I'm going to spend this whole week catching up, and tonight I watched Friday's episode. Barring the awful Sonia and the insipid Robbie, the highlight was Linda's return, so I'll dig in there, since that was the best of a mediocre episode.
Women's Intuition. There's a lot to be said for that phrase. In Bill Maher's Real Time, he has a segment entitled "I Don't Know It for a Fact, but I Know It's True," which is really what women's intuition is all about, and Linda is strongly intuitive, especially about Mick.
And why wouldn't she be? She's lived with him since they were children. They grew up together, along with their children. As much as Mick likes to tout that he knows his "L", he really doesn't know her as well as she knows him, herself. You see, Linda isn't as dippy and one-dimensional as Mick would like to think. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the days when he could shove her aside, give her a party and let her sing off-key karaoke, whilst he kowtowed to the wishes of his absent mother, even allowing Shirley to insult her to her face without doing anything about it.
Even Mick admitted, in the wake of Linda's rape admission,that she was the stronger of the two, and she is. She proved it tonight, except at the end, when the twist in the tale came out, aided and abetted by hints dropped here and there.
Sometimes, in EastEnders, you gotta listen.
Until now, Mick's been conflicted about Linda returning home. He's resented her absence; he's felt neglected as his wife chose to care for her sick mother, which is something Linda, as an only child, really had to do. He was feeling childishly jealous, neglected and abandoned by a wife who chose to act like a real adult instead of a childwoman playing house, and he reacted like a spoiled brat, falling into the arms of a woman who had played his son like a banjo.
Because of his infatuation with Whitney, he alienated his son, who was suffering from depression. Because of Whitney's manipulations, he allowed himself to believe that Linda didn't really care for or appreciate him enough. When he left Walford to minister to his injured child, he only thought of Whitney, who, disgustingly, berated him for abandoning her in order to care for Nancy.
Above all, he's blamed Linda for selling the freehold of the Vic, blamed her with a burning anger and resentment - not, actually, for having sold it, but moreso for using her own initiative and acting pragmatically in the face of a family crisis without consulting him, and, eventually, solving the problem.
Mick's been apprehensive about Linda's return all week - angry at the thought of her perceived betrayal of him and still conflicted and feeling very guilty about his indiscretions with Whitney. But, I think, as the time approached, he realised how much he really does love Linda. It's as Shirley brutally told Whitney - Mick would never choose Whitney over Linda.
Linda knows about Whitney. That much was evident from the fact that she instantly sussed that the replacement wallpaper, as well as the kitchen decor, was down to Whitney. She knows very well that Whitney assumed Linda's position as de facto landlady in Linda's absence, and that this was condoned by Mick.
She knows, first of all, because she's a woman, and she's Mick's wife. It wouldn't have taken Linda long, when she left after her last short visit, to suss that Whitney was feeding her a load of old cack, and she would have thought long and hard about Whitney's behaviour, when she ticked Linda off like a recalcitrant schoolgirl in the kitchen of the Vic and then told trash tales about Lee. Linda not only knows Mick, but she knows their child, her firstborn, as well; and being a publican, herself, and the daughter of publicans, she'll know when someone's feeding her a line.
But she also has probably had a bit of verification in her intuition.
She mentioned to Mick in passing that she'd spoken to Lee recently.
I'll fucking bet she has, and not only once. Remember Lee's solicitor's letter to Whitney, citing the intention to pursue a divorce when that option became available, for Whitney's unreasonable behaviour during their marriage. I'm actually not surprised that Lee is doing well. He's away from his principal source of tension - his all-encompassing father, giving him false examples of strength and demeaning him by telling him to man up. Away from Mick, he's his own man, and given the space, he's had time to reflect on Whitney and the dance she led him in an effort to make him into a mini-Mick.
Lee may have seemed stupid, but he was anything but that. He knew something was skew-whiff the night he was told to leave Walford, his marriage over, whilst his wife remained, living in the pub with his father, who took her side in all of the proceedings.
Yes, I reckon Linda learned a helluva lot to justify her feelings, from Lee, and good on her that she dug it in with Mick, telling him how Lee was doing well and had recently got himself a flat - a flat he could well afford without a greedy, grasping wife wanting to flash money about.
And when she returned to Walford - obviously, after a signal arranged between her and Elaine and finding Elaine hale, hearty and completely recovered from her stroke, we heard another name that was a blast from the recent past: Woody. (Great, that he's returning; I liked Lee Ryan).
