but she's pre-empted from doing so by Mick losing his cool and beating the shit out of Dean ... only for Shirley to scream out that Dean was Mick's brother.
Dramatic moment? Yes, well, it was, but was that line really congruent with the scheme of things? She should have shouted It was Linda or Remember your parents are here or something else. I know that the two are brothers and that the aim of this episode was to bring that secret out into the open, but it just seemed an odd thing that would make Mick stop bombarding Dean.
Now the secret's out, let's see the aftermath tomorrow.
As for the new Sylvie-Stan-Cora triangle that's emerging, not good. The actress plays Sylvie well, and Cora is suspicious that Sylvie is just a manipulator. Well, Alzheimer's patients can manipulate as well as anyone. Sylvie is attracted to Mick, but she doesn't know why, and Mick accepts that her condition means she won't recognise him; she may not even recognise Tina. But that's the beauty of Sylvie - you never know when she's telling the truth or when she's confused.
Like the incident of the necklace - she told an elaborate tale of it having belonged to Diana Dors and Stan traipsing all the way to the West End, stinking of fish, to buy it for her. When Cora gives Stan the fisheye, Stan protests that the necklace was bought cheaply at a local market. Stan is as befuddled as anyone with Sylvie's appearance, and actually, that was quite tacky of Mick to bring her along, when he knew full well that Stan had arranged to spend the day with Cora.
She does remember snippets, as photos seem to jog her sleeping memory - like Tina at ballet lessons - and she's great with the incongruent and often truthful lines ...
Sylvie to Nancy: Is that why you dress like a boy then?
Nancy: I don't dress like a boy.
Sylvie: Are you a lesbian?
Sylvie's right here. Nancy does dress like a boy. She doesn't even dress like an adolescent boy, but rather an 8 year-old off he playground.
Cora's uncomfortable with Sylvie and jealous in the bargain and walks away from the situation, which is about to result in Sylvie backing up Shirley's unwitting confession.
Well, it lived up to its hype, I suppose. Lady Di was cute.
The Bizarre Beales.
The Beales and the Brannings are spending Christmas together on the strength of two of their most self-obsessed members being in lurve. Max is reluctant to cosy up to Ian Beale, and the Beales are at their affluent smuggest. Ian's just fronted money to Ronnie the Bully to fund Nick's departure from Walford, and Bobby the Beaver Brat is anxious to open all the presents that have been lavished on him, whilst sullen Cindy the Greek is sighing about "just putting Beth down."
OK, we get it. She's bored with motherhood, but that's her own sorry fault. I hate this character immensely, but what I hate most about her is how in almost every episode in which she appears, we get the toss of the hair, the rolled eyes and the bored sigh accompanied by the line,
I've just put Beth down.
Pardon me, but that sounds like she euthanised the kid.
Tonight we got a double bill of tossing hair, widened eyes and all too obvious knowledge of the camera being upon them with Lauren and Cindy sat again at the same table. Both of these actresses are acutely aware of the camera being present, which is why we get hair tossing, head flicking and over-exaggerated facial expressions.
Ian and Jane were both insufferably smug tonight, Ian wanting to lord it over Max by serving a five course meal - "one of the first things they taught him in catering college". Of course, the Brannings come laden with gifts, and there's a weird one under the Christmas tree for Beth, which appears to be musical. It's Lucy's jewelry box, which Ian had donated to the charity shop, meaning someone who knew this to be Lucy's jewelry box must have bought it for the purpose of leaving this under the Beale tree.
Before the package was noticed and just after the Brannings arrived with their bounty, we got a brief hint in the fact that Ben had dropped by and left some presents under the tree.
OK, let's recap:-
Ronnie has been at Ian's a couple of times bullying him into raising money for Nick's departure.
Jane made a vague remark to Cindy about "some people" had left gifts with her for Beth.
The Brannings arrive with gifts.
Ben has just dropped by to leave some gifts.
Ronnie has been at Ian's a couple of times bullying him into raising money for Nick's departure.
She's still high on my suspect list, but Ronnie isn't the type to frequent charity shops, and she wouldn't have known that this item belonged to Lucy Beale.
Jane made a vague remark to Cindy about "some people" had left gifts with her for Beth.
Jane's remark didn't quite ring true for me. There are only a few people in Walford close enough to the Beales to warrant giving Cindy's sprog a gift, and most of them wouldn't have left the gift with Jane. Jane, however, knows what Lucy's jewelry case looked like and could have spotted it in the charity shop window. She could be spinning a yarn about the vague people to take the scent away from the fact that she put that present there.
