EastEnders spoilers follow.
She may be the life and soul of the party at The Queen Vic, but EastEnders’ Elaine Peacock has been missing something pretty important since moving to Walford: empathy for her troubled daughter Linda Carter.
Linda has a lot on her plate right now, as she struggles with the continued presence of Dean Wicks, who raped her, while hiding a dark secret about Christmas Day.
Even though Elaine doesn’t know half of Linda’s problems – namely that she killed Keanu Taylor – she is fully aware that Linda needs her more than ever right now. So why does Elaine lack such sensitivity?
When Elaine moved in with Linda full-time last year, we had no reason to doubt her. Elaine, previously played by Maria Friedman, was always strong and eccentric, but she always rushed to Linda’s side during a crisis and often sensed something was wrong.
Since taking over the role, Harriet Thorpe has breathed new life into Elaine, a force to be reckoned with. I wish EastEnders had let him use this violent side of him to fight for Linda.
As the bar’s new co-owner, Elaine quickly made herself at home, joking with the locals and trademarking her now-famous laugh. However, Linda’s behavior regarding her health is constantly falling short.
At first, Elaine seemed unaffected by the ‘death’ of Mick Carter, Linda’s childhood sweetheart and soulmate. She later admitted that her sadness for Mick kept her from running straight to her family after he might drown.
But in a more recent scene, Elaine found Linda in tears at the photo of Mick’s young son, born to Janine Butcher. This would have been the perfect moment for Elaine to finally offer some real support to Linda; However, Vic was too distracted by his psychic night.
Elaine told Linda that she “might shed a tear” when the event was over. It was a cold and thoughtless comment that made Elaine seem like she didn’t care.
When Dean invaded Linda’s home, Elaine’s fiancé George jumped to her defense and pushed the villain down the stairs. The incident led to a nasty situation, and viewers were outraged when Dean ordered Linda to lie about the rape never happening in exchange for dropping the charges against George.
Rather than expressing unconditional dismay, Elaine urged Linda to accept the terms. Urged on by her mother’s wishes, Linda gave in to Dean’s demands, only to find that her words were being recorded and used to humiliate her. Elaine’s choice to put George above her own daughter’s state of mind added an extra, twisted layer to an already vile narrative.
Elaine’s eventual apology did little to save our lives. On the contrary, George was ready to go to prison for attacking Dean, tried to stop Linda from doing what Dean wanted, and even helped her get sober for a while. George’s kindness only served to highlight Elaine’s careless attitude.
The arrival of Linda’s son Johnny this week has finally challenged this surprising dynamic. Johnny was stunned by his mother’s relapse into alcoholism and confronted Elaine for neglecting Linda and avoiding her problems. Elaine’s angry reaction caused Johnny to back down, insisting that he was always there for Linda.
But Johnny voiced something that has been obvious for months. As Elaine tells George he should have made more of an effort with Linda decades ago, when the loss of his father triggered a battle with bulimia, George’s words may have been seared into her memory.
Elaine added that she now knew she had disappointed Linda and EastEnders needed to build on that awareness rather than glossing over it. It is not enough at this point to state that he knows he needs to do better; Elaine needs to step up and make amends.
Adding more warmth to the character would be a good start. The care Elaine takes in bonding with George’s daughters, Gina and Anna, is sorely lacking in her relationship with Linda, and it’s time for a change.
It doesn’t take much for the show to devote more time and energy to Elaine’s scenes with Linda, reminding us why they’re meant to be so close. Doing this will also help the duo’s business partnership be more unique.
When Linda became The Vic’s first landlady, her ability to portray a smile behind the bar while letting her guard down backstage helped Linda become an iconic presence on EastEnders, following in the footsteps of soap legend Peggy Mitchell.
Elaine’s loud and proud personality doesn’t need to change, but that façade she now paints for clients remains intense in her special moments with her daughter. Rather than dismissing Linda at almost every opportunity, he should make her feel like she can open up.
If EastEnders wants to cement Elaine as a key fixture, it should add a final element focusing on her behavior towards Linda.
EastEnders It airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The program is also broadcast on BBC iPlayer, with most episodes airing at 6am before TV broadcast.
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