EastEnders Part 10: I Smell Queer

What about the gay kissing gif?

Here ya go champ

I had to wade through fanfic to find this.

R2 Thanks, but I meant a gay kissing gif to post in the OP. I said I wanted it in the last thread. Oh well, too late now...

OP, It's Ballum, not Ballam.

the lighting in the park scene at night was really well done

Well, we smell queer, at least.

R4, you fussy queen, you make the next thread.

From the last thread regarding whether Ben and Callum could have known each other when Harry Reid was still in the role of Ben:

======

From what I recall, there were no scenes where Ben and Callum could have met during their very brief time on the show together in January 2018.

Halfway showed up at the very end of the January 1st episode when The Big Heist started to go bad and Mick recognized him when the doors of the van were flung open. Even we didn't know who he was.

As for Ben, he was already out of Walford by the January 12th episode on his way to France.

In between those two weeks, there were only a couple of episodes wherein they both appeared, and I don't think their characters were ever in the same scene.

Halfwit was laying low at the pub with The Carters.

Meanwhile, Ben was already planning his great escape. His scenes during this time primarily amounted to him commiserating with Jay over Abi's "death." .. Having a veiled goodbye-farewell with Phil. .. Gifting Karhy with the piece of jewelry and selling the rest. .. And things like seeing him prep to leave with the cash, then Mel showing up at the garage already sniffing around. .. Then, he was off.

Shirley may be an old had, but she has the body to rock that spandex leopard jumpsuit.

And Linda Carter without makeup ...... EGAD !

Shirley must spend every waking moment out of Elster doing Pilates.

Was Mick supposed to be Posh Spice? He should have been Sporty.

When did Halfway suddenly decide to go by Callum instead of his nickname?

Mick was the Spice Girl that no one is allowed to mention..........

🙊 Hairy Spice

Phil must think he's Cock of the Walk, announcing to his "family" that Sharon is pregnant. You know he did it deliberately to nix any plans she may have been entertaining for an abortion.

Apparently the pic of Max Bowden wearing glasses in the previous thread is from EE. According to this tweet from the aptly named @CelebWanker said specs appeared in the episode when Keanu shimmied shirtless down the drainpipe and NuBen received a text from Pecs Guy.

[quote]Reason 2: Ben Mitchell standing round looking smug in nothing but his sweaty, cum-stained boxers, texting the lad he'd been banging the night before. Wonder if @MincingMitchell is a top or a bottom? #EastEnders #SexEnders countdown.

Not much Ben & Callum in the spoilers for next week.

NuBen is a Menace 2 Society.

It never made sense to have bar in that place. It's tiny. Just a new coat of paint and cheap as fuck posters and lametta. They didn't even get drag queens, just some poxy cunts dressed like dead swans. And what's with the transexuals extras everywhere? Ben couldn't even go looking there. No men to be found. So much for pride.

Here’s what I think will happen: on Pride, Ben will invite that lookalike guy from the app as his date to make Halfway jealous. However, the day before, he gets intercepted en route and is beaten by the car guys. The Halfway lookalike is looking for Ben, and Halfway is embarrassed. Ben emerges late in the day with yet another facial wound. Everyone in Walford thinks it’s a gay bashing but Callum knows it’s because Whitney and Tiffany would not let him lie to the police about the cars. Angst ensues, Callum apologises, Ben kisses him on the cheek, but the engagement is still on and Ben remains with blue balls and a black eye.

Someone on another board reckons Bianca is retuning for Ben’s funeral. Nah.

Ben isn't going to be killed off, he's a legacy character.

Why does the entire Mitchell family have orange pop in their wine goblets? Would actual wine trigger Phil?

Ben spoilers for next week.

Steven was a legacy character, too, and they killed him off. Soap producers/writers don’t think the way we do.

Well his attempt at giving uncley advice to Bobby can’t go any worse than his brotherly advice to Dennis.

Steven being dead is actually one of the main reasons Ben won't die. After Paul, Steven and Luke a fourth gay/bi man won't be killed in as many years. He was also just recasted to a new, much stronger actor and is fronting the show right now in many ways.

I never realised they killed off 3 gay/bi male characters in such a short span of time, thats insane! Its like how Corrie now have their first black family moving on to the street when its the longest UK soap going, really strange.

R25 Ben’s the least boring part of the Mitchells right now. About a third of the twitter responses are negative towards him, which seem to be a combinational of people who don’t buy that the new butchier Ben is the same one who loved ballet and worse glasses, the women who hate Callum’s adultery and earnest young gays who don’t find his kinky sexual aggression bad for the image of the LGBT community. But the majority love him so it would be far worse for the momentum of the show if he died.

I was going to complain about all the plain Jane lezzies until I saw how nice Tina looked as Ginger Spice. Cheekbones for days. And I assume Tiff is going to kiss Bernie during Pride (and ditch her soon after).

It’s almost comic how deliberately awfully dressed the characters are. I get that the appeal of the show is the combination of eccentric, chavvy, old-fashioned, cheap, dowdy, slutty and fashion victimy and dully middle-class styles of the characters as many of them are barely escaping the underclass but realistically like Tina would do something about her hair and Kat would stick to a single animal print per ensemble and slutty gay Ben would dress cooler and less like a 1990s wide boy (ie Phil).

Why doesn't Ben wear his glasses? Did he mention it? He looks much better with them on tbh

R12 When the producers decided he was no longer to be seen as a joke character who stuffs tampons up his nose .

regarding NuBen . I still miss Harry Reid . Max is great but he's not playing Ben and I would prefer him as an original character .

Tiffany is past Bernie, she's going to give it another go with Keegan.

Speaking of legacy characters, are weever going to see Dot again, or did Ben have her kidnapped and sold to a very exclusive retirement village as a sex slave? If she ever returns, they should get her drunk and take her to the Prince Albert. She'd be a hit!

R31, Dot was made a millionairess thanks to Dr. Legg. I do think we already saw her departure (back to Ireland to stay with grandson Charlie and his family) in February and it’s the one June Brown wanted. I love it that Nick finally died just a few years before his ma became rich. I’m assuming when Dot eventually dies she’ll leave her money to Charlie and church charities.

And also to Sonia and Robbie, who would then have to leave the Square. I still can’t believe that when Kat returned they never addressed the issue of the £1m that she and Alfie had won on a scratch card. Like, how did they go through all of that just by opening a bar in Spain?

The money went the way Alfie's brain tumor did .

So 😺 Dave is also enjoying the high life in Ireland, feasting on endless plates of fresh corned beef, and bowls of Irish Cream?

I think June Brown is going blind so probably won't return. Ben won't be killed off. There have been way too many untimely deaths on EE in the past few years: Ronnie and Roxy, Abby, Lucy, Paul, Luke, Stephen, Shakil, Dinah, Vincent.

