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Lee's depression storyline; How far will EE go with this?
Topic Started: 16 Sep 2015, 20:52 (2,603 Views)
Blades' receptionist
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The more I think about this, the more I think Eastenders might go as far as having Lee attempt suicide. There was a news article just last month which highlighted again how men feel like they can't discuss it and are dying because of this.

Do we think this is where it's heading?
"They don't know that we know that they know"
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Alidee
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Blades' receptionist
16 Sep 2015, 20:52
The more I think about this, the more I think Eastenders might go as far as having Lee attempt suicide. There was a news article just last month which highlighted again how men feel like they can't discuss it and are dying because of this.

Do we think this is where it's heading?
I hope not, would rather see Dean go down that route then Lee. But maybe thats the path they are taking Lee.
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Shamelessness
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If he ends up attempting suicide he'll be the fourth character to do so under DTC, after Jean, Kat and
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Blades' receptionist
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Alidee
16 Sep 2015, 20:59
Blades' receptionist
16 Sep 2015, 20:52
The more I think about this, the more I think Eastenders might go as far as having Lee attempt suicide. There was a news article just last month which highlighted again how men feel like they can't discuss it and are dying because of this.

Do we think this is where it's heading?
I hope not, would rather see Dean go down that route then Lee. But maybe thats the path they are taking Lee.
I used to think this is where they were heading with Dean, but it would make more sense with Lee now.
"They don't know that we know that they know"
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Blades' receptionist
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Shamelessness
16 Sep 2015, 21:01
If he ends up attempting suicide he'll be the fourth character to do so under DTC, after Jean, Kat and
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Oh yeh.

Well he's given babies to Kat, Ronnie, Kim, Lauren, Linda and Stacey - he obviously doesn't mind doing the same storyline in a different setting.
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MrSunshine
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I hope not. I don't rate Danny boy very highly as an actor (though I do think he pulls off anger quite well) so I'd hate to see him try to pull this one off.

I'd rather they give such a delicate story to someone that can handle it.
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MrSunshine
16 Sep 2015, 22:13
I hope not. I don't rate Danny boy very highly as an actor (though I do think he pulls off anger quite well) so I'd hate to see him try to pull this one off.

I'd rather they give such a delicate story to someone that can handle it.
Who do you think would be able to handle it? :)
"They don't know that we know that they know"
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MrSunshine
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Blades' receptionist
16 Sep 2015, 22:14
MrSunshine
16 Sep 2015, 22:13
I hope not. I don't rate Danny boy very highly as an actor (though I do think he pulls off anger quite well) so I'd hate to see him try to pull this one off.

I'd rather they give such a delicate story to someone that can handle it.
Who do you think would be able to handle it? :)
Of the young male cast: Jamie Borthwick, James Bye, Davood Ghadami and possibly even Harry Reid (with Kush losing his child and everything about to explode for Ben the latter two make more sense).

Lee's depression was suddenly thrust onto us one Monday with no buildup. It was just 'Oh btw, Lee's depressed now.

Of the young female cast: Jacqueline Jossa, Shona McGarty, Lacey Turner, Rakhee Thakrar and even (and I know everyone will disagree) Natalie Cassiday. I think a story like this by Natalie would show viewers that she does still have that acting spark. All the females (except Sonia) would have valid reasons for slipping into a cycle of depression - Lauren keeping Bobby's secret and losing her family for it, Whitey could begin to feel isolated when her family leave and she has no friends left, The toll of Stacey's pregancy could be too much (and we're heading there anyway I think) and Shabnam for the same reasons as Kush.
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MrSunshine
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Stories should come from the characters themselves and not feel tacked on for the sake of more drama.
Edited by MrSunshine, 16 Sep 2015, 22:47.
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Mrs Peel
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I don't think this is a story introduced for more drama or even to give Danny-Boy Hatchard or the other actors who play the Carter tribe more screen time. Lee is a veteran of the Afghan war. More than any other conflict in recent years, young men returning from this conflict are having to deal with PTSD and also with various forms of depression. We've seen Lee's immediate superiors trying to give him a pathway to help, suggesting that he either visit his own GP and get referred or either seek help through military medical facilities, and he's refused, which isn't unbelievable either.

I find it hard to believe that, once he'd struck an officer, knowing the reason he was seeing his CO that day (to organise and arrange help) and also the higher-ups being aware, via his Sergeant Major, that Lee had a problem, the first and last thing they'd do is clap him in the cells for a weekend and then summarily discharge him. They may offer some sort of suspension from duties until he had sought help and treatment, but a lot of Lee's dilemma is entangled with problems from his home life, a fear of letting his family, especially his mother, down and just fear of the unknown, in general.

It's a very relevant story for our times, and EastEnders could really knock this one out of the park, done correctly, but I don't think, somehow, they will.
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MrSunshine
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It should work but there was no buildup at all. It was months after he found out about Linda's rape and he had been back in Walford for almost a year and suddenly he's depressed NOW?

I'd understand if we had seen him slowly everytime his family suffered a knock but we didn't.

The story literally came out of nowhere. One Monday he was depressed.

And Danny boy can't handle this story imo.
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BigApe
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I did read that Lee's depression isn't going to be completely due to his army experiences which I think is a good move. Depression can come from any type of back ground.
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Blades' receptionist
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Yeh I read that it wasn't going to be necessarily due to his time in the army. He's already said to Whitney about how he felt about serving Dean drinks not knowing what he had done to Linda.

To a certain extent I do agree that the storyline came out of nowhere - one episode he did act differently (him storming out of the café) but it's rare that soaps do subtle!
"They don't know that we know that they know"
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Mrs Peel
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The story came out of nowhere because of block storylining, no other reason.
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Mrs Peel
17 Sep 2015, 10:44
The story came out of nowhere because of block storylining, no other reason.
I agree. I don't usually notice the block storytelling on Eastenders, but this year has been very bad for it. Ronnie/Roxy/Charlie was another example. After 2 months of no screen time they were a couple and we were supposed to just go along with it.
"They don't know that we know that they know"
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John Boy
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Mrs Peel
17 Sep 2015, 10:44
The story came out of nowhere because of block storylining, no other reason.
This is EastEnders biggest problem right now.
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MrSunshine
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Mrs Peel
17 Sep 2015, 10:44
The story came out of nowhere because of block storylining, no other reason.
While the families were suffering their many knocks earlier this year Lee was seen to be coping relatively well all things considered. He became depressed months later and very suddenly. It feels more like a tacked on story rather than block storytelling in this case.
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ChrissieW
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I think this story would have worked better if we already knew Lee Carter. A depression story isn't the way to develop a character, it's a story to give a character who has already been developed.
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Blades' receptionist
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I agree. We haven't been given the opportunity to get to know Lee or his relationship with Whitney.
"They don't know that we know that they know"
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Mrs Peel
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ChrissieW
17 Sep 2015, 15:14
I think this story would have worked better if we already knew Lee Carter. A depression story isn't the way to develop a character, it's a story to give a character who has already been developed.
This is what happens when you have a cast of this size and everyone is promised a bite of the apple. Sometimes it feels as if too much is going on on the programme to absorb. You get so far with certain characters and certain situations, then things abruptly stop and the soap veers off to concentrate on other characters and other storylines, to the point that people lose interest in some things.

It would have helped us understand what was going on with Lee if, amidst all the Mick-Shirley-Dean mess, we saw a bit more of him. We weren't even sure until recently that he was even still serving as he was behind the bar more than at the recruiting station.
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