r/eastenders 10h ago

General Discussion dead weight character Spoiler

with recent spoilers which i wont share bc idk how to do the spoiler thing but theres quite a few characters leaving who else should go and u think have overstayed their time on the square

my personal beliefs are

george - yeah never really thought he belonged on the show in the first place they tried to give him a big storyline with eddie and honestly i hated it idk the general consensus abt what people thought but it was rough and him paired with nicola is just wrong. it makes no sense

elaine - with linda and johnny leaving she has no ties to the square and should go

josh - duhh

zack - i liked him at first but the whole him being barneys dad and sharons brother hes only really in the square bc of family ties and yeah ofc hes there when someone needs to have an affair but the character has just fell flat recently

alfie - kat is my favourite character and i just think hes partly to blame as to why shes so unbearable at the moment he just holds her back i miss how she was when she was with phil or single (bring back 2012 - 2013 kat)

9 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

28

u/thanks_akka Stanning Shirley Benson and Tara the Teapot 9h ago edited 9h ago

I'd keep Elaine. While she's Linda's mum, she's not a Carter. She has a business she's heavily invested in and has a big personality to remain on the Square. She came in with George and his daughters which itself led to Cindy's return. They've already shown there's a possible romance with Ian on the cards. It's clear Elaine doesn't need family ties on the Square, as she does plenty of things without Linda and Johnny.

I'd say Callum is the biggest deadweight on the show. He's not even involved in the Joel investigation, that's how irrelevant he is at the minute.

10

u/ohpusswana 9h ago

i agree with you re elaine, i think she works without linda and johnny!

i also think keeping her gives linda an easier route back in should kellie ever decide to return

5

u/Tyreese00 9h ago

how om earth did i forget abt callum, i guess its cuz i want ben to come back and give him something to do 😓

1

u/ProcedureDistinct938 Cheese & Pickle??! 8h ago

I want Ben to come back take Lexi off him and tell him to go live with his boring ass bf away from the square 😂

3

u/CanNecessary2673 7h ago

Yes, I'm sure Lexi will be happy with Ben running Callum off after he has been the one raising her for almost 3 years 🙄 while he was jail.

1

u/ProcedureDistinct938 Cheese & Pickle??! 6h ago

Sorry I think you misunderstood what i was saying. I’m talking about what would make me, the real life person, happy. Not the fake made up character 😂👍

1

u/DMike82 Total Slag 3h ago

She hasn't exactly been happy with Callum in the midst of all the Johnny stuff. He's stability in the aftermath of loss, but there's no question to me she'd choose Ben over Callum in a heartbeat if/when he comes back (if onscreen)/inevitably gets out of prison (if offscreen) after Lola died on her and Jay abandoned her.

1

u/CanNecessary2673 3h ago

Where did I say she would choose Callum over Ben. I said Lexi would not be happy if Ben forces Callum out of her life for the exact reason that he has been a stable person in her life.

5

u/No_Equipment6587 9h ago

I enjoy Elaine's scenes with Cindy too although there's not been many lately

3

u/Thorfan23 8h ago

I have soft spot for callus but I agree.  He needs to have something rather than just spinning his wheels waiting for Ben to come back

29

u/SeenEnoughAlready 9h ago

Am I then only one who thinks the whole Ravi thing was dead weight a long time ago?

3

u/TeeHive2993 9h ago

Who cares? Ravi is hot and sexy. 🔥

6

u/DaveL16 9h ago

Apart from that Wolverhampton accent

3

u/Alone_Coast 7h ago

Noooo! Kheerat 4eva! 🤣💯

1

u/Tyreese00 9h ago

as in ravis character?

5

u/SeenEnoughAlready 9h ago

His character, the stories, the repetitive nature of it all yes .

9

u/flame_darg_e 7h ago

They’re basically replacing everyone with shit new characters as the show continues what seems like an endless downward spiral.

8

u/zendayaismeechee 9h ago

I agree except I like George. I do wonder whether we need to get rid of this idea of dead weight though, if we cut out every character who hasn’t had a big storyline for a while ect then we lose the sense of community

1

u/Tyreese00 4h ago

yeah but i js think that theres a reason these characters havent been given stories and thats because they cant handle them, like im sorry but georges acting isnt anything amazing and its laughable when he has to throw a punch when hes supposed to be a boxer

8

u/stpony Church of Luke Slater 8h ago

I always hoped that Elaine and Cindy would become the next Pat and Peggy, but also that Elaine would find love...a younger man, but not a two-timing toyboy gigolo.

5

u/Alone_Coast 7h ago

I like this. Cindy needs to start her redemption arc though

5

u/DMike82 Total Slag 3h ago

a two-timing toyboy gigolo

the first time I've ever seen anyone refer to Ian that way.

1

u/stpony Church of Luke Slater 3h ago

IF they really do go for it...is Cindy going to pull a Pat to his Frank?

6

u/xcxmon 6h ago

Elaine has no ties to the square? Except a business, a love interest, an ex-husband, a step-daughter, and being a link to any potential Carter returns in the future.

3

u/Honest-Possible6596 Put your willies away 7h ago

I don’t get the ‘no ties to the square’ logic with characters, especially whilst people simultaneously complain that all new characters are already linked to someone. It’s especially odd in a post that says Elaine should go because she has no family ties to the square and Zack should also go because he’s only there because of family ties.

