EastEnders is often at its best when its at its most dark and depressing and last monday's episode, where Ronnie finally handed baby Tommy back to a very confused Kat, was one of the best episodes in a long time for that reason. But why did I end up feeling more sorry for villian Ronnie than anyone else?
EastEnders' Ronnie Branning (Samantha Womack) has been on a slow downward spiral since long-lost daughter Danielle (Lauren Crace) was flung over the bonnet of Janine Malloy (Charlie Brooks) car over two years ago (two years and 16 days to be exact as Ronnie was), culminating in Ronnie stealing Kat Moon's (Jessie Wallace) baby Tommy on new years eve.
But instead of the happiness and relief for Kat and Alfie or the devastation for Ronnie's husband Jack (Scott Maslen), it was the heartbreaking scenes with Ronnie and the doctor that really made the episode. Was it just good acting and writing or a miss direction on the part of the EastEnders that Ronnie didn't come across as the ultimate villian for what was a terrible crime?
The acting of Sam Womack as Ronnie, especially in the conversation with the doctor, was outstanding and I am sure was part of the reason that I felt just sorrow for the character. The almost empty and lost stares of a character who has been through more than her fair share of heartbreak (even for soapland) were haunting.
But at the same time it felt almost wrong to feel sorry for a character who snatched someone else's baby and let them think their own baby had died for months. Throughout the episode Ronnie rarely came across as evil, just very unstable and in need of help. It almost felt like the emotion of anger was missing slightly for me as a viewer at home and from the characters themselves in the show. But as the storyline looks set to continue and with Ronnie in the soap a while longer, hopefully this will be explored further.
Personally I throughly enjoyed the episode for the emotion and drama in the aftermath of such a controversial storyline and whilst it was odd to feel sympathetic for such horrible crimes, that shouldn't take away from the fantastic acting and writing.
Who did you feel most sorry for? Did you enjoy the aftermath of the baby-swap storyline?
Picture from metro.co.uk
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