June is losing her sight due to macular degeneration. She's 92 years old, definitely time for a we'll deserved retirement. Bless her, she was truly an EE legacy character.

Yes, June is incredible.

R25, I wouldn’t lump in Steven with the other two gay characters because that aspect of him was never even mentioned when he returned to the show. Steven was bi. He was with Lauren and, in a more circumspect way, Abi.

I love Ben and Jay's friendship. Contrary to everyone else I want them to remain friends. I don't want to see them as anything more. Jay is straight, but even if it wasn't, it would be like incest since I consider them brothers.

Now's the time for them to think about recasting Jonathan Carter with a hotter, more dynamic actor.

After The Big Heist, when Mick first let Halfwit live at The Vic, weren't he and Johnny bunking together prior to Johnny leaving for Manchester?

Maybe Ben isn't really Callum's "first" .. lol!

[quote]I love Ben and Jay's friendship. Contrary to everyone else I want them to remain friends.

Surely not many here want them to bang.

I hope they do recast Johnny. Harry Styles would be good if he could do a Cockney accent.

On one hand I'm going to be sad when the new set is finished for HD. Part of the deglamorous charm of EastEnders is how grey and brown it is, how the fug of chip fat seems hangs in a haze in the air. When it is lit to perfection like every other soap it will lose something.

I want a Stormy Daniels cameo at the Prince Albert.

Well, she is starting a career as a stand-up comic.

Did anyone else love when Martin broke up with Kush in the middle of the street? So homoerotic, like everything about Martin and Kush.

Johnny Carter #2 was about as attractive as a squashed bug and #1 (Sam Strike) has greatly lost his good looks

My mother lives in Borehamwood close to the EE set and the expansion is pretty big, and ongoing. The east end is very cool these days, with venues, gyms, vintage shops, juice bars round every corner. EE needs to come into the 2010s before we're in the 2020s.

By venues I meant small live music venues like the Moth Club.

I'm sorry but he is always going to be Halfwit.

Ted Reilly isn't bad looking, he was just given a frumpy wardrobe that aged him and writing that made him into a square eunuch.

Robbie Jackson secret chubby chaser

Has EE ever had a main eastern European family? I'm picturing Marek and Daria, late-30-something dentists turned cleaners and AirBnB operators, her parents Jerzy and Zofia, his seedy uncle Wlad, and their babydyke daughter Maja and hot twin sons Antoni and Pawel. They are hated by the entire square for their work ethic and cheap wages that undercut the competition.

Someone’s being sent to fat camp!

My friend directed the kiss episode! Proud...

Wow! Direct him to these threads, r56, congratulate him on the lighting and suggest more tongue.

Admittedly, Stuart’s acting was surprisingly good when Callum went to him for advice about his “friend”.

is Danny Boy Hatchard (Lee Carter) gay IRL?

Yes, R59.

R52 yes!!

I for one thought Ted made for a very cute Johnny, and he totally came into his own when they occasionally put him in t-shirts and let him scamper about the Square bumping into people his own age or get tipsy and roll around in bed with Ben. If he’d been allowed a little cheekiness & laddiness like Strike brought to the role to blend with the maturing preppiness he’d have been likeable and more believable.

Ted wasn’t given chance to properly get to know and truly inhabit Johnny.

I guess the main problem was that they brought back Johnny #2 without him serving any real purpose other than to up the gay quota

where are y'all seeing that Danny Boy Hatchard is gay?

R63Who cares what he is? He's fug. I'm glad he's gone as he was terribly miscast. If they bring him back I hope it's with someone hotter playing him.

Sorry, lets try that again... R63 Who cares what he is? He's fug. I'm glad he's gone as he was terribly miscast. If they bring him back I hope it's with someone hotter playing him.

R56 Wow, congrats! The episode was very well done and the kiss scene has gotten a lot of praise, which is well deserved imo.

R52 Nah, Ted Reilly IS bad looking. He's fug, just like the actor who played Lee. Sam Strike on the other hand was gorgeous, looked a lot more like a child of Mick and Linda would look like, not the trolls who later played Sam and Lee.

But more importantly, Ted Reilly couldn't act for shit. He looked like a deer caught in headlights most of the time. Sam Strike was far superior, both in the looks and acting departments.

Anyone watching? Bobby Beale is back!

Here's Callum!

Ben was out jogging and looking at Callum lol

Oh dear, Phil is pushing Sharon to have this baby.

Keanu's face when Louise told him Sharon is pregnant... lol!

Since when does Husky Ben jog?

I had issues with both Johnnies. Acting tics aside, Sam was good, but he seemed awkward in the actual gay scenes. Also, he didn't look the part of a future lawyer. .. Meanwhile, geeky-looking Ted came off more intellectual, but I agree with "the deer in the headlights" comment above. Looks aside, Ted just wasn't that interesting to watch. .. The only time I was interested in the character was when Steven arrived and DTC left behind that little gift suggesting that Steven might get a bead on Johnny. But of course, O'Connor refused to open that intriguing package.

LOL!

R76 LMAO! Pure gold.

Ben's little wink

Callum's face said it all.

wonder if Callum is a bottom?

Well, I think we can assume he's been topping Whit ....

And Ben seems vers so, he could be too.

Thirst trap

who's that?

Apparently Lola has forgotten that Ben caved Heather's head in .

Since the shot is Vegas, it's probably Bowden's ass. The Sun ran an article on his drinking, smoking, and trips to Sin City.

R74...... Since he noticed HalfGay jogging! He was probably jiggling as he jogged.

What is this storyline? Callum goes cold after they fucked? Where is the love? The desire? Just leave it there then. This is boring.

He's both panicking on two fronts: losing his brand new domestic setup and having to keep Stuart off Ben.

Callum wears the same nice pink striped shirt in the cheek kiss scene as in the one where his dad has him by the scruff off the neck.

T87 I'm disappointed as well. I don't mind a slow burn, but this is ridiculous. Normally when a storyline like this starts there's multiple hooking up scenes (like with Robron on Emmerdale). So far we've had one kiss and that's it.

Lets try that again...

R87 I'm disappointed as well. I don't mind a slow burn, but this is ridiculous. Normally when a storyline like this starts there's multiple hooking up scenes (like with Robron on Emmerdale). So far we've had one kiss and that's it.

'What is this storyline? Callum goes cold after they fucked? Where is the love? The desire? Just leave it there then. This is boring.'

Calm down, Larrie! Callum is conflicted. He wants a traditional marriage and kids with Whitney but he also wants Ben. His father and brother are homophobes too so it's not going to be plain sailing. Maybe you should go and download some Boyfriend Porn if you want non stop hooking up.

You sound very young.

