ITV’s ‘Super Soap Week’ (a name I have never liked, but I always get outvoted on that) is current proof that build-up and promotion has a huge place in soap.
Coronation Street and Emmerdale are throwing everything at the publicity for two storylines that see the end of a long running serial killer storyline, and a catastrophic stunt.
EastEnders is no different when it comes to building up the tension to draw viewers in – thankfully, as press, we get to play a large part in that.
However, until this week’s episodes landed on iPlayer and aired on TV, no fan was expecting them to be so dramatic and impactful.
When tour jaws hit the floor though, we all soon realised that we were dealing with a pretty much unannounced event week.
There were certain small clues there, to be fair. At Metro.co.uk, we knew what was going to happen (but even we couldn’t have predicted quite how explosively it was going to play out), but we were limited to very small details.
However, a teaser we could put out was that a shocking event would happen.
Meanwhile, having Simon Ashdown as the writer is a tell-tale sign that an unforgettable set of episodes is coming.
In case you didn’t know, this is the chap behind such classics as Who Killed Archie, the Christmas reveal of Stacey and Max’s affair, the 25th live anniversary episode, and Stacey being sectioned during a bipolar crisis.
With those four examples above, there is one constant – Stacey – so it was fitting that he was at the helm of proceedings as her stalking ordeal reached a terrifying peak.
Lacey is one of soap’s best actresses, fitting right at home in the Walford community in day-to-day scenes, exuding heart in family and friendship moments, and knocking it out of the park with colossal performances in huge storylines.
Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) has been tormenting Stacey for months, after secretly building an obsession after finding her pictures online.
It has been an unsettling story arc, which saw him groom his way into her daughter Lily’s (Lillia Turner) life.
At a time when Stacey needed support emotionally and financially, he was a friend in need, and one that was able to come across kind and non-threatening – as many men with sinister motives can.
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I don’t buy into the claims that Stacey should have realised sooner; it teeters dangerously close to victim blaming and the expectation that it’s the responsibility of women to always be on their guard and root out dangerous men.
We knew from a very early stage, as viewers, the type of man Theo is but, as a teacher, a constant helping hand and a pillar of the community, he was able to keep himself off the radar.
Even when the mask slipped and he very directly attacked and intimidated Stacey in her own home, she was the one left without any ammunition.
It’s a very current issue. Well, I say current, it has a spotlight on it through harrowing news stories of men abusing and killing women, but of course, it is no new thing for women to experience.
As viewers of a soap, it can be infuriating to see Theo get away with his actions – and we should be angry – but it’s more realistic than we’d like to think that he would hold all the cards.
Manipulative, effortlessly charming and able to turn off his threatening persona at whim, Theo is free to continue his acts in pretty much plain sight, with the law and burden of evidence on his side to even avoid an order to keep away from Stacey, let alone an arrest.
It’s a message that hit home as this week of episodes unfolded. After a traumatic day in court in which a smug Theo succeeded with his act of innocence, Stacey was left powerless and without any official support from the law.
She had spoken out, told the truth, gone through the correct channels, issued a plea for help – and the very next day, Theo was able to swagger into her home and terrorise her.
As she was cornered by the incel – a man with a bitter hatred and dangerous view of women, who has the expectation of validation and sex from them – she was told by him that she wouldn’t be believed.
He could claim lover’s tiff after she willingly invited him in.
It was a chilling watch, portrayed extremely well by actor William Ellis, who has nailed the representation of the type of man so many women have encountered.
As ever, Stacey terror at his hands was palpable and raw through impeccable performances by Lacey.
It was a heart in mouth series of events, and the true intentions of Theo became clear.
Shockingly – or to many, perhaps not – he still believed to that moment that Stacey could love him and that she owed him a relationship, and her body.
Pinned to the ground, Stacey was subjected to a horrifying assault, and Freddie entered the scenario before things could go even further.
It was grimly satisfying to see Theo caught in the act and left on the back foot but a massive end of episode twist that saw viewers flock straight to social media after screaming at their screens, Freddie unleashed an attack to save and defend Stacey.
As well as the horrific scene which met him, his torment also came from a place of him encountering another sexual predator – his own father, who had raped his mum – and fearing that he could have inherited similar traits.
In a very deliberate and clever parallel to his mum fighting back against abusive husband Trevor way back in 2001, Freddie beat Theo almost to death with an iron.
Bobby Brazier, the cheeky lad who has come in as a sweet-natured and endearing character not dissimilar to himself, has proven to be a revelation, with mature and electric performances which keep up with icons like Lacey around him.
It all came together for a very EastEnders cliff-hanger, and one that left an impression of horror but heavy engagement on viewers.
With EastEnders’ varied demographics from teenagers through to the middle-aged, generations were able to ‘enjoy’ thrilling fictional drama while, at the same time, seeing the reality of an abuser at work.
For young boys vulnerable to incel groups or misogynistic influencers such as Andrew Tate, it could be a wake-up call or reality check before damage is done.
For innocent but ignorant and apathetic men, it attacked the privilege many have by showing just what these sinister campaigns can look like.
At the root of it all, it carried another triumph from a soap in a very clear resurgence era.
And that’s without delving into other strong arcs during the week such as Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) reflecting on her past trauma with Zoe in order to support Lily with her parenting struggles. Embracing its history to weave into character relationships is something that the show is getting so right at the moment.
EastEnders, while winning awards and critical acclaim – including from us – has promoted a variety of big moments, including the aftermath of Cindy Beale’s return and the fascinating murder mystery of ‘The Six’.
And it works. Ratings are increasing after a time when a reverse fortune started to feel like a pipe dream. People are chatting about it, and it’s drawing curious new or casual viewers to the action.
With that comes the power to safely air a week that would normally warrant a press campaign.
None of us realised quite how big this week was going to be – it was every bit a soap ‘event week’ as some anniversaries, huge stunts and massive character exits.
EastEnders has proven it still has the power to pull the rug out from under our feet, and retain an audience who will tune in to what they think will be every day visits to Walford.
And now, given the right pitch and delivery of the episodes, those who have been wrapped up in the drama will stick around for the aftermath.
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