Current Episode Discussion VI

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Originally Posted by Kim

I was watching an episode from early last year earlier, and noticed that Pauline sprayed Bert in the eye with some form of cleaning product. Bert's condition must come from the pressure building up on the inside of the eye, so maybe they're going to somehow bring in that Pauline had something to do with it.

I can't believe they've got rid of Hazel - she's been better in a week that a lot of the other characters have in a year.

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I don't think getting cleaning product in your eye causes glaucoma somehow Kim - its a medical condition:

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What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a range of conditions in which the pressure inside the eye becomes too high. It is important that the doctor checks the back of the eye for evidence of any damage.
Glaucoma is not one disorder but a range of conditions in which the pressure inside the eye becomes too high. This results in damage to the optic nerve at the back of the eye which can lead to loss of vision if left untreated. Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide.

How does glaucoma develop?

There is a constant flow of fluid through the eye. The flow into and out of the eye is carefully monitored in order to ensure that the eye maintains its round shape and does not become too hard or too soft.

This fluid is called the aqueous humour. It is secreted into the eye from an area behind the iris (the coloured part of the eye) and flows around through the pupil and drains out of the eye through several microscopic channels.

Glaucoma usually develops when this flow of fluid becomes obstructed and there is a build-up of pressure within the eye.

There are two main sub-groups of glaucoma:

* primary open angle glaucoma (formerly known as chronic simple glaucoma) is a slowly progressive condition which occurs when the tiny microscopic drainage channels gradually become blocked.

* primary angle closure glaucoma (also known as closed angle or acute glaucoma) occurs much more rapidly when the flow of fluid inside the eye cannot pass through the pupil, causing a rapid rise in pressure inside the eye.

There are other types of glaucoma which are much rarer and can be caused by a variety of reasons:

* inflammation inside the eye (uveitis or iritis).

* the growth of new vessels inside the eye, which may occur in connection with diabetes or after blood vessel blockage at the back of the eye.

* treatment with certain medicines (eg corticosteroids).

* following an eye injury.

* other rare abnormalities affecting the structure of the eye.

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I know sometimes the EE research isn't at its best, but I can't see even them blaming Pauline Fowler for Berts medical condition

Funny how Bert's eye was dark red at the start, almost back to normal at the station, but back to dark red by the time he went to the Vic. :hmm:

As for the rest:

More Wicks/Deano. :thumbsdow

More Dolly/Gary/Minty. :thumbsdow

Pretty awful.

seems like i havn't missed much ritchie,keep forgetting to watch and meanig to give enders a spin to see if its improved any but thought i'd wait till sunday but then the footie takes over the reason i stopped watching in the first place about 2 months ago was the wicks ,foxes,boring bert, shirly,berts annoying grandson to name a few and they kept hogging the screen seems they still are,just wondered if its worth watching 2 hours of rubbish for 10 minutes entertainment,also it really annoys me when strangers turn up and someone just takes them in,someone else gives em a job and everyone stops and chats to them all in their first week

So that was it..... Gary's mom is gone, gee I thought it might have lasted longer, I mean the Wicks brought in SHIRLEY,, why can't Garry keep his mom around a bit longer, should liven up Walford on Karaokee nights , with Garys mom doing her Dolly Parton impersonations :hmm: :lol:

I am still awaiting for the gripping and edge of the seat episodes we have been promised....:searchme:

I thought it was a brilliant episode tonight. I loved the chat between Kevin, Phil and Max. It was really great viewing and what i loved was that some topical issues were raised as the smoking ban coming into force was mentioned, as was the issue of puberty. There was also some light hearted stuff in there with that joke that Phil told at the beginning of the episode. I loved the fact that this was juxtaposed to the Stella/Ben stuff which i found very disturbing.

This abuse storyline is being handled brilliantly. I found it quite uncomfortable to watch actually as Stella was planting negative thoughts in Ben's mind and the pinching game was just horrible. We also saw marks on Ben's arm which showed that Stella has already physically abused Ben, but us viewers haven't been aware of it, and this is how the disturbing atmosphere was brought across a lot more for me.

I also loved the use of pathetic fallacy (yep learnt it in GCSE Drama) where the weather was used to reflect happenings in scenes, so in this episode, it was the thunder with the scenes between Stella and Ben which added a lot more to the scarier atmosphere.

I didn't like Max's speech though about "rowdy teenage boys"...he's getting it on with Stacey Slater for goodness sake!

Overall a brilliant episode though, really enjoyed it. :)

I thought it was brilliant as well - all of it. The stuff with Phil, Max and Kevin, the Stella/Ben stuff and the thunderstorm as you so rightly said bing pathetic fallacy. The problem is that Ben lied about Stella hitting him before so nobody willbelieve him now. Its strange but at first Ben was horrible to Stella when she made an effort with him - turning the stove up for example and pretending it was her and she did nothing in those days. Now Ben is the one trying to be ice and Stella is the ne turning psycho. I wonder if Stella would have done that if Ben hadn't treated her badly to begin with.

Kevin's guess was a good one but though that isn't the explanation I doubt Ben has begun puberty as he is only 11. I wonder why he covered himself up then when Phil came in and why he is distancing from Phil. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. It's silly for Max to be so uptight over them just holding hands - it wasn't even as though they were kissing - not that that mtters of course. Anyway what a hypocrite - look at him and Stacey.

I think Ben covered himself up when Phil came in because he didn't want him to see his bruises. We know about the ones on his arm now and how he got them, but he could have others elsewhere that we aren't aware of yet.

How did Jimbo die? I remember Kevin talking about it a while back but I don't recall any of the details.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say last night's episode was brilliant, I think it was the best for a long time with some real issues being discussed and the cut away bits to Stella and Ben were good too.

If they can keep going they might get back to the good old days. Sadly however we will soon be back to Max and Stacey, Dot and the baby, Garry and Minty, "the loveable clowns", etc. etc. and it'll all have been just a one-off.

That was one of the great episodes. It worked on so many levels. OK the thunderstorm was a bit melodramatic, but it did add to the atmosphere.

After a day when everyone was complaining about Phil Daniel's acting I felt he put in probably his best performance since joining the soap. Such a wise, experienced Dad, dishing out great advice - and getting it so wrong. If only he had understood what the problem really was. Then we had Max with his double standards being completely misinterpreted. It was also good to hear Phil try to explain things from his point of view. So many crossed wires - the dramatic irony was in overdrive.

Meanwhile upstairs Stella was quite simply terrifying. Ben's bruises were shocking and I'm glad they didn't go so far as to show Stella actually hurting Ben - it's enough to know that she is.
I noticed that after the program they posted a link to a help line. This bullying story is at such a pitch now that I feel the BBC need to do more to explain why they are doing this story. I know on the website they have interviews and explanations but the vast majority of viewers won't see that. They could do more to encourage youngsters to speak out if they find themselves in this kind of situation.

Small point. After closing time Phil and Max were paying Phil for their drinks. Isn't that a bit illegal or have the regulations relaxed now?