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"Episode 5414"
EastEnders episode
Episode no.Episode 5414
Directed byToby Frow
Written byLauren Klee
Featured music
Editing byDavid I'Anson
Original air date30 December 2016 (2016-12-30)
Running time30 minutes
Episode chronology
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"Episode 5413" 		Next →
"Episode 5415/5416"

"Episode 5414" is an episode of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 December 2016, between 8pm and 8.30pm. It was written by Lauren Klee, directed by Toby Frow, and executively produced by Sean O'Connor. The episode focuses on the character Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) contemplating suicide, reveals that Max Branning (Jake Wood) is self-harming and features Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) realising that she needs help with her cocaine habit.

Plot

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Following on from the events of the previous episode, Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) heads for the edge of the roof of the car park where he is parked, and contemplates suicide. He is found by parking attendant Karen Beckworth (Sally Rogers), who tries to get him to come away from the edge. She introduces herself and asks his name, and asks Lee to talk to her. Lee states asks why he does not know what he is doing as millions of people do every day; other people know how to enjoy themselves and joke with their friends, but they are just being themselves and they find it easy, while Lee feels like an alien who is pretending to be a man. He ignores his phone, saying it is probably his wife, Whitney Carter (Shona McGarty). Karen asks what she is like; he says she is beautiful, sweet, innocent, sees the best in people, and is always optimistic—she sees him as better than he is but is starting to see the real him. Lee tells Karen about his father, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), saying he is good at making friends, and although it is hard coming from a broken home, his parents are the best couple in the world which is hard for Lee too. He talks about his brother, Johnny Carter (Ted Reilly), who is gay, and wonders if being gay is easier than being a straight man. He tells Karen that he is doing a job he hates for minimum wage but cannot admit to Whitney how little he is worth, and says that he has seriously let his family down, referring to a robbery at his family's pub, The Queen Victoria, that he organised. Karen tells Lee he is not a bad person; he asks how she knows. She refers to an event in the previous episode when he shouted in her face when a parking machine would not work, and saw how scared she was, saying that how upset it made him shows he has compassion. Lee says he still hurt his family and they would be better off without him. He sits on the edge of the roof. Karen tells him to think about the effect it would have on his family if he were to jump, but he says she does not know any of them so cannot say anything about them. Karen says she can tell that Lee loves Whitney, but he says it does not solve anything because he still feels lost. She says he is not alone, and says that a lot of young men think there is something wrong with them because they think they cannot cope, but life is hard—sometimes it feels like a wave is crashing over you and spinning you around but other times the current is gentle and you can swim or float, and it is all part of life. She urges Lee to take her hand, and he gets down from the roof, crying in Karen's arms. She takes him to her office and hands him a leaflet for the Samaritans, and he tells her it was just a wobble and he would not have jumped. After Lee leaves, Karen cries in front of a photo of a boy, implying that someone she knows committed suicide. Lee goes home to Whitney, and she tells him she is not pregnant as she previously suspected, but she does want to have a baby with him. Lee says they have plenty of time and will take things one step at a time, assuring her that everything will be fine.

Max Branning (Jake Wood), who has returned to Walford following his wrongful conviction for murder (see "Who Killed Lucy Beale?"), tells Roxy Mitchell that he has given up drinking, smoking and sex. Martin Fowler (James Bye) is worried that Max may be seeking revenge on those who saw him convicted, tells his wife Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) not to let Max know that Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) bribed the jury foreman to make sure Max was found guilty. Phil's wife Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean) decides not to tell Phil, who is in hospital following a liver transplant, that Max has returned because Phil has just heard that his friend Tony has died. However, Stacey belives Max has a right to know, so tells him about Phil's bribe. Max visits Phil in hospital, revealing that he knows. Phil urges Max to take revenge by smothering him with a pillow, but Max shakes his hand and forgives him, saying that forgiveness is hard. Outside, Max burns himself with a cigarette, revealing scars from self-harm.

At the market traders' party, Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford) notices that Donna Yates (Lisa Hammond) likes fellow trader Shrimpy (Ben Champniss), but he is rude towards her. Roxy gets high on cocaine and dances with Shrimpy but he rejects her, telling her to go home. She realises she needs help, so calls her mother, Glenda Mitchell (Glynis Barber), and half-brother, Danny Mitchell (Liam Bergin), who collect her saying they will look after her. Carmel then produces mistletoe, so Donna and Shrimpy kiss under it.

Characters and cast

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Production

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Samaritans
Hatchard
Glenda and Danny

Reception

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This episode was the eighth-most requested programme on BBC iPlayer in the period 20 December 2016 to 2 January 2017, with 1,031,216 requests (not including any outside of that period).[1] Official ratings from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board showed that 6,771,000 people had watched the episode on BBC One and BBC iPlayer within 7 days of the original broadcast, making it the ninth most-watched programme on BBC One in the week of 26 December 2016 to 1 January 2017, while 155,000 people watched the same-day repeat on W. Within 28 days of the original broadcast, the viewership for BBC One increased to 6,849,000, while that for W did not change.[2]

Lee

Charlotte Tutton from OK! said that Max's self-harm was a "worrying" and "unexpected scene", saying it could "be the beginning of a shocking new storyline".[3] Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy said that "It's now clear that his time in prison has deeply affected Max and returning to Walford certainly doesn't seem to have helped matters. With Max still determined to present himself as a whole new man, how long will it take for everyone to realise how much he's struggling?"[4]

Award nomination

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Nomination[5] Winners (it didn't win)[6]

References

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  1. ^ "BBC iPlayer sees best ever week during festive season". BBC Media Centre. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Weekly top 10 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  3. ^ Tutton, Charlotte (31 December 2016). "EastEnders: Max Branning self-harms in shocking episode ahead of new year drama". OK!. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  4. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (30 December 2016). "EastEnders catch-up: Max Branning's self-harm secret is revealed as he burns himself after confronting Phil Mitchell". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  5. ^ Lindsay, Duncan (9 May 2017). "British Soap Awards 2017 shortlist for EastEnders, Corrie, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors". Metro. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  6. ^ Fillingham, Hanna (6 June 2017). "The British Soap Awards 2017: Full Winners List: Spoiler Alert". Hello!. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
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5414 Category:2016 in British television Category:2016 television episodes Category:Mental disorders in television Category:Self-harm in fiction Category:Works about drugs

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