The Brannings arrive with gifts.
Was there really any need for them to buy gifts for the whole family? Lauren and Peter, yes, and a bottle of plonk for mein host, but nothing warranting a bagful of presents. That's another red herring. Still, Abi acted just ... weird throughout the whole episode, and she was seen holding Beth in the background, as Cindy opened the package. Clue?
Ben has just dropped by to leave some gifts.
We know that the picture frame which killed Heather ended up in the charity shop and that Ben kept it hidden under his bed beforehand. Ben has a way with wanting to keep trophies. We know now that Ben popped in earlier to deliver some presents. Ben has form in this sort of thing ... or is he a red herring.
I'm inclined to believe now that someone around that table might be responsible. First of all, Lauren needed a smack, or at least, a goblet full of water thrown in her direction, for the way she spoke to Emma at that table. Emma may no longer be on the police force, thanks to Max, but she still thinks like a copper, and she knows that receipt of that gift must be reported to the police. Instead, Ian - led by Peter and Jane - wants everyone to forget the incident and move on. Lucy would want them to celebrate.
You what? Lucy would be crying out from the depths of hell to catch that asshole who brained her and send them down there to deal with the Devil and with her.
In no way do I think Ian did it. I just think he's afraid of finding out who did. Because it's someone he knows.
And correct me if you think I'm wrong, but Jane assuring Lauren that she saw her turn and leave the Beale's house that night, as she looked out Masood's window, doesn't ring true somehow. I'm sure Lauren did exactly as she said she did, but Jane was almost coaching her in what was an obvious lie. Is Jane guilty? After all, she has hidden evidence, after persuading Ian it was better to get rid of a clue than to inform the police.
Summerhayes is right to be suspicious, and the way Max spoke to her was also disrespectful and rude. She is right. Lauren made a false statement to the police and needs to rectify that as soon as possible before someone - like Lee Carter - gets to the police first with this evidence. If Lauren corrected her statement and told the police why she lied, it would be a matter of nothing; but she doesn't want to go to the police and Max is near as damn it threatening Emma.
I'm looking forward to the penny dropping for Emma, because this is looking as though a Branning might be involved ... or a Beale, as in Jane.
Cotton-Picking. I feel sorry for Dot. And Charlie. They've allowed Ronnie, unintentionally wielding a knife, to move in and run the show.This is turning into a farce of great proportions, especially the ritual emasculation of Charlie Cotton. Ronnie thinks a knife will deter Nick? Nick's killed with a knife and in the Square.
Dot's just glad he's there for Christmas, and Ronnie's giving no thought whatsoever to a woman for whom she's supposed to feel great fondness. Nick is Dot's son, and he's Charlie's father. They're bonding over family photos, and Charlie feels a part of a dynamic at the moment. Unfortunately for him, the snobby, cold fish psychopath who's the mother of his child shudders at the thought of a Mitchell being a part of the Cotton crew.
Good episode.
Was it a good Christmas episode? In a word, yes.
Was it sensationalist? Again, yes, but as I've said so many times, there are several shades of sensationalism, and this was but one of them. And although I enjoyed it, I don't think the overladen gaggle of secrets and lies laden on the shoulders of the Carters is the way to go in the future - at least not so much over-egging, which has always been the weak point of this EP - he simply doesn't know when to stop when he's onto a good thing, and that can be as disastrous as putting too much whiskey onto the fruitcake and lighting a match nearby.
Did it have its weak points? Most definitely, as well as some incongruous situations.
At the end of the day, 90% of the acting was good, and at least some damned secrets and lies started to unravel. Not being as much of a Carter-shipper, I have to say that I enjoyed their debacle more than the infuriatingly smug Beale-Branning bunfest and the macabre zombie Christmas at the Cottons.
Home for Christmas.
Wow ... loss of innocence much in CarterTown?
You had all the signs, all the obvious indications that this was all going to end messily and that things wouldn't go, well, according to plan.
Mick saying, almost at the beginning, Vis is gonna be the best Christmas EVAH!
Well, you just knew otherwise.
Shirley panicking that Sylvie might blurt out to Stan that Mick wasn't his son, and Babe reassuring her Don't worry, that won't happen. As soon as she's had her dinner, I'll whisk her back home.
I mean, it's written in the stars, innit?
Even on Christmas Day, Mick is still packing two more major secrets - the fact that Sylvie's coming to dinner, never thinking about Stan having invited Cora, and the fact that he's going to propose to Linda, never imagining that she's been raped by Dean - or, indeed, that Dean's his brother.
