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| The Death of Lucy Beale; A Masterpiece or a Mistake? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 17 Aug 2015, 22:53 (4,738 Views) | |
| Mrs Peel | 19 Aug 2015, 23:39 Post #21 |
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This is the problem with the Beales, and it's one of which Ian is aware: They are all guilty and all of them - Ian, Jane, Cindy and Peter, and especially Bobby - face prison sentences. Bobby is obvious. Jane moved Lucy's body, dumped it on the Common and initiated a cover-up which lasted almost a year. That's aiding and abetting a murderer; in fact, Jane would probably be given more prison time than Bobby. He whacked Lucy and killed her. He would get sent to a YOP, with his term being determined by the Home Secretary, but he'd probably get out in his late teens or early twenties, and every effort would be made to protect his identity. Jane masterminded the cover-up. She's committed a serious crime. Ian, Peter and Cindy, in harbouring that secret and, effectively, not telling the police what they knew are guilty of perverting the course of justice. The longer Liam keeps sctum, the more he's involved in the guilt. Sharon is really skating on thin ice. She's now harbouring two murderers. Every time someone mentions the name "Carl White," Phil shits himself and starts reading off a litany of people who could go to prison because of what Ronnie did, and that list includes Sharon, himself, Roxy, Shirley and now Charlie. Kathy, herself, is facing some sort of prison sentence. Ian might be made a better person - superficially - when Kathy's existence is known, but it doesn't preclude the fact that he's committed a serious crime. |
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| Fanny_Arbuckle | 20 Aug 2015, 01:36 Post #22 |
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As much as Melissa Suffield was disliked by some, I do not feel that Lucy would have even been considered for being killed off if she had remained in the role. I personally thought she fit the role very well. I also think she actually gave Lucy a character. I felt this was a character who could have really been a presence when she got older under Melissa. Then came Hetti recast and Lucy became very pretty, but at the same time frail and forgettable - like a young filly prancing around the square in heels trying to be a bitch but who cared.... She was not believable in the role they put her in, sorry to say (same thing happened with Kim Medcalf. This is the problem when they go for the look but forget to actually cast for the character). I don't think Hetti would have been that bad had she shown up as some other character - even Cindy Jr or something! But suddenly Lucy was sooo bland. so posh and waif like - I just couldn't buy into her. I lost all intrigue. All that potential was gone in an instant for me. So DTC did the unthinkable with Lucy and killed her off. And now the only thing the character will ever be remembered for was her death. That's not a bad accolade i suppose and It was a huge storyline. But Lucy could have and should have been so much more for the Beales than a one-off plot. She will always be a tag line now: "who killed lucy?". She was disposed of to give the characters in her family a tale. She was disposed of because she had become disposable and she is more memorable in her death. Big shame, but she was no longer going to be a great. Not under Hetti. No one really cared about her relationship with Ian anymore (I think this was so interesting with Melissa and Ian back when Lucy was off with Craig and running away etc). Was killing her off a mistake? For the loss of potential possibly. But then, that potential had already dripped away imo. I don't miss the Lucy that we lost. I do miss the Lucy that was replaced. That for me was the biggest mistake. Nice one Kirkwood. Edited by Fanny_Arbuckle, 20 Aug 2015, 01:36.
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| Michelle Fowler | 20 Aug 2015, 05:29 Post #23 |
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Michelle Fowler
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I couldn't agree more. Thanks for verbalising this so well. I strongly disliked how the true character of Lucy Beale dissapated with Hetti's portrayal. Perhaps she wasn't such a bad actor but a victim of poor casting. |
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| Mrs Peel | 20 Aug 2015, 10:48 Post #24 |
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I preferred Suffield's Lucy, with the exception of the fact that the actress came across, in the "nicer" scenes as incredibly cold. Undoubtedly, her Lucy would have been ruthless and determined to succeed. I remember when Ian had his breakdown, and Lucy was struggling at the café. Someone said that Suffield's Lucy would have been sat in the, with her feet on a table, reading a magazine and delegating jobs to minions. She would have been the natural successor to Janine, but without Janine's vulnerability, and she may have risked becoming more of EastEnders' equivalent of Tracey Barlow, but she would most definitely have been a stronger character.
