2020 New Year’s day EastEnders. Summary review.

Soap specials are the talk around town during festivities. And given how long I have admired British soaps, I will weigh in my thoughts. My proof of expertise is simple – I am a secret lover of EastEnders.

My induction to the soap came after the famous death of Archie and the follow-up saga of “Who killed Archie?” I read about it in the Metro daily and got so enthralled, I had to find out for myself what it was all about. Then I watched the penultimate revelation in the 25th-anniversary episode and got hooked. What struck me back then was the amount of attention the special episode got. I later realised this is what to expect at certain times of the year. Those times when the storyline gets very interesting. So, given how much devotion I am now giving the show, I have put some words to paper about the first episode of 2020.

In general, I despise soaps. The same stories, but different angles. Nothing good ever happens. And 90% of the time for me, a good storyline gets ruined by unrealistic twists. Then there are the errors. Big continuity errors. More on this another day. These little quirks put me off the idea of devoting to it, that measly half-hour on weekdays. But this New Year episode was not a major disappointment.

The Night Before.

The episode leading up to it was on New Year's eve. Set on the very same day in Albert Square but centered around Linda, at a party hosted by Karen. A drunk Linda appears to be having fun, as you do, whilst p***ing many people off, including her husband. The episode was presented as chopped-up clips of the night but not necessarily in the right order! It was confusing. But then, it doesn’t take a lot to confuse me these days.

The New Year’s Eve episode of EastEnders seemed at best like an attempt at a psychological thriller from an aspiring film graduate. It was a well-meaning lead-up to the next episode but a mindf**k to those with a short span of attention. Albeit in all, it was compelling and kept me waiting for more.

NEW YEAR’S DAY. The Square. What happened on Christmas day?

This episode was set up to explain the previous one. It detailed what really happened on Christmas Day, and how it all ties into the new year.

Back when we were...

Be it gently or explosively, there is always some sort of chemistry between Ian and Sharon. So, imagine the world, where everyone is against Sharon. (Not that you’d need much imagination for such.) And the only hero to the rescue is Ian. The scenes left me dubious about the intention of the writers for him. Is Ian on the prowl? Or is he simply being a reliable friend?

The anti-climax.

The atmosphere got even tenser in Patrick’s household. Denise overstepped the mark with Sheree by snooping around her phone. Yet, I felt the story ended in such an anti-climax. Such an outcome did not warrant the series of events that led up to it. The one worthy ‘disappointment’ for me. Snarky looks, sharp words, a lost and wandering boy (or man?) – all that fuss over her son? Maybe some explanation will appear in upcoming episodes.

Gritty.

I was drawn to the family dynamics of “St. Martin”. At home, worried family members are baffled by the mystery of Dot’s missing money. And Dottie’s determination to find the culprit. When Dot brought the Bible out though, for the swearing-in of the potentially guilty, Sonia was quick to come up with a good suggestion. A "not so convincing" phone call to the bank’s fraud department followed. Only time will tell if this has anything to do with Sonia’s hefty savings account balance at the end of the episode. A poignant scene was when Dot expressed to Sonia how much Dot trusts her - above all others.

Away on devil’s bidding, Martin was a different character. The entire interaction between him and Keanu is a good example of British filmmaking. I enjoyed it. Every time the episode cuts to them, I was more attentive. The drama felt real. Although gripping, I did feel the ‘big boy’ in Martin was at times overplayed. A confused and babbling Keanu was in survival mode throughout. He snapped me out of my anticipation when he rugby-tackled Martin, as if out of nowhere. The fight sequence wasn’t a bad follow-up either.

Half-cut Linda.

Landlady Linda knocked back so much juice on Christmas night that she somehow ended up in the back of Martin’s van. Shut the front door! Well, she appeared from there to the sound of Martin letting one off. A shot that is. From the gun. Brought by Martin to kill Keanu. I think that was a warning shot. He went out for fresh air and clocked Linda. He was meant to be someplace no one else could have been. Linda was in trouble. Or so it seems.

Martin, out of options, explained his current engagement to a stunned Linda, whilst Keanu nurses his wounds. From the fight that is (fellow shortspanners). But somehow, through the sluggish walk and the hangover look Linda was surely not going for, she manages to etch a plan to believably keep Keanu alive. And she, almost near-perfectly, executed it in one breath. She shot Keanu! I felt she was bada**. Keanu manages to do a piece to the camera before he is shot again. This shot was planned. Phew! Martin now has video proof for Ben Mitchell – the job is done, ‘Keanu is gone’. For that brief moment, Linda was cold and calculating.

Now Captain Linda is complicit to Martin and Keanu’s resolution, it transpires she could have blurted out details of the event on New Year’s Eve. Will she keep it together or will the booze take over?

The Mitchell’s – a model family.

They partied. As a family. In full view of everyone. Good alibi. Karen crashed it though. She could not believe that Phil isn’t behind the fact her son hasn't been seen. And she made sure everyone knows it. Phil played it cool. 'It wasn’t me officer'.

Later, Ben meets Martin to watch the video. Martin gave a grand performance as he reminds Ben of their deal. And I saw a little hint, that maybe – just maybe – Ben was a little scared of Martin.

My take.

It felt like a time travel adventure with odd twists. The rearranged storyline came across as a scattered plot. A Welsh drama with no subtitles (at least to me.) But I felt the characters and their emotions. The fight scene wasn’t bad either. A rounded fantastic performance of a decent-ish storyline.

Oh, and the Ghost of Daniel’s future.

The upside is always a good love story. Daniel returned to save the day for the Slaters. He ensured they will not be kicked out by topping up their bills with the landlord. But shocked Jean didn’t take the news well upon realising Daniel faked his death. Their story was tied in nicely with all the other dramas in the square for the day. And in the end, Jean is even more in love.


And how was your New Year’s Day?


NOTE:

This is my first attempt at a review (to actually publish), so feel free to let me know what’s not right.

I managed to not check on previous and/or current reviews before writing this. Is that wise?

At this stage, I welcome any criticism – even the silly ones.

This post was first published on RC, Of Current Affairs.