The Ben & Callum scenes from yesterday's episode.

Who killed Lucy Beale?

New spoiler, includes Ben but not Callum.

I wonder if he's hiring someone to beat him up to make Lola and Lexie stay, he can't be that twisted, can he?

Old Ben wouldn't , Imposter Ben sure would .

Thirst trap

^^^ Now there's a hot guy for a change. Kush and Gray are the only real draws in Walford, and they get wasted on the likes of stinky Kat and dull Chantelle.

Louise Mitchell is 17 and she's getting married? The whole storyline is ridiculous. Phil hates Keanu for years. Ben should be really jealous of this.

Sharon will make sure that she ruins Louise's plans for a future with Keanu. If Sharon ain't happy, ain't nobody gonna be happy. Sharon wants her hot young stud back.

r96 Ben 4 would, Ben 3 and 5 wouldn't

Patrick is getting a new younger girlfriend.

We need more Gray. Maybe he was brought in to be a supporting character but he’s one of the top 2 or 3 best looking people on the show.

Dumb, delusional teenage Princess Louise doesn't even realize she beginning the long, hopeless decent to Trailer Trash Queen.

I wish those two bullies would return and smack her around some.

i hate how EE doesn't show new episodes on Wednesday

Are you kidding, R105? I think it should go back to just being on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

EE doesn't show ads so even with only showing four episodes a week, it still shows as many as Coronation Street or HOE-lly Oaks.

Louise has been a major pain in my ass since she took the necklace from Keanu.

She’s a stroppy cunt. Keanu had more chemistry with grim Hayley than he does with Louise.

I'm in Australia and EE is two weeks behind. Last episode Stuart and Ben tussled in The Vic toilets, so I guess tonight is the kiss.

I just finished it. I hadn't seen the clips, just pictures, and it was much more intense than I expected. I didn't know Callum would basically admit to Jay in E20 that he didn't look forward to having sex with Whit.

The Spice Girls tickets storyline was funny and I'm so glad Kim got the sack.

Oh, and I'm glad my suspicion was correct and the Prince Albert will be a part time vegan cafe

Dear gawd is that going to tie into Mick's heart attack story where he's more than likely going to be ordered to alter his diet as part of a change in lifestyle?

I gather tonight’s episode was pretty good. I do want to see Sharon smack Karen in the mouth.

Keanu's feet look pretty tiny.

How old is Bobby Beale supposed to be? He looks about fourteen.

Sharon's a real PsychoBitch.

Her and Ben are the new Norma and Norman Bates.

R115 Bobby is supposed to be 15 (turning 16 in July).

R115, Bobby was sent to jail for two years aged 12 and now looks 16, tall and broad shouldered. Very odd casting.

Scratch R118, he was jailed for 3 years in 2016. He was born in July 2003 so must be nearly 16.

Some ball kicking competition on Eastenders twitter. Tony Clay is doing it for Ballum ...

... I prefer Bengay, but hey ho.

I guess the Walford Pride episode will be concurrent with, well, Pride in London? When is that, exactly? The month is almost over.

LOL

Dirty little bitch

BenGay loves to soothe his aching joint with warm relief.

Pride in the UK is usually in July.

Spoilers for the next couple of weeks.

New Ben with glasses.

Why was Bobby recast? On the podcast those guys said that the last Bobby was cast specifically because of his stage experience would be required for the live shows, but why is there a new blonde kid?

I know Max was banging Lucy, but why is he going after Bobby? Did Bobby do something else. Maybe Bobby should have knocked off Max.

R129 Probably because Max was arrested, tried, and convicted of killing Lucy -- a crime Bobby committed. And Max probably feels that a 12-year old kid is old enough to know right from wrong and should have confessed to the murder rather than let an innocent man go down for the crime (even though adults like Jane, Ian, even his own daughter, Lauren, knew Max didn't do it as well). And as we know, being in jail turned Max mental, so seeing Bobby now is probably some kind of a trigger.

Maybe Bobby's return will influence Max in some way to die and leave the show? Fingers crossed.

r131 God I hope so, he grates on my nerves. The only comeuppance for a character like Max is death

I didn't mind Max in the Wilmott-Brown story, where he actually had a purpose. But he's just a waste of space now. And now that Jay's got the car lot back, Max should be written off. His role at Walford East seems totally manufactured just to make it look like he's involved in something.

The thing is, R129, Bobby didn’t actually realize he had killed Lucy until way after Max was put in jail. And for all you people who don’t believe that (along with that moron Mrs. Peel at WW) Bobby wouldn’t have put the music box/murder weapon under the Christmas tree if he’d known he’d killed Lucy with it.

^^^ Sound like a scene from Silent Night, Bloody Night........

It's also pretty rich of Max to accuse Bobby of having ripped his family apart . Max did that all on his own , he cheated on every woman he's been with , has a thing for teen girls (Stacey , Lucy ) , is responsible for Steven's death and tried to murder Jane (something he has in common with Bobby by the way ) and Ian (the same Ian he's entered into a business partnership a few years later ) . And when he complains that the child Bobby only got three years for killing his sister he should also mention that he got away with manslaughter and attempted murder as an adult .

Nobody rocked a pair of glasses like Josh. He was hot, and I'd rather see him back instead of Lauren.

Is there a playlist with the whole Lucy Beale death storyline some place?

And in the live week, was it a surprise when Kathy turned up it had it been announced?

How are Tiffany and Jack related? Is he her ex-uncle?

R140 Jack is Tiffany's great-uncle.

Jack and Tiffany's grandmother, Carol Jackson, are brother and sister.

R139, it was a big surprise.

I can’t wait for the levels of awkwardness when Whit goes to Stuart for advice on Callum.

I like the new Bobby. He reminds me of Lucas Hedges.

Max is such an entitled, self-serving, odious piece of shit. Not to mention a murderer and attempted murderer. I want him to die permanently even more than Ian and Phil.

I really like the new Bobby but it's hard to see how someone who has killed or tried to kill half their family can ever be a viable character. Even by the standards of soap.

The Bernadette/Tiffany story is one that I feel should resonate for me more as a gay person, but something about it isn't ringing true. Maybe I don't understand what's going on from Tiffany's perspective as well as I do Bernadette's. And I also think Tiffany is demonstrating an implausible degree of maturity, compassion and selflessness for a mid-teens girl. I really wish I could connect with their scenes more because I've been falling in love with my straight flatmate for a while now and it should be my mood.

I think if Bernie and Tiffany were more equal looks wise it wouldn’t just seem like the fat sad friend is having a crush on her cooler mate. Tiffany likes men, but she was infatuated with Evie in that confused teenage way so it’s not like she’s 100% straight. She will probably end up being an EE version of your standard No Labels/Love Is Love teen.

First pics of Callum's dad.