Woody was on the receiving end of catching Whitney about to ring Mick and tell him about the sale of the freehold and Fi's involvement. It was Woody who told Whitney to know her place and Woody who took a jealous punch from Mick, after catching him and Whitney sleeping together. It was also Woody who called out Mick's jealousy of that event; so obviously, Woody has told Linda something that verifies her suspicion as well.
You couldn't help but hear the rancour and bitterness in her voice when Linda mentioned Whitney's name, even asking where she was. Mick's answer about her spending a few weeks with King Drip in Yorkshire, but when the dirty bitch returns, will she continue to live at the Vic and even try to work there.
Mick's concern about Linda's reaction to Fi was just a red herring. I truly think he wanted her to think (and be mistaken) about an attraction between him and Fi, although I did like seeing Fi behind the bar.
O'Connor's less-than-subtle hint that Elaine was really not ill at all came when various people asked after her, and Linda's obvious hesitation, followed by oblique answers gave the tale away, and I liked the riposte to Shirley's suggestion about putting Elaine in a home, referring to Shirley's repeated abandonment of family. I also liked Linda reminding Sharon that she was her best friend. At least, Linda's never grossly taken advantage of Sharon's friendship the way Michelle has, and I can't see Linda gelling with NuMichelle, especially when she knows her marriage collapsed after she abused her position of trust and authority and slept with an underaged student.
I'm glad Linda's back, and I hope she makes Mick squirm. I'd be willing to bet her original intention (which she didn't have the nerve to follow through) was to tell Mick their marriage was over because of his Whitney Lust, and to kick his hairy arse out of the pub.
The Passive-Aggressive Hypocrite. That would be Sonia, and I was reminded of how tiresome it is, watching her hypocritical self-righteousness.
Once again, this segment was a walking combination of Sean O'Connor's overbearing social commentary and a public service announcement. Tonight's sermon was about social care for the elderly, and since this episode would have been filmed during the Hustings at just about the time the Tories' Dementia Tax was being touted, I suppose this was Sean O'Connor's statement and guilt-trip down a lane of issues.
Last night, when the doctor asked Dot if she had any family, she told him a blatant lie. She said she had no one. Dot has family near and far. She's overrun by family in Walford -two stepsons, their four children in total, a great-grandson, a great-granddaughter and now two more grandchildren in Sonia and Robbie. She also has a granddaughter in a suburb nearby and a grandson in Ireland.
You just knew that the aim of tonight's segment was to establish grounds for Sonia (and maybe Robbie) to move in to care for Dot. Mission accomplished.
But the segment also reinforced the dodginess behind Sonia's return. Robbie implied that when he left to come to Walford, as far as he was concerned, Sonia was working in Kettering; yet the next day, she shows up in Walford. Robbie now knows that she quit her job - or so she says. That may or may not be true (I'm thinking the latter). Her timing was too precipitous. Even Martin, presented again tonight as the resident Luddite (a characterisation which I deplore) roused himself to suspect Sonia's sudden appearance, shouting the odds and now demanding that Rebecca come to live with her ... and Uncle Robbie.
She says she has money. Something stinks here. She lies to the Fowlers, telling them she worked her notice, yet she has no job in Walford. She tells Robbie that she's quit her job.
Basically, I'll bet she was sacked.
One thing for certain is that she only wants Rebecca to live with her to prove a point: Sonia is jealous of the fact that Rebecca is settled and happy in a family situation with Martin, Stacey and their assorted children. She's probably happier with Martin than she ever was with Sonia. Sonia proves just what a hopeless and disinterested parent she is by actually telling Rebecca that she'd have the entire flat to herself and Sonia and Robbie would be working all the time.
I'll bet Rebecca would just love that. Since the scene played out at Rebecca's horror at the fact that she'd have to live in the same house as her Uncle Robbie, and also that she was dismayed at the thought of what Martin would think, especially since it was made obvious to her that Martin hadn't even been consulted, as evidenced by Sonia's appallingly blasé and entitled remark that "he'll understand."
She really thinks so little of Martin and Rebecca and so highly of herself that she casts aside any feelings they have regarding their own happiness and desires, just to promote her own selfish whims. The fact that Rebecca's meant to spend an inordinate amount of time on her own, a promise made immediately after Sonia had solemnly promised to "make everything up"to Rebecca, was both evidence of Sonia's fickleness as a parent - she easily gets bored of Rebecca from time to time and starts to whine even more than she does - and the guilt she feels whenever someone like Martin or Carol call out her parental inadequacies.
