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★☆☆☆☆

“All time low”

written by Tinkycat on 26/04/2014



The death of Lucy Beale or the demise of Eastenders?


Whodunnit or Soap?

Recently, the producers and writers of Eastenders have quite markedly changed direction and not I fear in a positive way. They have confused Eastenders with a much darker suspense thriller type genre.

The idea of turning Lucy Beales death into a whodunit, 'Broadchurch' style is contrived and inappropriate for a soap. Let us remember, soaps essentially belong to the genre of 'escapism'. To use the soap as vehicle for highlighting social issues is okay but to bombard viewers with one issue after another makes the soap too contrived for even the viewer to escape into.
Eastenders at the moment no longer looks like a soap. There seem to be two main strands running through it at the moment. it has become a mystery/thriller and at the same time a vehicle to inform us about social issues eg breast cancer.
Let's take the first strand first ie mystery thriller murder. Why do I have difficulty in engaging with this storyline?

Contrived

Numerous scenes, conversations, incidents seems to be written with Lucys impending death in mind, the last scene with Ian, the sudden discovery of cocaine in her jewelry box. She is discovered to be an cocaine user a few days before her death.her surprise criminal record, she is being cyber bullied. It is all being rather distastefully piled on to what purpose? It all seem so out of the blue, so contrived and so many issues thrown in, so unrealistic, so difficult to identify with.
Not to mention the fact that Lucy Beale was never a character that one really felt interested in. She always seemed a bit weird and disconnected so the outpouring of grief comes as a bit of a surprise.
When I watch Eastenders, I want to feel interested in the next episode but don't want to be left depressed and agitated.

Sexist

Oh yes, I hope Eastenders are not going to fall for the current obsession with killing young women. How many times have women been the victims of brutal violence in supposed 'thrilling' tv dramas? Whats thrilling about it? Its quite offensive, that it is so acceptable to kill off a woman just so a tv sleuth can hunt the killer. It buys into sexism against women.


Unsuitable for Children Before the Wsatershed

Then there is the issue of the time that it is broadcast. Most murders or graphics scenes take place after the watershed. Yet, Eastenders is showing the most morbid and distressing scenes at 7.30 when many children will be watching it with their parents or have it on in the background. What sort of questions will children be asking their parents? Are men dressed up in white forensic suits appropriate for children to be watching in a soap. Is these the sort of conversations we want to be having with our children, explaining what they do? Is it appropriate to show Lucy in the mortuary whilst our children are around? It is traumatic even for adults especially for those who have recently lost a loved one.
Surely the producers should be more sensitive or is the desire to shock too overpowering for them? Are they hankering to be elevated to the stays of 'highbrow' drama(of which there is actually very little good drama on the BBC).
I suspect the producers are letting their desire to make their mark rather than what is in the best interest of the audience.
If we the audience, wanted information on the processes of forensic science or the treatment of great cancer surely we would want to watch a documentary on it? if we liked that dramatic genre we would watch a film or drama on it. We wouldn't switch on Eastenders while we are tucking into our suppers!

Insensitive

Likewise with the cancer storyline with Sonia, surely we don't need a lecture on genetics or attend numerous visits to the hospital. It is so badly scripted, the conversations are a poor attempt to replicate how the conversations with the medical staff would go, yet why do I feel like we are racing through the breast cancer storyline at breakneck speed? Again it is unrealistic and not really helpful. I feel we are being talked at.

Not only that, all these depressing story lines are having a knock on effect on the other characters.
The introduction of the owners of the funeral parlour is another depressing addition to the cast. For elderly viewers many of whom cannot go out and the soaps are 'family', surely this is a constant reminder if their own mortality. Where is the escapism in that?

Some of us have challenging problems, real struggles and we are not looking for shock/ horror from our soaps. We need nurturing, to be entertained and to feel that our story or feeling have been reflected in some small way. but it seems that the current Eastenders team seem unable to deliver.

Please can we have fewer traumatic storyline that are going on simultaneously. Its call overload.

Please lets have more sensitive story lines. Lets have less class stereotyping. Lets not overreach our brief and stick to light entertainment. I hope that next time I watch Eastenders, I am not sitting there thinking why am I bothering to watch this?

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