This upcoming week will have Ben on screen for a couple different storylines, sadly none of them include Callum. It's about Bobby being back and Lola threatening to move back to Newcastle with Lexi and Ben doing something to get them to stay.

R147 short and bald, basically another Phil Mitchell

Thanks, R146, that's interesting.

Callum tries to get out of going to the gay bar - EastEnders (13/06/19)

He doesn't mean a sex cuddle, Whitney. He means a hug cuddle.

A man and his dogs

Pride Week episodes are next week.

Show kind of dragged last week. Mitchell overload (and not the one I wanted to see) and the Arthur custody storyline going around in circles with characters delivering the same lines over and over. Hoping for more spice this week.

Finally, some Ballum/Halfgay spoilers - Callum's Conundrum:

- Whitney makes Callum model t-shirts she is making for Pride (😂).

- His father Jonno arrives and charms Whit

- But he gets off on the wrong foot with Ben and Phil at the Queen Vic and fights with Ben in the loo

- Mick also hates Jonno

- Callum storms off after his father and Ben comforts him with the cheek kiss

- Which Stuart witnesses

Hashtage AWKS

I can see the blood on Stuart's hands. It's coming from Ben's massive head wound.

No one can say devious Ben 6 is out of character

I love a pork ball

Spoilers....

LOVE the headline! Callum's conundrum. His dad is a bigot and he's falling further for Ben - is there any way out?

Jonno, lmao. Another crazy Irish character? He must have sired King Fug when he was 16 as he barely looks much older.

He’s also tiny, shorter than Max Bowden. Perhaps gangly Callum’s mother is a giantess.

R164 😂😂😂

I like that hot middle-class Gray isn’t evil. I am a bit worried that he isn’t used much, but I live in hope. So far, the only thing annoying about him is his tie clip.

Middle class Adam on the other hand is a bounder and a cad. I felt so sorry for Habiba when he hustled her out of the flat. But I want him to stay longer because I don’t want Honey and Billy reuniting.

Callum and King Fug are both around 6ft tall, so their mother must have been around 6ft 6! R164 is right. Typical dunderhead casting.

Stuart and Callum have reasonably large almond shaped eyes, where as leprechaun Jonno’s look like pissholes in the snow.

Maybe their mother is Brigitte Nielsen or Sigourney Weaver?

Or Vanessa Redgrave?

why hire someone who looks just like Phil and Max?

Weren’t people saying Kate Oates didn’t like ugly people?

Please open every episode of EE with an overhead shot of either Kush, Gray or Jack having his morning shower. Alternatively, have all three of them sharing one.

I find Mrs Peel's constant shrieking that Kat dresses like a prostitute (complete with screenshots) to be the best entertainment on WW.

Ben keeping it subtle.

^ Is that Callum's dad?

yes

He looks like Pat Phelan (from Coronation Street) from the back.

Why do British guys button their polo shirts all the way, even in the middle of summer? It looks nerdy.

I’m a big fan of what Max Bowden is doing, he has helped revitalise EE this year.

But. His fucking accent. It’s 1960s Michael Caine meets Home Counties stage school brat. Some of the other Bens sounded quite posh. Ben is hard now and channeling Phil but he should rethink the voice.

[quote]Please open every episode of EE with an overhead shot of either Kush, Gray or Jack having his morning shower. Alternatively, have all three of them sharing one.

Damn, Jack looked good.

What do we think is going on with Bobby? Was he groomed/raped in young offenders? Radicalized? Brought into some kind of organized crime ring? I have to say that the actor is doing a pretty good job at making me interested in the character.

The bonding over killing people and being in prison with Ben is foul, though.

I think he was radicalized.

Radicalised into Islam? The alt-right? The EDL?

Radicalisation a good storyline in any case.

[quote]Mitch gets one over on Gray, and Stuart hatches a plan to ensure his brother’s wedding goes off without a hitch.

Maybe this explains Ben's future bashing. Stuart's gotta Stuart. Wish he'd jog on.

And I wish it hadn't been written that Mitch has a problem with Gray Someone educated, sane and good-looking married his daughter and provides for their children and he doesn't like that why?

Mitch is jealous. Very jealous.

Mitch was never around for Chantelle and Keegan. Chantelle said it herself. No financial or emotional support. Everytime he sees Gray, he's reminded that he always was and will always be a loser.

Maybe Bobby will be like Damien Lewis in Homeland and converted to Islam because it was the only way of having a spiritual life.

I guess it's Pride Week, finally?

It’s on Friday.

I hope Ben gets a celebratory blowie this week. Happy Pride.

I hope Ben gets a celebratory kick in the nuts.

I'm most looking forward to the episode this week where Gray goes gay for pay (or at least, to help Kathy make money).

I want to see Kush go gay for pay. With a client particularly into foot worship.

Astonished that Kate Oates is bringing Kunter back. Not for a cameo, he’s returning to the Square. He was the worst actor on the show, worse than Big Mo.

I can only hope and pray he is the Christmas death and will take Max and Louise out with him.

Kunter will probably be involved in Bobby’s white supremacy radicalization storyline.

I want Dan to return to the Square and pound Kunter in his mussy mercilessly.

Ah, that would make sense. Kunter already has the Hitler Youth haircut. Foreshadowing: Keegan told Mel he is a a psychopath.

Phil Mitchell = father of the year

If Ben didn’t have Lexi with him Phil wouldn’t even want to know.

When he gets back, add Hunter to the Kush/Gray/Jack scene. Being DP'd while the third is throatfucking him is probably nothing he isn't already familiar with from prison, after all.

It's on now! Anyone watching?

LMAO at that Jay talking to Callum about Whitney being the one.

Stuart is so creepy. I have a feeling he's only being nice to Whit because he knows Callum is gay and doesn't want him to be gay.

they should let Keanu grow his hair out

Keanu is so dumb and annoying. The actor can't act for shit either and I heard (don't know if it's true) that the actor said something homophobic in the past. Can Bobby please turn into a murderer again and kill Keanu?

I'm shocked Lola decided to stay because of Jay... lol .

Louise is so annoying ugh

[quote]I heard (don't know if it's true) that the actor said something homophobic in the past

I heard that too.

Apparently the cast are currently filming a funeral, and the money is on Whitney.

Stacey is a awful person. She is just so horrible and rude to people and they put up with it. I hate those 'oh I know I'm a nightmare but you love me' people. I'm confused though, because I get the feeling that the audience is meant to actually like her?

Wow, Louise awful too! she's not the one running away from the police is she? what an idiot. As for 'my dad would never let you get arrested'? how is he going to stop it. And the attitude of Phil and Ben about Keanu 'losing' the car - well that's the risk when you send someone to pick up a stolen car, I'm surprised Phil doesn't know this....