As I reiterated, Carol says Sonia never goes into micromanagement mode unless her life is out of control. It's then she seeks to control others.
I just wonder what she's done that's got her the sack. As she worked in a private hospital, I wouldn't be surprised if she's not guilty of crimes against English grammar.
An Educated Professional. So Johnny Carter gets a 2.1 law degree and decides to pursue a career in human rights' advocacy, inspired by his desire to help Derek see justice for the injustice of his criminal record. So it looks as though Derek's going to be his first client, and it also looks as though Johnny Carter has now become the show's resident educated professional in a position of trust.
And you know what that means in EastEnders ...
Think Stella (solicitor), Mad May (doctor), Yusef (doctor) and Lucas (pastor) ... yes, folks, Johnny Carter seems destined to be the Square's next raging psychopath.
The Daily Dose of Denise. Everyone rallies around the Court of Queen Denise against the wicked, evil Carmel. As Denise and Kush canoodled at the bar, Jane kept watch and subtly warned the couple when Carmel entered the Vic. Later it was Jane, the woman who aided and abetted a murder,who's now become the moral arbiter of Walford, convinced Carmel that she simply must make amends with Denise and Kush and accept the relationship.
Well, actually, no,she doesn't have to do that at all. It's her choice, but she takes advice from Jane, because everyone takes advice from Jane - how's that for the moral calibre of Walford? - and makes the peace with Denise ... because everyone makes the peace with Denise, a character who lost all relevance ages ago and whom the producer thinks the viewers want to see endlessly.
We don't.
We even got yet another unfunny sequence tonight with Kim, with her inane comment about Carmel's confrontation with Denise being similar to a Western showdown. Oh, my God ... we've been starved of Linda for so long that I forgot she actually hadn't even had a chance to react to Ronnie's and Roxy's deaths, and we lost those two iconic and eminently watchable sisters to the likes of endless Denise and the unfunny and unwatchable Fox sisters.
I'm glad Carmel got in the remark about Kush appearing to find happiness with a woman twice his age. Denise's po-face was a picture, because Carmel stated the truth. She could have been more truthful by using an observation commonly made by people in the South, where I come from, in such a Denise-Kush situation ... Kush doesn't want a wife, he wants a mother.
Women's Intuition. There's a lot to be said for that phrase. In Bill Maher's Real Time, he has a segment entitled "I Don't Know It for a Fact, but I Know It's True," which is really what women's intuition is all about, and Linda is strongly intuitive, especially about Mick.
And why wouldn't she be? She's lived with him since they were children. They grew up together, along with their children. As much as Mick likes to tout that he knows his "L", he really doesn't know her as well as she knows him, herself. You see, Linda isn't as dippy and one-dimensional as Mick would like to think. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since the days when he could shove her aside, give her a party and let her sing off-key karaoke, whilst he kowtowed to the wishes of his absent mother, even allowing Shirley to insult her to her face without doing anything about it.
Even Mick admitted, in the wake of Linda's rape admission,that she was the stronger of the two, and she is. She proved it tonight, except at the end, when the twist in the tale came out, aided and abetted by hints dropped here and there.
Sometimes, in EastEnders, you gotta listen.
Until now, Mick's been conflicted about Linda returning home. He's resented her absence; he's felt neglected as his wife chose to care for her sick mother, which is something Linda, as an only child, really had to do. He was feeling childishly jealous, neglected and abandoned by a wife who chose to act like a real adult instead of a childwoman playing house, and he reacted like a spoiled brat, falling into the arms of a woman who had played his son like a banjo.
Because of his infatuation with Whitney, he alienated his son, who was suffering from depression. Because of Whitney's manipulations, he allowed himself to believe that Linda didn't really care for or appreciate him enough. When he left Walford to minister to his injured child, he only thought of Whitney, who, disgustingly, berated him for abandoning her in order to care for Nancy.
Above all, he's blamed Linda for selling the freehold of the Vic, blamed her with a burning anger and resentment - not, actually, for having sold it, but moreso for using her own initiative and acting pragmatically in the face of a family crisis without consulting him, and, eventually, solving the problem.
Mick's been apprehensive about Linda's return all week - angry at the thought of her perceived betrayal of him and still conflicted and feeling very guilty about his indiscretions with Whitney. But, I think, as the time approached, he realised how much he really does love Linda. It's as Shirley brutally told Whitney - Mick would never choose Whitney over Linda.
