That was a really watchable episode fraught with frustrations. I probably over-rated it by giving it 8 out of 10, but that was bolstered by the positives of Patrick's presence and how well Tameka Empson has made the transition from unsuccessful comic character to a very watchable dramatic one. There was also Rita Simons, an actress who is woefully underused in the programme, holding her own against a clearly disinterested Samantha Womack (an over-rated actress even before she set foot in the programme and one who has clearly lost the mojo of her character).
Pit those positives against the inept acting attempts of Richard Blackwood, and the bottling out of Roxy yet again.
Something Seems Oddly Familiar Round at the Masoods.
Shhh! Just listen ...
The first impression continues. Carmel is a flame-haired version of Peggy. The voice, the squeaky laugh. Close your eyes and you're back in PeggyLand. I like her, actually. She's obviously a very materialistic woman, but one who clearly loves her sons - oh, and there are two sons - see the similarities? So Kush has a brother somewhere on the horizon, whom we'll meet sooner or later. Probably someone who'll sweep Nancy off her feet and away from Tamwar, or attempt to do so.
So, did Masood meet his grandchild or is he telling Shabnam the truth? As much as I like Masood, he's capable of taking things into his own hands. Shabnam quite distinctly told him again tonight that she didn't want him interfering, that she was happy and had moved on; yet her first question to Masood when he returned was wanting to know if he'd seen the child. Masood is certainly capable of attempting to make contact with his grandchild.
The dinner eventually went smoother than it initially did with Masood eventually arriving, with Carmel wittering on about herself. It was the scene between Carmel and Masood at the pub where ambiguous revelations came tumbling out - moreso from Carmel, regarding Kush's behaviour in the wake of his wife's death than from Masood, who only admitted to Carmel that Shabnam's "past" consisted rebelling as a teenager (or even well into her twenties, as I recall), staying out all night and getting drunk.
Of course, we came to the real reason for the tete-a-tete at the pub: the tenuous link through all the storylines tonight was family and how family ties are the strongest that there are. Masood asked a cagey question, hypothetically of course, about how Carmel would react if she found out about a relative about whom she'd known nothing before. Would she want to meet this relative, even though it meant upsetting Kush?
Carmel gives the correct answer. She'd go through anything for her family. And so we're left with Carmel ambiguously reassuring Shabnam that Masood had told her all about Shabnam's past, and she was understanding; but of course, we know that Shabnam thinks Masood told Carmel about her secret daughter.
Contrived and typical.
The Jackass and the Fox.
The character of Vincent could be so intriguing and interesting, were he played by a better actor. Richard Blackwood is woefully inadequate. He even made Donkey's signature noise at one point tonight.
Instead, Vincent comes across as someone who conveys emotion by bulging his eyes, whispering his lines as though he were reciting them from rote. Donna is still a vile little bitch, smirking at Kim confronting Vincent in the middle of The Albert (made a change seeing that pub at length for an evening), and cheekily blowing out Kim's birthday candles with a triumphant air.
I don't know if Vincent is serious about Kim. The trump card Kim holds is that she's the mother of his child, and Vincent very much wants to be a part of his child's life. He also knows which buttons to push with Kim, and Kim knows now, deep down, that from the very first moment of their meeting, that, yes, Vincent did settle for Kim when he couldn't have a cold, conniving, psychopathic blonde bitch. Ronnie uses people. She used Vincent to get a gun for her. (Why? We've not seen hide nor hair of the Whites since Roswell sent them packing after having Carl's brother beaten to within an inch of his life). Then she dropped him when he was surplus to requirements.
Ronnie's like that, treating people like commodities - using them for whatever means might enhance her, and then discarding them like rubbish when her needs have been fulfilled.
Kudos to Kim for marching her arse right out of The Albert and into Ronnie's hospital room and taking absolutely no shit from Ronnie, even when Ronnie tried to belittle her by saying all Ronnie had to do was snap her fingers and Vincent was hers. Kim saw through every one of Ronnie's lies about how she met Vincent, and when Kim warned her to stay away from Vincent, Kim is totally able to follow through with the threat. If anyone on the Square can match Ronnie in a fight, I'd be willing to bet that Kim could knock Ronnie for six and not even break sweat.
Throughout all of this, there sat Patrick in the background, as immobile as a sphinx, taking everything in and refusing to allow Richard inside the house when he called, shouting for Kim. Maybe he really does want to make a go of it with Kim. He certainly told Donna where to go and how to get there, and he's now intent on making trouble for Ronnie by telling Charlie that his wife was in love with Vincent.
We had to suffer Tina and Sonia shouting for shots of liquor tonight. How Sonia has descended to trailer trashdom by associating with this scrote; and we caught a fleeting glimpse of Sharon, being proud of her bar. Hold that thought. Phil's about to de-fraud her in the interest of family.