That family all need to be brought down a peg or two. Having said that, it is entirely consistent with Loiuse's upbringing over recent years, as Daddy's little princess in a criminal family, to have that attitude.

New episode!

Gray is so hot

R202 R205 It was old tweets where he used the f****t word.

As this article points out, Emmerdale fired an actress for the same type of thing.

Jonno is off to a great start with Ben and Phil lmao

Jonno is a midget jfc

Stacey is such a bitch

Kuch tried to apologize but Stacey was like nope

"I'm just glad that my boy finally found himself a girl." With emphasis on girl.

And now his dad is going on about the army and calling Callum a pansy.

Gray and Mick playing a gay couple lol!

Two episodes tonight and ZERO Ballum :(

Ben telling Louise “You’ll look lovely working in a laundrette” is the best thing he ever has or will say and has made me a fan for life.

I hate the way women and girls on soaps, even in Britain, never seem to have abortions. They always, like Louise, go to the clinic and then they 'can't go through with it'. And if there is some reason why the plot does not require them to have a baby then they later have a miscarriage.

I don't believe Louise would have kept the baby, tbh I think she'd have had bigger dreams than a baby and a flat with Keanu? I suppose that's why she made such a fuss about him getting involved with her dad's dodgy businesses, because she wanted to be like Sharon, taking the money and not asking any questions and not needing to work. I'm not sure why she imagined that though because she knows Keanu isn't like Phil.

I like Ben saying that a flat around Walford cost more money than Keanu and Louise could afford. Because it’s true.

R220 Within the last few years on EE, both Libby and Lauren opted to terminate their pregnancies and went through with it.

Ah, I stand corrected R22. I didn't remember/wasn't watching perhaps either of these. I feel like I've repeatedly seen the same storyline - of going to the clinic then changing their minds, in the past, and it has always bugged me. It sounds like things are changing a bit.

Jonno sounds exactly like Stuart when he talks. With the same weird cadences.

There were two Ballum scenes. Hashtag Relationship Goals in the market and You Can’t Waste Your Life With The Wrong Person in the funeral parlour.

[quote]Apparently the cast are currently filming a funeral, and the money is on Whitney.

PLEASE let it be Max. Then reveal Steven standing in the back of the guests at the funeral (we never saw him die onscreen).

We saw Steven flat-line onscreen and the doctors weren't able to resuscitate him.

What a waste.

Hunter and Mel have been set up for an incest storyline. First ever in Eastenders but Kate Oates is going to go there.

I would be happy with Kunter being a terrorist or with being a motherfucker.

But not with being redeemed.

I would like to see Callum kicking ass. He has military training.

Actually R228, it was implied in the story of Steve Owen, Hunter's father, back in the 90s. I remember him going to visit his mother and her making a point of kissing him on the mouth when he left. It was never remarked upon in the as far as I know, but there was a vibe.

Interesting, r231. It seems that keeping it in the family runs in the family.

Meanwhile, Keanu was such a thick chav with that car. Thinking he’s James Bond.

R230 I think we heard Halfgay's military training was more mess hall-related than anything. He actually seemed frightened when he fired the gun and shot Mick. Somehow he ended up getting a nosebleed. ..lol!

R227, I thought we only saw the nurse/doctor tell Abi that he'd died? I don't remember seeing his actual death. Although the show was such shit then that I couldn't be bothered watching too closely.

R234 Well, he flatlined while Abi was talking to him. The medical crew rushed in to see if they could bring him back, so they pushed Abi out. A doctor then came out and indicated to her that they were unsuccessful.

The show is suffering its all time lowest ratings. I’d blame that on Kush/Kat, Keanu/Louise and superfug Stuart.

Not entirely true, that one episode rated insanely low because it was switched quite late and not time checked.

......

Ruby and Ben had good chemistry. I would like to see them become two tiny neurotic drinking buddies together. Maybe Ben may recruit Ruby and her millions into some scheme to fleece Phil..

I dislike stories that have a gay man kissing a woman, even if it's just a joke or for fun. They don't have straight characters kissing other blokes, so why do that with the gay character?

R240 possibly because someone might accuse them of gay baiting if it were straight characters.

R241 It's just as bad the other way around imo. There is no reason for him to kiss a woman. He's gay.

Ben killed Heather with a picture frame, sold Louise to people traffickers, put out a hit on Billy, is currently blackmailingCallum and spends all day every day lying and scheming.

But it’s beyond the pale that he would kiss Ruby for 1 second to precipitate a fight between her and Jay that will make sure his daughter remains in Walford and near his mark, Phil. Simply unconscionable.

I watched the episodes again and we did indeed get a short Ballum scene yesterday. My bad, missed the first 5 minutes. Typical! lol

R243 Actually yes, because Ben is GAY. We all know he's a lying, scheming scumbag. So what? That's who he is. I still don't want to see him kiss women. There's no reason to de-gay him. The kiss is pathetic, only for shock value.

I’m shocked, shocked that scheming Ben Mitchell isn’t a good PC homo.

The ratings are consistently low, though, R237, and there’s a reason for that. Yeah, it’s improving in some areas but it needs a big overhaul and reboot to recapture its audience.

since the ratings keep getting mentioned, it can't help that the show constantly pulls episodes for sports and making it difficult for others to keep up

Also lots of people watching on I-player especially now with vacation , football, everybody being outside with the nice weather....

I'm just joining this discussion R246, but the point that's being made is that this was a choice on the part of the writers to put a gay character in this situation, which (it sounds like) is something that crops up repeatedly.

It's not something I feel particularly strongly about, but I can see why it bothers R245, and whether or not Ben himself is 'a good PC homo' isn't the point really. I can see that you bring that up to argue that this is in character, but to me the kiss felt kind of forced and random.

The point isn't that it's in character for Ben to scheme and manipulate others like this, but the fac that (apparently) screen-writers keep putting gay characters in this situation for some reason, and that it wasn't really necessary for the story.

[Quote]I'm just joining this discussion [R246], but the point that's being made is that this was a choice on the part of the writers to put a gay character in this situation, which (it sounds like) is something that crops up repeatedly.

[Quote]The point isn't that it's in character for Ben to scheme and manipulate others like this, but the fac that (apparently) screen-writers keep putting gay characters in this situation for some reason, and that it wasn't really necessary for the story.

Exactly, R250.

[quote]but the fac that (apparently) screen-writers keep putting gay characters in this situation for some reason, and that it wasn't really necessary for the story.

Well, nothing’s necessary for the story. The story is, broadly, Ben spinning plates in seeking vengeance on his father.