Linda knows about Whitney. That much was evident from the fact that she instantly sussed that the replacement wallpaper, as well as the kitchen decor, was down to Whitney. She knows very well that Whitney assumed Linda's position as de facto landlady in Linda's absence, and that this was condoned by Mick.
She knows, first of all, because she's a woman, and she's Mick's wife. It wouldn't have taken Linda long, when she left after her last short visit, to suss that Whitney was feeding her a load of old cack, and she would have thought long and hard about Whitney's behaviour, when she ticked Linda off like a recalcitrant schoolgirl in the kitchen of the Vic and then told trash tales about Lee. Linda not only knows Mick, but she knows their child, her firstborn, as well; and being a publican, herself, and the daughter of publicans, she'll know when someone's feeding her a line.
But she also has probably had a bit of verification in her intuition.
She mentioned to Mick in passing that she'd spoken to Lee recently.
I'll fucking bet she has, and not only once. Remember Lee's solicitor's letter to Whitney, citing the intention to pursue a divorce when that option became available, for Whitney's unreasonable behaviour during their marriage. I'm actually not surprised that Lee is doing well. He's away from his principal source of tension - his all-encompassing father, giving him false examples of strength and demeaning him by telling him to man up. Away from Mick, he's his own man, and given the space, he's had time to reflect on Whitney and the dance she led him in an effort to make him into a mini-Mick.
Lee may have seemed stupid, but he was anything but that. He knew something was skew-whiff the night he was told to leave Walford, his marriage over, whilst his wife remained, living in the pub with his father, who took her side in all of the proceedings.
Yes, I reckon Linda learned a helluva lot to justify her feelings, from Lee, and good on her that she dug it in with Mick, telling him how Lee was doing well and had recently got himself a flat - a flat he could well afford without a greedy, grasping wife wanting to flash money about.
And when she returned to Walford - obviously, after a signal arranged between her and Elaine and finding Elaine hale, hearty and completely recovered from her stroke, we heard another name that was a blast from the recent past: Woody. (Great, that he's returning; I liked Lee Ryan).
Woody was on the receiving end of catching Whitney about to ring Mick and tell him about the sale of the freehold and Fi's involvement. It was Woody who told Whitney to know her place and Woody who took a jealous punch from Mick, after catching him and Whitney sleeping together. It was also Woody who called out Mick's jealousy of that event; so obviously, Woody has told Linda something that verifies her suspicion as well.
You couldn't help but hear the rancour and bitterness in her voice when Linda mentioned Whitney's name, even asking where she was. Mick's answer about her spending a few weeks with King Drip in Yorkshire, but when the dirty bitch returns, will she continue to live at the Vic and even try to work there.
Mick's concern about Linda's reaction to Fi was just a red herring. I truly think he wanted her to think (and be mistaken) about an attraction between him and Fi, although I did like seeing Fi behind the bar.
O'Connor's less-than-subtle hint that Elaine was really not ill at all came when various people asked after her, and Linda's obvious hesitation, followed by oblique answers gave the tale away, and I liked the riposte to Shirley's suggestion about putting Elaine in a home, referring to Shirley's repeated abandonment of family. I also liked Linda reminding Sharon that she was her best friend. At least, Linda's never grossly taken advantage of Sharon's friendship the way Michelle has, and I can't see Linda gelling with NuMichelle, especially when she knows her marriage collapsed after she abused her position of trust and authority and slept with an underaged student.
I'm glad Linda's back, and I hope she makes Mick squirm. I'd be willing to bet her original intention (which she didn't have the nerve to follow through) was to tell Mick their marriage was over because of his Whitney Lust, and to kick his hairy arse out of the pub.
The Passive-Aggressive Hypocrite. That would be Sonia, and I was reminded of how tiresome it is, watching her hypocritical self-righteousness.
Once again, this segment was a walking combination of Sean O'Connor's overbearing social commentary and a public service announcement. Tonight's sermon was about social care for the elderly, and since this episode would have been filmed during the Hustings at just about the time the Tories' Dementia Tax was being touted, I suppose this was Sean O'Connor's statement and guilt-trip down a lane of issues.
Last night, when the doctor asked Dot if she had any family, she told him a blatant lie. She said she had no one. Dot has family near and far. She's overrun by family in Walford -two stepsons, their four children in total, a great-grandson, a great-granddaughter and now two more grandchildren in Sonia and Robbie. She also has a granddaughter in a suburb nearby and a grandson in Ireland.