And speaking of that, we've had hints galore.
Mick: I always fancied a baby bruvvah to kick around. Guess a nephew ain't so bad.
Shirley: You don't know how long I've waited to see the two of you sat round the same table. (But not Jimbo and Carly, eh, Shirley? They don't count as much, do they, Kevin's disabled son and the daughter who wasn't fathered from the fragrant loins of Buster).
And finally, there was Shirley smiling, Shirley happy and Shirley content, and you know that is absolutely a prelude to disaster.
We had the Carter extravaganza that DTC gleefully promised us - the good, the bad and the ugliest of them all. They were all there, one year on from their first appearance, even a Skype call from Johnny, who miraculously seems to have reached Italy in the dead of winter on his Lambretta. Christmas miracles do happen!
First, we had it drilled into us that the Carters are, really, nothing more than overgrown children aping at being adults - well, at least the older family members are. There was the Court Jester, suited up in children's onesie pajamas with an Inca-style woolie hat atop her head, there was Mick asking Nancy to hold the fort under threat of making her a bridesmaid for his and Linda's wedding and wearing a pink, creampuff dress, and Nancy, the proverbial, stereotypical tomboy of 21 going on 12, making a face and responding with a funny sound; there was Linda, jumping up and down in a paroxysm of childish delight and demanding her present from Mick.
Watching this all with the unmistakeable sense of dread, we all knew the whole shabang would be in tatters after an hour.
Of course, there were some bleeding obvious things to note here - like the fact that Mick's Christmas present to Shirley was a bottle of vodka, which, she informed him, she intended to crack open right away -and this was Christmas morning.
So there we have Peter the enabler of addicts across the Square, and Mick unwittingly enabling Shirley's addiction first thing Christmas morning, because, people, Shirley is an alcholic, make no mistake, and the sooner TPTB man up and address this, the better. We also caught a whiff of Dean developing an alcohol dependency as well, starting with a shot of booze at Patrick's and then proceeding to knock back the whiskey at Mick's as he listened to Mick's secret plan to propose to Linda, complete with the real deal replica of Lady Di's sapphire and diamond engagement ring. Turns out that all along that clunker Linda's been wearing on her finger is as phony as her marriage to Mick.
Dean's out for revenge, but he ends up, initially, helping Mick find Linda's ring and listening to Mick wax lyrical about his love for Linda; however, Dean wonders why Mick's never managed to marry her before, and Shirley, overhearing, is touched at Mick including Dean as a part of the family.
Matt di Angelo and Danny Dyer played blinders tonight. Di Angelo was so convincing in even swerving viewers into thinking that he'd thought better of his revenge motif and was actually touched at Mick's affection, but the next scene, as Mick scattered rose petals on Linda's bed brought out Dean's real motif, when Dean suggested that Linda was basically an easy touch, offending Mick, who thought Dean was drunk. Equally, earlier, we had a foretaste of Dean's manipulative side, when he told Linda that he didn't intend to tell Mick anything, that Linda's guilt would do all the talking, that she felt guilty for what she'd done and was now using that.
Not true, but then, there is an element of guilt which Linda is feeling and that has to do with the child. Dean was still using tactics of mind control to make Linda doubt what actually happened, but Linda's guilt lay with the child she's carrying and not knowing who the father was and always wondering.
Linda never intended telling Mick today of all days, but once she learned that Dean was upstairs, the die was cast, especially that brief scene where she was sitting in the Carter kitchen, at the table where the rape occurred and Mick's Pretty Flamingo wafted through from their bedroom. Of course, that was their song and the song playing the night Dean raped her.
The confession scene was good, but I felt Kellie Bright carried that scene. Dyer played it well, but I thought his emotions were a bit OTT, and I never cease to be amazed at how sexually aware the Carters seemed to be as children, with Mick's tale of the first time he'd seen Linda as he was playing football. Since Linda had the make-believe house-playing wedding with Mick when she was twelve, that would have put Mick perhaps at twelve when he first saw her and Linda at eleven. Prepubescent sexual longing.
It actually surprised me that she told him, there and then, about the rape and that he believed her. I believe him when he said that he truly loved her and that he would never not want her, but I caught a glimpse of hesitation in his face when she told him that she wasn't sure who fathered her child. That will prove to be an obstacle in their relationship.
