EastEnders just aired the best episode of the year thanks to two surprise returns
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has kicked off its huge Christmas week by putting Nigel Bates at the centre of the action, airing a special instalment about his worsening dementia. It’s undoubtedly one of the best episodes of the year – but not for the reason you might think.
In the episode, Nigel gets overwhelmed on the night of his film screening and wanders inside The Vic alone. But his mind takes him back to how the pub looked in the 1990s, and he soon runs into none other than Pat and Barry Evans.
The news of Pam St Clement and Shaun Williamson reprising their roles long after their iconic characters’ on-screen deaths was announced well over a month ago, so there were sadly no shocks when they popped up in Albert Square as figments of Nigel’s mind.
That’s not to say that their appearances disappointed in any way. It was such a pleasure to see Pat and Barry’s fairly brief returns; Pat’s biting remarks and mentions of Peggy, and Barry’s singing and turmoil about his tragic love life. You can only imagine the viewer response if EastEnders had been able to keep all of this under wraps.
Nicola Duffett’s return as Nigel’s late first wife Debbie, although also revealed in advance, was very well done, and it was emotional to see these two characters reunited after 30 years as Nigel mixed up the two great loves of his life.
Amid these sensational comebacks, the underrated highlight of the episode was the returns of Daniel Delaney and Teddy Jay, who reprised their roles as young Phil and Grant, after the huge success of two Mitchell flashback episodes.
This was a total surprise when watching the episode, but it’s also something that made complete sense amid Nigel’s increasing confusion.
It goes without saying at this point that these characters are incredibly well-casted, with the appearances and mannerisms of Daniel and Teddy bearing uncanny resemblance to Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp from several decades ago.
But it’s the scene itself that was particularly moving. Nigel observed Phil and Grant lusting after a mysterious woman in the pub and tossing a coin to decide which of them would go over to speak to her. Grant won and happily made his move – but it was then revealed that Phil had let him win, and he told Nigel that their beloved mum had warned them never to fall out over a girl.
The fact that these are Nigel’s own jumbled memories shows that he has always known Phil to be a kind, selfless friend, despite his tough exterior – and the way Phil has cared for Nigel over the last 12 months only proves this to be true.
The young Mitchells showing up added to an episode that was very carefully crafted, with everything from the pub décor to Tracey’s hair colour transporting the audience back to the 1990s.
However, the nostalgia of it all never took away from the strengths of EastEnders present. At the core of the episode was Paul Bradley, whose vulnerability as Nigel was the key to why this instalment worked so well. The care he has shown to this storyline over the last year is commendable, and it’s a nuanced and erratic performance that many people will recognise in their own loved ones with dementia.
The episode also shows why the soap was so right to bring back Karen Henthorn as Julie, as well as proving why the character should stick around long after this devastating story has come to an end. You could see Julie’s heart silently break every time Nigel called her Debbie, which is why the most beautiful moment of the episode was when she realised that her husband had correctly labelled a gift tag on an engraved necklace as a Christmas present for her.
Plus, Steve McFadden delivered yet another exceptional performance, as Phil was forced to admit that he could no longer care for Nigel alone. To him, this meant breaking the promise he made to his best friend months ago – but when Phil broke the news to him in the final scene of the episode, Nigel accepted that he needed to let him go.
It’s arguably been quite a tricky few months for EastEnders, as it transitions from one era to the next. But what can’t be disputed is that Nigel’s story has been one of the soap’s strengths over the last year – and this poignant episode will be one of the highlights of the festive season.
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.