Just because it grosses you out, it doesn’t make the scene less revealing and valid. Because in spite of your moral objections, it’s a character note that Ben that he would do something which betrays his hard-won sexual liberation in a spur of the moment act of spite, and I wouldn’t call it “not necessary”. It’s not a coincidence he joked about being straight during in Pride week and the next episode was brandishing a brochure in Jonno’s face. And it’s not a coincidence Ben is doing this, and not Sonia or Bernie or Tina.

It doesn't gross me out R525, and I don't have moral objections to it. I was just saying, there's a difference between complaining about a repetitive trope, which is what the person who objected was doing, and arguing about whether the individual character would plausibly do it. I agree that Ben would have no qualms about kissing a woman to get what he wanted but the person you were arguing against was making a much broader point than that.

Also, as for things being 'necessary' for a storyline - some things are definitely necessary, and some things are not vital but make sense in the context of the narrative. But this didn't even really make sense - it was highly unlikely that Jay would come along at just that moment to see them kissing and the way it seemed to trigger their splitting up at the crucial moment didn't really make sense either. I doubt things would have escalated the way they did.

Yes, Ben does try and throw things in the air and see where they will land, but this just seemed a bit random. Not necessarily objectionable in and of itself, but a bit objectionable if it is part of a repeated trope of having gay characters kiss straight ones for the sake of it. The person I was writing in support of had a valid point.

Anyway, like I say, I had no particularly strong feelings, but the argument that was being made against it had a logic that you weren't really engaging with.

No EastEnders tonight :(

[quote]But this didn't even really make sense - it was highly unlikely that Jay would come along at just that moment to see them kissing and the way it seemed to trigger their splitting up at the crucial moment didn't really make sense either. I doubt things would have escalated the way they did.

It made plenty of sense. Ben and Ruby got drunk and he badmouthed Jay all night. Dude at bar was giving Ruby the eye, and they tried to put him off. Ben finally suggested Ruby kiss him only when he saw Jay appear at the door. It’s just something else he tried that, this time, caused an argument.

[quote]Yes, Ben does try and throw things in the air and see where they will land, but this just seemed a bit random.

It was deliberate. Ben will have a reckoning with Callum and Jonno with how he brandishes what power he has, sexual or otherwise.

[quote]Not necessarily objectionable in and of itself, but a bit objectionable if it is part of a repeated trope of having gay characters kiss straight ones for the sake of it.

If Ben or other gay men on EE have repeatedly acted the hetero sexual stooge for a straight woman fending off unwanted admirers, then I understand you finding it a bit objectionable. Soaps are built on repetitive scenarios, however this one was not chosen at random. To call the use of it here cheap isn’t really valid. It’s not any gay man kissing a woman. It’s Ben, and shows that his self-loathing and vulnerability runs deep.

Ben has fucked up a lot in his life and this current term in Walford has wrought more of his own chaos. But even while Ben kissing no less than his best/only friend’s girlfriend (and no, not “for the sake of it”) during Pride Week is wrapped up in a comedic bow, it shows how he will betray the only really decent thing has earned, his strong sexual identity. You find it gross for the reason you are supposed to. I am looking forward to how this aspect of him plays out when Callum is finally outed. I like a slow burn but it a touch slower than I would like.

Actually R255, I agree with a lot of your points, I didn't notice that Ben had seen Jay approaching. Just to reiterate, I didn't find it gross personally, but I was responding to the logic of the debate - the fact that it was about screenwriters choices rather than whether the character was 'PC' or not (which I think is the phrase you used upthread).

I still sympathize a lot with the points made by the person you were debating with, since I can see that this is a tool in the screenwriter's arsenal that they wouldn't use in the other direction - if we compare it with Mick and Gray pretending to be a couple, they didn't kiss and it would have seemed a bit shocking if they had. Except that this is the world we live in, and it does make sense for Ben to be comfortable kissing a woman than a straight man kissing a man, at least in the context of the character you've described.

I find Ben a very very interesting character. Tbh I was sorry he would betray Jay, since I would always thought he was the one person that he would never betray - at least the old version of him. But maybe he's persuaded himself that he's doing him a favour at the end of the day or something.

^^^ Actually, I suppose I did find it a bit gross on reflection. What I was trying to say there was that I wasn't responding from a place of personal moral outrage but to the logic of the debate. But yeah, I can see that it filled, perhaps, more of a purpose than I first realised.

[quote]No EastEnders tonight :(

Not to worry, r254. Let us have a Pride Week flashback to Ben languidly sucking on his finger as he stared at Keanu's asshole.

R240 A few years ago, Mick and Jack kissed.

(DTC era )

Spoilers for week starting the 15th

And this looks like it could be Callum's wedding. That sucks that it's actually going ahead. Is Mick his best man?

Mitch is a traditional black man and doesn't like to see his daughter with a white man. It's fine the other way round, but there used to be (and perhaps still is) a lot of prejudice against black or biracial women who marry white guys.

Whitney won't get married. It will go right up to the altar and Ben and Callum will be caught kissing in the back room of the church, typical soap style.

I thought that was more of an old-fashioned American thing - black men date blondes like no one's business but black women are considered not supporting the black community for marrying white men.

Here is Keanu and his stunt double.

Are you American R262? because I agree that that could be a specific to America, or at least not a thing/such a thing in Britain.

I think he's just jealous because Gray is all the things he isn't, successful and a good husband and father, so he's wielding the only little bit of power he has.

Preview for Thursday of Jonno being a cunt.

r259 That must have gotten all the middle-aged women swooning.

This is interesting.

Probably Habiba and Adam. I assume TPTB know they are onto a good thing and are dragging Halfgay out as long as possible.

People think this is from Callum's and Whitney's wedding.

[quote] Whitney won't get married. It will go right up to the altar and Ben and Callum will be caught kissing in the back room of the church, typical soap style.

Or, it will continue to mirror Christian & Syed, and the wedding will actually go through with Callum then having to live with the sad consequences of his actions, with an extra-marital affair picking up at some point.

I think R270 is right. Unfortunately I think Whitney and Callum will get married and Callum will continue the affair with Ben.

No, not American. I live near London. It's still a thing here, very much so. Black girls who marry white guys are seen as betraying the community by some, especially older guys like Mitch. I don't know if that is his motivation here though.

[quote]I have - and I adore the eps. Great mixture of #Pride, acceptance, joy, tension and heartbreak. True soap. True visibility and True representation. Look out for @clair_norris_ as a standout star and @MaxBowden @RickyChamp1 and @tony_clay76 are also incredible. #EastEnders

So Bernadette may be the main character in the Pride episode. Oh well. I've beet waiting for her to show some acting talent.

EE writer Pete Lawson posted this on FB:

When I was a teenager, there were no gay people on TV. No-one who looked like me, who felt the things I was feeling. No-one who could have helped teenage me feel OK about who I was, no-one who could have given me glimpses of a future that one day I could be part of, no-one who could have given me the words to talk to others about how I was feeling. No-one who showed me it was OK to love who I wanted to love.