The other thing which surprised me was that he actually told Shirley and told her to find Dean and tell him never to come around again. I never believed Shirley would buy Mick's word, alone. Shirley, until the last frame of the episode tonight, is the only person, bar Babe and a demented Sylvie, who know that Mick and Dean are brothers, and Shirley would definitely want to hear Dean's side of this story, especially as there's no love lost between her and Linda anyway.
(Don't forget that Shirley's told Linda that Linda's children hate her and want her gone, and that's wishful thinking on Shirley's part).
We had the wonderful scene of Linda and Mick sitting on the sofa, with Linda in the exact same position where she sat when Dean was upset, going over everything with Mick and even promising to go to the police after Christmas, then finishing it off with another example - this time a real one - of strength in womanhood: Linda virtually forces Mick to sit with the family and eat Christmas dinner as if nothing had happened, and Mick is barely able to do this because the revelation that his wife has been raped has so phyiscally affected him. I can sort of understand Linda not wanting to disrupt Christmas Day anymore with this coming out into the open and involving police, but I was more than just a tad amazed that she'd insist on going through the ritual of mingling with the family, amongst them Dean's mother, after that shit had hit the fan.
Of course, you knew what Dean would tell Shirley - that this was consensual sex, that Linda didn't tell Mick because she was afraid of getting found out, herself (and not because she was afraid of what Mick would do to Dean), so it's easy for Shirley to surmise that Linda was lying to save her own arse and to land Dean in it.
This has to be the "Shirley-Has-Dean's-Back" dilemma to which Matt di Angelo referred some months ago, but Shirley wants to have this out with Linda right now, but she's pre-empted from doing so by Mick losing his cool and beating the shit out of Dean ... only for Shirley to scream out that Dean was Mick's brother.
Dramatic moment? Yes, well, it was, but was that line really congruent with the scheme of things? She should have shouted It was Linda or Remember your parents are here or something else. I know that the two are brothers and that the aim of this episode was to bring that secret out into the open, but it just seemed an odd thing that would make Mick stop bombarding Dean.
Now the secret's out, let's see the aftermath tomorrow.
As for the new Sylvie-Stan-Cora triangle that's emerging, not good. The actress plays Sylvie well, and Cora is suspicious that Sylvie is just a manipulator. Well, Alzheimer's patients can manipulate as well as anyone. Sylvie is attracted to Mick, but she doesn't know why, and Mick accepts that her condition means she won't recognise him; she may not even recognise Tina. But that's the beauty of Sylvie - you never know when she's telling the truth or when she's confused.
Like the incident of the necklace - she told an elaborate tale of it having belonged to Diana Dors and Stan traipsing all the way to the West End, stinking of fish, to buy it for her. When Cora gives Stan the fisheye, Stan protests that the necklace was bought cheaply at a local market. Stan is as befuddled as anyone with Sylvie's appearance, and actually, that was quite tacky of Mick to bring her along, when he knew full well that Stan had arranged to spend the day with Cora.
She does remember snippets, as photos seem to jog her sleeping memory - like Tina at ballet lessons - and she's great with the incongruent and often truthful lines ...
Sylvie to Nancy: Is that why you dress like a boy then?
Nancy: I don't dress like a boy.
Sylvie: Are you a lesbian?
Sylvie's right here. Nancy does dress like a boy. She doesn't even dress like an adolescent boy, but rather an 8 year-old off he playground.
Cora's uncomfortable with Sylvie and jealous in the bargain and walks away from the situation, which is about to result in Sylvie backing up Shirley's unwitting confession.
Well, it lived up to its hype, I suppose. Lady Di was cute.
The Bizarre Beales.
The Beales and the Brannings are spending Christmas together on the strength of two of their most self-obsessed members being in lurve. Max is reluctant to cosy up to Ian Beale, and the Beales are at their affluent smuggest. Ian's just fronted money to Ronnie the Bully to fund Nick's departure from Walford, and Bobby the Beaver Brat is anxious to open all the presents that have been lavished on him, whilst sullen Cindy the Greek is sighing about "just putting Beth down."
OK, we get it. She's bored with motherhood, but that's her own sorry fault. I hate this character immensely, but what I hate most about her is how in almost every episode in which she appears, we get the toss of the hair, the rolled eyes and the bored sigh accompanied by the line,
I've just put Beth down.
Pardon me, but that sounds like she euthanised the kid.
Tonight we got a double bill of tossing hair, widened eyes and all too obvious knowledge of the camera being upon them with Lauren and Cindy sat again at the same table. Both of these actresses are acutely aware of the camera being present, which is why we get hair tossing, head flicking and over-exaggerated facial expressions.