You just knew that the aim of tonight's segment was to establish grounds for Sonia (and maybe Robbie) to move in to care for Dot. Mission accomplished.
But the segment also reinforced the dodginess behind Sonia's return. Robbie implied that when he left to come to Walford, as far as he was concerned, Sonia was working in Kettering; yet the next day, she shows up in Walford. Robbie now knows that she quit her job - or so she says. That may or may not be true (I'm thinking the latter). Her timing was too precipitous. Even Martin, presented again tonight as the resident Luddite (a characterisation which I deplore) roused himself to suspect Sonia's sudden appearance, shouting the odds and now demanding that Rebecca come to live with her ... and Uncle Robbie.
She says she has money. Something stinks here. She lies to the Fowlers, telling them she worked her notice, yet she has no job in Walford. She tells Robbie that she's quit her job.
Basically, I'll bet she was sacked.
One thing for certain is that she only wants Rebecca to live with her to prove a point: Sonia is jealous of the fact that Rebecca is settled and happy in a family situation with Martin, Stacey and their assorted children. She's probably happier with Martin than she ever was with Sonia. Sonia proves just what a hopeless and disinterested parent she is by actually telling Rebecca that she'd have the entire flat to herself and Sonia and Robbie would be working all the time.
I'll bet Rebecca would just love that. Since the scene played out at Rebecca's horror at the fact that she'd have to live in the same house as her Uncle Robbie, and also that she was dismayed at the thought of what Martin would think, especially since it was made obvious to her that Martin hadn't even been consulted, as evidenced by Sonia's appallingly blasé and entitled remark that "he'll understand."
She really thinks so little of Martin and Rebecca and so highly of herself that she casts aside any feelings they have regarding their own happiness and desires, just to promote her own selfish whims. The fact that Rebecca's meant to spend an inordinate amount of time on her own, a promise made immediately after Sonia had solemnly promised to "make everything up"to Rebecca, was both evidence of Sonia's fickleness as a parent - she easily gets bored of Rebecca from time to time and starts to whine even more than she does - and the guilt she feels whenever someone like Martin or Carol call out her parental inadequacies.
As I reiterated, Carol says Sonia never goes into micromanagement mode unless her life is out of control. It's then she seeks to control others.
I just wonder what she's done that's got her the sack. As she worked in a private hospital, I wouldn't be surprised if she's not guilty of crimes against English grammar.
An Educated Professional. So Johnny Carter gets a 2.1 law degree and decides to pursue a career in human rights' advocacy, inspired by his desire to help Derek see justice for the injustice of his criminal record. So it looks as though Derek's going to be his first client, and it also looks as though Johnny Carter has now become the show's resident educated professional in a position of trust.
And you know what that means in EastEnders ...
Think Stella (solicitor), Mad May (doctor), Yusef (doctor) and Lucas (pastor) ... yes, folks, Johnny Carter seems destined to be the Square's next raging psychopath.
The Daily Dose of Denise. Everyone rallies around the Court of Queen Denise against the wicked, evil Carmel. As Denise and Kush canoodled at the bar, Jane kept watch and subtly warned the couple when Carmel entered the Vic. Later it was Jane, the woman who aided and abetted a murder,who's now become the moral arbiter of Walford, convinced Carmel that she simply must make amends with Denise and Kush and accept the relationship.
Well, actually, no,she doesn't have to do that at all. It's her choice, but she takes advice from Jane, because everyone takes advice from Jane - how's that for the moral calibre of Walford? - and makes the peace with Denise ... because everyone makes the peace with Denise, a character who lost all relevance ages ago and whom the producer thinks the viewers want to see endlessly.
We don't.
We even got yet another unfunny sequence tonight with Kim, with her inane comment about Carmel's confrontation with Denise being similar to a Western showdown. Oh, my God ... we've been starved of Linda for so long that I forgot she actually hadn't even had a chance to react to Ronnie's and Roxy's deaths, and we lost those two iconic and eminently watchable sisters to the likes of endless Denise and the unfunny and unwatchable Fox sisters.
I'm glad Carmel got in the remark about Kush appearing to find happiness with a woman twice his age. Denise's po-face was a picture, because Carmel stated the truth. She could have been more truthful by using an observation commonly made by people in the South, where I come from, in such a Denise-Kush situation ... Kush doesn't want a wife, he wants a mother.
No comments:
Post a Comment