For Vincent, he's got to choose against establishing family life such as the one he never had, or sniffing around a psychopath.
The Sugly Blisters.
For once, just once tonight, I thought Roxy was going to tell Ronnie to piss off totally. But in the end, thanks to Nancy's soliloquy on - yes! family - Roxy buckled, and we were treated to a final, lingering shot of the sisters, which was rife with Sapphic incest.
Nancy did almost hit a nail on the head. Ronnie is, indeed, jealous of Roxy. She's jealous of anyone with whom Ronnie is involved, of anyone whom Roxy could possibly love. Ronnie is allowed to pursue a means to an end for herself - and tonight Roxy sussed, finally, that not only did Ronnie not love Vincent in the least, but that she didn't love Charlie either, that she used both of them for her own ends - Vincent, to get her some protection and to rid the prosecution of a star witness in Dot's trial, and Charlie, to get her a child.
Yes, she's jealous of Charlie's affection for Roxy, because the Ice Queen needs a man at her feet, as Roxy said, to do whatever he was told to do.
Hallelujah! Someone, a character, recognises that Ronnie de-balls any male character who strikes up a close association with her! Charlie lost any intrigue, any insouciance and any depth he had the momet he started simpering around Ronnie. Halle-fucking-lujah! Roxy has seen the light.
But Roxy has seen the light before. Time and time again, she's recognised how Ronnie's sought to control her life, she even expounded on this to Nancy, how for 36 years, Ronnie has sought to convince Roxy that she was blatantly incapable of controlling her own life. After all, she left the hospital with a threat on her lips to tell all to Charlie about what she'd witnessed tonight, and she believed every word Kim, a former party partner of Roxy's, said.
Roxy's threat scared the shit out of Ronnie, but - oh, my godfathers! - Nancy had to inadvertantly offer up a clustefuck of excuses for Ronnie - from Ronnie missing her baby to family, in general, continuing to make and re-make the same mistakes which other people tolerate because - well, because they are family ...innit?
Well, Ronnie hasn't given any sort of impression of missing her child, and the only reason she wants Roxy and Charlie on separate planes of existence is because, united, they make it difficult for her to control either one.
And Walford General must have a pretty crap security system, with a nurse allowing a brazenly drunk Roxy to visit her sister and reconcile herself to Ronnie's will by climbing into bed with her for a cuddle.
Ronnie deserves heavy karma. Sooner, rather than later. Finally, Ronnie did something lower than low tonight, which sums up just how much of a psychopath she is - she swore a lie on her baby's life. Nothing good will come of that. The child means nothing to her. It was simply an obsession she had to fulfill. I hope she dies this year. Miserably.
Pit those positives against the inept acting attempts of Richard Blackwood, and the bottling out of Roxy yet again.
Something Seems Oddly Familiar Round at the Masoods.
Shhh! Just listen ...
The first impression continues. Carmel is a flame-haired version of Peggy. The voice, the squeaky laugh. Close your eyes and you're back in PeggyLand. I like her, actually. She's obviously a very materialistic woman, but one who clearly loves her sons - oh, and there are two sons - see the similarities? So Kush has a brother somewhere on the horizon, whom we'll meet sooner or later. Probably someone who'll sweep Nancy off her feet and away from Tamwar, or attempt to do so.
So, did Masood meet his grandchild or is he telling Shabnam the truth? As much as I like Masood, he's capable of taking things into his own hands. Shabnam quite distinctly told him again tonight that she didn't want him interfering, that she was happy and had moved on; yet her first question to Masood when he returned was wanting to know if he'd seen the child. Masood is certainly capable of attempting to make contact with his grandchild.
The dinner eventually went smoother than it initially did with Masood eventually arriving, with Carmel wittering on about herself. It was the scene between Carmel and Masood at the pub where ambiguous revelations came tumbling out - moreso from Carmel, regarding Kush's behaviour in the wake of his wife's death than from Masood, who only admitted to Carmel that Shabnam's "past" consisted rebelling as a teenager (or even well into her twenties, as I recall), staying out all night and getting drunk.
Of course, we came to the real reason for the tete-a-tete at the pub: the tenuous link through all the storylines tonight was family and how family ties are the strongest that there are. Masood asked a cagey question, hypothetically of course, about how Carmel would react if she found out about a relative about whom she'd known nothing before. Would she want to meet this relative, even though it meant upsetting Kush?
Carmel gives the correct answer. She'd go through anything for her family. And so we're left with Carmel ambiguously reassuring Shabnam that Masood had told her all about Shabnam's past, and she was understanding; but of course, we know that Shabnam thinks Masood told Carmel about her secret daughter.
Contrived and typical.
The Jackass and the Fox.