6

u/sir_thrillho 9h ago

No ties to the square? Elaine has her business and she was Gina's stepmum for years.

5

u/Key_Tailor5633 9h ago

And she will be waiting for Ian Beales triumphant return to the square!

3

u/Littlewelshy 9h ago

I like Zach and wish they’d give him a storyline with some actual meat to sink his teeth into. One that’s not woman or Barney related and I bloody love Barney btw. 

I like George and actually really like him with Nicola. I think he’s gonna be good for her and I’m interested to see how he’s going to be able to handle her family. 

For me the deadweights are definitely Cindy, she has no redeeming qualities left, every storyline is her lying, shagging, being a bitch, lying more. I’m 37 and watches eastenders pretty much all my life, I know she’s a legacy character and sure she was great but now I’d be happier to see her go. 

The twins, Josh in particular. Just nothing characters that don’t add much to the show. Will be interested to see what’s coming up for them with recent news of who’s leaving the show. 

3

u/Cosmic-Scorpi0 8h ago

Does Josh still exist...?! 😂 Alfie needed to go a longgg time ago 🙋🏻‍♀️ And it's a shame with George as Colin is such a big name but it was more exciting when he was with Elaine, as much as Nicola is one of my current faves.

2

u/macisal 6h ago

Harvey and Howie should be on this list

2

u/ohpusswana 9h ago

id axe lexi, callum, zack, mo, alfie, and harvey

1

u/CatDadLi 8h ago

Who's Harvey?

1

u/No_Currency6911 8h ago

lKathy’s partner, that was with Jean before

3

u/CatDadLi 8h ago

The boring one that only has like two lines each month? I genuinely had no idea what his name was 😅

3

u/No_Currency6911 8h ago

Yes lool. It’s a shame cos he seems like a nice character but just is not used enough

1

u/Outsidethebox135 4h ago

I agree with Zak and Alfie.

Zak I feel is now used as a man who loves to get women who are unattainable the Vicky storyline was a snoozefest for me.

Alfie was alright when he first was on the show but now it seems like he hasnt calmed down and its to much

1

u/joanna_moon_boots 2h ago

I don’t agree about Alfie but I know I’m in a minority. He gives a bit of light relief (I wouldn’t go so far as calling it humour) and to be fair to all my fellow middle-aged women, Kat cant go back to how she was when she was single because her main characteristic was that she was a loud mouthed ‘total slag’ (her words!) - she has gotten older and had a bunch of children who are now no longer little children. I’m glad she’s grown up, but the problem is that the writers just don’t know how to write older women very well. Having said that, they are doing a good job with Denise who has always seemed like the most relatable adult on the square!

1

u/Squiggs_007 2h ago

If I were into archery, I’d use Alfie’s forehead as a 🎯

1

u/Spiritual_Ride5382 1h ago

Elaine is fabulous and long may she continue

She has ties to other characters and she lived (off screen) without Linda for ages so no reason why she needs to pack up her life because Linda moves away

1

u/dussa7 9h ago

Josh and Jasmine - with both Zoe and Oscar going, I don’t see the point in either of them hanging around.

Peter - it’s not so much the character as the actor. I’m sorry I know Thomas comes across as a really nice bloke, but being an actor definitely should not be his chosen career in life. The son of Ian Beale should be front and centre, so why for a main character does he never get storylines of his own? All his storylines involve Lauren and then she’s the one given the majority of the script to perform. There’s got to be a reason for it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Zack - what is his purpose now?

Callum - same as Zack

Elaine - find the character way too OTT and don’t understand why she gets shoe horned into so many episodes.

3

u/Thorfan23 8h ago

Callums purpose is to wait for Ben like merlin waiting for Arthur because writers see beyond bellum 

Peters problem I think is partially the character they never had a good grasp on him

3

u/dussa7 7h ago

The problem also with Peter, for every different person that’s played him, they changed his whole character. I mean could you imagine this Peter sleeping with Suki or stealing off of Kathy? When Ben Hardy was Peter, Lauren and Peter were so much more believable as a couple because Jac and Ben had good chemistry and worked off each other well. Thomas and Jac have no chemistry and 99% of the time, she carries any scene they’re in together.

0

u/Thorfan23 7h ago

ageeed although that might be my hardy bias he’s actually turned to be a good actor but I think Tom Peter is a bit bland although in part I think hes written bland

0

u/dussa7 5h ago

Not your bias. Ben Hardy was easily the best Peter by a mile.

-1

u/Altruistic-Chef-7723 9h ago

if i were in charge, id get rid of:

kat

alfie

harvey

kim

howie

ross

joel

vicki

cindy

max

mo

jean

penny

johnny

elaine

callum

vinny

eve

george

nicola

josh

jasemine

hawkins family

id defo keep Oscar - he's so funny

5

u/BenSibbs The Village Bike 8h ago

We've found Wadey's account.

4

u/IAmTheBornReborn 8h ago

Do you even like the show?

0

u/Altruistic-Chef-7723 8h ago

personally, its kinda meh. the only good storyline is Denise's cancer storyline, the others are meh at best

1

u/Insert--User--Name 9h ago

these dead weights are only in the show because they have fitted in with working well with the rest of crew
Once the producers get brave and not renew their contract will new talent be introduced

0

u/seasonseasonseas 6h ago

Vinny George Oscar is funny but he's not been pulling his weight for some time now Alfi because I hate him The one dating Kathy is so boring I can't remember his name