Ian and Jane were both insufferably smug tonight, Ian wanting to lord it over Max by serving a five course meal - "one of the first things they taught him in catering college". Of course, the Brannings come laden with gifts, and there's a weird one under the Christmas tree for Beth, which appears to be musical. It's Lucy's jewelry box, which Ian had donated to the charity shop, meaning someone who knew this to be Lucy's jewelry box must have bought it for the purpose of leaving this under the Beale tree.
Before the package was noticed and just after the Brannings arrived with their bounty, we got a brief hint in the fact that Ben had dropped by and left some presents under the tree.
OK, let's recap:-
Ronnie has been at Ian's a couple of times bullying him into raising money for Nick's departure.
Jane made a vague remark to Cindy about "some people" had left gifts with her for Beth.
The Brannings arrive with gifts.
Ben has just dropped by to leave some gifts.
Ronnie has been at Ian's a couple of times bullying him into raising money for Nick's departure.
She's still high on my suspect list, but Ronnie isn't the type to frequent charity shops, and she wouldn't have known that this item belonged to Lucy Beale.
Jane made a vague remark to Cindy about "some people" had left gifts with her for Beth.
Jane's remark didn't quite ring true for me. There are only a few people in Walford close enough to the Beales to warrant giving Cindy's sprog a gift, and most of them wouldn't have left the gift with Jane. Jane, however, knows what Lucy's jewelry case looked like and could have spotted it in the charity shop window. She could be spinning a yarn about the vague people to take the scent away from the fact that she put that present there.
The Brannings arrive with gifts.
Was there really any need for them to buy gifts for the whole family? Lauren and Peter, yes, and a bottle of plonk for mein host, but nothing warranting a bagful of presents. That's another red herring. Still, Abi acted just ... weird throughout the whole episode, and she was seen holding Beth in the background, as Cindy opened the package. Clue?
Ben has just dropped by to leave some gifts.
We know that the picture frame which killed Heather ended up in the charity shop and that Ben kept it hidden under his bed beforehand. Ben has a way with wanting to keep trophies. We know now that Ben popped in earlier to deliver some presents. Ben has form in this sort of thing ... or is he a red herring.
I'm inclined to believe now that someone around that table might be responsible. First of all, Lauren needed a smack, or at least, a goblet full of water thrown in her direction, for the way she spoke to Emma at that table. Emma may no longer be on the police force, thanks to Max, but she still thinks like a copper, and she knows that receipt of that gift must be reported to the police. Instead, Ian - led by Peter and Jane - wants everyone to forget the incident and move on. Lucy would want them to celebrate.
You what? Lucy would be crying out from the depths of hell to catch that asshole who brained her and send them down there to deal with the Devil and with her.
In no way do I think Ian did it. I just think he's afraid of finding out who did. Because it's someone he knows.
And correct me if you think I'm wrong, but Jane assuring Lauren that she saw her turn and leave the Beale's house that night, as she looked out Masood's window, doesn't ring true somehow. I'm sure Lauren did exactly as she said she did, but Jane was almost coaching her in what was an obvious lie. Is Jane guilty? After all, she has hidden evidence, after persuading Ian it was better to get rid of a clue than to inform the police.
Summerhayes is right to be suspicious, and the way Max spoke to her was also disrespectful and rude. She is right. Lauren made a false statement to the police and needs to rectify that as soon as possible before someone - like Lee Carter - gets to the police first with this evidence. If Lauren corrected her statement and told the police why she lied, it would be a matter of nothing; but she doesn't want to go to the police and Max is near as damn it threatening Emma.
I'm looking forward to the penny dropping for Emma, because this is looking as though a Branning might be involved ... or a Beale, as in Jane.
Cotton-Picking. I feel sorry for Dot. And Charlie. They've allowed Ronnie, unintentionally wielding a knife, to move in and run the show.This is turning into a farce of great proportions, especially the ritual emasculation of Charlie Cotton. Ronnie thinks a knife will deter Nick? Nick's killed with a knife and in the Square.
Dot's just glad he's there for Christmas, and Ronnie's giving no thought whatsoever to a woman for whom she's supposed to feel great fondness. Nick is Dot's son, and he's Charlie's father. They're bonding over family photos, and Charlie feels a part of a dynamic at the moment. Unfortunately for him, the snobby, cold fish psychopath who's the mother of his child shudders at the thought of a Mitchell being a part of the Cotton crew.
Good episode.
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