I couldn't watch tonight after reading the summary and knowing I'd have to sit through another Dean pity party. I've decided I'm not going to give up on EE altogether at the moment but won't watch any episodes that concentrate on him, and will fast forward any of his scenes in the episodes I do watch (I always record and watch it a bit later).
It's not a matter of disliking Dean. I really detest him and he makes my skin crawl. I can't bear to watch him.Originally Posted by Jessie Wallace
Well said!
I've been thinking about Dean compared to Archie Mitchell, a despicable character if there ever was one. He even raped his own teenage daughter!
The huge difference between Dean and Archie is in the writing and acting. Archie was portrayed as a villain and never given storylines that showed him in a sympathetic light. Also Larry Lamb acted him in a very sinister manner. There was no doubt in viewers' minds that we were supposed to detest Archie and want to see him punished.
The way Dean's being portrayed means he has many fans who find him "complex" and "vulnerable" (yes, I've seen these distasteful posts elsewhere) and almost treat him as the victim of the storyline. This really illustrates our concerns that Dean is not being written and acted as a villain, which minimises rape as a crime and encourages victim blaming in my opinion. (I'm not saying the DTC and his team are doing this deliberately but unfortunately this is how it's coming across to some of us.)
I find the writing extremely manipulative and frustrating and the whole thing leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