Now I get to write that TV, that TV that other teenagers will watch. I get to write “CALLUM IS STARING AT BEN, PUTTING UP A BIG ARCH OF RAINBOW BALLOONS. THE FRONT OF THE BAR IS COVERED IN PRIDE FLAGS OF ALL SIZES, AND THERE IS A DJ SETTING UP HER DECKS ON THE BALCONY. TINA HAS ALSO MANAGED TO FIND A COUPLE OF GIANT INFLATABLE PALM TREES, AND THERE IS A HELIUM UNICORN FLOATING OVERHEAD.” I write that, and amazing people make it happen. I get to write “PRIDE AT THE PRINCE ALBERT IS NOW IN FULL RAINBOW SWING. ON THE STREET, PEOPLE ARE DRINKING AND DANCING, GUYS AND GIRLS OF ALL AGES AND RACES. THERE ARE SHORTS AND CROP TOPS; MUSCLE GUYS AND SKINNY TWINKS; BEARDS AND TATS AND PIERCINGS, AND THAT’S JUST THE GIRLS; THERE ARE A GAGGLE OF GLORIOUS DRAG QUEENS, YOUNGER COUPLES WITH SMALL CHILDREN, OLDER COUPLES WITH DOGS IN TUTUS, TEENS WITH THEIR MATES FROM SCHOOL; THERE’S PINK HAIR AND PURPLE STREAKS, HATS AND CAPS AND RAINBOW FACES, FEATHERS AND FLAGS AND MORE GLITTER THAN AN INFANT CLASS AT CHRISTMAS.” I get to write that, and people make it happen. And I get to write, “ON BERNIE. SPINNING AROUND, GLITTERBALL FLICKERING OVER HER FACE. SHE’S WITH HER PEOPLE. SHE’S COME HOME.”

I’ve got three Enders on this week: tonight at 8pm (there’s a second ep at 9 written by the lovely Michael Begley); Thursday at 7.30; and Friday at 8.30. Friday is Pride – the first time a soap has done a Pride episode. It is joyous and glorious and a little bit heartbreaking. It has a special place in my heart. I think teenage Pete would have smiled.

Nice post *** but Lawson is incorrect that it's "the first time a soap has done a Pride episode."

Hollyoaks did a Pride episode back in 2015. Besides the celebratory festivities, it was also memorable because it's when John Paul McQueen decided to expose his estranged-husband Ste Hay's affair with Harry Thompson.

They have put NuBen with glasses in the family pics.

Ben beats up Callum's dad.

I wish Ben could receive an upgrade to his grim wardrobe.

He is dressing like a mini-Phil.

wish they'd bring back Johnny Carter

Lol at Halfway hiding his T-shirt 🌈 under a cushion

Jonno is so ugly, on the outside and on the inside.

Aww the looks exchanged between Callum and Ben! Even Jonno noticed.

Oh dear, this won't end well...

SMACK HIS FUGGO FACE IN BEN

Stuart standing up for Callum was nice. I actually think he will support Callum when he finally comes out.

Love that the first time Ben doesn’t get his ass kicked since his return is fighting Jonno

Is the fat girl a lesbian?

yes, Bernie is a lesbo

R286 The role of Tamwar will be played by Stuart?

Of course my stream stopped working during the Ballum scenes lol... just my luck.

what site do y'all use to stream?

R292 I would mention it, but it's useless. It keeps loading and it stops if there's too much traffic, which is of course during the Ben & Callum scenes.

I've been trying to look for Hollyoaks streaming since they keeping taking off youtube

R294 I watch at C4 myself, but I'd suggest dailymotion instead of youtube.

Some channel names:

homcom

One.Hd.TV

Tvmaster1996AGT

SOAP OPERA SERIAL 2019

thanks, I had looked on dailymotion yesterday and couldn't find it

Is Shoron seriously wanting another kid at 50? Someone ought to pass her a knitting needle!

Why on Earth would Whitney die? Is she going to have a heart attack when she arrives at the church to find no groom and discovers Ben giving Callum a blowie in the vestry?

Jean is the one who is sick. But hopefully it’s Max.

R298 Unfamiliar with the source, but eewalford on IG is "confirming" that Shona is not leaving the show, and Patsy Palmer is teasing "Bianca and Whitney 2019."

The whole "Whitney dies" rumour seems to originate from a single tweet that noted that Shona had changed her transportation arrangements to the lot every day. A weak hook to hang all of this on but it's the internet after all.

Can you share the tweet? Is it from one of the teenage girls who get selfies at Elstree?

Callum has been in the military so I don't get why he's so timid in fight situations. With his training, he could defend himself against his tiny dad, surely?

Whitney is now hated by the Larrie type teenage stans this pairing is attracting, and the Jonno and Stuart actors can expect abuse online too.

R302 With a whisk and a ladle maybe. I believe we heard he was a culinary worker.

R303 I doubt it. Most of them as well as Whitney’s fans want her with Mick, anyway.

And TBH, if Ricky Champ has been receiving abuse it started a looong time ago not recently. He’s one of the characters who has improved in the Jon Sen/Kate Oates era. So has Rainie, and, briefly, Louise.

I took Jonno's "huh" expression when Ben told him he was returning to have a drink with the mother of his child simply an indication he was surprised Ben had a child/once had sex with a woman.

But now I am fantasizing that the upcoming funeral is Lola's.

Oh...

Cute

Ben, Tina and for some reason Karen celebrate Pride on morning TV

r307 LOL at reply from @Shirley Pussy regarding Duncan Lindsay's report of "Just discovered a whopping soap spoiler that I would never have seen coming in a million years and genuinely need to take time to gather my thoughts.":

[quote]@DuncanLindsay Shirley getting a storyline?! Yeah didn’t think so

I hope it's either Kunter becoming a suicide bomber or Kunter committing incest with Mel. Then committing suicide.

R310 I hope it's Keanu. Useless and annoying character.

It would be amusing to see Teen Mom Louise as Karen Taylor the Second.

[quote] Ben Wadey @ben_wadey Happy #EastEnders Pride day, it’s a fabulous episode tonight! Currently listening to Christmas music to get into the festive mood whilst storylining some Enders Christmas magic 🌈 ☃️🎄

I predict a three week stint for Ross Kemp starting on January 1.

Well, it looks like I'll need tissues and gin to get through this episode. Callum is the loneliest man in the room at Pride and Ben is lying on the floor of the Arches with a bleeding nose.

Tweet by Ian Hyland in the Mirror today:

EastEnders pulled in just 3.38m in its regular 7.30pm slot last night. So maybe there is an underlying problem after all.