Instead, Vincent comes across as someone who conveys emotion by bulging his eyes, whispering his lines as though he were reciting them from rote. Donna is still a vile little bitch, smirking at Kim confronting Vincent in the middle of The Albert (made a change seeing that pub at length for an evening), and cheekily blowing out Kim's birthday candles with a triumphant air.
I don't know if Vincent is serious about Kim. The trump card Kim holds is that she's the mother of his child, and Vincent very much wants to be a part of his child's life. He also knows which buttons to push with Kim, and Kim knows now, deep down, that from the very first moment of their meeting, that, yes, Vincent did settle for Kim when he couldn't have a cold, conniving, psychopathic blonde bitch. Ronnie uses people. She used Vincent to get a gun for her. (Why? We've not seen hide nor hair of the Whites since Roswell sent them packing after having Carl's brother beaten to within an inch of his life). Then she dropped him when he was surplus to requirements.
Ronnie's like that, treating people like commodities - using them for whatever means might enhance her, and then discarding them like rubbish when her needs have been fulfilled.
Kudos to Kim for marching her arse right out of The Albert and into Ronnie's hospital room and taking absolutely no shit from Ronnie, even when Ronnie tried to belittle her by saying all Ronnie had to do was snap her fingers and Vincent was hers. Kim saw through every one of Ronnie's lies about how she met Vincent, and when Kim warned her to stay away from Vincent, Kim is totally able to follow through with the threat. If anyone on the Square can match Ronnie in a fight, I'd be willing to bet that Kim could knock Ronnie for six and not even break sweat.
Throughout all of this, there sat Patrick in the background, as immobile as a sphinx, taking everything in and refusing to allow Richard inside the house when he called, shouting for Kim. Maybe he really does want to make a go of it with Kim. He certainly told Donna where to go and how to get there, and he's now intent on making trouble for Ronnie by telling Charlie that his wife was in love with Vincent.
We had to suffer Tina and Sonia shouting for shots of liquor tonight. How Sonia has descended to trailer trashdom by associating with this scrote; and we caught a fleeting glimpse of Sharon, being proud of her bar. Hold that thought. Phil's about to de-fraud her in the interest of family.
For Vincent, he's got to choose against establishing family life such as the one he never had, or sniffing around a psychopath.
The Sugly Blisters.
For once, just once tonight, I thought Roxy was going to tell Ronnie to piss off totally. But in the end, thanks to Nancy's soliloquy on - yes! family - Roxy buckled, and we were treated to a final, lingering shot of the sisters, which was rife with Sapphic incest.
Nancy did almost hit a nail on the head. Ronnie is, indeed, jealous of Roxy. She's jealous of anyone with whom Ronnie is involved, of anyone whom Roxy could possibly love. Ronnie is allowed to pursue a means to an end for herself - and tonight Roxy sussed, finally, that not only did Ronnie not love Vincent in the least, but that she didn't love Charlie either, that she used both of them for her own ends - Vincent, to get her some protection and to rid the prosecution of a star witness in Dot's trial, and Charlie, to get her a child.
Yes, she's jealous of Charlie's affection for Roxy, because the Ice Queen needs a man at her feet, as Roxy said, to do whatever he was told to do.
Hallelujah! Someone, a character, recognises that Ronnie de-balls any male character who strikes up a close association with her! Charlie lost any intrigue, any insouciance and any depth he had the momet he started simpering around Ronnie. Halle-fucking-lujah! Roxy has seen the light.
But Roxy has seen the light before. Time and time again, she's recognised how Ronnie's sought to control her life, she even expounded on this to Nancy, how for 36 years, Ronnie has sought to convince Roxy that she was blatantly incapable of controlling her own life. After all, she left the hospital with a threat on her lips to tell all to Charlie about what she'd witnessed tonight, and she believed every word Kim, a former party partner of Roxy's, said.
Roxy's threat scared the shit out of Ronnie, but - oh, my godfathers! - Nancy had to inadvertantly offer up a clustefuck of excuses for Ronnie - from Ronnie missing her baby to family, in general, continuing to make and re-make the same mistakes which other people tolerate because - well, because they are family ...innit?
Well, Ronnie hasn't given any sort of impression of missing her child, and the only reason she wants Roxy and Charlie on separate planes of existence is because, united, they make it difficult for her to control either one.
And Walford General must have a pretty crap security system, with a nurse allowing a brazenly drunk Roxy to visit her sister and reconcile herself to Ronnie's will by climbing into bed with her for a cuddle.
Ronnie deserves heavy karma. Sooner, rather than later. Finally, Ronnie did something lower than low tonight, which sums up just how much of a psychopath she is - she swore a lie on her baby's life. Nothing good will come of that. The child means nothing to her. It was simply an obsession she had to fulfill. I hope she dies this year. Miserably.
No comments:
Post a Comment