Hetti was one of the weakest actors on the show. Sometimes, most times, weaker actors learn from stronger ones and sometimes pull through in various scenes, punching above their weights. Such an example would be Scott Maslen, who always worked better in scenes with Jake Wood or Lindsay Coulson; but Hetti just didn't improve in any way. She came straight from modelling to the flagship show on the BBC, and her inexperience showed. What annoyed me the most about her was her diction and delivery. She spoke so low and so rapidly that understanding her was quite often very difficult. She seemed to swallow all her sentences. And, unlike, a lot of others of her ilk, she simply didn't improve during her tenure there. As I said, with 3 ingenues at the fore - Lauren, Lucy and Whitney - with DTC's own Nancy Carter being added to the fore, I felt that DTC would axe one ingenue, and that it would, most likely, be the weakest, but I had no idea he'd actually kill the character off.
I expected her to leave Walford - going to Florida to stay with Michelle or to New Zealand to stay with Steven or a job offer someplace else - and then a return in four or five years' time as a re-cast, or even bringing Melissa back to the role (why not? TPTB did the same with Sam Mitchell), but I didn't expect them to kill the character off, and I agree that that was a big mistake. |
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| Katie | 20 Aug 2015, 11:26 Post #25 |
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I'm still undecided on whether or not it was a good idea to kill Lucy. I was never really a fan of the character and I didn't really like Hetti as Lucy, so in that way I don't really miss her and I prefer Lauren and Whitney who I think are stronger characters and actors. I've really enjoyed the storyline and I like how it didn't end at the anniversary and there's still a lot to happen in the future. I like the fact the Beales are involved in the storyline, but I don't think it necessarily needed a well known character like Lucy being killed. I really enjoyed the Heather/Ben storyline, but that was about what happened afterwards rather than because I cared about Heather. I think it's a shame that Lucy won't be around in the future as there aren't many Beales left. It would have been good to see her relationship with Ian as she got older, and also some scenes with Kathy. The fact that Peter and Cindy are no longer around doesn't help, if Ben Hardy wanted to leave and Hetti would have stayed it would have made more sense to kill him instead, although I can understand why they didn't. The fact that more people are starting to find out what happened doesn't help either. I could understand people not telling the police about Bobby, but I couldn't understand them just leaving Max in prison knowing he's innocent. I really hope he gets out of prison before he leaves for a while. I think it would have been interesting if Ian, Jane, Lucy, Peter and Cindy were all still around, knowing that Bobby had killed someone. I would have killed Abi instead. |
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| Forest11 | 20 Aug 2015, 12:25 Post #26 |
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I am sure Max wont go down simply because once he comes out he wont keep anyone out of prison who he knows knew for months. Lorna comments on twists seem interesting. I am sure one or more characters will make shock returns for the trial. Remember David helped delete the footage. Carol must find that out. Lauren has not been mentioned on purpose I think as when she reappears in the storyline people will be suddenly reminded she knows. |
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| DirtyDen | 20 Aug 2015, 13:40 Post #27 |
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DirtyDen(ise)
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Personally I think it's a masterpiece and has revitalised EE, which frankly was in danger of being axed as it just wasn't performing well enough. Lucy's death has revitalised the Beale dynamic and impacted across the whole square. What other storyline has done that in the history of EE? |
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| Mr Carter | 20 Aug 2015, 14:51 Post #28 |
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I love Sharon being involved now. This story is continuing to deliver and it's the main thing that's keeping me to tune in every week. |
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| Mrs Peel | 20 Aug 2015, 16:02 Post #29 |
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Short answer? The death of Den Watts. That storyline started on the show's 20th Anniversary and bubbled along in the background until November 2005, when it was re-ignited. It encompassed every family from the Watts, Mitchells and Beales to the newer families of Slaters and Moons. That's just about everyone of consequence on the Square at that time. Zoe's involvement in Den's death, Stacey providing an alibi for Chrissie, who was escaping with Jake Moon and who tried to sell the Vic cheap to Ian Beale, Sharon and Dennis joining forces with the Mitchells to prove Chrissie killed Den ... The Lucy storyline is not unique in cast involvement. And as much as the tabloids expostulated about the show being "in crisis," it was never ever in any serious danger of being axed. Not at all. |
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| DirtyDen | 20 Aug 2015, 16:10 Post #30 |
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DirtyDen(ise)