On a lighter note, Ben's face at 0:11 is gold.

r315 That guy is looking for scandal. EastEnders was up against Nadal vs Kyrgios and Henman at Wimbledon and has suffered weeks of timeslot changes due to the Womens World Cup. And it hasn't received the worst ratings in its history overall, that basically unwatched episode last week was unscheduled.

The only "underlying problems" are the same ones we've been talking about for ages. It's that EE has sucked for years and viewers haven't returned at the rate at which it has improved since February - and it's improved a hell of a lot - and people increasingly stream it.

Did Callum cry in that preview clip? Aww, poor guy. It all gets a bit emotional for him. Maybe he finally realizes he has to live his true self and goes to see Ben only to find him unconscious on the floor. Or Ben and Callum already hooked up and that's why Callum is emotional. Maybe Stuart saw it and went after Ben. Then again, he already witnessed the cheek kiss...

Yeah, Callum was crying as “What have you done today to make you feel proud?” played. Poor guy.

We’re those Stuart’s trainers?

Kylie!

Good episode. Happy for Babydyke Bernie and shattered for Callum. Tony Clay really smashed it this episode. And I'm so pleased Stuart isn't redeemed, it would be unrealistic at this point. He hates his dad and loves Callum, but that doesn't mean he would also love Ben.

Babydyke Bernie should get a job as a stage manager in the West End-perfect occupation for her. That or a lorry driver.

Just caught up on tonight's episode. Aww, Callum admitted he hooked up with Ben. Never expected that. Stuart obviously knows his brother is gay and that's why he goes after Ben. I expected more on the Ballum front, but that might still happen on Monday. I assume we will see more the aftermath.

I'm glad they're doing something a bit different than expected with this story. I was really surprised when Callum told Stuart about it.

Ben Mitchell also showed off his shaved chest and pale dad bod.

If Callum doesn't come instantly and honestly to Ben's side after he is found at the Arches , Ben needs to ghost him, if only for his own health. He's been waiting both paitently and impatiently for over a month for Callum to come around and has been attacked by all 3 members of the Highway family for his effots.

Not to mention the upcoming outdoor bashing by 2 men we have to look forward to. And the wedding.

Also, hopefully Stacy's maternity leave will be a year-long coma after Kat kicks her grubby ass.

To be fair R326, Callum doesn't actually owe Ben anything. This all started when Ben cheated him out of money for the stolen van, then, after they had some kind of brief fumble in the park, Ben spent a good while needling him and manipulating him and blackmailing him. What Stuart did was awful but Callum didn't make him do it. At the moment Callum's confused and what he needs is time to work it out.

I'd say manipulation and blackmail are harsh words to use here . Ben isn't forcing Callum to do or feel anything that isn't already there . He's just not letting Callum push it aside again .

I'm not talking about that side of things, Callum's feelings. The way in which they're writing the dynamic between them has noticeably shifted. What I'm talking about is the way in which Ben was manipulating him and blackmailing him just after they had their thing in the part. He was obliquely suggesting that he would tell people what had happened in order to stop Callum wanting the money back for the van and to get him to go and give a false statement to the police.

I hate it when the writing is inconsistent. When Stuart first threatened Ben he responded by acting 'hurt' that Callum had sent his brother after him (following the park thing). But it had all started with the van and the blackmail, and Callum was right to be angry about that. It bothers me that Ben started out treating Callum very badly and that wasn't resolved, and now there's this shift in tone. It makes it hard for me to accept that Ben now has Callum's interests at heart, although he is meant to I think.

Either way, Callum doesn't actually owe Ben anything, he needs time to sort himself out.

^^^ on second thoughts, I don't think his suggestion was that oblique, he was basically threatening Callum that he would expose him if he didn't do what he wanted.

I could see Ben pulling away , Paul's death is coming up this month too.

R329 You missed the part where Ben said it was wrong for him to try and out Callum and he would back away. This happened after the chat he had with Louise.

How come Fug Stuart was able to beat Ben up so easily when Jonno came at him with a broken bottle and was swiftly disarmed? I'm sure Ben would have fought back.

Even if Callum was just a chef in the army, he would still have undertaken combat training, like they all do, and gone out on occasional patrols. He seems absolutely useless but I reckon he has some hidden skills which he'll bring out to defend Ben.

How did Kathy afford a bar with 100k?

R332- I might have missed that. But did Ben actually apologise properly to Callum for what had happened? I still don't think he's given him the money back for the van has he? which was part of the power he was asserting over him. And threatening him so he'd lie to the police was objectively terrible. He'd have to be very very apologetic to come close to resolving that, and also give him the money back.

[quote] How did Kathy afford a bar with 100k?

I didn't get that she bought the place. She said she signed a lease.

This slow pace is so boring. It's been literally a month since anything happened between Callum and Ben. I expected something to happen yesterday, but nope. Instead Ben got beat up for the millionth time. Is this really the Pride episode they bragged so much about? It was a total letdown and cop out. Fuck this. I expected better from Kate.

What pisses me off about this storyline the most is that the two main characters have NO scenes together. I actually don't mind a slowburn as long as it's done well, this ain't it.

In other news, Martin wears red Calvin Klein.

Kush's triple joint custody idea works great!

Just kill mad cow Stacey off and the two dads can move in together with Arthur and finally be the happy family they're meant to be.

[quote] How come Fug Stuart was able to beat Ben up so easily when Jonno came at him with a broken bottle and was swiftly disarmed? I'm sure Ben would have fought back.

The way I saw it, Ben physically not fighting back in his scene with Stuart was the point. He was basically telling Stuart that it didn't matter what Stuart did to him, he wasn't going anywhere. Ben even put his hands behind his back, as if to say, "Go on, have at it." And during the beating, Ben was actually shown laughing.

And on the subject of Paul's death (mentioned in R331) ... I'm guessing Paul's gay-bashing death was what we were supposed to think of as Ben now lay there, similarly beaten. .. As the camera slowly panned Ben's limp body, we got a good shot of his hand with that prominent ring, now covering the self-inflicted scar where Ben's "Paul" tattoo once was.

So this thread is now “subscription only”? Huh? I never knew that occurred here. Hey, if it keeps the trolls away I guess it’s good.

Ben seemed very reconciled to the fact that Callum is going to marry Whitney. Ben made no comment to disparage the wedding when he was sitting at the Vic with Callum. I just wonder if Ben is going to work his way into the bachelor party.

Fuck Ballum, Bianca’s back in town.

Hopefully, Ben finds a hot boyfriend now to show off around the square. He could meet him at the gym while he's trying to drop 15 lbs. Let pathetic Halfwit suffer pangs of jealousy and stew in his own domestic bliss juices, seeing what he's missing out on.

Hunter had a hot ass but he couldn’t live forever.

Hiya