doof doof doofus

I've been getting quite upset watching EastEnders over the last week, what with the premature baby storyline.  The episode where the baby was born was the worst.  Being unconscious during Dulcie's delivery, I didn't witness any panic or resuscitation, but did have to read about it in the medical reports later.  I never saw Dulcie in person while she was on the ventilator for the first few days of her life and I found it quite traumatic to watch Janine's little baby (Patricia - amazing!) with her chest pumping up and down like that.  I was feeding Dulcie as I watched it and had to give her a tearful squeeze.  I suppose it makes me picture the scary things I was slightly protected from at the time and it is hard to think about Dulcie being in that situation even thought she is OK now.  Of course, we have laughed at all the dreadful inaccuracies (don't these shows employ researchers?! pah!) but mostly it is just quite upsetting.  There is also a premature baby in Home & Away at the moment, as well as a character who has recently been diagnosed with heart failure.  Didn't I say my life was like a soap opera these days?  

The positives to be seen in all of this are as follows: 1) Dulcie is a totally different (gigantic) baby from what she was back then and 2) if any character has to have a premature baby storyline then I'm glad it's Janine as she is ace and quite a good actress and not too hammy... for someone who is on marriage number four, has killed at least one husband and recently inherited millions from an elderly relative.

I gave up EastEnders for a very long time and only started watching again because it coincided with breastfeeding time.  (Breastfeeding is also my excuse for knowing what is happening in Home & Away and I'm sticking to it!)  For a while I found it painful to watch, but I am slowly beginning to enjoy it again.  Michael is a crap character though, as is Derek.  Get rid of them and Jean, bring back Dot and Pat and Stacey, and make sure Janine features heavily in every single episode.  That is my considered advice to you, BBC, and don't listen to anyone who doesn't approve of raising characters from the dead.

Right, I'm off to phone the number for people affected by the issues raised in tonight's episode.  Not really.