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I have to disagree. Den Watts demise storyline didn't have the impact or public interest the way Lucy's death has captured it. Whilst Den's storyline touched many square residents it really hasn't generated the same level of discussion / press coverage. |
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| AGavinIsMyLife | 20 Aug 2015, 21:14 Post #31 |
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Lauren to have a miscarriage either as a result of the stress of the trial, or an accident that takes place on the Square (similar to Ronnie's car crash)? Speaking of Lauren and Abi, they're ripe to take up the role of contrasting siblings that many on here foresaw for Peter and Lucy. |
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| Mormon Girl | 20 Aug 2015, 21:23 Post #32 |
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I don't think Lauren will miscarry she is heavily pregnant. |
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| BigApe | 20 Aug 2015, 23:18 Post #33 |
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I will always remember Hetti as dead Lucy and Melissa as bratty annoying Lucy. Although it was a big risk killing off her character. But they did get a memorable storyline out of it. The problem is DTC might need to close the storyline sometime before the end of his tenure. Otherwise a new producer may come in and just close it a few episodes later. But if DTC does close the storyline before he goes he has to do it slowly otherwise he'll run the risk of rushing it out the door himself. |
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| ChrissieW | 21 Aug 2015, 00:04 Post #34 |
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As much as Hetti wasn't the strongest actress I think serious miscasting was the bigger issue. I don't think her style or portrayal meshed with many viewers idea of Lucy Beale or who Lucy Beale should be. It wasn't until her very final episodes she showed any signs of improvement and that was because her soft-spoken, waifish fragility was a better fit for the tragic character she became. The sense we were watching the final days unfold of a doomed young woman who should have had a bright future ahead of her but was instead nearing the end was very well conveyed. Hetti deserves some of the credit for that. Unfortunately she was just too insipid for Lucy Beale, but it was that wan quality that meant she could have easily been recast with a more dynamic actress. Hetti - without Who killed Lucy? - was quite forgettable. Edited by ChrissieW, 21 Aug 2015, 00:05.
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| BigApe | 21 Aug 2015, 00:36 Post #35 |
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I think Den's death was just a way to get rid of Leslie Grantham (I do not believe this new claim that Den was brought back in 2003 specifically to get a final exit) but a new producer took over and got a good storyline out of it. Ross Kemp returning was an added bonus and Phil's return was already on the cards (even though his Christmas 2003 leaving episode did have all the hallmarks of a finale for Phil when I rewatch it). |
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| Christina | 21 Aug 2015, 00:42 Post #36 |
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The whole 'there's a killer amongst them' from April 2014 until Feb this year was completely brilliant, I was hooked, and the live episode was amazing. Since then it's been going round in circles and that's when it's even mentioned at all. I'm glad it's finally been talked about again now that Sharon knows, I think they had to have someone else find out after Cindy left to keep the storyline going. |
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| BigApe | 21 Aug 2015, 00:50 Post #37 |
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I think Cindy leaving was a blessing to the storyline because it was just going round in circles with her. |
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| Christina | 21 Aug 2015, 00:52 Post #38 |
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That's true, although with Sharon now knowing won't the same thing happen? |
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| BigApe | 21 Aug 2015, 00:53 Post #39 |
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I hope not as it would be a waste of a character's screen time. It wouldn't really be out of character for her to keep it to herself for now though as she covered Dennis' murder of Jack Dalton and never seemed too arsed about the guy that stabbed him. |
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| Eastend boy | 21 Aug 2015, 07:53 Post #40 |
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I never thought Hetti was that bad of an actress, yes she might of been abit posh for the role but so was the new peter(or old now) and with the exception of the young actress who plays Lola and young Shona when the material for Whitney is on point there is was no other young actress on the show who is trounces her as an actress, either way they should not of axed the character there were much weaker characters and actors who are still around who should of gone when DTC arrived, personally imo DTC for this decision, not developing the chracter of Kirsty, making Eastenders into a poor mans version of Sunset Beach has made DTC who is a talented man but sadly has the be in my top three least favored EP's of eastenders of alltime(though you cant please everybody lol!) |
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7:46 PM Jul 11