Current Episode Discussion VI

[Suzanne]

I thought last night's episode was brilliant! Even my husband who hates Eastenders thought it was good.

I can understand Jane's reaction - she had no idea what Ian and Steven had been discussing, only that Steven had been putting her, the kids and Ian through hell for over a week.

[Lizzie Brookes]

I wonder if there is any way back at all for Steven from such disgrace. I want to hope there is because I have compassion for him but it is so hard to forgive someone - brother, stepson - or not for causing such pain and creating such havoc.

[Joanne]

Ian and the twins will probably forgive him because of obvious emotional ties.

Jane however is different - after what she has gone through recently and with what is still to come I would be surprised if she could ever really forgive him. I certainly couldn't and wouldn't.

But this is a Soap and I expect the Beales, including Steven will all be having a happy Christmas dinner together in a couple of months and none of this will even be mentioned.

[Lizzie Brookes]

I suppose the gun did go off accidentally when Lucy, Ian and Jane were trying to stop Steven committing sucide. I agree that Jane would find it very difficult. She may be civil to him though for the sake of Ian and the twins. Pat might forgive him because she knows himbetter than anyone - even Ian. Lucy is quite close to him. Ian? - maybe he will come round, eventually. This was such a terrible tragedy though. If only he had not taken Lucy to that flat but handed both the gun and himself in, then maybe Ian would have dropped the charges given that Steven made the effort to hand himself in but on th other hand they wouldn't have reached that understanding. I am now guessing Steven was in this on his own though t one point a lot of people suspected Gina was in on it too though I never believed that.

[Suzanne]

I suppose the gun did go off accidentally when Lucy, Ian and Jane were trying to stop Steven committing sucide. I agree that Jane would find it very difficult. She may be civil to him though for the sake of Ian and the twins. Pat might forgive him because she knows himbetter than anyone - even Ian. Lucy is quite close to him. Ian? - maybe he will come round, eventually. This was such a terrible tragedy though. If only he had not taken Lucy to that flat but handed both the gun and himself in, then maybe Ian would have dropped the charges given that Steven made the effort to hand himself in but on th other hand they wouldn't have reached that understanding. I am now guessing Steven was in this on his own though t one point a lot of people suspected Gina was in on it too though I never believed that.

I respect that you have a lot of empathy for Steven, he really is a tortured soul. I never watched EE when Cindy was alive, but listening to Steven last night, it sounds like Steven thought his mother could do no wrong. He even had a bit of a moment with Dot when she didn't say how wonderful Cindy was to Steven.

Steven was never 'right' though. I started watching EE about the time Janine was getting all those poison pen letters that came from Steven.

[Chris_2k11]

Personally I expected the episode to be a lot better.

[StarsOfCCTV]

Same...I think EE could've done better. Still looking forward to Monday's episode though!

[Lizzie Brookes]

I suppose the gun did go off accidentally when Lucy, Ian and Jane were trying to stop Steven committing sucide. I agree that Jane would find it very difficult. She may be civil to him though for the sake of Ian and the twins. Pat might forgive him because she knows himbetter than anyone - even Ian. Lucy is quite close to him. Ian? - maybe he will come round, eventually. This was such a terrible tragedy though. If only he had not taken Lucy to that flat but handed both the gun and himself in, then maybe Ian would have dropped the charges given that Steven made the effort to hand himself in but on th other hand they wouldn't have reached that understanding. I am now guessing Steven was in this on his own though t one point a lot of people suspected Gina was in on it too though I never believed that.

I respect that you have a lot of empathy for Steven, he really is a tortured soul. I never watched EE when Cindy was alive, but listening to Steven last night, it sounds like Steven thought his mother could do no wrong. He even had a bit of a moment with Dot when she didn't say how wonderful Cindy was to Steven.

Steven was never 'right' though. I started watching EE about the time Janine was getting all those poison pen letters that came from Steven.

Thanks for saying that - about the empathy I mean. It's true. I do have a lot of empathy for him and in some ways though I certainly haven't gone through what he has, I can understand how he's thinking and feeling and everything. What he did was definitely wrong but like you said he was never "right". He is very intense about things. He has idolised his dead mum and when he discovered going to New Zealand was a mistake because Simon did not want him he really needed to find someone to blame because he couldn't accept he was wrong and the ideal person was Ian.

Like the actor said he convinced himself that it was Ian's fault his mum died in prison and he clung to this notion until it became a fixed delusion because it enabled him to blame the man whom he felt had betrayed him by lying to him about his parentage for 13 years. Yes I saw that - I was quite shocked when the culprit of the poison pen letters turned out to be Steven. Yes he has put Cindy on a pedestal - saying how beautiful she was and everything and the twins were a bit scared by his obsession with their dead mum. I have compassion with him despite being angry about his treatment of Ian. Ian as beginning to understand i think but then Lucy sneaked out and ruined everything by bringing along Jane who is unsurprisingly angry and upset and makes the situation worse.

[Siobhan]

I found friday was a very dark episode.... loved that Ian picked Jane out of all his ex wifes. Stephen really does need to move on, Ian was right. his move to NZ didn't turn out for stephen so he blames is all on Ian.. Jane should have kept her mouth shut but what a great right hook she gave him

[Katy]

I thought it was really good the writing was better than usual as well as it was really gripping listening to Ian and Stephen in the room. All you needed was the dialogue there was no action. I can't wait till Monday.